Review: THE AUCTION by Kitty Thomas

The Auction

by Kitty Thomas

Publisher: Burlesque Press

Release Date: June 24, 2011

Book Source: Review copy from the Author

Belle Walker lives in a strict society where women are treated as property, sold to the highest bidder soon after their eighteenth birthday. But the auction isn't the only danger. Though she's never seen them, she knows monsters live outside the city. These creatures have allowed the humans a small area to inhabit with the promise to leave them in peace as long as they never cross the boundary. On the day Belle is sold, one of the monsters breaks that promise and enters the city, intent on having her as his own.

~ Goodreads

Book Warning:
This book contains sexual situations of dubious consent, master/slave, multiple partners, girl on girl, alien sex, and oral play.

The Auction takes place on a distant unnamed planet. Annabelle Walker has been on her own ever since her parents were killed by the monsters “out there” years prior. As a part of their society the humans auction off every young woman when she turns eighteen. This is a way for the city to make money to buy supplies from transport ships. Belle’s turn has come up and she is up on the block. She has been working on and pleasuring Stephen Thurman for over 2 years in hopes that he will keep his promise to buy her at the auction and then set her free. Belle is known as a feisty, trouble-maker so no one else bids on her except for Stephen until a mysterious hooded stranger makes an offer and outbids him.

After he pays for Annabelle, the stranger reveals himself to the shock and horror of everyone. He is one of the dragon-winged aliens that inhabit this distant planet. He has come into the city for the first time to buy himself a mate. Belle is both afraid and aroused but then adrenaline kicks in and she decides to run away. But wait. The alien can fly so of course Belle is captured and then flown away to the alien’s cave dwelling high in the mountains. 

Annabelle is told to call him Master. He lives with his brother who she is told to call Sir. In this alien society the males share their mates amongst family members and Sir gets the first chance to sex up Belle. Does she consent to this? No. But she doesn’t really have a choice. She worked so hard to gain her freedom and avoid enslavement only to find herself in the service of two big, bad, scary aliens. 

“Why didn’t you go with my brother?” His voice came out a snarl. What was I supposed to say to that? I just looked at the ground.

“Answer me!”

His shout pissed me off and suddenly the intensity of my anger matched his own.

“What do you mean why didn’t I go to him? Why didn’t I just go and rip off my clothes and throw myself at the strange alien guy with wings and a cock too big for me? Because I’m not crazy?”

“It’s not too big for you. I know you can take it.”

I put my hands over my ears and squeezed my eyes shut because something in his voice was turning me on, and I knew that wasn’t the appropriate response. These were monsters that were going to kill me.

~Master & Annabelle

Annabelle is Master’s mate but she is also Sir’s plaything. She is attracted to both brothers especially Master and slowly, over time she accepts her fate and begins to enjoy her role as their slave. I can’t tell you about all the kinky things that happened in the cave. You’ll have to read the story to get all those hot, steamy, sexy, delicious details. I will tell you that it filled my smut fix perfectly. 

Kitty Thomas’ writing is superb as always. I usually fall in love with her twisted, depraved heroes but not so much with Master and Sir. I mean, I liked Sir who was the “nicer one” of the two brothers and I liked the sadistic Master even more. But I wasn’t in love with them. The nice brother had blue skin and the mean brother had red skin. I’m not sure why but that made me laugh. The sci-fi was very light in this story. I’m not a huge fan of aliens but dragon-winged heroes make me swoon, especially when they use their wings to protect their mates. As is my usual gripe with novellas, this story wasn’t long enough. I’m left with questions about the humans’ and aliens’ back story and I would have liked to see Master’s and Annabelle’s relationship expanded. Sequel, please?!

The Auction gets 4 Dragons.