BANNER'S BONUS

Author: Carole Ann Lee ISBN: 1594313695 (re-release) 5/2006 SCI-FI/FUTURISTIC Publisher: ebooksonthe.net

Innocence Meets Hedonism Emotionally scarred and embittered, Nick Banner knows he’s the wrong man for this, but unless he gets a desperate friend’s daughter off-planet, she’s certain to be kidnapped. While it seemed simple enough, experience taught him a female onboard meant trouble. But a child-woman accustomed to only the best? Purgatory. Within the tight confines of Banner’s, Victorious, Tressa Loring battles a girlhood crush gone dangerous. As a sheltered teen, she secretly worshipped Banner from afar. Even his carnal reputation seemed romantic. But, now, those old feelings are unsettling. Wary, she hides behind a cool façade and a feisty tongue. Intrigued, Banner misses nothing: Her beauty. Her spirit…or her rising interest. Yeah, he’d noticed, and sexual tension smolders. With danger stalking them across the galaxy, Banner finds himself caring--the last thing he wants. Yet when Tressa ends up at a slave auction on Steel a corrupt and depraved sanctuary for pirates, he’d sell his soul for her.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I'm not one who usually reads futuristic romance, and to be quite honest, I'm surprised I volunteered to read this one. But read it, I did, and I'm glad because I found one saucy, sexy and fun-filled story, with plenty of action and a bad-boy hero that's oh-to-die-for. Just take one look at the cover above and you'll see what I mean. For once, the cover artist got this sweet baby right!

Nick Banner is one sexy, charming leading character. He reminds me a lot of a young Harrison Ford as Hans Solo in the first set of Star Wars movies—one minute you want to smack his face, and the next you want to tackle him and kiss him for all your worth. This guy just oozes virility, so it's no surprise when Tressa, the boss's daughter he's been asked to protect, finds herself helplessly attracted as they try to outrace villains across outer space.

Tressa's no slouch herself, and there's much more to her than meets the eye, thanks to a special gift handed down to her through her mother's side of the family. And while she fights her attraction to this wickedly delicious leather-clad hunk, Tressa is inexplicably bonded to him for reasons she cannot fathom.

I totally enjoyed the sparring and banter between these two, and Ms. Lee has done an excellent job keeping the characters, rather than the setting, in the forefront of this story. That's probably why I was able to enjoy a genre I normally would have shied away from. It's fun, it's got plenty of action, and a believable plot where the connection between the two leads sparks from the first time they meet. The secondary characters, including more than one villain, are all memorable, but more so Nick's large family, who join in the action toward the end leaving us plenty of brothers for the sequels.

BANNER'S BONUS isn't a new book as it's been around for several years. As a matter of fact, I actually read it and wrote this review a year ago. Unfortunately, the publisher at that time went defunct right before the book was to be released. But with a new publisher and a sequel expected to come out in the near future featuring Banner's friend Zeke's story, BANNER'S BONUS is available once again. A mix of Star Wars and early Star Trek adventuring, I highly recommend BANNER'S BONUS if you're looking for a romance that speeds a mile a minute and is just downright entertaining.

Nancy Davis