Stateless (Stateless, #1) by Meli Raine

Oct 02, 2019 Eve (Between The Bookends) rated it it was amazing

I always get excited when Meli Raine has a new book out. I think she does romantic (political) suspense so well, and again this book was no different. If you've read the previous nine books in this series, then you've heard about the STATELESS and you know exactly who this hero is. It's because of the vast amounts of backstory that I wouldn't recommend reading this book as a standalone. Start with the HARMLESS trilogy and work your way through all nine books. You won't be disappointed. As for this book itself, ...more

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Oct 15, 2019 XxTainaxX Curvy and Nerdy rated it it was amazing

From the very first page, this story caught my attention and consistently kept it throughout. We were introduced to the other side of a conflict that has spanned several series and were given a reality that isn’t as black and white as one assumes.

We met Callum. He was smart, dangerous, and being raised to be a weapon. We meet Kina, she is cunning, strong, brilliant, and underestimated. They make a great match and in the process start something that wasn’t supposed to be.

The plot was riveting. ...more

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Oct 16, 2019 Meghan March added it

✩ Romantic Suspense
✩ Deep State Operatives
✩ Psychological Thriller
✩ Political Intrigue

Read it here

When you’re born without a trace, no one knows you’re a weapon.

I lie for her.

I hunt for her.

I kill for her.

And above all, I betray my mission for her.

She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t care why.

I do.

Treason comes in many forms.

Love is one of them.

Our training taught me to be a sociopath. A machine. A pawn. Nothing more than a tool for a larger goal, without attachments or feelings.

Our teachers forgot one important detail:

Pawns shouldn’t have hearts.

Yet we do.

It turns out o ...more

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Oct 16, 2019 K. Bromberg added it

✩ Romantic Suspense
✩ Deep State Operatives
✩ Psychological Thriller
✩ Political Intrigue

Read it here

When you’re born without a trace, no one knows you’re a weapon.

I lie for her.

I hunt for her.

I kill for her.

And above all, I betray my mission for her.

She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t care why.

I do.

Treason comes in many forms.

Love is one of them.

Our training taught me to be a sociopath. A machine. A pawn. Nothing more than a tool for a larger goal, without attachments or feelings.

Our teachers forgot one important detail:

Pawns shouldn’t have hearts.

Yet we do.

It turns out o ...more

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Oct 16, 2019 Kennedy Ryan added it

✩ Romantic Suspense

✩ Deep State Operatives

✩ Psychological Thriller

✩ Political Intrigue

Read it here

When you’re born without a trace, no one knows you’re a weapon.

I lie for her.

I hunt for her.

I kill for her.

And above all, I betray my mission for her.

She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t care why.

I do.

Treason comes in many forms.

Love is one of them.

Our training taught me to be a sociopath. A machine. A pawn. Nothing more than a tool for a larger goal, without attachments or feelings.

Our teachers forgot one important detail:

Pawns shouldn’t have hearts.

Yet we do.

It turns out o ...more

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Oct 16, 2019 Sawyer Bennett added it

✩ Romantic Suspense
✩ Deep State Operatives
✩ Psychological Thriller
✩ Political Intrigue

Read it here

When you’re born without a trace, no one knows you’re a weapon.

I lie for her.

I hunt for her.

I kill for her.

And above all, I betray my mission for her.

She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t care why.

I do.

Treason comes in many forms.

Love is one of them.

Our training taught me to be a sociopath. A machine. A pawn. Nothing more than a tool for a larger goal, without attachments or feelings.

Our teachers forgot one important detail:

Pawns shouldn’t have hearts.

Yet we do.

It turns out o ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Oct 16, 2019 Rachel Dyken added it

✩ Romantic Suspense
✩ Deep State Operatives
✩ Psychological Thriller
✩ Political Intrigue

Read it here

When you’re born without a trace, no one knows you’re a weapon.

I lie for her.

I hunt for her.

I kill for her.

And above all, I betray my mission for her.

She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t care why.

I do.

Treason comes in many forms.

Love is one of them.

Our training taught me to be a sociopath. A machine. A pawn. Nothing more than a tool for a larger goal, without attachments or feelings.

Our teachers forgot one important detail:

Pawns shouldn’t have hearts.

Yet we do.

It turns out o ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Oct 17, 2019 Willow Winters added it

✩ Romantic Suspense
✩ Deep State Operatives
✩ Psychological Thriller
✩ Political Intrigue

Read it here

When you’re born without a trace, no one knows you’re a weapon.

I lie for her.

I hunt for her.

I kill for her.

And above all, I betray my mission for her.

She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t care why.

I do.

Treason comes in many forms.

Love is one of them.

Our training taught me to be a sociopath. A machine. A pawn. Nothing more than a tool for a larger goal, without attachments or feelings.

Our teachers forgot one important detail:

Pawns shouldn’t have hearts.

Yet we do.

It turns out o ...more

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Oct 13, 2019 Paula Phillips rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. # Don't read this series until you have started at the beginning with A Harmless Little Game #

Readers of Meli Raine's series will know how she writes three books in a series and then a new series is created which spin-offs from the previous series but still following the same storyline. This is a series I have been following for a few years now ever since I discovered A Harmless Little Game back in November 2016. I have to admit because I have been a big fan of this series, I w ...more

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Oct 17, 2019 Ilsa Madden-Mills added it

✩ Romantic Suspense
✩ Deep State Operatives
✩ Psychological Thriller
✩ Political Intrigue

Read it here

When you’re born without a trace, no one knows you’re a weapon.

I lie for her.

I hunt for her.

I kill for her.

And above all, I betray my mission for her.

She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t care why.

I do.

Treason comes in many forms.

Love is one of them.

Our training taught me to be a sociopath. A machine. A pawn. Nothing more than a tool for a larger goal, without attachments or feelings.

Our teachers forgot one important detail:

Pawns shouldn’t have hearts.

Yet we do.

It turns out o ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 16, 2019 Carrie Ryan added it

✩ Romantic Suspense

✩ Deep State Operatives

✩ Psychological Thriller

✩ Political Intrigue

Read it here

When you’re born without a trace, no one knows you’re a weapon.

I lie for her.

I hunt for her.

I kill for her.

And above all, I betray my mission for her.

She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t care why.

I do.

Treason comes in many forms.

Love is one of them.

Our training taught me to be a sociopath. A machine. A pawn. Nothing more than a tool for a larger goal, without attachments or feelings.

Our teachers forgot one important detail:

Pawns shouldn’t have hearts.

Yet we do.

It turns out o ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 17, 2019 Louise Bay added it

✩ Romantic Suspense
✩ Deep State Operatives
✩ Psychological Thriller
✩ Political Intrigue

Read it here

When you’re born without a trace, no one knows you’re a weapon.

I lie for her.

I hunt for her.

I kill for her.

And above all, I betray my mission for her.

She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t care why.

I do.

Treason comes in many forms.

Love is one of them.

Our training taught me to be a sociopath. A machine. A pawn. Nothing more than a tool for a larger goal, without attachments or feelings.

Our teachers forgot one important detail:

Pawns shouldn’t have hearts.

Yet we do.

It turns out o ...more

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Jul 28, 2019 Shelley rated it it was amazing

This is the first book in the Stateless trilogy. They do need to be read in order. You can start with this trilogy as a stand-alone, though it will have a couple references to the Harmless and Shameless trilogies also. It does have a bit of a suspense cliffhanger that Meli excels at.

Kira and her identical twin Glen have been raised Stateless. Saved from a violent family at four and brought into the schooling to be human killing machines, deep undercover in all governments and major f ...more

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Oct 08, 2019 Mandy rated it it was amazing

Absolutely loved this book, from the first page to the last I could not put it down. It has been a while since I read a book all in one day but this one had me gripped right from the start and kept me engrossed until the end.

Kina and Glen are identical twin sisters. Having been at the compound for as long as they can remember they know no other way of life. Callum, their friend, has been with them since childhood but it is Kina and Callum who have the stronger connection, a connecti Absolutely loved this book, from the first page to the last I could not put it down. It has been a while since I read a book all in one day but this one had me gripped right from the start and kept me engrossed until the end.

Kina and Glen are identical twin sisters. Having been at the compound for as long as they can remember they know no other way of life. Callum, their friend, has been with them since childhood but it is Kina and Callum who have the stronger connection, a connection that cannot be broken, unlike the rules of the compound.

No emotion is the key to being Stateless. Everything they have been taught, all the training they have completed, their lives up to this point have been planned and executed to perfection with one goal in mind...The Mission.

But what if everything you believed in is a lie, those you trusted the most betray you. Your life as you know it is not what you thought. Where do you go? What do you do?

I knew I was going to like Callum as soon as he was introduced in the story. The strength and power behind his character is evident, even in the younger years. His unyielding emotional attachment to Kina is evident in his desire to protect her. Having read the previous series I was aware of the relevance of the mission he has been given.

I'm not yet sure what to make of Kina. After everything she has been through I want to believe she is what she appears to be and that her feelings for Callum are real, I just have a feeling that not all is as it seems. And don't even get me started on Glen! What a... sister!

This story is told from the views of both Kina and Callum. The majority of the timeline is set nine years ago when the pair where teenagers, in the final year of their training, coming up to the present towards the end.

If you have read the previous series by Meli Raine then some names will be very familiar, such as Romeo who is a prominent figure in this story. This is a stand-alone series, so can be read independently, however I would recommend reading at least the series before but all the series link together.

Suspence, lies, secrets and betrayal. Fighting for their lives and for their love. Can't wait to see what happens with Kina and Callum in the next part of the series - Traceless ...more

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Oct 22, 2019 Meghan Quinn added it

✩ Romantic Suspense

✩ Deep State Operatives

✩ Psychological Thriller

✩ Political Intrigue

Read it here

When you’re born without a trace, no one knows you’re a weapon.
I lie for her. I hunt for her. I kill for her. And above all, I betray my mission for her.

She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t care why.
I do. Treason comes in many forms. Love is one of them.

Our training taught me to be a sociopath. A machine. A pawn. Nothing more than a tool for a larger goal, without attachments or feelings.

Our teachers forgot one important detail: Pawns shouldn’t have hearts.
Yet we do.

It turns out our emotio ...more

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Oct 14, 2019 Sophie Ruthven rated it it was amazing

Wow.
Yet again the author has started a series off with a bang.
After finishing her last book I was so excited to read this and boy did she deliver.
The hidden world of Stateless has to be read to be believed.
Whether you have read all books by this author or just starting now, you need to read immediately.
Every series of hers I start thinking it can't be better than the last, & every time I'm happily proven wrong.
This book will grip you from cover to cover and blo ...more

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Oct 15, 2019 Jo-Ann Forrest rated it it was amazing

What a web of suspense you spin Meli!!! This follows the False trilogy that you don't need to read to enjoy this story. Kina and Callum are trained to infiltrate the world without any feelings. This political thriller/suspense needs to be read in order to tell the story - No spoiler here but this book will keep you on the edge of your seat all night!!! I honestly volunteered to review this arc.

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Oct 10, 2019 Andrea Thompson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, adult-romance, military, thriller

I know better than to start a Meli Raine Trilogy without having the whole thing available and ready to devour. I know better, and yet, I couldn't stop myself and now the waiting will be torture.

This is in the same universe as her False series (possibly others, but that's where I found her) and OMG. There are some serious Hunger Games type vibes when it comes to the Compound and the Stateless. Kina, 'The Mule' is seen as the weak link in her class, Callum is the top performing Alpha a ...more

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Oct 10, 2019 Madeleine East rated it it was amazing

I am blown away again by Meli's writing. This is the first book in the series and if it's any indication of what the other ones will be like, we're all in for an awesome ride.

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Oct 12, 2019 Liv rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, ebook, romance, fiction, suspense, read-2019

I love Meli Raine’s suspenseful trilogy series - Harmless, Shameless, False. Each trilogy on its own is a great story but together, as they all play in the same universe, they contribute to a higher goal and grow this story into a bigger and much more complex and suspenseful storyline.

I’m so happy that it finally continues with the Stateless trilogy, which I’ve been waiting for forever. Although this book had a different feel to it and I didn't have this instant connection as I did with the pre I love Meli Raine’s suspenseful trilogy series - Harmless, Shameless, False. Each trilogy on its own is a great story but together, as they all play in the same universe, they contribute to a higher goal and grow this story into a bigger and much more complex and suspenseful storyline.

I’m so happy that it finally continues with the Stateless trilogy, which I’ve been waiting for forever. Although this book had a different feel to it and I didn't have this instant connection as I did with the previous trilogies and characters, I can’t deny how the suspense of the underlying threat and fear of punishment held me captive throughout the entire book.

Since I first learned about the stateless from the previous books, I was intrigued but also biased due to the information that I had been fed. Now there's finally more insight on what Stateless means and truly is, although not all has been revealed yet and I itch to find out more.

Callum and Kina had a special bond that was very dangerous because they were taught that having emotions equated to failure and led to punishment or even death. If you grow up in a military-like structure, separated from the outside world, and were told what was right and wrong, getting to know only one side of a story, it takes a strong mind to question the hand that feeds you and not follow blindly in the pointed direction.

Oh I was so furious with certain characters in this book and wanted to strangle them with my own hands. I hope justice will be served to them soon. I was pretty high-strung during this read and I loved how Callum walked on a thin line but with purpose and still always looking out for Kina.

The Stateless are very dangerous people and a well-organized and powerful organization. I was honestly surprised by that. But despite some of their well-educated members, they were also still so narrow-minded, walking around with blinders, only having one goal and believing whatever their leaders told them.

This was just like the prelude of the real story that will set off in the next books and I seriously can’t wait to read more. Although it didn’t end in a cliffhanger (at least not in my opinion), though it obviously had an open ending, I still am waiting on hot coals for the next book to be released.

-- I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book given by Give Me Books Promotions. -- ...more

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Oct 15, 2019 Stephannie Tolitsky- Swoonworthybooks/EnticingJourney rated it it was amazing

Stephannie 5 Star Review:

Stateless, book 1 a new romantic suspense trilogy that has something to do with another series called Harmless.

Wow, this one is great book that captives you from the start. I was hooked trying to figure this one out. This is a new series that should almost be a continuation of the Harmless series but there new characters that could possibly fit into the other series. Wow, mind blown ! Right?

But there is romance between Callum ...more

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Oct 16, 2019 Jessica Hawkins added it

✩ Romantic Suspense
✩ Deep State Operatives
✩ Psychological Thriller
✩ Political Intrigue

Read it here

When you’re born without a trace, no one knows you’re a weapon.

I lie for her.

I hunt for her.

I kill for her.

And above all, I betray my mission for her.

She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t care why.

I do.

Treason comes in many forms.

Love is one of them.

Our training taught me to be a sociopath. A machine. A pawn. Nothing more than a tool for a larger goal, without attachments or feelings.

Our teachers forgot one important detail:

Pawns shouldn’t have hearts.

Yet we do.

It turns out our emotions are our greatest weapon.

And I know exactly where mine ...more

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Oct 15, 2019 Brandi Reeves-Pearson (Southern Night Owls Books) rated it really liked it

Stateless is a great introduction into this new trilogy. I've always enjoyed Meli Raine's books because she definitely knows how to hook me in. This one was no different, and I found myself really questioning everything I've read by her before.

One thing I've picked up on when reading Meli Raine, all of her books are interconnected. Although her books can be read as standalones, I like knowing more pieces of the puzzle. It seems with every new series, more pieces of the bigger puzzle comes to su ...more

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Oct 15, 2019 Kari Hansen rated it it was amazing

As young children Kina and her twin sister Glen were taken from one dangerous situation and placed into another. They are being trained to follow orders and densensitize themselves to others so that they can complete whatever task they are given successfully and without distractions.

Calum was also sent to the same facility as a child however he has emerged as one of the strong ones but where his training has gone sideways is that he has feelings for Kina and that could have deadly consequences ...more

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Oct 13, 2019 Shel rated it it was amazing

Who are the bad guys and who are the good guys? It is a murky question when you are not even sure which one you are.

Kina and her twin Glen are two of the trainees of Stateless. One is seen as a weak mule and the other as a rising star. Like the twins, Callum was brought into Stateless at 4 years old. And like Kina, he has dreams that feel like memories.

All three want nothing more than to be a valuable entity for the mission.

Secrets, lies, and never knowing who to trust a ...more

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Oct 14, 2019 Ga Books LoverX rated it it was amazing

After reading the False Series I was freaking ECSTATIC to see this book pop up as coming soon. Meli Raine has a fantastic way of creating separate trilogies that mesh so amazingly well into an overall theme of her writing. They all correlate together, but are somehow separate as well. I never felt lost while reading, just completely ingrained in the story and the romance and swept away in the story.

Stateless is EVERYTHING that you wanted while reading the other trilogies and if every ...more

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Oct 13, 2019 Kcduchess rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, a-different-kind-of-world, 2019

Wow! I was deep in a book funk and every time I started to read something, I ended up not finishing the books. Now I'm so glad that I made the decision to read Stateless. Something in the promotion blurb piqued my interest and I had a gut feeling that this time, it would be different. And boy, what a ride it was!

First, the world-building was amazing. The rules, how life is organized inside the perimeter of the project... the description was perfect. You could almost feel the monitori ...more

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Oct 10, 2019 Sue rated it it was amazing

Holy hell!! I'm on the edge of my seat in crazy anticipation of what's coming next. Meli Raine weaves an amazing political thriller/romantic suspense story like no other. In my book, she is better than the Brad Thor/Vince Flynn's of the political thriller genre (and these guys are some of my favorites). Every trilogy gets better and better in my book. Can you read these without reading previous trilogies? Sure you can and you will STILL get an amazing story built around a world that while fictio ...more

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Oct 11, 2019 Cee Cee Houston rated it it was amazing

Stateless is the first book in a new trilogy in the same world as the “Harmless’ and “False’ series were. It’s a compelling book that’s hard to put down. It was captivated from the outset. Glen and Kina are identical twins, who have lived a mysterious life at ‘the compound’. They’ve been there all their life as far as they know. As they grew older, they believed they were stronger together but it Kina and the girls’ lifelong best friend Callum who have an unbeatable connection.
All three, a ...more

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Oct 08, 2019 Pauline rated it it was amazing

This is the first in the new trilogy by Meli Raine, and as with her other series, Harmless, Shameless and False, it is well written, packs a punch with the suspense building throughout and has a cliffhanger at the end. Although this is a stand alone trilogy, it is better to read the previous series as there are characters and story lines that you will have a better understanding off. The first part of the book deals with a time before the Harmless series started and provides background as to who ...more

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