The Lasaran by Dianne Duvall

The Lasaran (Aldebarian Alliance, #1)

by Dianne Duvall

New York Times bestselling author Dianne Duvall brings readers the first novel in a thrilling new sci-fi series full of action, intrigue, humor, and romance.

Taelon searches the galaxy for his younger sister, who mysteriously disappeared while on a diplomatic mission. When an ally reveals that she was seized and is being held prisoner on Earth, Taelon descends upon the blue planet, intent on freeing her and exacting vengeance. However, all does not go as planned. Before he can find her, Taelon is captured and becomes the subject of torturous experiments. For what feels like an eternity, all he knows is pain and fury… until a mind tentatively touches his own and a woman’s voice forever changes his world.

After suffering tragic losses, Lisa is finally beginning to carve out a future for herself when chance sends her to the Anomalous Cognition Research Institute. What at first appears to be a benign organization seeking participants for a psychic study instead turns out to be a government facility harboring a much darker intent. Lisa discovers this too late and soon becomes the unwilling subject of a terrifying experiment. Just as fear and desperation threaten to consume her, a deep, compelling voice penetrates the looming insanity and lends her hope.

Having seen only the worst of humanity, Taelon is shocked when Lisa risks everything to free him. Together the two make their escape, and Taelon finds himself fascinated by the small human woman who—despite all she’s suffered—can still laugh and tease and lure smiles from him. Friendship swiftly grows between them as they work together to evade soldiers intent on capturing them and find themselves hunted by mystifying preternatural beings. Through it all, Lisa steadfastly remains by his side, stealing more of his heart each day while she helps him unravel the mystery of his sister’s fate. Can they find his sister before the hunters find them? If they survive their quest, will Taelon have to bid Lisa farewell… or can he coax her into leaving her planet and joining him for the adventure of a lifetime?

Reviewed by Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading on

4 of 5 stars

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Sci-Fi is not a genre I gravitate towards, but I decided to make an exception for The Lasaran.  You see, this is a spinoff of the Immortal Guardian series.  Having read a few of the Immortal Guardian books (I really need to catch up on it) I was eager to see what Duvall was bringing to the table with this new series.

Now there’s no need to read the Immortal Guardian books prior to starting this series, as it can stand on its own. However, I must warn you once you read this book you will be tempted to read the books from the Immortal Guardian series. The story introduces Taleon of Lasara who is preparing for a mission to earth to find is sister Amariska.  In book one of the Immortal Guardian series the reader was introduced to Amariska and received her full story in the second book.  Taleon upon reaching Earth was captured and subjected to a myriad of torturous experiments. Lisa, a graduate student seeking to earn additional funds to help make ends meet too part in several research studies. The latest one involved a study of psychic talents. During a round of testing Lisa was rendered unconscious, with her waking eight months later to find herself in a strange and precarious situation. The one thing giving her hope was her psychic link to the man being held prisoner in another section of the facility.

Wow! What a ride. The Lasaran took the reader on a journey filled with romance, intrigue and humour. Some events noted here coincided with incidents which occurred in the Immortal Guardian series. Majority of the story took place on earth with the reader being treated to suspenseful moments and unexpected twists. 

I enjoyed getting to know Taleon and Lisa. Lisa turned out to resilient, smart and brave, the kind of heroine I enjoy reading about. I loved the chemistry between these two and their lively interactions. Their romance despite its complicated nature was sweet and downright adorable.

I chose to listen to the audio version which I have done for all the books I have read for Duvall.  Kristen Potter is her narrator of choice, and I can see why. She breathes life into the story.

Overall, The Lasaran was a great start to the Aldebarian Alliance series.  I recommend this to fans of Immortal Guardian series and lovers of sci-fi romance. 







This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading

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Reading updates

  • 8 January, 2021: Started reading
  • 8 January, 2021: on page 0 out of 346 0%
  • 14 January, 2021: on page 118 out of 346 34%
  • 16 January, 2021: Finished reading
  • 16 January, 2021: Reviewed