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Captive Mates #1
Aurelian Prisoner
Captured by powerful Aurelians - and time's running out!
I took from the species. Now they want... me!
Aurelian agents...
Powerful...
Merciless...
Utterly efficient!
Break their laws, and the seven-foot-tall alien warriors will chase you to the end of the universe. After my sister was taken from me by space pirates, my freedom is the only thing I have left! And now they want to take that from me!
But I've seen another side of the alien species...
Possessive...
Dominant...
Controlling!
And if I can make them succumb to the mating rage, they'll have no choice but to let me free...
333 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 18, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
March 3, 2024
Reverse harem alien romance!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙🖤💚💜
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍
Character development: 😔😃😂🥰
The heroine: Allie - she is a human female from Earth, living on a planet called Bara-KitosE, the Scorps had been driven off Earth by the Aurelians, and the Earth governments got out from under Aurelian rule. Aurelians still come around, to look for their fated mates, and to increase the size of their harems, but the Aurelians that usually come are rogue, those who got deserted or are exiled from the strictly ordered Aurelian society. They travel in triads of 7-foot tall, muscular male aliens. Allie was once in a harem and she was there for three weeks before escaping, unlike many human females, she did not want to be owned by the handsome warriors, she wanted to be in control of her own life, even if it was just so she could be a dancer at a strip club.
The Heroes: Daccia, Ketos and Hadrian - they are at the Spurs bar posing as a rogue Aurelian triad. In reality they are Aurelian law enforcement officers and are one capture away from getting a promotion. They are there to capture Allie, though when they see her, they immediately feel something and wonder if she could possibly be their fated mate.
The Story: Allie is afraid of the Aurelians, even the rogue ones, because of what she had to do when before she escaped the harem in order to get enough to ransom her sister Lilac from space pirates, though the pirates never showed up for the ransom drop and she hasn’t seen Lilac since. She knows that the law enforcement officers of the Aurelian Empire are after her and she thinks any Aurelians she comes across might be undercover law enforcement. She doesn’t like the fact that she has to strip for money to live, but no legitimate place will hire her without ID.
I liked the premise of this book, and the fact that Allie was tough as nails but knew when to act meek in order to keep her skills on the down low. She grew up an orphan on the streets and wasn’t afraid of a fight. So, while acting all meek, she has some brutal thoughts going on in her head about what she could be doing.
Once the triad arrest her and get her on their ship, I had mixed feelings about what I wanted to happen. I mean there was a ton of chemistry between the triad and Allie, and whenever one or more of them was around her, the sexual frustration was high. So, on one hand, I wanted them to break down and find out if she was their fated mate. But on the other hand, since the guys were law officers, any sex between them and Allie would get them into heaps of trouble. So, she was constantly trying to get them to do it since she thought it was her only chance of getting free. It was certainly a good source of conflict and tension for the story.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙🖤💚💜
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍
Character development: 😔😃😂🥰
The heroine: Allie - she is a human female from Earth, living on a planet called Bara-KitosE, the Scorps had been driven off Earth by the Aurelians, and the Earth governments got out from under Aurelian rule. Aurelians still come around, to look for their fated mates, and to increase the size of their harems, but the Aurelians that usually come are rogue, those who got deserted or are exiled from the strictly ordered Aurelian society. They travel in triads of 7-foot tall, muscular male aliens. Allie was once in a harem and she was there for three weeks before escaping, unlike many human females, she did not want to be owned by the handsome warriors, she wanted to be in control of her own life, even if it was just so she could be a dancer at a strip club.
The Heroes: Daccia, Ketos and Hadrian - they are at the Spurs bar posing as a rogue Aurelian triad. In reality they are Aurelian law enforcement officers and are one capture away from getting a promotion. They are there to capture Allie, though when they see her, they immediately feel something and wonder if she could possibly be their fated mate.
The Story: Allie is afraid of the Aurelians, even the rogue ones, because of what she had to do when before she escaped the harem in order to get enough to ransom her sister Lilac from space pirates, though the pirates never showed up for the ransom drop and she hasn’t seen Lilac since. She knows that the law enforcement officers of the Aurelian Empire are after her and she thinks any Aurelians she comes across might be undercover law enforcement. She doesn’t like the fact that she has to strip for money to live, but no legitimate place will hire her without ID.
“Objectively, Aurelians seem brutal, haughty and misogynistic. Subjectively – when you’re with one of those marble-skinned Gods – you can’t help but let your body give in to the trembling, shivering need for them. You can’t help but admire the tradition of honor that is intrinsic to their society, and the sense of duty they have in protecting the human species they view as so child-like and helpless.
It’s infuriating, yet honorable. Frustrating, yet laudable. The best and worst of both worlds; and both repellent and compelling to human females like me.”
I liked the premise of this book, and the fact that Allie was tough as nails but knew when to act meek in order to keep her skills on the down low. She grew up an orphan on the streets and wasn’t afraid of a fight. So, while acting all meek, she has some brutal thoughts going on in her head about what she could be doing.
Once the triad arrest her and get her on their ship, I had mixed feelings about what I wanted to happen. I mean there was a ton of chemistry between the triad and Allie, and whenever one or more of them was around her, the sexual frustration was high. So, on one hand, I wanted them to break down and find out if she was their fated mate. But on the other hand, since the guys were law officers, any sex between them and Allie would get them into heaps of trouble. So, she was constantly trying to get them to do it since she thought it was her only chance of getting free. It was certainly a good source of conflict and tension for the story.
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April 10, 2020
I was not certain about how to rate or review this book at all; there are certain details I have liked and others, not so much, and it's hard to be fair considering the readers as much as the author, giving the most constructive opinion possible.
It's the first book I've read written by Ms Cain and since it's science fiction and RH, this is my kind of book.
I really loved the idea of Aurelians, 7 feet (that's 2,13 meters, had to look it up) alien hunks that come in triads, that means they do everything together because they form a special bond, a brotherly bond, nothing kinky there. Their race is all-male, they do not produce females, so they have to look for reproduction everywhere else; this biological drive makes them highly sexual creatures (so they feel the motivation to spread their genes), specially with human females because they are genetically compatible. Aurelians are stronger, more intelligent and live thousands of years, so they consider themselves superior and they impose on other worlds their strict moral codes, patrolling the galaxy to maintain order. I'd love to see them patrolling my hometown, there would be women rioting all over the place LOL.
Another key factor with Aurelians is that the triads spend their existence looking for their Fated Mate, the only female in the universe that can give them offspring. In this case, it's Ally, who's a wanted criminal, I'll give no more details about that, just that they catch her. To avoid spoilers, the story centers about the characters' decisions. Ally is a survivor and had to do many unsavory things in order to get through; that makes her strong but at the same time is her weakness, IMO. She struggles the whole time against any commitment, which she sees as a loss of freedom...but freedom to do what? To be always alone, hiding, defending herself against abuse? I tried to understand her point of view and like her but ended up detesting her. She could have talked openly to the guys, explain her fears, but she chose to be a bitch...I do hate bitchy female characters, again we see an example of confusing stubbornness with strength. How many women would reject the devotion of three manly gods? Well, authors have to create conflict if they want to have a story to tell but in this case I couldn't believe the heroine's reasoning...
The writing style is simple and direct, perhaps too repetitive (readers just need things explained to them once IMO); because of the repetition, I did skip some parts but the story was actually fluid and made me want to keep on reading about this world of Aurelians. For a reverse harem, I'd have added more sex scenes because if you want to read a RH, normally you're not looking for a sweet romance, at least for me the smuttier, the better ;-D
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It's the first book I've read written by Ms Cain and since it's science fiction and RH, this is my kind of book.
I really loved the idea of Aurelians, 7 feet (that's 2,13 meters, had to look it up) alien hunks that come in triads, that means they do everything together because they form a special bond, a brotherly bond, nothing kinky there. Their race is all-male, they do not produce females, so they have to look for reproduction everywhere else; this biological drive makes them highly sexual creatures (so they feel the motivation to spread their genes), specially with human females because they are genetically compatible. Aurelians are stronger, more intelligent and live thousands of years, so they consider themselves superior and they impose on other worlds their strict moral codes, patrolling the galaxy to maintain order. I'd love to see them patrolling my hometown, there would be women rioting all over the place LOL.
Another key factor with Aurelians is that the triads spend their existence looking for their Fated Mate, the only female in the universe that can give them offspring. In this case, it's Ally, who's a wanted criminal, I'll give no more details about that, just that they catch her. To avoid spoilers, the story centers about the characters' decisions. Ally is a survivor and had to do many unsavory things in order to get through; that makes her strong but at the same time is her weakness, IMO. She struggles the whole time against any commitment, which she sees as a loss of freedom...but freedom to do what? To be always alone, hiding, defending herself against abuse? I tried to understand her point of view and like her but ended up detesting her. She could have talked openly to the guys, explain her fears, but she chose to be a bitch...I do hate bitchy female characters, again we see an example of confusing stubbornness with strength. How many women would reject the devotion of three manly gods? Well, authors have to create conflict if they want to have a story to tell but in this case I couldn't believe the heroine's reasoning...
The writing style is simple and direct, perhaps too repetitive (readers just need things explained to them once IMO); because of the repetition, I did skip some parts but the story was actually fluid and made me want to keep on reading about this world of Aurelians. For a reverse harem, I'd have added more sex scenes because if you want to read a RH, normally you're not looking for a sweet romance, at least for me the smuttier, the better ;-D
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 10, 2021
Mediocre writing. Drawn out internal monologue that repeats & talks in circles. I think they wanted this book to be dirty but didnt have enough words/imagination so they just repeated the same sexual talk over and over again. There's only so many times you need to explain a species sexual habits, size, etc. (Once, just one time) it was the entire first 5 chapters(that's where I stopped reading)
November 20, 2020
The book started promising. The writing was mediocre, but still readable, I had hopes for the story. So what went wrong? I guess my biggest issue is the disgust I felt at main character relationships and inconsequences in story. First of all- there are no warnings about heavy BDSM . While I don't mind reading about the subject, when it is either touched lightly or both parties are consensual agreement to it, I do have limitations. Being raped is a no-no if I have to believe in characters falling in love. As is proven by law- bodies physical reactions are not agreement. So THAT was a huge problem for me when story started. When story unfolded, I found i am more and more disgusted by characters I am supposed to at least like, if not love. I judged them and found them to be disgusting. Now, this is my personal opinion and other readers may feel differently, but it is what it is. So, the love story was not believable for me and I did not "ship" this "Bond" thing.
Now to the actual story. There is nothing new or exciting to set this book apart from the sea of stories in this genre. Nothing surprised me , there was no proof of authors imagination at work, nothing to set this book apart ,if you ignore the BDSM stuff. Overall, very plain. And very repetitive. How many times does author needs to hammer down the readers throat the specifics of Aurelian race? I got it the first time. I got confirmation by the second time. But was there any need to repeat it again and again, and again times 15? It is either a page filler or author thinks her readers are too dumb to actually get it unless they get constant reminder? Anyway, it got old really fast and was very annoying.
At some point the story starts to rush at breakneck speed, trying to implement twists and turns in the story, when in reality it felt forced and unfinished. The half tragic ending was just another eye roll for me.
And grammar. Oh, god. Does nobody proof read their books anymore? Is it too mutch to ask? Too mutch trouble to go to before you try to sell them?
Inconsequences. Another thing that could have benefitted from proof reading. Chapters are labelled by the character from whos point of view it is told. Yet, author tends to forget witch character it is supposed to be, mixing them up from sentence to sentence. Please. You have only 4 characters per most of the book. You were the one to choose the writing style. Do a reader a favor and at least put in some effort to keep it straight.
Conclusion. I didn't like the story, was disgusted by characters and writing is in its baby steps. Do you really have to ask if I would try the next book in series or recommend this one to anyone? Just in case- absolutely not! I will not put a "Beware" sign on it or warn anybody away from giving it a chance. But I will definitely not take any responsibility of hurting anyone by recommending to read this crap. Proceed at your own choice.
Now to the actual story. There is nothing new or exciting to set this book apart from the sea of stories in this genre. Nothing surprised me , there was no proof of authors imagination at work, nothing to set this book apart ,if you ignore the BDSM stuff. Overall, very plain. And very repetitive. How many times does author needs to hammer down the readers throat the specifics of Aurelian race? I got it the first time. I got confirmation by the second time. But was there any need to repeat it again and again, and again times 15? It is either a page filler or author thinks her readers are too dumb to actually get it unless they get constant reminder? Anyway, it got old really fast and was very annoying.
At some point the story starts to rush at breakneck speed, trying to implement twists and turns in the story, when in reality it felt forced and unfinished. The half tragic ending was just another eye roll for me.
And grammar. Oh, god. Does nobody proof read their books anymore? Is it too mutch to ask? Too mutch trouble to go to before you try to sell them?
Inconsequences. Another thing that could have benefitted from proof reading. Chapters are labelled by the character from whos point of view it is told. Yet, author tends to forget witch character it is supposed to be, mixing them up from sentence to sentence. Please. You have only 4 characters per most of the book. You were the one to choose the writing style. Do a reader a favor and at least put in some effort to keep it straight.
Conclusion. I didn't like the story, was disgusted by characters and writing is in its baby steps. Do you really have to ask if I would try the next book in series or recommend this one to anyone? Just in case- absolutely not! I will not put a "Beware" sign on it or warn anybody away from giving it a chance. But I will definitely not take any responsibility of hurting anyone by recommending to read this crap. Proceed at your own choice.
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August 11, 2023🎁 FREE on Amazon today (1/21/2021)! 🎁
May 16, 2020
Not sure how to rate this book. Some goods and some meh.
I could enter the story easily, but somehow I couldn’t relate to the heroine. This is why at 1/3 I jumped to read the epilogue, then came back where I left and jumped chunks of paragraphs at a time.
And still couldn’t relate.
Girl looking for her missing sister and destroys everyone’s on her path.
I didn’t feel the love. Especially from her. Men were strangers and fated bonded to her.
Writing is good. Characters are meh.
BDSM sex scenes, mostly public sex and humiliation fantasy. Heroine rebels but loves it.
At the end. 3 stars.
I could enter the story easily, but somehow I couldn’t relate to the heroine. This is why at 1/3 I jumped to read the epilogue, then came back where I left and jumped chunks of paragraphs at a time.
And still couldn’t relate.
Girl looking for her missing sister and destroys everyone’s on her path.
I didn’t feel the love. Especially from her. Men were strangers and fated bonded to her.
Writing is good. Characters are meh.
BDSM sex scenes, mostly public sex and humiliation fantasy. Heroine rebels but loves it.
At the end. 3 stars.
March 27, 2020
Hot and fast read. Drama, steam, action galore. Love this series. The author puts so much in a short story. Five stars.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 31, 2024
Could not finish.
December 14, 2019
Not for me... hated it. Sorry.
July 20, 2019
I was completely enthralled by this slightly dark reverse harem alien romance. The characters are well-developed with individual personalities and react with realistic & believable emotional feelings to the unusual & unexpected situation they find themselves in. The story-line and plot is intriguing, well-thought out and written.
There is: a feisty young woman (Allie) prepared to do anything to find her missing sister (Lilac), the Aurelian law enforcement triad working undercover that abducts/captures her (Daccia, Kitos & Hadrian), twists & turns, intrigue, suspense, action, criminal activities, various kinds of aliens, orbs, a orb ring, danger, a villain, threats, memories, deceit, betrayal, devious plans, attraction, temptation, emotional turmoil, manipulations, humiliation, punishment, whippings, fated mates, explanations, accusations, compromises, blackmail, determination, a trial, choices/decisions, happiness, steamy scenes & a hard-earned satisfying conclusion.
I really enjoyed reading this reverse harem alien romance & would recommend it to people who like to read this genre.
There is: a feisty young woman (Allie) prepared to do anything to find her missing sister (Lilac), the Aurelian law enforcement triad working undercover that abducts/captures her (Daccia, Kitos & Hadrian), twists & turns, intrigue, suspense, action, criminal activities, various kinds of aliens, orbs, a orb ring, danger, a villain, threats, memories, deceit, betrayal, devious plans, attraction, temptation, emotional turmoil, manipulations, humiliation, punishment, whippings, fated mates, explanations, accusations, compromises, blackmail, determination, a trial, choices/decisions, happiness, steamy scenes & a hard-earned satisfying conclusion.
I really enjoyed reading this reverse harem alien romance & would recommend it to people who like to read this genre.
July 24, 2019
Outstanding Sci-Fi Romance!
I loved this story from the first page all the way to the last. A descriptive alien world that's fabulously well thought out and built. The Aurelian triad - Kitos, Hadrian, and Daccia is a trio of muscle bound dominant alien alphas that find their one true fated mate in prisoner and criminal Allie. She's a human woman with a past and the victim of a dangerous group of space pirates. Her sister's kidnapping is only the catalyst that brings Allie face to face with the triad who need to bring her to justice and answer for her crimes.
The writing is phenomenal, the scenes steamy - especially once she's brought on board the Reaver, and the love story built with this reverse harem kept me on the edge of my seat. Action, adventure, villains, betrayal, and a whole lot more make this a sci-fi romance that's a MUST READ.
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Word Building: 5/5
Story Flow: 5/5
Picky Bitches OVERALL SCORE: 5/5
August 16, 2019
Interesting addition to the Aurelian series
For adults only (18+ years old). Contains subject matter that may be offensive to some. Including adult language, detailed intimate scenes between a human female and alien males (BDSM themes, MF, MFM, & MFMM), and violence (kidnapping, fighting - some to the death).
This is the first story in another thread from the original Aurelian series. Although the storyline would make more sense, and make for a greater enjoyment for the reader, this can be read as a.standalone.
This story was a little harder for me to rate. I could determine where the author was trying to take it, but it felt very choppy in places and didn't have the typical flow that was present in some of the earlier stories. I do think that this story has the potential to be a great addition to the series instead of one of the weakest like it is now.
Again I heavily recommend that This story be professionally edited, as there are a tremendous amount of errors, even though I could determine the intent.
For adults only (18+ years old). Contains subject matter that may be offensive to some. Including adult language, detailed intimate scenes between a human female and alien males (BDSM themes, MF, MFM, & MFMM), and violence (kidnapping, fighting - some to the death).
This is the first story in another thread from the original Aurelian series. Although the storyline would make more sense, and make for a greater enjoyment for the reader, this can be read as a.standalone.
This story was a little harder for me to rate. I could determine where the author was trying to take it, but it felt very choppy in places and didn't have the typical flow that was present in some of the earlier stories. I do think that this story has the potential to be a great addition to the series instead of one of the weakest like it is now.
Again I heavily recommend that This story be professionally edited, as there are a tremendous amount of errors, even though I could determine the intent.
July 28, 2019
This is a fantastic story! I love the Aurelian world that Corin Cain has created. I always get swept into the story from the first page. This one was a little different from the previous books.
Allie is on the run from the Aurelian Empire. She is willing do anything to find her sister. Daccia, Kitos and Hadrian are law enforcers who has taken Allie into custody. She is not going to go quietly though. Imagine their surprise to discover that they are mates. She seduces them and now her freedom is close at hand. When they offer to help her find her sister, she takes them up on it but doesn't fully trust them. Will they be able to work things out?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Allie is on the run from the Aurelian Empire. She is willing do anything to find her sister. Daccia, Kitos and Hadrian are law enforcers who has taken Allie into custody. She is not going to go quietly though. Imagine their surprise to discover that they are mates. She seduces them and now her freedom is close at hand. When they offer to help her find her sister, she takes them up on it but doesn't fully trust them. Will they be able to work things out?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 24, 2019
Loved the triad
Well I can safely say I loved the triad but hated the female character. This was not my favorite book by Corin Cain not due to lack of outstanding writing or a good story but the female lead was a horrible person. I can’t even give this one the benefit of doubt because of her looking for her sister, she just is written as a cruel character. Even the end does not redeem her for me. Sorry all not my favorite. See what you think, happy reading.
Well I can safely say I loved the triad but hated the female character. This was not my favorite book by Corin Cain not due to lack of outstanding writing or a good story but the female lead was a horrible person. I can’t even give this one the benefit of doubt because of her looking for her sister, she just is written as a cruel character. Even the end does not redeem her for me. Sorry all not my favorite. See what you think, happy reading.
July 20, 2019
I hated Allie...
Daccia, Hadrian and Kitos are honorable law enforcement Aurelian Warriors tasked with bringing Allie to justice. She in a lying, scheming, manipulative thief. In order to avoid imprisonment for her crime, she deliberately sets out to destroy the warriors even if it means their death. Unfortunately, she’s also their fated mate...
Daccia, Hadrian and Kitos are honorable law enforcement Aurelian Warriors tasked with bringing Allie to justice. She in a lying, scheming, manipulative thief. In order to avoid imprisonment for her crime, she deliberately sets out to destroy the warriors even if it means their death. Unfortunately, she’s also their fated mate...
March 8, 2024
I got this one recommended in one of my book groups… Really, I tried to like it. And in this case it's luck, that I have a principle for my ratings and that is, that my rating system starts from 3 to 5 stars, and therefore I never rate below that. Because most books are not that terrible, that they deserve a bad rating.
Case in Point here. It really is not complete trash or anything. I think, it's just not to my liking. I couldn't really get into the story or the characters. Especially Allie was a huge part why I skipped through most of the book. And the smut parts were not too my liking either. The language and all.
To say it in one sentence: I couldn't enjoy this book, and I'm glad it is over.
Allie was a terrible FMC. Sure, I could partly get her reasoning. I mean, bad experiences and all. She had trust issues. Which is a development caused by the surrounding universe. It's a desolate place mostly.
But did it have to come to this? No, because instead of stealing from the other triad and basically destroying their lives, she could have used words. She could have communicated. And as it was described, Aurelians are honorable men. I'm sure she would have found help and maybe her sister Lilac never had to suffer. She could have rescued earlier.
But no. She didn't talk. She just destroyed lives back and forth without much thought. And that alone didn't make her likable to me. Sure, I get it, that she was probably desperate and didn't follow logic back then. But later on, she did make calculated thoughts.
She seduced her triad and destroyed their career. She deceived them again. And I just sat there and thought, “did she learn nothing from it?”. Her ignorance was terrible.
In general, I'm not a fan of the miscommunication or no communication troupe. It's just a source of frustration for me, because it could have been so much better.
Otherwise, I hated all the repeated parts and information. Which made it hard to read everything and why I skipped so much.
About the guys… I kind of liked them. But generally, all the characters were superficial at best. There is not much on backgrounds or personalities. Only the necessities to make them discerning in some parts from each other. But it's really not much.
And the ending was rushed. So, why we get so many repeats of the same speech over and over in most of the chapters, movement, and change only came in the chapters close to the end. So, I was disappointed. The drama in general was predictable.
If it weren't for the collection and that extra scene… we would know nothing about their lives afterwards. Like that the guys have space station. Though, I still don't know what they do for a living or did all the years without her. I mean, we know Allie took care of her sister. But what did they do? For me, it's not optional. I want to know that.
So, yeah. That book was not my thing. And I will definitely not read the second or any other in that series.
But I wish everyone who reads this, a better experience and fun. Just because it wasn't for me, doesn't mean it can't be for you.
Case in Point here. It really is not complete trash or anything. I think, it's just not to my liking. I couldn't really get into the story or the characters. Especially Allie was a huge part why I skipped through most of the book. And the smut parts were not too my liking either. The language and all.
To say it in one sentence: I couldn't enjoy this book, and I'm glad it is over.
Allie was a terrible FMC. Sure, I could partly get her reasoning. I mean, bad experiences and all. She had trust issues. Which is a development caused by the surrounding universe. It's a desolate place mostly.
But did it have to come to this? No, because instead of stealing from the other triad and basically destroying their lives, she could have used words. She could have communicated. And as it was described, Aurelians are honorable men. I'm sure she would have found help and maybe her sister Lilac never had to suffer. She could have rescued earlier.
But no. She didn't talk. She just destroyed lives back and forth without much thought. And that alone didn't make her likable to me. Sure, I get it, that she was probably desperate and didn't follow logic back then. But later on, she did make calculated thoughts.
She seduced her triad and destroyed their career. She deceived them again. And I just sat there and thought, “did she learn nothing from it?”. Her ignorance was terrible.
In general, I'm not a fan of the miscommunication or no communication troupe. It's just a source of frustration for me, because it could have been so much better.
Otherwise, I hated all the repeated parts and information. Which made it hard to read everything and why I skipped so much.
About the guys… I kind of liked them. But generally, all the characters were superficial at best. There is not much on backgrounds or personalities. Only the necessities to make them discerning in some parts from each other. But it's really not much.
And the ending was rushed. So, why we get so many repeats of the same speech over and over in most of the chapters, movement, and change only came in the chapters close to the end. So, I was disappointed. The drama in general was predictable.
If it weren't for the collection and that extra scene… we would know nothing about their lives afterwards. Like that the guys have space station. Though, I still don't know what they do for a living or did all the years without her. I mean, we know Allie took care of her sister. But what did they do? For me, it's not optional. I want to know that.
So, yeah. That book was not my thing. And I will definitely not read the second or any other in that series.
But I wish everyone who reads this, a better experience and fun. Just because it wasn't for me, doesn't mean it can't be for you.
October 29, 2022
This is my first time reading this author. I almost DNF in the beginning because the writing was clunky and extremely repetitive. I don’t know if I got used to it or the author eventually overcame the extreme repetition but I carried on. It was a pretty good read overall though obviously not without a few flaws.
I do think the author let up on some of the repetition. It’s still there but not as clunky and heavy handed as the first few chapters.
I almost felt sorry for the triad at times. I don’t think they’d ever encountered a woman quite as sly as Allie. They claim their ultimate weakness for her is because she did indeed end up being their fated mate.
I understand where Allie’s hesitation to go all in here came from BUT it was extremely annoying, all the same. She wanted desperately to be free to live a miserable life. She kept on about wanting to find her sister but had made. ZERO progress in 3 years. It was really hard to swallow honestly.
One of the things that didn’t really do it for me was how adamantly they condemned Allie as a criminal despite the gnawing suspicion she was their mate. Then when they violated their own laws by banging her after taking her prisoner the criminal thing wasn’t such a condemnation anymore. They DID feel guilty and ashamed for breaking their own laws but it was minor.
Ultimately I have a lot of mixed feelings about the ending here too. Considering our knowledge of the world they are living in its literally unbelievable they found Lilac at the first place they looked. It’s even more unrealistic that she would even still be alive, 3 years into being trafficked.
Now she’s obviously extremely fucked up and it majorly impacts the rest of the story. Allie ends up wearing a ring that hides her from her bonded for 70 years so she can spend the rest of her sisters human life taking care of her. I know the end implies she has thousands of years ahead of her with her guys and they appear almost instantly when she takes the ring off but I was still disappointed.
It would have been so much better if they’d found lilac happy with a guy or triad or whatever that SAVED her as soon as she was trafficked. She could have been spared the off page trauma and no crappy separation for Allie and her group. We don’t get to see the HEA , no life with her mates. That’s what I want from a story. Show what they HEA looks like.
The kinky BDSM sex here was definitely spicy but also kind of disappointing. There are only two sex scenes in the book. There’s an intimate scene before the first one but no sex. It’s a fastish burn. The fellas succumb to the mating rage at 36%.
It’s bondage, spanking, degradation and humiliation mostly. I don’t really dig spanking and humiliation though so i didn’t really enjoy those parts.
No Virgins
Breeding kink
Voyeurism and exhibitionism
Push away from h
No OW/OM drama
No cheating
No scenes with others
70 year separation
HEA implied
Safety - definitely dark but safe
I do think the author let up on some of the repetition. It’s still there but not as clunky and heavy handed as the first few chapters.
I almost felt sorry for the triad at times. I don’t think they’d ever encountered a woman quite as sly as Allie. They claim their ultimate weakness for her is because she did indeed end up being their fated mate.
I understand where Allie’s hesitation to go all in here came from BUT it was extremely annoying, all the same. She wanted desperately to be free to live a miserable life. She kept on about wanting to find her sister but had made. ZERO progress in 3 years. It was really hard to swallow honestly.
One of the things that didn’t really do it for me was how adamantly they condemned Allie as a criminal despite the gnawing suspicion she was their mate. Then when they violated their own laws by banging her after taking her prisoner the criminal thing wasn’t such a condemnation anymore. They DID feel guilty and ashamed for breaking their own laws but it was minor.
Ultimately I have a lot of mixed feelings about the ending here too. Considering our knowledge of the world they are living in its literally unbelievable they found Lilac at the first place they looked. It’s even more unrealistic that she would even still be alive, 3 years into being trafficked.
Now she’s obviously extremely fucked up and it majorly impacts the rest of the story. Allie ends up wearing a ring that hides her from her bonded for 70 years so she can spend the rest of her sisters human life taking care of her. I know the end implies she has thousands of years ahead of her with her guys and they appear almost instantly when she takes the ring off but I was still disappointed.
It would have been so much better if they’d found lilac happy with a guy or triad or whatever that SAVED her as soon as she was trafficked. She could have been spared the off page trauma and no crappy separation for Allie and her group. We don’t get to see the HEA , no life with her mates. That’s what I want from a story. Show what they HEA looks like.
The kinky BDSM sex here was definitely spicy but also kind of disappointing. There are only two sex scenes in the book. There’s an intimate scene before the first one but no sex. It’s a fastish burn. The fellas succumb to the mating rage at 36%.
It’s bondage, spanking, degradation and humiliation mostly. I don’t really dig spanking and humiliation though so i didn’t really enjoy those parts.
No Virgins
Breeding kink
Voyeurism and exhibitionism
Push away from h
No OW/OM drama
No cheating
No scenes with others
70 year separation
HEA implied
Safety - definitely dark but safe
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2022
So I have had this series on my TBR forfreakingever. I am talking about since it was first published. I saw the whole series in a boxset on KU and jumped on the chance to get it and finally read them all... Now I'm not so sure that I will. I was highly disappointed with this book.
I can't stand the FMC. All she did throughout the whole book was betray her bonded triad. And then cry about how she had been mistreated in her past and that they deserved it. Nothing like making others pay for something that somebody else did to you. And the thing that really pissed me off about it... was that she wasn't even treated badly. She wasn't beaten, she wasn't raped, there was nothing talked about in this book that would support any of her claims as to having been mistreated by men in her past. If that is the case, it should have been talked about and maybe we could have sympathized with her some. The only thing mentioned was her job as a stripped where her boss took most of her money from her. And yet at every turn she plotted betrayal, ways of leaving them, and getting them killed. I have to say this FMC made me sick. She in no way redeemed herself at the end of the story.
Daccia, Hadrian, Kitos... I loved these guys. I wish they had just dropped her off at their homeworld and went on about their lives. Surely it would have been better for them than what they went thru with this FMC. I know she is their fated mate, but at every turn she rejected and betrayed them. These guys were to good for her. They tried showing her at every turn their love, devotion and how much she meant to them and she rejected it every time. Convincing herself that they were only trying to trick, and trap her to be their breeder. This FMC truly disgusted me and I wish they had just killed her. The book would have been more satisfying if that had happened.
I'm surprised I didn't DNF this book. The only thing that kept me reading was the triad. I truly loved those guys. I will give the next book in the boxset a try... but if it turns out like this one I will be done with it. I can't take another book like this where I end up hating a main character as much as I did with this one.
Also as a warning... this book is in bad need of a editor, words not spelled properly, wrong words in the sentence. Mixing up which character is speaking. It's just a bad edit job and what makes it worse is that the author went back years later to add in the epilogue and didn't go back and bother to fix any of it, and there was just as many mistakes in the epilogue as there was in the book. 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
I can't stand the FMC. All she did throughout the whole book was betray her bonded triad. And then cry about how she had been mistreated in her past and that they deserved it. Nothing like making others pay for something that somebody else did to you. And the thing that really pissed me off about it... was that she wasn't even treated badly. She wasn't beaten, she wasn't raped, there was nothing talked about in this book that would support any of her claims as to having been mistreated by men in her past. If that is the case, it should have been talked about and maybe we could have sympathized with her some. The only thing mentioned was her job as a stripped where her boss took most of her money from her. And yet at every turn she plotted betrayal, ways of leaving them, and getting them killed. I have to say this FMC made me sick. She in no way redeemed herself at the end of the story.
Daccia, Hadrian, Kitos... I loved these guys. I wish they had just dropped her off at their homeworld and went on about their lives. Surely it would have been better for them than what they went thru with this FMC. I know she is their fated mate, but at every turn she rejected and betrayed them. These guys were to good for her. They tried showing her at every turn their love, devotion and how much she meant to them and she rejected it every time. Convincing herself that they were only trying to trick, and trap her to be their breeder. This FMC truly disgusted me and I wish they had just killed her. The book would have been more satisfying if that had happened.
I'm surprised I didn't DNF this book. The only thing that kept me reading was the triad. I truly loved those guys. I will give the next book in the boxset a try... but if it turns out like this one I will be done with it. I can't take another book like this where I end up hating a main character as much as I did with this one.
Also as a warning... this book is in bad need of a editor, words not spelled properly, wrong words in the sentence. Mixing up which character is speaking. It's just a bad edit job and what makes it worse is that the author went back years later to add in the epilogue and didn't go back and bother to fix any of it, and there was just as many mistakes in the epilogue as there was in the book. 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
April 24, 2024
This book had all the ingredients to make my favourite recipe. Fated mates, RH, strong, protective MMC’s devoted to the FMC.
So what went wrong that made this a 2-star read for me?
To start with, I hated the FMC. I kept waiting for her to redeem herself but she was an asshole until the bitter end. Her triad deserved way better.
Next, the writing. The book is rife with spelling and grammar errors. Additionally, it’s SUPER repetitive. For example, the FMC makes a big deal about how she “won’t be ashamed of her desires” then spends the rest of the book CONSTANTLY talking about her shame and embarrassment. Case in point:
“…[my] humiliation is all-consuming. I feel so nervous and dirty.”
2 paragraphs later:
“…[I get hit with a] wave of lust that instantly overpowers my shame”
Same paragraph:
“…emotions as shame, embarrassment and nervousness as washed utterly away.”
1 paragraph later:
“…My shame is almost too much to bear.”
2 sentences later:
“…The shame is so powerful,”
It’s like the author wanted us to buy into a humiliation kink (although if so, it was really poorly done).
The word “shame” (or “ashamed”) is used 62 times
“Slut”/“whore” are used 41 times
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this book. I’m not sure if I’ll read the next.
So what went wrong that made this a 2-star read for me?
To start with, I hated the FMC. I kept waiting for her to redeem herself but she was an asshole until the bitter end. Her triad deserved way better.
Next, the writing. The book is rife with spelling and grammar errors. Additionally, it’s SUPER repetitive. For example, the FMC makes a big deal about how she “won’t be ashamed of her desires” then spends the rest of the book CONSTANTLY talking about her shame and embarrassment. Case in point:
“…[my] humiliation is all-consuming. I feel so nervous and dirty.”
2 paragraphs later:
“…[I get hit with a] wave of lust that instantly overpowers my shame”
Same paragraph:
“…emotions as shame, embarrassment and nervousness as washed utterly away.”
1 paragraph later:
“…My shame is almost too much to bear.”
2 sentences later:
“…The shame is so powerful,”
It’s like the author wanted us to buy into a humiliation kink (although if so, it was really poorly done).
The word “shame” (or “ashamed”) is used 62 times
“Slut”/“whore” are used 41 times
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this book. I’m not sure if I’ll read the next.
May 31, 2022
Secret Mistress
Through this whole story even while the lady is the captive, she is always in control even when she isn't. It is a good story but there are lots of wrong words... Where you can easily figure out what was meant but perhaps a intuitive text changed the wording... In a few places the sentence structure is also confusing. But the story is still pretty good with many exciting adventure and space ship fun. The part after the Triad gets captured is kinda a sudden shift which to be honest I thought was leading to a trilogy or duet story. I sort of wish they had gotten away and the sister had met a Aurelian male who maybe lost his two trio brothers to something... But I got the feeling the ending kinda just got tacked on rather than telling the full story... The book tells the view points of the triad but once they get captured their view no longer gets told.... Kinda felt shorted.
Through this whole story even while the lady is the captive, she is always in control even when she isn't. It is a good story but there are lots of wrong words... Where you can easily figure out what was meant but perhaps a intuitive text changed the wording... In a few places the sentence structure is also confusing. But the story is still pretty good with many exciting adventure and space ship fun. The part after the Triad gets captured is kinda a sudden shift which to be honest I thought was leading to a trilogy or duet story. I sort of wish they had gotten away and the sister had met a Aurelian male who maybe lost his two trio brothers to something... But I got the feeling the ending kinda just got tacked on rather than telling the full story... The book tells the view points of the triad but once they get captured their view no longer gets told.... Kinda felt shorted.
June 17, 2021
Loved the guys. Whining female
Okay if I could give this book 3.5 stars I would have. I liked the plot, decent story development and good character development for the guys. However, the main character, Allie, whines all the time, this is mostly internal. The actual dialogue between her and her males is decent. She is repetitive with her thoughts. I get that she is a strong independent woman. She's a fighter and I respect that but it takes her FOREVER to get where she needs to be. She just annoyed me. I ended up wishing there were more chapters from the males pov. I also, found the ending somewhat unsatisfying, but it doesn't end in a cliffhanger it is HEA. If you get this book set your standards at a 3 and you'll probably be fine. I going to read the next book in the series and really hope the next H is a bit more together.
Okay if I could give this book 3.5 stars I would have. I liked the plot, decent story development and good character development for the guys. However, the main character, Allie, whines all the time, this is mostly internal. The actual dialogue between her and her males is decent. She is repetitive with her thoughts. I get that she is a strong independent woman. She's a fighter and I respect that but it takes her FOREVER to get where she needs to be. She just annoyed me. I ended up wishing there were more chapters from the males pov. I also, found the ending somewhat unsatisfying, but it doesn't end in a cliffhanger it is HEA. If you get this book set your standards at a 3 and you'll probably be fine. I going to read the next book in the series and really hope the next H is a bit more together.
January 4, 2023
The whole book was contradictory. The autor tried to create a dichotomy between wanting freedom and being submissive to three men and it didn’t come out well. There’s a way to do it, but it felt like I was just hitting my head against a wall constantly with this book.
The same adjectives were used multiple times in paragraphs upon paragraphs of telling, not showing.
Example: one of the main characters feels a lot of shame but instead of talking about how shame makes your eyes dull or you lose motivation and purpose, perhaps even crave punishment, it seemed like every time it was that character’s chapter it was just… “shame shame shame”
So… I liked the ‘powerful’ female character but it just wasn’t written well and there was very little character development leaving me not really feeling anything for them at all.
Do not recommend, hard pass. Emotionally uninteresting.
The same adjectives were used multiple times in paragraphs upon paragraphs of telling, not showing.
Example: one of the main characters feels a lot of shame but instead of talking about how shame makes your eyes dull or you lose motivation and purpose, perhaps even crave punishment, it seemed like every time it was that character’s chapter it was just… “shame shame shame”
So… I liked the ‘powerful’ female character but it just wasn’t written well and there was very little character development leaving me not really feeling anything for them at all.
Do not recommend, hard pass. Emotionally uninteresting.
February 21, 2023
Some heroines I’d really like to slap silly
First, there’s no excuse for the number of typos in this book. Reading along and it’s like slamming on the breaks. It’s unnecessary and a decent proofreader or word processor should have caught most of them.
Heroines should not be as stupid as the one in this book. Seriously, she can read tons of law books, swindle highly intelligent men out of hundreds of thousands of credits, and she can’t figure out if three guys are on her side and care for her at all? She plots to turn them in so their government will kill them? Really? The constant whining this woman did blows my mind. If she’d have spent as much time in this book searching for her sister as she did whining, she might have found her years sooner.
Lord save us from badly written female leads. I definitely preferred reading the men’s thoughts to hers.
First, there’s no excuse for the number of typos in this book. Reading along and it’s like slamming on the breaks. It’s unnecessary and a decent proofreader or word processor should have caught most of them.
Heroines should not be as stupid as the one in this book. Seriously, she can read tons of law books, swindle highly intelligent men out of hundreds of thousands of credits, and she can’t figure out if three guys are on her side and care for her at all? She plots to turn them in so their government will kill them? Really? The constant whining this woman did blows my mind. If she’d have spent as much time in this book searching for her sister as she did whining, she might have found her years sooner.
Lord save us from badly written female leads. I definitely preferred reading the men’s thoughts to hers.
April 11, 2024
DNF @48% because I can’t do this anymore.
I don’t ever say this but this book was terrible. From the lackluster writing to the nonexistent plot. This book needed more editing and more thought. I swear to the gods someone should’ve taken away the author’s ability to use the words dominant, hard, harem, ached, and craved. I feel like I read the same sentence over and over again. There’s no movement or interest or anything just miles of pointless exposition even during the spice!!!
The premise doesn’t even make sense!!! How is there a whole race of men when there are no women. How tf do they exist??? They didn’t just pop into existence!! There’s no real world building or explanation either.
I need a drink after reading this ffs
I don’t ever say this but this book was terrible. From the lackluster writing to the nonexistent plot. This book needed more editing and more thought. I swear to the gods someone should’ve taken away the author’s ability to use the words dominant, hard, harem, ached, and craved. I feel like I read the same sentence over and over again. There’s no movement or interest or anything just miles of pointless exposition even during the spice!!!
The premise doesn’t even make sense!!! How is there a whole race of men when there are no women. How tf do they exist??? They didn’t just pop into existence!! There’s no real world building or explanation either.
I need a drink after reading this ffs
July 28, 2022
This should be 2 stars. Way to repetitive, if I read about the Elite triad one more time I was going to stop reading. There are more than a handle of editorial errors (extra/missing punctuation, incorrect words, words left out).
It's also quite a bit darker than I got from the blurb. Definitely not for the squeamish or easily triggered.
I did like the ending though. At first I was kind of upset but with the epilogue, I really enjoyed it. Once I got to about chapter 13, the repetition decreased and I'm glad I didn't throw this to the DNF list.
Not something that I have an interest in continuing though, which is unfortunate because it's a pretty extensive series, which I love to read.
It's also quite a bit darker than I got from the blurb. Definitely not for the squeamish or easily triggered.
I did like the ending though. At first I was kind of upset but with the epilogue, I really enjoyed it. Once I got to about chapter 13, the repetition decreased and I'm glad I didn't throw this to the DNF list.
Not something that I have an interest in continuing though, which is unfortunate because it's a pretty extensive series, which I love to read.
September 23, 2022
Yeah, this wasn’t it…
First off this was so repetitive. A hundred pages could have been saved if the same thing wasn’t repeated over and over and over. I should have known when the same circle was drawn three times in the first SEVEN PAGES. But I decided to give it a try and kept reading. I figured it was just the author getting into the groove of things… but nope. That was through the entire book.
And then secondly, there were so many grammatical errors. This book was published way too long ago for that to have not been corrected.
All in all, there was a lot of skipping during this read.
First off this was so repetitive. A hundred pages could have been saved if the same thing wasn’t repeated over and over and over. I should have known when the same circle was drawn three times in the first SEVEN PAGES. But I decided to give it a try and kept reading. I figured it was just the author getting into the groove of things… but nope. That was through the entire book.
And then secondly, there were so many grammatical errors. This book was published way too long ago for that to have not been corrected.
All in all, there was a lot of skipping during this read.
July 19, 2024
Repetitive, repetitive. And REPETITIVE overload of information/event/feelings that the author felt I needed to be reminded of on every other paragraph. Like I understand. I get it already! And the drawnnnnnn out inner monologues 🙄🙄🙄 a three sentence exchange between the characters would last 5 pages long because of all the inner monologues giving yet again the SAME information it gave me like 6 times already. The vocabulary was insufficient as well. A lot of the same descriptive words were used over and over again in the paragraphs. Was very hard to get through this book.
March 2, 2020
Not as good as the first three
If you’ve read the first three books that started this series, then you’ll understand my gripe
This book was so damned wordy
She describes and re describes the same thoughts feelings and emotions so many times that is annoying
The main character was wishy washy and her constant questioning and betrayal of her triad made me hate her
The sex was unusually boring to me and I’m not sure if I’ll read the next two
If you’ve read the first three books that started this series, then you’ll understand my gripe
This book was so damned wordy
She describes and re describes the same thoughts feelings and emotions so many times that is annoying
The main character was wishy washy and her constant questioning and betrayal of her triad made me hate her
The sex was unusually boring to me and I’m not sure if I’ll read the next two
March 4, 2020
Not my favorite one of her books
The main character is not very likable. She was a stripper that considers betraying her triad for her freedom even though it would mean their deaths.. The ending was a real disappointment with the heroine waiting 70 years for her happy ending- this is make believe why dampen the ending like that- the ending needed more thought to what we human readers relate to
The main character is not very likable. She was a stripper that considers betraying her triad for her freedom even though it would mean their deaths.. The ending was a real disappointment with the heroine waiting 70 years for her happy ending- this is make believe why dampen the ending like that- the ending needed more thought to what we human readers relate to
August 11, 2021
An interesting ending, at least.
This story was not to my taste. The heroine is arrogant, indecisive and stupid. I don't mind the first, but combined with the other two it just pisses me off. On the other hand, since sex is almost the entire focus of the story, one should possibly forgive the heroine more than a bit. For me, I like a story with great sex AND a separate plot so I won't be pursuing this series.
This story was not to my taste. The heroine is arrogant, indecisive and stupid. I don't mind the first, but combined with the other two it just pisses me off. On the other hand, since sex is almost the entire focus of the story, one should possibly forgive the heroine more than a bit. For me, I like a story with great sex AND a separate plot so I won't be pursuing this series.
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