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Virian Conundrum
Dear Author,
Max (don’t mind really but a typical earth name) is one of earth’s best warriors. He doesn’t understand why they (the other planet’s people) picked him. He understands how important this alliance is. But he’s a warrior, not a diplomat, and he’s not gay. He would happily go as a bodyguard, if that’s what they need, his muscles, but why does he have to marry the bloody prince? Plus, two guys can’t have a baby. But he’ll do it, a hole is a hole right. He’s stuck it in enough, he can just picture one of them, and he only needs to do it once, right?
Photo Description:
A digital drawing of two nude men lying tangled on a daybed covered with colorful silk throws. A man with white hair and tattoos looks comfortable lying on the other man’s chest. The man with the dark brown hair embraces his companion as sunlight shines down on their relaxed forms.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
Max (don’t mind really but a typical earth name) is one of earth’s best warriors. He doesn’t understand why they (the other planet’s people) picked him. He understands how important this alliance is. But he’s a warrior, not a diplomat, and he’s not gay. He would happily go as a bodyguard, if that’s what they need, his muscles, but why does he have to marry the bloody prince? Plus, two guys can’t have a baby. But he’ll do it, a hole is a hole right. He’s stuck it in enough, he can just picture one of them, and he only needs to do it once, right?
Photo Description:
A digital drawing of two nude men lying tangled on a daybed covered with colorful silk throws. A man with white hair and tattoos looks comfortable lying on the other man’s chest. The man with the dark brown hair embraces his companion as sunlight shines down on their relaxed forms.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
118 pages, ebook
First published July 15, 2015
52 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 12, 2018
3.5 Stars
Overall, this was an enjoyable read.
I had a bit of trouble getting into the story at the beginning, mainly due to the multiple POV changes, featuring several random characters, from differing sides of what I can only describe as an intergalactic war. On reflection, I believe the presence of a prologue was completely unnecessary, and only served to bombard readers with too much random information and too many irrelevant characters (i.e. Zhondr and Zhechgar – their point being??). I was extremely confused for a solid 10 pages, but once I gained my feet and became accustomed to the regular perspective changes between the established MCs, Max and Sideon, I began to really appreciate and enjoy the relevant characters and the impressive world-building.
I decided to read this story because of one particular tag – MPREG.
Yes, I’m one of those odd birds who quite enjoy this fantastical, slightly outrageous trope, when handled correctly (I say this like there’s a correct way to have this be plausible...*snorts*). I’m happy to say the mpreg theme which developed here was well-thought-out, establishing an interesting world solely consisting of males who can reproduce.
I quite liked the overall premise. Max is a soldier from Earth who is recruited for a life-long mission which involves his protection of and betrothal to a Prince from another planet (Virian). The Virian’s are seeking to build an alliance with Earth, promising to share their advanced technology with Earth in exchange for protection from the war-hungry Scheklkag’s (a random third party planet, who are apparently wreaking havoc across the galaxy).
Upon his arrival on Virian, Max meets his new husband, Prince Sideon. The two partake in a UST-filled song and dance, slowly getting to know one another in an entertaining and often amusing manner. One of Max’s main roles as the Prince’s consort is to impregnate Sideon with an heir. The trouble is (as Max sees it) he’s never been with a man before, nor has he ever had any interest in doing so. But he finds himself immediately drawn to the beautiful, shy, angelic Sideon, and it’s not long before Max succumbs to his new-found urges.
I enjoyed the relationship progression between Max and Sidi, particularly the fact that Max wasn’t easily on board with the sudden life-changes, and that the two weren’t immediately proclaiming epic love (even though the attraction and longing was instant). The slow-build was appreciated, and the outcome, even more so.
The story loses points for me regarding the “mystery” portion of the tale. The climax was anticlimactic and slightly baffling. This may just be me, but I would have liked to get a better grasp on what the actual threat was pertaining to, and WHY – this was explained, I just didn’t like the explanation.
Those who like original sci-fi/fantasy stories should enjoy this one, although, interestingly, the mpreg and GFY themes were the winning factors for me personally.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read.
I had a bit of trouble getting into the story at the beginning, mainly due to the multiple POV changes, featuring several random characters, from differing sides of what I can only describe as an intergalactic war. On reflection, I believe the presence of a prologue was completely unnecessary, and only served to bombard readers with too much random information and too many irrelevant characters (i.e. Zhondr and Zhechgar – their point being??). I was extremely confused for a solid 10 pages, but once I gained my feet and became accustomed to the regular perspective changes between the established MCs, Max and Sideon, I began to really appreciate and enjoy the relevant characters and the impressive world-building.
I decided to read this story because of one particular tag – MPREG.
Yes, I’m one of those odd birds who quite enjoy this fantastical, slightly outrageous trope, when handled correctly (I say this like there’s a correct way to have this be plausible...*snorts*). I’m happy to say the mpreg theme which developed here was well-thought-out, establishing an interesting world solely consisting of males who can reproduce.
I quite liked the overall premise. Max is a soldier from Earth who is recruited for a life-long mission which involves his protection of and betrothal to a Prince from another planet (Virian). The Virian’s are seeking to build an alliance with Earth, promising to share their advanced technology with Earth in exchange for protection from the war-hungry Scheklkag’s (a random third party planet, who are apparently wreaking havoc across the galaxy).
Upon his arrival on Virian, Max meets his new husband, Prince Sideon. The two partake in a UST-filled song and dance, slowly getting to know one another in an entertaining and often amusing manner. One of Max’s main roles as the Prince’s consort is to impregnate Sideon with an heir. The trouble is (as Max sees it) he’s never been with a man before, nor has he ever had any interest in doing so. But he finds himself immediately drawn to the beautiful, shy, angelic Sideon, and it’s not long before Max succumbs to his new-found urges.
I enjoyed the relationship progression between Max and Sidi, particularly the fact that Max wasn’t easily on board with the sudden life-changes, and that the two weren’t immediately proclaiming epic love (even though the attraction and longing was instant). The slow-build was appreciated, and the outcome, even more so.
The story loses points for me regarding the “mystery” portion of the tale. The climax was anticlimactic and slightly baffling. This may just be me, but I would have liked to get a better grasp on what the actual threat was pertaining to, and WHY – this was explained, I just didn’t like the explanation.
Those who like original sci-fi/fantasy stories should enjoy this one, although, interestingly, the mpreg and GFY themes were the winning factors for me personally.
July 15, 2015
DNF. Writing was clunky, choppy and mostly telling. Difficult to follow. Focus was all over the place - even got lost a few times. Difficult to determine which character was important. Sex scene wasn't smexy at all. Romantic relationship read like an old fashion m/f Harlequin. I gave this novella a shot but couldn't make it to the end.
July 16, 2015
The prompt had me giddy with excitement, but unfortunately, the story did not deliver. The writing was really dificult to read, and half the time I had no idea what was going on. Zero chemistry between the MC's, weird actions without logical explanations, and the villian behind everything was just lame. I did not like this story, and the disappointment after reading that awesome prompt was immense.
August 13, 2015
I love scifi so was a bit bummed I couldn't connect to these MCs. I found myself skimming and not reading it and finally just DNF at 67%. I don't know why but the author was holding back information for what I assume was a big ta-da moment later in the book... but it just felt off getting to that point along with a couple other plot points.
So 2 stars because it was just OKAY.
So 2 stars because it was just OKAY.
dnf
July 15, 2015Thanks to the author for participating and offering this freebie
Gave up too soon for it to be fair to rate this, I found the style of the story hard to get into; short pieces, different povs and a lot of telling yet little to no descriptions. I found it confusing and hard to follow.
Gave up too soon for it to be fair to rate this, I found the style of the story hard to get into; short pieces, different povs and a lot of telling yet little to no descriptions. I found it confusing and hard to follow.
August 19, 2015
The story seems good and I enjoy the characters. My problems were the writing and the rush scenes with not much descriptions.
August 6, 2015
4.5 stars! Why did I take half a star off? Well I still want to know how they defeat the big baddie! Don't get me wrong, this story is complete, but the author has left room for more books (which I look forward to reading).
Max is slowly but steadily making his way up the Verband military ladder, earth's intergalactic military. He receives a new assignment, which he immediately jumps at as it puts him well ahead on his career path. There's just one little condition in him taking up the new position as Virian's (an new plant in the alliance against the intergalactic theats) military leader.
By the time Max lands on Virian he's all but married to the crown prince, Sideon. Never having been with a man before Max struggles with new, unwanted thoughts about his attractive husband. But he pushes them aside, figures he'll just do his best to get Sideon pregnant first time round and then he can just consecrate on the work at hand, stopping a would be assassin and preparing the plant for an upcoming, unavoidable war. But things don't go as planned.
Sideon is determaned to try have a 'real' marriage, not just one for show. All he has to do is convice Max that love is possible. And stop both their stubborn sides for ruining everything.
With a bit of action and mystery I found this story to be fun and what I asked for in my prompt. The writing does jump around a bit, but I found it easy to follow, especially after the prologue. I really liked the world Robin created and I'm looking forward to reading more about it. The combination of the epilogue and snippets of other characters left me satisfied but wanting to read more.
This story can easily be read as a stand alone, but I think it will leave you with a thirst for more!
Max is slowly but steadily making his way up the Verband military ladder, earth's intergalactic military. He receives a new assignment, which he immediately jumps at as it puts him well ahead on his career path. There's just one little condition in him taking up the new position as Virian's (an new plant in the alliance against the intergalactic theats) military leader.
By the time Max lands on Virian he's all but married to the crown prince, Sideon. Never having been with a man before Max struggles with new, unwanted thoughts about his attractive husband. But he pushes them aside, figures he'll just do his best to get Sideon pregnant first time round and then he can just consecrate on the work at hand, stopping a would be assassin and preparing the plant for an upcoming, unavoidable war. But things don't go as planned.
Sideon is determaned to try have a 'real' marriage, not just one for show. All he has to do is convice Max that love is possible. And stop both their stubborn sides for ruining everything.
With a bit of action and mystery I found this story to be fun and what I asked for in my prompt. The writing does jump around a bit, but I found it easy to follow, especially after the prologue. I really liked the world Robin created and I'm looking forward to reading more about it. The combination of the epilogue and snippets of other characters left me satisfied but wanting to read more.
This story can easily be read as a stand alone, but I think it will leave you with a thirst for more!
July 19, 2015
Max is a high ranking military human and his best friend Liam is his right hand man. Max is well known across the galaxies and has caught the attention of a certain peaceful planet. Virian is a peaceful planet but their technology is extremely advance, just what Earth needs. As a common enemy is breathing down their necks, they strike a deal with Earth. Max is part of that deal.
Max is a ladies man. No once has he ever thought about another man in a sexual manner. But he is willing to still marry the Prince of Virian and procreate with him. He just wasn’t expecting to be sideline with the most handsome man he had ever set eyes on and then his body is completely on board with the sexing. It’s his mind that needs time to come to terms with his feelings he has for his new husband. Neither of them expected feelings to come into play.
Then Max’s new husband, Sideon is targeted by assassins. Why? He needs to figure it out before his new love is killed.
Sideon is the Prince of Viran and is obligated to go along with the arrange marriage with the human. He was thrown through a loop when Max actually ended up being someone he enjoyed being around and wanted to get to know better. But when he sees the non-peaceful side of Max, he has to realize that Max loves him and will do anything to protect him and their unborn child. His family.
I really liked this story and the world that was created around them.
Max is a ladies man. No once has he ever thought about another man in a sexual manner. But he is willing to still marry the Prince of Virian and procreate with him. He just wasn’t expecting to be sideline with the most handsome man he had ever set eyes on and then his body is completely on board with the sexing. It’s his mind that needs time to come to terms with his feelings he has for his new husband. Neither of them expected feelings to come into play.
Then Max’s new husband, Sideon is targeted by assassins. Why? He needs to figure it out before his new love is killed.
Sideon is the Prince of Viran and is obligated to go along with the arrange marriage with the human. He was thrown through a loop when Max actually ended up being someone he enjoyed being around and wanted to get to know better. But when he sees the non-peaceful side of Max, he has to realize that Max loves him and will do anything to protect him and their unborn child. His family.
I really liked this story and the world that was created around them.
August 4, 2018
I think the author did great with the story prompt! I enjoyed the world, though would have liked to see more of the space conflict. I would love more in this world but it did end happy.
October 11, 2015
The story was entertaining enough and it satisfied the prompt, but the writing was a mess and details of the plot were needlessly complex. A warrior is chosen to marry a prince, and the bulk of the story is about their relationship and threats to the prince.
There were an enormous amount of misplaced commas, a couple misplaced quotation marks, verbs in the wrong tense, and adjectives that should have been adverbs. Several sentences made no sense because of word order, missing words, and extra words.
There were an enormous amount of misplaced commas, a couple misplaced quotation marks, verbs in the wrong tense, and adjectives that should have been adverbs. Several sentences made no sense because of word order, missing words, and extra words.
July 16, 2015
A really nice sci-fi/fantasy story. It took me a moment to get used to the POV changing so often, but it worked for the overall story. It reads more like a movie than a romance book.
I hope the author revisits this world pretty soon. Most characters were well developed and some elements hinted to other relationships. Plus, it will be good to see this MCs later on their life.
Plus the author is dead-on about pregnancy, whales do have trouble turning in bed :-)
I hope the author revisits this world pretty soon. Most characters were well developed and some elements hinted to other relationships. Plus, it will be good to see this MCs later on their life.
Plus the author is dead-on about pregnancy, whales do have trouble turning in bed :-)
July 19, 2015
This was an OK story. I liked the arranged marriage plot and I would have liked more of the MCs falling in love with each other especially since Max was not gay. Sideon was a likable character, and the Virian world and technologies was interesting to read. The mystery however, started out well but I got completely confused with the solving of it. The epilogue was very cute though.
November 5, 2015
I liked this. Some of it was confusing like the beginning and the end. Not sure at all what happened at the end. I liked they guys but the miscommunication was very cliche. There were quite a few misplaced commas that confused things too. Like someone just decided there weren't enough commas so they'd better throw some in regardless of where they landed.
July 21, 2015
I really liked this story. I would love to read more about their world. Nice interpretation of the photo and the story letter. Thank you Robin S. Krizan for donating your story, your time and your talent.
July 20, 2015
3.5 stars. This needs better editing, then it would be perfect.
September 23, 2017
I am not a fan of mpreg, so was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.
November 8, 2016
I wasn’t a fan of the prologue, it wasn’t particularly enticing, and the details dispensed in it could have been worked into the rest of the story instead. While it was a rocky start, things did progress nicely. I liked the developing relationship between the two MCs, and I loved the story’s general premise. Unfortunately, it fell short on delivery, I would have liked to connect with the characters a little more and have parts of the plot more developed and detailed. Brownie points for hot Mpreg action.
May 21, 2016
3.5 Stars
Thought the solution to the mystery-threat was silly but enjoyed the story in spite of not usually caring for m-preg.
Thought the solution to the mystery-threat was silly but enjoyed the story in spite of not usually caring for m-preg.
August 23, 2015
Story plot sounded interesting but I didn't feel the connection between the guys it didn't seem right.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews