The Slave Catcher

by Lilia Ford

Science Fiction, LGBT16,000 wordsStar City, best known for its brothels and casinos, is one of the few planets in the quadrant that outlaws slavery—for everyone, that is, except the galaxy bullies, the Borathians. Telepaths and recent conquerors of a backwards planet named Earth, the Borathians are simply too powerful to refuse. A special treaty allows them to bring their pleasure slaves or “bonds” onto the planet, and if one escapes, they have five days to recover him.Sam Beron, private locator, may have been born on a Maradi space cruiser, but Star City is his home now and he’d say he despises slavery as much as any native. Unfortunately, a run of bad luck at the casino tables leaves him flat broke and scavenging expired military rations out of a neighboring dumpster. Next thing he knows, the Borathians are offering him a fortune to track down one of their escaped bonds, a beautiful Earth boy named Liam. What's a hungry locator to do? Adult readers only. Includes explicit M/M erotic content, a master/slave dynamic, BDSM elements, and dubious consent.

Genres: Science Fiction, M M Romance, BDSM, Aliens, Short Stories, Erotica, Gay

51 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2013

About the author

Really short official-sounding bio: Lilia Ford lives in New York City with her husband and two sons.

Life on Goodreads:
I'm very active on Goodreads, mostly as a reader. I taught 18th and 19th century literature and GREAT BOOKS for many years, but these days, I read almost exclusively in the various permutations of fantasy, M/M, Sci-Fi, and erotica. There are really only two types of books for me: those I like enough to finish, and those I don't. If I like it enough to finish, I will usually give it at least four stars (I don't rate books I don't finish). The ratings are primarily a measure of how much I enjoyed a book--and only secondarily a measure of how much I admired it. I read and adore a lot of trashy books, and can't seem to finish many worthier (more literary, impressive, critically acclaimed) titles. I am slowly adding reviews of books that stand out for me. Unless the book is very popular and my views won't make a difference, I avoid trashing stuff since I now appreciate how hard it is to publish a novel.

Friending: Though I am overjoyed when people discover my books on Goodreads or want to talk to me about them, I am primarily here to find titles to satisfy my book-a-day reading habit. I generally opt to follow people whose reviews I like, not wanting to come off as a pushy author. However, I am psyched to be friends with people whose reading taste aligns with mine.

Final Note: I have a large and always growing number of titles on my "Kindle Lendable" shelf." Just send a personal message if you want to borrow something.

http://www.liliafordromance.com/
http://lilia.booklikes.com/
http://liliaford.tumblr.com/ (NSFW)
http://www.pinterest.com/liliaford/bo...
http://archiveofourown.org/users/Lili...

Reviews

[Julio Genao · Rating 4 out of 5]

wtf.

the ending was a surprise—tough-talk beron peeled like a fruit, vulnerable, wet, sweet...

what poignancy.

i was literally in the middle of rubbing one out—it's sexy as fuck, this book—and then: pop! my heart was broken, and all the sexual tension ran out of me like the tears i only just managed to (somewhat unsuccessfully) hold back with extreme effort of will.

so good.

all the more a shock for the playful, sexy, sci-fi romp that set it up. i want to live in this world. i want to fuck things in this world. i want to watch magnum, p.i. in this world.

i also want to be bonded by a borathian. immediately.

let's make that happen, people. joolz. bonded. to a borathian. chop-chop.

writerly nitpicks you may ignore if you wish: too much exposition in the first third; all the more tedious and noticeable for the stark contrast to what immediately follows the infodump: a scene that explains as much as the previous, but with action, and imagery, and implication, rather than 2 pages of the narrator mansplainin the universe. compared to the litany of trufax, it was hot, and functional, and like the rest of this story:

unexpectedly beautiful.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cross-posted at Shelf Inflicted and at Outlaw Reviews

Through the eyes of Sam Beron, private locator, the reader gets a glimpse of life on the hedonistic planet, Star City. The story started off a little sluggishly, but I grew to love Sam’s musings on life, pleasure, family, sex, Earthish culture, and those intrusive Borathians who won’t stay out of his mind.

“The moment he looked at me, I couldn’t look away. I could feel his telepathic powers flooding my brain, like there wasn’t a single part of my thoughts he couldn’t see as easily as I could see his clothing. If you’d been there, you’d recognize that it wouldn’t have taken more than a thought for him to destroy my mind – or control me until I had no more independent will than a cleaning droid.”

Because Sam chose to live planetside, he was cast out from his family, a race that leads a nomadic existence cruising around the galaxy. While there are no prohibitions on worldly pleasures, slavery is outlawed for all but the telepathic Borathians, who are allowed to bring their human “bonds.” Because Sam is bad at gambling, he is forced to accept a job recovering a Borathian’s escaped bond even though he finds the idea of slavery abhorrent.

I liked this story a lot. It was wry and sexy, packing an emotional wallop as Sam reveals the soft center under his crispy exterior.

I nearly cried.

I expected a romance and got so much more.

Thanks to Vivian from Bookie Nookie's Erotic Lending Group for lending this to me.

[M'rella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very partial to bratty slaves, affectionate but stern masters, Magnum PI (the shorts! The Shorts!!!), and the wordplay in this story - the funniest thing! :)





*

Sorta, kinda spoil-ish (but not really), so don't read below if you don't want any hints:

I am also very partial to humor giving way to serious business, and what might seem like a mean streak being the only effective way to wake someone up and deliver the news.

5 stars. More, please :)

OMG, and the cover! How could I forget the COVER???

[Lisa Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, this one was so funny...and also so smoking hot. But mostly funny.

The protagonist, Sam Beron, is a PI, a little like the ones on all those old TV shows he loves. He drinks too much, gambles too much, and his morals are swayed accordingly. He's street smart too...except when a pretty face hires him and Sam gets involved in something he knows he shouldn't -- tracking down a Borathian's missing human slave.

I thought this would be a darker read than it was, but no regrets! Because Sam was such a fun character, and I'd love to explore some more of Star City with him. I hope we'll get further instalments.

Sidenote: I loved that some things just didn't translate. Sam is a lover of old Earth culture, at least what he's learned from TV, and his many ittle cultural misunderstandings were fun, i.e. the living room.

[Kynthos-the-Archer (Kyn) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 3.5 stars rounding up to 4 stars for all those funny moments.

It was kinda fun seeing the intriguing alien world through the sole narrator cum protagonist, Sam Beron aka Eron Burad of the Maradi species. The Maradis are space nomads who prefers living on board starship instead of being planetside. Sam is considered an outcast as he is clanless and loves staying planentside which was considered a taboo amongst his people. He just happen to be the odd one out that hates space flying.

There are plenty of funny moments with Sam's awkwardness in dealing with his surroundings and events. Makes one wonder if he has chosen the right career; he's currently a Locator, some sort of Private Investigator. Although to him it felt more than natural since he is an avid Earth detective TV series fanboy. So much so that he paid a small fortune to upgrade his translator implant just for the sake of watching these PI vids in its original language. Even his new moniker, Sam Beron after he was ousted by his own Maradi clan was inspired by these PI vids.

Truthfully I felt that apart from Sam's amusing antics and perviness he wasn't a compelling enough character to steer the story along. In other words he should shine or at least stand out more than the other side characters since he is supposed to be the protagonist of this story. Thing is, he felt more like a-not-so-important side character that lacks strong presence. I kept feeling that we could just lose him and go straight to the premise itself; the Borathians and their Bonds who serves them as pleasure slave and the conflict over slavery within the Verse and their own sacred rulings on the bonding process.

Unfortunately the main story was somewhat diluted due to placing too much focus on Sam and his surrounding. If this is a normal novel length story, such lengthy world-building are indeed golden. To be fair, I did find the world-building in this story delightful.

The story ended with a couple of unanswered questions such as why the Borathians place such importance on finding a slave to bond, why did they value their bonded slave so highly when it feels like they are not irreplaceable nor are they exclusive-fated-pairing with unbreakable bond. I also wish to learn more of those 'Energy-Exchange' between the Master Borathians and their bonded ones. The telepathy link between them is also an intriguing subject to explore further on.

Another part which I had hope to read more about was the interactions between the bonded slave and their master which was inadequate to appease my Master & Pet/Slave love appetite especially for a story that carries such a theme. Anyhoo, this is only a matter of personal preference.

I did enjoyed the part where Elia and his bonded Master, Raphael openly display their affection towards each other. It was a lovely sight to behold. Elia was like a sexy little kitten there seeking out some sweet attention from his master. *chuckles* I want to pet and cuddle him close too. Can't do the same with Liam cos he might scratch my eyes out.

Actually I couldn't quite figure out Liam the other Earth boy who was bonded to Zachariel another one of those all powerful Borathians. I didn't mean that he's uninteresting, it's just that he didn't get the chance to show more of himself as the story was short and time is limited.

While Raphael seems to be a decent and respectful master, Zachariel was quite the opposite which makes me wonder why on earth would Liam make that final decision when Sam asked him to choose. It just makes it harder to believe that... they are in love with each other. Maybe that's because we don't have their background story to fall back on hence making their romance questionable. I blame it on the weakness of short-stories which limits the time for proper elaborations to be made.

Overall, it was a fun story and one with much potential. I would definitely hope for a sequel or a prequel that focus on the Master & Pet/Slave; the bonding process, the conditioning techniques applied on the slaves and the tough loving the masters pours onto their slaves. *evil grin*.




FUN STUFF:
Get a glimpse of Sam Beron, Elia, Liam, Raphael, Zachariel and Star City over here at a Pinterest Board graciously compiled by the author.


_____________________________________
NOTE: This is an ARC extended to me by the author.








Previous Comment dated 24 Oct 2013
A feisty slave is calling to me. I hope he is naughty as hell. It makes punishing him all the more sweeter.


I like this cover too. It even looks great thumbnail size.

[Jyanx · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nicely developed short story. I liked how much I learned about the characters, and their world without a lot of forced information dumping, or stilted exposition. It felt like it flowed into the story naturally, and made me hungry to know more. I really liked Sam, and understood his moral quandary. I liked how he was introduced to Elia and the world of the bond mates, and I liked how things weren't quite as black and white as Sam expected. The mess of desire, repulsion, fear, and attraction was a heady mix, and I liked how his cousin's cryptic note played into his thoughts. It served not only to keep Sam more open minded, but kept me more opened minded as well.

I was not a big of fan of Liam. I thought what he did to Sam was a bit hateful especially considering he didn't know Sam at all. Normally I would have some sympathy for him, but when I found out his reasons my sympathy dried up, especially in the face of his attitude, and demands. The fact I didn't like Zachariel either helped since part of me figured that the two of them deserved each other. I was surprised by how much I liked Elia. Earlier I figured I would have liked Liam better, but Elia's surprising independence, and intelligence won my grudging respect. His actions at the end of the story were really heartwarming, and I was glad that he was there when Sam needed a friend. Considering the place Sam was in I was glad that this story was not a romance, and that the events and people seemed to help him grow as a person. It seemed like just the thing he needed to move forward.

I really hope this is only the beginning of something more. I'd love to know more about Sam's history with his former clan, and what happened to him that made him lose his family. I want to know more about his mysterious cousin Adon, and I'd really like to see him live and in person. What I saw of him through the other characters made me really respect him. I'd also like to see more of Elia and Raphael, and the unique bond they share. The bond that Liam and Zachariel share is supposed to be stronger, but I liked Raphael's respect for Elia better than the more stern, almost patronizing affection Zachariel has for Liam. I also want to see how Sam and Elia interact, and how that interaction will change both of them. Seriously, I will cry if I don’t ever get to know more. Big sloppy girl tears. Please, please tell me that there will be more.

Please.



Pretty please.



Pretty please with a cherry on top.

[Lilia Ford]

Since this is my book, I will not attempt a review. However, I did put together a board on Pinterest of fun images of Star City, my dream cast for the characters (very dreamy indeed), and assorted inspirational shots which I thought I'd point you to. Here's the link: http://www.pinterest.com/liliaford/bo...

Hope you enjoy.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

One gruff bounty hunter and a job he doesn't want.

Surprisingly amusing ride along with Sam as he narrates, showing you the highs and lows as a denizen of one of galaxy's pleasure spots. For a short story this packed a nice range of emotions into a tight package and gives a good smack as you exit.

Favorite quote:

And one of the things you learn is that you don’t go smashing stuff you can’t put back together if you’ve no clue what the results will be— and that includes opening fire on beliefs you disagree with.

[Steelwhisper]

Not rating this, because I couldn't get into this enough to finish it.

This story didn't work for me, and this may be entirely due me and not due the story. Somehow the narrative voice, which apparently aimed at being a SciFi version of Magnum or some like PI, and I never clicked. Not so much that I disliked it, more that I was bored. It also may be due the long stretch of exposition at the beginning (nearly 30% of the story) which never held my interest and left me, well, bored. I also seem to have entirely missed the humour other reviewers are referring to.

So, by the time the other characters surfaced I was too detached to empathise with them and all that pain and whipping became obnoxious and senseless.

I'm not saying it's badly written, just that it's not really my thing, in fact if anything it makes me want to try another book by the author, maybe a longer one with more room for worldbuilding.

[Vanessa North · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so fun, so funny, and very sexy too. I don't have time to write a full review, but I will say something about it reminded me very much of the cheesy science fiction shows I used to watch on TV as a kid, and something else about it reminded me of Douglas Adams, and then you take the camp and humor and add in some very sexy tension and some kink, and I am really hoping this is going to be a series because I want more more more. :)

Recommended for those who like their humor as sharp as it is campy. :)

[Mel]

A recommended read for in between. Well-written. Nice world building. Some super hot sex. A view on Earth and humans from a far away in space and time perspective. Witty.

[Sunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5
This story didn't go the way I anticipated and that may have contributed to some of my disappointment. It did work well as an introduction to an interesting world, but I was expecting a romance and a romance this wasn't.

What I liked:
Although a lot of information was given to us early on, it wasn't overwhelming, and it did a good job of showing us Sam's world. I liked learning about the Borathians and their bonds and I'd be interested in reading more about them.

What I didn't like:

I wish the blurb made it clear this was not a romance.

Sam, the narrator, did little to endear himself to me. At first, I thought he would be a fun, carefree spirit, but the more I got to know him, the more I disliked him. He wasn't as bad as Liam, though, for whom I felt nothing but contempt. I didn't understand Liam or his ultimatum. If he wanted to go back, why put conditions on it? It didn't make sense. And that last scene with Liam? I was lost. What was the point for Liam? I did like Zachariel, but I didn't understand his desire for his bond.

My favorite part? Elia and Raphael. All my love went to those two, who were supposed to be secondary characters but ended up stealing the show for me. I would be very interested in their story.

Side notes:
In the beginning, when I still liked Sam, I totally pouted when the tentacle sex happened off page.

I loved the Pinterest page created for this book.

[Eric Westfall · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know how on television crime shows, when a crook testifies for the prosecution, it's the defense lawyer who does the bit about "Ah ha! They cut you a deal to get you to testify! Why should we believe anything you say?" In the real world, it's the prosecutor who discloses the potential bias of his witness to the jury.

So...hey, jurors! It's Eric-the-possibly-biased-reviewer here. I did a bit of beta reading for Lilia on this one, and based on the few bits of beta (fun!!) reading I've done for a couple of authors I have this feeling that if the author added a comma or deleted a dash on my recommendation, hey! that's partially my book. >g<

So it came out yesterday (16 October), I bought it yesterday, re-read it yesterday, and...yep, I was right!

You're in a for a fun ride, and if you like that sort of thing (and who doesn't except women who read Playgirl for the articles and the ditto men for Playboy), some really hot sex.

Lilia has created a fascinating future, interesting aliens, an intriguing interstellar culture, and a humorous narrator who is borderline obsessive about the greatest Earthian televsion shows of the past: Magnum, P.I. and Simon & Simon. An excellent plot with an unusual type of relationship between certain alien men and certain human men.

More than worth the USD .99.

Eric-who-knows-these-things

[Crispy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A weirdly engrossing smash up of private eye, comedy, space opera and D/s brat-fic. Bemused, @@ but, yes, I would look forward to reading more from this author.

[Elizabetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Our protagonist, Sam Beron, is a morally challenged kinda guy who lives paycheck to paycheck, has no close friends, has been ejected from his clan, and seems to have no real goal in life but to screw his brains out with anything on two legs. So, a colorful character…


Sam Beron (photo from the author's Pinterest)

... and his obsession (besides the frequent alien sex) with old TV shows featuring private investigators (think Simon and Simon and Magnum, PI) adds some levity to the mix. Perhaps this interest is because he is a Locator, future speak for PI. When we meet Sam, he’s on his last dime and has finally netted a much-needed job. But he must stoop to the unthinkable— he’s hired to find and return a runaway human bond-slave, Liam, to his Borathian Master.

It’s complicated because Sam’s ex-clan, the Maradi, are morally opposed to slavery of any type, and it is prohibited in this section of the universe; so his taking this job puts Sam in an ethical and political dilemma. Especially when he finds Liam and has a visceral, carnal response to him.


Bad boy Liam (photo from the author's Pinterest)

“Earth boys got my cylinders firing, but Liam… just sitting there, he radiated energy and sex and hostility.”

This is an alt uni/sci-fi adventure and the first few chapters are a data dump setting up Sam in this interesting and complex world. It’s a slow start, a bit soapy, and I got a bit bogged down with some of the jargon. But it’s the issue of slavery and how it is regarded in this ’verse that is really interesting, and especially the telepathic bonding between the alien race, the Borathians, and their human slaves. That, I want more of.

This short story feels like a chapter in a longer work. It has a great crescendo to a very hot punishment scene when Liam is returned to his bond Master and Sam is allowed to participate. It’s all about getting to this scene, everything builds up to it, and the author shows she can write some passionate and steamy BDSM. And portray a Master/slave bond that is about more than power and sex.

“I was seeing the Borathian-human bond made visible. It was more than emotional or telepathic— it was physiological.”

But, I want to know more about Sam. His PI skills aren’t really stretched here as the job is quick and easy for him. He is at times engaging, but he’s not a completely sympa MC. A diamond in the rough… and I want to know more about that split from his clan… Just when we start to see more depth— the effect that the punishment scene has on Sam, and how it reveals something of how he sees himself— the story ends, and I’m left wanting more of that insight.

The ending is a kind of HFN and I’m hoping that this is the beginning of (or part of) a longer work and that, somehow, Sam will get a little bond-mate of his own. I’d definitely line up for that.

For this review, give-aways, author interviews, and much more:

[Yblees · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this, so will say up front that I can't give it a higher rating purely because it feels too much like a part of somthing longer, rather than a stand alone short story. (Same as I felt for KA Merikan's Playing With Food)

Sam's stream of consciousness narration is immediately gripping, and had me laughing out loud multiple times. For such a short story, the background world building was beautifully, subtly detailed, without being too weighty - always a risk with the sci-fi genre.

Now, if we could only get some more Elia/Raphael back story. I love Elia. There should be an Elia fan club!
I bet Sam's own past with his cousin Adon would be pretty spectacular too. And while I think Liam is an absolute prick, his story would have the most fireworks of them all!

Minor gripe. When I looked for this, it was Kindle format only. Urgh! Bit of a hassle to have to get the file converted for my android reader so the tts app could read it out to me. This is how I "read" most books these days, leaving my hands free for craft stuff. And needless to say, Kindle does not support tts.
Wish I could have bought it in epub format directly.

[Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this short story. Hard-boiled detective, hot alien species, sexy little human slaves, consuming sci-fi world building ... this hits all my buttons.

My only problem? I want more! Would love to read more about the Borathians and their bonds as well as Sam's journey.

[Beth doesn't write enough reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing! Seriously, the world building is so interesting! I loved the characters, Sam being my favorite.

I would add more stars if I wasn’t left feeling so unfulfilled. This is far too short. But, what was packed in here is interesting, thought provoking and steamy fucking hot!

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want more. This was just a taste with so much behind the scenes and not quite explained but hinted at--as was right--but I'm ready now for the rest which kind of shocks me since I really dislike TPE and hardcore D/S relationships.

I really liked the narration, the breaking of the fourth wall kind of way of speaking. There was a lot of telling but I have to admit, it was told in such a conversational and interesting way that it took me a while to notice. The world building was interesting and I would definitely read something else set in this universe.

This story actually made me think which I wasn't expecting. I don't know the morality of the situation with the bonds. The conditioning, the laws, they all lend credence to the belief that they truly are slaves, but when they are given the option and desperately want that life, does it matter? When their owner appears to almost worship them? The conditioning has already happened, it can't be undone. The person is already happy as far as we can tell and wants that life, no second guessing. So whether it was wrong to begin with, I'm not sure whether it's wrong now--in this context.

This was unusual in that although it was a romance, it wasn't a romance involving the MC. Actually, the MC is hurt greatly by the events as he comes to realize how lonely his life is.

The story was quite good for what it was. 4.5 stars rounded down because of some tired and ridiculous gimmicks like the MC being into late 20th century TV.

[Reflection · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I might need to be in a deep dark place to read The Slave Catcher, and I couldn't have been more wrong. It was fantastic and I have a pain in my cheeks from grinning so widely.

The Slave Catcher is narrated by delightfully rambunctious rogue and anti-hero Sam Beron who weaves his story filled with social commentary and razor sharp self awareness as he recalls placing himself on the horns of a dilemma (finding slavery to be morally repugnant whilst being well compensated to track a runaway human). Sam encounters Borathians an alien species with the ability to read thoughts leading to laugh out loud socially embarrassing moments which Sam describes with refreshing candour.

Unusually, this is not a love story (at least not for Sam) but reveals a zest for life and a yearning for connection, as well as a hedonistic appreciation of attraction and scorching hot love scenes. Sam Beron has a skewed outlook on life in the 'Verse and paints a vivid celebration of life and love in all its diversity.

I was expecting a darker read and instead was pulled into an unexpected mashup of sci-fi,skewed cultural commentary, hot sex scenes and clever banter that manages to both poignant, hilarious and thought provoking.
My only complaint is it is too short...I want more, so much more....c

[J.T. Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed science fiction ever since I was young. So it’s always a treat to me to find mm romance with a science fiction world and subplot. I enjoyed this novella, enough that I hope to see Ford return to this world with more stories in the future.

The beginning takes a little to establish the world, which some readers found hard to get into. But for those who have read a lot of science fiction, I actually thought Ford did a good job setting up the world and the different races coming together there with their different beliefs and practices. Sam Beron is sort of set up as a kind of Sam Spade in the tradition of the old film noir detective stories. While his people abhor the idea of slavery, he finds himself having to hunt for one for what he considers the most dangerous race, the Borothians.

The slaves and the bonds with their masters was brilliantly rendered, and every character seem well-rounded, which is hard to do in shorter fiction. The end scene was hot and I loved all the sexual tension throughout the story. For fans of both mm romance and science fiction, I recommend this book.

[Ilona Fenton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this one up purely and simply because it was a Science Fiction m/m with a lovely cover picture and I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of world building the author managed to get into this short story. I loved the characters and the mangled naming of stuff that was so believable and apt. I most especially loved the twist on the idea of slavery that the author manages to produce. I hope that the author intends to write more stories from this world of hers - I would love to read more about the bonded pairs.

[Pjm12 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very funny, very clever, and a little bit sad really.

The world building is elaborate, so much for such a short story. Is there more of this 'Verse to come? I hope so.

Private Locator, Sam Beron is a heart-breaker. Not that he would be happy to be called that. He's so lonely, I just want to hug him.

Fast paced and detailed

[Adrienne -kocham czytać- · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, clever world-building, funny misnomers for "Earthish" things, and great characters, but the story lacked a little something and left me wanting at the end. I want a sequel or something where there's more of a happy ending rather than just a maybe happy future.

[Aimee ~is busy sleeping~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. This was a guilty pleasure read for me, since it is some light fluff. Plus it has some of my favorite themes, soul-mates and bondings. This isn't a romance, just FYI, but I liked seeing the relationships among the side characters. I enjoyed the carefree MC, all the little references to Earth, and learning about the different species. I would have liked a bit more descriptions on what the MC looked like though. Anyways, a nice and very short read that succeeded in making me want more.

I am really, really, hoping there will be a sequel, and that we will be seeing more of Elia and Raphael.
I'm rating this purely on enjoyment level, so bumping up 3.5 to 4 stars.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

LGBT fantasy group PIFM book Aug 14

This story was frustrating. The world building is done via info dump in the first chapter which happens years before the story itself starts. There were some great concepts and well drawn characters but the story just wasn't given the chance to evolve to what I felt could be its full potential. There were some great moments and some fun ideas.. I loved Sam's old Earth fasination and the fact he kept getting words almost right but it wasn't really enough to carry the story

[Alishea · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had much potential for either good erotica or good character and story with some erotic content, but it fell short in both respects.

I'd be more than willing to read an expanded version to see if either or both areas are improved on.

[Anna Goerlitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was brilliant. Not a romance as such. But so much fun, great world building, great characters and so much pushed into so few pages. I was left wanting more!

4-4.5 stars. I would definetely read a full length novel about this world and these characters.

[Elci · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5*
It was humorous, but at the end of the day all the characters annoyed me except Liam.

[Wolve · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the rare books I've been heavily emotionally involved with. Great stuff.