Shade's Embrace

Sidonions #1

by Olivia Riley

She fears the monsters of Seriph.

He rules over them.

Axaria Shade, a deadly sidonion commander turned underworld kingpin, rules on the moon city, Seriph, with merciless control. Humans don’t enter the city without fear of death, especially if found in his territory.

So it’s shocking to Madelyn when he spares her life after her ship crashes on (and burns away) a part of his property.

That doesn’t mean he’ll let her go. Not without a price.

With a debt to be paid, an arrangement is struck, one Maddie doesn’t refuse. She’s heard enough about Shade and the sidonions to know their taste for bloodshed, brutality, and hatred for humans.

Only Shade doesn’t treat her with icy contempt like she expects. Far from it. He looks at her as if he has never seen a human in his life. And the way he touches her says enough of what he wants.

He wants her.

Shade doesn’t disguise his desire. Even if he doesn’t understand his craving for her, he’s willing to take anything she’ll give.

All Maddie should want is to pay what is owed and be out of his cold, monstrous hands. But his dark embrace is a hard one to break. And his need might consume her.

The heat between them is undeniable. But Shade is a monster at heart. Can a monster really care for her? Want her human heart? Or is he only playing a cruel game?

Genres: Aliens, Science Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Dark Romance, Space

214 pages, Paperback

First published February 19, 2023

About the author

Olivia loves the dark possibilities of space; of ferocious aliens and brave heroines. She writes sci-fi, horror, and fantasy.


Join her Newsletter:

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Find more from her on social media:

https://linktr.ee/oliviariley.author

Reviews

[Giorgia Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

Reading this was like a reminder to myself to temper my expectations even when it comes to reading a “sure thing” author.

I have read all the author’s books except for the next one in this particular series (which is the last one left to read) and despite having some complaints here and there, I have enjoyed pretty much every story for how well it developed the connection between the two main characters. The progression of the main relationship and the way the characters grow and open up to each other was the best thing in each book.

That being said, this particular book not only made a feeble attempt at a semblance of plot but it also failed to establish a genuine connection between the hero and heroine.
If you take this exact “plot” and change the setting and some small details to that of a contemporary story where the hero is a guy in the mafia not much would actually change - which to me says it all.

And if you’re wondering, no,it would not be one of the better mafia books, it would be a “cliche, insta-love, he holds all the power and moves her about the chess board like a doll chess piece and she has no personality and does nothing else except sleep, eat, wait to be summoned by him,think of him and how much she wants to do all the dirty things to him and then repeat all that the next day.

The male and female leads were very one dimensional and I couldn’t see them as real people who I care about and wish to see more of.

The insta-connection the hero felt was explained away with the weak argument of “it’s just a very odd reaction for which I have no explanation” . And then we proceeded to pretty much have no development of a bond based on that elusive initial connection because - who needs that when they can spend a whole book thinking about getting it on and how much they really, really, reaaaaaally wanted to do it.

There was no real world building and whatever little there was left a lot to be desired so I genuinely didn’t enjoy any aspect of this story.

Reading this book, I felt duped, lured into a false sense of security only to then have this dumped into my brain and be slightly disgusted when I reached the end.

Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to stories about aliens in space, this is not necessarily one of the worst things out there, but I could point out 100 books just like this one, same characters, same “plot”.

Authors can have a bad book, but this particular one read like it was written by a different person. Like an attempt to write what everyone else does. Same mindless, pathetic smut without depth or an actual good story.

All I can say is that, I reaaaally hope this is a one off because I’ve enjoyed Olivia’s books too much to think that she changed the essence of her books going forward.

[DIVINITY🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

For an alien romance the writing was amazing! The plot was good but I could have done with a little more smexy scenes 🤪 but maybe cause I’m just a freak who knows 🤣💀 judge ya mama 🤣😂

Also the romance was insta love which is fine but I wish there were more dialogue between the main characters.

[Maida (Medley of Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 4.5 'Dancing' HEARTS!

Shade’s Embrace is an exciting, fast-paced sci-fi romance, stranding us in the underbelly of the dark and dangerous city of Seriph, captive to a moody yet sexy kingpin, dodging alien traffickers and gangs, and swooning over a slow burn romance.

Madelyn, despite being a human outcast among the diverse alien species of Seriph, is an admirable heroine, keeping her head high in the face of danger, never letting anyone see her vulnerabilities. Shade is surprisingly sweet, as much as an overlord with an icy exterior can be, when it comes to Maddie—entranced by her physically at first which then slowly shifts into something deeply emotional. The relationship between the two is nothing short of delightfully captivating, tender but also sensually decadent.

Overall, Shade’s Embrace is an unputdownable read, rich in world-building, strong leading characters, and a combustible romance that heats the pages, leaving us fully satisfied yet still craving more of Ms. Riley’s impressive storytelling.

IF YOU LOVE:
♥ Morally Grey MMC
♥ Non-Human 🍆
♥ Light Bondage
♥ Touch Her and You ☠️ (literally)

*𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.


Posted: February 28, 2023

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not her best work, but still a good book

Maddie has crash landed on a planet where an infamous crime lord, who hates humans, reigns. Shade has legit reasons to hate humans and also understandable reasons to be unhappy about Maddie’s crash. He tells her she has to work off the price of what she destroyed in her landing.
I had mixed feelings about their love story, but I couldn’t help but be interested in Shade and the description of his appearance. Riley likes her aliens to be scary and clearly alien.
Maddie was a bit too feisty in that she made some rash decisions and said some things when most everyone would recognize it wasn’t the right time or place. I’m ok with a strong FMC, but she still needs an intelligent head on her shoulders.
It was fun to have such a niche type of dancing represented.
Overall, the world building and character development was well done in this alien version of a mafia/motorcycle club boss book.

Spice: 3 scenes

Triggers: dubcon (power exchange situation), kidnapping, violence, trafficking

[Kay ❣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riley's books are just so different from the rest of sci-fi romance out there. The female characters aren't helpless damsels, the males aren't just tough warrior himbos, it's honestly very refreshing.

Premise: An aerial silk dancer crash-lands on a criminal-underworld planet. The main honcho pursues her for property damage and it goes from there. This reads like a mafia-romance but the guy looks more like Crystal Bowie from Space Cobra instead of someone you'd eat pasta with.

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy read it’s slightly darker than I’m used to by this author but it managed to easily reel me in investing me in the narrative. It’s a shorter read of novella length and I believe this first featured in an anthology. It’s well written with sizzling chemistry and some excellent world-building.

Maddie finds herself hurtling unchecked through space after the cruise ship she danced on is destroyed. crash landing on a planet where humans are not welcome was never going to be a good idea. To make matters worse she destroys valuable property owned by the local crime Lord Shade. But instead of killing her like she expected he puts her to work at his club dancing, she’s now under Shade's protection attempting to work off her large debt. Maddie is naturally fearful but at the same time, she can’t help but be drawn to the alien male that is equal jailor and saviour.

Shade hates humans due to the blade wars where he was repeatedly tortured by them he now considers them enemies. But Maddie seems to be the exception to this and though he tries to fight it he can’t help but yearn for her attention despite all of their differences and her human status.

This was a great read and I did like Shade and Maddie as a couple. They definitely had plenty of heat and chemistry together. Shade though he tried to initially fight his intense feelings bless he never stood a chance really. I definitely recommend this if you like alien sci-fi romance and though this had some added darkness it’s still quite low on my darkometer. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of Shades Embrace.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/63435390

[Ashton Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tropes:
~alien romance
~darkish elements
~kidnapping
~blackmail/debt
~alien mafia vibes
~villain hero

I adore Olivia Riley, but this one was a bit of a miss for me. The set-up was great, but it felt a bit rushed and kinda instalove and probably would've benefited from being a longer book (it clocks in around 200 pages). I also struggled to ever see the hero as being as scary and dangerous as other characters claimed. Brownie points though for the heroine having a unique career (she was a dancer/entertainer who specialized in aerial dancing.

[Jayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!
I really like Olivia Riley. She has a way with writing where you can just feel what the words come off the page. It's descriptive without being overdone. This whole book just had this vibe about it. Creatures in the night, slinking around and doing illegal stuff.
The transition from "oh hey I like having sex with you" to "I love you" felt a little forced IMO. I did like the ending, where the heroine Madelyn had the option to leave on an escape pod but Shade professed his love and she stayed. I really enjoyed both characters but I think I would have liked them both opening up to each other emotionally a little more. And maybe more conversation between them; what do they want, how serious this, what is the endgame etc. Shade proved his devotion by bringing her to their mating ceremony lol. I would have loved a scene of the two of them going back to the club and everyone witnessing his claim on her. It bugged me that he didn't really acknowledge her like he should when they were around others. I imagine he was trying to protect her - an enemy sees someone he loves as an easy target. But I would still have liked him to stake his claim publicly before the mating ceremony with the two of them. There is also a bonus epilogue if you sign up for the authors newsletter(linked at the end of the book). I enjoyed it and feel like it really rounded out the story and gave a better glimpse into their feelings for each other.
I loved the dark atmosphere. Loved the unique penis(lol). Love aliens, obviously. This was a really good, dark read. Not just in the actions(the fmc being chained up and just shy of being tortured by a bad guy, the mmc murdering a ton of people) but also the vibes were just dark and sinister too. Highly recommend!

[2DaysReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olivia Riley has brought back Shade’s Embrace and added some new scenes! I loved this story ever since I read it in the Claimed Among the Stars anthology. There are some changes that help get a better idea of Shade and how far he was willing to go for Madelyn. It’s a bit darker from Olivia’s other books but still an amazing read. There’s also an epilogue that’s so sweet and it shows how much Shade cares and cherishes Maddie. Definitely one of Olivia Riley’s top books!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I say it with each new book she writes, but i think this one is my favorite.😅
If you love aliens that are truly alien and possessive ' touch her and die' trope then this is for you.
There was a little less world building in this one then her other books and more focused on the relationship between the two main characters. But, oh so good.
I loved that he had to prove himself to her in the end.
I've been going through a bit of a book slump for awhile and this brought me right out of it.

[Melodious Midnight Melancholy「مروة」]

DNF at 54%. At this rate, if I roll my eyes any harder, me poor eyeballs are gonna stick to the back of my head...
This had the feeling of being wayyy too bizarrely rushed with unnecessarily stupid and senseless insta-lust–that was really absurd and ridiculous; to the extent there was practically zero coherent plot/background-setting development. The main characters were plain annoying, very difficult to connect to, had no depth whatsoever and their actions were quite incomprehensible ! Unfortunately, a very disappointing read considering how much I adore Ms. Riley's previous novels :(

[Jericho McKraven]

I forgot I even had this downloaded. I DNF'd at 75% because it was just terrible. The heroine was too much of an idiot for me to connect with at all, and the alien mafia undertones just weren't for me. 😬

[Rachel (Rae) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5
Spice 🌶/5
Characters 3/5
Plot 3/5

My reviews are always spoilerish. Because sometimes I like to delve into things. So take that as you will.

Overall thoughts
Solid 3 stars. I didn't see why other reviews are saying this was super dark, but I guess for someone who doesn't read any dark books this could be? It had some darkish themes, but I wouldn't call it dark or very triggering. That's me personally though! So if anything triggers you then take the warnings seriously. I have no triggers and read a lot of fucked up shit, so this was crazy mild. Like a bell pepper of heat in the dark themed area.

Tropes and Kinks
Fated mates ish, Alien/human, Alien 🍆 (but not too Alien, again mild) you're mine, touch her and die, I dunno probably more but I can't remember.

Spice
The spice was mild but still fun to read.

Characters
I have no idea what the main character looks like.
Shade was see through?

Plot
Stranded on an Alien planet (well moon technically) have to work off debt to scary crime lord. Love ensues.

TW mild kidnapping, some gore, jealousy,

[Keegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. It’s like a mafia romance but sci-fi, and not overly dark, just right. It has an amazing depth of emotion and has a perfect ending. Previously, I read a shorter version when it was part of an anthology (Claimed Among the Stars). I loved it then (it was the best story of the whole anthology-hands down), my only complaint was that I wanted more. I wasn’t ready to leave Shade and Maddie yet. So I was so happy when I found out about this longer version! And it didn’t disappoint!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Angela Plumeria · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so good. I was a big fan of the short story by the same name and had read it multiple times. It took a bit getting used to the parts that were changed, but I loved it altogether. Shade and Maddie are both well written and you can feel the magnetism between them. Don’t miss the bonus epilogue through the link at the end. It wraps things up so nicely and was so fun to read.

[KTD801 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olivia does it again with this tantalizingly dramatic story. If you like the stories where the villian gets the girl, the you'll love this one. Shade will be living in my head rent free for a long time.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Teodora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've liked all Olivia's books up to date, and this one is no exception. World building in her books is extremely interesting and exciting, it feels realistic, and like it could be a possibility in future. And one thing i really like about it is that time span is never really specified so it could be few days or few centuries. I like that her couples aren't always same, some are sweet some spicy ;) so it always feels fresh and new.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Deba · Rating 5 out of 5]

embrace a great read


I read the first version of this novella, when it was released in an anthology “claimed among the stars.“ When I first read it, I enjoyed it greatly, but felt the ending was a bit brief. This version of the novella has been edited and expanded, including new characters and events, while still maintaining the core of what I enjoyed so much about the novella to begin with! The ending was also fleshed out, giving a much more satisfying conclusion and the opportunity to have a bonus epilogue from the author! The basic gist of the story is that a woman in an escape pod crashes on a planet that is ruled by a mob boss type of alien - and then has to work off her debt caused by the crash’s damages. I enjoyed this story and did not personally find it to be too dark. It is somewhat dark of course, since we have a crime Lord type of main male character and so there is obviously some death. There are some explicit scenes, so adult readers recommended.

I find Olivia Riley novels have good substance to them - this one shows that she doesn’t need a high page count to keep that true. I literally joined booksprout so I could read her books sooner… which is why: I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Overall a great read that will transport you to a new world. Even after a couple days past reading it, I can still envision the places that the author described vividly. She always paints a clear picture of an interesting world that is fun to visit with an exciting romance. Worth reading in this new version, as well as the original!

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Maybe you've come to ruin me after all,” he whispered. “But I'll bring you down with me before you do."
…
Shade’s Embrace is a dark alien mafia romance. It’s full of action, violence, and struggles, but you’ll be rooting for the MC’s to make it work! This gets ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me!

One of the reasons why I love Olivia’s books so much is that she writes gritty and damaged MMC’s. Shade is the head of the mafia on the planet. He’s feared even off planet, to the point that people know not to land on his territory as it means you won’t make it out alive. He had a horrid upbringing that’s full of struggle and violence. It’s shaped him into the man he is today. And then Maddie comes crashing into his life (literally) and it changes everything. He struggles with what to do with her. Torn between protecting her, wanting her, and trying to push her away. His character development is top notch!

Maddie is also a force to be reckoned with. Crash landing wasn’t her fault and she knows she’s doomed on this planet. Her survival instincts are strong! She’s determined to make it off the planet. Dancing in Shade’s club isn’t ideal, but she knows it’s semi safe and will allow her to work off the debt. What she doesn’t expect is for Shade to make her feel things. But how can a human love a murderous alien like Shade?

Their love is a very slow burn, with the spice being initially instigated by him out of curiosity. But ya know… he gets addicted. And then she starts to see the man underneath the mask which only solidifies her feelings.

[Xee · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I was rating this book on Maddie, I would rate it a 1 star. The 2 stars extra are for Shade.
Maddie was like a dandelion, no substance ...

Also, he calls her his little monster at the end... Shade , honey, are you having some sort of reverse stockholm??

Me to Maddie's Personality :

[H. T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! Just like all the other books I’ve read by this author, I loved it! It’s a dark sci-fi romance that has a “mafia romance” vibe to it with Shade being a nightclub owner and head of an underworld crime organization. There’s amazing chemistry between Shade and Maddie and some very hot scenes!

[Sarah Verity · Rating 5 out of 5]

*𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴.*


𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒆'𝒔 𝑬𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆
𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔
𝒃𝒚 𝑶𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒂 𝑹𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒚


𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖/𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒:
The Sidonians are such a uniquely-made species! There's something so strange about them, what with the skin features, but also something very dark and tingle-inducing. Without a doubt, they're hot.

Shade is definitely a rougher MC but he never harms Maddie. He's very complex and I don't think I can form a solid opinion on him except that he was great to read and he definitely makes the story what it is.

There's a bit of a mafia romance vibe to this or something sort of dark. And alot of that has to do with Shade's personality and character, his lifestyle and notoriety, the way he speaks to Maddie, approaches her, everything. But it never steps over the line to be fully dark, more so it kind of borders it. Which worked so perfectly for me.

Maddie is an aerial silk performer. At times I wasn't happy seeing him make Maddie perform, although it was only in a purely professional manner (the crowd still watched her lustfully as an object, so it doesn't really matter how or why she danced), so as a reader I wanted to see the hero (who's obviously very possessive) regard her in a way that fit. Not letting others watch her, going wild with lust and desire, while she was obviously uncomfortable with it. And at the same time I really appreciated that he didn't make her "entertain" him personally which would be so much worse. But instead let her actually do legitimate work to pay off her debt. Not something intimate forced on her by her circumstance. So eventually Maddie was the one to approach Shade about entertaining only him, which quickly turned into more than dancing, obviously. So at the same time that I didn't want her made to dance for everyone, I actually liked the route that was taken. So it was a very conflicting thing for me! I think I enjoyed their romance all the more because of it. It really had that angst and mystery and tension which I've found Olivia does so uniquely. It's one of the reasons I adore her stories.

That and the MMCs are the hottest aliens ever.

This was such a great read. Super sexy, nothing too over-the-top, easy to read, and a great page turner. I loved it!


𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒:
•𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦
🔥🔥🔥🔥/𝟓
•𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐡
❤️❤️❤️❤️/𝟓
•𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡
🤣/𝟓
•𝐂𝐫𝐲
-/𝟓


*Ratings are not determined solely by the amount of content in a book but also by how it affected me as a reader.


"𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰. 𝘔𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸! 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳/𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴! 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘵 @𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺_𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘱𝘵_𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺.



𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳: 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘥. 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺."

[blueberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 - 3,75 ⭐

Repost of the review I wrote for the anthology

"This is my city. And you're mine now, little human"

✴ Madelyn, the heroine, has crashed her pod on the wrong planet/city: in "the shadow cleave," humans are not liked or considered; they are used for sex or food.

Shade is an alien crime lord who hates humans and considers Madelyn indebted to him since she crashed on her territory; he decides to make her work for him and quickly realizes he wants her for himself.

I loved it; the only downside was that the novella was too short, and I think Olivia Riley is an author who works better with longer stories and slow-burn romance.
(Note : There is a bit more content in this version than in the anthology)

However, I was pleasantly surprised that it was a little more "steamy" and darker than the author usually wrote.

One of the things I like the most about this author's books is how inhuman-looking her heroes are; when I read a romance between a human and an alien, I want him to look and feel like an alien.

Tropes :

🟪 "Dark" romance
🟪 Alien / human romance
🟪 "Ennemies to lovers" ( It doesn't last very long)
🟪 Possessive H

Safety/ Spoilers / TW :

🟦 No sharing or cheating
🟦 History: H is experienced and had a lot of lovers in the past. h is not a virgin, but not many details on her experience.
🟦 OM: Not really. h is a dancer and makes H jealous when she is touching one of the customers.
🟦 OW: Not really either. Some of the other dancers are past lovers of H and try to make h jealous, but they only have eyes for each other.
🟦 HEA

[JML · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just absolutely fabulous!💖🔥💖🔥

I first read this story in the anthology "Claimed Among the Stars" . I loved it then and I love it even more now with the extra chapter and the epilogue. Olivia Riley has built a world I never tire of visiting. Her world building is fabulous and the characters make and female are so well written and have such amazing chemistry you can't help but become enthralled with their story. Shade was tortured by humans during the blade wars and hates them he's become an underworld boss of a very shady planet and runs a very tight ship. Maddie was on a human cruise ship working as a dancer when the ship goes down her escape pod heads in the direction where no human should be on a planet where she'll be hunter and is really forbidden for her to go. But she has no choice the escape pod is malfunctioning and she's coming in hot. She lands on Shades property and just pay him back for the damage. Shade hates humans but when his heart beats faster when he see Maddie he knows he'll do whatever he has to to get her to stay. Danger, intrigue , curiosity, lust and unexpected love an acceptance unfold between these pages ! I highly recommend you give this story a try as well as her others you won't be disappointed! Complex characters with exciting storylines! I hope she has a new book domination soon!🔥💖🔥💖💖🔥💖🔥🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖💖🔥💖🔥🔥💖🔥🔥💖🔥💖💖🔥🔥💖💖🔥🔥

[TheReaderVert · Rating 3 out of 5]

So Close Yet Kinda

This is a good book that could have been better. The buildup is slow even though the storyline pacing is fast. There is enough intrigue and action with just enough small intimacy to keep you reading until you hit 80% and realize you are at a wall. A wall in the storyline, a wall in the romance, and a wall with the characters. The wall creeps in due to the horrible and overused miscommunication trope. Romance authors have used it for generations to keep a romance story stagnant until the final act but here it truly hampers the story. We are deprived of delicious, scandalous, explicit intimacy scenes. We are deprived of strong conversations that help us understand the characters and their motivations. We are deprived of some real growth all due to the horrible "I'm not going to share how I feel just yet, instead I will look at you coldly at times and vaguely make love". All of the heroic sacrifices we see the MMC do would be nice if it was followed up with the main characters connecting. Why have an alien MMC with odd differences and it not come into play with the FMCs attraction. I'm glad Shade wasn't described having a d!ldo type p€€n but goodness he received such a horrible description it would have been nice to know how Maddie's love soften his looks.

[Nessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

FINALLY! ANOTHER SCI-FI ALIEN ROMANCE FROM OLIVIA RILEY I CAN GUSH OVER! It was delicious~~~!! I admit, there was only one story I've read from Riley that I absolutely loved and it was Heart's Prisoner. The others were just mediocre. I'm glad to see her make a comeback with Shade's Embrace because it was so heartwarming, and sensual.

And finally, we have a heroine who isn't a pilot, engineer, doctor, scientist or anything in the professional field but an AERIAL DANCER!!

Final thoughts? Well, it could have been more intense, given how the attraction between Shade and Madelyn was alive between the pages. I'm only sad there wasn't more smexy times (I mean seriously, Madelyn was a dancer!! The hot and heavier could have been MORE. While the heat and attraction was there, it didn't disintegrate my lady parts if you know what I mean), and I felt that the ending came too quickly, allowing us only a short glimpse of their final HEA. Seriously could have had....MORE TO IT. Still it was enjoyable, entertaining and after binge reading a few corny romances, finally one I can relate to.

FULL REVIEW TO COME!

[Elle ♡ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I was going to round up to 3 stars, but honestly this wasn’t great and I’m not feeling it.

The idea of a human crash landing on an unwelcoming alien planet and owing a debt to an alien whose hates humans for good reason was a fun premise, but it was poorly executed. I always kind of bemoan this author for ending her books before we reach the alien planets, but maybe that was a blessing in disguise because based off this one she doesn’t have the world building skills to make it interesting…sorry. A whole planet with various alien races, politics, leaders, cities, a way of life, etc seemed to be too big a scope for her and she just did the bare minimum and nothing felt fleshed out or real. There were also just some bad writing things and stuff that didn’t make sense that I’m not used to from her. As usual, the alien hero was very alien and I’m cool with that, but I didn’t super believe in their attraction and eventual love for each other as I have in her other books. Sigh. This was short and somewhat entertaining, but not memorable and I definitely could’ve skipped it.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shade's Embrace

I enjoyed the setting for this world with its dark, dangerous city. Most of the action takes place at night and the daytime isn't particularly bright anyway. The author addresses the idea of monsters as most of the beings walking around the city resemble human mythology. The MMC has a traumatic past and is known as a “monster” among the humans in the universe.

“Monsters don’t care. They might as well be soulless beasts for all it matters. No one ever considers that at one time they were hardly ever what others claimed them to be. That they were not born a monster but were made.”

His past made him into the crime lord he is and whereas that should mean he is merciless and unfeeling, he isn't. He is patient and persuasive with the MFC and ruthless to those who would hurt what is his.

The author does a great job of making his character complex and varied. The MFC doesn't have a whole lot of depth but she is easy for ordinary earth girl readers to identify with (which is sometimes the best kind of MFC).

[Aggis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a tough one! Full disclosure I previously read this in the anthology Claimed Amongst the Stars ⭐️ and I really enjoyed it. Compared to the other novellas in that anthology it was a step above the rest and I would have given it 5 stars.

Now it’s been retweaked and debuted as it own expanded standalone and unfortunately it did not have enough re-readability for me.

In a novella things go fast - so characters like our heroine are okay to be a little flat and our romance can be a little insta-lovey and I don’t have an issue because the author really only has 20,000ish words to get things going.

Here I wanted to see more. Honestly this felt identical to the novella and until the last few chapters I didn’t feel or see many changes and the changes that I did see were a bit flat.

I love Riley and I love her other novels so I’m excited for more. If you already read the novella I would advise skipping this one unless you are just wanting a straight re-read.

[Spinneretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

Shade and Maddie

Maddie escape pod landed on a hostile planet, in a region run by Axaria Shade, a Sidonian and a famous human hater.
Maddie’s arrival causes Shade no end of trouble, but he finds himself drawn to her, despite the problems she poses.
The world is a dark, and dangerous one, while their mutual attraction draws them both in, danger threatens Maddie’s life.

This is a dark, sci-fi romance, with a rather monstrous hero, and a heroine who finds herself attracted to the dark side.
It’s a quick read, with lots of action, some steamy scenes, and a fair bit of gore (the hero most certainly does not have human beliefs).
It’s an enjoyable read, set in an intriguing universe, and I’ll definitely keep my eyes peeled for more.
This one is for the SFR lovers, who like their heroes most definitely alien.