Lea Vargas would do anything to save her sister, even if that was to travel to the forbidden world of Ambrax. Her sister’s husband had gone to Ambrax to find one of the legendary Ambraxian healers, and now Lea’s brother-in-law had disappeared. Lea’s last hope was to get to Ambrax and find them. Unfortunately, she couldn’t go alone, because on Ambrax women were sex slaves and had no legal power. So, she found bounty hunter Damen Cantor, who, with some persuasion, was willing to take her to the forbidden planet, act as her “owner,” and help her in her search. The whole sexual relationship was supposed to be an act, but could Lea and Damen keep it there?

I’ve read a number of Gardner’s books, and I’ve always enjoyed them. This is one of the author’s best, in my opinion. The premise—a journey to find an object in order to save a loved one—is not unusual per se, and the plot—a “Quest” plot —is also not unusual. It is the combination of these two with a science fiction erotic romance that makes this so interesting. The elements are combined so well that they fit together perfectly, making Ambrax balanced and fascinating. Lea and Damen grow and develop over the course of the story, growing from two not-very-sympathetic characters to characters the reader likes and respects. Though the erotic elements are well integrated into the story as a whole, the erotic scenes are definitely graphic, with some voyeurism in addition to the hot male/female sex. If you like science fiction and you like erotic romance, you will really enjoy this book!

Reviewed by: Jean