Seriously missing an mpreg element, what with nesting and googly eyes and the whole nine yards. ( )

‘In Enemy Hands’ is a variation on the enemies-to-lovers trope, with a strong element of prisoner-falls-for-his-captor, wrapped up in a science fiction setting. This is not hard science fiction, since the focus is on the main characters and their developing relationship, the cultural differences that are pretty black-and-white, and some liberties have been taken with the scientific details. But I really enjoyed reading about Prince Varo and Prince Adlar and their struggle to deal with the attraction they both feel despite the circumstances they find themselves in. Their civilizations are very different, but both have undertones of what we face here on Earth, only taken to extremes. That enables the author to set up a world different enough from ours to make it an interesting background, yet not so strange that it distracts from the real focus of the novel: the personal struggle between Varo and Adlar.

Varo is from Yesri, an industrial planet with declining resources, very little nature left, and a take-charge attitude that makes many see them as arrogant. Varo is the third son of a despotic king who brooks no disobedience, and while he is pretty “useless” to his father in terms of politics and succession, he serves his planet as a starship captain. His mission to barter with the seen-as-evil Helkans for a material that could save their energy shortage goes badly wrong, and his crash-landing on enemy soil is the beginning of an adventure that changes not just his personal life, but also the way he sees his own species.

Helkan is perpetually dark, is rumored to be ruled by primitive, animalistic beings, and has a strict isolationist stance. Anyone who makes it to their planet’s surface despite all the security set up to prevent it, is never allowed to leave again.

Adlar is the older brother of the Helkan king and the leader of a group of assassins in charge of royal security. He is aware of their reputation, but knows that his planet’s lush natural beauty, their environmentally friendly technology, and the way they deal with problems is much more advanced than anything the Yesri have. He is attracted to Varo the moment they negotiate for mining rights via long-distance communication, but when he hunts down Varo after his illegal landing and takes him prisoner, slapping a shock collar on him for good measure, Adler doesn’t realize the consequences for himself or his society.

Varo and Adler’s journey is not an easy one. There is a lot neither of them knows about the other’s society, there are personal differences, Varo’s need to escape unless he wants to feel like a traitor gets in the way, and Adler’s dominance may help keep Varo in line, but it is not helpful when they move toward being lovers. Then, just as I thought they might figure it all out, unexpected events put everything in question again and both men have to face the kind of danger that will really test their relationship.

If you like soft science fiction where diametrically opposed societies face each other, if two men from different worlds battling their differences is your thing, and if you’re looking for an entertaining read that is as suspenseful as it is romantic, then you will probably like this novel.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )