The Black Zones of the planet Pretoria’s capital city of Sanctum spawned them both. Sean left the zones years ago for the Mutant Underground, where he knew he could find the help he needed to gain control of his developing metaphysical abilities before they killed him. Kellan stayed behind to assume his father’s role as Overlord, ruling with a strong hand over the people in the impoverished, disease-ridden rubble of the zones. War with Stilox, government corruption and mutations caused by the Lentivirus the Pretorian military unleashed on Stilox — only to have it to spread back to Pretoria — has ravaged the zones for centuries. Many of the survivors of the mutations that resulted before a vaccine for the virus could be developed fled to Old Towne Sanctum. There, the Mutant Underground was led by Zane, a mysterious mutant purported to possess a wealth of formidable supernatural powers and absolute devotion from his followers.

Now in complete control of his abilities, Sean is a specter, a man able to “flash” from place to place by manipulating the metaphysical forces of the shadow dimension. Loyal to Zane in their fight against an intolerant government refusing them the same rights and dignities enjoyed by Sanctum’s elite, Sean’s heart still longs for the close friend he left behind in the zones. Kellan has never truly forgiven Sean for his abandonment, but he has never stopped missing him, either. Neither man has freely admitted his true feelings for the other, but they’re about to meet a woman who will bring them together in a way they’d never expected.

Brianna San Carlos, a lawyer kidnapped from Earth and subjected to the indignities of captivity in Sanctum by one villain after another, suddenly finds herself in the bed of the Black Zone’s Overlord, a man known for his brutal cruelty. After bringing all the zones together in an uneasy peace, he maintains his authority through fear and respect. But instead of fear, Kellan stirs deeply hidden hungers in Brianna that she’d never before had the courage to explore. Just as Kellan and Brianna are beginning to forge a mate bond, Sean reenters Kellan’s life in search of Brianna, abruptly turning their relationship dynamics upside down. Sean had already recognized that Brianna was his mate, a development that puts more than one kink in Kellan and Brianna’s new-found bond, that is until the men realize that their relationship was always much more than mere friendship.

When a mystical spirit on the trail of a long ago traitor traps the life-forces of both Brianna and the traitor in Brianna’s brain, Sean and Kellan must team up to cross the threshold of the metaphysical into Brianna’s mind. Their goal is to bring her back to reality while not losing themselves to the same make-believe world that’s ensnared Brianna. In freeing her, they also free the traitor, a man more dangerous than any the warrior defenders of these two far-away worlds have faced thus far in their continuing fight against criminal conspirators, both in and on the fringes of a government bent on subjugation and annihilation. Together, the three lovers must face their uncertainties about their relationship to form a triad bond that will be essential to their survival in the coming battle.

Aubrey Ross has penned yet another intricately woven futuristic adventure filled with more intoxicating heroes and sexy romps than you can shake a stick at. Specter is the fourth installment of her Sensual Captivity series, an ongoing look at the battle for equality, freedom and the very existence of the people of two neighboring planets that have been embroiled in war for over 300 years.

I love the way Ms. Ross spins her tangled web of war, intrigue, scientific discovery, deception and erotic romance throughout all four of these books. She demonstrates an extremely knowledgeable grasp of science in the nanite therapy and gene resequencing aspects woven throughout each volume. She sprinkles in just enough scientific enlightenment to intrigue without bogging down the story, and she does it so you can actually understand it. Her characters are so alive they leap off the page to become so real you come to know them as intimately as you know your own family and friends. Leading characters from prior books have ongoing parts, playing complex roles in the underlying plotline throughout the series, while each book has its own individual sexual elements. In Specter, the chemistry between Sean, Kellan and Brianna is explosive, requiring close proximity to a cold shower and lots of readily available ice water. Sean and Kellan’s relationship aside from Brianna feels fitting and appropriate, even to a reader like myself, who doesn’t venture all that much into the male/male genre.

This is a series you can get so absorbed in you’ll lose all conscious thought of time and reality. Specter can be read as a standalone, but without having read Seducer, Shifter and Sorcerer first, a reader could easily be confused by the author’s long recapping of prior events. For a better reading experience, start with Seducer and read the books in consecutive order. I’m hoping for several more books in this series. With the spirit’s ongoing hunt for a seer (I think I know who she is, but I’m not tellllinnng!) to bequeath her powers to and with that vile conniving traitor still on the loose, at least one more book (I wonder what the title will be. Seer perhaps?) is needed to bring this simmering, sultry series to an ultimate, satisfying conclusion. I can’t wait!