Unexpected Hostage by Layla Stone – A Book Review

Posted April 8, 2020 by Booksandblurbs in Reviews, Romance, Sci-Fi / 1 Comment

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Unexpected Hostage

(Unexpected Series – Book 1)

by Layla Stone
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Sci-Fi, Stand-alone-within-Series
Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited

Down & Dirty

New races, new worlds and a complex dynamic that sets the stage for a sci-fi adventure spanning the stars. Free on Kindle Unlimited.

What is it about?

(Blurb from Goodreads)

Everyone says he’s dangerous.
Everyone is wrong.

My new cabin-mate is a telepath and the whole ship’s scared of him. I was too, for about three seconds. He’s quiet, but once I get him talking he’s the most fascinating man I’ve ever known. He shouldn’t be in that cage. He didn’t do anything wrong. But good thing he is, because I would love to snuggle down for a long night with a body like his.

Everyone thinks they’re safe.
Everyone is wrong.

My race is known for being peaceful, and I was too…until I was electrocuted, kidnapped, sold, and then put in a cage. I’ll get out of here soon, but while I plot my escape, I’ll enjoy my cabin-mate’s attention. She thinks she has figured me out. She’s not even close.

The ship is being attacked, a perfect diversion. There is only one problem…I want to take my cabin-mate with me.

Note to Readers

This is a full length Sci-fi Romance Novel with action, adventure, adult humor and a steamy romance. Mature readers only.

Trigger warning: References to Torture and Rape

Thoughts on Unexpected Hostage

3.5 Rounded up

When I first read the blurb for this book, I assumed the ‘Unexpected Hostage’ aspect of the description was Sasha, but I was wrong. The Hostage in this equation is most definitely Sci, the Cerebral who shouldn’t be where he is.

Once that little hiccup was repaired in my thinking, I found myself quite enjoying this story, though there were some character choices and dynamics that I found challenging. It’s a good book, one that creates the scaffolding for a series filled with other characters and romantic matches.

It didn’t star higher with me simply because there was a decided ‘lack’ of connection on Sasha’s part…. I didn’t ‘feel’ the emotion that was supposedly there. Otherwise, this would have gained a solid 4 star review. Regardless, this was still a good read that might require a couple of trigger warnings for violence.

Pros:

Sasha… I really like her.
Sci. His thinking is abstract and unique.
The crew. Alright, so there are some issues and the personalities are questionable, but they were still interesting and their rough edges enhanced the tale.

Cons:

Fade to black romantic scenes.
That MacGuffin…. really?
Lack of emotional connection. This was more of a ‘tell’ not a ‘show’ aspect.

Perspective

Third Person, Multiple POV

Ending Type

HFN with episodic continuation.

Rating

R (Despite the Fade to Black sex scenes, there should be a note for violence and reference to torture and rape)

Romantic Dynamic

M/F

Character Age Range

26+

My Final Verdict on Unexpected Hostage

Diverse and complex characters come together to set the stage and form a crew that will see this Science Fiction Adventure Series through the stars. Not overtly descriptive, but there are references to violence and rape, despite the ‘clean romantic’ aspect to the narrative. Free on Kindle Unlimited.

Published September 9th, 2018
280 Pages