Review: fast paced, great romance and world building
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 18, 2014
Review posted on Books on Silver Wings blog.4.5 stars rounded to 5 starsRyker is unwillingly experimented on by scientists to become an alien and infiltrate a new planet that Earth wants to conquer. The experiments turns him into one of the aliens and links his life to Seral, a captured alien vampire. If Ryker dies, Seral dies. Back on Seral's home planet, he has to figure out how to heal Ryker from the abuse he suffered on the space ship and save his planet from being conquered by humans.This is a very interesting world with an unique culture. The Caeorleians have body markings related to mating traditions and a high tolerance of nudity. The unique keywords in the Caeorleian language are well explained and add special meaning to the story. The Caeorleians have fangs and drink blood like vampires but it's unclear whether they need blood as a sustenance.Ryker is suffering from the memories of being treated less than a human being on the space ship. When he's on Seral's planet, the Caeorleians worry he may be a human spy even though he's Seral's "husband." There are nanos inside of his body that multiple and hurt him like cancer cells. Caeorleian doctors can't negate their effects but Seral is planning something secretive with them for the war with humans. He's in a complicated situation and he freaks out sometimes but his will to live and curiosity over the natural world of Seral's planet shows his ability to adapt to a new world and that he is a survivor.Seral acts like the typical alpha male and it's difficult to get a sense of who he really is. Nonetheless, he loves Ryker because they are bonded and their connection from surviving their ordeals bind them tightly together. I enjoy his possessiveness and how he changes his opinion of Ryker.There are some loose ends left at he end of the story. The new character, Dave, has no special person that will love him and his status is unclear, but he may be essential for understanding human inter-spacial communication signals. There are still some greedy guys are left on the counsel that want the humans-turned aliens dead. The last hurdle of attacking the space ship is too easy, but overall, I really enjoyed the story.I enjoy reading about Seral and Ryker's relationship, how they recover from being captives and scientific experiments, and how they manage to stop the war on their planet. This story is exciting and unpredictable, especially the betrayals. This is fast-paced and the romance and world building keeps me hooked to the story.*review copy received in exchange for an honest review*