Book Review Genre: SCI-FI Romance
Disclaimer: Reading is all about exploring new worlds, but this Book Review does not shy away from spoiling specific scenes as this is more of a look inside the good and bad of a book.
The Analysis:
This book came to me as a recommendation in a sci-fi romance group. This is a clean sci-fi romance. While the tenets of this genre might be smut. I’m hoping that anyone that crosses this review might give this book an honest chance. So, let’s book review the first book. But first, follow me on Goodreads.
Here’s The Blurb:
Esra Weaver, exo-geologist, is hired for the Kerberos-90 Mining expedition, but when she awakens in her Emergency Egress Pod on a tropical, uninhabited planet, she realizes her life has taken a drastic turn for the disastrous. ‘Predator Planet’ tries to kill her at every turn, and Esra soon discovers it also harbors a mysterious alien out for her blood. When danger and death converge on her, her hunter becomes her savior, and when her feelings for him evolve, she realizes she must battle not only Predator Planet but also her past to make room in her heart for an unexpected but passionate future.
Naraxthel Roika, Mighty Hunter of the Ikthekal race, discovers the existence of a spy on his hunting grounds planet. With blood and fury in his veins, he tracks her down, only to discover that she isn’t a spy at all, but a mighty little hunter in her own right. Against centuries of tradition and physiology, Naraxthel’s heart-home begins the biological changes that indicate he has discovered his mate. He tries to fight what his heart is trying to tell him, but love doesn’t distinguish between star systems and it won’t stop growing, even if the consequence is exile.
Together, along with Naraxthel’s hunting party, they must embark on a dangerous and desperate journey to reclaim not only Naraxthel’s place in his society but also find a way for them to be together.
Cover Critique:
The cover is a scene out of the book. Those spider beasts are a big part of the story. I’m not sure how I feel about it. For some reason, I don’t think I would have necessarily been interested in it in a bookstore, but then again, maybe.
Now The Story:
Book Info:
Pages: 330
Author: Vicky Holt
Available: Amazon
The opening of the story, shows our heroine crashing into an unknown planet after her ship malfunctions. She proves to be tenacious, if not a bit accident-prone. The world itself is unique but gives off prehistoric vibes with some of its animals.
Thoughts of Hero:
The hero of this story finds some of the heroine’s equipment and thinks it’s a child. He eventually amends that theory and jumps to spy. His goal is then to kill the heroine and bring her head back to the royal court for accolades. All I could think about during this scene is, based on what? You just gone show up with an unattached head and everyone is going to immediately think spy. Doesn’t seem like there is any intelligent life anywhere. Whelp, let’s go back to the sky heroine because you will not be marrying this dummy.
Everytime he said, I wanted to remove her soul from her frail body, it made me angry. Not to mention the moments where he seemed to only want her to die by his hand. Sir, are you an alien or a psycho murderer.
Just expect a full alpha-male here. My irritation eased when his mating bond kicked in and it began to change his thoughts almost right away, but little by little.
Thoughts of Heroine:
Meanwhile, I think I was falling in love with the heroine. She tussled with a queen spider and lost to its sister. The hero was secretly responsible for reviving her. But she wasted no time crawling through muck and grime to get back to her ship and run a health diagnostic. Narrowly missing dinosaurs in the process. She’s no Tomb Raider but I loved her perseverance. I hated her curiosity because at times she was not cautious enough on a dangerous unknown planet.
But the story picks up when she’s forced to join this alien crew on their mission. Communication is impossible and trust is scarce. Yet, I enjoyed reading about them as they navigated this treacherous terrain. Why four stars? I wish the couple had spent more time together navigating the planet. Maybe joining the others on the scavenger hunt at the end, that sort of thing. But nothing that took away from my enjoyment.
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Book Review At A Glance:
Recommendation: 4* out of 5
Book Cover Appeal:
🍓🍓🍓
Story & Narration:
🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓
Romance:
🍓🍓🍓🍓
Character/(s) Personality:
🍓🍓🍓🍓
*I loved the note the author left for Ruby Dixon at the end, who inspired this romance.
