I saw a rec for this series on Twitter (I refuse to call it X) and since I’m always on the lookout for new, science fiction/PNR I hit that read now button.
And I then gobbled up the whole series in a couple of days.
Yes, these are orc romances, but they aren’t the usual alpha male, “Oh, no I’ve been abducted by the enemy”, dubious consent orc romances. These are charming love stories, with caring and protective orc/human pairings. Each couple faces certain hardships they have to overcome, and hurdles they have to jump to be together, but the journeys are exciting. There are open-door love scenes, but I do think they added to the story and didn’t become overused. There is some violence, but not as much as I’ve read in other monster books.
All in all, a very enjoyable series.
I read this author’s Darkstar series’ and enjoy them quite a bit. This is something new for Anna Carven, a vampire fantasy romance featuring magic and magical beings.
Despite the 539 page count, this was a fast read. There was some monotonous internal ramblings and at times I wanted the characters to stop messing around (literally) and focus on the problem at hand, but I just kind of skimmed through those scenes until I got to the good stuff.
The worldbuilding is well done–I really like this world, with all its different magical beings, some of which are explored and some that are still kind of a mystery. The secondary characters are interesting and I’m already invested in them and their lives. Really hoping this isn’t a standalone and we see more of them in the future.
This series is so much fun. Bloody, violent, and weird, but fun.
The FMC is a bloodthirsty werewolf, abducted and taken into space. Badass that she is, she kills the alien crew, frees the other women being held, and takes over the ship. She also discovers another captive–a big, tentacled alien who turns out to be her mate.
There are just two books in this series so far, but after subscribing to the author’s newsletter and following her on FB, I’ve learned that there will be more books featuring secondary characters. The first two books are really one continuing story about the main protagonists and thier fight against the big, bad space government. Jack, the FMC, learns about her heritage and how her clans came to live on Earth. Ohem, the MMC, discovers the awfulness of his family and government and vows to beat them and save the universe.
These books aren’t just open door, they’re OPEN DOOR+++. I actually started to skim over those scenes toward the end of book two. I just wanted to get to the last chapter and find out where the next book might be heading. I really adore Jack’s relationships with the othere women she bonded with on that captive space ship. There is very much a found family aspect to these friendships, they really love each other.
If you enjoy alien romance, you might want to try this series out.
A couple of new-to-me KU authors that I’ve recently enjoyed: Jesse H. Reign—all of her books appear to be MM or MMM; don’t let the snark-worthy covers or corny titles put you off, she writes in a sensitive and engaging style. I especially liked THE STEP BRO SITUATION. S. Massery is another new-to-me writer. Her books are VERY dark, and really work best when read as suspense rather than romance, but I found myself intrigued, even when her plots are full of triggers and morally-gray (to say the least) heroes. Massery’s TWISTED OBSESSION didn’t really work for me as a romance, but as a suspense-thriller about a woman with amnesia trying to piece together her past, it was a riveting read. I don’t think I could binge either of these writers, but as a break between other books, they’re worth a look.