Mary‘s review of Unbound 
A relic hunter, Asrial stumbles across a rare vase, only to discover that it holds something more precious inside—a djinn named Romir. Aboard Asrial’s ship, Romir finds unexpected freedom and unexpected passion in Asrial’s bed. But when the vase beckons him back, Asrial must find a way to release him completely, even if it means returning to the dangers of her home world…
Long, lonely hops through space and hunting for treasure on distant Rim planets makes up the majority of Asrial’s life. She needs a big score so she can fix up her ship and pay for her uncle’s ongoing medical care so she returns to Maj, a desolate planet of glass fields and spires that rake the sky. There, she finds a vase that could solve all her financial problems. Too bad it’s occupied by a djinn.
Romir is a tortured soul. Trapped by his enemy centuries ago and made to slaughter his people, he exists for one purpose—to serve his master. So, when he’s called from his prison and finds sexy Asrial asleep in her bed, he thinks she’s his new master and she’s torturing him with her beauty. After bringing her to orgasm, he’s shocked to realize she thinks he’s a dream. She’s shocked to find out he’s real and he needs her—he has to touch her, to have sex with her so he won’t be called back to his prison. After getting over her initial wariness, she’s more than willing to help (Don’t you just hate when there’s a super-hot man with stamina to spare who needs to give you orgasms? Yeah, me too.).
Kay Danella has created a universe that’s unusual and familiar at the same time. As I read—and enjoyed—this story, I got a kind of Dune-meets-Firefly vibe (Sorry for the geek-talk. I do love my SciFi.). This novel is a role reversal from the traditional “guy saves girl” trope. While both Asrial and Romir are strong characters, Asrial is the one who is determined to save Romir when he’s unable and unwilling to save himself.
A strong, independent woman who isn’t afraid to demand what she wants and ask for help when she needs it, Asrial’s got a lot of baggage, too. Her parents were killed by space pirates, her uncle depends on the money she brings, and she’s the only daughter and heir of a deposed ruler of a planet. I like how she just keeps going, doing what’s necessary to support her family while still enjoying what she does. Space flight, for example, is a near-orgasmic experience for her and she truly enjoys hunting for treasure.
It took a while for Romir’s personality to emerge. A slave for too long, he lost much of his personality along with his free will. But his time with Asrial reminds him of how good life can be and what love feels like. I would have liked more focus on the relationship between Romir and Asrial and maybe some more about Romir’s past rather than the storyline about her ex-planet but, as it all tied in, it still worked for me. Together, the two of them steam up the sheets and their quest to free Romir from his prison makes for a fast, fun, hot read.
Rating 4.5/5.0
This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here
FYI, most of her information is at her main site under the Kathleen Dante name –
http://www.kathleendante.com
She has blogs under both Kay Danella and Kathleen Dante, but both are updated infrequently.
I’ve read her two Kay Danella novels and enjoyed them, but so far have only gotten to TBRing a few of her Kathleen Dante stories.