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The Harvest #1
Taken
We are not alone. In the year 2050 mankind’s never-ending quest for proof life exists in the universe is answered—in the form of massive space ships that appear without warning above the capitals of all major nations. The name of their planet is Tah’Nar—and is dying. The United States sets up a lottery system, and each young man between the ages of twenty-three and twenty-eight is assigned a number. Once a year, for the next five years, numbers will be drawn and a new set of one thousand males will be collected. The media coined the expression ‘The Harvest’ for when the Tah’Narian’s collect these young men.
Captain Keyno Landium Shou is a Tah’Narian starship captain who has been granted the right to take a mate, any mate, he wants during the last harvest on Earth. Dale was seventeen when the aliens first appeared. His parents assumed he’d be safe since the final collection would be done before he turned twenty-three. He didn’t fall within the guidelines established, so they took for granted he had nothing to fear.
They were wrong.
Captain Keyno Landium Shou is a Tah’Narian starship captain who has been granted the right to take a mate, any mate, he wants during the last harvest on Earth. Dale was seventeen when the aliens first appeared. His parents assumed he’d be safe since the final collection would be done before he turned twenty-three. He didn’t fall within the guidelines established, so they took for granted he had nothing to fear.
They were wrong.
195 pages, ebook
First published October 30, 2013
225 people are currently reading
1469 people want to read
About the author
M.A. Church
61 books678 followers M.A. Church is a true Southern belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now she spends her days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off planets, herding her numerous shifters, or trying to tempt her country boys away from their fishing poles. It’s a full time job, but hey, someone’s gotta do it!
When not writing, she’s on the back porch tending to the demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very outspoken. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and they have two grown children.
Member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
My Facebook: MA churh http://www.facebook.com/pages/MA-Chur...
When not writing, she’s on the back porch tending to the demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very outspoken. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and they have two grown children.
Member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
My Facebook: MA churh http://www.facebook.com/pages/MA-Chur...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
April 21, 2014
This could be a bit long winded, so the CliffsNotes version is:
extremely
romantic; not AT ALL dub-con; two dimensional characters who behave disingenuously; affected language/dialogue that I've heard in movies, comedy specials or read before; harvesting premise doesn't hold water; some sexy moments especially involving the tail and knotting; prosaic writing; unsatisfying ending.
Hypothetical situation: say you're a hot, young twenty something guy, you get abducted by aliens who perform a surgical procedure on you without your consent and inject you with their DNA which will modify your internal organs so you can bear their young among other things and you can never go home again. What's your reaction? If it's something in the neighborhood of 'make lemonade out of lemons', this book is for you. STOP READING HERE. If your response is something along the lines of 'WTF?!?!', then we have much to discuss.
Dale does put up a token fight, but its pitiful and short lived. I was so flabbergasted by this whole situation and his response to it. I mean, a couple days after his abduction he's rushing off to console and comfort another abductee who's having trouble with being abducted by aliens? And you're going to "help" him? What? I thought you were fussy about being abducted and pretty much forced to have some young'uns? I get the whole 'resistance is futile', but these aliens are wimps. Seriously. Keyno is the moodiest freak show of a character since 'Christian Grey'. If Dale says something even remotely passive aggressive Keyno's does some weird alien/cat whine/whimper thing that hits Dale right in the feels and he's immediately apologizing. Again, WHAT?!?! I swear, I think that alien DNA kickstarted a PPD (Pliant Personality Disorder-not a real disorder) in Dale. About a week into his stay on the ship he becomes a whiny, needy, clueless and insecure wife/husband/mate/chosen who is in constant need of his man's protection??? I'm not going to say it again, but I'm thinking it.
I'm really trying not to hold the whole MPREG thing against the author since I'm the idiot who saw dub-con, flailed and requested this book. Lesson learned. Nevertheless, I chose this book and it's not the author's fault that this idiot reviewer skimmed the blurb. Thankfully, Dale avoids getting knocked up in this one. However, the relationship between Dale and Keyno is M/F masquerading as M/M even if you subtract the MPREG. The entire story arc and relationship development is M/F from the crazy possessive alpha-hole male who carries around his wo/man, has weird mood swings and wants the little wo/man at home barefoot and pregnant. Dale occupies all his time lunching with his friends, looking at plants, magically solving everyone's problems with his accidental bluntness, which everyone finds charming and making sure he's home by the time his man gets off work. Frankly, if I wanted to read M/F I'd read M/F, but this type of story arc is precisely what annoys me so much about M/F. What is so appealing about taking two people who are so hot for each other that they're swinging from the chandeliers 99% of the time to having them get hitched and within a blink s/he's knocked up effectively ending the smokin' hot monkey sex they were having? Does not compute.
However, we should consider sending Dale to the Middle East. He could have that mess sorted out within a few minutes. Every single situation is handled dismissively, some of which are serious, life altering events and deserving of at least a modicum of gravity. Would that international relations were as easy as inviting ones enemy to have dinner at your house thereby ending a long-standing feud.
Now, let's talk about this harvesting program and its credibility. How can the Tar'Harians mate with all these different races? None rejected the transition? But all the women of these planets rejected? Why can the mates never go home again? If the end goal is re-populate the Tar'Harian race then after they've all bred their mates why do they have to stay forever and ever? And why keep harvesting? Seems like this harvesting is a never-ending process, but the aliens are really thoughtful and nice guys? o____O
The sexy times are really the only thing I found remotely stimulating, although I'm disappointed that the tail didn't get put to more use. The chasing and knotting are in the medium heat range.
What I had envisioned when I skimmed the blurb was something along the lines of what happened to Cam (Dark Space) during his Faceless captivity. I'm not comparing, but you say space and dub-con and that's where my head went, so to say I was disappointed by the complete and utter lack of anything remotely dub-con would be an understatement.
The ending seemed arbitrary. The writing is uninspired and overly reliant on cheesy dialogue which kept jerking me out of the story. However, it did illustrate just how much useless pop culture information I've accumulated over the years. Also, I feel like some of the dialogue/characterizations verge on prejudicial, but perhaps I'm being overly sensitive.
I've read some of the other reviews and people have 4 and 5 starred this book. It wasn't for me, but that doesn't mean it's not for you. If you like fluffy escapism that's feel good and schmaltzy, you will love this. It required a little too much reality suspension for me. I reserve my reality suspension for SM and his porky fluffery.
Reviewed for
I would like to thank Storm Moon Press for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Hypothetical situation: say you're a hot, young twenty something guy, you get abducted by aliens who perform a surgical procedure on you without your consent and inject you with their DNA which will modify your internal organs so you can bear their young among other things and you can never go home again. What's your reaction? If it's something in the neighborhood of 'make lemonade out of lemons', this book is for you. STOP READING HERE. If your response is something along the lines of 'WTF?!?!', then we have much to discuss.
Dale does put up a token fight, but its pitiful and short lived. I was so flabbergasted by this whole situation and his response to it. I mean, a couple days after his abduction he's rushing off to console and comfort another abductee who's having trouble with being abducted by aliens? And you're going to "help" him? What? I thought you were fussy about being abducted and pretty much forced to have some young'uns? I get the whole 'resistance is futile', but these aliens are wimps. Seriously. Keyno is the moodiest freak show of a character since 'Christian Grey'. If Dale says something even remotely passive aggressive Keyno's does some weird alien/cat whine/whimper thing that hits Dale right in the feels and he's immediately apologizing. Again, WHAT?!?! I swear, I think that alien DNA kickstarted a PPD (Pliant Personality Disorder-not a real disorder) in Dale. About a week into his stay on the ship he becomes a whiny, needy, clueless and insecure wife/husband/mate/chosen who is in constant need of his man's protection??? I'm not going to say it again, but I'm thinking it.
I'm really trying not to hold the whole MPREG thing against the author since I'm the idiot who saw dub-con, flailed and requested this book. Lesson learned. Nevertheless, I chose this book and it's not the author's fault that this idiot reviewer skimmed the blurb. Thankfully, Dale avoids getting knocked up in this one. However, the relationship between Dale and Keyno is M/F masquerading as M/M even if you subtract the MPREG. The entire story arc and relationship development is M/F from the crazy possessive alpha-hole male who carries around his wo/man, has weird mood swings and wants the little wo/man at home barefoot and pregnant. Dale occupies all his time lunching with his friends, looking at plants, magically solving everyone's problems with his accidental bluntness, which everyone finds charming and making sure he's home by the time his man gets off work. Frankly, if I wanted to read M/F I'd read M/F, but this type of story arc is precisely what annoys me so much about M/F. What is so appealing about taking two people who are so hot for each other that they're swinging from the chandeliers 99% of the time to having them get hitched and within a blink s/he's knocked up effectively ending the smokin' hot monkey sex they were having? Does not compute.
However, we should consider sending Dale to the Middle East. He could have that mess sorted out within a few minutes. Every single situation is handled dismissively, some of which are serious, life altering events and deserving of at least a modicum of gravity. Would that international relations were as easy as inviting ones enemy to have dinner at your house thereby ending a long-standing feud.
Now, let's talk about this harvesting program and its credibility. How can the Tar'Harians mate with all these different races? None rejected the transition? But all the women of these planets rejected? Why can the mates never go home again? If the end goal is re-populate the Tar'Harian race then after they've all bred their mates why do they have to stay forever and ever? And why keep harvesting? Seems like this harvesting is a never-ending process, but the aliens are really thoughtful and nice guys? o____O
The sexy times are really the only thing I found remotely stimulating, although I'm disappointed that the tail didn't get put to more use. The chasing and knotting are in the medium heat range.
What I had envisioned when I skimmed the blurb was something along the lines of what happened to Cam (Dark Space) during his Faceless captivity. I'm not comparing, but you say space and dub-con and that's where my head went, so to say I was disappointed by the complete and utter lack of anything remotely dub-con would be an understatement.
The ending seemed arbitrary. The writing is uninspired and overly reliant on cheesy dialogue which kept jerking me out of the story. However, it did illustrate just how much useless pop culture information I've accumulated over the years. Also, I feel like some of the dialogue/characterizations verge on prejudicial, but perhaps I'm being overly sensitive.
I've read some of the other reviews and people have 4 and 5 starred this book. It wasn't for me, but that doesn't mean it's not for you. If you like fluffy escapism that's feel good and schmaltzy, you will love this. It required a little too much reality suspension for me. I reserve my reality suspension for SM and his porky fluffery.
Reviewed for
I would like to thank Storm Moon Press for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
February 6, 2018
Surprisingly, I liked this novel. 😁 No scratch that, I kinda loved this novel and it’s really really surprising because my bestie hated it. Usually, when my bestie Lyn doesn’t like something, I won’t even pick up that book. 😑 But the blurb of this novel really intrigued me and I was in for some fluffy sci-fi romance so I gave this one a chance and I’m glad that I did. 😉
In 2050, the humans finally realize that they are indeed not alone in the universe because some aliens contacted earth for some reason. And the reason is to harvest human males for their reproduction. Dale was a victim of the program and now selected to become a mate of a big, bad alien. The thing is he’s actually underaged and wasn’t supposed to be collected as one. Confused, hurt and scared to death, Dale found himself waking up alone and naked on a bed with a gorgeous alien. 😱 Apparently, he’s already been claimed and now the mate of the captain of starship, Keyno. All he wants to do is to go back home, to be in his parents’ arms and to live his life as normal as possible. But going home is out of the question and he may probably never go back home. 😭 There’s no option but to start a life with captain Keyno on his planet whether he likes it or not.
We don’t get a lot of Keyno’s characteristics except that he’s very loving, caring and really really in love with Dale. But Dale? Dale is a brat. (*Side note – I just realized why I liked this novel because I’m also a brat?!? 😂 Or so my other bestie Lorraine is always claiming that I’m one.* 😂👏) Anyhow, Dale is a sassy-mouthed, witty, never-thinking-before-he-opens-his-mouth, energetic, caring and bratty guy. I loved his character. 😍 It was really fun and hilarious to read the banters between him and captain Keyno. The story is very mainly focused on the relationship aspect between Keyno and Dale and how their relationship blossomed into a full bloomed love rather than sci-fi aspect. This is a low-angst novel but it has the fair share of some mild angst around 80% of the novel. I loved the relationship between Dale and his friends. And did I say the smut is hot? 🔥 Sensible tails and hair guys! Tails and hairs! 😱🔥 What more can you need? Although the book can read as standalone, I don’t think it would feel complete unless you read the second book too. And I can’t wait to start reading and see their ultimate HEA. This book is not a cliffhanger and they already have their HFN/HEA. If you ask be whether this book has flaws or not, yes, it has its flaws. And that’s why it won’t earn a 5 stars fangirling rating from me. But I loved it. 😌 It was light, fluffy, smexy read with a lot of *swoon-worthy* romance. 😍
Favorite excerpts from the novel: 💙
Keyno... he looked like he was ready to go to battle. He was tense—his body was tight and his eyes heavy. Oh, I knew that look; it was the same for human or alien. Keyno was aroused. And shit, so was I. The sexual tension was so thick between us I could've cut it with the knife I'd used on my steak.
"Tell me, Dale, do you know the history between our two peoples?" "Let's see. The Tah'Narians attacked you guys, and then you guys attacked them. Which, to make a long story short, ends with me standing here, now able to bear young. So yeah, I know the whole deal. The invitation still stands."
"Are you really, Dale?" Keyno squatted down in front of me. "Happy, I mean. Your happiness means everything to me, but you never talk about us or..." I stared at him while he looked into my eyes, his sentence unfinished. "I love you, Keyno," I whispered. It felt right saying it now. "I'm happy being yours."
I refused to believe Keyno was dead. Tears flooded my eyes. I wanted my mate, dammit. I wanted his arms wrapped around me, holding me close. I didn't want to be here; I wanted to be home. It took me a few seconds to realize that I meant Keyno's house, not Earth. When had Earth stopped being home? What was there left for me now, especially if... if... no. He was not dead, dammit.
4 sexy, macho alien captain and bratty, sassy Dale stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In 2050, the humans finally realize that they are indeed not alone in the universe because some aliens contacted earth for some reason. And the reason is to harvest human males for their reproduction. Dale was a victim of the program and now selected to become a mate of a big, bad alien. The thing is he’s actually underaged and wasn’t supposed to be collected as one. Confused, hurt and scared to death, Dale found himself waking up alone and naked on a bed with a gorgeous alien. 😱 Apparently, he’s already been claimed and now the mate of the captain of starship, Keyno. All he wants to do is to go back home, to be in his parents’ arms and to live his life as normal as possible. But going home is out of the question and he may probably never go back home. 😭 There’s no option but to start a life with captain Keyno on his planet whether he likes it or not.
We don’t get a lot of Keyno’s characteristics except that he’s very loving, caring and really really in love with Dale. But Dale? Dale is a brat. (*Side note – I just realized why I liked this novel because I’m also a brat?!? 😂 Or so my other bestie Lorraine is always claiming that I’m one.* 😂👏) Anyhow, Dale is a sassy-mouthed, witty, never-thinking-before-he-opens-his-mouth, energetic, caring and bratty guy. I loved his character. 😍 It was really fun and hilarious to read the banters between him and captain Keyno. The story is very mainly focused on the relationship aspect between Keyno and Dale and how their relationship blossomed into a full bloomed love rather than sci-fi aspect. This is a low-angst novel but it has the fair share of some mild angst around 80% of the novel. I loved the relationship between Dale and his friends. And did I say the smut is hot? 🔥 Sensible tails and hair guys! Tails and hairs! 😱🔥 What more can you need? Although the book can read as standalone, I don’t think it would feel complete unless you read the second book too. And I can’t wait to start reading and see their ultimate HEA. This book is not a cliffhanger and they already have their HFN/HEA. If you ask be whether this book has flaws or not, yes, it has its flaws. And that’s why it won’t earn a 5 stars fangirling rating from me. But I loved it. 😌 It was light, fluffy, smexy read with a lot of *swoon-worthy* romance. 😍
Favorite excerpts from the novel: 💙
Keyno... he looked like he was ready to go to battle. He was tense—his body was tight and his eyes heavy. Oh, I knew that look; it was the same for human or alien. Keyno was aroused. And shit, so was I. The sexual tension was so thick between us I could've cut it with the knife I'd used on my steak.
"Tell me, Dale, do you know the history between our two peoples?" "Let's see. The Tah'Narians attacked you guys, and then you guys attacked them. Which, to make a long story short, ends with me standing here, now able to bear young. So yeah, I know the whole deal. The invitation still stands."
"Are you really, Dale?" Keyno squatted down in front of me. "Happy, I mean. Your happiness means everything to me, but you never talk about us or..." I stared at him while he looked into my eyes, his sentence unfinished. "I love you, Keyno," I whispered. It felt right saying it now. "I'm happy being yours."
I refused to believe Keyno was dead. Tears flooded my eyes. I wanted my mate, dammit. I wanted his arms wrapped around me, holding me close. I didn't want to be here; I wanted to be home. It took me a few seconds to realize that I meant Keyno's house, not Earth. When had Earth stopped being home? What was there left for me now, especially if... if... no. He was not dead, dammit.
4 sexy, macho alien captain and bratty, sassy Dale stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 7, 2017
26% dnf
If not the horrible editing and amateur writing style, this could have been a 5 star read.
If not the horrible editing and amateur writing style, this could have been a 5 star read.
December 16, 2013
It read like a lot of free m/m fiction I've read online. I thought Dale's thoughts, and actions were a bit too scattered, and he seemed to go from anger to acceptance a bit too quickly for my taste. I never fully bought into his character progression. The story had interesting moments, but I couldn't shake the feeling I was reading something I had read before.
November 17, 2014
I am DNF-ing at 55%; applying math, rounding up to the nearest zero and claiming this nonsense as "read" to compensate for my lost time and money.
Mild spoilers below!
=======================
Too many words in this book, too much food intake, too much your good ole WTF-ery. Here's an example: 22 year old guy buys an extremely expensive nightshirt (no pants, just the shirt) to give himself courage and to convince his already sex-crazed alien-lover to take him to bed: "I'd found a sexy nightshirt that clearly screamed, "Take me to bed and fuck me silly."" Bleh.
I have no idea why the author even bothered to make the protagonist male. Too much talk about pregnancy and being sick in every way possible while at it. When I started the book I was hoping for an m/m sci-fi with angst and tons of sexual tension, not a catalogue of pregnancy complications.
There are few instances, where the MC practices some sort of alien karate and throws a punch at a vicious criminal, but - hey! there are plenty of women out there who are capable of a mean self-defence too! That alone doesn't justify making the character a guy. This should be an f/m romance.
I can go on and on and on, but I don't want to waste more time on it than I already have.
My rating for the first 55% is 1 star.
When and if I feel like I need more words in my life I might finish this book, but not in the nearest future. Moving on to shinier things with substance :D
Forgot to add:
Royalty - maybe it does amount to something later in the book, but in the first half it only provides a convenient excuse for murder, nothing more.
Kidnapping - yep, takes place. But all the fun is taken away when Dale, within days, decides it's totally cool with him. Really? O.o
Mpreg - only talk so far, but even that is overwhelming. Pregnancy is not something I want to read about. Not with all the gross gruesome details. Been there, done that, want to get as far away from it as possible and never think about it again, EVER.
Rainbows and lollipops - Yes, mostly. Though somewhat spoiled by clumsy attempts at violence. Still, all the villains are being counseled and are doing awesome, on the way to speedy recovery from their wickedness within whole two days (just in case you're concerned).
Dub-con - not even bothering with this one, there is none.
The End.
Mild spoilers below!
=======================
Too many words in this book, too much food intake, too much your good ole WTF-ery. Here's an example: 22 year old guy buys an extremely expensive nightshirt (no pants, just the shirt) to give himself courage and to convince his already sex-crazed alien-lover to take him to bed: "I'd found a sexy nightshirt that clearly screamed, "Take me to bed and fuck me silly."" Bleh.
I have no idea why the author even bothered to make the protagonist male. Too much talk about pregnancy and being sick in every way possible while at it. When I started the book I was hoping for an m/m sci-fi with angst and tons of sexual tension, not a catalogue of pregnancy complications.
There are few instances, where the MC practices some sort of alien karate and throws a punch at a vicious criminal, but - hey! there are plenty of women out there who are capable of a mean self-defence too! That alone doesn't justify making the character a guy. This should be an f/m romance.
I can go on and on and on, but I don't want to waste more time on it than I already have.
My rating for the first 55% is 1 star.
When and if I feel like I need more words in my life I might finish this book, but not in the nearest future. Moving on to shinier things with substance :D
Forgot to add:
Royalty - maybe it does amount to something later in the book, but in the first half it only provides a convenient excuse for murder, nothing more.
Kidnapping - yep, takes place. But all the fun is taken away when Dale, within days, decides it's totally cool with him. Really? O.o
Mpreg - only talk so far, but even that is overwhelming. Pregnancy is not something I want to read about. Not with all the gross gruesome details. Been there, done that, want to get as far away from it as possible and never think about it again, EVER.
Rainbows and lollipops - Yes, mostly. Though somewhat spoiled by clumsy attempts at violence. Still, all the villains are being counseled and are doing awesome, on the way to speedy recovery from their wickedness within whole two days (just in case you're concerned).
Dub-con - not even bothering with this one, there is none.
The End.
November 2, 2013
I enjoyed this one but early on in the book a sense of disappointment settled in and I could never shake it. As with most of the books with forced matings/abductions/slavery/restricted-freedom themes that I have read, Dale gives in too easily for me. He too easily lets go of his fear and anger and feelings of betrayal, too easily decides to try to get along because it's for the best. He never really fights it and just once I want to read a story with these themes where the other character isn't easily forgiven or accepted and they don't immediately fall in love. So my disappointment stems more from what I want to see and don't than from anything actually wrong with this book.
June 17, 2024
06/16/2024 reread
This was rather enjoyable Sci-Fi romance. I liked the world the author created. Ms Church gave sufficient background for me to really get into the lives of Tah'Narians and showed how they came to the point the Harvest needed to be created. Keyno and Dale made a cute couple. I only wish it was a little less insta love here. I understood their physical urges but I hoped for a little more relationship struggle between an alien and a human and maybe more courting. But, man, the author really went to town with their intimate encounters. *fans herself* Another thing I wanted more of was space travel, I felt like I needed more travel time, operation of the space ship, etc. Many times author skipped those parts by saying something like "then we took off, after we landed..." I love space travel and all the goings on on the ship, so here I kind of missed that.
That said I enjoyed the rest of the story and the characters in it: Jon and Doc, Gibor and Chad as well as Captain Ti and Colt. I really liked Colt despite his harshness. I liked that the author told these characters's stories as well in a roundabout way. The story was steadily paced with plenty steam and things going on to keep me interested till the end.
This was rather enjoyable Sci-Fi romance. I liked the world the author created. Ms Church gave sufficient background for me to really get into the lives of Tah'Narians and showed how they came to the point the Harvest needed to be created. Keyno and Dale made a cute couple. I only wish it was a little less insta love here. I understood their physical urges but I hoped for a little more relationship struggle between an alien and a human and maybe more courting. But, man, the author really went to town with their intimate encounters. *fans herself* Another thing I wanted more of was space travel, I felt like I needed more travel time, operation of the space ship, etc. Many times author skipped those parts by saying something like "then we took off, after we landed..." I love space travel and all the goings on on the ship, so here I kind of missed that.
That said I enjoyed the rest of the story and the characters in it: Jon and Doc, Gibor and Chad as well as Captain Ti and Colt. I really liked Colt despite his harshness. I liked that the author told these characters's stories as well in a roundabout way. The story was steadily paced with plenty steam and things going on to keep me interested till the end.
August 9, 2016
This book should have hit all my tried-and-true buttons in m/m romance -- dub-con, aliens, sci-fi. Unfortunately, this book should be a case study in Writing 101 -- "telling versus showing." I forced myself to finish (which is never a good thing, honey).
September 8, 2016
Overall book rating: 4.5
Audio book: Narrator – N/A
Book Cover: 4 Stars
I LOVE the Hair! Not LIKE it...LOVE it love it! Crazy about it! LOL Oh the possibilities!
And of course Keyno's tail!
Okay I'm weird but have some imagination for heaven sake!! Why read sci-fi if you lack imagination??
I for one had heaps of fun with this one. I've been craving something likewise since I read Lolita Lopez Grabbed by Vicious series. I loved the concept and I LOVED having something likewise in MM form, seeing has MM is my main preference these days.
I really enjoyed the whole DNA altering thing and the changes it made Dale endure.
I would have liked it if the whole acceptance thing took a little longer yes, but in concept I perfectly understood why it was done the way it was. Little things.
Main thing here is it took me out of the here and now. Can't wait for the next one.
Audio book: Narrator – N/A
Book Cover: 4 Stars
I LOVE the Hair! Not LIKE it...LOVE it love it! Crazy about it! LOL Oh the possibilities!
And of course Keyno's tail!
Okay I'm weird but have some imagination for heaven sake!! Why read sci-fi if you lack imagination??
I for one had heaps of fun with this one. I've been craving something likewise since I read Lolita Lopez Grabbed by Vicious series. I loved the concept and I LOVED having something likewise in MM form, seeing has MM is my main preference these days.
I really enjoyed the whole DNA altering thing and the changes it made Dale endure.
I would have liked it if the whole acceptance thing took a little longer yes, but in concept I perfectly understood why it was done the way it was. Little things.
Main thing here is it took me out of the here and now. Can't wait for the next one.
April 7, 2014
I never, ever would have thought this book would be so damned entertaining. I really didn't want to put it down until it was over. Kinky as hell seeing as the alien mate could use his hair and tail in....interesting ways. There wasn't an actual pregnancy for the MC in this book but the entire story was based on repopulating the planet so it still fits in that category. I'm shocked I like it so much but there it is.
March 12, 2021
not sure how i felt about this one.
it needed an editor. bad.
i kept highlighting bits of text, dialogue, etc. with mistakes. there were a bunch of extra end quotes closing up paragraphs that weren't dialogue, several mis-spellings, sometimes there were parts that didn't quite make sense from a logic perspective (which, i get it, it's sci-fi, but half of the appeal is that the sci-fi pulls us into another world and makes it feel real, and if it doesn't make sense, that's a real quick way to pull the reader out of that world.)
there was a lot of potential here. i liked the mc and there seemed to be some neat and unique world-building, but it felt very incomplete and not at all thought-through. i really with the author had utilized beta readers or something because there were just too many issues with this for me to be able to sit back and enjoy it.
it needed an editor. bad.
i kept highlighting bits of text, dialogue, etc. with mistakes. there were a bunch of extra end quotes closing up paragraphs that weren't dialogue, several mis-spellings, sometimes there were parts that didn't quite make sense from a logic perspective (which, i get it, it's sci-fi, but half of the appeal is that the sci-fi pulls us into another world and makes it feel real, and if it doesn't make sense, that's a real quick way to pull the reader out of that world.)
there was a lot of potential here. i liked the mc and there seemed to be some neat and unique world-building, but it felt very incomplete and not at all thought-through. i really with the author had utilized beta readers or something because there were just too many issues with this for me to be able to sit back and enjoy it.
March 25, 2022
DNF at 23%
This was a mess on so many levels.
Inconsistent characterization - we're told, frequently, that Keyno chose Dale because his strength and courage and whatever, but we pretty much never see this. Dale is more of a tantrum throwing watering pot. Not knowing Dale before he gets kidnapped means that it's hard to believe that he was ever anything outside of this whiny spineless creature. He caves in like one day of being kidnapped. Family? dont know 'em. Instahorny. Was this supposed to have dubcon? It sure didn't.
The speech is stilted and unnatural, for everyone. It varies between unrealistic to full preaching mode depending on the conversation. At times, it felt like a soapbox.
Is Kenyno supposed to be sympathetic? With his sad cat noises? Because I'm having trouble summoning sympathy for the giant politically powerful starship captain alien who can kidnap a dude just cause he wants him, when his whole race has to do this in the first place, because they attacked some other innocent planet. "we have the right to survive" at what cost? At whose cost? Sure isn't yours these days. Token pushback, but clearly Keyno is still benefiting heavily from this system and not actually pushing back. Gross.
The scifi elements, to this point, are weak or boring. So little detail compared to all the weird little detail we're given instead.
So many typos or editing errors - this is impressively bad, considering I often read right past these.
Based on the first quarter and the reviews, I am not gonna hang around any longer.
This was a mess on so many levels.
Inconsistent characterization - we're told, frequently, that Keyno chose Dale because his strength and courage and whatever, but we pretty much never see this. Dale is more of a tantrum throwing watering pot. Not knowing Dale before he gets kidnapped means that it's hard to believe that he was ever anything outside of this whiny spineless creature. He caves in like one day of being kidnapped. Family? dont know 'em. Instahorny. Was this supposed to have dubcon? It sure didn't.
The speech is stilted and unnatural, for everyone. It varies between unrealistic to full preaching mode depending on the conversation. At times, it felt like a soapbox.
Is Kenyno supposed to be sympathetic? With his sad cat noises? Because I'm having trouble summoning sympathy for the giant politically powerful starship captain alien who can kidnap a dude just cause he wants him, when his whole race has to do this in the first place, because they attacked some other innocent planet. "we have the right to survive" at what cost? At whose cost? Sure isn't yours these days. Token pushback, but clearly Keyno is still benefiting heavily from this system and not actually pushing back. Gross.
The scifi elements, to this point, are weak or boring. So little detail compared to all the weird little detail we're given instead.
So many typos or editing errors - this is impressively bad, considering I often read right past these.
Based on the first quarter and the reviews, I am not gonna hang around any longer.
October 11, 2017
I loved this series when it was first posted on literotica. It was less winded, less flowery and raw.
With each new published edition, the story line became over drawn out, scenes overly explained and described and the characters losing their original shine and appeal.
I loved, loved the old version of the Colt and Ti scene. The brutalness of their love and the raw power of their connection could be felt dripping from the pages. All the edits that each new edition brings, has taken the shine and power away from the original.
I love edited e-books, but when a book is over edited to the point of losing its original appeal. It makes me sad. The harvest series used to be so good. Now, not so much.
With each new published edition, the story line became over drawn out, scenes overly explained and described and the characters losing their original shine and appeal.
I loved, loved the old version of the Colt and Ti scene. The brutalness of their love and the raw power of their connection could be felt dripping from the pages. All the edits that each new edition brings, has taken the shine and power away from the original.
I love edited e-books, but when a book is over edited to the point of losing its original appeal. It makes me sad. The harvest series used to be so good. Now, not so much.
September 30, 2025
Science fiction is usually not my go to genre, but if it sounds good, I enjoy the authors work(which I really enjoy M.A's books, nothing will hold me back from reading it. I loved this book from the beginning to the end, it never lagged for me and I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. I really liked Dale and Keyno together and I really enjoyed their friends. The customs we learned about Keyno's world were very interesting. I'm excited to read the second book so I can see what's been happening in their world.
July 17, 2015
I loved this story. Although I felt sad at first that Dale was taken against his will.
Keyon does manage to win him over though and it helps that his friend Chad is there as well. The sexual chemistry was pretty awesome and Keyon is one sexy alien...puuuuur!
I found the premise very original in that it was men getting taken for breeding purposes.
I did find the ending a bit abrupt, as I now have to wait for the next book.
Keyon does manage to win him over though and it helps that his friend Chad is there as well. The sexual chemistry was pretty awesome and Keyon is one sexy alien...puuuuur!
I found the premise very original in that it was men getting taken for breeding purposes.
I did find the ending a bit abrupt, as I now have to wait for the next book.
May 13, 2016
Alien abductions, for whatever purpose, have been part of literature ever since we came up with the idea that alien life might be "out there", and that they might, one day, decide to come visit us. This book is part of a subclass of stories with that theme and focuses on aliens coming here not to invade Earth, but to find mates. Why they would do that is neither here nor there, normally, but in this novel it makes a difference. The Tah'Narians have been rendered sterile by their enemies and need fresh DNA, but instead of asking for volunteers Earth governments decide to "give" them the men they need (female DNA doesn't work for them).
Dale Michaels is one of the men who get "harvested", but he believes it’s an error. He isn't in the age bracket, and the agreement is supposed to have ended after five years. As he gets to know his new mate, he finds out that those weren't the only lies told by Earth's governments to "appease" the population. The process he goes through as he adjusts to life with an alien is interesting, and goes from anger and despair over what he has lost to curiosity about his mate's culture. Dale is not one to shut up, and the number of issues he creates for himself and his new mate is impressive and – at least for me – extremely entertaining. If Keyno had been looking for a passive, docile mate, that is definitely not what he got.
Keyno is the captain of the starship sent to harvest the one thousand Terranns, and he is not only an amazing warrior, proud, and full of testosterone (or whatever the alien equivalent may be called), he is also full of secrets. Many of these are not the kind he should have kept from Dale, but how could he have known Dale is so – volatile? Luckily, Keyno is up to the challenge, and I loved watching him and Dale verbally spar as they slowly fall for each other. They need all the spitfire they can each muster to make it through the adventures ahead of them.
While the initial idea of aliens having a treaty with Earth for the "delivery" of a certain number of males per year is very similar to the concept of the Owned series at Siren Publishing (right down to the lottery devised by human governments to make the selection), the development of the story takes a different direction. I liked the addition of the Onfre, Tah'Narian's enemies, the focus on actual reproduction (read: male pregnancy), and the development of a real relationship between Dale and Keyno at a slow enough pace to make it seem somewhat realistic.
If you like your science fiction a little wilder and out there, if you enjoy reading about captured mates who remain true to their own nature, and if you're looking for an entertaining space adventure with a healthy dose of romance and some very hot interspecies bedroom activities, then you will probably like this novel. It is the first of three, and the story ends rather suddenly, so be aware of that to avoid disappointment. I have to say I really liked this first installment and look forward to the next one!
Dale Michaels is one of the men who get "harvested", but he believes it’s an error. He isn't in the age bracket, and the agreement is supposed to have ended after five years. As he gets to know his new mate, he finds out that those weren't the only lies told by Earth's governments to "appease" the population. The process he goes through as he adjusts to life with an alien is interesting, and goes from anger and despair over what he has lost to curiosity about his mate's culture. Dale is not one to shut up, and the number of issues he creates for himself and his new mate is impressive and – at least for me – extremely entertaining. If Keyno had been looking for a passive, docile mate, that is definitely not what he got.
Keyno is the captain of the starship sent to harvest the one thousand Terranns, and he is not only an amazing warrior, proud, and full of testosterone (or whatever the alien equivalent may be called), he is also full of secrets. Many of these are not the kind he should have kept from Dale, but how could he have known Dale is so – volatile? Luckily, Keyno is up to the challenge, and I loved watching him and Dale verbally spar as they slowly fall for each other. They need all the spitfire they can each muster to make it through the adventures ahead of them.
While the initial idea of aliens having a treaty with Earth for the "delivery" of a certain number of males per year is very similar to the concept of the Owned series at Siren Publishing (right down to the lottery devised by human governments to make the selection), the development of the story takes a different direction. I liked the addition of the Onfre, Tah'Narian's enemies, the focus on actual reproduction (read: male pregnancy), and the development of a real relationship between Dale and Keyno at a slow enough pace to make it seem somewhat realistic.
If you like your science fiction a little wilder and out there, if you enjoy reading about captured mates who remain true to their own nature, and if you're looking for an entertaining space adventure with a healthy dose of romance and some very hot interspecies bedroom activities, then you will probably like this novel. It is the first of three, and the story ends rather suddenly, so be aware of that to avoid disappointment. I have to say I really liked this first installment and look forward to the next one!
July 18, 2014
First I'm french, so sorry if my english isn't perfect.
The idea of the book, and its world have a lot of potential, and the blurb is really attractive.
Nevertheless, this book has me immensely angry and disappointed.
This book is full of bad stereotypes...
A macho top, a sensitive bottom who loves flowers and going to shopping...
All gays are not like that! In the same way that women are only good for cleaning, doing the dishes and having babies!!
the autor turn a young athlete and vindictive man, into a whiny trophy wife ....
I'll not read the sequel....
November 5, 2017
The year is 2050 and the Tah’Nar have come to earth. Not looking for war or ways to fatten their pockets. No, the Tah’Nar came to earth looking for men. Their planet had been infected with a virus that prevented them from reproducing, and the Tah’Nar race was in serious danger of dying out. When they come upon earth, and demand that the planet give up a certain percentage of the eligible males between the ages of 23 and 28, to help them fix the flawed Tah’Nar DNA, the shell-shocked governments of earth complied.
But things were not as they seemed, and when 22 year old Dale Michael was forcibly extracted from his house for The Harvest, no demand to be let free was answered. No help was given. He was to be taken to the captain, of the lead starship, Keyno Shou. Lies come to light, and so does a rather unsettling attraction between the Keyno and Dale. Dale may hate what had been done to him, but he was finding it rather hard to hate the captain that had shown him every courtesy. Well, except letting him go.
So what’s a guy to do, when he finds himself taken prisoner, had his DNA scrambled up with some pretty dicey Tah’Nar ones, and was told, not so delicately, that he’d be going on a nice one-way trip, on a pretty spaceship—and, oh yeah, he’d be giving birth, eventually, to a nice little Terran-Tah’Nar hybrid? Well, he probably shouldn’t have fallen in love with the asshole who planned on knocking him up. Oops?
Over the last few months I have really started to get into the whole mpreg sub-genre of m/m romances. It is not something that in my wildest of dreams I would have contemplated enjoying, even a few years ago, but, hey, a little weirdness never hurt a girl. Right? There is just something about watching guys freak out ‘cause the body ain’t supposed to do that! That it usually happens in a scifi setting is a bonus, because I can never really get enough aliens in my life. Spaceships, tails, blow-me-now, Scotty (that’s the correct quote, yes?)–all these things are a nice way to relax and spend a little time imagining myself on some cruising space ship with hunky alien boys bowing to my every whim. I love scifi, and am coming to appreciate a good mpreg storyline, so I really didn’t want to pass this book up when I got a chance to read it.
This book had a good start, and I was really enjoying angry-Dale. The man who had been basically kidnapped off his planet by an alien species, told he was now mated to this stranger, and that surprise! you’re going to be a daddy someday soon! These are things to be angry about, or at the very least, severely annoyed–but after a few chapters Dale just kind of goes zen, and just gives up fighting back. I didn’t exactly want him to be in a knock-out drag-down fight with Keyno for the entire book, but he went all Stockholm Syndrome at an alarmingly fast rate. Which led me to worry that Keyno had done something to mess with Dale’s brain, and not just his DNA, when they were processing him. This worry wasn’t helped with that offhanded comment about “subliminal messaging” when they were talking about rehabilitating some of the human mates. If they could do it to the more rowdy of the humans in their counseling sessions, what was to stop them from doing it when the mates were learning with those fancy Tah’Nar learning glasses? Which made me suspect that the whole romance between Dale and Keyno wasn’t exactly on the up-and-up. Not exactly sure I should be cheering for a relationship that smacks of brain washing.
And everything, for the majority of the book, seemed to just float along. I’m not exactly sure if there was a stable plot for this book, other than move characters from point A to point B. The characters are all over each other from a real early point in the book, so that doesn’t really serve to hold my attention, and despite the occasional bouts of danger, there didn’t seem to be much tension in the story. Colt causes problems in the beginning, but that is quickly resolved, and then Yar causes problems for a bit in the end, but the situation seems rather contrived. All of a sudden this other Tah’Nar is thrown into the picture as competition/threat, but it was too obvious. I knew that he was going to do something stupid, and that it really wasn’t going to affect the overall story. I guess I was looking for more subtly in the tension, not just brief moments of flash-bang.
That being said, I probably will end up taking a look at book two, when it comes out. I think this series has some real potential to grow, but I think to do that it needs to find a unique voice. So far, this one was edging a little too close to cliché romance novel language, for my tastes. But there were moments between Dale and Keyno that were both real and enticing to read. There are some really interesting side characters that were not fully fleshed out in this book, but could, with a little work, become real hooks for the readers. You have aliens, and not just the Tah'Nar, running around in this space landscape and there is some pretty big potential for some really great fun. Plus, I really do want to see how Dale handles that whole pregnancy thing.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
But things were not as they seemed, and when 22 year old Dale Michael was forcibly extracted from his house for The Harvest, no demand to be let free was answered. No help was given. He was to be taken to the captain, of the lead starship, Keyno Shou. Lies come to light, and so does a rather unsettling attraction between the Keyno and Dale. Dale may hate what had been done to him, but he was finding it rather hard to hate the captain that had shown him every courtesy. Well, except letting him go.
So what’s a guy to do, when he finds himself taken prisoner, had his DNA scrambled up with some pretty dicey Tah’Nar ones, and was told, not so delicately, that he’d be going on a nice one-way trip, on a pretty spaceship—and, oh yeah, he’d be giving birth, eventually, to a nice little Terran-Tah’Nar hybrid? Well, he probably shouldn’t have fallen in love with the asshole who planned on knocking him up. Oops?
Over the last few months I have really started to get into the whole mpreg sub-genre of m/m romances. It is not something that in my wildest of dreams I would have contemplated enjoying, even a few years ago, but, hey, a little weirdness never hurt a girl. Right? There is just something about watching guys freak out ‘cause the body ain’t supposed to do that! That it usually happens in a scifi setting is a bonus, because I can never really get enough aliens in my life. Spaceships, tails, blow-me-now, Scotty (that’s the correct quote, yes?)–all these things are a nice way to relax and spend a little time imagining myself on some cruising space ship with hunky alien boys bowing to my every whim. I love scifi, and am coming to appreciate a good mpreg storyline, so I really didn’t want to pass this book up when I got a chance to read it.
This book had a good start, and I was really enjoying angry-Dale. The man who had been basically kidnapped off his planet by an alien species, told he was now mated to this stranger, and that surprise! you’re going to be a daddy someday soon! These are things to be angry about, or at the very least, severely annoyed–but after a few chapters Dale just kind of goes zen, and just gives up fighting back. I didn’t exactly want him to be in a knock-out drag-down fight with Keyno for the entire book, but he went all Stockholm Syndrome at an alarmingly fast rate. Which led me to worry that Keyno had done something to mess with Dale’s brain, and not just his DNA, when they were processing him. This worry wasn’t helped with that offhanded comment about “subliminal messaging” when they were talking about rehabilitating some of the human mates. If they could do it to the more rowdy of the humans in their counseling sessions, what was to stop them from doing it when the mates were learning with those fancy Tah’Nar learning glasses? Which made me suspect that the whole romance between Dale and Keyno wasn’t exactly on the up-and-up. Not exactly sure I should be cheering for a relationship that smacks of brain washing.
And everything, for the majority of the book, seemed to just float along. I’m not exactly sure if there was a stable plot for this book, other than move characters from point A to point B. The characters are all over each other from a real early point in the book, so that doesn’t really serve to hold my attention, and despite the occasional bouts of danger, there didn’t seem to be much tension in the story. Colt causes problems in the beginning, but that is quickly resolved, and then Yar causes problems for a bit in the end, but the situation seems rather contrived. All of a sudden this other Tah’Nar is thrown into the picture as competition/threat, but it was too obvious. I knew that he was going to do something stupid, and that it really wasn’t going to affect the overall story. I guess I was looking for more subtly in the tension, not just brief moments of flash-bang.
That being said, I probably will end up taking a look at book two, when it comes out. I think this series has some real potential to grow, but I think to do that it needs to find a unique voice. So far, this one was edging a little too close to cliché romance novel language, for my tastes. But there were moments between Dale and Keyno that were both real and enticing to read. There are some really interesting side characters that were not fully fleshed out in this book, but could, with a little work, become real hooks for the readers. You have aliens, and not just the Tah'Nar, running around in this space landscape and there is some pretty big potential for some really great fun. Plus, I really do want to see how Dale handles that whole pregnancy thing.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
May 18, 2021
Harvest and mates
The Harvest has interesting world building. Alien royalty, chosen mates, suspense, and love make up this story. It does finish in a cliff hanger-ish way. Will have to read the next to find out what happens.
The Harvest has interesting world building. Alien royalty, chosen mates, suspense, and love make up this story. It does finish in a cliff hanger-ish way. Will have to read the next to find out what happens.
December 23, 2013
Wait, back up, the government tells the populace that men are "taken" for five years for DNA extraction, and after this time period, they will be returned, and people buy this shit? If the government tells me that male aliens need to "borrow" human men to help repopulate their devastated race, I'd be calling bullshit immediately. As it turns out, I'd be right. This story is about humans taken from Earth and being physically modified. There are many parts to this story that appeals to me.
Men who are forced to submit sexually and be collared to strong alien males, how is this not smexy hawt? On top of this, these men are injected with DNA and physically changed. The change is not exactly a surprise, but it is kind of a mind bender. It's a fun twist in this story and I enjoyed Ms. Church's deviant mind.
However, I still have reservations with this story. While the world building is good, it is sketchy. For those who don't read a lot of sci-fi, it may be a bit confusing. For those who love sci-fi, this will make sense.
The pace of this story is what throws me. It is jarring because it feels as if it rushes and then slows down, then rushes again. It doesn't move at a steady pace. It starts out as a rush with Dale captured and taken when he doesn't fall within the parameters. When Dale meets his "mate" Keyno, it slows down a bit. Meeting Keyno's family is also a bit slow as well as the conflict near the end. Other side stories are thrown in to help create conflict, which makes the story go a bit sideways. Ms. Church does pull it back together for the ultimate conflict.
The conflict is okay. Really, for this type of story, I'd prefer to see more graphic sex and ramp up the BDSM. While Dale and Keyno are working through their mating dance, I'm more interested in the secondary character, Colt and his "master". Especially since Colt's master specifically states he wants to tie him down and fuck him repeatedly until he screams. My heartbeat increased and my panties moistened a little bit. I kept hoping for some harder non-consent scenes. Perhaps in the next book in the series there will be more BDSM and intriguing body modifications of reluctant human males.
Recommended for m/m readers who enjoy a bit of kinky sci-fi sexual slavery.
September 28, 2014
All Mpreg books make me giggle and the symptom of craziness continues till I finish the book so I have little reason not to like them.In this book I got flavor of everything from Alien abduction to BDSM among alien and human.
Keyno Shou the alien was very human like in look wise except for his tail and no nipple scenario but it was easy to ignore and he was very sweet,possessive and completely in love with Dale the human who adopted to alien life in a smooth way without much fuss.....some may not like such smooth transition after the initial reluctance he showed but I did,come on what else the poor fellow would have done.Its not that he could have ever gone back to his parents after what Earth's government did.And like cherry on a sundae he found his childhood BF who was so happy and contend with his mate,along with some other really nice friends.So he took his role as a mate to Keyno very seriously and ended up happy;)
It also had some interesting supporting Characters and I really want to read more about Colt.I already have a crush on Earth's Killer/gangster who turned into a sub for an alien.I swooned when he willingly submitted to Ti.Colt & Ti should have a story of their own and I am looking forward to read it.
Its a likable story and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a entertaining fantasy read with out much complexity.
Keyno Shou the alien was very human like in look wise except for his tail and no nipple scenario but it was easy to ignore and he was very sweet,possessive and completely in love with Dale the human who adopted to alien life in a smooth way without much fuss.....some may not like such smooth transition after the initial reluctance he showed but I did,come on what else the poor fellow would have done.Its not that he could have ever gone back to his parents after what Earth's government did.And like cherry on a sundae he found his childhood BF who was so happy and contend with his mate,along with some other really nice friends.So he took his role as a mate to Keyno very seriously and ended up happy;)
It also had some interesting supporting Characters and I really want to read more about Colt.I already have a crush on Earth's Killer/gangster who turned into a sub for an alien.I swooned when he willingly submitted to Ti.Colt & Ti should have a story of their own and I am looking forward to read it.
Its a likable story and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a entertaining fantasy read with out much complexity.
February 11, 2015
The premise and storyline in this book was awesome. M/M love, action, space travel, aliens, kidnapping, some BDSM, and mpreg. But if you're expecting on-page mpreg, you'll have to wait for book two. Because while this book does have the set-up and lots of discussion about it, it doesn't quite get there. Just when it seemed as if we'd get to it, BAM, it ended. Yep, the ending is abrupt, almost-but-not-quite, a cliffhanger. I say not quite only because the bit left hanging isn't directly about the two main characters. . . still found it a strange ending point. Luckily, I have book two in the wings. I'll write a more thorough review after reading the next installment.
The writing wasn't bad for the most part but there were a LOT of editing errors, not just a word here and there but once even the repeat of a whole paragraph of text. I generally try to overlook editing errors in a good book, but feel compelled to take away a half star in this case. So giving this a 3.5 stars but rounding it back up because it was enjoyable and I'll definitely be reading on to the next book.
The writing wasn't bad for the most part but there were a LOT of editing errors, not just a word here and there but once even the repeat of a whole paragraph of text. I generally try to overlook editing errors in a good book, but feel compelled to take away a half star in this case. So giving this a 3.5 stars but rounding it back up because it was enjoyable and I'll definitely be reading on to the next book.
December 29, 2014
I was expecting good things from this book and feel a little disappointed. I did enjoy the intense relationship between starship Captain Keyno and his new Chosen mate Dale although the change of heart in Dale was a bit sudden for my liking. I also think the real lack of angst (although there was some) meant the story became a bit boring at times and I just wanted something exciting to happen. That said, I will definitely read the next book when it comes out.
November 6, 2013
Original Blog Post: http://headouttheoven.blogspot.com/20...
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
No matter how this book turned out for the best, it does start off with abductions and drugging so there may be a few readers out there who may need this warning. It also tells the tale of a government that lies to its people. In this futuristic world of Earth, we have cat-like aliens coming in and offering some of their technology in exchange for mates. Thing is, the species is intersexual and the local homophobic politicians decide it is not to the best interest of the Earthlings to know that what these aliens seek are male homosexual mates. Something which the alien race disagreed to but had no power to change. And this is where Dale comes in.
Dale is under the age requirement for the harvest of these mates but he finds himself forcibly taken from his family and on board an alien ship mated to the ship's captain, Keyno. He also finds out that his previously harvested best friend is onboard and mated to the second in command. His life adjusting in this alien society and getting a double dose of their DNA was a bit hard but he is a survivor. Only thing is, he is now expected to bear Keyno's young.
So yes, this is another of the mpreg (male-pregnancy) books but it is so interestingly written that I found myself wrapped up in the tale and romance that is Dale and Keyno. Their relationship did start off rocky but they learned to truly love each other. There are the usual suspects of angsts and drama but it was not overblown. Instead, we have a smooth tale of alien loving that could be a bit hotly erotic at times. (That bit about the hair was totally unexpected but raised the hotness meter!)
The only problem I have with this is that this is obviously only the first part of the tale. According to some of those who have read this prior to publication, the second half of the book will hold the final key and elements that will make this story whole.
For those who like mpreg stories and alien loving (like I do) Taken is one of the best reads to consider. Not once was my focus taken off from the unfolding story and surprisingly, this is quite a light and fast read. I will now have to anxiously await (once more) for the sequel of a truly interesting tale. Especially when the mpreg elements are going to be on full force.
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
No matter how this book turned out for the best, it does start off with abductions and drugging so there may be a few readers out there who may need this warning. It also tells the tale of a government that lies to its people. In this futuristic world of Earth, we have cat-like aliens coming in and offering some of their technology in exchange for mates. Thing is, the species is intersexual and the local homophobic politicians decide it is not to the best interest of the Earthlings to know that what these aliens seek are male homosexual mates. Something which the alien race disagreed to but had no power to change. And this is where Dale comes in.
Dale is under the age requirement for the harvest of these mates but he finds himself forcibly taken from his family and on board an alien ship mated to the ship's captain, Keyno. He also finds out that his previously harvested best friend is onboard and mated to the second in command. His life adjusting in this alien society and getting a double dose of their DNA was a bit hard but he is a survivor. Only thing is, he is now expected to bear Keyno's young.
So yes, this is another of the mpreg (male-pregnancy) books but it is so interestingly written that I found myself wrapped up in the tale and romance that is Dale and Keyno. Their relationship did start off rocky but they learned to truly love each other. There are the usual suspects of angsts and drama but it was not overblown. Instead, we have a smooth tale of alien loving that could be a bit hotly erotic at times. (That bit about the hair was totally unexpected but raised the hotness meter!)
The only problem I have with this is that this is obviously only the first part of the tale. According to some of those who have read this prior to publication, the second half of the book will hold the final key and elements that will make this story whole.
For those who like mpreg stories and alien loving (like I do) Taken is one of the best reads to consider. Not once was my focus taken off from the unfolding story and surprisingly, this is quite a light and fast read. I will now have to anxiously await (once more) for the sequel of a truly interesting tale. Especially when the mpreg elements are going to be on full force.
October 22, 2021
Nothing in this book worked for me.
At first Dale is shown as violently resisting being taken away, being rightfully furious about what happened to him...only to suddenly accept it and just give in, instead focusing on sexing up his alien mate/captor. What? This is taken even further when Dale finds out that the aliens changed his DNA so he's growing new organs to allow him to get pregnant, and he is expected to at some point carry children. Dale simply takes all of this in stride without much protesting or freaking out. Again: What? There were so many conflicts that needed to be worked through for this relationship to be as loving and functional as the author wanted it to be, but Dale just got over it all.
The writing was clunky and the plot was all over the place, with new, random plot events popping up here and there without any overarching thread. It made the latter half of the book feel like a slog, and the strange pacing didn't help either.
The ending in particular was bewildering. I had expected the book to focus on the main couple and return to the original purpose of the harvesting – Dale going into estrus and becoming pregnant. But no, instead we get Dale and Keyno being voyeurs to a BDSM scene with another couple, for character development reasons that didn't seem to exist until this scene needed to be justified. Since I don't like reading about pregnancies this was a relief on a personal level, but it made no narrative sense. A meh ending to a meh book.
At first Dale is shown as violently resisting being taken away, being rightfully furious about what happened to him...only to suddenly accept it and just give in, instead focusing on sexing up his alien mate/captor. What? This is taken even further when Dale finds out that the aliens changed his DNA so he's growing new organs to allow him to get pregnant, and he is expected to at some point carry children. Dale simply takes all of this in stride without much protesting or freaking out. Again: What? There were so many conflicts that needed to be worked through for this relationship to be as loving and functional as the author wanted it to be, but Dale just got over it all.
The writing was clunky and the plot was all over the place, with new, random plot events popping up here and there without any overarching thread. It made the latter half of the book feel like a slog, and the strange pacing didn't help either.
The ending in particular was bewildering. I had expected the book to focus on the main couple and return to the original purpose of the harvesting – Dale going into estrus and becoming pregnant. But no, instead we get Dale and Keyno being voyeurs to a BDSM scene with another couple, for character development reasons that didn't seem to exist until this scene needed to be justified. Since I don't like reading about pregnancies this was a relief on a personal level, but it made no narrative sense. A meh ending to a meh book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
November 1, 2013A blurb like this would make my heart pump double time.
BLURB:
In the year 2050, humanity finds out they are indeed not alone.
Massive space ships appear without warning above the capital cities of all major nations. The planet Tah'Nar is dying. Chemical warfare has reduced the once-intersexed warrior race to sterility. They need fresh DNA in order to reproduce and have an idea for a harvesting program... and so they turn to Earth.
Earth governments negotiate a lottery, and Dale Michael assumes he's safe since he's under the Harvest age limit. How wrong he is. He's illegally harvested and claimed by Tah'Narian starship captain Keyno Shou. From the moment Keyno sees Dale, he knows he must claim the spirited human male for his own. What he doesn’t expect is a spitfire with a mind of his own—and a deadly disease that will require a risky procedure to cure.
December 7, 2019
AMAZING!!
I was too excited to review this book directly after reading it. I IMMEDIATELY had to read the second, then the Christmas story, then the stories about the next gen, THEN had to re-read the whole thing.
Not your standard mpreg. It was exhilarating and thought provoking. The romance was sweet and reasonably realistic all things considered. Very steamy too. Lots and lots of character development. The world building was SUPERB!
This is the second time I've read the book in less than a week, I had to go back after and re-read the whole lot. M.A. Church has done a fantastic job creating a world and characters that you can truly enjoy.
I was too excited to review this book directly after reading it. I IMMEDIATELY had to read the second, then the Christmas story, then the stories about the next gen, THEN had to re-read the whole thing.
Not your standard mpreg. It was exhilarating and thought provoking. The romance was sweet and reasonably realistic all things considered. Very steamy too. Lots and lots of character development. The world building was SUPERB!
This is the second time I've read the book in less than a week, I had to go back after and re-read the whole lot. M.A. Church has done a fantastic job creating a world and characters that you can truly enjoy.
November 5, 2013
It was fine reading material worth reading but still something was of. I don't know exactly what I did not like, but still something negative is in there. Maybe story and how story plot is written.
Story plot reminded me a little of "Changing Worlds" written by Z., Cari.
Story plot reminded me a little of "Changing Worlds" written by Z., Cari.
June 11, 2016
An alien abduction m/m romance, just my cup of tea. Sadly Dale and his fellow mates do sound a bit girly/twinky from time to time. Also Dale does change from anger to acceptance of his abduction awful quick. Still an enjoyable read.
September 19, 2016
Overall rating: 4 Stars
Audio book: n/a
Book cover: 2 stars
Totally different and just what the doctor ordered. The story pulled me in and I couldn't help to just go with the flow.
Audio book: n/a
Book cover: 2 stars
Totally different and just what the doctor ordered. The story pulled me in and I couldn't help to just go with the flow.
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