Burning Ceres is a hot one by Viola Grace. She takes you into a world of alien races sometime in the future. Ceres is of the Nyal race, some of the characteristics are ivory hair and scarlet eyes, and she has gone into heat five times in the last year and has had to seek medical attention to keep from attracting males from a great distance with her pheromones. She ran away from her family to avoid a forced mating, but has realized she needs to go home. Raanan Adonai is one of the Azon race compatible with the Nyal and he has been interested in Ceres since her first heat. Raanan is angry that Ceres ran away to avoid marrying him and has plans to make her regret it.

Viola Grace keeps the mystery alive in Burning Ceres; her characters confront the misunderstandings and handle them with grace. She gives depth to these foreign cultures and alien beings. Viola Grace’s handling of their thoughts and feeling brought you into their world. As the two characters explore each other, their bond becomes apparent even though outside forces have intervened in the past and now in the present to cause strife. This short story was a lighthearted caper overall and definitely worth a read.

Reviewed by: Dana P.