BOOK REVIEW ******ASHWIN (Gideon's Riders #1) by Kit Rocha******

ASHWIN (GIDEON'S RIDERS #1) by KIT ROCHA

My Review   =   5 Stars - I absolutely loved this book

A soldier who shouldn't feel anything and a healer who feels too much, tangled in web of secrets and lies. 

Ashwin is the first book of a new series by the formidable writing duo that is Kit Rocha. It is set in a dystopian future, after the destruction of most technology by solar flares and post revolution by the sectors. Gideon's Riders is the follow up to Beyond and is based in Sector One, rather than Sector Six.

I stumbled across the 'Beyond' series purely by chance whilst trawling free books on Amazon. A few pages into the book and I was completely hooked on the series. Kora and Ashwin both appear in several of those books and I just knew theirs was a story I needed to read. There was an indescribable magic that wove a spell around my heart whenever I encountered these characters. As I started the book I felt a mixture of excitement, at finally reading their story, and trepidation at whether it could ever live up to my expectations. Oh my word it was everything I ever hoped for AND more. I can't believe I've had this gem sat on my kindle for so long and haven't read it before now. 

The story is told in the third person, mainly from Kora or Ashwin's perspective, though there are a few chapters from the view point of other characters. Before the revolution, Kora was the doctor who would physically repair the Makhai soldiers, men who were genetically engineered and indoctrinated to be cold and ruthless. Ashwin was the soldier who stirred her emotions and convinced her that the Makhai were very much capable of feelings. Post revolution Kora has found sanctuary in Sector One, and is still mourning the presumed death of her favourite soldier. When Ashwin turns up in Sector One offering to solve a problem with bandits their attraction to one another can not be denied. However between them and a HEA together there are lies, secrets and the machinations of The Base.

If you've ever read any Kit Rocha books you will know how amazing their world building is, how their characters have so much depth you fall in love with them and never want to let them go. Whilst Ashwin wasn't as erotic as the Beyond books, lets face it no-one does debauchery and excess quite like the O'Kanes, it still contains a captivating, heart wrenching love story that will lift you to the highest heights and plunge you to the deepest depths. Once you have entered the world of the Sectors, and have met its people, they will never let you go. They will stay in your heart, occupy your mind and steal a little piece of your soul and none more so than Ashwin and Kora. 

I can't say much about the plot without spoiling it, so instead I hope to convey just how good a read this book is. You will care about the characters, and not just the main characters but ALL of them, even ones you only read about and don't meet. I devoured every word of this book, I loved with the characters, laughed with them, mourned with them, hoped with them, despaired with them and plotted with them. Whilst this book was open nothing else existed, I breathed the air and felt the dust of Sector One.

The book has been written so that it can be read as a stand alone, though having read the Beyond series first would enhance the experience. There are characters and back stories that will no doubt feature in future books, though the main story of Kora and Ashwin is completed within this book.

Amazon

US Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6ECB83

UK Link: http://amzn.eu/e3HPhnw

The first book in 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.