Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: A bit
Perspective: First person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? It’s fairly slow
When mains are first on page together: Not far in at all...about 6%
Cliffhanger: This ends with a happily ever after for the couple.
Epilogue: Yes, but it’s from Maeve’s POV and a feature for the next book in the series
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy from the author in e-book form

Should I read in order?
Ideally I think yes? This one really has a decent amount of focus on the main couple which is really nice, but I think you’ll get a bit better idea of the world building with reading in order. If you happened to grab the Supra Velum anthology, a prequel novella is also in there with Fated to the Lost Warrior – the hero is mentioned here but definitely not needed to read – If you didn’t grab Supra Velum I believe Fated to the Lost Warrior is available through her newsletter now.

Basic plot:
Remi has escaped her Earth problems by taking a one way ticket to planet Tavikh – here she can focus on honing her warrior skills no matter what the arrogant Zydon makes her feel.

Give this a try if you want:
- science fiction romance
- alien setting (primitive)
- alien hero/human heroine
- never been kissed hero
- fated mates
- survival themes
- bit of frenemies to lovers feel – they don’t get along the best and the heroine has a bit of animosity towards him
- slow burn feel
- low to mid steam – there’s 2 full scenes

Ages:
- Didn’t see them mentioned?

First line:
Dust kicks up from the ground of the training arena as Johah and I spar.

My thoughts:
I am really enjoying the Tavikh series. I like the world, I love the characters and really love some of the alien aspects coming into play like the mating marks and slow progression of world building with the human and alien tribes.

Remi has a hard shell to protect her and she likes to keep most everyone at a distance. I loved her strength and her slow fall for Zydon.

Zydon is really sweet – he comes off has a bit heavy handed and bossy, but it’s his protective instincts kicking in whether Remi wants them or not…

I did want a bit more character background for Zydon. I wanted to feel like I knew him a bit better as a person (person? Alien?). And I do find myself wanting more world building here. I know the books don’t have super long page counts so there’s only so much room for building, but I wanted to see a bit more of how the tribes are coming together.

I really appreciated the slower burn feel for this couple. I love that build up before they give in as it makes it more powerful to me. I also really loved the ending of this one! I was wondering when that first novella of Hale’s I read would come into play.

As for that epilogue...I thought Benham was going to end up with a different Earthling but I am excited for their story now!

(Previously I had noted something that was niggling at me about the heroine from book 1 wanting to be a teacher and not seeing it yet here - I just read the short story add on for book 1 (like an extended epilogue) that is 9 months or so later and we get a glimpse into that! 😍 You can get it with a newsletter sign up)

Cock/Hero Stats/World building:

- They have a belief system of ‘gods’ that’s integrated through their thought process but not overwhelming (mention of Deeka blessing them/prayers sent)
- translators are used and gets most language across but there are some nuances that are lost
- hero smells faintly like chocolate
- hero’s cock has nodes that run the length of it and fill with ‘mating fluid’
- cock has a head that is flared and shaped like upside down umbrella
- when the mating nodes open there are tiny hairs that release a fluid that enhances pleasure

Endearments

The hero calls the heroine his ‘keeshla’ which I think means mate

Quotes/thoughts: (Any mistakes are my own)

Instead he pulls me close and leans down with his lips far too close to mine.
“I think I enjoy this spanking you speak of,” he whispers against them.
My nipples tighten as the timbre of his voice washes over me, and a warm heat settles low inside my belly. “Don’t get used to it.”
I hook my leg behind his and push. Except I make a tactical error. I forget Zydon’s hold on me. He tumbles to the ground but takes me with him. I land on top of him. Chest to chest. Pelvis to pelvis. I stare down at him, and his near-black vertical pupils dilate.
 

Content warnings: (This should be taken as a minimum because I could have missed some!)

- scenes of hunting animals
- scenes of violence
- mention of death of unnamed side characters in attack
- some brief remembrance of a crappy boyfriend that left after making the first sex the heroine had unpleasant

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

Safe sex: 

No but they are fated mates and not worried about it 

Hows the consent? 

It’s good/hero asks 

40-some% there is a brief kiss
60% - kisses
75% - 🔥 kisses, oral/fingering for her, missionary

I love how rough his voice is. Like it’s taking all his control to remain still. Except I want him to lose control. I want him to feel as good as he’s making me feel.
“Fuck me, Zydon.” The dirty words tumble from my lips before I even know I’m speaking them.

94% - 🔥 kisses, her on top, anal tail play

“Come for me, my mate.”