Torn

Life Tree - Master Trooper #1

by Alexa Kim

Jahr 2354 – der Regierung der Erde ist mit dem geheimen Forschungsprojekt „Life Tree“ der Durchbruch gelungen – perfekte Soldaten, deren Fähigkeiten durch das Einmischen von Raubtier-DNA jede Erwartung der Wissenschaftler übertreffen.
Nun soll das Life Tree Projekt in die zweite Phase gehen … genetische Vermehrung der Master Trooper.

Von ihrem Freund verraten und wegen Drogenhandels zu Zwangsarbeit verurteilt, findet sich Larona mit anderen Frauen in einem Shuttle wieder, das sie in eine Strafkolonie auf den Mars bringen soll.
Doch plötzlich wird klar, dass sie nicht zum Mars, sondern zum Planeten Terra Alpha gebracht werden, wo sie Teil eines Forschungsprojektes sein sollen.
Larona wird für das INBREED Programm ausgewählt – sie soll das Kind eines Master Troopers austragen. Man macht ihr klar, dass ihr Körper nicht mehr ihr gehört, sondern Teil des „Life Tree“ Projektes ist.
Larona ist verzweifelt, als man sie zu Torn bringt, der keine Skrupel zu haben scheint, die Befehle von Life Tree auszuführen ...

Torn hat sich im Kampf und in allen Tests als überdurchschnittlich erwiesen. Deshalb wurde er in das INBREED Programm aufgenommen, um seine Gene weiter zu vererben – eine Aufgabe, um die er beneidet wird – denn INBREED bedeutet Luxus zwischen den Kampfeinsätzen … Urlaub, gutes Essen und Frauen.
Für Torn gab es nie einen Grund, „Life Tree“ infrage zu stellen … vor allem INBREED ist eine Pflicht, die er nur allzu gerne erfüllt … Frauen dienen ihm zur Erfüllung körperlicher Bedürfnisse.
Doch bei Larona ist es anders; als sie versucht sich umzubringen, beginnt Torn Life Tree infrage zu stellen. Außerdem entwickelt er Gefühle für Larona, die er als Master Trooper eigentlich gar nicht haben dürfte ...

Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Erotica, Aliens, Military Fiction, Science Fiction Romance

100 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2014

Reviews

[T00zday · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a wonderful surprise to me!
Kindle Unlimited.
Translated from the original German, but it read beautifully and I forgot that fact while reading it.
Futuristic
Steamy romance that starts roughly.
HFN ending
Absolutely recommended!

[Vanessa theJeepDiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Alexa Kim’s 2354 Earth is not the planet we know. Natural resources have been depleted. Oxygen comes from artificial oxygen plants. Criminals are sentenced harsh punishments at a convict colony on Mars where they will spend the rest of their limited days as miners. Larona finds herself on one of those transport ships after her significant other frames her for his crimes. It doesn’t take long for her and the others aboard the ship to realize that they are most certainly not approaching Mars. Upon landing things escalate quickly as they are subdued by the largest soldiers they have ever seen. This is Larona’s first but certainly not her last contact with a Master Trooper.

The United Governments has a top secret research facility on planet Terra Alpha. This is where project Life Tree has been attempting to create the perfect super soldier. They have their Master Troopers. These men have been created with predator DNA. The have been shaped by Life Tree to take orders and never ask questions. They have been given strict rules that they live by to survive. The Master Troopers have been given women as part of a genetic reproduction phase called INBREED. The Master Trooper who is given a woman has one simple task, impregnate her.

And this is why you don’t screw with genetics. Nothing is ever perfect. Sometimes nature takes over and runs thing the way it sees best. Larona sees her will to reproduce taken away from her when she is sent to Torn’s home. She sees there is only one option to free herself from the monster before her. She attempts to end her own life. Torn wants nothing more than Larona, preferably a Larona that is not petrified of him. From the moment he smells her he knows there is something vastly different in Larona that he has never noticed before in the other females that Life Tree has sent him. He wants her on a primal level. He wants her to want him, not fear him. He is also willing to do anything to see that that happens.

This was one hot read! I hope the author has plans to continue having her books translated. At this time I did not see English editions for the other books in the series. There are currently six German editions. Two of those Master Trooper’s had fairly significant roles in Torn. I’d love to see how these enhanced men adapt to and force others to adapt to how they were handling certain things at the end of this novella. I am impatiently anticipating more of these erotic sci fi romances.

[The Book Junkie Reads . . . · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have most certainly gotten a hot sci-fi/fantasy romance read. There is a new futuristic take on Earth and its new laws for criminals. This is a immersing journey into a breeding program of another super alpha race. There is no doubt in my mind that with there traits there are women that would happily sign up for this program without committing a crime. I am not one to give away the details. I will say this read it and find a new world/new take on a world that will scorch the sheets. I different and LOVE different. 5stars, yes in deed.

More @ http://mileythebookjunkie.blogspot.co...

[♡♡~Cyborg-Scifi-Lover~♡♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it. I can't wait for the second book!

[Girl Reading Books Too · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexa Kim has written a futuristic tale with primal alpha males and fascinating world building, bringing us genetic engineering and life manipulation.

Wow! I was not expecting to enjoy this story as much as I do, but I did. I was concerned I would not enjoy the book as much and have issues with the German to English translation. Nothing to worry about there. The translation, while not flawless, is excellent. There are a few points in the text where it could have been translated / edited a little better, but overall nothing to be concerned about or to throw the reader out of the story while reading.

I don't even know where to begin to point out all the things I loved about this story. On the surface it's a simple tale of genetically engineered males finding their mates, but beyond that, there is a society of men bred for war, who have never known anything else other than the life they have been given, while being controlled by rules, confined to certain parts of the planet and manipulated for a larger, greedier organization bent on creating the super soldier. These men are bred, live and breathe the rules they are given to live within until a single female comes along and tells them life is different on the home planet, where there are choices, where people are given free will and they can live how they please, love who they please and be with them as long as they please. This brings about a sea change in these men, triggered by the love of one Master Trooper for his captive girl of the moment, who has been award to him as a prize for good behavior and performance but turns out to be so much more.

Torn is your super soldier, bred and trained for war, with super everything. He's bigger than most men, stronger, faster, more lethal. He's also a dominant, controlling alpha male and I love that in a hero. He's basic and primal. He takes what he wants, he conquers and dominates, but with Larona at least, he is able to curb some of his baser, more primitive instincts to help her trust him and develop feelings for him. I love that he's possessive and protective and even gets jealous over an old boyfriend who is so far out of his reach to pulverize when Larona shares her past with him and he feels the need to right the wrongs wrought upon her. But if I had to point to one thing which blew me away about this story, it would be how incredibly alpha Torn is.

Larona starts off utterly terrified of Torn. I'm surprised by the degree of her terror, which seems somewhat out of proportion to the situation to the extent that she attempts suicide. As she gets to know Torn, her fear is replaced by desire. This is a romance after all. She's your typical submissive heroine. I won't call her weak but she's certainly very helpless in these circumstances, from being sentenced to life on a penal colony of Mars (that gets diverted to Terra Alpha) to being given to Torn and then being taken away from him again. She has very few choices left to her and very little way of protecting herself, very much a damsel in distress who needs rescuing. Fortunately, Torn is up to the task.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I am looking forward to Crow's story in book 2 coming soon. I saw on Ms Kim's Facebook page that it's currently being translated.

[Boundless Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided a copy of Torn (Life Tree – Master Trooper #1) in exchange for an honest review for a blog tour. In Torn, we meet Larona who has been sentenced to serve a life sentence of hard labor, on Mars. In the new regime on Earth under the UG - United Governments; once you are convicted of a crime, you lose your civil rights, and become property of the UG to do with as they please. Pretty good deterrent not to commit crime if you ask me! Instead of being taken to Mars, she winds up on planet Terra Alpha, in the Hands of Life Tree, put in their INBREED program. What does that mean for her? Well, she is to become the broodmare for the genetically modified super soldiers, or Master Troopers, as they are called.

The Master Troopers have been modified with predator DNA, which means when mating or defending territory, they act more aggressive and animal like. They have a super charged sex drive, and seem to use sex to help regulate their moods. Like most men; when they don’t get laid, they tend to get a bit tense and grumpy, multiply that by 1,000 for these soldiers. Torn is the Master Trooper that Larona is assigned to; during his two-month vacation, his sole purpose is to knock her up.

As you can imagine, Larona is utterly terrified! She has been paired with a huge beast of a man/part predator! Oh holly hell! Larona isn’t strong or aggressively independent, like my preferred female leads. She’s pretty meek and submissive; however, this is merited for her survival. Torn’s super alpha personality and predator tendencies, would have dangerously clashed with a dominate woman. Torn was crazily possessive and protective of Larona right from the start; I really liked that about him. Eventually, his feelings grow for her, causing him to question himself, everything he has been taught, and everything he knows in his life as a Master Trooper.

Torn was a quick read, and I really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to reading more of this series. I really enjoy this type of novel; I get teased about it, but I don’t care!...Sara

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[Bookschatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Torn is the first book in the "Life Tree - Master Trooper" series by Alexa Kim. There currently are seven titles in this series, originally published in German; the first two (Torn, and Crow) have thus far been translated into English.

The premise of this sci-fi series, laced with explicit steamy sex-sequences, is the government's attempts to create a race of super-soldiers, and its associated breeding programme. Each book focuses on one of these Troopers.

I felt this first episode set quite a comprehensive, plausible scene full of possibilities and opportunities to explore the various scenarios in future offerings. One I certainly want to continue to explore. I like the concept, and I like the way Alexa Kim unfolds her characters and world building, through the first person narration which alternates between the main two protagonists (Larona and Torn), whom I found very likeable.

Some aspects of the Master Trooper race reminded me of Celeste Prater's hunky aliens, specifically their enhanced sense of smell and the insight they gain from it, as well as the concept of, effectively, a soul mate - i.e. that one female who completes them. That's where the similarities ended.

For me, Alexa Kim struck an excellent balance between the sci-fi, the erotic and the romantic elements, which felt part of the story and not forced in for the sake of the genre. My only gripe with the writing were the more than occasional typos (repeated/incorrectly positioned prepositions, and some incorrect words, such as "safe" instead of "save", "drowned" instead of "downed", "squad" instead of "squat", "feebly" instead of "feeble").

This is a stand-alone tale, with no cliff-hangers, however the premise is strongly set for the next chapter. Torn was a quick enjoyable read which left me wanting more. I only have two warnings; 1) the setting is dystopian and some areas of the complex world that we glimpse at are purely savage. 2) although you have nothing to fear with Torn, this series may not always have an Happily Ever After, as Alexa warns us that her stories can have dark tones. I will know more once I have read Crow! ;-)

[ARC received from author.]

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich schreibe dieses Review für die Gesammte Buchserie. Als ich begann Die Life Tree-Master Trooper zu lesen war ich absolut begeistert von der Serie. In den ersten Büchern hatte noch jeder Charakter seinen eignen Charme mit Ecken und Kanten. Leider gingen diese individuellen eigenschaften im laufe der Serie verloren. Und auch wenn ich die Trooper mit ihren starken Frauen noch immer liebe so fehlt mir inzwischen das gewisse etwas.
Wer Alexa Kim kennt weiß das ihre Bücher grundsetzlich eine erotische Fantasie erzählen. Dagegen ist natürlich nichts auszusetzen, wenn man weiß was einem erwartet.

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read something that was intended as erotic romance or erotica. I'd call Torn the former--the sex scenes are important, and the sexual relationship between Torn and Larona is a significant component of the story, but there's more story to it than simple sexual gratification.

I was really into the set-up for this story. Torn is definitely science fiction, set in a future world wherein female criminals can be redirected to a breeding program intended to create a subspecies of perfect soldiers. These guys are big, heavily muscled, aggressive, dominant, loyal, and have a heightened sense of smell. They're frightening as a group, and impressive one-on-one. They're also some kind of crazy experiment involving predator DNA--I just let the details of this roll over me. Sometimes it's easiest to accept things as presented in fiction, and not question too much.

The idea of these women being presented to the soldiers (Master Troopers) for the breeding program was a bit... difficult. But moving beyond that, I liked the idea of these predatory men finding the right woman for them, and becoming fixated on them. The idea of this biological 'clicking' worked for me in the context of this universe. I also liked the set-up on Terra Alpha, a world that was Earth-like, with additional dangers. There's lots of space for additional stories to be told--certainly a few others have already been published in the series' original language...

So Torn was originally published in German, and is now available as an English translation. There are a few issues with the translation, or at least, I had a few issues. There are definitely some typos and/or wrong words in places that would have looked fine to a spell checker, but obviously aren't what was intended. It's not egregious, but it was noticeable, so there's more than just a handful.

I also found a couple spots where the story seemed to get hung up on what was convenient rather than logical. In one case, Torn is supposed to meet his friend at a bar, leaving Larona to go swimming. Instead of follow through on his plan, Torn comes home to talk things through with Larona, catching her at a vulnerable moment. It was an awkward bit of stage business.

I had one more issue with the book, and that was Torn's pet name for Larona. He called her doll or baby doll quite a bit, and it kind of squicked me out. I can be good with aggressive, alpha males in the right context, but the pet name just... made me ick.

Overall, Torn was a quick read, with some good sex scenes, and an extreme Alpha male, but more than that, it's also science fiction, with an intriguing premise and a world that begs to be explored further.

Bottom line:

Torn isn't going to be the right erotic romance for everybody, something author Alexa Kim acknowledges in her letter to the reader (which appears after the text of the book--thank you Amazon for wanting as little front matter as possible so samples of books are of the book and not the 'extras'). If you're not put off by extremely Alpha men, who are aggressive and very driven by their hormones, you might enjoy this quick read!

3.5 stars
For fans of erotic romance, science fiction, Alpha males.

Received in exchange for an honest review

[Lady Heather]

Torn by Alexa Kim - Romantasy, Dark Romance und Erotikromane is now available in English!





Giveaway

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[Vicki Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Enjoyable Read!

This was a great take on the theme of genetically engineered soldiers. The world building was well done. Torn and Larona were both substantive characters and the story kept me interested from beginning to end. One of the things I would note is that although this is a German to English translation, the translation was excellent!! There were very few spelling or grammatical errors. This was a good beginning to a new series and I look forward to reading the rest of it as it becomes available.

[Sylvia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh, didn't get very far into this as the heroine was unbelievable I guess being a small attractive blonde means it's an absurd thought that you could possibly commit a crime. Blondes are super human creatures that don't look like a criminal why being a young blonde woman people should assume the best assumptions only creatures of high moral standing. Excuse me while I pluck out my eyes after reading such stupidity. This is all in the very beginning so I can't write anything about the story. DNF.

[Deb Smith]

I enjoyed this unusual premise and story. It will be interesting how the author resolves the issues begun here. The characters are well done and the worlds building is good. The writing is fast paced and without a lot of superfluous words. I am glad I also have the next book ready to read. Recommended

[Loraine Magaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable Read

The world of Life Tree is incredibly fresh and enjoyable. I found the relationship between Torn and Larona to be engaging. I generally, this book is worth reading. Can't wait for the next one.

[Shasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breeding program erotica

The story is told in first person present tense and two points of view. There are many wrong words used and past tense gets mixed in with present. Needs a proofreader!
Story was okay with a mostly happy ending.

Mature content

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read. I really liked the concept, but the authors note at the end makes me iffy about wither or not I wanna continue with the series. I Love dominate males but not big on dom/sub thing. So… I’m gonna take it one book at a time.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start

I really enjoyed this work. Great H, compatible h. My only complaint was not enough material. This story needed more depth, in the relationship, in the battle.

[Sara]

Please see Boundless Book Reviews for the review.

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3...

[Mare Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving this new series!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. It was a fun and fast read. I am looking forward to reading more in the series when they are available in English.