Archives

Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts (Claimings #1) by Lyn Gala (5 Stars)

May28

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.

cover

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

Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities (Claimings #2) by Lyn Gala (5 Stars)

May9

An excellent continuation of Liam and Ondry’s story, the author took us deeper into their special relationship.

Ondry and Liam are enjoying their new lives together, but that’s about to be interrupted by the humans. In the middle of a war, the humans need metals to fix their damaged ships. They have come back hoping that Liam can assist them with the trading. Since humans aren’t logical people, the question is whether or not they can be trusted.

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, and I wondered where the author would take us with an already established couple. She definitely succeeded in her choice. We got both points of view, a better understanding of their connection to each other, and an idea of how they spend their days. It was nice to see how much Ondry and Liam utterly adored each other and tried to keep each other happy. We learned more about their jobs as traders. The play on words continued in this story, and it was interesting to watch how a translation was dissected. The excitement and tension for the story came from the officer that was sent to trade with Liam and Ondry. Her motivations weren’t clear, which kept us on the edge waiting to see how it would all play out.

This is the second book in the series, and it definitely needs to be read after the first amazing story, Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts.

I really enjoyed this story about romance and the nuances of the spoken word.

cover

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

Rise: A Gay Fairy Tale by Keira Andrews & Leta Blake (4.5 Stars)

Mar22

Interesting take on “Jack and the Beanstalk” with a bit of magic, two very lonely men, and an enemies-to-lovers romance.  The story was a bit sad at the beginning, but this made it even more meaningful when they eventually found happiness. As children, they were both raised to believe that the other person was evil. I liked how they learned to let go of this prejudice.

cover

Book Blurb

Hell & Highwater (THIRDS #1) By Charlie Cochet (5 Stars)

Feb22

An excellent action-based paranormal police story with a side of romance. Dex was amusing but also compassionate as the newest member of the THIRDS. Sloane was tough as nails and a good leader. The internal struggle Sloane faced, having lost his previous partner and lover, seemed realistic, and the tension between him and Dex made sense. Sloane truly loved his former partner and wasn’t ready to move on. He also felt something strong for Dex who, fortunately, was very supportive of the grieving process that Sloane was going through.

I liked the light humor throughout the book mixed in with suspenseful action scenes. The side characters were also really interesting including all of the other officers and Dex’s family.

This is the first in the series with an HFN on both the romance and overall arc. However, I wasn’t frustrated with the ending, and it didn’t feel like a major cliff-hanger. I’m looking forward to the next story to see how the relationship between Dex and Sloane moves forward, to see if any of the other characters get a story of their own, and too see how the plot moves forward on the killer.

cover

Originally reviewed for Swept Away By Romance. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb