Originally, this post was going to be dedicated to JERICHO (The Jinn Cycle, book 1) by Nini Church. It’s a paranormal romance with centuries-old warriors, a loyal (and somewhat dysfunctional) brotherhood, and destiny. Go forth and enjoy!
Me? I’m going to hang my head in shame.
I’ve been all “RAH! RAH! RAH! The flu can kiss my butt because I’m gonna post THREE reviews before Sunday!”…ha.
At the first opportunity, my plans were thwarted by “window shopping” on Goodreads. Ugh! I should totally know better, but it’s kinda like crack. Thankfully, it’s less harmful despite being more addictive. Spent an hour on there and I simply Could. Not. Resist. Valentina Heart’s PENAL STATION 05. Partially because I’ve been browsing for m/m romance and partly because it reminded me of HOLD by Claire Kent.
So…I’m gonna review both! #Luckyyou ❤
What you need to know before I get down and dirty into the review:
As implied by the title of the post (and the book titles!), the characters are confined. Locked up. In prison. The key has pretty much been thrown away. As we all know, it’s not innocent Pollyanna-type folks who call such institutions home. Put a bunch of baddies together behind bars and bad things happen. Put a bunch of baddies behind bars and then leave them unsupervised? yeah…depraved things happen.
There are RAPE and ABUSE triggers in these novels. If you are sensitive to such content, don’t bother with these books! Although the main characters are NOT raped in the current timelines, there is no escaping the constant risk of rape in such a setting.
I’m gonna put this out there for you, and then get on with the review: the main characters are given a choice in these two books. Are there great options? Um, no. They’re in prison. They’re faced with terrible situations and make the decision to survive. It’s not pretty or civilized, but both books do end HEA.
I’ll start off with PENAL STATION 05
Jared, a guard on one of the many penal space stations, is good at his job, but painfully naive. Getting convicted for a crime he didn’t commit and being sentenced to a life in prison did not feature in his vision of the future. When he gets rescued, then promptly claimed as property by Sar, the most dangerous and biggest man on the penal station, he’s just about ready to gracefully faint.
But Sar is apparently a genius with a hidden face and big expectations. Sar wants Jared to learn to fight, he expects Jared to serve his sexual needs, and to socialize with Sar’s friends. So while Jared works on his stances and apparently can’t get enough of sex, he still has trouble cheerfully conversing with the same men who would rather kill him or claim him for their own.
All of that changes with new arrivals, a kidnapping, and secret agendas. Will Jared survive torture and is Sar bad and mad enough to rescue him, or are they more likely to perish when the clock ticks off and the station blinks out with the sound of an explosion?
Let me condense it even more than the blurb: young and naive Jared, a Penal Station Guard, is wrongfully blamed, and then convicted, for a riot at his previous post; he’s shipped to the 9th circle of Hell, otherwise known as Station 05. Scooped up by Sar, Jared becomes property of the enigmatic and imposing prisoner. A bunch of bonding moments happen. Sex. A bit of sideplot about why Jared was convicted for a crime he didn’t commit. More sex. Big boom. Sex. HEA.
Sounds fucking awesome, amiright? There’s mystery, drama, romance, adventure, action, and politics (O.o) It’s not a book, it’s a buffet!
But even better than the plethora of sub-genres was the quality of writing. Valentina Heart mastered pace, plot, setting, atmosphere, and characterization. A rare find in erotica–especially in M/M erotica, where editing can sometimes be sketchy!
**fangirls all over myself**
Sexy Snippet:
“Please, too much… Please, Sar, more…” Jared begged.
The pleas only kindled Sar’s fire, his enthusiasm splitting his damaged lip, but none of it mattered. His world only contained his pleasure and the object of his complete focus.
Heart, Valentina (2016-02-03). Penal Station 05 (With This Mark Book 1) (Kindle Locations 3043-3045). Loose Id LLC. Kindle Edition.
That’s a delicious manwhich right there 😉
My Rating: rough, raw, and surprisingly sweet
Next up, HOLD
Find the strongest man there. Give yourself to him in return for protection. It’s the only way you’ll ever survive.
Convicted of a minor crime, Riana is sentenced to a prison planet—a dark primitive hold filled with convicts vying for power. Her only chance of survival is with Cain, a mysterious loner who has won his territory in the prison through intelligence and brute strength. Sex is all she has to offer, so she uses it. She’s under no delusions here. No one is ever released, and no one ever escapes. Survival is all she can hope for—until Cain.
Sound familiar? It is a lot like PENAL STATION 05, but it’s less harsh, more whimsical…though that’s not *exactly* the right word. It’s still dark. There’s still danger. However, there’s an element of magic, and this reads more like a romance than Heart’s m/m version.
That’s not to say that these two books are exactly alike–they’re not. Riana is more worldly and self-aware than Jared, and she’s not faced with a wrongful conviction; a stupid conviction, yes, but not a wrongful one. Also, there are guards in this prison and no crazy kidnapping subplots.
In both novels, the “hero” is a longtime inmate who is stoic and strong, but with enough humanity left to feel compassion and love. In HOLD, Cain is the hero, and he’s a mystery with a side of mystery–we get almost no input from him for 98% of the novel except for when he’s fucking Riana…and yet, somehow, you still finish feeling as though the pair is well matched. He showed his emotions through action. He cared for her, even if it was mostly nonverbal. As a reader, that was more powerful than endless, poetic monologues.
And the sex! Gah, it’s yum. There are elements of forced exhibitionism, because there are open bars instead of walls, which adds spice for people who like a little kink, and there are tons of orgasms. Seriously, Riana is one lucky bitch. That or else Cain’s cock is magical.
Cute/Sexy Snippet:
“You’re acting weird,” she told him, playing idly with one his nipples.
He gave a soft grunt. “I’m not sure, but I think today might be my birthday.”
“Really?” She grinned down at him— although it was a silly thing to be excited about, given their circumstances. “How old are you?”
“Thirty-six today. If I’ve kept track of the days right since I got here.”
She chuckled and stroked her hand up his chest to his neck. And then she caressed the stubbly skin of his jaw— enjoying the rough texture of it. “Getting kind of old, aren’t you?”
He just smiled at her teasing. A real smile. The one she hardly ever saw.
Pleased with her success, she leaned down to press a soft kiss just next to his mouth. “Happy birthday,” she murmured huskily. “Shall I give you a present?” Cain gently pushed the hair back from her face as she mouthed a trail along his jaw. “What did you have in mind?”
Kent, Claire (2015-02-20). Hold (pp. 97-98). . Kindle Edition.
Hmmm…I wonder what kind of present she can give him while they’re locked up? 😉
My Rating: exciting and passionate
** I’ve got one more review this week and then I’ll finally have my tbr pile under control! Look for it on Sunday 🙂 **
The Little Death Is A Big O 