This is just the type of book that I needed to ease my way back into reading after being mentally annihilated by university. Christmas, sci-fi alien rThis is just the type of book that I needed to ease my way back into reading after being mentally annihilated by university. Christmas, sci-fi alien romance that felt like cotton candy.
This book does nothing revolutionary. It utilizes some very perhaps overdone tropes… like an Alien (view spoiler)[ prince (hide spoiler)] trying to find his perfect mate. Griffin (H) for some reason thinks employing a personal shopper at a fancy as heck department store to find him his ideal life partner is the way to go. Overlooking this absurdity, it was still really cute. I love dual PoV. Caroline (h) is his personal shopper who has to become a matchmaker, but instead, they fall for each other.
Speaking of the romance, I feel like their first kiss was out of left field for Griff’s characterization. I don’t know if I see a strong tension in romance, but this felt lacking. Then there was a bit of unnecessary drama… like I hate the ex comes out of the woodwork trope. Then, her mother… I kinda wanted a follow-up with how that b**** handled the whole marriage to an alien thing. (view spoiler)[ Who keeps in contact with their child’s ex-fiance, especially who cheated? The answer is a**h****s, that’s who. (hide spoiler)]
Additionally, I am a tad confused about the awful boss who thought pressuring her employees to help someone… shop for a person… was appropriate. But Miranda was really a shitty person and there is justice with her. To be honest, I haven’t read a contemporary romance in which TikTok plays a somewhat important role but it is kind of funny how this story will be very dated in a few years.
Overall, pretty fun read. Don’t have high expectations and you won’t be disappointed. This is my first book by this author and I will definitely consider trying another by her.
They didn’t have the burning hatred for Hysterian like she did. They didn’t have a history with him.
I unexpectedly quite enjoyed this one. Let's be They didn’t have the burning hatred for Hysterian like she did. They didn’t have a history with him.
I unexpectedly quite enjoyed this one. Let's be real I only picked this up so I could finish up the series. The above quotation really set the scene for page 1 and brought a level of intensity to the narrative. I am not sure what to call it but Hysterian’s “power” (view spoiler)[ of him producing poison in his body was super interesting. It created a sense of longing for a partner to connect with. Hysterian may not have had a relationship but there is a lot of sexy stuff even before they got together. I did have some issues with them being not yet official but definitely intended to get together when Hysterian disembarked to find himself a hooker for the night. I know it’s not cheating per se but I prefer narratives where the love interests are monogamous after meeting each other. This might not be true in life, but it can be true in fiction. He doesn’t actually end up sleeping with the sex robot at the brothel but the intention was clear until he saw Raul. (hide spoiler)]
Alexa Dear was an okay heroine. We knew her hatred of Hysterian and motivation for joining the crew from the first chapter, but a lot of info was withheld for no reason since we were in her POV. (view spoiler)[ She is a part alien! Specifically, she is part Trentian, the race of aliens that Cyborgs were specifically created to wipe out. This is important and impacts every interaction she has but for some reason in her POV that is not shared. I get keeping it from other characters but not us readers. (hide spoiler)] She has an interesting role on the ship and doesn’t immediately fall for the male lead which is a bonus. I want tension and resistance to attraction.
Overall, not the best in the series but pretty good. I was so pumped for Hysterian’s story and this somewhat paid off. Earning a rating of 3.75 stars . I’ll leave you with a quote that I adored.
She didn’t need to kill him to destroy him. He practically handed her the keys to his ruin. He’d told her everything. She’d turned everyone against him and stole his metal heart right from his chest. If she thought she was going to get away with it and live, she had another thing coming. ...more
Final Review (7/22/2022): Reyzon is the third book in the Rakui Warriors series by Lena Grey and Juno Wells. I read book 1 -Trauhn in April of 202 Final Review (7/22/2022): Reyzon is the third book in the Rakui Warriors series by Lena Grey and Juno Wells. I read book 1 -Trauhn in April of 2020 before deciding to finish out the series this year by reading and leaving a review of book 2 - Remmel in January and closing out the series as written by reading this one.
This is a run of the mill alien romance set on an uninhabited planet. Where this failed to grasp me, is in the characterization and writing of the titular character, Reyzon . As a result of the language divide, I could more understand while earlier books in the series had the heroes seem simplistic in their language abilities. However, as the women now have access to translation through technology… There is no excuse for the characterization of Reyzon to remain so simplistic. Societies are always complex so it doesn’t make sense that from Reyzon’s own mind there wouldn’t be an explanation for cultural things.
Jenn one of the mysterious professors who had hired mercenaries to find the girls was bound to be an interesting character. I think she was a decent heroine. I enjoyed how she was more tentative and careful in her approach to bonding with Reyzon. Unlike Jillian with Remmel, Jenn didn’t cause any unnecessary drama because of failing to communicate. Her reluctance was portrayed in a more realistic way. This does fall into the virgin heroine & hero trope which sometimes annoys me but it felt more natural in its portrayal. Jenn doesn’t keep her Vcard out of concern for purity but for wanting to bond wholly with that person.
This does end on a dramatic cliffhanger which sucks because this was published in February of 2021 and there is still no fourth book. For that I would say, hold off on reading the entire series until it is finished. I’m not sure if the authors are burnt out on the story or just disinclined to continue in favor of other projects. This leaves a lack of closure to the narrative that will likely bug many readers.
Final Review (7/7/2022): This is an unremarkable book to the point that it is now July when I am reviewing this (with notes don’t worry) and I read Final Review (7/7/2022): This is an unremarkable book to the point that it is now July when I am reviewing this (with notes don’t worry) and I read it in May. Shitty communication, is a trope that pisses me off. Very rarely does it work… and this was not a success story. There were so many assumptions made by Carth-aiq because of the interpretation of Sarah’s house cat that could have been avoided by accessing any Earth info. Plus, even if she was a Princess , why would kidnapping her be a good strategy to begin diplomatic relations to avert disaster?? This was a real mess of logic even for SFR.
Into why we all read SFR…. the smut. This didn’t really have much? One scene maybe even then it borders on fade to black, if you are going to include a smut scene don't be vague and gloss over stuff! I mean I was looking forward to a sexy discussion of the weird anatomy of cats and in turn their distant relatives…
Just to conclude, beyond the choices of characterization and scene design. There were typos (which I generally forgive in self pub though I will mention it). There were continuity errors… if you want to obsessively insert Loki (the house cat) into scenes at least be obsessed with where he is located consistent in the narrative. Let’s just say he teleports… though cats of Earth are related to the space faring Catmen, there is no evidence to innate teleportation.
Overall, not well executed… I might continue the series if I notice it when the next one comes out. Meh, positive it was a quick read at the time (not a quick review to write though)....more
This was not what I wanted in a book at all. I’m a big fan of S.J. Sanders and I have been trying to get caught up with her complete backlist. This reThis was not what I wanted in a book at all. I’m a big fan of S.J. Sanders and I have been trying to get caught up with her complete backlist. This read, much like it was meant to, as a really bad rom con. In fact I think she wrote about her movie inspo in the author’s note (though I cannot think of it off the top of my head).
I’ll keep it brief. Cara the heroine’s motivations seemed kinda weak. Traveling to a new world to confront an ex who is getting married to someone else? Didn’t feel thought out. But I guess love makes one do crazy things. (Plus what she is doing is very illegal). Her later in the book was better.
Lerix the thief / bodyguard / fake mate. I kinda liked him except for thievery bringing danger upon them. He made me interested in possibly reading more about the Kaidava.
Ben screw that asshole. BUT the ending with him is wrong no matter one's gender. I will explain more in the spoiler but trigger warnings for Human trafficking and sexual slavery. (view spoiler)[ Mahurra ’s brothers, cousin, crush and Cara team up to get rid of Ben. They do this to protect the girl they care about. However, Ben is sold to a group of women who don’t have men. They use him for years to breed with and there is a chapter at the end from his perspective that is all kinds of fucked up. This kinda gives the message that all cheaters deserve to be raped and tortured for the rest of their life. (hide spoiler)] He is an asshole who cheats on Cara regularly and is eventually entrapped / enthralled with a Kaidava female. Who turns out to be the sweetest, best character if not a little too naive.
Overall, 2 stars . I hope this will get better because the book wasn't it for me....more
Pre-read (5/14/2022): Book #15 of my DNF or unhaul series pile for 2022. I kinda stopped logging them in the moment so… sorry but I will be adding n Pre-read (5/14/2022): Book #15 of my DNF or unhaul series pile for 2022. I kinda stopped logging them in the moment so… sorry but I will be adding notes about the numbers when I write the reviews for them.
Review (6/3/22): 5 books in and I assume y’all know the premise. So I am not gonna focus on the general mechanics of humans and our contact with alien worlds including the Mate Index. This is a reverse harem so if that isn’t your preference feel free to skip around the series, some of the books focus on monogamous couples and others on harems. The series follows different alien species in contact with humans. Here the dudes are of the Vora, they are snake-like, maybe even Naga-like aliens. (So if you cannot handle that I skipped this book but as I loved Susan Trombley’s The Serpent's Mate, I found this variation of alien not to be too intimidating). There is some discussion of their mating habits including their tails but youre reading an alien romance you should expect it.
Into the characters: Reggie the human woman was nice. I liked her and didn’t have any issues with her characterization, often in Alien romance, I’m not a fan of the heroine as a result of their ethnocentrism or they just lack any backbone. Reggie was considerate of others and tried to understand / adapt to the new cultural environment. Her interactions with Walooth were well written but realistic to our world’s understanding of (view spoiler)[ relationships. Walooth was the late addition to the harem which normally would bother me but he was such a sweetie that I couldn’t get annoyed at him. (hide spoiler)] Vadel and Shaagra the original duo who knew they were going to be partners with a mutual mate. Vadel is a doctor and helps rescue her from her kidnappers. Which will cause later drama. Shaagra adores her and is very protective. In the bedroom, against Vora tradition Shaagra prefers to play a more dominant role than is “appropriate”.
Overall this was pretty good and I will be continuing in the series as I want to get caught up with all my series. Luckily this series seems to have stopped expanding after Book 9 so I should be fully caught up within the year....more
Review (6/13/2022) This gives me a sexier, older version of Warcross by Marie Lu with an additional, Aliens and Cyborgs component. As in this alot a Review (6/13/2022) This gives me a sexier, older version of Warcross by Marie Lu with an additional, Aliens and Cyborgs component. As in this alot about gaming which to be honest I am not a huge fan of so my liking this is somewhat in spite of that. If the synopsis sounds like your speed or you want to move onto Dark Hysteria with full context (like I did), I’d give this a read. Plus at 276 pages this is easy to fly through in a day (or overnight like I did).
Into the couple: Vee was okay. I mean she was kind of a stereotypical Gamer Girl. She’s very generic in that she’s nice, poor and desperate thus most of her actions play into other entities goals without much benefit to her. Also, alot of the premise of the series is built on a lack of women thus Earth is somewhat in chaos. But we’re supposed to believe that at 23, Vee is allowed to be a depressed loner who isn’t married. Even if she’s boring, I think someone would have shown some kind of interest (maybe not that she would want) but I just didn’t buy it.
Cypher is where the stars were earned. I loved being in the headspace of a cyborg bear who was obsessed and falling in love with Vee. Also, Lucas did well to incorporate the physiology / biological habits of bears in Cypher like hibernating and spring fever. I wasn’t a fan of the ending where Cypher was considering (view spoiler)[ kidnapping Vee even if she wanted to go home (hide spoiler)]. Also, our hero is utterly screwed over by the dumbness of Vee when he has to (view spoiler)[ buy out her contract with Nightheart. For she didn’t read the fine print. (hide spoiler)]
Overall, happy to continue on the series but I want to see a more engaging heroine in the next two books!...more
Review (6/12/2022): This is book 2 of a series I began back in the blur that was 2020, specifically June, which I barely recall what happened. As a Review (6/12/2022): This is book 2 of a series I began back in the blur that was 2020, specifically June, which I barely recall what happened. As a result, this book had to function as a standalone since I was not doubling back to reread. I think this did decently well at being an involved story that didn’t wholly rely on the prior book. It was a new MMF romance.
General info: this is an alien romance that involves abduction and threats of rape and forced impregnation so this does warrant some trigger warnings . Also, one of the heroes is a scientist who is implied to have been involved in prior abductions so if you don’t feel as if there is redemption for that I just skip out on the series.
Now into the characters:
Jun is my favorite character by far in the series. Normally, I don’t overly favor the heroines in alien romances but I guess Jun is just my literary cup of tea. She is so brave and unyielding to oppressive forces. Unlike many heroines in this genre, she might actually warrant using the word badass.
Brin is the first of our alien heroes. I much prefer romances from the point of view of men. Maybe I am a fan of how women write men but I digress, Brin is so funny and is sarcastic the right word? He’s protective and his devastating past with his shitty parents just gave him a depth of character. Wait… additional trigger warnings for his character including child abuse, emotional abuse / neglect and (view spoiler)[ forced sterilization. The sterilization takes place when he is being held captive by the Grutex. (hide spoiler)]
Nuzal is a Grutex scientist who unexpectedly begins to be enmeshed in a mating bond with Jun and Brin. (Not sure if that’s the right way to phrase it.) To be honest, he unexpectedly grew on me and I want to know more about his mentor.
So that’s how I feel about this book and I hope I didn’t spoil too much about the plot. The situation everyone ends up in really does test the budding relationship between Jun, Brin & Nuzal....more
Pre-read (5/6/22): I am returning to try and go through my series to finish or DNF this year. This challenge as with all my reading was at a stand s Pre-read (5/6/22): I am returning to try and go through my series to finish or DNF this year. This challenge as with all my reading was at a stand still. My expectations are tempered for my total but this is #11.
Review (5/27/22): The Cire Warriors are back for me to read about! I find there culture quite interesting and I love an alien romance that isn’t wholly focused on alpha domination and fucking. This delievers on the familial feels but I think I want Honey Phillips and Bex McLynn to work on depending less on insta love and instead develop relationships more naturally…not that I have wholly human pacing expectations :)
Our stars are Claire and Arcosta . Claire is an abducted human who was experimented on and while in the diabolical custody of a sicko “doctor” (he gives me rich parents, no medical degree vibes to be honest). When abducted, she tries to protect the two children who were born in the lab as experiments and eventually Neera to the best of her abilities. Enter, Arcosta who has been hired using his badass warrior skills to free Neera by her family. Arcosta wanted to save enough money to finally settle down but in the process found a ready built family.
Overall, this was a fun 3.5 stars and I still am enjoying the Cire warriors of the series. Claire did feel a tad basic or like a generic outline of a female, maternal abducted by aliens character but still a fun, cotton candy like read....more
Review (5/22/2022): As I read this months ago in February, I felt uncomfortable reviewing this until I reread this one so I wouldn’t get plot mixed Review (5/22/2022): As I read this months ago in February, I felt uncomfortable reviewing this until I reread this one so I wouldn’t get plot mixed up with my more recent reading of the third book, Alexander's Nest. My resolution to finish reviewing any series I start reviewing will not be stopped by an epic reading slump.
Into this review, to be honest Children of the Dead Fall feels a somewhat unnessary addition to the universe created in the original series. Maybe it’s just me but I don’t find it appealing to have an indepth romance following the children of the original series’ sexual exploits and relationships. I would have much preferred a The Fractured Mate style conclusion to the other books that remained general but was clear about the connection and continuity of the families. No, I am going to try and put this dissatisfaction aside as I continue the series because I still so enjoy Trombley’s writing but I believe it is an important context for my opinion.
Into this book’s main couples + Ria because she continues to piss me off. Valerie Gabby’s bestie who is trying her best to cope (alcohol) with her kidnapping to a new world. In a complicated web of relationships with her various fuckbuddies including Sherak’s brother Alex . She breaks off their relationship and thus blooms Sherak and her bonding time. I wasn’t her biggest fan but I prefer her over Gabby because she has more character besides wanting to be a 1950s style stay at home mom (not that is not an okay desire). I prefer Val’s sassiness.
Sherak was an absolute sweetie and I love the Lusians, Trombley has created for her universes. He has issues, too, namely being unable to control his telekinesis. He was the rock Val needed and was able to help her overcome his issues such as alcohol abuse.
Also, Sherak handled Ria very well but I’m just over her treatment of other female characters and refusing to listen to people to avoid misunderstandings. She and Vincent seem to be hell alike and she always blames anyone but her brothers. I am hoping if she gets her own book there will be hella change and redemption for her.
Lastly, Friak : I am pumped for his book. Considering the level of drama in this book, when Val and Friak finally get together it is going to be epic. I really want to know his story and what happened to him in the other dimension.
This was fun but I could see some improvements - 3.5 stars !...more
Pre-read (1/29/22): this is one of the shorter books on my 2022 Finish or DNF TBR challenge so I thought I'd give this a go. I read the first one in Pre-read (1/29/22): this is one of the shorter books on my 2022 Finish or DNF TBR challenge so I thought I'd give this a go. I read the first one in September 2020 & I cannot remember much. I am hoping this book will give a recap or at least throw us back into the action so it enjoyable on it's own.
2022 Goal Update (1/31/22): Book #3 from the list. Full review to come.
Final Review (2/19/22):
3 stars
I like reverse harem with a purpose and in the past I have loved Knight’s relationship building and dynamics. She isn’t afraid to go into dark themes but Indy reads like a woman in a monogamous relationship whose significant other, Barrett , had agreed to let her sleep with other dudes to keep their weak relationship going .
This book proves how far she has come as a writer since 2019, when this series was published. This story felt both too long but also incomplete. I truly don’t think K.A. Knight had planned to stop with the Dawnbreaker series but has since been drawn to other projects. She has a ton of other series, I would recommend over this book “duology” with Rage(Her Monsters #1) and Pretty Painful (The Fallen Gods #1) springing to mind. Also, if you came here from Den of Vipers be prepared for a book nothing like that.
Characters
Indy is a traditional sci-fi “badass” female protagonist who has somehow gotten a position of power in the community. How’d this girl become President of the humans? I’m concerned. I didn’t hate her but I just didn’t get her appeal. Her plot was very predictable and I called the “twist” about her (view spoiler)[ parents being killed by her adoptive/foster dad pretty early on. Of course Indy has a quest from her parents from beyond their grave. Somehow she manages to upload a file to some random people that recognize her, yeah. (hide spoiler)] Some of the plot is incredibly implausible and often I found myself reading just to reach the sex scenes (which isn’t like me). Then, those ended up being quite basic, not faded to black but pretty vanilla with sand getting everywhere.
Barrett Strong, alpha protective dude. He reads like Indy's future husband and the other dudes are just side pieces. Which is terrible to say and feel, reverse harems should always have equal involvement which pissed me off that for 70% of this book Barrett was the only one getting any love beside a few stolen kisses.
Cain dude, can he even be considered part of the harem when he hasn’t slept or if memory serves me kissed Indy. He is there because every harem transforms the main antagonist into the heroine's lover. He also provided a human connection for Indy to the rebellion. What’s a book without “betrayal” (view spoiler)[ a hostage taken of ones “love” (hide spoiler)]
Eldon and Auden are sweet but somewhat indistinguishable. They come off as quite young which I don’t mind much because Indy is around their age. They are the fun loving ones in Indy’s bunch. I did struggle with their insta love throughout the two books. Did there ever develop a meaningful reason for their relationship with Indy?
Sorry for the sarcasm throughout this review. It’s 1 AM and I'm tired as all hell but can’t sleep. I’ll definetly need to proofread this before posting it tomorrow. Plus this was one of the most disappointing books of K.A. Knight’s backlist which I will continue through. I get why people loved it but I think in comparison to her other books it is weak but then again why I am comparing them so heavily. This was still a fun read and I adore Effie and her budding harem. I take back not needing Book 3, I want an Effie and her aliens centered book. I would love that SOOO much. I did enjoy that this book is sci-fi which made this book more fun....more
Final review (1/28/22): All I can say is… I asked. When someone tells me not to do something I often do it. Perhaps it is the middle child in me?
3 Final review (1/28/22): All I can say is… I asked. When someone tells me not to do something I often do it. Perhaps it is the middle child in me?
3 stars is super solid for a book like this. I didn’t have high expectations. I wanted some fun and I got it.
The first book I ever read featuring BigFoot was Sasquatch by Roland Smith, which sparked my interest in cryptids in Elementary school. From there that interest grew into a love of folklore. I don’t have an opinion whether BigFoot is real but the influence that the Sasquatch myth has had on modern society is quite interesting. So when I saw the title … the anthropologist descriptor I had to try it. I wasn’t naive. I knew this was erotica but I read a lot of romances including aliens and I’ve been meaning to pick up more M/M romance. Thus I tried the book.
This was pure smut , be prepared for that with this book. 100 pages doesn’t allow for romantic build up before full throttle sex.
The vibe I got from Till was very similar to the Ultimen from Susan Trombley's Iriduan Test Subjects Series. If you have no clue what I am talking about here is my review of the book that included the ultimen.
Whatever, back to Till. He was a sweetie. I loved how he had trouble coming to terms with his sexuality because in his culture he had never come across another homosexual or bisexual. Honestly, this book stumbled across some really interesting sociological/anthropological questions without meaning to. Till made me wonder - How do people come to understand their sexuality in a culture that holds no concept of that sexuality? The Bigfoot community atleast Till’s family doesn’t seem against his sexuality but had no prior perspective. Of course the exception is his ex because people are jealous.
Ramsey honestly didn’t feel that strongly for him. He was used as means for Till’s sexual awakening. I do not like how he went from 0 to 100 with his attraction to Till. He flies a Cessna which is cool. I think my update at page 36 of 100 said it best when I wrote: “I don't know why I picked this up.... ok, I do. I saw Bigfoot mate and I was intrigued. Then I saw the word "anthropologist" and I was like... I'm an anthropology major! This has nothing to do with anthropology except the random use of the words - hominin, Homo sapiens, etc + the justification of staring at Till (the Sasquatch). "I stared at his cock for...SCIENCE" I can imagine Ramsey insisting not bc I'm gay.’” I was wrong with that initial assumption that Ramsey was in the closet but I stand by the rest of that analysis.
Still fun but I’m not sure why Delaney Rain had to go and connect this smut to anthropology....more
Initial thoughts (12/19/21): I was very excited to see this recommended me because I really liked the first series (at least the first 3 books. I'm Initial thoughts (12/19/21): I was very excited to see this recommended me because I really liked the first series (at least the first 3 books. I'm iffy with additions to harems after formation). There were some characterization choices and events that made me dislike Vincent and made me feel like Gabby was too forgiving. Honestly she's a doormat that is super insecure in an annoying way. Sexual desire doesn't mean immediate forgiveness. I'll elaborate more in a full review to come, hopefully sometime this week.
Final Review (12/26/21): It’s been a while since I read this and I wanted to give myself some time to think about it. But I am still mad, because the decisions I alluded to in my initial thoughts are so unforgivable. But let’s not hope into the negative immediately, let’s talk characters.
Gabby the heroine. She has bad taste in men and keeps getting back with her on again/off again boyfriend, Charles . She has some self perception issues and is set up on a blind date by her bestie, Valerie . She makes some mistakes, one of which we will discuss when I go on a rant. As heroines go she was okay, not whiny but she didn’t feel distinct. Honestly she kinda gave me a toned down version of Vincent’s aunt, Alice from Into the Dead Fall. I was super happy to see Alice crop up later in the book as a social worky person. That was a little weird. I love her nerdy side - ComicCon, figurines, etc.
Vincent ohh… I loved you at first and then you just pissed me off. He’s the hero. He’s the son of Evie and Doshakeren from Key to the Dead Fall. I found the Fayi species very interesting then and Vincent was the same way. He had vampire teeth and claudas (not sure how to explain those but read any Susan Trombley book and you’ll run into them). He has other alien features; it is an alien romance so…. One of the things I liked about Vincent was he was a romantic and wanted love like his parents. Dude was hard core interested in monogamy which went against his species’ culture. They were cute for the two days they were together.
I’m gonna get spoiler heavy and incoherent so be warned if you dare reveal. There is ALOT of content hidden under the spoiler tag but I couldn’t think of a way to phrase it without spoiling the plot. (view spoiler)[ I want to scream and deck atleast 3 of Evie’s kids which sucks because I know they will be the future protagonists for this series. And if I hate them, how am I supposed to root for them?!
Let’s start with the biggest idiot of all. VINCENT - you have known her for around two days and have expressed the understanding that you need to take it slow. But do you do that? No! You have sex pretty much immediately which I mean it is an alien romance sexy times is a given but wait a month or hell a week. Gabby accidentally texted her ex instead of her bestie saying something like this guy is inhuman. I interpret that statement as oh my god he is so sweet and hot how is he from this planet? But then her crazy ex shows up at her apartment and accuses Vincent of being not from this planet and Vin thinks she outed him. I mean maybe accidentally but it was not on purpose or malicious. But the big thing is that it is dude she had a thing with so she must be cheating or had a plan to steal his blood with her boyfriend and sell it on the black market. Honestly if Vincent had taken a moment to slow down and talk to her then their 1 year separation wouldn’t have occurred. Vin leaves and goes home to another dimension. He’s so depressed that his family is super concerned and so his siblings concocted a plan to prove to Vincent that Gabby is a piece of shit human. Also just so we are clear, Gabby and him are fated mates or as this series calls them Keys.
Enter Vincent’s chaotic siblings. When trying to help your brother over a breakup, why not kidnap his ex across dimensions? Ria and Alex with the help of Sherak go to Gabby’s dimension to kidnap her. Despite Sherak’s involvement, I don’t really blame him as he was just trying to help but Ria and Alex made terrible moves beyond the kidnapping. I guess quotes are the best way to explain so… these quotes come from the same page towards the end of the book. The first is Alex, the second Ria and it is told from Gabby’s perspective.
“I never meant to strand anyone here. I just figured whoever wasn’t the right girl could be put back in your own dimension before you even realized you’d been taking from it.” Ahhh… because some raised by someone who was denied bodily autonomy would grow up to deny others the same. Man, Alex either you are a shitty person or Evie who I love is a shitty parent. I hope it is the former, not the latter.
“She stepped closer to us, and I flinched back in my seat. She held up both hands in front of her. ‘Easy! I’m sorry for hitting you. I thought you screwed my brother over. I figured I was bringing you back here so you could show him what a bitch you were, and he would finally get over you and move on with his life.’” Well, Ria’s a bitch and it is tragic that she seems to have inherited the punch things you don’t like in the face mentality from her mother. I love a kickass girl and I could have seen myself loving Ria as a heroine but Gabby’s story was never told and the entire family jumped to conclusions. Gabby deserved to move on and find a nice romance not be married into a family that turns to depression, violence and kidnapping in response to problems.
All of this is why it angered me at how EASILY Gabby caved and got back with Vincent. Less than a day trapped in a new dimension and she’s back with him. (hide spoiler)]
Gosh, this was way longer than I intended. This could have been great but I am not as forgiving as Gabby. That being said I still love Susan Trombley and I will continue because I need to see Friak and Sherak find their mates but especially Friak he’s been through so much....more
Initial thoughts (12/25/2021): This was so cute <3. A perfect ending though I did want a little more relationship development for the side vrixs -Ur Initial thoughts (12/25/2021): This was so cute <3. A perfect ending though I did want a little more relationship development for the side vrixs -Urkok and Rekosh. I was SUPER happy that (view spoiler)[ Ivy was the one that got to kill Zurvashi. Though a pregnant woman engaging in a duel was hella dumb. At the same time, Zurvashi success meant certain death for Ivy anyway. (hide spoiler)] Full review to come and check out this series if you haven't. Don't be afraid that they are too much like spiders I barely noticed.
Final Review (1/29/2022): This is officially the first series that I have reviewed from start to finish. So yay for finishing things. As my other reviews and updates reflect, I’ve been slumping on my writing of reviews. I wanted to get this review right because I have loved a ton of the series by Tiffany Roberts and was super in love with this book when I finished. That being said, in the month since I have read it, it has kind of lost it’s perfection. Sometimes, stewing on something doesn’t help clarify so take this review with a grain of salt. It’s still a 4 star for sure!
The writing began to feel repetitive and at times filler. I noticed something would happen and we would see Ketahn perspective or summary of what happened and do the same with Ivy . I am not a person who enjoys going back and reading the same story from the other person’s perspective. There is a reason I never read Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer. I think it up to an author to choose the best character perspective to tell the story and not repeat. Not to say I don’t enjoy multiple PoVs because I adore them.
One final negative, I kind of went over in my initial thoughts is that I wanted to see what happened with Urkot , Telok and Rekosh . What happened with their romances with Ivy’s fellow human woman? I don’t know if there is enough narrative meat left on the bone after this series for a spin off for either of those characters into a full book so it would have been nice to see if those three got HEA. But hey spinoffs have worked before when I thought they wouldn’t so I would still pick those books up. Maybe they could have been Ketahn & Ivy’s baby’s godparents? Also the baby sounds pretty weird. It was kinda interesting that the authors chose to emphaze the dominance of vrix genes because a lot of alien romances the baby’s from the extraterrestrial pairs might as well be human with weird colored skin or extra arms.
Honestly my initial thoughts were on point for this book… so for positives look there because it is the first thing you’ll see. But I gotta say it again… I AM SO HAPPY (view spoiler)[ Ivy gotta kill Zurvashi. Not that I condone murder but it was cultural sanctioned battle to the death so… self defense. (hide spoiler)] There were some super sexy scenes between Ketahn and Ivy in this one. But let’s be honest, you are considering book 3 Tiffany Roberts has already made you come to terms with the spider thing.
Try this series, you might like it!
About to read thoughts (12/23/21): Yeah so I'm not waiting. My review might take a bit but I am caving to my desire to read it day of. Happy Holidays even if it's not a Christmas book! I'm so excited.
Pre-read thoughts (12/18/21): This is now only 5 days away because they moved the release up from January! I am debating putting off some of my Christmas reads until next year because I want to get to this so bad! That cliff hanger :( but it will be worth it I hope....more
4 stars because of Subject 34. I just love me some Thrax and 34 is him times 2.
I am a big fan of this series overall. I mean how the fuck did Tromb 4 stars because of Subject 34. I just love me some Thrax and 34 is him times 2.
I am a big fan of this series overall. I mean how the fuck did Trombley make scorpions, snakes and cephelopods sexy? She did it. I loved the plot line of Fractured Mate so I totally could get on board with an Iriduan hero. Where I struggled and ultimately this book lost out on the final star was that this harem felt so random and thrown together. I get wanting to give Ilyan redemption from his actions in The Scorpion's Mate but this reverse harem just felt like Thrax 2.0 with Rhonda + the 2 Iriduans along for the ride. I think the Rhonda/Nirgal relationship was originally going to be a convenient way for Rhonda and 34 to mount their escape then it got complicated.
That being said I loved all 4 of the characters. I just needed more build up and connection. I fucking love RH and it bugs me that this harem didn’t build up in a way that felt natural. I mean it felt a little sudden when at 53%:
“What’s with this ‘queen’ crap? You’re not my ‘males’!” “I quickly hugged Subject 34’s waist as I amended that. “Except for 34, of course!” “Then you will abandon Nirgal and I?” Ilyan asked with a tone to his voice that I could not interpret.
I’ve been in the Iriduan Test Subjects universe long enough to be used to suddenly. Imprinting is not a subtle bond but all 3 of the males in the relationship are cured of scent attachment so there is no reason not to have a more subtle turn of relationship. I mean Ilyan went from random who waved/played charades with him through a cell gap to we’re mates and my entire life is dictated by you. Also he’s dealt with a human before in Claire even if he was her mad scientist captor, to know that is not how human society works and Rhonda wouldn’t know how to handle that pressure. I enjoyed the fracture’s plotline though his one sexual encounter that does tred eerily close to sexual assualt. If you’ve read The Fractured Mate, it is similar to the scene where Murderer tries to have sex with Paisley but fails. Here Evil Ilyan succeeds.
Since we’ve discussed Ilyan, it’s only appropriate to chat about Nirgal . Ilyan’s great rival and peasant to his noble birth. There is a bunch of hatred between these two which is explained well in the book. As a result the tension when Nirgie (as Rhonda calls him) and Ilyan try to get along for the sake of their relationship with Rhonda there is a lot of tension. I love how self conscious he was about his stripes but at the same time had always maintained their beauty.
Subject 34 is by far my favorite of the heroes. He’s the clone of the Thrax from book 1. Much like Thrax he is held in an enclosure and tested for his abilities. He doesn’t speak often even though he can. This lack of communication does raise some read flags because Rhonda & him have a sexual encounter that needed full communication for consent. I still find it so weird how he can feed Rhonda from his body. Later in the book his comedic timing is brilliant and he has such a dry wit. Just like I like.
So overall this book made me really happy with Susan Trombley’s writing and worlds. This is reminiscent of her earlier books in the series (Books 1-3) which I adored. From about 4 on I had just kinda lost interest with the exception of Book 6, but this has regiven me hope for the series. I am WAITING not so patiently for Ava’s book, now that is a RH that I will definitely be on board for!...more
Overall, the Iriduan Test Subjects series is a really strong series. I was very excited when I heard Shulgi, who had a small part in The Fractured MatOverall, the Iriduan Test Subjects series is a really strong series. I was very excited when I heard Shulgi, who had a small part in The Fractured Mate was getting his own book. He had been so burnt by the mate bond forced upon him by Nimhursag. In the end he kind of disappointed me.
Let’s talk about characters. So we’ll double back to Shulgi and my issues.
Molly I absolutely loved her as a character. She was a slave that freed herself and others. As a result has bounty’s out on her. (view spoiler)[ Shulgi was freaking delusion thinking his cousin, Namurian wasn’t going to sell Sha Zaska (aka Molly and her friends) to Uthogal the Madame who had forced them into prostitution and forcibly steralized them. Shulgi just doesn’t see things clearly, but I’ll digress. (hide spoiler)] She and her gal pals pose as the voice of a creepy tentacle monster gangster while running it all with her human and Ultimen friends. She uses Sha Zaska’s “eating habits” to free slaves without informing slave traffickers.
Shulgi The Iriduan. He is cured of his affliction to be controlled by pheromones by his mate but he falls for a girl anyway. Ok, I’ll be honest, my aggravation with Shulgi likely stems from having read a ton of alien romance recently and the fact that he made me skim a fair bit of this book. After seeing him interact with Paisley, he deserved a happy ending. But he made so many assumptions that led to lots of pain for Molly - emotionally and physically that I can’t just forgive (view spoiler)[ His actions even led to the death of her bestfriend. Admittedly he had planned to cure the wound he rendered but was betrayed and they were sold back to Uthogol who then didn’t give aid and died. (hide spoiler)] The entire “betrayal” by Molly was a blackmail scheme that happened as a result of Shulgi not keeping it in his pants. The sex was consensual for both but I felt it happened too quickly and I was not shocked when shit hit the fan because of it.
I freaking adored the side characters. They were from so many diverse backgrounds and I await their books.
Morg and Grun : The Ultimen (they are the aliens that inspired the bigfoot legends on earth). They were total gamers. Totally protective of Molly, big bro style. They empowered her to make her own decisions and never controlled her.
Luna : the female Lusian. There is so much that can be done with her story.
Ava : a great addition to any story in this universe. How is it that she has not got her book yet? Although, not giving us her book leaves her mysterious which is a bonus. I loved to see her humaness in this one with her having insecurities. It made me love her more.
I need to take a break from alien romance and I will after I read A Gift for Nicholas because I need an alien krampus in my life this holiday season. Also Bound because it is highly anticipated by me. But this definitely felt weaker than other books from the series. I’ve been going out of order posting my reviews because I’m chaotic like that but this will definitely be the first of many Sci-fi/Alien romances in the queue. As of December 18, I’m caught up but I hope a new book in the series comes soon because I wanna know what happened with Morg and Grun!...more
I’ve really enjoyed the series, so I am gonna right this off as not for me and continue. I had trouble getting i 2 out of 5 stars. A disappointment.
I’ve really enjoyed the series, so I am gonna right this off as not for me and continue. I had trouble getting into this and basically spead read it because if I stopped I would not finish. Let’s talk about characters.
Janet I wasn’t a fan of Janet in her sister’s book Shark Bite and this book did nothing to make me like her more. So her characterization as stated in the first sentence of the synopsis is she’s is a “maneater” or per modern term a sl*t. I am all for women having embraced their sexuality and it’s messed up that women are disparaged as “promiscous” while men are seen “manly” if they are having a lot of sex with different people. However, your personality is more than your body count and Janet only ever felt like a vessel for which Zeph found a woman of his own. I get that she slept around to protect and learn information for herself and family but she needs more nuance in her characterization. Beyond her sexual prowess she has was always being compared to older sister Riley.
Zeph/Hector I was confused why he abducted Janet. I mean her sister was mated to Netto and clearly the family is not anticyborg. Maybe Zeph and Netto weren’t close but come on… abduction? The entire book he tries to controll his crocodile but he sucks at it. There is a lot of drama about his brother or is it him or his brother. If you read you’ll get what I mean. (view spoiler)[ so they were born on the same day, one a croc, one a chameleon. They were doing their job and got attacked. Zeph died in battle leaving Hector out of mercy. Hector was near death so he took parts of Zeph (remember they are cyborgs), including his mind/soul and put himself back together. Imagine if Humpty needed help so they fused Humpty and one of the little pigs. That is the situation. (hide spoiler)]
Lily Janet and Riley’s little sister. She was accidentally abducted by Zeph when he abducted Janet. Kids are sneaky things. Very adventurous. Wants to see the worlds like in her video games. She is the reason I think kids younger than 7 shouldn’t have video games.
Nightheart Zeph’s boss turned man who calls for a bounty on him. Very conveniently in a very disappointin and confusing conclusion that (view spoiler)[ Zeph was just a figment of Hector’s imagination all along that his Chameleon powers had caused. But wait if Zeph is fake, how the fuck is Hector still a crocodile? That is never answered. (hide spoiler)]
Yeah this was a weak installation to the series but I have loved a lot of Naomi Lucas and most of this series so we’ll try again next time. But I am waiting atleast a month until I continue....more
Final Review (10/16/21): My updates tell the story of how behind I am with updating Goodreads with my reviews. I finished this book on the 8th of Sep Final Review (10/16/21): My updates tell the story of how behind I am with updating Goodreads with my reviews. I finished this book on the 8th of September but I refuse to let this book languish without a review because I liked it alot more than the first one
I actually liked… the cliffhanger? I am really excited for the final book. The addition of more humans really raised the stakes in this one and I like the variety in their characterization. Often side characters in alien romances feel kind of empty like (insert female name here) the bestfriend or the jealous man who is pissed about interspecies relationships. There is a tad on the later side with Cole but I am choosing to ignore his existence like Ivy should. Although a jealous Ketahn was kinda cute and he actually listened when Ivy told him to back off.
The vrix culture remains incredibly interesting and Ketahn’s friends are likely to feature in later romances which makes me happy. I was quite disappointed with a certain family member of a main character but I understand her motivations. The separation trope and fall of the cliff cliffhanger aside, this book was great. Though if you haven’t started Book 1, I would probably wait until it is complete so you can binge it. However, that being said there was a completely unnecessary death that could have narratively worked just as effectively by having that person go to prison.
Pre-read (9/1/21): Tomorrow! I have been crushed with uni assignments but I will make the time to read this and review it this week.
Pre-read (8/21/21): I just finished the first one and I am so happy that this book is coming out on 2 September according to Amazon. For some reason Goodreads says it releases in December? Maybe Amazon is wrong who knows... but either way I am looking for this to be an action packed, romance filled sequel....more
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