Title: Ashwin
Series: Gideon’s Riders bk 1
Author: Kit Rocha
Genre: Dystopian Romance
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.
Thoughts: I’ve been a fan of Kit Rocha’s since the very first book Beyond Shame. I’ve watched as this world was built and the characters developed and became who we’ve hoped they would become.
When Ashwin first appeared on the scene I wasn’t sure what to expect of him, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like him, but the more he appeared on the pages the more I wanted to know more about him. So when his book came out I knew I was going to have to read it. And I’ll be honest the first time I read it, I wasn’t a fan. Then a couple of weeks later after I read it I read it again and I had a completely different opinion.
Ashwin and Kora’s love story started years ago and we don’t see that, we see them now and the repercussions from the choices they made when they were a part of the Base. Their road to a HEA isn’t smooth, there are bumps, twists and roadblocks but they work through them and when they do get their HEA it’s perfect for them.
Like I said before I didn’t like the book the first time I read, but since then I’ve read it a couple of times and I’ve liked it more each time I’ve read it. You also don’t have to have read the books in the Beyond Series to read this one.
Grade B+
