Sex Me Tender is book 1 in the Children of the Triad series.

Viktor d’Vrai is a Halfling that is sent on a mission to find Ryo and deliver a message from the Goddess. Cobbling together a spaceship from remnants of other crashes on his planet, he sets out to find Ryo.

Arabella, daughter of Brandy, Damir, and Kaylen, one of the Goddess’ original triads, accompanies Ryo when he leaves to find his people, not knowing that this trip will change her life in ways that she could not have expected.

Merrick, a 400 year old Savari, sees Arabella and knows that she is his mate. But, he knows that he will probably have to share her with another but who will it be?

Intriguing exploration of a world attempting to overcome the aftermath of a universe wide war that took place in Tianna Xander and Bonnie Rose Leigh’s Triad series, the children left behind by the rape of the Hienials are now grown, as are the children of the original triads. Twenty-five years ago the Triads of the Goddess defeated the evil Banart and Hienial. Left behind were the halfbreed hienial children that had not yet been corrupted by the evil of the adults. Ryo, raised as son to by a Lioni alpha, a Beariti shifter and their mate, is destined to rule the Halflings.

It is time to find their own destinies and what an exciting ride that was. The main focus of this story is Arabella and her mates. Immediately upon seeing Merrick Raden, a Savari, she knows that he is her mate, but she is unsure if he will be the only one or if the Goddess has other plans. There is a man that she sees in her visions that she feels is also destined to be her mate. As they set off to the stars in search of the Hienial Halflings, Arabella also searches to find her mate. While this is book one in a new series and not strictly necessary to read the previous series, I would highly recommend it be read. Certain plot elements will make more sense if they are read. I enjoyed the character of Ryo even though he is not the main focus of this story, I can’t wait to find out more about him. Merrick is everything that tall, dark and handsome means with 400+ years under his belt he knows how to seduce a woman, especially his innocent young mate. When Viktor enters the picture you can’t help but pant in anticipation of this threesome getting together. The sensual scenes, whether as a couple or as a ménage, were hot while still managing to portray the love and devotion that the characters felt for their mates, as is to be expected from Tianna Xander and Bonnie Rose Leigh. Arabella as a princess struggling to overcome her own reticence and fully embrace her mates was interesting to watch. All in all this is a great start to another fabulous series.

Reviewed by: Hayley