As Sci-Fi Romances go, this one is one of the better written ones in so many ways. I loved how it really explored differences- true differences in cultures- and not just because of appearance or language, but even how the different groups think. At the same time, there is danger and romance thrown in to keep the plot moving.Leith, along with her father's right hand man arrive with one of her father's trading vessels to conduct a deal on a neutral planet. It is not long before she is horrified to learn that her father has been trading with a Zi, one of the warrior peoples. She has been taught that all they do is fight and kill. How could her father justify providing trade goods to them? If this isn't enough confusion, she is soon betrayed by a close associate and marooned on a deserted planet with the above said, Zi named J'Qhir. It is all part of a bigger plot on the villain's part that I won't detail out so it doesn't spoil it for others.They work together to stay alive, but it is a mistrustful partnership on Leith's side. J'Qhir doesn't understand the nuances much of the time, but he does admire the Terran female even if she doesn't seem to think much of him. But after a time, Leith starts to trust her instinct that maybe things weren't quite what she imagined when it came to the Zi and witnessing J'Qhir day in and day out proves to her that he's honorable and can be trusted.Days turn to weeks and the attraction between them builds until they finally allow it to come. Even in this area, the cultural differences play a part and I found it intriguing how little things on one's part can be perceived as a big deal on the part of another. But with patience and communication, they work things out. Their time together turns idyllic until the day comes when a rescue ship comes for them. And that's when things grow complicated again and danger re-enters their lives.As I mentioned before, I found the world-building incredible in this one because a certain lack there of in many others I've read. The aliens in this one really are aliens and not just aliens who are barely disguised humans. There are three main cultures represented and I loved how each is distinct.The plot was pretty tight and I loved how it starts out with a bang, with a more gentle interlude on the planet though even there mother nature was not entirely benign, and then once they're off planet the pace picks up again with danger and romantic angst.The characters are drawn well. Both of their points of view are given and I liked that because they thought about things so differently. The villain had a bit of 'wear the black hat and twirl his black mustache' about him, but he was the catalyst for much of the danger in the plot. I was particularly taken with J'Qhir. He is a good leader of his people and takes responsibility and care for them in his role as Warrior of his race which is what drives him at first with Leith before his feelings get added into the mix. His race is a bit suppressed so even the concept of 'love' and 'passion' is foreign to his thinking though he doesn't reject it when Leith shows him her way of doing things.Now Leith, Leith I was a bit iffy on. Sometimes I liked her and sometimes I thought she was being a tad stubborn and angsty which ended up putting her in a 'cutting off her nose to spite her face' sort of deal that was preventable. In the end, it was a lovely story introducing an intriguing Sci-Fi world and a sweet and tender- while not lacking in passion- romance.
Hello everyone!I just finished reading this novel this afternoon. Starkissed by Lanette Curington At first I saw the cover and said: " Weird 3D plastic doll cover". I laughed of course! Second cover with the golden slit eyes, is much better! Alien and human romance? Adventure? Sign me up!An interesting story about Leith McClure, a girl who is obliged to take over her father's business because he is ill. Due to this, she is forced to work with Steve(the douch) and get to know how some things work in the interstellar trade. In an unusual trade, she realizes her father has been dealing the Zi. A rebel race who is out of the official Alliance, and not held in high consideration. It is forbidden to fraternize with the Zi. Apparently, the Zi are a reptilian, arcaic and dangeruos race.And that is how Leith meets J'Quir or the Commander. Who looks like this apparently... Despite me really wanting him to look like this!!!Wich is a drell...a beautiful reptilian race only found in Mass Effect the game or the comic. Just so you know... In case you wanna look him up...lol! Sadly it is not so...(pouting!)Anyways... Back to the review!This novel has an interesting beginning. It mainly focuses on how two people from different backgrounds and race survive in each others company. They have a certain curiosity and attraction for each other, which helps them overcome the dificulties and unfavorable odds. Their relationship evolves from companionship, to friendship and something else.In all my reviews, aside from my personal feelings, I also have to be objective. This takes me to acknowledge the following:a) The novel is well written and has a good pace. It doesn't go fast, and allows you to absorb the events slowly to make it more acceptable. At least 70% of the book. b) We have a strong herione who becomes a whimperer at the end.c)Acceptable plot, not over the top nore exagerated. Simple and logical one.d) All in all, a good story. Entertaining enough to keep you reading it. So this brings me to the subjective part...The story itself is well narrated and acceptable. Yet I found myself many times, distracted, disengaged and bored. I guess the writers style doesn't agree with me. We didn't hit it off... It felt slow and cut off sometimes. Switching between days and moments that felt empty. Despite being essential to understand and aprreciate how the characters get to know each other, it didn't get to me, you know? That thing that charms you when you read something. Didn't happen...From my view, the details and events were like short advertisements. The thoughts of the protagonists instant attraction and devotion, did not move me, nor did I buy into the whole love at first sight thing. The descriptions were vague, the scenario details were almost non existant. No world building, but that wasn't really necessary if the main story had captivated me enough. I couldn't relate to Leith, and J'Quir was very boring as a character. Despite all of this, I liked the story as a whole. It wasn't bad, nor was it the best. It was entertaining and acceptable. So, I invite you to experience the journey if your looking for something around the genres of, Sci-fi, adventure, love and survival. Recommendable read though!Verdict> 3.0 stars...I bid you farewell, and may your future reads be fab!Mua!
Do You like book Starkissed (2008)?
***3.5 stars (0.5 stars for our alien)***So this was a toss-up between a "meh" 3 and a "liked it" 4 star rating. On one hand I loved that there was an actual alien alien male MC and not just some human+ -you know, human but with some extra special features like really cool tattoos or glowing eyes. To quote another alien enthusiast, "Aliens do it better." That's the way alien smut, or in this case rather, alien lurrrve stories should be. I'm not doing a big plot rehash. It pretty says it all in the book blurb. Leith temporarily assumes command of the family business while her dad is sick. While conducting a transaction with a Zi warrior, or THE Zi warrior J'Quir, her father's trusted second in command, Steve, goes rogue, locks up Leith and J'Quir, double sells the merchandise to another group, and then dumps Leith and J'Quir on an uninhabited planet, to live out their days, however many that may be. You can guess how the rest of the story goes. They only have each other, possibly for the rest of their lives. They learn how to survive and inevitably grow closer. Sparks fly, then some ho-hum "super nova"ing occurs (apparently "super nova" has been used to describe sexual climax-I found that funny). Doesn't sound half bad, right? And it wasn't, not really...BUT J'Quir's (Jah-Keer) sibilant speech made it hard to continue reading. It was ssso dissstracting. It added nothing to the story line or dialogue of the characters. It would have been a much better reading experience had Leith, our female MC, made a mental observation of the long, drawn out s's instead of the author continually triple s-ing everything. And, to top it off, rather than him adopting more of Leith's speech nuances, Leith caught herself drawing out her s's too. Ahhhhh!! So. Friggin. Annoying. No that he spoke that way, only that the author actually typed it that way. Sigh. Moving on. Aside from his distracting speech, J'Quir was supposed to be "The Warrior" of his people (which really means caretaker) yet he didn't know how to start a fire? Because on his planet they used mined rocks that when shaken produce an exothermic reaction? Yeah...that seems much more likely. Let's use the people, time, and resources to mine deep within the earth to produce rock that can be used ONE TIME to make heat. That's makes perfect sense. Hmmm..And Leith and her fits she threw playing games. I'm a mature 21 year old, really I am. Just don't beat me at tic-tac-toe, or checkers, or mess up "row, row, row your boat." If you do I will go all 5 year old on your ass and swipe the game board away or stop singing the song and pout the whole time while doing it. It won't be my fault either, it's yours because your brain works differently, ie better, than mine. So maybe it sounds like I didn't like the book. I read it in 2 days, so that has to mean something. I really in all actuality liked J'Quir and I didn't hate Leith. I liked the whole "just you and me, marooned on a deserted planet, must survive" deal it had going on. I mean, I like a plot and drama to go along with my alien sexy times (though this kind of fell flat in that area-just saying). But when I finished, there wasn't the satisfaction I normally feel when I've read a book that I like. I just felt, "Eh. I'm done. Time for something else." This gets a 3-ssstar rating. BR with the MacHalo ladies starting August 28, 2015. Because with a cover like that it's bound to be....good?
—Samantha
At first glance, I was really hesitant to read this due to that cover art, but I'm really happy I did. The romance between Leith and J'Qhir was sweet and I'm glad that it wasn't immediately consummated there was a nice build to it. The story is pretty much in two parts, the first where they are stranded on a uninhabited planet and the second part is after they are rescued. Reading about how J'Qhir couldn't keep his eyes of her was adorable especially since it went against the teachings of his culture. J'Qhir is not an aggressive alpha hero, but more hesistant and gentle with his feelings towards Leith. J'Qhir's inner thoughts were pretty adorable to read. It was a hindrance, J'Qhir decided, that could sometimes be beneficial - his kind's weakness to the cold. Otherwise, he would not have had the chance to be this close to the sa'aloh. Especially everything involving building a lair since Leith had no clue to its meaning. Leith's thoughts on J'Qhir's hurt knee, (view spoiler)[His knee appeared less puffy than the day before, but she had no idea what an uninjured Zi knee looked like. She thought of asking him if she could uncover his other knee so she could compare the two. Why stop there? SHe might as well ask him to completely undress so she could compare him to the human male physique. (hide spoiler)]
—Kaleidicorn
This had so much potential. I mean, look at that fabulous cover.I knew this was going to be a slow-burn romance. I wasn't expecting any smut. Woman (virgin trope included) gets stranded on a deserted planet with reptilian alien and they have to survive together. True love is inevitable, right?!?!I love me some alien-human romance, but this didn't work for me. The pacing was slow and nothing happened. When Leith (the human female MC) started teaching J'Qhir how to play tic tac freaking toe, I had to throw in the towel.Also, J'Qhir wasn't alpha enough for me. I like my males alpha in fantasy. His speech was distracting. I know he's a reppie, but the extra s's were overkill, in my view.I didn't really like either of the main characters and there wasn't enough plot or action to keep me interested. This one was a miss for me.And come on, 50% in and no sex scene??? Not even an "I couldn't help myself, I had to touch him while he was sleeping, but he wasn't really sleeping" scene?Original post:Buddy read with the MacHalo group starting August 28, 2015. The alien-human love trope is powerful. Resistance is futile. That cover scares me, but hopefully it doesn't make me want to rip my hair out. *fingers crossed.*
—Sh3lly of the Manic Fever Horde of Doom and Destruction
