Caroline Linden‘s review of Hidden by Eve Kenin
Science fiction romance released by Shomi 1 Jul 08

Sometimes you come across a book that’s just impossible to accurately describe. Like Eve Kenin’s HIDDEN: “It’s a book set in a post-apocalyptic future, in Siberia…about a woman who was raised in a lab…and there’s a deadly plague that turns people into cannibalistic zombies…and ice pirates…and oh yeah, a rogue scientist who studies philosophy while he tries to save the world.” Screams romance, no? Think again, because this is not only a fabulous read, it’s taut, sexy adventure at its finest.

HIDDEN zooms back to the Northern Wasteland introduced in DRIVEN, the bleak frozen place Earth has become after a series of (probably nuclear) wars. It’s unforgiving and nearly lawless, with pirates and evil masterminds and rebels circling each other in a brutal struggle. Human life has both advanced and regressed, with impressive medical advances balanced against the utter social decay that has pushed large parts of humanity to the edge of survival. Just like the heroine and hero.

Tatiana has been a medical experiment most of her life, raised by computers and subjected to all sorts of procedures that leave her with some seriously enhanced physical abilities. Of course, it’s also left her with little experience of how humans behave and interact. When she finally escapes from the lab, she sets off on a quest to destroy the people who almost destroyed her, Gavin Ward and a scientist called Tolliver. Gavin Ward, she knows where to find; he’s trying to find–and dissect–her just as hard as she’s trying to avoid him. But Tolliver is a mystery, and yet the key to her desperate attempt to stop a debilitating virus, manufactured from her own genetic material, from being unleashed by Ward on his enemies. And yeah, she plans to waste Ward in the process.

Tristan is a rebel, hiding out in the Wastes with a dangerous mission of his own–nothing less than saving the human race. Unlike Tatiana, he’s deeply alive to emotion and empathy, and knows just how much Ward’s plague threatens humanity, even beyond just bringing death and suffering to its victims. When Tristan’s path crosses Tatiana’s, it’s intrigue at first sight for both of them. After spending her entire adolescence locked in a dungeon (oh my God! Can you imagine?!?),Tatiana feels the first pull of sexual attraction in her life, and watching her deal with it, trying to figure out how to be human and a woman, was quite moving. Inside Tatiana’s highly logical, genetically enhanced body beats a very human heart after all. And while Tristan notes her ethereal eyes, silky hair, and tight figure, it’s the almost superhuman way she dispatches two tough ice truckers twice her size that really snares his interest. Unusual girl, he thinks.

Honey, you have no idea.

Can I just say that’s possibly what I loved most about Tristan? His first thought was not how he wanted to get her into bed, it was, “Damn, that girl’s good in a fight.” Tristan’s no fool, and although Tatiana does appeal to his sex drive, the instant respect he has for her was fabulous. He feels responsible for the small band of rebels hiding out with him, and the fact that he doesn’t have to worry about Tatiana–in fact, that he can even lean on her from time to time–puts their relationship ahead of many couples’ (and not just romance novel ones). Also, although the story is weighted more toward action and adventure than most romances, the romance is pitch-perfect between these two warrior souls. When the only way out of a tight spot is a long climb up a laser-shielded elevator shaft, Tatiana is the one better equipped to do it. Tristan not only agrees to this, not only boosts her up so she can get started, he tells her the most important thing: come back to me. Nope, no sweet, tender “I love you,” but a command that nonetheless expresses perfectly how he feels without beating anyone over the head about it.

Because these two are perfect for each other just as they are. There’s no excess emotional outpouring on either side, just a realization that they each want the other at their back. For once the cover illustration is amazingly accurate. And the pacing is relentless, with no wasted scenes. This is a book that you open intending to read a few chapters, and then look up to realize you’ve read the whole thing almost without stopping to breathe. You can’t help cheering for Tristan and Tatiana as they fight what’s worst in humanity, to find–and save–what’s best.

HIDDEN is romance for the adventurous. If you lusted after Han Solo, this book is for you. If you wanted to be out fighting the dragon instead of locked in the ivory tower, this book is for you. It’s DRIVEN with an added philosophical touch, action and adventure with a jolt of red-hot romance.

Grade: Solid gold A

Summary:
Tatiana has honed her genetic gifts to perfection. She can withstand the subzero temperatures of the Northern Waste, read somebody’s mind with the briefest touch, and slice through bone with her bare hands. Which makes her one badass chick, all right. Nothing gets to her. Until she meets Tristan. Villain or ally, she can’t be sure. But one thing she does know: he has gifts too-including the ability to ramp up her heart rate to dangerous levels. But before they can start some chemistry of their own, they have to survive being trapped in an underground lab, hunted by a madman, and exposed to a plague that could destroy mankind.
Read an excerpt here