Say WHAT?!? I was skimming through some book titles and came screeching to a halt at the tagline on this one. I'm a complete sucker for Beauty and the Beast retellings, but...alien abduction romance?? I've never been much of a sci-fi reader, but I did pick Garrus as the romantic interest when I played through Mass Effect years ago so I thought why not, I can give anything a try once.
^Garrus was just so sweet and awkward, and he was awesome backup in a firefight.
“Act with honor, integrity, and respect, lest the Beast control you and destroy all that you are.”
Things I Liked
- The action never stopped - if they weren't in mortal danger and running from aliens of ever-varying and ever-weirder shapes and sizes, they were making the pages sizzle. I love books where you never have time to sit and twiddle your thumbs. A moving plot will cover many sins, and it did in this case.
- I was very interested in the world the authors were creating, with so many different races of aliens and cultures. There just needed to be more of it! More detail, more time spent showing the world, not just the little patch of ground the characters happened to be standing on at the time.
- I really liked Jrec. He's the typical alpha-male hero type, military, super sexy and fit and with a penchant for protecting those weaker than himself (which is pretty much everyone). He has a darker side to his past that is only hinted at, maybe that will show up more in future books. He really seems to get the short end of the stick as the Beast in this story, but he still tries to hold onto the better part of himself.
- The sex scenes were actually pretty well done - at least as well done as I could imagine for sex with an alien, albeit a very human-like one.
Things I Didn't Like
- Okay, as I feared/thought when I read the description...the cheese is strong with this one. I got a very strong original-series-Star-Trek vibe, with all the grimacing and eye-rolling that usually comes with watching one of those old shows. I haven't seen much Star Trek, so I'm not entirely sure if part of this book was supposed to be a spoof on it or not. But yes...much cheese.
- The whole reason Jrec and Amelia "fall in love" so quickly is because of some idea of "one true love" in the Krakarian culture. If you like that sort of thing, great, you'll be right on board with this. I despise the idea that we're fated to have one true "mate" and if we miss that one person we'll never experience true love...bullshit. I know it's just a story and sort of a plot device here but ARGH. On top of the insta-love...it was just super annoying.
- Amelia has no back story! Her friend Lily has even less, and even Jrec's is barely hinted at. It's like they just dropped onto the highway at the beginning of the story, fully formed, but with no parents or family...because they definitely never spare THEM a second thought.
2.5/5 stars, rounded up to 3 stars. I might continue with the series. I like a little more substance to my books even if they are focused mainly on the romance, but I did enjoy aspects of the story.
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