Customer Reviews

Enslave Me Sweetly (Alien Huntress, Book 2)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After her parents were brutally murdered, young Eden Black was raised by Michael, the head of an ultra-secret alien assassination agency that eliminates aliens that prey on humans. Wounded on her latest assignment, Eden still wants to go after her target, but her step-father partners her with Lucius Adaire, an agent she comes to totally detest at first. However, he also pings her sexual radar with an intensity Eden has never before experienced. Bound together to complete an almost impossible assignment, Eden learns that her enemies aren't the ones she has to fear the most: it's her partner, dark and brooding Lucius who sets her on fire.

Gena Showalter is one of the new young lionesses of contemporary romance, paranormal romance and YA. She's burst onto the scene with a handful of books and as many worlds that beg exploration. When she's not mapping out a future where some aliens view humans as merely prey or traipsing through an Atlantis where magic is real and comes with shapeshifters who are always more than they seem, she's writing contemporary romances with a touch of wonder.

ENSLAVE ME SWEETLY starts out like a bullet, and the trajectory never slows down. Eden is a great heroine, the kind of woman who can take care of herself in any kind of situation. And she's drawn to Lucius Adaire, a dangerous, physical man who's been hurt and betrayed in the past enough to last a lifetime. To get to Eden's latest target, she has to pair up with Lucius, and it's a partnership that neither of them want. The prose just sings along, pulling the reader through the adventures and the romance with the familiar comfort of a favorite sweater. Readers who have the time to read it in a single sitting will devour it.

Fans of J. D. Robb's (Nora Roberts) Eve Dallas series and of futuristic romance will love this book. As another of Simon and Schuster's Down Town Girls book line, ENSLAVE ME SWEETLY delivers spicy romance that will amp readers up to the nth degree.

This was my first Gena Showalter - and I have to say, I was very impressed!

Basic Synopsis: Aliens and Human, after many years of war, co-exist on Earth together. However, despite the cease fire between the races, there are some Aliens (and Humans) who still desire to abolish or ruin the other race. In Enslave Me Sweetly, the main conflict deals with the enslavement of Humans; this is where Eden Black comes into the picture. It is her mission to infiltrate the slave trade, and kill the main proprietor.

Eden Black has to be one of my favorite characters of all time. She is a walking oxymoron. The following are some examples of these contradictions:

1.) She is a part of a race of aliens (Rakans) that is hunted (almost to extinction) by humans for their skins and hair. However, because she was raised by a human, she views herself more human than alien. In her mindset - aliens are the enemies, not humans.

2.) Her appearance is one of sweetness and gentleness. Her alien heritage is known for its peaceful nature - however, despite this nature, she works as an assassin. Her job is to seek and kill those who threaten the peaceful co-existence between Aliens and Humans. She is quite violent and arrogant. She looks like a "pretty" rich girl, yet she's not afraid to sweat and get dirty.

3.) Everything about her oozes sensuality; she loves the flesh, luxury, decadence, and sugar. But again - she acts with restraint and self-control. She's not one to over-indulge or to have promiscuous relationships, despite her desires.

In all aspects... Eden is a contradiction, and I just love that. This character really challenges the theory of "nature vs. nurture." She's fantastic - a great creation by Gena Showalter.

As for Lucius, he kind of gets the short end of the stick - due in part to the fact that the book is written primarily in the first person. And although that point of view is not my preference, Showalter really pulls it off. I didn't feel that the perspective was skewed in favor of Eden. She manages to integrate an author's omnipotent knowledge into the first person so to balance the story line. It is very well done indeed.

Lucius is very much an Alfa character. He is in the beginning quite arrogant (justifiably so; he's good at what he does); there many times where he is a complete jerk to Eden. But Eden is tough - and she doesn't let him defeat her. She's the queen of one-upmanship, and eventually, Lucius learns that appearances don't mean anything. Eden is not as soft as she seems; and in reality, she is a legitimate challenge to him every step of the way. The union of these two characters is one of mutual respect, friendship, desire, and love.

This book really is a great buy; a must read. I know you will enjoy the action-packed story, the thorough characterizations, and the thrilling romance as much as I did. I can't wait to read it again!

I thought it was great! I enjoyed this book just as much as the first edition to this series. I read it in two settings-only because I needed to sleep. Gena Showalter has a way to make the imagined believable. A very refreshingly different escape from everyday realism, to the world of Gena!

Gena Showalter has quickly become one of my favorite authors. 'Awaken me Darkly' was recommended to me and sat on my to be read stack for a little while before I actually picked it up and read it. Once I had I quickly went and read her entire backlist. I have been eagerly awaiting this sequel and wasn't dissapointed. I like that Eden managed to save the day and rescue her lover, while relying on her own strengths and wits. We are also introduced to new characters that I have a feeling will be seen in future books. I was completely absorbed in this world and was unable to put it down once I started. Whatever world Ms. Showalter introduces the reader to, whether it be paranormal, contemporary, or science fiction romance, it is always satisfying.

I liked Awaken Me Darkly but this one I loved even more! I felt more of a bond with Eden perhaps, because she was humanized a little more. I love the imaginary world of Gena Showalter's. I can easily imagine the characters and their interactions with one another.

Eden Black is sexy with golden hair and skin. She is a Raka. They are known to be a peaceful race. Their race is usually hunted down and their hair and skin sold for money. Her parents were murdered right in front of her. Michael Black, the head of the agency, raises Eden as his own. Eden always feels that she has to prove something so, she would not be viewed as a spoiled brat. Her father is overprotective over her and she is trying to win his praise. Eden turns from her peace loving heritage and relies more on her assassin training skills. She is extremely aggressive and strong. I love a strong female character.

Lucius enters the picture. After Eden botches a major hit, she has to accept a partner. Lucius refuses to let Eden control, win, or work independently. He forces her into training and does not sugar coat (couldn't resist!) it for her. The only problem is that Eden is turned on by his appearance and his obnoxious attitude.

The interactions are interesting and true to the characters' natures. I was sorry the book ended. Gena Showalter mentioned in this book that her new book, Savor Me Slowly when have both Mia Snow and Eden Black in it and their men. I cannot wait! What a great fantasy adventure book!

I have very controversial feeling about Gena Showalter; I really enjoyed some of her books and really disliked others. Regretfully enslave me sweetly is part of the "dislike" one's. The heroin attitude got on my nerves and the hero is just a bad ass with some smart moment. No chemistry between the characters and the story was just boring and cliché.

I liked this one even more than the previous book in the series. I thought the play between the two main characters funny and endearing. Eden is a otherworlder and an assassin of otherworlders (the bad guys). She was brought up by a man who heads a group of assassins and took her away after her parents were viciously murdered. The story beings with Eden on assignment (one that she fails). When she recovers from injuries her father puts her back to complete the assignment, only she has to agree to having a partner--enter Lucius. Lucius is very sexy, very mysterious, and very interested.

I was glued to this book for two nights until I finished it. I truly hope Showalter doesn't wait too long before she puts out another book in this series. Especially if the next one is at least as good as this one.

This book was probably the best one I've read by Gena Showalter. It encases a sufficient amount of action with just the right amount of sex. The chacacters are in your face and you can't get enough of them.

An alien hunter, Eden, has a mishap during one of her missions to knock off a top alien predator and is assigned a condescending man as her new partner. The two have to work together and overcome their hate to finish the mission successfully. Though Eden tells herself she hates her patner, she can't help but to fall madly in love with him. Things take quite a twist when Eden and her man start caring too much for each other.

It's a fabulous book that anyone who loves fantasy romance novels will most definitely enjoy.

Eden is an assasin who works for her dad to stop slavery and up til the beginning of the story has been given "easy" assignments. She feels like she needs to prove herself as the bad assasin chick she knows she really is and Lucius is a well known bad ass killer teamed up with her after her mission goes badly. The two have smart mouths, large egos, and massive pride so of course they bump heads constantly which makes the sexual tension great! I thoroughly loved the characters and how they handle situations.

Minor set back to the book is that it's written in first person so you never trully get into the mind of Lucius, instead you see everything through Eden's eyes which is realistic, but frustating to read. You get used to it though because it's an overall good story.

Another set back is the business as usual conversation after explosive love scenes. Eden is trying to keep things casual because she's never been in love, they work together, etc etc, but as the reader you can't really relish the intimacy of the scene when it flicks from pleasure to professional like a light switch.

It's a good read (read it in one day) with unexpected curves, interesting alien characters, and well rounded plot.

I tried really hard to enjoy this book, because I love this genre. But I couldn't get past Chapter 6. The writing is really not good, and it ruins what could have been a good book. There's good tension between the romantic leads, but the romantic action is flat and too fast, and jumps immediately back to calm discussion of the mission. A real mood killer! This book needed a good editor. Don't waste your time.