A king without an heir must be in want of a queen.
Baris has sacrificed his health to bring peace to the kingdom. He has always put the needs of the crown above his own, even entering into a loveless marriage for a political alliance. He bore it all with stoic dignity.
Now the queen is dead and he must select a new queen. Someone who brings wealth or influence. Someone with the approval of the council.
So why can’t he stop thinking of the human doctor with the fine eyes?
He rescued her when a portal dumped her on a wild moon and he may have made some unflattering remarks about her person.
He needs to correct this mistake. He offers her a position at the palace as a medic, fully intending to win her affections.
The council won’t approve. Lenore barely tolerates him but his heart is most ardent and will not be denied.
First impressions matter.
And King Baris? The worst.
He’s beautiful and powerful, sure, and he also has an enormous… ego.
Lenore overhears what he really thinks of her-- not flattering, by the way-- and isn’t going to stick around to be insulted.
So why then does she accept his job offer? Must be the alien gravity playing tricks on her.
You don’t get a second chance at a first impression.
Shadow Mark is a slow burn, royal romance with Pride and Prejudice vibes between and alien king and a stubborn human doctor, and a Happily Ever After. No cheating. While Shadow Mark can be read on it's own, it is the sequel to Splintered Shadow, so why not read both?
Nancey writes fun, fast and flirty scifi romances featuring feisty heroines and out-of-this-world heros. Nancey lives in an old house with her husband and two cats who have complaints with management. When she’s not writing, she enjoys video games, horror movies and anything involving time travel.
This series really is doing it for me. Cumming’s “Monsters of the Nexus” series felt a little more serious than this one, and was good too, but these fantasy alien far hybrids are adorable. I love the cultural blunders and humor.
“You didn’t let go,” Lenore said, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Never.”
“He could spend hours, days, years, dedicated to the task of memorizing her luscious form”
Pride and Prejudice meets love between a physician and an alien King
Really unique, action packed, fun, and intriguing story line/alien love story about Lenore, a human physician who is swept into a space vortex ending up on an alien planet. After weeks alone, struggling to survive, she is found by Sarah, a human who who was also previously transported to the planet. Sarah fell in love with Prince Vekele and is now on a mission to find the other transported humans and try to find a way to send them home. With them is King Baris, Vekele’s brother who is just back from burying his wife from an arranged marriage. Her family, previously tortured Baris and tried to kill him again at her funeral and he has little reason to trust. Neither does Lenore who was not only cheated on by her ex Brad, but Brad was also present at the hospital when the vortex occurred and did nothing to save Lenore from being sucked in.
Lenore is a wonderfully, strong and capable woman, who has a bit of a stern side but deeply cares for the fellow humans and agrees to take Lydia’s offer to be their physician while the technology is being developed to send them home. Baris and Lenore of course know each other, but two years later, only the night before Lenore and the other humans are set to leave, do they give into basic mutual need and loneliness to comfort each other with an extremely steamy encounter. When Lenore’s hope to return to Earth is dashed, Baris turns into Mr. Darcy and really puts his foot in it when proposing. What happens next would be telling and you must experience all the immensely satisfying moments for yourself! I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
Both the MCs are over 35 in this so I was already won over! They’re sensible and take their duties seriously, having a life outside of their relationship. Absolutely loved the FMC Lenore’s POV - after reading so many romance novels, FMCs start to blend together after a point. This one stood out for having a unique voice. She was capable, practical and knew when to call herself out on her own BS.
Baris , the MMC, is less fleshed out and is essentially a stand-in for an alien Mr Darcy (I didn’t mind though. This book is very upfront about being a Pride and Prejudice retelling, and the author clearly had fun with it).
The world building was great. However, as Lenore doesn’t venture outside of the palace (or the occasional spaceship) much, the reader is also left wondering what everyday life in the kingdom is like. It would have also been really nice to see her in action as a human doctor treating alien patients, as becoming a student again and learning about a whole new species was a key part of her character arc (the only “patient” we see her tend to on page in any detail is Baris, and he already has a personal physician).
Two reasons why this wasn’t a five star read for me:
1. The steam felt like it was shoved in there for the sake of it. I skimmed through those chapters. I didn’t like that they had an ONS in the first hundred pages either, it broke the slow-burn magic. I think this story would have been more compelling if it was closed door, with heightened romantic tension.
2. At about the 75% mark, the story starts to meander. There’s a whole “The Prince & Me” type of subplot introduced, where Lenore the commoner has to learn palace etiquette and whatnot. There were also a couple of other subplots that didn’t find satisfactory resolution.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will be reading more by this author!
I read this book as a stand-alone and didn’t have any trouble following the plot. In fact, I think I’ll be skipping the previous book (Splintered Shadows) because the lead couple didn’t come across as very interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
4.25 stars. Lenore, the female human lead, has been working hard to complete her residency after her ex-husband failed to support her after she supported him through his. They still share a workplace and, as he hassles her about his pets, a portal opens and sucks her through. Stranded in a jungle with no support, Lenore survives.
Baris, the male alien lead, is king of his people and present for the funeral of his wife, married for political reasons and who betrayed him for the same political reasons and died. When her family attempts to kill him again, he loses patience and reacts. Needing a time out, he goes with his brother and his brother’s human mate (Splintered Shadow) looking for other stranded humans. When they find Lenore, he is alternately disgusted and intrigued…
Lenore and Baris have no reason to be interested in each other. They certainly don’t have much in common, but they keep finding themselves in each other’s space. Then Baris proposes marriage…
This story is dual POV, well written, and a clever, sci fi romance. I appreciated the way the author handled Baris’ disability and illness. I enjoyed that both characters were quite brusque and that they both had to learn to deal with that. I appreciated that Lenore didn’t let Baris’ interest turn her away from her studies and re-licensing process. I empathised with Baris’ pain. I enjoyed the individual and relationship development. I chuckled at the characters and some of their awkward moments, flinched in sympathy at others, and really felt the pain of different emotional moments. This story stood alone from the first but was enhanced by having read it, I believe.
I received a complimentary copy from the author and this is my voluntary honest review.
Wow what a great book this was and the wild ride you go on is amazing, I loved the main characters and there struggles they go through to get what the both want and it’s love. Lenore is a human female and Doctor who is having trouble with her Ex when he approaches her asking about something with his new girlfriend and she goes off then suddenly a portal opens up sucking her in and to save himself he lets her go and now she been dumped on an alien planet and after sometime she is saved by Prince Vekele and his wife Sarah who is human. They tell her that there a plenty more humans showing up and they try to save them all then she is offered a job as the doctor to look after the other humans in their care and she agrees. King Baris has just killed his mate after her family tried to assassinate him and so they where all put to death but now his Karu is dying and he is getting very sick and can only take another mate when it dies and then he meets Lenore who captivates his soul and the longer they talk the closer they get when she tells him she wants to learn how to treat everyone so he gets her the chance to train under his medic Harol who is not pleased that he has to train a human but soon he realizes she is very smart and talented. Baris is physically drawn to Lenore and wants her to be his Queen but she tells him no and with the council pushing him to take one of the females they have chosen for him. What happens when Lenore is chosen by an old Karu who drives her crazy and his Karu mate has chosen King Baris as well. There is so much more to this amazing book that will keep the reader glued to the pages.
Loved Baris and Lenore! Lenore is a doctor who got pulled through a portal and ended up on an alien world. She has no experience with roughing it and absolutely nothing useful with her, unless you can think of a good use for a stethoscope in the wild. She gets rescued after several months by another human woman and several aliens and ends up traveling with Sarah and her Prince Vekele on their spacecraft as they travel to rescue other portal victims.
Baris has just lost his queen, not that he will miss her, and taken his revenge on her villainous family. He is spending money he can't afford trying to build a portal to get the humans back to their planet. On her last night before the humans are to portal home, Baris and Lenore hook up for a night of passion. When the portal malfunctions as Lenore is nearing her turn, Baris jumps in to save her. Now, she is stuck in his kingdom and he finds himself happy to have her there. But no matter how he feels about her, she is still an alien with nothing to offer as a queen. For some reason, he doesn't care.
Lots more to the story. Baris has some problems he needs to hide from everyone but his personal physician. There is plenty of drama, so don't miss out. I was given an advanced copy of this book by the author. My review is voluntary.
“You didn’t let go,” Lenore said, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Never.”
🖤🖤🖤😍😍😍🖤🖤🖤
Lenore, a dedicated human resident, finds herself whisked away to a jungle after a portal mishap, while Baris, the alien king mourning his traitorous deceased wife, unexpectedly crosses paths with Lenore. Despite their contrasting backgrounds and initial disinterest, their lives intertwine in unexpected ways, leading to a surprising proposal that changes everything.
This dual POV narrative weaves a captivating sci-fi romance, highlighting Baris' struggles with his disability and illness with sensitivity. The characters' brusque personas add depth to their dynamic, as they navigate personal growth while balancing their evolving relationship. Lenore's unwavering commitment to her goals and Baris' emotional turmoil create a compelling backdrop for their journey towards understanding and connection.
Cummings skillfully captures a mix of humor, empathy, and poignant moments, engaging readers in the characters' awkward yet endearing interactions. As Lenore and Baris confront challenges and learn to navigate their differences, the story unfolds with emotional depth and individual growth, resonating with heartfelt realism and relatable struggles.
I’m conflicted. I liked the book when I started but then it became ridiculously obvious that it was Pride and Prejudice as science fiction. I understand being inspired by other authors and creating something from that but it was too similar to the point that it felt plagiarized. Point and case “Such a union flies against the will of the council and even my own better judgment. You have no contacts. No influence. No wealth, I cannot even claim I am dazzled by your beauty, though you are pleasing enough(…)” “(…) you deign to marry me, which goes against the advice of your political advisers and even your better judgment (…)”
The scene, the pacing of the mmc before the declaration, it just was too much of a copy of Jane Austen’s work.
Read the epub version--not currently listed on GoodReads.
4.5 stars
The second volume in the Shattered Galaxies series is as much fun as the first. I was really happy to see that king who had such a bad time in volume 1, finally got his hea. I also love a Pride and Prejudice retelling.
I've classed this as an 'alien abduction' although the heroine is actually abducted by a wormhole created by some earth-wide cellphone glitch. It's an inventive way to set up the story, but the it has some holes. It took me a little while to get past the questionable math, but once I did, it was a total page turner.
Sometimes you have to do things in order. I saw Shadow Mark first, and almost didn't get it because I realized that it was a 'second' book. I had to grab Splintered Shadow and read it first. I am glad I did. I liked Splintered Shadow, but I loved Shadow Mark; I am pretty sure I wouldn't have loved it the way I do if I had not read Splintered Shadow, first. Baris and Lenore were a great couple and this is an amazing read! But, make sure you read Splintered Shadow first to get the needed world information to build that connection with these characters. You will not regret it!
This was a fun, unique and action packed romance for Lenore and King Baris. These two are both rather blunt and it takes them a while to learn how to deal with each other. The author told this story with dual POVs, which I love, and let the relationship between these two strong characters grow gradually, making it feel realistic. There were a lot of challenges that they had to overcome, to the point I worried they wouldn't overcome them, before they found their way to a steamy HEA. This is an engaging and well written story, with humour and snark, and I can't wait for the next :D
I titled my review to describe Lenore, the MFC who I absolutely adored from the beginning. She did not bite her tongue and was confident and assured. She barely respected King Baris and gave him the sharp edge of her tongue regardless of who he was. And he adored her for it, her witty comebacks were something he wasn’t really used to. I loved how their relationship grew and everything worked out for them. My favorite part was the introduction of Trouble and Little Miss! What a way to start a HEA.
I’m so glad Baris got his own story! This character driven drama is full of romance and heart. I became invested in this story and quite frankly had a hard time putting it down. Baris was that tortured hero who was dealing with such loss in his life. I loved the description of the espionage of court life. Book two will have you wanting more and I expect this series will have you at the edge of your seat. Download and enjoy ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I was glad I allotted a day to read this because I would lose much sleep if I began reading it at night. The MCs were not perfect: the FMC was too brash, but she had her charms and She grows on you. The King is much the same. (well, he is the King, after all). So many hurdles were thrown in their path that I even doubted they would end up together. But things worked themselves out in the end. I am glad.
I liked this, but about 20% in I felt like I was missing something and looked this book up to realize its part of a "Season Two" set of books, which Amazon didn't tell me when I first downloaded it. I read this one because I wanted to read Damaged Goods but wanted a better grasp on the world building before reading Book Two - so much for that. I will probably read Damaged Goods, but I won't go back to read all the season one books.
This story was a riot. Baris and Lenore were hilarious as they meet and interact. A fun story were a snarky human doctor and an alien King kind of fall for each other despite themselves. It made me laugh and groan with its humor, intrigue and challenges. Great characters and some trouble abounds. Just an easy fun story to get lost and enjoy.
A new series that starts with Baris (the king) and Lenore (the human doctor) whose first impression was not good. Expect snark, banter, intrigue, steam and twists.
An easy and enjoyable read.
I was given a free copy of this book and I'm voluntarily leaving an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Love when a couple can joke, play and love each other. It makes the story feel more real and contacts me to the character. Baris and Lenore were made for each other. They both made the other better. They also didn’t hold their flaws against them. Narration was good and helped bring the story to life even more.
This story takes a lot of inspiration from Pride and Prejudice while still being its own unique love story. I love a friendship that develops into love after a bungled marriage proposal. These characters had such good banter. Extra points for creating a really compelling connection between characters over 35 who both have failed marriages.
Loved it! There are so many things working against Baris and Lenore that need to be overcome, both from themselves and others. Their chemistry can't be denied. This has a lot of components I loved and made for a great read. *I voluntarily read an Arc for my honest opinion.*
This book had a tight, exciting plot, great atmospheric world building, and charmingly sarcastic characters. The romance was a bit of a slow burn, but nothing too egregious. The best part was how many times I cracked up laughing! A super fun read.
Mon deuxième DNF de l'année 😭 Malheureusement, je n'ai pas du tout accroché à l'univers et je n'ai pas ressenti de connexion avec les personnages. Je n'ai pas trouvé la romance que j'attendais. J'ai jeté l'éponge après avoir lu la moitié du livres.
A mesmerizing sci-fi romance.. I loved it very much. Steamy/sweet and sassy, court intrigue and lasting love.. Love the karu/symbiote aspect in this series!