Captured and sold to flesh traders, captain Bea Solomon now finds herself in a brothel that caters to a clientele that revels in abuse and depravities no human being is meant to endure. Arden is Qui and the very embodiment of all that Bea loathes and fears. Despite the less than ideal situation, it’s his task to retrieve Bea and bring her safely to his Empress, where she is to rendezvous with her colleagues before she is to be repatriated back to Earth. Witnessing her reaction to his true shape, he assumes human form to spare her sanity, but soon finds himself trapped in an impossible lie as their mutual attraction becomes too hard to ignore. Little does Bea know the man who allows her to tie him up, who understands her need for total control after her traumatic captivity, is battling a daily war to retain a human form, who denies his inner Qui’s cries for release for her sake only. 

Restrain by Treaty is my favorite installment in the Qui universe to date. The lengths Ardent goes to, just to prove his devotion to this broken human female, is unbelievably heartwarming, selfless and sweet. Ardent willingly accepts everything Bea dishes out; her hatred, her sorrow, her revenge and her passion. The scenes involving restraints (both of mind and body) were as fulfilling to me as they were for Ardent and Bea;-) My favorite moment (among many) was definitely their culmination scene. It couldn't have been more perfect. 

Aside from the beautiful love story, I also enjoyed the implications that human pheromones seem to attract not only the ruling Qui at a visceral level, but drive their rivals, the Surashan to a mating frenzy as well. Something tells me that the imperial visit to Earth could get very interesting indeed…

I can only fins one fault with this story. And that is: Why on Earth is it not availablw in paperback as well? This book should have been proudly featured on my creme-de-la-creme shelf. One can only hope and pray that it will be available in a paperback anthology with the other Qui treaty novellas as soon as the stories have all been published!

Frankly there aren't enough stars in the Milk Way to describe how much I loved Ardent. So get ready to swoon, people!

I chose the 5 star rating because I love the way she's dominating that obviously strong male. I loved everything about the book and it was totally hot. I'd recommend it to anyone who's into Female Dominance. Aka, FemDom.

Honestly , for me two stars feels too much, I like a book and interests no book in the Fem-Dom type Genre but I like/love the books that treat the person I n the s part of the D/s type relationship with love and affection and care and ppl who are into BDSM AND D/s relations because it's what works for them and on some level for some reason it fulfills a need or needs they have that can only be satisfied this way... A sub who's a Sub because it's THEIR nature and THEIR need (not because like in Way too many books where the female is a sub. She's seduced and or manipulated into being an almost unwilling participant in these sex games because of how her hormones react to her Dom. Type BF because he keeps panties perpetually damp/soaking soo she does/gives into things she's not always sure she wants just to please him) ( I ca t stand these books where a overly powerful man has an insatiable need to dominate and control and the weak willed woman totally gives in with out a fight coz he keeps her panties wet, nor would I want the same thing done to a man) only usually if it's not a good and loving situation the female Domme books are worse where men are raped and humiliated and tortured and degraded, I haven't read those books because between the desc. And the reviews they sound sick, not sexy and definitely NOT Romantic! Why would any one want a book like that ? Women who hate men? Men who hate themselves? A good Dom. From what I've read and feel should always do what they do in love and because it's what's best for the Sub.s needs and wants, trying to be as unselfish as possible, and thou it's not for me ( thou I must admit having the odd fantasy of being a Domme to a sexy and Willing alpha type male maybe once or twice ;) but never the violent type unless giving him a good spanking would considered violent ;) )
Neither role of the D/s is always easy I'm sure ,finding that perfect balance of pushing each other's limits and the whole give and take of it, but no matter how unusual it all seems it can be a healthy way for some ppl to live I think, but forced dominance and violence is NOT MY THING.... And while Bea was forced to suffer atrocities none of us really want to contemplate this book and all the violence just wasn't my thing I didn't like it at all and then being reminded when we see General Jaden ( a character from a book that REALLY felt to violent to read) that the Qui's seeming benevolence toward Earth is ONLY in place as long a this seemingly strong man is willing to stay the empress's faithful sub./pet or our whole Damn planet will have to quote "be taught a lesson" ... WTF ?!?!?!?! Either this man is a willing slave/sub./ pet to used how ever she pleases ( yeah read about the m/m action from a review m/m is not my thing :( ) or Earth pays ? What's with all the uber over dominance crap ?
No thanks ! Keep all the overly violent dominance too your self...

Bea doesn't know Ardant is a shapeshifter who has taken on a human appearance after realizing the thousand and one things she has every right to hold against his species and other similar aliens. Be a was a prisoner of war, she doesn't know the war is over, a treaty has been signed, that the Qui are nobles and not their enemy... or who this being that rescued her from a living shell is. But the have 30 ship-days before they get where they are going, and that is plenty of time for Be a to try and figure Ardant out, and for Ardant to discover a few truths about fragile human woman.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and really enjoyed it as a third story in this series, in part because this time the human was a woman, which shifted some of the dynamics and expectations.

With each book the story continues to move forward, though at this phase Marcel's team is being gathered... so I find I am particularly interested in the characters at this point, with hopes there will be a book about their eventual return to Earth. (In large part because I am desperately curious about how such a book would unfold.)

In every book of Kayla Stonor's that I have read, I have been struck by the inner strength of her characters, and Restrain by Treaty was no exception.