Corbin Leroux is an Aspasian, a high-priced companion on the planet Wish. He's good at what he does, and that brings him some of the best clients. They treat Corbin well, and he returns in kind. Which is why Corbin never expects one of them to hire someone to kill him. Emmanuel Leoniste has no problem killing those he thinks deserve it. And whores like Corbin fall in that group. Corbin offers to hire Emmanuel to protect him, hoping he can use money to entice him. Emmanuel agrees, though he makes it clear he doesn't approve of Corbin's work. As Emmanuel gets to know him, he sees that maybe "whores" like Corbin aren't all like he thinks. He's soon forced to face his own ideas about intimacy...and about Corbin too.

I rather liked To The Highest Bidder, the first book in this series. While Corbin is in the first book, it's more about his younger brother. We get bits of Corbin's motivations in the first book. But I felt there was more to him when I read it. The chance to come back to Wish and learn more about Corbin was a welcome one.

Corbin doesn't expect a relationship any time soon. And the idea wouldn't even occur to Emmanuel. Two reluctant men make for quite the slow burn. But the story has no problem staying engaging. And I am again impressed with Caitlin Ricci's development of this world and characters. I am not sure if there's another character to focus on, but I wouldn't mind more stories set in this world at all. ( )

This sequel of ‘To the Highest Bidder’ is set eight years after Thierry and Monroe get together, and I loved the fact that I got to find out more about Thierry’s somewhat elusive older brother. The story of Corbin, a high-priced companion, and Emmanuel, a hired killer sent to assassinate Corbin, could have gone many different ways. The fact that the author decided to have them fall in love makes this a romance, among other things, and I have to say, it is one of the strangest, most complicated, and therefore most fascinating ones I have ever read about.

Corbin and Emmanuel are very different men, and not just because they are members of separate alien species. The way they think and what they want from life – or believe they want – is so utterly different that the physical variations pale in comparison. Both of them struggle to understand even the basics about each other, yet they are clearly fascinated with who and what the other man is, so they persevere in their quest of figuring out what to do about their attraction. With each of them having a moral code that causes issues for the other, that is not an easy feat. But the final solution they come up with is all the better for all their struggles, and even though I was ready to smack them so they’d be less stubborn, I have to admit that, in the end, their lack of flexibility (up to a point) actually helped them figure out the best possible deal.

Corbin is an aspasian, and he is proud of the fact that he can help people and make them happy. Every time Emmanuel calls him a whore it hurts Corbin deeply. He loves his job and while he wants someone to love as well, he can’t see himself giving up being who he is – and that includes having sex with some of his clients. But as he gets to know Emmanuel better, and as they go through a few crises together, Corbin begins to change. He no longer craves intimacy other than what he shares with Emmanuel, but he still can’t see himself doing anything other than being a companion.

Emmanuel is a bounty hunter who kills for money. He may tell himself that his targets deserve to die, but it is still a brutal job. It is part of why Emmanuel is emotionally closed off to the point that he doesn’t even know how to open up to Corbin. Not that he wants to – he hates the fact that Corbin “cheats” on him with other men. I didn’t think he’d ever get over that part of Corbin’s job, and it was very clear that any compromise, any change Emmanuel would make to his life, would have to be met by Corbin agreeing to a change it might be impossible for him to make.

If you like stories about aliens who are more stubborn than seems possible, if you want to find out more about two men who have moral codes that seem unalterable yet they are so attracted to each other that they have to find a way to live together, and if you’re looking for a read that is suspenseful, full of conflict between the main characters, and very hot, then you will probably like this novel. It’s a great sequel to the first book in the series, and another interesting look at the planet Wish and those who live there.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )