Kayzon’s Wish by Michele Mills
Series:Alien Bounty Hunters, #3
SciFi Romance
Released: May 23, 2017
Self Published
Reviewed by Sheena
Small offspring cry at the sight of his hulking frame and the vicious scar that bisects the right side of his face. Banished from his home world and deemed unworthy of a Bride—his mere presence strikes fear into the hearts of most beings.
Except for one fierce, tiny female. She alone is unafraid.
Kia is astonished when a sexy Xylan Warrior strides through the crowded marketplace of New Earth. When she attempts to speak to him, he replies in a deep, husky voice, “Leave human. Nothing good will come from this.”
But when Hurlian soldiers start dropping from the sky, ready to snatch unsuspecting humans, Kayzon rescues her. And when his bare hand clutches hers, a bolt of awareness strikes them both…
Favorite Quote: “A Human was squawking at him.”
Sci-Fi is one of my favorite romance sub-genres. I enjoy the alpha alien element, precarious human experiences and it is always a treat to discover new and unique words. In Kayzon’s Wish, New Earth is a nightmare for the surviving humans living as little more than fodder and experimental guinea pigs for the ruling alien class, the Hurlians. Kia is a young human woman who fiercely loves and protects her family, even more so now that her father has gone missing. Food, security and safety are luxuries of the wealthy in a world where currency is king and Kia’s family is without all three. One of the few jobs that offer a chance of upward mobility and escape to another planet is bounty hunting and as a smallish human female, Kia is a least likely candidate- though she has a secret weapon that she believes will work in her favor.
Kayzon is a black balled alien bounty hunter who is banished by his race due to some unscrupulous betrayals by his father that sparked an ugly war. Because of his banishment, he earns money on his bounties and lives life aboard his ship- ostracized and alone. His most recent bounty leads him to New Earth where he crosses paths and saves the life of a human woman who refuses to be intimidated by his large snarlyness, a woman he has an instant connection with, a connection that is DNA deep.
She stared at him with those human, wide-set, sparkling black eyes… She blinked. “You saved me,” she whispered. They were face to face on the ground; their bodies pressed together, his arm still around her. He held her small hand with the extra appendage in his bare claw, pressed against his armored chest. Skin to skin. And then he felt a surge of power at that point of contact. Palm to holy palm. A rush of pure adrenaline. Like a machine long dead suddenly sputtering back to life. Surprise and fear raced through Kayzon’s mind. What was this? What was happening?
His cock was hard under his armor, and his blood boiled with lust. This was wholly unexpected. He’d grabbed her hand to save her, not to test mating compatibility. He cursed. This human was his Bride? He’d accidentally tested mating compatibility. Most Xylans wanted a mate, they waited their whole lives for such a thing to happen. But he did not. Kayzon knew the consequences of such a union for a warrior removed from the mating database, and they weren’t pleasant. The Xylan High Command would send a judge. They would be all up his ass.
Poor Kayzon. A condition of his banishment included a mandate that he not procreate or find a mate the traditional way. Much of the story (short as it was) he spent self loathing and believing himself unworthy of Kia. Once he rescues her from an attempted abduction, he brings her aboard his ship and cares for her as they get to know one another. Though the danger has past, they find themselves in uncharted territory as a figure from Kia’s past changes the trajectory of Kayzon and Kia’s potential future together. An interesting plot twist that I appreciated for its simple execution, but big surprise and impact.
On the whole, I was taken by the overall premise. Humans are being held captive, and mistreated by the ruling alien species on their planet, far away from the prying eyes of the governing alien races, who would frown upon the abuses the humans face at the hands of the Hurlians. Initially, the plot felt dynamic and interesting, however, there was a lack of coherency that reared its head throughout the story. In one instance, Kia’s fierce loyalty to her family was way too easily assuaged by a funds transfer- yes money was paramount but it was bizarre that Kayzon was able to be Mr. Fix It in that regard with little to no obstacles. I also grew weary of Kayzon’s low self-esteem regarding his “worthiness”. After a while, it drew too much contrast to his bad ass alien bounty hunter image and I wanted to shake him and shout “You are strong, intelligent, gainfully employed, your cock works just fine, you are capable of being a mate and you are a pretty nice alien dude- so suck it up already!”
Kia was a confident, scrappy heroine and I liked her point of view and rationale. Given Kayzon was the one-off balance and vulnerable, Kia came across as a very supportive partner who helped Kayzon learn to see his worth even when faced with so much uncertainty and the 0-100 hyper speed of their relationship. They had a nice chemistry and as new as they both were to sex, their vigor was fun to experience.
His thrusts grew faster and faster, an uneven beat. And now as he bottomed out, that glorious cock was hitting a perfect spot. And hit it again. And she was coming. Coming hard. The pleasure so intense she didn’t know what to do with it. She whimpered against his lips. His hips continued to slap against hers, wet and noisy. Then he thrust in completely and shuddered. He let go of her lips, threw his head back and roared as he came inside of her, warm and pulsing. She watched him as he came. His corded neck, the straining of his arms and chest. His fangs. He was beautiful.
Unfortunately, for me, I’ve read more than my share of unexpected closed door sex romance novels (Boooo! Gather the towns people and pitch forks!), luckily, this was not an issue here as the doors were effectively blown off the hinges!
This is the third in the series, but it stands alone without issue. I didn’t feel as if I were out of a loop or confused by the world building and the lingo was easy enough to follow. Kayzon’s Wish is relatively short, barely on this side of being considered a novel, and enjoyable for what it was and if you don’t look too closely. If you are in the market for a sexy, sci-fi, fated mates story, this checks the boxes, even if it does come across as a little undone.
Grade: C
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