Publication Date: December 12, 2013
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On Earth in the distant future, Epic and his brothers, Shade and Toy, have had a tough road since the death of their parents. Left to raise their six siblings, the brother set on a plan of robbing strip clubs to finance the ultimate heist. They’ll rob a strip club on the planet Trinity where the high rollers go to experience the robots and sex slaves. On their last heist before the big one, they encounter Phoenix, a stripper who sees her own way out by robbing those robbing the club. She’ll have enough money to go to a luxury planet and land a Sugar Daddy. When Nix and Epic clash, sparks fly. Can they come together to pull off the heist that will save them all?
I was given this novel as a part of the [easyazon-link asin=”1939452287″ locale=”us”]Hot Redemption[/easyazon-link] Blog Tour. K.D. Penn is the pseudonym of authors Kenya Wright and D.T. Dyllin. [easyazon-link asin=”1939452287″ locale=”us”]Hot Redemption[/easyazon-link] is listed in the Cyberpunk Erotic Romance Genre.
Penn paints a frightening future for earth though not dark enough to truly be called dystopian. A cautionary tale. Alien races and artificial intelligence abound and live side by side with humans. Africa is overrun with trash (an international dump) and buses of school children are brought in to witness what happens when foresight is not employed. Extreme poverty leads people to kill themselves to support their families with insurance payouts. People who are attractive enough to do so, trade their bodies for security. Drugs are easy to come by, and addicts are everywhere.
Epic, our lead male character, is one such addict. He was blinded and as a result has artificial eyes. Epic used those eyes when he watched in horror as his father killed himself to give a better life to those left behind. To cope with his daily life, Epic turned to Quake, a mind-altering drug that one is hooked on from first taste. Phoenix suffers her own demons. Her father brutalized her in the name of religion and a man she loved, cared about and trusted was horribly violent with her. She seems to blame the Quake to which the boyfriend was addicted but she’s determined never to trust another man and especially not another addict.
When Epic and his brothers hunt Nix down to get their money back she’s holding on to the funds any way possible. It is her ticket to catching a “whale” and seducing her way to financial security. Penn draws reckless characters ready to do whatever they have to do to survive no matter how illogical. Each chapter shifts between the points of view of Epic and Nix. Penn does the reader the favor of limiting recapping to what is happening in the moment. That’s not to say that the narrative is rife with the idea that neither can keep their hands off of the other. Nix sexually aggressive and in control. She is pragmatic and fierce. Epic is sexually driven and obsessive. He is an addict and his drugs of choice are Quake and Nix. The voices of each character are distinct in a way which leads this reader to think that each author took a character.
That they collaborated on sub-plots and background characters is clear in the homogeneous nature. Make no mistake; the main plot is the attraction between the two main characters. I believe for that reason this novel lands in the erotica genre. There’s a lot of sexual tension and teasing without a lot of sex. The secondary plotlines and characters are interesting and well laid out but never expanded. I would have liked to see more of the teen sister who is a genius with machines or perhaps more planning and exposition when it came to the heists but the real true point of the story was when the main characters would get naked and if it would work out when they did because these are truly damaged people and no road is ever easy.
In the end, post “50 Shades of Grey” this novel has a vast audience. Readers who get a thrill out of voyeurism without getting too kinky. I do commend the authors on the risk of making the alpha male an addict as that put a spin on his character but then also made clear that Nix was going to be an addiction which to some degree she recognizes.
If you like erotica, near future fiction or are interested in the psychology of addiction, [easyazon-link asin=”1939452287″ locale=”us”]Hot Redemption[/easyazon-link] is the novel for you. Look for it to come out sometime in December of this year.
For more information the authors who have come together to create K.D. Penn, follow the links below:
For more information about Kenya Wright, visit her website.
You can connect with er on Goodreads, Amazon, YouTube and Twitter @KenyaWright77.
For more information about D.T. Dyllin, visit her website.
You can connect with er on Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter @DTDyllin.