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Specimen

Shay Savage

Start date: February 29, 2016

Discussion: Erotica Consortium Authors!!

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Erotica Consortium Authors!!

JA HUSS
By ❤️ Diana ❤️ · 236 posts · 115 views

last updated Jul 27, 2015 05:33PM

Andrea Smith
By ❤️ Diana ❤️ · 9 posts · 48 views

last updated Mar 07, 2015 07:22AM

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What Members Thought

Feb 16, 2016 Brandi rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc-netgalley-author

Gah. That ending! In a way, I can see the brilliance in it, but damn, thanks for leaving me teetering on the edge.

description

Specimen was an entertaining sci-fi read, with nice mix of romance, steam and suspense. Told exclusively from the hero's POV, the author does a great job of putting the reader in specimen 79/Sten's head. Waking up in a lab with no memories, everything Sten learns comes from his doctor, Riley Grace. He is told he is a volunteer, that there is a war going on and that he is been alter ...more

73 likes · Like · see review

Feb 13, 2016 Michelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 01-signed

Shay Savage does it again. She takes this reader out of her comfort zone of romance reading and it results in this reader being taken on one helluva ride!

We open Specimen as STEN awakes in a lab. He has no memory of who he was before he became a specimen, a super soldier with no name, but just a number. But he does feel a familiar pull to the woman standing in front of him. Dr. Riley Grace.

As Sten undergoes further testing, treatments and training, the pull he feels toward Riley is overpowering. ...more

35 likes · Like · see review

Feb 15, 2016 Amanda rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc-netgalley, romantic-suspense

4 'WTF' stars

This is one of those book whereby I have an urge to strangle ~~the author~~ someone when I read the final page. Really? She doesn't even have the decency to tell me whether is there a second book or NOT? I'm dying here!

description

Specimen has an interesting mixed of romance, suspense, thriller, sci-fi and dystopia. Even with the lack of descriptive world building, I did felt as if I was transported to a world whereby people are so advance we can make our own synthetic food from the lab.

As per Sh ...more

33 likes · Like · see review

Feb 14, 2016 Shayna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc-review, genre-romantic-suspense, read-in-2016, standalone, author-shay-savage, science-fiction

~*~ 4.5 STARS ~*~ I LOVED the HELL out of this book! I didn't expect to like it so much, but HOT DAMN that was good! That was a SEXY action-packed, heart-pounding, completely exhilarating good time!

A soldier wakes up in a lab with absolutely no memory and finds himself instantly attracted to the beautiful doctor studying him. He might be just numbers to her, but there is something about the captivating Dr. Riley Grace that boils his blood and makes his body scream with intense lust. All it take ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Feb 04, 2016 Tony rated it it was amazing

Shelves: buddy-read, dark

A fast moving epic tale, masterful strategy and heroic writing.
Sten/Galen wakes with no memory to find himself a medically, cyberneticaly and drug enhanced super-soldier a "volunteer" in a lab programme, and under the direction/control of his super-sexy doctor, Riley.
The short, sharp prologue gives us an insight that this is no normal, ethical doctor/patient relationship, and the increasingly hot storyline goes on to blow the thermometer to bits.
The military dimension is important and ever pr ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Feb 26, 2016 Wil Loves Books! rated it really liked it

Shelves: on-paperback, arc

4.5 Stars!

Loved this book, totally different from what's currently out there.

Full review on the blog:

http://tbbsisterhood.com/2016/02/26/r...

...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Feb 26, 2016 Rebecca rated it it was amazing

Specimen was my first Shay Savage read, and I absolutely loved it. The writing flows seamlessly and the development of the characters is easily shown by their words and actions. One thing I've learned from looking at Shay's list of books is that she creates very unique storylines and makes the oddities work well together despite the fact that they shouldn't and that definitely speaks to the kind of writer that Shay is.

Specimen is set in a dystopian society where lines have clearly been drawn due Specimen was my first Shay Savage read, and I absolutely loved it. The writing flows seamlessly and the development of the characters is easily shown by their words and actions. One thing I've learned from looking at Shay's list of books is that she creates very unique storylines and makes the oddities work well together despite the fact that they shouldn't and that definitely speaks to the kind of writer that Shay is.

Specimen is set in a dystopian society where lines have clearly been drawn due to conflicting beliefs as to how society should proceed forward and what things should be deemed most important. It's a futuristic world that illustrates how advancements in technology can lead to dehumanizing people and turning them into weapons for a cause they don't know anything about nor would they choose to be manipulated like they are at the hands of those in authority who believe they know best.

The relationship that develops between doctor and specimen, Riley and Sten aka Galen is complex and dangerous, and because it was manipulated from the start, it's hard to ascertain the reality of what's been done to Sten and the reasons behind those adjustments, and if the feelings he has for Riley really do exist or if it’s simply a result of these modifications. The fact that the story is told from Galen's point of view allows readers to deal with his progressions and regressions right alongside him and try to sift through the data and come to the conclusion as to what is true and what are lies.

There are many missteps along the way that Sten/Galen has to work through - some more painful than others, and once he wraps his mind around what seems to be the reality of his situation versus what he's been told to believe, the stakes get that much higher and the risks prove to leave him with very few options.

Riley plays a significant role in Sten’s actions throughout the entire story, but she also has her own concerns to deal with and because readers are only privy to them through Sten’s perspective, we don’t know if he can trust her or if he’s simply her “lab rat” and a means to advance her position/career as a doctor who can create super soldiers.

Specimen is an incredible look at a futuristic world filled with corruption and the need for power and control by any means necessary. What I find most intriguing about the plot is that it’s not necessarily the government leading the charge for change and putting people’s lives at risk; rather, it’s all due to the economy and which group – Carson Alliance or the Mills Corporation – can control the food supply and make the most profit. Advanced technology and money are two powerful tools for people and their power can be easily abused, which is exactly what happens in Specimen.

Shay Savage has definitely made herself known on my TBR! She’s a great storyteller who weaves steam, suspense, and intrigue together in a way that keeps readers’ interest until the very end and even if they don’t agree with the outcome of the storyline, they cannot deny that the journey there was exceptionally written.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Poison Apples (The Fairest of All Book Reviews) ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 04, 2016 Dana aka ♥Belladonna♥ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: genre-romance, content-multiple-partners, darkish-to-darkest, de-2016-freebie-challenge, content-mf, genre-suspense, a-arc, genre-sci-fi-fantasy, theme-war, dystopia

Whoa! This book is exactly what I needed.
A fast paced, high octane, adrenaline fueled love story that had me glued to my Kindle.

Specimen seventy-two of eighty-nine, STEN, awakens in a glaringly bright laboratory with no memory of who he is or why he is there. His doctor, Riley Grace, who he is immediately and inexplicably drawn to, soothes him and explains his current reality. He is the Mills Conglomerate’s new breed of Super Soldier; undergoing cybernetic enhancements and drug experiments to m ...more

16 likes · Like · see review

Feb 28, 2016 Lorie rated it liked it

My first thought after finishing….. that’s it??? Really? That’s it?

While I loved that fact that this was outside my normal reading genre, I’m a bit disappointed. I was so excited going in. This book had so much going for it and so much potential, but it didn’t exactly deliver what I needed. Some parts moved slow and others fast. Mostly, I felt like things happened too fast that I only got the story at the surface level. I didn’t feel like I was IN the book. Plus, with the single POV I really had ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Mar 11, 2016 ❤️ Diana ❤️ rated it really liked it

Shelves: challenge-books

I bumped this up to a 4,stars but it was actually more like 3.5 stars.
While I did enjoy the story, I mean it had hot sex, action and a mystery too but it was the ending thar did me in. I hate those kind of you decide or cliff hanger ending when it's a stand alone. I prefer everything laid out but hey that's just me.
...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 14, 2016 Judy rated it really liked it

Although I love reading Ms. Savage's work, this book didn't impact me the way most of her other work has. I love the sci-fi aspect of it, found the story gripping and enjoyable all the way through right up to the end, and kept hoping it wouldn't end the way I knew it was heading. It did and although I totally see that it's a logical and inevitable way for it to end, that ending still left me with a bad taste in my mouth. As usual, the writing was superb, the characters engaging, and overall a gr ...more

Like · see review