Martha Sweeney

When an opportunity presents itself, is Natalie willing to do whatever it takes to free herself or remain only a pawn? All resources needed to survive are severely limited, causing many Jaruians to pillage one another just to get a single meal for the day. There are some who wish to end Jagger’s power and they’ve started to infiltrate his organization. Money, amongst other things, are just a farce that Jagger uses to dangle in front of his subjects to keep the population in line and distracted. WARNING: This series contains sensitive material. Reader discretion is advised.

Knight Takes Pawn

Kirsty Mcguigan

** spoiler alert **
           Knight takes Pawn by Martha Sweeny is the first in the Red Knight series and is a five star read. This is the first book I have read by this author and it won't be the last. 
It takes place on the planet Jaru, and Jagger rules everything basically by violence, the people are terrified of him and his soldiers, women are treated like slaves and if anyone slights him they are killed. Resources are depleted and the people are starving.
 Natalie is captured and destined to become a sex slave but on her first night she kills her first ‘client’ and draws Jagger's attention, she refuses to speak to him and he assumes she is mute, he christens her Red. From then on Red is used to dispose of men for Jagger.
Knight becomes part of Jagger's inner group and is the first man to spend a night with Red without being killed. They form a bond despite being flung together in violent circumstances.
I loved the characters in this book, even the ones I hated! No one can trust anyone else, there are spies everywhere and everyone walks on egg shells all the time, the tension and suspense in the book does not let up at all. It is a compelling read and not an easy one at times. It is a dark, scary world but thee is a glimmer of hope. 
I won't spoil it but the ending - it is brilliant and leaves you wanting to start the next book immediately.

Cat Imb

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Martha Sweeney!

I want to start off by saying that I'm a huge psychological thriller / romance fan, and that I have a soft spot for sex slavery books. I liked this book, but there are some things that didn't work for me.

Firstly, the fact that it's on another planet, for me, wasn't a necessary feature of the book. The "aliens" are in fact humans that speak mostly english. It would have made more sense if it was on a futuristic dystopian Earth running out of resources. I hadn't even realized it was a different planet until it was mentioned.

Secondly, the characters of Knight and Red, although I love them, they have a few snags. For example, Knight always threatens Red that he will rape her if she doesn't do as he says. That really bothered me because one, that's terrible, and two, he's supposed to be the good guy and he acts as if its completely in his right to say that. I get that he is trying to protect her, but he could have easily said that if she doesn't behave they will get separated and she will end up with someone like Breaker. Same effect, less offensive. Now with Red, she is a seasoned killer by the time Knight arrives, yet she acts like a complete child; throwing stuff, stomping her feet, not listening, etc. I expected some more finesse from the composed killer.

Lastly, I am confused about the ending. I won't spoil it, but un my opinion, that was the wrong move and completely inefficient in making her point - it may have even worsened the situation. If she had done what she had intended to do in the first place after what she did, I would have been pleased with the ending.

Regardless of the points I brought up above, the book was enticing and captivating (the middle section dragged on a little - could've been more concise), and I look forward to reading the sequel. The author has a great way with words, and am looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next!

Knight Takes Pawn

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