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A Hitman
For Hannah Trapped by circumstances of birth has long been a feature of literature. Shakespeare wrote of it often, Romeo and Juliet being the most famous example that comes quickly to mind, as did others. Usually, the story went along the lines of a member of royalty or some ruling class being attracted to a member of the lower or non-ruling class. Usually the interest is reciprocated and the two potential lovers have to figure out whether the risks, often a painful death, are worth it. Familial obligations, societal obligations, and good old peer pressure often serve as foils keeping potential lovers apart as well as that nasty painful death thing. What can only be hinted at in mainstream fiction is a perfect story idea for erotica and executed wonderfully in this engrossing work. The conflict in roles and obligations to family and society is clear and easily defined as detailed on page 26: "He was lusting after a woman he had no business lusting after. She was a Breeder Slave. A runner. He was a Hitman. A killer. They were from two different worlds." And that is precisely the problem. Jacob, eldest son of Simon Romero, a Plantation Owner, is a Hitman for his family. In this world of the far future, slavery is permissible and Hannah is a Breeder Slave. As a runaway, it is Jacob's job and his responsibility to his family to find her since she has run away and kill her. If he does not kill her, his family will hire others to kill him to clear their honor. For Hannah, she has run away from what she was born and raised to do. Following in her Mother's footsteps, she was to be chained and used in a Breeder Barn by the many sons of Plantation Owner Simon Romero until she became pregnant. She would keep her first born for herself and then she would be made pregnant again and again by forced sex with the Romero brothers. After every birth she would give up the child and be used again sexually as soon as she was able to get pregnant again. It is a life she did not want and she fled following the whispered instructions of other breeding slaves to find the Underground Railroad. The only man she has ever wanted was Jacob and now he has found her on a windswept beach in Northern Oregon. Instead of killing her right away as he was supposed to, he tries to talk with her and soon that leads to a physical confrontation. She breaks away and is chased and finally caught again. He knows what he must do but at the same time he has been in love with her for years and the last thing he wants to do is to kill her. She feels the same way about him but neither one has seen the other in years and now they don't know each other like they did once long ago. People change and neither one trusts the other but neither has a real choice since the consequences for each could be disastrous not only for themselves but for others. A desperate bargain is struck. In exchange for sharing his bed with him for twenty-four hours he agrees to let her go. What follows is an erotic tale where the sexual want between the two takes a backseat to character development as they learn more and more about each other as they run for their lives. They also learn who their true friends are as they struggle to stay ahead of others who are sent to finish the job Jacob started and to reclaim family honor. This is a very enjoyable read and well worth your time. While the erotic is a major component of the work overall, it also features strong writing, character development and plenty of other action to keep the work moving forward. This is a very good book and well worth the time to read.
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