Ashwin: Gideon's Riders

By Kit Rocha

The follow-up to Kit Rocha's bestselling BEYOND series...

Gideon's Riders, Book One

Lieutenant Ashwin Malhotra is a Makhai soldier—genetically engineered to be cold, ruthless. Unfeeling. His commanding officers consider him the perfect operative, and they’re right. Now, he has a simple mission: to infiltrate Gideon’s Riders, the infamous sect of holy warriors that protects the people of Sector One.

He’s never failed to execute an objective, but there’s one thing he didn’t anticipate—running into Dr. Kora Bellamy, the only woman to ever break through his icy exterior.

When Kora fled her life as a military doctor for the Makhai Project, all she wanted was peace—a quiet life where she could heal the sick and injured.  The royal Rios family welcomed her like a sister, but she could never forget Ashwin. His sudden reappearance is a second chance—if she can manage to touch his heart.

When the simmering tension between them finally ignites, Kora doesn't realize she's playing with fire. Because she’s not just falling in love with a man who may not be able to love her back. Ashwin has too many secrets—and one of them could destroy her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kit Rocha
• Release date: Mar 7, 2017
• ISBN: 9781942432241

Kit Rocha

KIT ROCHA is the pseudonym for the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author duo Donna Herren and Bree Bridges. They are best known for their gritty and sexy dystopian Beyond series, and were the first indie authors to receive a Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award. They currently live three miles apart in Alabama and spend their non-writing time caring for a menagerie of animals and crafting handmade jewelry, all of which is chronicled on their various social media accounts.

Book preview

Table of Contents

Welcome to The Sectors

Ashwin

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Deacon

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Ana

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Grace

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Before You Leave the Sectors

About the Author

Acknowledgements

Copyright Information

dedication

for everyone who's ever felt not human enough

or too human

you're just right

Welcome to The Sectors

You're holding the very first book in Gideon's Riders, a new series from Kit Rocha set in the same post-apocalyptic world as their first bestselling series. The war between Eden and the Sectors (covered in the Beyond series) is over, but victory brings its own challenges…like deciding what their new society should become.

Enter: Gideon Rios, grandson of a prophet and leader of Sector One, and his fanatically devoted personal army—a highly trained group of warrior bikers known as Gideon's Riders. Sector One might believe in love, but someone has to fight and bleed to protect those who want to live in peace.

Dozens of Riders died in the war, battling for the right to build a freer world. Those who remain face the hardest choice of all: whether they're willing to keep dying for love, or if they want to start living for it.

Gideon's Riders

Book One, Book Two, Book Three

Ashwin

Lieutenant Ashwin Malhotra is a Makhai soldier—genetically engineered to be cold, ruthless. Unfeeling. His commanding officers consider him the perfect operative, and they’re right. Now, he has a simple mission: to infiltrate Gideon’s Riders, the infamous sect of holy warriors that protects the people of Sector One.

He’s never failed to execute an objective, but there’s one thing he didn’t anticipate—running into Dr. Kora Bellamy, the only woman to ever break through his icy exterior.

When Kora fled her life as a military doctor for the Makhai Project, all she wanted was peace—a quiet life where she could heal the sick and injured. The royal Rios family welcomed her like a sister, but she could never forget Ashwin. His sudden reappearance is a second chance—if she can manage to touch his heart.

When the simmering tension between them finally ignites, Kora doesn’t realize she’s playing with fire. Because she’s not just falling in love with a man who may not be able to love her back. Ashwin has too many secrets—and one of them could destroy her.

Chapter One

The sky was alive with stars.

Before coming to Sector One, Kora had never seen so many stars. The light rising from the city had always drowned them out. But here, behind the Riders’ barracks, with nothing but a bonfire lighting the night, they were resplendent.

She leaned back, bracing her hands on the wide rock bench, and tipped her face toward the sky. Each glimmer seemed to wink down at her, and the longer she stared, the more rhythmic the twinkle became, until it looked like the whole carpet of stars was throbbing in time with the music.

Kora shut her eyes. She could still feel those stars, pulsing on the other side of her closed lids like a heartbeat, and if she just reached out—

Kora.

She looked over as Gideon Rios sat down beside her. He was dressed as simply as the rest of his men, in leather pants and boots and a plain white T-shirt. But a closer look showed that the leather was the highest quality, not the stiff, badly tanned cheap stuff, and the shirt had obviously been tailored to fit him.

She slid over to give him more room. Enjoying the party?

Enjoying the chance to celebrate. He sprawled his long legs out and crossed them at the ankle, the perfect picture of a man at ease. But his gaze roved the clearing, marking each of the Riders in turn. It’s been a good week.

If Kora didn’t already know better, she never would have guessed that he owned and commanded everything around them. He carried himself like a leader, but not a prince—which he was, of course. The Rios name guaranteed that.

And if his name had comprised the full extent of his power? Well, it might have been easy to dislike him. But his Riders didn’t follow him because of his name. They followed him because of his beliefs, his goals. His actions.

Kora liked him very much. So why aren’t you celebrating?

Gideon slanted a look at her, one dark eyebrow quirked. Who says I’m not?

He was teasing her, but he wasn’t the only one who could answer a question with a question. How long have I been here, Gideon?

Oh, eight or nine months now? He went back to surveying the crowd. Long enough for us to get used to having you as part of the family. I hope you’re not thinking about leaving. It would break Maricela’s heart.

Don’t change the subject. She gestured toward the space around the fire, where Gideon’s baby sister was dancing with one of the Riders, her head thrown back in laughter. Maricela is having fun. You, on the other hand, are brooding.

His lips quirked. "Maybe brooding is fun for me."

I see. He said it like it was a joke, but Kora had seen people react to what they perceived as Gideon’s displeasure. His family didn’t rule through force or even popular decision. Sector One’s citizens considered the Rios family a manifestation of their God on earth, and no one liked a pissed-off god.

Gideon’s smile grew. Do you know who has the luxury to brood, Kora? Men who aren’t fighting wars. After everything we went through last fall, it’s nice to have the time to consider all my options before committing to a course of action.

Even if all you have to decide between is beer or whiskey?

"Well, I wouldn’t go that far. He tipped his head toward Deacon, his second-in-command, who was watching them closely. Has he talked to you about the security precautions for your clinic?"

At length, Kora answered flatly. Would it kill you to remind him that I’m actually pretty familiar with the city? You know, seeing as how I used to live there?

Gideon didn’t lose his easy smile. You lived in Eden before the war. I think you’ll find the city you remember no longer exists.

If she thought that was true, she’d have already been back. She wouldn’t have let memories and the very real threat of confronting her own ghosts keep her away from people in need. The walls came down, Gideon, but there are some things that even war can’t change. She matched his expression. Your favorite lieutenant, for example. Deacon still underestimates me. He treats me like I don’t think about all the things that could go wrong. It’s...annoying.

It’s his job. Gideon shifted to face her on the bench. The firelight gilded one side of his face and left the rest in shadows, and somehow it made him look stern. Distant. I put Deacon in charge of the Eden outreach operation. Do you know what that means?

That he’s the boss?

That he speaks in my name. That I trust him to represent my sector and my ideals, to protect my people the way I would. Gideon reached for her wrist and turned it over, revealing the two bar codes tattooed on the inside. Her identification code over her pulse, and the higher one that had granted her special clearance. Maricela has already declared you family, and that would be all the reason Deacon needs to wrap you in cotton. But you’re an invaluable resource, Kora. You’re going to have to become accustomed to being protected.

Become accustomed to it? Her whole life had been a never-ending chain of protective custody. Even as a child, her father had rarely let her out of his sight, and she’d spent hours studying at her small desk in the corner of his office. Her medical training had been overseen by the city, and Eden always protected its investments. Then, when she’d gone to work as a doctor on the Base…

Guards. The one constant in her life, whether they were clad in fatigues, military police black, or expensive leather and tattoos.

Don’t worry. She tugged her wrist free of his grasp. I won’t make any trouble for Deacon.

Gideon released her without complaint, but his sudden grin shattered the illusion of the serious, stern leader. Don’t go making any extravagant promises, Kora. Traditionally, my sisters excel at making trouble for Deacon.

If it happens that often, maybe it’s his problem, not theirs. She hesitated, then corrected herself. "Not ours."

That’s right. He patted her leg and turned back to the fire. That’s one thing my grandfather got right, even if he didn’t always practice what he preached. In a world like ours, everyone needs family.

Even if it’s one we have to make ourselves, she agreed.

Deacon approached them, a drink in each hand, though he offered them neither. Are you talking about the clinic for the city refugees?

It came up. Gideon reached out and snagged the beer from Deacon’s left hand. Are you satisfied with the security detail?

Deacon grunted. Am I ever? But we’ve done all we can. Your assigned guard will just have to handle whatever comes up.

"If anything comes up," Kora stressed.

He just stared at her.

Idly, she wondered if Deacon didn’t like the situation, or if he didn’t like her. The likeliest answer was a combination of the two. He undoubtedly had better things for his men to do than babysit her. But he’d do it anyway, because Gideon had asked.

She’d known men like Deacon—soldiers whose dedication ran deeper than their current orders. Whether they pledged themselves to a cause or simply to the mission at hand, they let nothing stand in their way. Not even headstrong doctors.

Kora smiled despite the bolt of pain that shot through her. Yes, she’d known men like Deacon before—and at least one of them had died because of her.

The tense silence shattered when Zeke appeared and threw an arm around Deacon’s shoulders. The younger Rider was just as tall as Deacon, but his hair was spiky and blond rather than dark, and he wore a teasing smile instead of a glower. You guys better not be discussing work.

What else? Kora rose and held out her hand. I hope you’ve come to save me. I make an excellent damsel in distress.

Damsels in distress happen to be my specialty. Zeke slapped Deacon on the back and claimed Kora’s hand, but he still paused to look at Gideon. Boss.

Zeke. Gideon inclined his head. Go enjoy the celebrations.

Kora followed Zeke closer to the bonfire. You missed all the fun. I was just irritating Deacon.

Everything irritates Deacon. Zeke spun her in a dizzy circle before pulling her close enough to dance. Only mildly, though. Mildly irritated is his default state.

No, it’s not him. Something about Zeke’s easy manner invited confessions. He reminds me of someone I used to know.

What, like one of the MPs?

Sort of. A soldier.

Most of the Riders had been born in Sector One, but Zeke was like her—someone who’d grown up inside Eden’s shining walls. The bar code marking him as a city citizen was long gone, but she’d seen his lengthy criminal record—one he’d earned hacking Eden’s system to redistribute credits to the citizens who couldn’t afford to eat.

So she wasn’t too surprised when the next thing out of his mouth was a name most people wouldn’t have known existed. Ashwin Malhotra?

He didn’t need her confirmation, so she focused on the ribbed collar of his gray T-shirt instead of answering. There were some things that would always be impossible to confess, because you couldn’t even explain them. The feelings refused to solidify into anything as pedestrian as words, so you just had to try and make some sort of silent sense of them.

She’d always known that her patients at the Base didn’t process things like human bonds and friendship the way most people did. They’d been engineered to divert their energies to more mission-oriented skills. Most of the time, she’d had no trouble remembering that. But with Ashwin…

She’d let down her guard. She’d forgotten to maintain a professional distance, all because there had been a few moments when Ashwin had looked at her with something approaching interest. And now he was gone.

Tears pricked her eyes, and she closed them against Zeke’s pity. You know too many things you’re not supposed to know.

Yes. He rubbed a soothing circle between her shoulder blades. I can’t regret it, though. Poking my nose where it didn’t belong is how I ended up here with Gideon. And this is a good place to be.

He seemed so determined to convince her that she couldn’t help smiling. Since I’ve practically been adopted by the Rios family, I have to agree.

Don’t forget the Riders. He grinned and spun her around again. You keep putting us back together. I haven’t lost many brothers since you showed up, so I’ll give Deacon hell all night long if it’ll keep you smiling.

Deal. Kora would keep smiling—because she had precious few reasons not to, compared to others who had lived through the war between the city and the sectors. Because she’d found a good life here, with friends and a chance to heal those in greatest need.

Because the only thing she’d lost had never really been hers to begin with.

Chapter Two

The Riders were heading into an ambush.

Perched on the roof of a two-story warehouse, Ashwin Malhotra watched through his binoculars as three motorcycles rumbled down the dusty road toward Sector One’s central temple. The smooth purr of the engines reached him, joining the idyllic sound of the temple’s dozens of wind chimes dancing on the late-afternoon breeze.

All three men were dressed in leather and denim. Helmets obscured their identities. Of course, who they were wasn’t as important as what they were.

Gideon’s Riders.

Holy warriors. Sainted heroes. Outside of Sector One, the Riders were more myth and legend than anything, a band of highly trained, dangerously lethal soldiers whose loyalty was unswerving and absolute. Here, they acted as the voice and hands of the god-king himself, Gideon Rios. Each one was empowered to act as judge, jury, and executioner, a position of ultimate trust and considerable power.

To Ashwin, they were a curiosity. He’d synthesized every scrap of data available—every bit of history, every dossier, every mission report or rumor to come out of Sector One. He even fleshed out his analysis with a limited number of personal encounters, but the Riders still made no sense.

The whole of One was like that. Its citizens stubbornly subsisted almost completely off the power and network grids that crisscrossed the other seven sectors and the city. Even now, in the wake of a revolution Gideon Rios had helped plan, they remained insular and close-mouthed.

They offered aid to the needy, shelter to refugees. They provided food and clothing and medical care to the hundreds displaced by war. They smiled and preached love and swore by pacifism, leaving any necessary violence in the hands of the Riders. They gave much and asked for little.

In a world that had been broken decades ago, they were an equation that didn’t add up, no matter how many times Ashwin shifted the variables around.

Power. Greed. Influence. Faith. They were all difficult concepts that allowed plenty of room for the full range of human folly. Ashwin preferred the reliability of things that could be quantified. Things that could be counted.

Like money.

He swung his binoculars toward the temple. The warehouse he’d chosen as his perch was simple adobe, but the temple’s marble face caught the last rays of sunlight and sparkled.

Over the last four decades, the Rios family had preached love and peace. But they’d also trained the people of Sector One to purge their sins from their souls through labor. To give until they had nothing left—and to love doing it. Inside the temple, a month’s worth of donations from the faithful sat securely in a basement vault. Credits, cash, valuable possessions—based on Ashwin’s best estimates, a small fortune awaited the Riders.

That wasn’t the only thing waiting for them.

The motorcycles roared into the courtyard, drowning out the wind chimes. One by one, they pulled to a stop and cut their engines. As they removed their helmets, Ashwin matched their faces to surveillance photos in the dossiers he’d studied.

Fernando Reyes was tall, with brown eyes, golden skin, and black hair that brushed his collar. As the eldest son of Sector One’s second most powerful family, he’d been the subject of extensive interest on the Base. Though the analysts had highlighted his family’s ambition as a potential entry point to undermining Gideon Rios, Ashwin had seen enough loyalty to recognize a hopeless cause. Reyes would repudiate his family before he betrayed his leader.

The man on the right was also from a powerful family. Hunter West had darker brown skin and hair buzzed close to his skull. His sister had married into the Rios family, and his parents were fanatically devoted to Gideon. The Base’s file on them had been brief and to the point—if replacing Gideon became a priority, the entire West family would have to be removed as well.

Unsurprisingly, the third man turned out to be Gabriel Montero, another son of a wealthy family and the third member of what the Sector One faithful referred to as the Royal Trio. Ashwin didn’t have to close his eyes to summon the intelligence briefing from memory—a sneering, verbose tirade by an officer disgusted by Sector One’s backslide into feudalism. They’ve already anointed themselves a king. Soon there will be dukes and knights, all the excesses of aristocracy. And all the vulnerabilities. The maneuvering for power has already begun. With minimal intervention, the families can be reduced to infighting.

According to the dossier, Gabriel Montero’s eldest brother had married into the Rios family, as well. The accompanying prestige had lifted the Monteros—and caused the anticipated friction with the Reyes family.

Whatever their family politics, Reyes, Hunter, and Gabe remained friends—and loyal to Gideon Rios first, though the Base officers doubted that loyalty.

Ashwin did not. He’d been there during the war.

Down below, the three Riders swung their legs over their bikes. Ashwin couldn’t hear their words as they started up the temple steps, but the rise and fall of their banter drifted up to him, a comfortable give-and-take punctuated by laughter. They’d made this run a hundred times, secure in the knowledge that they were the dominant predators in their sector.

Unfortunately, war had a way of displacing predators.

The deserters appeared as soon as the temple door closed, flowing from their hiding places with the silent grace that made Base soldiers legendary. With their superior military training and access to whatever equipment they’d stolen, the soldiers fanning out into the courtyard could prey upon the sectors and vanish before anyone could stop them.

Especially when they were smart enough not to underestimate their opponents. Ashwin counted nine men moving into position. The Riders were good, but few people were good enough to survive a surprise ambush by trained killers at three-to-one odds.

Ashwin was.

Moving silently, he slipped back from the edge of the roof and folded his binoculars. They fit easily into his thigh pocket, and he took a moment to check his weapons. Two pistols, six throwing knives, a pair of smoke grenades, a garrote, and a hunting knife strapped to his calf.

He’d taken down nine men with less. But this time he wouldn’t have to do it alone.

The drop to the ground was far enough to break bones. Ashwin performed the calculations automatically, redistributing his weight and momentum into a roll that dispersed the force and brought him back to his feet unharmed. He did the same for the angles of visibility, recalling the layout of the buildings and the positions of the soldiers in order to slip through the alley unseen.

By the time he reached the edge of the courtyard, Reyes was stalking toward two of the deserters near the temple doors. You want to start some shit? he demanded with a wide grin. Let’s start some shit.

They both pulled guns. Reyes’s grin didn’t falter. Reckless, even for a man with his reputation, and Ashwin eased a throwing knife free of its sheath and judged the distance to the steps.

His mission would go to hell if he let one of the Riders get killed.

Reyes’s confident stalk melted into a run. He slammed into one of the men, knocking him into the other, and the three of them went down in a tangled flurry of limbs. Reyes finally drew his pistol, but only to smash the butt of it across one deserter’s face.

The other two Riders were smart enough to maintain distance—and cover. Hunter fired from behind a pillar, taking down two men before a third blasted the pillar, sending shards of marble raking across Hunter’s face.

Gabe had chosen knives as his weapons, and he was good with them. As the attacker took aim at Hunter again, Gabe’s wrist snapped forward. The bright silver blade embedded itself cleanly in the man’s throat. Gabe killed another deserter with a second knife before turning to check on Hunter.

The leader of the group dropped from the roof of the temple, crashing into Gabe and carrying him to the ground. Ashwin surged out of the alley, already calculating the angles and velocity and the chance that any shot he fired might go through the deserter and kill the man he was trying to save.

Low. Acceptable, perhaps, under other circumstances.

Ashwin ran faster.

There were seven steps leading up to the temple. Ashwin vaulted up three of them and landed behind the leader, who had his pistol pointed at the back of Gabe’s head, his finger squeezing the trigger.

He was a seasoned soldier, but Ashwin was faster. He grabbed the man’s wrist and jerked back. Bone snapped as the gun fired, blowing through the leader’s chin to tear off the top of his head.

The body went limp beneath him. Ashwin stripped the pistol from his hand and spun. Six men down, three remaining. One using the bikes for cover, one grappling with Reyes, and one standing out in the open, gaping at Ashwin with naked fear in his eyes.

Makhai! There’s a fucking Mak—

The bullet silenced him. He toppled backwards, dead eyes staring up at the clouds.

Reyes reared back and took one last swing, a mighty blow that left the man beneath him still and unmoving. The final deserter, the one hiding behind the bikes, took off, kicking up a trail of dust behind him as he ran.

Letting him get back to rest of the deserters was an unacceptable risk. Ashwin fired, then turned back toward the temple as the man’s body pitched to the ground.

Gabe was on his feet, swiping blood from a broken nose. His other hand hovered near his knives, but the wariness in his gaze melted into recognition. You’re the soldier who was helping the O’Kanes during the war.

I am. Extending his hand in greeting was probably the correct thing to do, but Ashwin had learned early in life not to try and mimic human social gestures. No matter how precisely he thought he’d executed them, people could sense the deliberation behind them. The emptiness.

He’d been genetically engineered to be good at many things. Small talk wasn’t one of them.

A shot rang out, followed by another. Reyes was on his feet, his gun still in his hand, standing over the now-dead deserters he’d fought with.

Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "If you were going to fucking shoot them, man, why didn’t you just shoot them?"

Reyes dragged his arm across his bloodied mouth and shrugged. Didn’t seem fair not to give ‘em a fighting chance.

Gabe snorted, then winced, poking gingerly at his nose. Well, now my face is as busted as yours. It could have been my head.

It likely would have been. Those weren’t ordinary raiders, Ashwin told them. They’re deserters from the Base. In the future, it would be best not to give them any unnecessary opportunities to kill you.

Deserters, huh? Blood dripped from Hunter’s lacerated cheek. What are they doing all the way out here?

Ashwin used his foot to turn the leader’s body over. His face was almost unrecognizable, but Ashwin knew who he was. Rick Porter had been one of the elite soldiers. Not as elite as Ashwin—not Makhai—but still trained from birth to excel at strategy and killing. Looking for the credits and wealth they think they’re owed.

Hunter muttered something under his breath and knelt to check another of the bodies as the temple doors swung open. Several acolytes rushed out, their robes flowing as they ran toward Reyes and began fussing over his nonexistent injuries.

Gabe turned to Ashwin. The priestess will have called for help. Are there more of them out there?

A few dozen. Maybe more, if they’ve been recruiting. Ashwin nudged the leader again. But I doubt they’ll have backup coming. This wasn’t a well-planned operation. They were sloppy, overconfident.

He still might have killed me if you hadn’t been here. Gabe extended a hand, and Ashwin had to clasp it. Not doing so would have been awkward. But he disliked the physical contact, and he struggled to judge the appropriate amount of pressure. Too hard would be considered aggressive, too lax would signal weakness.

The intricacies of nonverbal communication had always been tedious, but Ashwin found he had even less patience for them since the war. He gripped Gabe’s hand and knew it was too hard when the other man’s eyes widened slightly. Irritated with himself, he let his hand drop. I was doing my job.

Your job? Reyes studied Ashwin while one of the acolytes prodded his bruised knuckles. There’s no way the Base sent you to clean out upwards of forty deserters all by yourself.

Hunter scoffed. Maybe if you hadn’t been busy getting your face bashed in, you could have listened.

To what?

The man’s Makhai. He straightened and pinned Ashwin with a flat stare. Forty against one—those odds aren’t so bad when you’re dealing with a walking science experiment.

If he’d had any feelings to speak of, the

Reviews for Ashwin

[b.j.o. · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

5 "Opposite Ends of the Feeling Spectrum Unite" Stars!A new top favorite! I have been meaning to read or listen to Kit Rocha's Beyond Series forever. Of course, as is frequently the case with long-running PNR/UF series that must be read in sequential order, starting such a series can be a daunting exercise. So when I saw that Kit Rocha (the pen name for the collaboration between co-authors Donna Herren and Bree Bridges) was releasing the first book in a spin-off series, I jumped at the chance to review it, and I must say I'm in love! Everything from the UF world building, hero/heroine character development, relationship building among secondary characters who will no doubt be the heroes/heroines in books to come, to the romance and passion department was top-notch! Moreover, Kit Rocha towed the line between the perfect balance of explaining this UF world, which takes place in the same one that her Beyond Series takes place (just later in time after the war between the sectors has ended), while at the same time not belaboring or slowing down this story. The heroine of this story is Dr. Kora Bellamy. The royal Rios family of Sector 1, including its leader Gideon Rios, took Kora in after she escaped a military facility for the Makhai Project, which features genetically engineered soldiers who have been bred to be the super soldiers that are incapable of feeling. Everything in Sector 1 is so completely different from where she came from both at the base and Eden where she once lived. There is an innate almost religious goodness in this Sector, where people believe in Gideon, not because he rules by might, but because of his beliefs, goals and most all his actual treatment of Sector 1's people (actions speak louder than words!). Sector 1 is policed by Gideon's Riders--a number of whom are influential in their own right but who choose to enforce Sector 1s rules for the better of the whole (even if it means they must kill and therefore are giving up their eternal ever after for the collective good of Sector 1s people). Because of their sacrifice all of Gideon's Riders are revered by Sector 1s' inhabitants, and Kora's role in the affair is ensuring Gideon's Riders always get the best medical care so they can continue to protect Sector 1. This comes naturally to Kora as she innately has a drive to heal others. After years of disappointment at the military base's inhumane and unnecessarily cruel treatment of its soldiers, Kora is finally happy in her new life with the Rios family which has not only given her a place to stay, but has actually officially taken her in as if she were one of their own. Kora's only regret is Ashwin, a soldier of the Makhai Project who she thought she had had a special connection with--something which they were strictly forbidden from having (as a matter of professional curtesy on her part and because Ashwin as a Makhai soldier should never have felt anything much less had feelings for her). However, Kora assumes that Ashwin died in the war as he never came back for her as he had promised. So imagine Kora's surprise when Ashwin shows up in Sector 1 and just in the nick of time to save them from a dangerous plot. Gideon questions Ashwin's real mission in Sector 1 notwithstanding Ashwin's help--nothing gets by Gideon though he doesn't necessarily react as others would. Instead he also quickly assesses Kora's seeming power over Ashwin and allows him to stay for at least a while. Just why is Ashwin in Sector 1? Does he still have feelings for Kora? Is he even capable of true feelings? And how will Kora respond to this second chance? What a powerful book that proves that true love can never be denied. Additionally, there are so many twists and turns that you will be glued to your Kindle until the very end. There are also some fantastic secondary characters--namely the other Gideon's Riders--as well as a number of the women in Rio's family who also have compelling stories that I can't wait to hear. I will definitely be looking to carry on with this series (as well as finally read or listen to the Beyond Series)!Source: Review copy provided for review purposes.

[julied2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have to admit it took me a while to get into this book, I just flew through the Beyond series, I loved it, but I was a good third ways threw this one before I realized I was hooked. Ashwin is a genetically enhanced soldier, made to feel no emotions, be ruthless and deadly. He's been sent on to Sector One to complete a mission, and he meets up again with Dr Kora Bellamy, the only woman who has ever been able to get close to him. Kora doesn't want to loose this him this time. Then life with Ashwin really heats up.Ashwin is a more sedate story than the Bounty series so far, and we didn't see much of Gideon. But I liked how Ashwin reacted and grew the longer he spent time in Sector One. All in all this was a good start to the series and I'm looking forward more. I highly recommend this book!

[jsabrina-219220 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read very few romance/erotic novels anymore, but I always get drawn into those by Kit Rocha. Rocha alway provides a solid, interesting plot along with characters to care for - including the supporting ones.

This first volume in the Gideon's Riders series is a solid follow-up to the Beyond books, set in the same post-apocalyptic world.

[amdrane2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I didn't realize that this was a spin-off series at first. I have read the first two books in the Beyond series, so I was a little familiar with the world this was set in. I gotta say that liked this book much better than the ones from the other series. I had quit reading that series cause I just didn't like most of the people. But this book was set with an interesting group of people that I think I'll enjoy reading about more and watching them rebuild the sectors. Ashwin was an incredible character. I love reading about genetically engineered soldiers. Watching him become more emotional because of Kora was nice. I liked them together. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.