Stevie‘s review of Bad Kitty (Chronicles of the Malcolm, Book 2) by Teresa Noelle Roberts
Science Fiction Romance published by Samhain Publishing, Ltd 22 Sep 15
I love space opera stories that feature truly alien characters, and this series is delivering them in droves, so much so that some readers may find it hard to keep up. Not only do the aliens in this universe look different to the humans who encounter them, their basic characteristics, morals, and beliefs are very unlike ours as well. After the first book, I was probably most keen to learn more about Xia, the cat-like alien on the Malcolm‘s crew, and this is her story.
Xia remembers very little about her people or even who her family was, beyond a vague memory of something very bad happening to her parents before she was taken away, abused, and trained as an assassin. Fortunately for Xia, and for us, she was rescued by the Malcolm‘s (human) captain and his (alien) husband, who make a habit of rescuing children in between their other semi-legal activities.
Now Xia’s all grown up, she’s embraced the sense of fun innate to her species, and the bad habits that go with that characteristic – such as petty theft (though she generally gives things back when asked) and a very healthy libido. The one thing she doesn’t do is stay the night with any of her conquests, since she’s prone to nightmares about her early life. Then she meets Rahal, another of her species – and the chief warlord of the planet that she and her friends are hiding out on after the events of the previous book. Rahal wants to bring some stability to his home, and take out those of the criminals who are abusing innocents as well as breaking other laws that are enforced more stringently elsewhere in the galaxy. He wants the crew of the Malcolm to help him, and while they’d be happy to do so, Xia is worried that the publicity Rahal is after for their task will make future missions impossible. So she offers a deal: she’ll help Rahal and do anything he wants, including staying with him in his palace, while her friends help from a less obvious position.
Rahal agrees, because he really wants Xia to stick around, but just as they’re getting to know each other, a sexy human joins their little party. Cal is masquerading as one of Rahal’s business contacts, because he’s been tasked with tracking down Xia to reunite her with her surviving family – once he establishes she really is the felinoid he’s been looking for. Fortunately, the attraction between all three is mutual. Unfortunately, Xia is the only one telling the truth about her identity – as far as she knows it – and none of the three take kindly to being deceived about such issues.
I love the various capers that take place throughout this story as Rahal, firstly, cracks down on the unsavoury elements of the society he’s found himself ruling, and then, secondly, has to defend his position against others who’d like control of his planet’s resources. I am also very taken with the various pieces of extra information we’re given about Xia’s crewmates and about the wider universe they inhabit. But most of all I love Xia. A fabulous book and I hope we’ll be seeing more of her and her mates in subsequent instalments of this series.
Grade: A
Summary:
When you make the Devil’s bargain, be prepared to take the heat. A lot of heat.
Most of Xia’s early memories are repressed, thank the Great Cat Mother. But her body remembers how to kill.
The longer she and her fellow Malcolm crewmates are holed up on Cibari hiding from assassins, the twitchier she gets—until the planet’s insanely sexy warlord, Rahal Mizyar, borrows her skills to take out slavers.
Rahal suspects Xia is his mate, but the human-raised female never learned the finer points of felinoid rituals. The solution: make her fall hard and fast for him, even if it means playing dirty.
Hired to determine if Xia is the long-missing granddaughter of the felinoid prime minister, Cal Janssen has finally tracked her down. Getting past Rahal, though, is a problem—until he’s mistaken for a notorious arms dealer and playboy. And he finds himself the object of both Rahal’s and Xia’s seduction.
When their first mission brings Xia’s memories bulleting back to the surface, she realizes she’s fallen for two men who don’t exist. Running away, however, could be her deadliest mistake.
Warning: Contains an assassin with a swiss cheese memory, a badass warlord who’s getting tired of his own con, and a freelance lawman. Secrets, lies, and hot sex with no rules.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
