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The Alien Refugee
He’d scour out his entire being if he knew any prayers with the power to do so
Ha’ral came to Carta fleeing the horrors of the war – both the horrors that he witnessed and the horrors that he inflicted. He became a guard and dedicated himself to becoming a new man. A patient man. A kind man. A man who would never raise a hand in anger.
Maybe even a man who might deserve the playful smiles and casually intimate touches of the handsome human pickpocket who hangs around his patrols.
But Zyk came to Carta fleeing horrors of his own and finding out who Ha’ral used to be might be more than Zyk can bear.
A *very* steamy 20k word short story set in the Interspecies Alliances world featuring a man yearning to be better, a man yearning to heal, and a happily ever after.
Content Warning for on page violence and implied past sexual trauma.
Ha’ral came to Carta fleeing the horrors of the war – both the horrors that he witnessed and the horrors that he inflicted. He became a guard and dedicated himself to becoming a new man. A patient man. A kind man. A man who would never raise a hand in anger.
Maybe even a man who might deserve the playful smiles and casually intimate touches of the handsome human pickpocket who hangs around his patrols.
But Zyk came to Carta fleeing horrors of his own and finding out who Ha’ral used to be might be more than Zyk can bear.
A *very* steamy 20k word short story set in the Interspecies Alliances world featuring a man yearning to be better, a man yearning to heal, and a happily ever after.
Content Warning for on page violence and implied past sexual trauma.
- GenresRomance
ebook
Published January 1, 2022
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 13, 2026
I was hesitant about THE ALIEN REFUGEE at first but I actually really loved this one! For only being 70 pages it packed a huge emotional punch and it almost had me crying (which I never do with books). With only one POV we follow Ha’ral, an alien ex-soldier trying to live a better life as security in a human refugee camp. He's haunted by his past and the violence he committed during the war but he's trying to be a better person and find forgiveness for himself. Ha’ral's desperation to be seen as the man he was now and not who he was before was so poignantly written and beautiful.
Ha’ral's love interest was a human refugee and thief named Zyk who knows everyone's business in the camp and while he normally stays away from big men he's drawn to Ha’ral. They've already formed a loose friendship when the book starts but the change into something more was rocky but worth it. Ha’ral and Zyk were so sweet together once they worked out their pasts and the one spicy scene was excellent.
The overall world building was pretty basic since THE ALIEN REFUGEE was mostly focused on Ha’ral's journey to peace and his romance with Zyk but that was fitting for the book. I do have to say there were a lot of typos and grammatical errors but the way Eryn Ivers handled Ha’ral's struggles and his grief was written so well that I'm still rating this quite high. I'm definitely curious to see where the overall series goes.
Content Warning: past sexual assault
Ha’ral's love interest was a human refugee and thief named Zyk who knows everyone's business in the camp and while he normally stays away from big men he's drawn to Ha’ral. They've already formed a loose friendship when the book starts but the change into something more was rocky but worth it. Ha’ral and Zyk were so sweet together once they worked out their pasts and the one spicy scene was excellent.
The overall world building was pretty basic since THE ALIEN REFUGEE was mostly focused on Ha’ral's journey to peace and his romance with Zyk but that was fitting for the book. I do have to say there were a lot of typos and grammatical errors but the way Eryn Ivers handled Ha’ral's struggles and his grief was written so well that I'm still rating this quite high. I'm definitely curious to see where the overall series goes.
Content Warning: past sexual assault
January 3, 2026
This is the first short story I’ve had the pleasure of rating, and I know it’s good to be a little more lenient with them.
That said, this was a very effectively written short story. I got invested quickly and was convinced of the bond between the two men just as fast. There’s quite a bit of reading between the lines required to get the full picture, but I actually prefer that to an author treating the reader like they’re dumb and hammering the point over and over.
Eryn Ivers usually does a solid job with trauma representation, but in the short story format it did fall a bit flat. SA is such a heavy topic, and here we move on from it faster than I’d like. This is what I mean about reading between the lines: one can assume there was more conflict in their relationship regarding Zyk’s trauma, but it isn’t really demonstrated. When it is addressed, though, it’s done very well. This book was done entirely from Ha'ral's perspective and as a result his trauma was more satisfyingly handled. We just had more time to think on it.
The biggest drawback is the noticeable number of typos and grammatical errors throughout. For me it’s all passable because I enjoyed the story and writing style so much, but I do think it's beneficial to put your best foot forward with all your work. This includes freebies such as this.
I read this after Alien Infiltrator, and I personally recommend that order, though it can really be read at any point. It’s not irrelevant, but it is essentially backstory. Still, if you want more of this world and its characters, this is a great little bonus. The characters from this story clearly have plenty of relevance going forward, so I appreciated getting a deeper understanding of them.
I hope this doesn’t sound too critical for a short story review, because I really did enjoy it. Honestly, I could read a whole collection of short stories from this world. I loved Alien Emissary, but I think I liked this story, even though it’s half the length, even more. And for those who don't know, my biggest complaint with the Alien Emissary was that it's too short. Make of that what you will.
Would recommend: 4/5.
That said, this was a very effectively written short story. I got invested quickly and was convinced of the bond between the two men just as fast. There’s quite a bit of reading between the lines required to get the full picture, but I actually prefer that to an author treating the reader like they’re dumb and hammering the point over and over.
Eryn Ivers usually does a solid job with trauma representation, but in the short story format it did fall a bit flat. SA is such a heavy topic, and here we move on from it faster than I’d like. This is what I mean about reading between the lines: one can assume there was more conflict in their relationship regarding Zyk’s trauma, but it isn’t really demonstrated. When it is addressed, though, it’s done very well. This book was done entirely from Ha'ral's perspective and as a result his trauma was more satisfyingly handled. We just had more time to think on it.
The biggest drawback is the noticeable number of typos and grammatical errors throughout. For me it’s all passable because I enjoyed the story and writing style so much, but I do think it's beneficial to put your best foot forward with all your work. This includes freebies such as this.
I read this after Alien Infiltrator, and I personally recommend that order, though it can really be read at any point. It’s not irrelevant, but it is essentially backstory. Still, if you want more of this world and its characters, this is a great little bonus. The characters from this story clearly have plenty of relevance going forward, so I appreciated getting a deeper understanding of them.
I hope this doesn’t sound too critical for a short story review, because I really did enjoy it. Honestly, I could read a whole collection of short stories from this world. I loved Alien Emissary, but I think I liked this story, even though it’s half the length, even more. And for those who don't know, my biggest complaint with the Alien Emissary was that it's too short. Make of that what you will.
Would recommend: 4/5.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews