THE ULTIMATUM

Author: Susan Kearney ISBN: 0765354489 2/2006 FUTURISTIC Publisher: TOR

Dr. Alara Calladar needs a man... ...but she sure as krek doesn’t want one. If Alara doesn't make love soon, her cells will fail to regenerate and she'll die. Unfortunately, her only option is an enemy--Rystani starpilot Xander, her abductor... and a member of the race who has been battling hers since the beginning of time. Xander issues an ultimatum: He'll make love to Alara only if she will use her psi-talent of identifying DNA to help him find the cure for the deadly Terran virus spreading across the galaxy. Alara is trapped. She gives Xander what he wants--and gets when she needs. But Alara holds a pair of secrets: the more they make love, the more Alara's cells adapt to Xander's body, until the only person she can make love with is him--and the more time they spend together, the more Alara likes Xander. When it seems that all the forces in the universe have aligned against them, can Alara trust Xander with her life... and her heart?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

THE ULTIMATUM was my very first futuristic paranormal. I liked it—a lot. Susan Kearney is a superb writer, and although some of the terminology in the book was new to me, the writing is done in such a way that it all meshes together in a great way. I know what the author is trying to say and the characters take on this great life force all their own, literally on their own planets. I was able to step out of this moment and time for a little while, and that is one of the things that I liked the most about THE ULTIMATUM.

Not to be downplayed in the least is the boiling hot relationship between Alara and Xander. The sexual tension that engulfs them is remarkable. What starts out as a game almost, an explosive sexual tension, turns into so much more by the end of the book.

I was extremely satisfied with my first foray into Ms. Kearney's world. I am also very impressed with her creative abilities and her talent for telling a story. I will gladly be looking for more of Ms. Kearney's books in the future.

Kristal Gorman