The fourth novel in Cheryl Brooks’ Cat Star Chronicles, Outcast will satisfy any one who is already a fan of this series and could possible create a few converts.
Sold into slavery when his planet was destroyed, Lynx was enslaved in a harem. He is a favorite due to his feline gene, which gives him remarkable sexual powers, but after ten years, Lynx is exhausted.
Thrown out without a penny, Lynx is bitter and anti-female. He emigrates to a new planet but can only find a job with a female rancher.
Bonnie’s boyfriend has left with all their money and she needs help with the ranch. Lynx is cynical, but honest, and though he has made it clear that he wants no part of a romantic relationship, Bonnie can’t resist him. She finds out about his impotence and becomes determined not to let such a beautiful and sensual young man go to waste…
Brooks gives us a really good story between a non-lover and a woman who just wants a man to be honest with her. Granted, I don’t think Bonnie was quite looking for the honesty that Lynx brings, but the emotions that evolved between the two are fascinating to watch. In the previous three novels, we’ve been given three men who were exceptional lovers and knew how to please their woman. I’ll tell you this right now, you’re not going to get that with Outcast. This time around, we don’t start out the relationship with both parties wanting to get into each others pants and I have to say I liked that. While the unbelievable sex was still there, Outcast leans more towards the romantic side of the romance genre rather than the erotic side (which in my opinion, Warrior and Rogue tend to fall). We get to see Bonnie and Lynx develop feelings (or at least ones they acknowledge) gradually and without the whole sex thing screwing it up (too much).
However, there were a few scenes that kind of bugged me and they didn’t involve either Lynx or Bonnie. Our boys (and girls) from the first three novels show up a lot more in this novel and actually have parts that assist in the Bonnie/Lynx storyline. The first flashback to them was a little long and I really didn’t see the point of having it in there. I know they become a little more involved further into the novel, but until they did show up to see Bonnie, I didn’t think they needed to be there.
The other scene I wasn’t digging had a lot more to deal with the “conflict”. There was a villain in this story, but his role was seriously underdeveloped in my opinion. Considering the personal nature of the problem, I really would have liked to see more action where that was concerned. In Rogue, the conflict wasn’t specifically aimed at Ty and Trag, but this time around, it was aimed at Lynx. The first scene where the villain shows up would have been good if more was done with him. We get a brief glance of him and then he disappears for 100 pages and then he comes back. I think if he had caused more trouble for Bonnie and Lynx, it would have been awesome.
Overall, I did enjoy Outcast as the simple love story that I see it as. Again, I’m seeing a slight imbalance between the conflict and relationship elements, but not as much as before. It’s almost as if Brooks wanted to include an outside conflict, but didn’t want it distracting anything from the relationship that was being cultivated. I think I would have enjoyed the story a lot more if the conflict was a part of the relationship building rather than an outside factor. Overall, still a good story and definitely worth a read for anyone looking for a good romance.
