Review: Fun M/M Alien Abduction
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 24, 2014
I found this a fun read, and I'll probably read the next part if there is one since Nordwell successfully raised my curiosity about late-arriving characters like Dade and Nicklaus. It's safe to say I'm a fan of any and all variations of the alien abduction story, and a downright sucker for the big-tough alpha alien meets meek earth-boy plotline. This was more of an engaging play on the familiar elements of that story rather than an exploration of new territory. Sadly but predictably, our toppy vampiric alien turns out to be a big marshmallow, whose dominance consists of overprotectiveness and a willingness to devote his life to making his mate happy. Still, the book was much better written than the average alien abduction story, the plot had enough twists and adventure to keep me interested, and I liked both MCs--enough to feel happy when they were happy. The good chemistry and hot manlove scenes were also quite appreciated.I was most dissatisfied with "the experiment" itself, namely the account of Ryker's extreme abuse at the hands of "doctors." It's a pretty common set up, and is evolving into a major pet peeve of mine: The sequence reminded me of Laurann Dohner's New Species series or more recently Seven, where you have these evil scientists who are so monstrous they lose any resemblance to actual human beings and because of that are fundamentally uninteresting as either characters or even social phenomena. (As a contrast I would posit the people involved in judicial torture in Manna Francis' Administration series, who are riveting both in themselves and for the system they represent.) I get especially frustrated and impatient because a good villain, one with some genuine charisma and motivation, is often enough to make me obsess over an otherwise ho-hum book. I am hoping the evil but sorta sexy council-member, Buphet, who was casting lustful looks at Ryker from the margins will reappear in the sequel--maybe he could kidnap him and take him to his lair!Enough of the rant. Bottom line: I really enjoyed reading this and will definitely pick up any sequels.