Saber craint de ne jamais se remettre entièrement de ses graves blessures, et s’il est incapable de protéger son Amate, il sait qu’il n’est pas digne d’elle. Elle devrait choisir un guerrier, pas un estropié qui aura constamment besoin de son aide ; Saber fait donc tout ce qui est en son pouvoir pour repousser la délicate Humaine dont il est tombé amoureux.
Taylor Sampson est humaine, mais cela ne veut pas dire qu'elle est faible. Ses soeurs et elle ont survécu quatre ans dans les rues violentes de la Terre après que l'Alliance ait initié le premier contact. Elle n'était alors qu'une adolescente, mais elle a bien grandi maintenant et elle lorgne sur le Trivator qui a capturé son coeur sept ans auparavant.
Taylor a une dernière mission à effectuer sur une autre planète afin de complèter ses études. Une fois cela fait, elle a bien l’intention de montrer à Saber qu'il est l'homme qu'elle désire, malgré son entêtement, mais quand éclate la guerre civile, elle se retrouve prisonnière derrière les lignes ennemies. Il ne faut pas longtemps à Saber pour découvrir que Taylor a été abandonnée, et soudain, il n'y a plus de place dans sa vie pour la pitié, que ce soit envers lui-même ou qui que ce soit qui se mette en travers de son chemin.
Auteur de renommée internationale, S.E. Smith propose une nouvelle histoire d’action pleine d’aventure et de romance. Débordant de l’humour qui la caractérise, de paysages éclatants et de personnages attachants, il est certain que ce livre deviendra un nouveau favori des fans !
S.E. Smith is an internationally acclaimed, New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling author of science fiction, romance, fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary works for adults, young adults, and children. She enjoys writing a wide variety of genres that pull her readers into worlds that take them away.
Challenging Saber by S E Smith The Alliance series book 4. Science fiction romance. Best read as part of the series but Prologue does include an intro to the world. Enough I think to make this a stand-alone for the most part. Saber has known that the human Taylor was his mate since they first met but she was so young. Seven years later, Saber is finally ready to make his love known when he is injured in battle. Deciding that Taylor would be better off with a whole male, he rejects her. Taylor isn’t having it.
Taylor is funny and determined. She learns to fight and earn her way in this new world she and her friends have traveled to. She’s a strong warrior and better friend.
My biggest complaint about this book is there wasn't enough romance. I was really looking forward to Taylor and Saber's story. I knew he was going to push her away some. I just didn't expect all the other "stuff" going on. It was interesting and entertaining but I wanted more time with them together as a couple building their relationship. I've read just about all of Smith's books and it's interesting to see how all the sci-fi series are coming together.
I think I need to lay off the romance for a while lol, I've got all gushy. But in a serious note...the story line is amazing. Galactic war is on the rise and they are there in the middle of it. No help from their high chancellors it seems and the base of a strong family willing to do anything. The bronze of the men and the wits of the women, -sigh- I'm enjoying it. It's so compact with adventure it makes me wish starships existed in this day and age.
I liked it, in general. The author reviewed the previous circumstances between the H and h, which is good if anyone forgot the previous books, and it offers a different character's POV on it.
It seemed like a lot of time passed between the H and h with nothing happening (she was growing up) and he spent several years with a bad wound, in pain, and doing the whole 'woe-is-me-she-deserves-a-whole-man' shtick that's overly common in rom novs. Oh, just a note... if you hate H's that bed the h (her first time), then tell her the very next morning she needs to move on and find a better guy, then you need to skip this book. Frankly, nothing else that happened after that or anything else he did redeemed Saber to me. Plus, I didn't believe it, either. This guy goes without FOR YEARS, waiting for this one chick to grow up, then he dumps her? SAY WHAT????
I gave the book 3 stars because there was good action, our slimy H didn't need to be the one that rescues Taylor from the dungeon, and because we get the set up for continuing adventures that sound interesting to me. But still, there are a lot of different bad-guy names introduced, so it was hard to keep up with and there's no way in hell I will remember any of that.
Please excuse my typos. Writing on a Kindle keyboard, even with a stylus, is a chore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I've been looking forward to Saber and Taylor's book since Hunter's Claim. I've loved their banter in all the previous books.
I have to say although I liked this book, I was a bit disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I would have loved more moments with Saber and Taylor. Their romance felt a little rushed in this book, and more like a sideline to this story than the main part.
Huge parts of the book retraces the same parts of the first book that were described in Dagger's Hope... I didn't want to read again (for the third time!!!) the same!
I also find Saber's stubborness too exasperated!!! Taylor has almost to die for him to take his head out of his ass!!!!
Taylor was a great heroine: she was spunky and very strong-willed and I liked her.
Maria Antonietta - per RFS . Care fenici, amanti del genere fantasy, non avete ancora letto la serie l‘Alleanza?
Siamo arrivate già al quarto volume e ormai siamo di casa nel pianeta Rathon, dove vivono i nostri amici alieni, i Trivator.
Questa razza è giunta sulla terra per ristabilire l’ordine per conto dell’Alleanza dei sistemi stellari e aiutare gli umani a riorganizzarsi, e a sedare eventuali guerre interne.
Come avrete capito dal titolo, Saber è l’alieno protagonista che conosciamo già dal primo libro, lui faceva parte del famoso trio che insieme ad Hunter e Dagger aveva salvato le tre sorelle umane da morte sicura sulla terra.
Fra loro ricordate la piccola e temeraria Taylor Sampson?
Sono passati sette anni da allora e adesso la ritroviamo cresciuta e ambientata perfettamente nel paese alieno.
Come sempre la narrazione inizia dagli eventi di Seattle e in questo caso dal punto di vista di Saber e Taylor fino ad arrivare al giorno in cui si svolgono i fatti che sono il cuore della storia.
Taylor è diventata una splendida donna e della terribile piccola peste che dava del filo da torcere al Trivator è rimasta una giovane ragazza innamorata e un’eccellente fisioterapista in procinto di concludere i suoi studi.
Di Saber invece, dopo una missione disastrosa avvenuta cinque anni prima, è rimasto un guscio vuoto, un uomo ferito sia fisicamente che moralmente che si lecca le ferite con l’isolamento e l’esercizio fisico per rafforzarsi al massimo.
Tra i due c’è sempre stata una grande affinità ma da parte di lui anche una forte attrazione che risale addirittura al primo incontro, anche se lei era una bambina e infatti in tutti questi anni ha dovuto reprimersi per rispetto alla giovane età della ragazza.
Adesso è Taylor quella che è pronta e innamorata ma si trova davanti un Saber testardo e convinto di non essere adeguato a lei. Il rischio di perdere la gamba ferita è molto alto e quindi, sentendosi un uomo a metà, ha perso la speranza di una vita felice con la sua Taylor che non vuole costringere a una relazione inadeguata.
Lei invece è la tenace ragazzina di sempre e non si fa scoraggiare, lo ha sempre aiutato in questi cinque anni addirittura specializzandosi per aiutarlo con le terapie.
Dopo una notte di fuoco in cui lei spudoratamente si dona a lui, si aspetta di essere rivendicata come sua Amate (amante) e iniziare così un rapporto bramato da tanto, invece Saber è irremovibile e la ferisce con il suo silenzio allontanandola per sempre. Inizia così la nostra avventura perché la temeraria Taylor parte per una missione umanitaria di tre mesi su un altro pianeta dando al cocciuto Saber un ultimatum.
Come reagirà lui alla notizia che Taylor durante un attacco è stata fatta prigioniera di questa razza aliena?
Questo libro mi è piaciuto molto e ancora una volta posso confermare che la serie continua a sorprendermi, migliorando ogni volta con una caratterizzazione dei personaggi sempre più accurata.
Le avventure e le battaglie aliene sono il fulcro del racconto e i protagonisti sono spettacolari per il coraggio, l’affiatamento e la vitalità. Come sempre non mancano i colpi di scena e, per gli affezionati, sono presenti i personaggi dei libri precedenti.
Fenicette che aspettate! Venite con me e partiamo per una nuova avventura! Comodamente in poltrona però!
I loved Taylor from bk1 when she was just 16 years old and captured by The Trivator Warriors along with her 2 older sister. Taylor gave poor Saber a fit. She was always biting him.
But from the moment Saber the Trivator Warrior saw Taylor he new she was his Ameta/Wife. But he had to wait for her to grow up. Before Taylor can turn 21 Taylor has a major accident that almost cost him his life. His leg was basically crushed. It took year for him to even walk again. In the meantime Taylor reaches and adult age.
Listen to Audible!! Another Great Narration by David Brenin. 5Star Narration!!
Edit: Re-read Ok I enjoyed this time more than the first but it took me a month to finish it because this time I went back to books 1 - 2 and 3. Honestly I started this because I started reading Destin's Hope but I wasn't understanding anything :P so I wen't back to this one and ended up researching the bits of the larger plot here that is the whole prophecy of the Kassisan's "warrior". Here the love story takes a second place to give the main focus to the whole problem the Alliance is facing with its enemies joining forces to beat them. Now that I've finished it I'm going straight for Destin's story and perhaps even start reading about the Kassisan's as well. What keeps bothering me and takes a star from my rating is the somewhat childish voices that the females have once in a while. I get it, they are kick ass women but they just brag about that fact so much that it takes that quality out of them.
Fisrt read: Feb 3, 2016 It was a great story, don't get me wrong on this one. It's full of action and there's a whole lot of plot unwraping its wings along this romatic story but I didn't read it like a starving maniac as I did on their previous installments so it is between a 3 stars getting to 3.5 stars though not quite making it to 4. Perhaps I could give it a four but I feel like I would be cheating myself :P. Blame it on Hunter! He was the one to set the bar pretty high on this joyride and I'll be happily waiting to read the books to come because I really enjoy the world that Ms. Smith has created, I just really hope to feel more connected to the MC's next time. Saber and Taylor were funny and likeable but I just don't know why I couldn't feel their love a little bit more.
Would I recommend this one? Definitely yes! This is a great series and I can't get enough of this hunky, swoon worthy, Traviators :).
I had been waiting and waiting for Saber and Taylor's story. Unfortunately I was a bit disappointed. What happened to the mating tattoos on their arms? (I'll have to re-read the first book to figure out if this appears when they meet or what...it's been a while since I read it).
My eyes kinda glossed over during the action parts. I really wanted the focus to be more of the two of them. Was trying to figure out who the Kassisan, Dakar, was and almost got him confused with Jarman. That whole part on the planet where they met the Rebels was really confusing, but at that point I didn't want to try to re-read or research what was going on with the previous books because I just wanted to plow through and finish.
Another thing I wasn't happy with was that ending was very abrupt. What was that all about?
Challenging Saber is book 4 in The Alliance Series, and it is FINALLY the story of Taylor and Saber - I have been wanting to read their story since book 1! The start of this book gives the reader a quick recap of what we already know of these 2 from the past few books - how they met, Taylor's feistiness, the difference in their ages which means Saber has to wait until Taylor is of age to act on their attraction. I would recommend reading this series in order, but it could be read as a standalone due to the recap at the start.
I loved this book, although I probably couldn't decide between the first in the series and this one as to which is my favourite. Poor Taylor is finally old enough for Saber, but he is struggling with his injury, and whether he will be enough for Taylor due to the difficulties it causes him. Similar to the other books, there is some drama which makes Saber realise Taylor is his, and he sets off to rescue her after she gets caught up in the beginnings of a civil war on a different planet. Another great read in this series, onto book 5!
I started this series a few years back but never got to finish it for some reason so went back for a reread and to finish. It was great getting involved with the characters again and seeing them grow and adapt to each situation. Our heroines get stronger and due to their past struggles seem to be more progressive in how they handle things where as the heroes struggles have been more to physical aspects of life and how they overcome and adapt. The storyline is progressive and should be read in order to get the best out of it. The storyline is interesting and really draws you in to the plight of the couples as well as everything and everyone around them. The characters are well developed and charismatic. Great read so far.
This was a great edition to the Alliance series, I know I have been waiting for Saber and Taylor's book since a particular scene in Hunter's Claim we just had to wait until she grew up. This book started at the very beginning of their story so although it was apparently 200 pages long according to my kindle but it felt more like a novella, I think that's because I skimmed the first part when I realised I'd already read it... Depending on how it is done I don't mind it but in this case it felt a little unnecessary because while we were seeing it from Saber's perspective I didn't feel it added anything to what I had already read. Apart from that I enjoyed the rest of the story, we got so see what happened to Saber and Taylor and there was plenty of action as well as seeing the characters from previous books. One of the best things about this story was they way in which S.E. Smith managed to write the story and move the storyline of the entire series along so far, the overall series storyline didn't feel like it was taking over Saber and Taylor's story but this book has moved the storyline along quite quickly. I also love the way in which S.E. Smith combines her different series's together so well, how she keeps track of all the different characters in all her series's I don't know but she does!
This unfortunately for didn't go where I expected it too so it's only a 3.5 star:(
I was expecting this to be more about Taylor and saber, after being teased throughout the series with glimpses of there funky relationship, banter and bickering I was super excited about it being solely about them. Unfortunately their relationship seemed to be overrun with all the background plots like the war coming and unnecessary drama if I'm honest. Another thing that was extremely frustrating was that the beginning was again the same stuff from previous books just in their point of view and after hearing it many times before it just got annoying.
Saber also pissed me off with his self pity party, I just wanted to jump in and slap him stuiped. Although when he did finally get a grip I enjoyed him, his protectiveness over Taylor was hot and his gruff alpha attatuide was definetly sexy.
Taylor for me was the only thing I really enjoyed in the book and I'll say it again there wasn't enough of her, her snarky sarky attatuide and mischievous smirks had me chuckling. She was always up to something which was entertaining and her threats of gnomes and net curtains were hillerous.
I'll definitely read the next book but I won't hold it to the standards I was hoping from this one ...that way I'm not as disappointed.
I am slightly disappointed with this 4th book in the Alliance books.
I have a deja vu feeling because the first part of the book reminds me of Dagger's story.
To start with I would like to say that I wanted more moments between Saber and Taylor. Their story had a background since Hunter took the girls from earth. I knew Saber and Taylor were supposed to be mates so the chapters going back in past from the time when they met till the present for me were a waste of time. I knew all that and honestly waiting for a 16 year old girl to grow up was...frustrating.
When so much part of the book was spent backtracking the romance felt rushed and more like an afterthought to the main storyline. I liked the action more than the romance and that says a lot. Saber jumped from knowing he has an Amate to rejecting her after a night together and after 5 years of rejection. The bad new aliens and kassian involvement are giving me hints of more stories to come so that is a plus.
Overall I enjoyed most of the story. I do love these Trivator warriors: sweet, gentle and protective of their mates. Taylor was definitely an action heroine which was a bonus but somehow I was left wanting a little more on the romantic side.
Overall 5 out of 5 stars Performance 5 out of 5 stars Story 4 out of 5 stars
Most of their chemistry you have feel . . .
David and SE Smith make the perfect team. Sci-fi romance makes it feel so real. David's voice brings to life the characters and transport you to another world. The visual effects of his voice helps with the consumption of each new addition added to the series.
Yes, before you go further. You will get some recap of what happened the first time we meet Razor, Taylor and all the rest. We see it this time from Razor and Taylor's point of view. This gives you an extra layer of what they were feeling and experiencing at that time. This also helped when it came to their romance and how it grew over the seven years before they were able to act on their feelings.
I loved seeing some other characters from other books from SE Smith and her sci-fi worlds of amazing characters, events, joinings, and more.
I've been looking forward to Saber and Taylor's story since the first book. They were such exciting characters from the first page. I enjoyed Taylor's mischievous ways and Saber's gruff personality. It was great to see them finally together.
Ce nouveau tome, je l’attendais avec impatience puisque nous connaissons Taylor et Saber depuis le début de la saga et leurs chamailleries étaient vraiment divertissantes car l’adolescente de 15 ans ne cessait de provoquer, de frapper ou encore d’insulter le guerrier Trivator en le traitant de « vieux »…
Les années ont passé et maintenant, notre jolie héroïne est âgée de 21 ans, ce qui est un âge plus acceptable moralement pour entamer une histoire d’amour avec un soldat au summum de sa force ! Mais voilà, le destin a fait que Saber n’est justement plus au top de sa forme à cause d’une douloureuse blessure à la jambe (qui a été narrée dans l’un des précédents tomes) dont il garde les séquelles et qui, selon lui, le rend indigne de proclamer Taylor comme son « amate » car d’après lui, il n’est plus à même de la protéger (et les Trivators sont très protecteurs envers les femelles, d’autant plus quand c’est leur « amate » : leur compagne).
Evidemment, Taylor ne l’entend pas de cette oreille et va tout faire pour que Saber succombe à ses charmes. Ce qui va entraîner nos deux personnages vers des situations parfois très dramatiques, surtout pour la jeune femme qui ne comprend pas pourquoi Saber ne peut pas l’aimer enfin alors qu’il est évident qu’ils sont amoureux l’un de l’autre depuis leur première rencontre….
Personnellement, j’ai moins apprécié ce tome surtout par rapport au précédent consacré à Dagger et Jordan. Sans doute que j’avais mis trop d’attentes sur cette histoire d’amour tumultueuse qui nous a été teaser depuis le début par l’auteure américaine S.E Smith.
Finalement, la plus grande partie du livre, nous suivons plutôt les guerrier Trivators (ou alternativement Taylor, qui est en mission humanitaire dans une planète) qui doivent faire face à des conflits et des enjeux politiques afin de maintenir « l’Alliance » (c’est quand même le nom de cette saga !) envers les divers peuples de cette multitude de planètes pas toujours habitées par des gens bien attentionnés….
J’aurais clairement aimé lire un peu plus de « drama » entre Taylor et Saber, que notre guerrier rame dur pour la reconquérir vu son comportement odieux au début du tome…Hors, finalement, la réconciliation va arriver trop facilement à mon goût et surtout, elle arrive assez tard et pendant ce temps là, bah on lit plus un roman d’aventure et de science-fiction qu’un livre de romance paranormale….
Cela dit, l’histoire se lit toujours sans problème, avec peut-être un bémol pour tous les noms de races extraterrestres à retenir…A la fin, je m’y suis un peu perdue (bon, tant qu’on sait qui sont les alliés des Trivators et qui sont les ennemis, ça va…).
Il y a aussi un détail que je voudrais évoquer, c’est à propos de l’évocation entre deux lignes de Jarmen, l’extraterreste hyper stylé que nous avions déjà croisé dans le précédent tome et qui était venu en aide à Dagger et Jordan. Nous ne savons toujours pas grand-chose à propos de lui et de ses objectifs mais par contre, je trouve un peu bizarre le fait que les Trivators - quand ils évoquent les deux camarades humains de Jarmen, Jon Paul et Luc – les appellent « les français »….Certes, oui, ce sont des français et cette dénomination passait bien quand c’était Jordan qui parlait d’eux, puisque elle est américaine, mais pour les Trivators, qui sont des extraterrestres, en quoi définir les deux humains comme des « français » peut être un détail important ???? C’est dans ces moments-là qu’on devine bien que cette saga a été écrite par une américaine….Bref, je verrai bien où elle veut en venir quand elle se décidera à écrire les aventures de Jarmen et de ses deux potes « français »…Wait and see….
Enfin, il est à noter que la fin de ce livre nous laisse sur un très gros suspense car la planète Terre est visée par les ennemis des Trivators…Nous aurons donc le plaisir de revenir sur notre chère planète dans le prochain tome, avec Destin, le frère de Kali (l’héroïne du 2ème tome), resté à Chicago, qui en sera le personnage principal….Et qui devrait tomber amoureux d’une extraterrestre lui aussi (sans blague !).
RAPPEL TOME 1 : Il y a très longtemps, les différentes nations de la Terre redigèrent et envoyèrent un message de bienvenue à d'éventuels extraterrestres qui seraient à même de le lire et de le comprendre. Des dizaines d'années plus tard, le message fût réceptionné, lu et compris. Une délégation d'extraterrestres membres de l' "Alliance des Systèmes Stellaires ( des guerriers Trivators) fût envoyée sur Terre. Les Terriens paniqués se révoltèrent, des émeutes et des guerres eurent lieu, des poches de résistance se créèrent. C'est dans une de ces poches que survivent les trois sœurs Sampson : Jessie, Jordan et Taylor. Ce tome 1 raconte l'histoire du couple HUNTER (guerrier Trivator) et Jessie Samson (terrienne qui fait tout pour protéger ses deux jeunes sœurs).
TOME 2 : La suite des aventures des guerriers Trivators avec l'histoire tumultueuse du couple RAZOR (Trivator et frère aîné d'Hunter) et de KALI (terrienne résistante et responsable de la sécurité d'un groupe caché à Chicago).
TOME 3 : La suite des aventures des guerriers Trivators avec l'histoire étonnante, originale et émouvante du couple DAGGER (guerrier Trivator) et d'une des sœurs Sampson : Jordan. Cette histoire fût un vrai "coup de cœur" pour moi. FIN DES RAPPELS.
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TOME 4 :
Sept ans avant les évènements actuels, le guerrier Trivator SABER accompagne sur Terre son chef Hunter qui recherche l'elue de son cœur disparue, son Amate : Jessie Sampson. Avec lui, son camarade de toujours : le guerrier Trivator Dagger.
Alors qu'ils retrouvent Jessie dans un souterrain, Dagger est charmé par une des sœurs Sampson, Jordan, alors que Saber remarque la délicate Taylor. Toutes les trois vivaient cachées, malades ou blessées dans des conditions de vie effroyables.
A ce moment précis, Saber jure en secret de tout faire pour protéger Taylor...
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Voilà un quatrième tome encore bien différent des précédents, tout en restant dans la continuité générale de l'histoire des guerriers Trivators, que j'ai lu quasiment d'une traite tant l'histoire est passionnante à mes yeux.
Saber craque littéralement pour Taylor mais finalement la repousse pour différentes raisons et événements. Saber la fuit, Taylor ne comprend pas, et les années passent...
Un amour compromis, beaucoup de tergiversations, très peu d'érotisme (vu que l'histoire de ce tome ne s'y prête pas vraiment) : voici un cocktail bien divertissant et émouvant pour les lecteurs fans de la série !
Thoughts while listening: Hearing the introduction between Saber and Taylor through Saber's POV is funnier than it was from Dagger's POV. In this book you get to hear more about what happened between them than either of the previous books. This is definitely the funniest of the previous couples. Taylor is, in Saber's words, a little hellcat. ROFL!!!!
If he does what I think he's gonna do after his and Taylor's first night together, I will beat him with a stick until he begs forgiveness. He did it and I'm gonna beat him until he begs forgiveness.
Taylor is a mouthy one isn't she. Even when faced with the odds she was, she still opened her mouth and bit back. I don't know if she's brave or foolish.
The surprises that pop up at the end are very interesting. I can't wait to see where they go.
The Sampson sisters are awesome, and always up to no good. LOL!
Final Thoughts:
This story starts with a flashback seven years into the past. It might be a bit odd for some, given that Taylor is only 15 at the beginning, but nothing really happens between Saber and Taylor until she's 22. Though, he does act a bit possessive and really protective of her. Also, they do have some really emotional conversations and he does start building her a house, but he still waits. I like that this story Starts at the beginning of their story and proceeds forward. There are a few flashback scenes, but not like how they were laid out in the last book. The last two books, I think, have been the most interesting, because of how they author included so much of their background interactions into the story. I always love when the characters have a strong background that is introduced into the story. The author did a fantastic job writing this story and I really enjoyed it. Well done to the author, and to the narrator as well for his performance. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next for the Alliance.
I was really looking forward to the angst-ridden book that this was sure to be after all the little previews we got in the previous books but it was just skimmed over so easily. There wasn’t even any romance either. We have watched Saber love Taylor since she was 14 and Taylor love Saber the same and finally this was supposed to be the culmination of their unrequited love story. The build up was there!!!! All I can say is it was such a let down. Saber didn’t have to grovel for anything after rejecting Taylor after she gave him her virginity or after rejecting her over and over before that. He didn’t make up for anything. I thought Taylor was so feisty, full of ingenuity and a take no prisoners type of girl in the previous books and I feel like she lost all of that in her own book. It was disappointing. Then the ending was just... I have no words... it literally just ended. Like it felt like it ended at 80% of the story, like it ended in the middle of a sentence. I was like “are you serious? Where is the rest of this story?” We didn’t get to see when they get back to Rathon* and reunite Taylor with her sisters or the binding ceremony of Taylor and Saber. I was just so annoyed with that.
Dagger and Jordan’s book was so much better. So was Hunter and Jesse’s. What gives with giving Taylor and Saber such a disappointing love story.
*I listened to the audiobook of this story and all the others so I may have spelled some names wrong
On a side note, the narrator for the audiobooks of this series is awesome!! Totally recommend
This series just keeps getting better The action and angst has steadily increased throughout each book. I still think daggers story is the most action based but Saber and Taylor has a pretty good tale to tell. I didn't listen to the kassis series first but I'll double back as there is information in this plotline that can become clearer. Taylor is just as sassy as her sisters and Kalee and Razor were vital in this book. Especially when a character from Daggers book appears. Although Saber needed a clip upside the head, he finally got his act together. They may be prideful and mysoginistic but at least they concede when faced with logic. This storyline runs parallel, once again, with real issues in countries of today. I'm glad I've listened to the previous books as I'm running with the overall story that Ms Smith has put together. The pace is like the previous novels. Quick enough to have me listening past my bedtime. Loved all the past characters coming in to play, its always nice to travel another chapter forward with them .The plot just keeps getting thicker. It's also unique that the author gives the listener a different perspective with each book. Love David and his narration and looking forward to Destin.
I should just copy and paste my last review. It’s frustrating because I feel like this author is immensely creative in terms of creating a story and plot, but she’s just missing the opportunity to really develop this into an epic space opera.
My biggest gripe in this one is there are so many open ended items. Like the author added possible dramatic points, but didn’t resolve them. I’m not talking the major plot ‘cliff hanger’ that I assume will lead into the rest of the series, but rather smaller items pertaining just to Saber and Taylor. For example: what happened to Buzz? Did Ace consider a challenge (it really seemed like he would)? Did they complete their ceremony? What was the last item she added to her list???? That one really got me. I thought for sure it was going to be something good with how it was framed in the story, but apparently not?
Also there are clearly a ton of references to the author’s other series in this book and I haven’t read any of them so I was pretty lost by the end.
Anyway, the rest of the audiobooks aren’t on audible escape so this was probably my last one.
SE SMITH does it again. Wow, I love how the different planets and star systems are all coming together for a grand finale battle. I have loved all of Ms Smith’s worlds and it is amazing how she has overlapped them without losing sight of the story unfolding as you read it. Saber and Taylor have been meant for each other since book one but youth, time and sad circumstances have kept them from being together in the way they should have been. I can understand Saber's thinking due to his injuries and Taylor was just the headstrong, stubborn woman to get him over his self-pity. She had to get herself into real trouble for this to happen but didn't this make for a great read. This could be a standalone read but you will get so much more out of it if you have read the rest of this series if not all of Ms Smith’s books to immerse yourself in the different worlds. If you have not read anything by this author and love hot alien men paired with feisty human women, this author is for you. I have read and nearly own everything this author has written.
Saber feels broken after the ship crash. Even after a couple years he still has constant pain and falls unless he uses a cane. So he decides to tell Taylor that he doesn't live her and that she deserves a "whole" man. Taylor loves Saber but decides to leave for a mefical mission to help those who are hurt on another planet. While there, bombings begin as someone tries to take over rule of the planet. Taylor is taken captive and held as a way to control Razor since he is her brother-in-law. Hunter, Dagger and Saber, as well as Trig, Sword and Thunder go on an unsanctioned rescue mission. While on the planet the find out about an advanced rebel group that is fighting for the inhabitants of the planet. We also learn a little bit more about the suddenly appearing two French guys and the robots from the previous book.