Review: Virgin

Virgin (Cat Star Chronicles - Book 7) by Cheryl Brooks

Publication Date: June 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Inc.
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance/ Science Fiction Romance
Pages: Paperback, 384pp
ISBN-13: 9781402251658
ISBN: 1402251653

(Received for review from Sourcebooks)

Purchase: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

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Synopsis (Book Blurb):

HE'S NEVER MET ANYONE WHO MADE HIM PURR...

Starship pilot Dax never encountered a woman he wanted badly enough. Until he meets Ava Karon...

AND HE'LL NEVER GIVE HIS BODY WITHOUT GIVING HIS HEART...

Dax is happy to take Ava back to hr home planet, until he finds out she's returning to an old boyfriend...

As their journey together turns into a quest neither expected, Ava would give herself to Dax in a heartbeat. Except he doesn't know the first thing about seducing a woman...

Thoughts:

Author Cheryl Brooks brings readers the latest installment in the Cat Star Chronicles series, Virgin. This book takes the series on a new arc and introduces readers to new and different Zetithian characters. Fans of the series will be happy that the rides isn't over and new readers of Brooks erotic paranormal books will fall in love her sharp wit and sizzling love scenes. Virgin, is full of sexy characters and hot romance! Brooks explores a new avenue with her version of the ultimate male and readers will be happily swept along for the ride!

Starship captain Dax is a Zetithian male with a feline gene that makes him practically irresistible. But, he has no idea what to do with it. Dax, a virgin, understands the need to rebuild his once powerful race, but can't seem to find the right woman. His attempts at romance are less than stellar and seducing a woman isn't in his repertoire until he meets sexy waitress, Ava Karon. Ava is part human and part Aquerei (aquatic alien). She needs passage on Dax's ship in order to get away from a vicious boyfriend and go back to another. Dax is struck by Ava in a way he has never experienced before. He has longings and feelings he didn't know existed. Their relationship heats up as their attraction to each other explodes, as Ava becomes aware that she has the key to ending an age old civil war on her father's home planet.

Cheryl Brooks gives reader another look at the fascinating Zethithian race in her latest book, Virgin. Cheryl has created a race of characters with feline characteristics, as well as, sharp wit and intelligence. Fans of the Cat Star Chronicles series were probably a little worried when Hero ended, because it brought to a close the storyline that Brooks' focused on for the first six books. Luckily, Brooks had other intentions! With Virgin, the author takes a readers in a different direction for the series and I think that opens it up to a lot of new possibilities. Though characters from the first part of the series are not the focus now, they are still mentioned and alluded to, which is nice and gives the reader the feeling that they know something about these new characters, the sense of the familiar, if you will.

I believe that one of the most important parts of writing a science fiction series, is the world building that has to go on. A science fiction author cannot build on what the reader knows, they have to create a whole new world in which to interest the reader and grab their attention. Not an easy feat! In Virgin, Brooks is branching off from the original world she created with the first six books of series and is giving readers something new and different. She is very adept at describing the places that her characters find themselves in whether if be a starship that readers have never experienced before or a new planet her characters may be visiting. If a Sci-Fi author fails to make the reader believe that this place could really exist, they've missed the whole point. Brooks has a knack for letting her readers become involved in her characters and her world and this book is no exception, I loved that aspect of Virgin.

Readers should keep in mind that this is erotic paranormal romance. It is written for adults and not young readers. The sexual content is quite explicit and graphic. This aspect of the book is extremely well written and readers will probably find their bodies reacting to it in spite of themselves... LOL! (fans herself) I don't usually read a great deal of erotic romance and for me it has to seem natural. It can't be contrived. If the author writes the sexy stuff and then tries to fit a story around it, it just doesn't work, however if it is a natural part of the story that flows from the passion of the characters and the situations they find themselves in, it becomes very sensual and realistic. I think that is what makes Brooks' writing so appealing to readers of this genre. She isn't afraid to push the boundaries that people tend to create for themselves. She writes with a voice that isn't afraid of it's own feelings and fantasies. I quite like it, a lot!

Dax and Ava are such a great couple. He has this bad boy image that she is running away from. When in reality Dax is a little scared of his body and he doesn't really know what to do with himself. Ava isn't very subtle, she is outspoken and a bit brash and obviously just what Dax needs. Someone to break him out of the shell and expose him to what he can do and what will fulfill him in ways he doesn't even understand. The romance between them is hot and sizzling and once he gets going he doesn't hold back! I thought both characters grew a lot throughout the book. Dax really came into his own, he learned so much more about himself than just his sexual nature and Ava learned what she was truly looking for and what was important in her life. Makes for a great story!

I recommend this to adult readers only! If you like a good hot and steamy romance this one is definitely for you. It packs a punch in that area, and will keep you reading all night long. The Science Fiction aspects of the story are well done and the world building is remarkable. Brooks' has a great sense of humor that comes out in her writing that will have readers in stitches here and there. Her secondary characters are just as three-dimensional and fun as the hero and heroine in this one and I can't wait to read more. Book number 8 in the series, comes out in February!

Virgin is available NOW from your favorite bookseller!

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!




Book 4 of the Cat Star Chronicles is free this week from participating booksellers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Check it out and get caught up if you haven't read it!


Cheryl Brooks is a critical care nurse by night and a romance writer by day. Previously published works in her Cat Star Chronicles series, include Slave, Warrior, Rogue, Outcast, Fugitive, and Hero. She is a member of the RWA and lives with her husband, two sons, three horses, six cats, and one dog in rural Indiana.