Hello everyone!
Welcome back to the world of Sziveria, the post-apocalyptic situation people find themselves in when they read Sarah Westill's novels.
If you've been following me on this blog for a bit, then you'll know I've pretty much devoured every single Gen-Heirs book that's come out from under her pen, or, keyboard I suppose.
Because despite the fact that I stumbled into the world completely by accident, thinking it was going to be more romance than adventure, I ended up falling head-over-heels, and literally scrambling to get copies of the books as they were releasing.
My next goal this year is to grab them all so I have them ready at a moment's notice and sitting pretty on my shelves! So, you know, challenge accepted haha.
But until then, I'll just be reading the e-book versions.
And the new series is now hard-launched into orbit, so here we go.
Welcome back to Sziveria, and to the Ralston clan, with Captivated by Dominik!
And I've got a bunch, from the Sziveria main series to the prequel Bella and the Beast Master one, so you can take your pick!
But, allons-y.
Dominik Ralston is a raptor beast master, bonded to a bird rather than a wolf like his father and two of his brothers, and we already know that the Ralstons are a unique clan because the kids bond with different animals each, not the same one over and over again like it always seemed to happen.
He's a talented scout and spy, and he's also given a new assignment: pose as husband to another guardian, Sienna, as they venture into New Columbia to figure out whether or not some deals happening there are shady.
Trouble here is, he meets Sienna, and immediately knows something's not right.
If there's anyone in this world with a nose for when things are going haywire under the surface, you can bet they'll have the name Ralston.
Anyway, he marries Sienna, but makes it a five year contract instead of one, immediately messing up her boss' plans and loving every second of it, because already he doesn't like the boss. He then boards the ship with the scientific team posing as their cover, wife in tow, and slowly starts to unravel her.
Because, see, Sienna's in a unique position. She has a talent that allows her to sway people to her cause, turning tides in her favour, basically influencing how they think and what they want to do. She's been working since she was sixteen, on her own since eighteen, and has been married every single year of that working relationship, to different husbands each time, depending on what her assignment needed.
And not one of them stayed.
Dominik can see she's not only touch-starved, but tenderness-starved, and also he's just attracted to her, period, so while this book does in fact explore a lot about what's going on in the Uninhabited Zones, it also explores their slowly deepening relationship which naturally starts with them being physically attracted to each other, and Dominik going well, how do you even know what you like or don't like in bed if no one's bothered to teach you?
He volunteers as guinea pig. For science.
If you believe a word of that you're only lying to yourself, by the way, LOL.
New Columbia is a revelation in that, the reason why Dominik was specifically picked for Sienna's husband is quickly revealed when they arrive and there's a case of Human Rabies Syndrome right on the docks.
To remind you: this is basically a virus that's fluid-transmitted, mostly sexually, and turns people into vampire-biting-zombies who die very rapidly. It's got no cure, and is insanely dangerous, and no wonder Dominik grabs Sienna and jumps overboard with her into the sea.
She then uses compulsion on him to get her out of the water, which negates his bond with Alstair, his raptor, and first clues him in that whatever talent she has ... it's something big. No one else can tamper with a beast master's bond to his beast, after all.
But then, the governor shows up, demeans her in front of everyone and she doesn't even know it (which ... what kind of a diplomat are you, Sienna??), and Dominik is like, back off, she's my wife, and I WILL launch you into the harbour, unlike all the other pansies before me.
This lands them in a shabby hotel instead of the usual lavish one but, eventually no one complains since they can come and go as they please, and also Dominik and Sienna get the privacy they need to deepen their relationship, both physically and emotionally.
Then they go out exploring, find nothing immediately, and finally train tracks which prove something's going on. Our adventurous duo heads out in the night to investigate and find iron mining operations outside regulation, and apparently the iron is being shipped out illegally, at great cost ... to Cairo, which is building a warship based on Old World specifications.
THIS could mean trouble if we're talking something like an aircraft carrier or even one of the lesser classes, since it's all about what powers it, and if Cairo's found some Old World source of power, they could be unstoppable. This would break the status quo established since the Cataclysm, and NOBODY wants that.
Sienna's team uncovers port manifests that Dominik is going to decipher, he asks Sienna to mate with him, not just marry him, because he WANTS her, and he also tells her she's probably Gen-Zero, not just a Gen-Heir.
If you remember, Ryan Voklane, he of the original series fame, is also a Gen-Zero, which is to say, children who were MADE, rather than conceived, their talents the beginning of everything else and how the world we know now came into being. After our couple confront the governor about the iron, realize he's innocent, and then alert the Ruthenian authorities to be on the lookout, they return home.
Then they confront Sienna's parents, with Ryan's help, who confirm she was brought in from where Ryan was originally found as a baby, bought, and then basically traded by her adopted parents for the status they wanted.
Dominik has basically promised Sienna she never has to do anything against her will again, because loving her means he'll protect her, and while Sienna IS heartbroken, I feel like she trusts him enough for this.
HEA for them!
In case it isn't obvious ... I got this one as an ARC. DUH.
BACK IN THE GEN-HEIRS WORLD, BBY!
I am SO here for it. I loved the original Guardians series, I'm loving the Bella and the Beast Master series, and now I get to further enjoy this world Ms Westill created through the Ralston family, the powerhouse that fuels ... well, everything? YES PLEASE.
Dominik's book is the first, and I really enjoyed the progressive growth of his and Sienna's relationship. The way they both adapt and overcome is beautiful, but especially for her, knowing what you know by the time the book ends.
And I mean ... when Dominik says he's calling his brother, I may have kicked my feet a little in giddy excitement.
The Ralstons may be our window into this world, but Voklane? He might just be the foundation to everything. The fact that we're continuing on from the mystery presented in his novel delights me to no end. This is the Sziveria I love and adore!
Ms Westill knows her stuff and has crafted a well-written world that feels incredibly real and lived-in, and I really can't wait to see where we go from here. Her writing style draws the reader in and captivates from start to finish.
... also, if you don't get the sense that, every time a problem crops up and one of the Ralstons calls Voklane, he looks at the sky with a 'lord give me strength and patience, what did I ever do to deserve this chaos' then you're missing out 😂
1000/10 recommend!!
BACK IN THE GEN-HEIRS WORLD, BBY!
I am SO here for it. I loved the original Guardians series, I'm loving the Bella and the Beast Master series, and now I get to further enjoy this world Ms Westill created through the Ralston family, the powerhouse that fuels ... well, everything? YES PLEASE.
Dominik's book is the first, and I really enjoyed the progressive growth of his and Sienna's relationship. The way they both adapt and overcome is beautiful, but especially for her, knowing what you know by the time the book ends.
And I mean ... when Dominik says he's calling his brother, I may have kicked my feet a little in giddy excitement.
The Ralstons may be our window into this world, but Voklane? He might just be the foundation to everything. The fact that we're continuing on from the mystery presented in his novel delights me to no end. This is the Sziveria I love and adore!
Ms Westill knows her stuff and has crafted a well-written world that feels incredibly real and lived-in, and I really can't wait to see where we go from here. Her writing style draws the reader in and captivates from start to finish.
... also, if you don't get the sense that, every time a problem crops up and one of the Ralstons calls Voklane, he looks at the sky with a 'lord give me strength and patience, what did I ever do to deserve this chaos' then you're missing out 😂
1000/10 recommend!!
xx
*image not mine
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