Single Stroke: A Thrillingly Dark Alien Romance

by Holly Bargo

Kidnapped and left for dead by the Sivuul, Louella Jefferson defies the odds by surviving her horrific fate. Her chance for escape presents itself when the Sivuul come under attack, but a rescue mission thwarts her hasty plans.

General Superior Yas'kihn of Ahn'hudin cannot believe his luck. He has rescued the lost human bride and is convinced she's his perfect match. However, Louella is far from submissive; she's fierce, brave, and unafraid to challenge him.

Louella has battled relentlessly for everything she has. Adjusting to a culture that coddles its women—offering privileges, not rights—goes against her independent nature.

Bound by his high status, Yas'kihn faces societal pressures regarding his new union, and he's committed to not letting his people down.

Someone must compromise. A lot.

Genres: Monsters, Romance

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 15, 2023

About the author

I've been writing stories since I was old enough to put pencil to paper. My mother raised me on books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Carol Ryrie Brink, Elizabeth George Speare, Marguerite Henry, and Walter Farley. Wilder and Farley are probably contributing factors to my decades-long love affair with horses, particularly Morgans.

Horses comprise a significant part of my life. We didn't live on a farm and my parents didn't like horses, but that didn't stop me. I bought my first horse weeks before my 15th birthday with money earned from working at the family's ice cream parlor. Having passed 50 years old, I still have horses, two of which are Morgans.

In my early teens I started reading romance and fantasy: Danielle Steel, Barbara Cartland, Jude Devereaux, Jayne Anne Krentz, David Eddings, Robin McKinley, R. A. Salvatore, Jack Chalker, Orson Scott Card. Years later, I quit devouring everything the library had to offer and started narrowing my choices. I wrote for the high school newspaper and got a few encouraging nibbles on short stories submitted to magazines.

In college I majored in English, because literature is my "thing." Except, I didn't want to read the musty old stuff written by long dead men; I wanted to write and be read.

Fast forward to now, after 30 years of marriage, two children (one in college and the other serving in the military), I never lost that habit of writing, regardless of how little encouragement--or even active discouragement--I received.

So, now I write romance and paranormal romance. I enjoy writing it and hope you enjoy reading it.

Reviews

[Lalilalalu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whew boy. The casual racism and stereotypes really ruin it

The sci-fi and world building and characters overall could have made this book five stars. The stereotypes, racist tropes, dog whistles and misinformation the author has the POC character spout really should have knocked off 4 stars. I'm going to assume because this is my first book by this author (and most likely my last) that they came from a place of ignorance, arrogance and stupidity and not pure hatred and only take three stars off the review.

[Michelle L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had potential

The heroine ,Louella, was annoying. Constantly trying to impose her culture without considering the insult to her new adopted home was tiresome. Her continued complaints about everything were like a petulant child.
I'll try one more book in the series before moving on.

[trista · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved MFC being a black woman

Loved the FMC being a black woman there needs to be more! I hated how the “ghetto “ and how it is believed that poor people make and keep themselves in poverty! Knowing with black communities it is that way solely from racism!!! Black people in the “ghetto” pays taxes there but their tax dollars go to more affluent neighborhoods!! I hate how the FMC wants everything to be about her and she doesn’t even try to understand or compromise with her mate! I hate the name she gave him it sounds so stupid! Also the feminist thing is way off base!

[Denise Novak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Crushing on this enemies to lovers novel

This is the first book I’ve read by Ms Bargo. There are three novels in the series, Triune Alliance Brides. The story line is not new, enemies to lovers, but the author puts a little different spin on the story. Louella has escaped from the creepy Sivuul (insectoid creatures, think sentient grasshoppers -ick!) . She is hiding in the ship trying to figure out a way to escape the ship. Enter General Superior Yas’Kihn Mek Kuresh’ Zha, from the planet Ahn’hudi. (Okay, there needs to be a pronunciation guide for names and places) He is there to rescue all the women on the Sivuul ship. He sees Louella and decides she is his fated mate. Well, Louella is a strong, independent woman and will have none of this. And so begins the push and pull of these two.
Ms Bargo has done a great job of world building. The ship was very real as were the planets. I loved the characters in this book. The author creates characters that are so believable you feel like you know them. And there is plenty of romance and spicy love scenes. Fan your face because these scenes are blazing hot!
Louella is quite the character, very feisty and direct. Jax (the nickname Louella gives to General Superior Yas’Kihn) is very stiff and has a one-track mind, make Louella his!
I had a hard time putting down this book. It’s a great story and has a couple of interesting subplots running through the story.
I loved this book and you will too.

[Michelle Edmonds · Rating 2 out of 5]

The books wasn’t bad but had potential to be better if the author wasn’t so keen on showing her racial bias and stereotypes rooted in racism. Like going into the whole “welfare queen”, “crackhead Tyrone” and her mother not knowing who fathered all her kids. That didn’t help the story what so ever and could have just simply said “she had a rough up bringing and experience poverty so that is why she fought to make something of herself” SIMPLE RIGHT?!?!. Then she’s a nurse and questioned why everyone was telling her she was pregnant, when a nurse with access to healers didn’t just check?!?! and then questioned why she wasn’t having a period like she just wasn’t malnourished for months 😒. With her brother we get one mention of him when she spoke about how smart he was and got locked up. I feel like that could have been her connection to speaking about the past in a better light. Like speak on how close they were and moments between them that made her choose the path she wanted. Then that would have made sense that she would want her brother to come to that planet . But no her mother having a whole bunch of baby daddies was the catalyst. 🙄🙄

[Simonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would have been better had the author not voiced her stereotypical opinions on welfare being a Black/Latino thing. White women are majority who receive it btw.
“Lazy”… right, outside of the racial drivel the book was decent.

I hope the authors sticks to her alien books and not racial issues she clearly doesn’t understand.

[Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I love a good alien romance. This one was good. A little short and the ending was abrupt. The MFC kept gripping about compromise, but the MMC was doing all the compromising. That’s the entire book.

[Patricia Kivi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had potential. I liked the world building, but it was difficult to get past the stereotypes. Arabs from the Middle East don’t come to the US to put in place Sharia law. They follow the laws just like in any community in the US.

[Pretzel Biscuit · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[DemetraP · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. The hero has two sets of genitals.