DNF @ 42%
It's literally painful to put this book aside, the first 3 of the series being some of my favorite books of the genre. But this installment has all the problematic parts of those 3 and almost none of the endearing qualities.
There's still the listing of emotions that the FMC can "see" on the MMC's face/in his body language. I was able to ignore that previously. It's just accentuated here for some reason. Maybe because the plot isn't distracting me as much.
Here we have a great character: Ghost. He's our Bad Guy from earlier in the series, but we learn he's a slave controlled by a collar. Abandoned here for 50 years with his mission to collect the Shevari, he's lonely, touch starved and depressed. His mission is distasteful but he's powerless to stop it. He's a clueless, awkward, little, furry virgin and I'm here for it. And that's where my joy ends.
The first thing that bugs me is he has no idea what she is and has never seen anything like her. Really? You cannot tell me that he's never seen Lily. I thought he was the one who attacked her in book 3, but I was mistaken. Still, Lily was pretty prominent in the fight against him. You're telling me he never saw the strange, pink, short, furless female running around in clothes? Especially in contrast to all the 7+ foot, nekkid, white and black striped people?!
And then the romance was just chucked out the window. He gets aroused, she gets aroused and then he loses control and lunges for her, tackling her down to lick her...through her suit? I'm confused. Then he runs away, appalled at his behavior. She is so keyed up that she, in a strange, dark cave filled with wild attack beasts, masturbates. He comes back, gets horny again, she gets horny, then he runs away and she masturbates again. Like, within 10 minutes of last time.
It's possible they're some sort of fated mates, but I'm just pulled out of the story by the lack of romance and her lack of self-control.
TL;DR - I wasn't feeling it.