Olivia Waterhouse has just graduated from nursing school and has her whole life ahead of her—until she gets drafted. Problem is, she isn’t being forced into the Army, she’s been chosen as a Kindred bride. The Kindred are huge alien warriors—a race of genetic traders whose population is ninety-five percent male. After saving Earth from the threat of invasion they demand a reward—the right to find brides among the population. The chances of being chosen are about the same as those of winning the lottery—guess it’s just Liv’s lucky day.
Baird is a Beast Kindred who recently escaped imprisonment and torture at the hands of the malevolent Scourge. Through the torment and pain only one thing kept him sane—the thought of finding and claiming his bride—Olivia. His need to possess her is a burning intensity that threatens to consume them both.
Angry at having her future and her family taken away from her, Liv vows to fight back the only way she can—by resisting. She has one month on the Kindred Mothership with Baird—their claiming period. If she can keep from having bonding sex with him during that time, she can go home and get on with her life on Earth.
But Baird isn’t going to make it easy for her. Every week he is allowed to touch Liv more and more intimately and according to the contract she signed, she has to let him. She’s determined to resist him but his touch sets her on fire. And just as she thinks she knows what she wants, a twist of fate and an attack by the faceless Scourge AllFather changes everything…
More about the Brides of the Kindred series
A race of Genetic Traders from beyond the stars
Three very different types of men
All looking for one thing…their brides
Beast Kindred—Savage in battle these dark, brooding warriors from Rageron bring their passion and intensity to the bedroom. They possess a very special endowment that ensures every sexual experience is a tantric one.
Blood Kindred—Cold as ice to their enemies, these tall, blond warriors from Tranq Prime warm up when they find the right woman. But be careful…they bite.
Twin Kindred—Muscular and rugged, these warriors from Twin Moons always come in pairs and cannot be separated. They experience physical pain when parted from each other…or the one woman they both choose to love.
And then there is the enemy…
The Scourge—A genetic trade gone wrong, these menacing outsiders have twisted desires and sexual needs fierce enough to frighten away even the most adventurous. Their need to dominate and possess their women completely has led to a strange prophesy that they must fulfill…or die trying.
My Review:
Claimed: Brides of the Kindred by Evangeline Anderson is one my favorite books of all time. It has everything; romance, heat, humor, soul mates, tenderness, and its fictional world is like a Christmas present to unwrap.
Good sci-fi writers always amaze me with their creativity in inventing a parallel universe, but Anderson is at the top of the game when it comes to this kind of vision. There is a reason this book is #18 in all of Erotica and breaks the top 1000 in the Kindle store. And at $2.99, it’s a bargain at twice the price.
Anderson stated in the beginning of book three of the series that she keeps the price low on her Kindred books, specifically in order to discourage piracy. I respect a writer who put her destiny in her own hands. I’ve recommended this book to no less than a dozen people who have thanked me with gushing messages for telling them to buy it.
Claimed starts with a short prologue that makes you so curious about the two characters you’ve been introduced to, good luck putting the book down for a bathroom break until you meet them again. Chapter One allows us to get acquainted with the merry-go-round trio of registered nurse, Olivia ‘Liv’, her twin sister, teacher and ‘womb mate’, Sophie, and Kat, their plus sized best friend and paralegal.
The banter between these three is so authentic to female relationships, I just love it! Liv’s been dreaming for weeks about a large man with amber eyes. Only now it seems to haunt her waking hours too! The year is 2030. Five years earlier, an alien race known only as the Scourge came to destroy and take over the planet.
The Earth’s saving grace was another alien race known as the Kindred, they eliminated the threat and keep Earth protected. All they ask in return is to be able make a genetic trade; that is to be able to have earth women to continue their race. The Kindred breed 95% males, so they need females to mate with. This results in a draft that earth women must sign up for.
With one knock at the door, Liv gets drafted in her baby doll nightie at that. They take her to the Human/Kindred Relations Building for her claiming ceremony, with Kat and Sophie bringing up the rear.
What happens at the HRK building is intense and hilarious, though if Kat’s in any scene, prepare to laugh. It’s there we meet Baird. A six-foot-seven Beast Kindred with dark hair, amber eyes, tons of muscle and big broad shoulders. Baird has come to earth to claim Olivia, take her back to the ship and make her his. Liv is informed by Kat that if she can hold out 30 days without having bonding sex with Baird, she’s free to come home, but there’s a catch!
The thirty day claiming period is broken into weeks; week one is the holding week, week two is the bathing week, week three is the tasting week and week four is the claiming week. She must comply with all of it. Be willing to be held, bathed, tasted and claimed by Baird, but none can be against her will. Liv sets off for the Kindred ship with determination in her bones, she’ll be home in thirty days.
Once we get to the ship, the fun really begins. It’s a different world for Liv and fish-out-of-water humor definitely applies. The passion cannot be denied between these two and I loved seeing every one of the weeks unfold. Baird tries so hard to be everything to Liv and Liv tries to resist with him everything in her being. Claimed is hilarious, romantic and hot.
Dolly Parton said in Steel Magnolias, “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” Well laughter through melted panties is mine, and that’s this book. ALL THE WAY THROUGH! But don’t forget readers, the Scourge is still out there! Anderson does a great job with this first book in the Kindred series. A recommended read.
Things I loved about Claimed:
1. That Baird calls Liv, “Lilenta”.
2. The claiming fist.
3. The dirty talk Baird is capable of
4. Bebo
5. The Take-me and the Touch-U
6. The pizza Baird makes
7. The bathing week. Unh! I’m getting the vapors just thinking about it.
8. Baird. You’ll see.
9. Kat. Moxy to burn.
10. Any scene with Baird and Olivia.
11. There’s sequels! Yay!
Things I didn’t like about Claimed:
1. Sometimes I was on the verge on dislike of Liv, luckily I never got there.
2. The claiming weeks weren’t longer.
“Here we are.” Baird’s deep voice startled her out of her internal daze and Liv looked up to see that he was gesturing to a plain silver door. As he motioned it slid inwards with a soft swoosh revealing a dark space of indeterminate size.
Liv looked up at him nervously. “This is it?”
He nodded. “The back entrance, anyway. Brought you this way so no other male could see you.” He eyed her hungrily again and Liv pulled his dark crimson shirt closer around her body, as though it could shield her from the desire in his eyes.
“Uh, looks nice,” she said, making no move to go in. The dark room or rooms he was indicating were suddenly looking pretty scary. She had the feeling that if she was in a horror movie right now the people in the audience would be screaming “Don’t go in there!” at the top of their lungs.
“Well?” Baird gestured again, obviously waiting for her to precede him but still Liv hung back.
“Uh…I think I forgot something on the ship,” she said, backing away. “Do you mind if I go get it?”
“You didn’t bring anything to forget.” There was a definite hint of impatience in the deep, growling voice. “Are you coming in or not?”
“I choose not.” Liv shook her head. “I just…I don’t think so. No thanks.”
Baird looked at her with obvious disbelief. “You have to come in—this is where I live. Where else would you stay?”
“Um—well, do you guys have guest rooms or anything like that? I mean, it’s a big ship so you must have someplace else, right?” Liv was feeling more and more nervous and it wasn’t just the fact that he was big and dangerous and scary looking. She had a feeling that if she went into his suite, that she might not come out again as the same person. That somehow being near him twenty-four/seven for the next month would change her, make her lose control.
“Olivia, you can’t stay in the guest quarters. You’re my bride and this is our claiming period.” The big warrior was practically growling with impatience. “What’s the problem?”
“How can you ask me that?” she flared at him, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. “You stand there staring at me like I’m an antelope and you’re a really hungry lion and you’ve told me about twelve times how you can’t wait to get me in bed, or up against the wall, or anywhere at all for that matter. And now you want to know why I’m scared to go into a dark room and be alone with you? What do you think I am—crazy?”
He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his thick black hair. “I can’t believe this. Haven’t I told you I would never hurt you?”
Liv frowned up at him. “Yeah, well, I’m not sure about your definition of ‘hurt.’ I mean, forced sex isn’t always painful but just because it doesn’t hurt doesn’t mean it isn’t rape.”
“Is that what you think of me? That I want to take you by force?” He swooped down on her suddenly, eyes blazing a molten gold. Liv backed up but before she knew it she was pinned against one cold metal wall with his thick, muscular arms on either side of her and his face inches from hers.
“Well what am I supposed to think?” she demanded, hoping her voice didn’t tremble too much.
“You can think whatever you want, Olivia, but you should know one thing.” He leaned even closer, his hot breath stirring her hair as he murmured in her ear. “When I take you—because I will take you—make no mistake about that,” he said, cutting off her protest. “When I do, I promise you’ll want it every bit as bad as I do. You’ll beg for it, Linlenta. Beg to have my cock inside you, filling you up as I bond you to me forever.”
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