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Ashwin

Ashwin is the first book in the Gideon Rider’s spinoff series from writing duo Kit Rocha. I was so excited about this book that I even made a strong and very tasty cocktail to go along with it.

If you haven’t read their previous Beyond series, you should still be fine with this one. Those who are familiar with the world will probably have a deeper appreciate of certain details in Ashwin, but it’s definitely not a make or break requirement.

The heroine, Kora, is the doctor to Gideon’s Riders – part motorcycle gang, part religious warriors. Ashwin is a Makhai soldier, a government creation who isn’t allowed to feel. His only motivation is fulfilling orders. Kora and Ashwin have a past; she used to be his doctor before she escaped to build a home amongst the Riders. Ashwin was been tasked with infiltrating the group, not knowing he’d reunite with Kora. This is a second chance romance in a dystopian setting with all sorts of neat cultural aspects.

What I really loved about this romance is all the female friendships. There are so many strong women that inhabit different roles with the Riders – princesses, doctors, warriors. It’s a diverse cast with plenty of sequel fodder. The care given to the world building is just as fascinating, and it’s easy to pick up on various cultural influences that inspired the religion, the leadership, the temples, etc.

However, a lot of the action disappeared once Ashwin and Kora meet again at the Rider’s camp. Instead, most of the book is given to introducing all of the characters and showing the routines of the Riders. I wanted more conflict, more badass fights. Ashwin is also keeping a big secret from Kora and though I expected it to culminate in a rather intense showdown, I found the reveal to be really anticlimactic.

Though the pace of the book slowed in favor of character introductions and fleshing out the setting, I’m looking forward to the subsequent books, since the details have already been established. And if you’re a reader who loves to ship characters together, Ashwin will send your mind into overdrive.

– Amanda

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.