Maybe you’ve caught a talk show where a seemingly intelligent woman, often a lawyer, falls for a convict. You might slap your head and mutter something about lack of brain cells. Still, all the felon-loving women are so earnest, so firm in their belief of their beloved. Just maybe, the system is wrong, the imprisoned man is not the danger he is thought to be. In fact, what if he really is a good guy? Wouldn’t it be wrong to contain him? Add to this thought, a healthy dose of sexual attraction, being stuck in a spaceship in outer space and you have Lucinda Thorne’s newest novel, Containment.

Lai is ready to take her turn monitoring the prisoner transport ship she is shepherding through space. It is a lonely job since everyone is asleep in cryo-induced slumber. Lai just woke up to replace wise-cracking Halli, fellow officer, who wanted sex to break the monotony. Lai is not interested, especially after finishing another hot dream about a prisoner, the same prisoner she always dreams about. Tall, muscular, tasty, she knows who he is because of the number tattooed on his penis, a precaution since it was the one thing the male prisoners wouldn’t cut off to avoid identification. The real question is does her dream prisoner exist, or better yet is he on her ship?

Jensenn Mal, the green-eyed rebel, is waiting for his escape plan to start. Even before he boarded the ship, he knew the names and profiles of his captors. Lai is the logical choice, much better than her swaggering male counterpart, Halli. As Lai enters the last stages of her cryo-slumber, the ship is flooded with pheromones to sexually arouse her while her dreams of Jensenn direct her to his sleep capsule. The pull is so strong she can’t help throwing away years of training. Everything is going exactly as planned, except Lai refuses to destroy the ship -- showing compassion Jensenn never expected in the enemy. He hesitates, mulling his escape, but believes he can still outsmart her. After all, she is incredibly horny and he is the only man available.

Lai knows the right thing is to disable Jensenn, even kill him, after finding out he is the leader of the rebel group. Why is it that all she wants to do is melt into his arms? Despite the computer’s prompting to wake Halli and warning of dire consequences, Lai decides to play with the prisoner. Unfortunately, her choice will have unexpected consequences in more ways than one.

The chemistry between Lai and Jensenn is hot. The dream sequences set up the story line and starts the action immediately. An incredible element of suspense and science fiction enrich the story line, beside the obvious girl meets boy pairing. It is a battle between male and female, known and unknown. In its own way, it is a novel that functions on several levels and performs well on all levels.

Containment should not be contained, but allowed freedom to delight readers everywhere. It is an action packed, hot battle between two strong, charismatic people. Good transitions, characterization, and timing—even the cover art is good.

Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
© September 2007