Hudson Lane is a woman on the run from a bad situation. Her
brother Dominic, the leader of a military-style group, has
promised her in marriage to his second-in-command Knox and
she is dead set against the idea. What makes CLAIMED a
little different from your average "woman on the run"
scenario is the setting of the story. CLAIMED takes place in
a futuristic dystopian world where war has devastated most
of the planet. The ensuing earthquakes have caused part of
the Americas to drop into the sea, leaving Utah as the
coastline. What is left of the people are the haves who
live in the walled cities, and the have-nots, the nomads
who eke out a living in the barren wilderness. This new
world order is run by the Global Council, and peace is kept
by an armed forces band called Enforcers. These enforcers
sweep the wasteland in an attempt to keep the unruly
survivors in check.
Hudson escapes the city, and leaves her oppressive world of
luxury behind. She's taken in by a group of outlaws who live
a violent lifestyle, surviving by their skills and the
supplies they steal by attacking Enforcer outposts. This
gang is led by a hard man named Connor, who rules his men
with an iron fist. Connor has been devastated by loss caused
by Dominic and his enforcers. It's not long, however, before
Hudson makes herself useful to the group with her nursing
skills, and wriggles her way underneath his hard shell.
Connor, of course, has no idea who she really is, only that
she is a runaway from the city.
CLAIMED is a quite interesting story. The futuristic
storyline is intriguing and shows promise of greater depth
as the series goes along. The worldbuilding is fairly well
detailed, and the dystopian setting is fantastic. The
characters have a free-wheeling lifestyle and live each day
to the fullest. This attitude leads to quite a bit of sex in
the book, however, which occasionally threatens to derail
the plotline. The sex in the book is often voyeuristic, and
there is some sexual sharing involved. Be forewarned if that
is not to your taste in an erotic romance read. I do hold
out hope, however, that the next books will expand the
storyline and the dystopian setting a bit more, and show a
little more originality from other stories in this genre.
CLAIMED is the first book in Elle Kennedy's new erotic
romance Outlaws dystopian series. I really enjoy this
kind of futuristic setting in a story. CLAIMED is a lot of
fun to read, and I am looking forward to more in the series.
There are several more men in the outlaw gang waiting to
have their stories told. CLAIMED is a recommended read to
those readers who also enjoy this kind of dystopian setting,
barring the caveat stated above.
The bestselling author of the Killer Instincts novels
“knows how to write scorching sexual tension”*. Now she
really sets it on fire in a new series about men and women
living on the edge of violence, sex, and life and
death.
After a devastating war decimated most of
the world, Hudson Lane has only known the oppressive life
under her own father’s tyranny. She finally escapes,
branding herself an outlaw and hunted by the Enforcers. Her
best chance at survival is Connor Mackenzie, an aggressively
sensual fugitive who opens her eyes to the wicked
possibilities of a world without rules.
As the leader
of a band of outlaw fighters, Connor can’t resist the
beautiful stranger who asks for his protection. Despite his
reservations, he agrees to introduce her to a whole new way
of life. But when Connor discovers Hudson’s connection to
the enemies of liberty, he wonders how far he can trust the
woman who has abandoned all inhibitions to challenge every
forbidden desire.