Enslave Me Sweetly

Starred review from May 1, 2006
Eden Black is a Raka, a race of aliens hunted for their beautiful golden skin and hair, but she was raised by a human, Michael, who heads a secret organization dedicated to assassinating evil extraterrestrials. Eden is one of his top assassins. After the most nefarious of the slavers nearly kills her, Michael assigns Eden a partner, Lucius Adaire, a lean, mean killing machine. Eden knows she is good at what she does and resents his interference. To find out how the murderous slaver slips between worlds, Eden decides to let herself be captured and sold at one of his bidding parties. Brave, sassy, and resourceful, a la Lara Croft, Eden is willing to risk her life to secure freedom for others. Lucius respects Eden's independence and skill but hates to see her putting herself in harm's way. Showalter first demonstrated her skill at blending sizzling romance and nail-biting suspense set in a convincing futuristic society in " Awaken Me Darkly" (2005). She now continues the roller-coaster-like adventure in an equally entertaining tale that will please a wide cross section of readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)