Visit a Foreign Land: BREEDER @CaraBristol #REVIEW

Breeder by Cara Bristol is like traveling to a foreign land and eavesdropping on a new culture. I drank every bit of this story in.

The author created a completely new world in this book where men are all respected -though in different

levels as alphas and betas- and women are no more than property for the use of men. Breeder explores the concept of gender roles. Men are coupled, alpha and beta, to complete a familial unit. It's crazy how realistic the story feels as the author introduces new terminology and creates a believable community based on a well-established structure.

The two main characters are dynamic, multi-dimensional people. When Dak first brings Omra to his home as his breeder slave, he intends to impregnate her, produce a son, and hand her off to his beta partner. When things begin changing though, Dak realizes the Protocol of his planet might not be as good as it once seemed. Commander Dak's evolution throughout the book and the gradual love story is fascinating, like visiting a foreign land even as they come to have regard for one another. *Loved the scene when they admit to having regard.*

Omra is demure but she grows into herself as she's allowed to explore her strengths. Most beautiful is that she is the catalyst for the change we see in Dak. As they discover a sexual connection banned by law and explained away as impossible -women supposedly can't be pleasured- Dak questions all his beliefs in their sanctioned male domination.

The delicious part of this male domination is that it involves a form of domestic discipline wherein the male establishes rules and maintains them using punishment when necessary. Dak is judicious in his use of spanking but when he does use it, the scenes are quite erotic. There is one hot scene that involves his beta early on (m/m) and then several sweet and romantic and steamy scenes with his breeder too (m/f).

The conflict throughout the book builds as Dak's questioning jeopardizes his command. His people question his ability to lead and those opposed to him seek to hurt Omra for her role in Dak's betrayal of Protocol. There has to be more to come because the author left room for possible continuation - a series, perhaps?

I enjoyed traveling to another world and could imagine it so vividly as I read the story. This author once again proved her craft. I've read her other books but this is a new genre for her. She nailed it with Breeder. This is a must-read-or-you'll-never-know-what-you're-missing book.

RATING
5 Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

Breeder EXCERPT

If not for the sneeze, Dak would have exited the musty, dank corridor. But the muffled sound caught his attention. When he squinted into the darkened cell, he spotted a female crouched on a straw mat in the corner. He hadn’t noticed her on his way into the Breeder Containment Facility; the habitation unit had appeared empty.
Dak turned to the BCF director and sighed. “What about her?”
The beta’s already crooked mouth drooped farther in distaste. “My apologies, Commander. You don’t want that one.”
Sival’s disparagement piqued Dak’s interest. The director’s opinion had proven worthless; none of the breeders he’d preselected for inspection had rated close to satisfactory.
“I would like to see her,” Dak insisted.
“Very well, Commander.” Sival saluted and opened the habitation cell with a master entry card. Dak stepped into the small enclosure. The director followed, and the metal gate clanked shut.
The naked female drew into a tighter ball and tucked her face deeper into the crook of her arm. Other breeders had preened as soon as they’d noticed him and his chest-insignia identification. He wasn’t just an alpha. He was the Alpha.
This breeder’s lack of respect and failure to adhere to Protocol by acknowledging his presence struck him as odd. Dak frowned. “Is she mentally deficient?”
Sival tightened his lips. “No, stubborn, ill behaved. She would not befit an Alpha Commander.” He nudged the female’s hip with the toe of his boot. “Rise to your feet.” She did not respond, and he moved to prod her again. Dak forestalled him with a wave and grasped the female’s arm.
“You will stand.” He hauled her upright. She averted her face, so he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. Tangled hair the color of black heating stones fell back from an oval face to reveal eyes like the Parseon moon. The glimmer of intelligence that sparked within the violet depths aroused his interest more than anything else he’d seen so far. Nature had bestowed the Parseon people with an exceptionally strong immune system so that they rarely required medical intervention, but breeders by nature were weak, and so many of the ones he’d seen had seemed dull or ill or both. This one’s skin, when unsmudged by grime and dirt, probably glowed like the pale sands of the Ospian Sea. He supposed, as breeders went, she wasn’t unattractive, although the stench emanating from her was. His beta would throw a fit if he dragged such a creature into their domicile.
“Why is she so filthy?” he asked.
“She refuses to bathe.”
As Dak scrutinized her facial features for shape and symmetry, he noted little imperfection or dysgenics other than her lack of hygiene and her gender. When cleaned up, she would please the eye, but to bear his sons, it mattered more that she be healthy and strong.
He released her face, stepped back, and assessed her from head to toe. He exceeded the height of most males, alphas included, while she stood smaller than the average female. The top of her head failed to even meet his shoulder. She was thinner than other breeders too, although her chest bore an abundance of fatty breast tissue. In the chill of the cell, her nipples had puckered to hard points. Despite the coolness, he was experiencing a rise in temperature. A dormant lust chose that moment to kindle, causing heat to coil in his abdomen and groin. He could not remember the last time he’d experienced such a spontaneous reaction—if he ever had. With the pads of his fingers, he probed the sides of her neck for swollen areas. The way she trembled under his touch aroused a sliver of sympathy. Breeders lacked courage, and uncertainty frightened them. Not all alphas and their betas treated breeders well. If he chose her, she would be adequately fed and housed. His command consumed his time and energy, which left his beta alone for long stretches. A breeder would relieve Corren of household chores and provide him with a physical outlet as well.
“What is she called?” Dak asked.
“Her sire named her Omra.”
Peace, it meant.
He parted Omra’s lips with his fingers and slipped a digit into her mouth, running it along her upper gum line to check the solidness of her teeth. At a flash in her eyes, he jerked his hand away a centisecond before she snapped her jaws together, so that her incisor only grazed the tip of his finger.
Sival’s face reddened. “Commander, I apologize. I will have her flogged.”
“Unnecessary. I will take care of it.” He unclipped the sudon from his belt.

CONTEST

Comment on our post to WIN a copy of either Reckless in Moonlight or Destiny's Chance -- winner's choice from the author, Cara Bristol. Visit her website at http://www.carabristol.com to learn more about her books. She also keeps a great blog! A WINNER will be selected and contacted by November 1, 2013.