Take Me (The Rosabelles, #1) in Alpha Heroes & Spitfire Heroines

Feb 16, 2009 Auntee rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2009_reads, erotic-romance, futuristic-sci-fi

I'm not much of a fan of futuristic romance, but this was mostly a fun, easy, sexy read. Nothing very brain-challenging or deep here--just pure entertainment.

Talia of the planet Zortou has been raised from birth to be a Rosabelle, a highly educated, pampered, and well-used plaything for her planet's Governing Council. Women are in scarce supply on her planet, and every woman alive is groomed for her destiny as a slave who is auctioned off to the highest bidder when she reaches the ripe old age o I'm not much of a fan of futuristic romance, but this was mostly a fun, easy, sexy read. Nothing very brain-challenging or deep here--just pure entertainment.

Talia of the planet Zortou has been raised from birth to be a Rosabelle, a highly educated, pampered, and well-used plaything for her planet's Governing Council. Women are in scarce supply on her planet, and every woman alive is groomed for her destiny as a slave who is auctioned off to the highest bidder when she reaches the ripe old age of eighteen. The voluptuous, red headed Talia is envied by the other Rosabelles, because most don't have the luxuries that she does, even if she does have to endure the attentions of the three lecherous men of the Council. The men 'take her' whenever it suits them, using her as a commodity with no regards to her pleasure or her feelings. She is there to serve--period.

Handsome and daring Ryder Jacobs, a colonel in the planetary army of Belton, suspects that the Governing Council of Zortou plans to make an attack on his planet. Masquerading as a loudmouth oil man from the planet Earth, he pretends to financially back the Zortouns in their war with the Beltons, but that's just a ruse to lend him access to the fair Talia. After a sexually explosive meeting with Talia, he kidnaps her and heads back to his planet, with the idea of holding her prisoner until she tells him what she knows about her planet's attack plans.

Of course, lust overtakes him--he can't seem to keep his hands (or mouth) off of her--and he awakens a desire in Talia that she's never felt with the horny Governing Council, who don't care about her pleasure, only theirs. Some pretty hot times ensue while Ryder demonstrates how he pleasures a lady! While Ryder tries to convince Talia to tell all, he also comes to understand that she is not the 'whore' that he originally thought she was. He realizes that she's known no other life, and is really a victim. He decides to show her what life is like on his beautiful planet (he takes her outside!), showing her the freedoms that his people have, and convinces her that the people of Belton are not the barbarians she was led to believe. Talia starts to have real feelings for someone for the first time in her life, and tells Ryder all the Councils secrets. But will that be enough to make Ryder care for her too, or is he just using her to help his planet? And will someone who doesn't approve of Ryder's and Talia's relationship come between them and cause them to distrust each other?

Okay, there's nothing too serious or difficult to understand in this book. It's a straight up romance between a H/H from two different worlds (planets), which could easily be a modern day romance between a H/H from warring countries. There is the futuristic setting that reminded me a bit of Star Trek or even the Jetsons(!), but it's not that elemental to the story. And yes, there were a few things that were a bit unbelievable--the fact that Talia fell in love with Ryder so fast was one, but I was looking to be entertained so I went with it. There's a secondary romance in the book between Ryder's young sister and his best friend, that produced some hot moments in the 'historical' wood honeymoon cottage (the only wood structure left on the planet), and of course Talia and Ryder have some scorching moments of their own, including one where Ryder watches her pleasure herself in the bathtub, and one particularly hot scene that took place outdoors...So no complaints here on the erotic content of the book--in that respect it really delivers. But readers looking for a deep, complex story will not find that here. This was pure mind candy, and if you're in the mood for that, it should definitely be enough to satisfy. 4 stars

Warning: This book contains explicit language and sex, including oral; some light spanking, and a menage scene involving a woman and three men (not the H/H), and an off the pages m/m romance. Not for the faint of heart. ...more

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Aug 24, 2009 Willow Brook rated it liked it

Light, quick story set in the future on other worlds. Nothing very complex in plot, characters or world building but easy to read. Lots of erotic action.

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