Heart of an Outlaw
Angela Verdenius
Wings ePress, Inc.
ISBN 1-59088-155-9, 1-59088-855-3

Daamens are a race of big, burly traders who love to trade, wench, and fight. Smart people know better than to mess with them, or their women and children. They protect their women and children with everything they have. While on a trading adventure, Darvk sees a Reeka warrior woman, an outlaw, on the auction block, about to be sold to a brothel, where she would be chained to a bed for the amusement of the patrons. He couldn't let that happen to such a proud warrior-who also happened to be a woman.

Reekas had been outlawed years ago, when their men all died. Some blamed it on the Reeka women themselves, saying they killed their husbands and sons. The Reekas only knew that they grew sick suddenly and died, and there was nothing they could do about it. Eventually, in order to stay alive, they sold their warrior skills to who ever in the outlaw sector needed them-the proud warrior women were now mercenaries-but hunted for the high bounty on their heads. Tenia was only sixteen and had already seen her share of fighting. She had little use for men, having proven to be treacherous creatures wanting either her head for the bounty, or her virtue. The big Daamen trader would prove little different-she'd bite out his throat with her own teeth before she'd let him use her like a prostitute. He'd rue the day he even thought about it.

When Darvk and his crew finally get the true story of what happened to the Reekas, they set out to help them prove their innocence, even though the lot of them were difficult and untrusting. They definitely had their work cut out for them because there were a lot of people out there who just wanted the Reekas dead.

Angela Verdenius has six books so far set in this very imaginative universe. HEART OF AN OUTLAW, is only the first. It's very colorful and emotional, and well worth the time spent reading it. I especially like the Daamen traders. They're a big fun-loving bunch of guys with hearts of gold. The Reekas are harder to like, but you understand why they're so bitchy once you hear their story. If you like a good futuristic romance, take a look at HEART OF AN OUTLAW. You'll enjoy it.

Reviewed by:
Lisa Ramaglia