As a fan of the sci-fi genre I'm thrilled to bring Lynne Silver here today with her book, Desire Unmatched. Keep reading to get my impressions of this book and make sure to fill out the form below for your chance to win a $25 bookstore GC.
Is it Love, or is it Controlling?............
In Desire Unmatched, the latest book in my Coded for Love series, our hero, Xander, has lived under the watchful eye of his parents his whole life. In the book, I make it pretty obvious that Xander’s dad is emotionally inappropriately controlling. He forces his son to grueling train sessions every day with dire consequences for disobedience.
Xander grew up isolated from other families, so he didn’t know this wasn’t normal. It’s not until he’s an adult and his match Emma helps him break out from his father’s control.
But sometimes controlling behavior is hard to see. A family member can be manipulative and passive aggressive, and the victim can’t see it because the person doing the controlling loves them, right? If you want good examples, read advice columnist Carolyn Hax. She’s excellent at recognizing manipulative behavior.
Remember that show Sanford and Sons. What did Sanford do every time his sons did something he didn’t like? He faked a heart attack. Whew, talk about controlling!
Do you have an examples from books, TV or your own life to share? When is it love, and when is it controlling?
In Desire Unmatched, the latest book in my Coded for Love series, our hero, Xander, has lived under the watchful eye of his parents his whole life. In the book, I make it pretty obvious that Xander’s dad is emotionally inappropriately controlling. He forces his son to grueling train sessions every day with dire consequences for disobedience.
Xander grew up isolated from other families, so he didn’t know this wasn’t normal. It’s not until he’s an adult and his match Emma helps him break out from his father’s control.
But sometimes controlling behavior is hard to see. A family member can be manipulative and passive aggressive, and the victim can’t see it because the person doing the controlling loves them, right? If you want good examples, read advice columnist Carolyn Hax. She’s excellent at recognizing manipulative behavior.
Remember that show Sanford and Sons. What did Sanford do every time his sons did something he didn’t like? He faked a heart attack. Whew, talk about controlling!
Do you have an examples from books, TV or your own life to share? When is it love, and when is it controlling?
THE CODED FOR LOVE SERIES:
Engineered with superior strength, agility and acumen, the genetically enhanced soldiers of the top secret Program do the dangerous assignments no one else can. Now, they’re tasked with one additional job. Breed.
But finding and convincing their perfect DNA match they are the right men for the job may be their most dangerous mission to date. And the hottest. Good thing, they’re Coded for Love.
He’s been obsessed with Emma from afar, yearning to have her in his life and in his bed, but knowing he should never involve the beautiful blonde in his messed-up life. However, when Xander breaks out of his prison and returns home, Emma refuses to let him keep his distance, enticing him to surrender to the heat between them. She teaches him that passion trumps duty and that love doesn’t mean blind obedience. His desire for her cracks the shell he’s hidden in his whole life.
EXCERPT:
“Oh, you startled me,” Emma put a hand to her chest. “What are you doing here and why are you sneaking around?” She was in the large main office storage room, putting things in boxes and helping to organize the chaotic room. Her hair was piled in a loose bun on her head, and sweat dampened her dusty pale-pink blouse. Nice of Xander to stop by now when she looked a fright.
Xander watched her soberly for a minute. “I heard you’re looking for a job.”
She nodded. “Yep. I don’t want to be a mooch. Everyone around here has done so much for me. I hate to keep taking without giving back.”
“So that’s why you’re inside on this gorgeous day up to your ass in dusty boxes of shit we’ll never need again?”
Way to make her feel useless, but she answered him anyway. “Yes. I overheard Shep complain he couldn’t find anything in this mess. I volunteered to help out.” She didn’t understand why after nearly a month of ignoring her, he was seeking her out now, but she finally had him alone and didn’t question his motives too hard. It was pathetic how much a single word from this man warmed her insides. Even without the blood work, they both knew they were a match. After her horrific kidnapping ordeal, she wanted the connection and the safety of belonging to someone. No, not simply someone. Xander.
“Will you look for a job off campus or on campus?”
“Off probably, and I want to take classes at the university. I hadn’t realized it was down the street.”
For some reason this made him scowl. Idly, she noticed his buzz cut was longer than she’d seen it. Normally he kept it at army recruit length. Today it was practically hippie length at two inches long. He looked good to her no matter his haircut.
“I didn’t finish my degree, remember, Xander?”
“I forgot how young you are.”
“I’m twenty-four. I took a year off between school and uni.”
“And I’m thirty. Like I said, you’re a baby.”
“Is that what has you keeping your distance? Afraid you’re robbing the cradle?” Her bare knee brushed against one of the many cardboard crates she sat among.
“Among other things.”
“Such as?”
He didn’t answer, but she hadn’t really expected one. Xander was a man of few words and even fewer explanations. “Why are you here, Xander? Did you want another kiss?” Maybe she was actually getting to him. She hadn’t imagined his flinch at the word kiss.
“I wanted to see you, that’s all.”
“Because we’re a match, and it’s getting harder for you to deny it. Isn’t it?”
“Something’s getting harder,” he muttered.
She tried to hide her smile. He obviously hadn’t wanted her to hear his words, but now they were out there. And speaking of, she sneaked a peek at his crotch. Yep, no place to hide that puppy. His erection punched out behind the zipper of his trousers.
Loren had told her how difficult it was for the Program soldiers to deny their instinct to be with their DNA match. So far, Xander had her questioning their connection. She felt the pull, but he’d been so distant, she thought maybe she was imagining the whole thing. Now she wondered. Perhaps Xander had been feeling the sexual pull toward her as much as she’d been toward him, but was better at denying his urge. She had no such qualms.
If he accepted her as his match, she’d belong here. It had taken her own father nine weeks to notice she’d been missing after Paulson kidnapped her. Xander wouldn’t misplace his match for more than nine minutes.
“Let’s blow off some steam,” she said, rising to her feet.
“What?” He looked startled.
She gestured to his crotch. “I want you, and you obviously want me. We don’t have to make a lifetime commitment. We can simply release some steam.” Lies, all lies. She wanted him sexually. She wanted him forever. Before he could refuse, she unbuttoned the sheer blouse she wore over a tiny pink camisole. She had his full attention now. The black fatigue pants he wore stretched tighter over the hard ridge of flesh.
Her friends at home would laugh to see her up to her usual tricks. She didn’t consider herself a slut, but she’d hooked up with her fair share of men. There was nothing wrong with liking sex, in her opinion, and she knew sex with this man, her possible match, would rock her world.
“Emma,” he said, but she didn’t know whether it was a plea to stop or keep going. So she ignored his wishes and went with her own. Which meant getting naked, right here right now in the dusty, crowded storage room. She could drag him over to her apartment down the hall, but if she interrupted this moment for even a second, she knew Xander would bolt. No, no time to get to a more private place.
Shep thought she wouldn’t want to be in the bachelor apartments after her experience at Paulson’s hands. She appreciated the distance from the bachelors, but not for the reasons thought. Living down the hall in the same building as Xander would’ve been torture. It would’ve been a battle every night not to sneak out and climb in bed with him. But now he’d come to her.
***********************
Oh shit. She was taking off her shirt, and yep, there was her bra, every bit as sexy as he’d imagined. And he’d imagined a lot. How the hell had this happened? He’d had a plan, a goal, and five seconds with Emma had blown it out of the water. He’d known Shep hadn’t particularly wanted him to match and breed, he was too much of a loose cannon.
Fine with him.
Easy as pie never to sign up to match. It wasn’t as if a guy’s perfect match would come strolling onto the compound. Except his had. And now she was getting naked, and, God help him, every reason he had for steering clear of her was flying out of his brain. Understandable, really when all blood flow was heading south.
“Emma, stop.”
“Not a chance.”
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Not having read any of the previous installments in the Coded for Love series I was excited to read this sci-fi book with its thought-provoking theme. While the characterizations were well done, the sexual interludes super hot, and the pace thrilling, I wish there had been more explanation about the Program and how and why the soldiers came to be. This is definitely a series where the books should be read in order to fully appreciate the overall storyline. That's not to say I didn't enjoy this read as I assuredly did. I just felt that I was missing out a bit with this story being on a more personal level.
The highlight of this story was its tortured hero Xander. Growing up, Xander's childhood was one of constant training. He wasn't allowed to be a little boy and missed out on so many things. His father showed no affection and made Xander work for every morsel of common decency. That kind of childhood has resulted in an emotionally closed-off man with an icy personality uncertain how to express emotions. He's had very little experience with women which makes his dealings with his newly discovered Match Emma difficult. It's sweet yet heartbreaking seeing him learn how to love. He's not ashamed to ask Emma for help every step of the way and it made me like him all the more that he wanted to be a better man for her. The shadow of his father still lingers in the uncomfortable scenes between them and I applauded the moment he finally stood up for himself with the support of Emma's love. Xander was an amazing hero who lived through the abuse of his father and being tortured early on in this story to rise above it and realize he's worthy of love and happiness. The author dug deep into his psyche and made him an endearing character who I'm still dreaming about.
Emma is a admirable heroine who's been tortured herself in the past who's trying to live her life to the fullest. She wants Xander but it's a fight to get him to accept her love and affection. She's bubbly and would do anything to keep him safe. She stands up to Xander's father and supports him as he tries to do the same. I don't feel as though we know her as much as her background is glossed over. She didn't jump off the page like Xander did. She was merely the supportive girlfriend there to heal her man.
The sexual interludes were numerous and varied throughout this story as Xander had a lot of lost time to make up for. These scenes were sensual with a bit of playfulness at times. There was a large assortment of secondary characters from previous books making cameo appearances here but who didn't play a large part in this story. It was nice to see how all of them are progressing after their stories were told though. The ending of this story is VERY rushed, leaving the future of Xander's mother and father uncertain. There's also the hint of a traitor among them which points to a dangerous future for them all. I found this an exciting story full of steamy sexual interludes and a drool-worthy hero and I look forward to future installments.
My rating for this is a B-
*I received this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
By day, Lynne Silver lives the suburban soccer mom life; volunteering with the PTA, doing laundry and working. By night she enters the sensuous world of alpha males and passionate heroines.
She calls the nation’s capital home and lives in an old fixer-upper with her husband and their two sons. When not writing romance, she reads it. Lots of it. Over and over and over again, preferably with a bag of M&Ms in hand.
She calls the nation’s capital home and lives in an old fixer-upper with her husband and their two sons. When not writing romance, she reads it. Lots of it. Over and over and over again, preferably with a bag of M&Ms in hand.
WEBSITE: http://www.lynnesilver.com/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/
**********GIVEAWAY**********
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Thank you for hosting and thank you for the honest review. Glad Xander jumped off the page for you.
ReplyDeleteThank YOU for being here! I'll definitely have to read the previous oops in this series as I'm truly intrigued by what I read here.
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