One nation under his reign.
Cardinal sins of man caused humanity to pay the price. Cali Nasser grew up in a world succeeding World War III. The aftermath forced the world dictatorship that she must now live in. A new Regime arose from the ashes. They demanded obedience and cooperation from every citizen, even in matters of the heart.
One domain ... One accord … One nation. That is the moral code. In Cali’s eyes, it all revolves around a twisted plot for control.
It used to sicken Cali how people would allow the Regime to test their love through the Temptation Trials. That is, until she met Kincade. Cali’s entire point of view changes when she falls for him. She struggles with herself, debating if she should challenge the government’s law of arranged marriage.
Cali’s childhood friend, Stefani, always kept a positive perspective about their lives until she was threatened with the same dilemma, at odds over the man she loves.
Now Cali and Stefani face a desperate choice—submit to the Regime’s will, or fight for what they value most—love. Although lust, mistaken for love, could lead to damnation. Do they give up on love or sign up for the Temptation Trials, a reality TV show where every temptation is laid before them?
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Can love save their souls?
Two islands full of hot bodies just begging you to touch …
Welcome to the Temptation Trials, where you can marry your soul mate if you can make it through weeks of constant temptations (and separation from your love). After World War III, it was decided that no one married for love and that the government would assign you your spouse. If you wanted to buck the law, and marry the person you loved, then it was off to the reality show, Temptation Trials, where you had to prove your love by staving off temptation. So far, no one has ever passed the test.
Cali and Stefani think they’ll be the ones who succeed because they truly love their men. But they didn’t count on meeting other hot, fun, nice, interesting men on their island.
I have to be honest, I kind of fell for the new guys, too. This is partly due to the fact we don’t see much of their original lovers in the book (they’re on a separate island being tempted themselves), so I got to know the newbies better. And they’re super nice (and smart and thoughtful). No wonder Cali and Stefani find themselves getting confused. Plus, what’s up with that blue mist?
Sometimes I felt as if the author created the set up just to write a book with lots of sexual overtones, but even so, I was interested in the idea and the characters. I was frustrated with the cliffhanger ending (who do they choose, dang it!!) but I guess the title with “part one” should have been a clue.
Ms. Truly does a good job with her world-building, though I was a little lost at the start and wish she’d helped me along with a tad more description there. At first, I felt like I was in a club in anywhere American and then all of a sudden it was sci-fi. Still, once things got rolling, it was easier to follow.
All in all a decent, definitely adults only, dystopian novel. 4 stars.
The only crime that we’d supposedly committed was having fun at a party. This rebellion was totally against my upbringing. I’d hardly ever broken a rule, for terror of the consequences. I guess you never knew what you would do, unless you were in a situation. Regardless of this being another crime, I wanted to escape this dire situation. Freedom dwelled around the corner. I would take my chances with Cade. Strangely enough, I felt safe with him.
Darkness loomed over the area, and clouds obscured the moon. The towered pole lighting didn’t provide much light. I squinted. Rafael, still running in front us, yelled back. “They’re going to rendezvous with us three miles due west.”
“There’re escape vehicles waiting, but we have to make it through this valley first,” Cade said.
“Okay,” I replied, my voice shaking.
“You trust me?”
“Yes.” I didn’t hesitate. I somehow knew this man would protect me. Cade ended up in jail because he came back for me when I’d fallen. That was all the proof I needed to trust him. He clutched my palm tighter, then we sprinted toward the valley ahead. As we started through, I realized it wasn’t an actual valley. Uneven, knee-high grass layered the terrain. In the opaque light, I could make out broken trees, also a vast number of destroyed buildings. This was probably a former small town in between the precinct and where we’d had the party. The major cities had been restored after the war, but most of the minor towns had not. This town had been obliviated.
My adrenaline must’ve been in overdrive, I didn’t stumble. Luckily, I’d always been a fast runner. Cade was swift, but I kept up with him. We caught up to Rafael. Three other men in black gear and several inmates were on our tail. They’d decided to take the risk.
“We’re almost there,” Cade relayed.
Gunfire sounded to the rear. A dude to my side screamed. He tumbled over, getting shot in his back. More blasts ignited from our pursuers. Cade yanked us behind a large tree—we crouched low. My eyes scanned the perimeter. Friction bloomed in the atmosphere—the darkness made it hard to tell what was occurring. Firing came from every direction. Cade’s men must be retaliating. Inmates scrambled in an attempt to flee from bullets. I didn’t think my heart could beat any faster. Cade faced me, pointing to the tall weeds over in the distance. An enforcer lurked within the grass. He blasted his weapon, hitting someone. They yelped.
“Stay here,” Cade whispered. “I’m gonna take him out.”
I grabbed his arm. I didn’t want him to fight an armed officer. “Let’s just make a run for it,” I advised.
“No. This area is open. There’s too much of a risk of him shooting one of us.” Cade scoped out the scene. “If this doesn’t go as planned, I want you to run to the pickup point. We’re only about a mile out from the rescue vehicles.”
“But….”
“No buts. Just keep straight and stay low.”
“Be careful.”
B. Truly likes to explore different elements of sci-fi romance, and create various realms of reality. She also loves creating impossible situations for her characters to grow from and try to overcome.
B. Truly has three wonderful children and a husband who defines the person that she is today. She works full-time as an Ultrasound technologist in Houston, Texas.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7276631.B_Truly
https://www.facebook.com/BTrulysFantasies
https://www.amazon.com/B-Truly/e/B00FMERBFG/
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I've enjoyed following the tour for Temptation Trials and I'm looking forward to reading it. Thanks for sharing all of the great posts along the way :)
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