A sensuous tale about the universal language of love.

Liam is a human trader and linguistics expert working on an alien planet inhabited by Rownt. His main contact is Ondry, a Rownt he has been trading with for the past several years. Little does Liam realize that Ondry has been courting him all of these years, and life is about to change drastically for Liam.

Liam was such a beautiful and amazing person. He was treated horribly by his family, and he certainly doesn’t feel appreciated by the government that is employing him. He has a love for words, and the highlight of his day is trading goods with Ondry while learning more about the Rownt language. Ondry believes Liam is his “palteia”, similar to a cherished submissive in a permanent relationship.

Although we are only given Liam’s point of view, the amount of dialogue in the story made it very clear how much Ondry adored Liam. I loved watching them try to understand each other by really taking the time to get to the meaning behind the words they used. The language barrier forced them to have deep discussions allowing them to get to know each other better. Liam is petrified that Ondry will eventually tire of him like so many others had done in the past. Ondry certainly has his work cut out for him, but he’s up for the challenge. Although similar in build, the Rownt have a few physical differences, including a tail, that lead to several extremely steamy scenes.

An engaging romance with an added focus on the language of love.

Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

BLURB

Liam loves his life as a linguist and trader on the Rownt homeworld, but he has ignored his heart and sexual needs for years. He won’t risk letting anyone come too close because he won’t risk letting anyone see his deeply submissive nature. For him, submission comes with pain. Life burned that lesson into his soul from a young age. This fear keeps him from noticing that the Rownt trader Ondry cares for him.

Ondry may not understand humans, but he recognizes a wounded soul, and his need to protect Liam is quickly outpacing his common sense. They may have laws, culture, and incompatible genitalia in their way, but Ondry knows that he can find a way to overcome all that if he can just overcome the ghosts of Liam’s past. Only then can he take possession of a man he has grown to love.