Romance at Heart Magazine: review of Heart of an Outlaw by Angela Verdenius

Title: Heart of an Outlaw
Author: Angela Verdenius

Published in February 2003 by Wings ePress
Genre: Futuristic/Sci-Fi Romance
IBSN: 1-59088-155-9

Many of the people of Daamen plied the vastness of space as traders, and yet Darvk wondered if he was the only one to end up in a situation like the one he was in now. He had done a lot of musing of late, and this was just another in a long line of ponderous thoughts about the hows and whys of his current situation. It had all the earmarks of a successful trip, until on a grungy planet at the platform of a slave trader, all his problems started. Of course, it might also have to do with his own personal convictions, but he could not have let things stand as they were, it was not in his nature. As for Maverk, and his conviction that he was in love...that was totally and truly preposterous. The slave trader swore she was a Reeka Warrior, possibly the last of her kind. She was hardly the kind of woman that he would fall in love with, he was a trader. She was a member of an outlawed people who were being hunted to extinction because of the tales told of their savage fighting skills, and their legendary hatred of men.

The girl was young, and beautiful, and innocent, and first she was branded an outlaw, then as his slave. Who knows how she had been treated at the hands of the slavers? He did know she had been badly injured while being betrayed by an uncle, he had found out about that injury the hard way. She almost died on him while trying to escape, and thinking back on it, he silently swore revenge. If this was the way they had been treated by the men they had known, no wonder they had slaughtered the males. But that was knowledge with no firm basis in fact, and he was doubting the veracity now. This was but one of the mysteries that came with her, it was one that he still pondered. Did the Reeka kill all their men, and IF they did so, how were there survivors to spread the rumors and lies that were rampant across the worlds? Something wasn't right about this, and two things were certain. He would keep his Reeka Warrior safe, and he would find out the truth behind the rumors and lies. This was a promise, and the Daamen kept their promises.

She is a Reeka, member of a fearless tribe of warrior women, yet she had to come to terms with what has happened to her now. She has been captured and enslaved by the men she hates. Now, she has been sold to the Daamen trader, and although he asked for her trust, she could not seem to give it. This was why her people hated men, and were scattered, and why Tenia, as well as every other Reeka Warrior, had a bounty on her head. The Inka Empire ruthlessly sought the pitiful remains of her once proud people, spreading lies and untruths, and finally outlawing them. They were hunted by the bounty hunters relentlessly from sector to sector, and could only find a semblance of peace in the "Outlaw Sector", where they hired out as mercenaries. The Warlords would always be willing to welcome the Reeka in their fights, and many a tide has turned at mere presence of a few Reeka in the opposing force. It was in one such battle that she had lost track of her older sister Reya, and the results had been devastating.

Two years, and there had been no word of or from Reya. The last she had seen of her sister, it appeared she had been captured. Tenia had been fighting to save Sharrie and herself, and although the two of them got away, she had no idea of the whereabouts her blood sister. The sad part was that Sharrie died of her wounds, and the uncle that she had trusted, had turned her over to the bounty hunters. Thus it was that she ended up in the hands of the slavers and at the mercy of the Daamen traders. Mercy was something she hadn't expected, but it was more than that, they gave Tenia respect and equal standing. She kept looking for an angle, kept trying to escape. Darvk treats her as a member of his crew. Even now he has promised to see if the answers can be found. There is a puzzle she feels she has to solve, and Darvk has promised to help...but can she trust him??

Futuristic Fans had best put on their seatbelts, because the ride has just started. Please present your tickets to the attendant, and keep you hands in the car at all times. Come to the worlds, and meet the characters of Angela Verdenius , and you will not want to go back to Earth. Tall, handsome men, and women populate her well written and imaginative stories, and where Angela trails her pen, fun, adventure, and love are sure to follow. The Heart of an Outlaw is the story of how one man teaches one woman that trust and love can conquer many problems, including the hatred that she has been taught to feel toward men. Follow Darvk and Tenia across the sectors in a hunt for the beginnings of the problems of her race of Women Warriors. The adventure leads them to some surprising findings, but the big question remains, can and will Tenia fall in love with the tall, dark and handsome trader?

The Heart of an Outlaw is a book that every futuristic fan will enjoy, and there is only one problem that I can see...the story ends...or does it? The fact that books have to end is a real pain for me, but other than that, I found it to be an exceptional read, and one that I know I will go back to again and again. Angela has built her worlds with an eye to things that we can identify with, and yet the tension is there in the people and the situations and it rivets the attention, then sweeps you along with the action. If you want a good futuristic to enjoy, and carry you away to a new universe, The Heart of an Outlaw is the book for you. Released in February by Wings ePress, it is must buy, and a story you will not forget. It is definitely another in the line of fine romances Wings has to offer.

Yours in good reading,

Rose!

Angela Verdenius Bio Interview Reviews Buy Angela Verdenius Books