Buy Link: Blind Space
Author: Marie Sexton
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Length: Novel

Rating: 5

Captain Tristan Kelley is head of the personal guard for Prince Rikard, spoiled rich kid who does nothing but think of his own pleasure.  Although Tristan dislikes Rikard, he remains loyal to his duty to the prince and the Regency.  So when their ship is attacked by pirates, Tristan fights valiantly until he is captured along with the other men and temporarily blinded by a flashgun.

Once aboard the pirate ship, Tristan realizes things are not what he expected. He and his men are treated well, kept fed and healthy despite their short-term blindness.  The pirates don’t intend to harm them or sell them as slaves, they just want ransom money for the guards and Rikard from the Regency.  The pirates are a decent group, mostly rebels from outlying planets that fought to protect their homes from being taken over by the expanding Regency empire.

Valero, the leader of one of the rebel groups, takes a particular interest in Tristan. Valero is drawn to Tristan immediately after seeing him fight so bravely, and begins to bring him to his room night after night.  Although Valero wants Tristan badly, he refuses to take him by force, instead seeking to befriend and seduce him.

At first Tristan refuses to give in, despite how he comes to like Valero and want him, clinging to his duty to the Regency and Rikard.  However, soon Tristan learns more about the Regency’s tactics taking over these outlying planets, their role in controlling the market of goods and services, and how little they care about the men under his command. Tristan realizes that he was never meant to be a leader in the military and how that life never suited him.  As he continues to spend time with Valero, Tristan sheds more and more of his old life, falling in love and finding the person inside himself he was always mean to be.

Ok, first off I have to say, space pirates? Yum!  They were so hot and delicious, with sort of a punk Jack Sparrow vibe, complete with eyeliner and brightly colored mohawks.  Here is how Tristan describes them upon first impression:

I thought about the pirates. I’d seen them earlier, going about their business in the port. If their ship was outrageous, it was nothing compared to the men themselves. They were impossible to miss. Almost all had shaved the sides of their heads and had tattoos on their skulls. Many had grown what was left of their hair into long mohawks, either spiked or ratted into place, dyed garish, unnatural colors. They wore silk shirts and fine leather boots, all undoubtedly stolen, and the men I’d seen wore more eye makeup than the most common whore back home. They were peacocks. I found them disturbing.

(Of course it is not long at all before he finds them as hot as I did!)  I just loved Valero and the kind and careful way he helps Tristan through his mental and emotional journey. Although Tristan is his prisoner, Valero never takes advantage of him.  While he does try to woo Tristan, he is always respectful and caring.

In addition to the sexy space pirates there were so many things I loved about this book.  I thought the blindness added a fascinating dynamic to the story.  Tristan is in a totally unfamiliar place, completely unable to see.  He is forced to rely on his other senses to guide him and it really opens him up to “seeing” what is going on and what he really wants when he doesn’t have his sight to fall back on. It also adds an interesting dynamic in his relationship with Valero, as they build a physical and emotional relationship all while Tristan can not see him. He learns to read Valero’s voice and body language and all the nuances he would have missed if he could see.

I found the book fast paced and super exciting, especially when the action picks up toward the end of the book.  Although it is a futuristic story, it is not heavily into the sci-fi, and I had no problems jumping in to the world Sexton creates. The guys are super hot and sexy together (especially once Valero discovers Tristan’s hidden fetish, oh my!).   I loved following the growth of the relationship between the two men, but even more I enjoyed watching Tristan’s growth as he found himself and realized what he really wants out of life and who he wants to be.

I just loved Blind Space and would highly recommend it.

Blind Space will be released from Silver Publishing on January 7th.