Judith‘s review of Forgotten Hope by Aubrey Ross.
Masquerading as a vampire has kept Chevon Rankin alive for two centuries. She believes the mystery surrounding her sister’s murder is nothing but a painful memory until an alien Setti hybrid invades her home and attacks while she is sleeping.
Hot on the trail of the Setti hybrid, Commander Brock Sihngal, a Phantom Warrior of the Foswick dimension, rescues Chevon, but the hybrid escapes. The Setti have pursued Chevon with obsessive determination and it’s Brock’s job to figure out why. Sexual interrogation is his specialty. he uses pleasure to motivate his prisoners, and he has been looking forward to his sessions with Chevon for a very long time.
Chevon thinks she is prepared for Brock’s brand of erotic negotiations. Their torrid affair years before should have equipped her to resist his techniques. But every touch, every intoxicating kiss makes her hungry for more. her only option is to respond without hesitation and submit without fear. She frees her passionate nature and soon an equal desire burns in the eyes of her arrogant interrogator.
I have never read any work from this author previously so this was my introduction to the style and substance through this novella. It is classed as fantasy and erotic romance, and erotic it certainly is. In fact, this novella is dripping with sex scenes and if that is what the reader desires, then they will get their money’s worth. I still want some literary substance and I came away from reading this work with the feeling that the plot was a little flimsy and the sum and substance of the story were not the main concern. Rather, they all were a very loosely constructed framework for the erotic scenes.
There were passages in this story that seemed to work well, and the characters seemed to have some validity. In other passages, however, the sex took over the story and it was what I would call the “driving force” in the work. Even in a fantasy piece there has to be some semblance of literary authenticity and I felt that the plot, the story, and the characters were in the service of the eroticism and not the other way around. Of course, we all have our “druthers” and I am certainly open to that. In my opinion, this story could have been so much stronger in a number of ways and I couldn’t get past a sense of disappointment that an author that obviously has a very talented and creative imagination had not written an erotic romance with greater literary weight.
Even though this particular novella didn’t “wow” me, I am hoping to encounter other of Ross’ work. Hopefully, I will not continue to be disappointed. I give this piece a rating of 2 out of 5.
This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.
You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.
Hi Judith,
Thanks for reviewing Forgotten Hope. I’m sorry you were disappointed with the story, but I appreciate your comments. I invite you to read my Sensual Captivity series. The books are longer, which allowed me to develop the world and the characters more fully. Take Care
I was going back over the comments of some of these “older” reviews and saw your response. I have since read some of your other work and was impressed positively. YOu did so well in some of the aspects of this story. I just had to be honest about my responses, and I appreciate your willingness to hear what I had to say. I think you display a great talent and literary gift and hope you will keep on giving us good stories. I am truly looking forward to your future offerings.