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The Builders
Earth's alien progenitors have returned...
Abuse survivor Tara Shifflet just wanted to catch her flight out of Milwaukee after an arduous event planning gig. Unfortunately, thanks to the mysterious bio-tattoos that are cropping up on airport tarmacs across the globe, she's not getting back home to her therapy cat anytime soon.
For Navenah, an alien engineered to mix with humans, her mission has her searching for "generators" to save her dying race. The problem is, Navenah's intel on what kind of humans these generators will be is vague at best, and until she finds one, she's earth-bound...just as stuck as Tara.
A chance run-in at a hotel bar sets the two on a race against time to save Navenah’s people. Unexpected pleasure brightens the path, but amidst the worldwide chaos over first contact, will their newfound connection be enough to prevent a galactic die-off?
Abuse survivor Tara Shifflet just wanted to catch her flight out of Milwaukee after an arduous event planning gig. Unfortunately, thanks to the mysterious bio-tattoos that are cropping up on airport tarmacs across the globe, she's not getting back home to her therapy cat anytime soon.
For Navenah, an alien engineered to mix with humans, her mission has her searching for "generators" to save her dying race. The problem is, Navenah's intel on what kind of humans these generators will be is vague at best, and until she finds one, she's earth-bound...just as stuck as Tara.
A chance run-in at a hotel bar sets the two on a race against time to save Navenah’s people. Unexpected pleasure brightens the path, but amidst the worldwide chaos over first contact, will their newfound connection be enough to prevent a galactic die-off?
- GenresScience FictionRomance
280 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 28, 2016
1 person is currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Tonya Cannariato
15 books268 followersA voracious reader since she was a toddler, and an ordained spiritualist, Tonya Cannariato has now presided over the marriage of her love of reading and her love of writing. She’s lived a nomadic life, following first her parents in their Foreign Service career through Africa, Europe, and Asia, and then her own nose criss-crossing America as she’s gotten old enough to make those choices for herself. She’s currently based in the Washington, DC area with her four loves: her husband and three Siberian Huskies. She suspects her Huskies of mystical alchemy with their joyous liberation of her muse and other magical beings for her inspiration. She loves to sleep, to watch her interesting dreams, some of which are now finding new life in written form.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 15, 2018
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The summary of this book is a bit misleading. Judging from the summary - and especially the last paragraph - I thought this book was going to be a lot more action-packed than it was. And I know what you're thinking: the summary and cover clearly scream "romance." But with the summary promising things like "a race against time" and "worldwide chaos" and "galactic die-off," how could I *not* think that this book must contain some action?
Don't get me wrong, this book was not poorly written. Tara's background and Navenah's character in general were both extremely interesting. However, as far as actual plot goes, the plot didn't really hold my interest until after Navenah brings Tara back to her planet, which doesn't happen until well after half the book is already over. I know I had to take on some rush reviews in the middle of focusing on this book (I had to, editing purposes), but the plot is partially why this book took me awhile to get through. The majority of it just wasn't enough to hold my interest - most of the plot is about Tara trying to get home to her cat! And, even though I thought Tara's background was interesting, her overall character just pales in comparison to Navenah. I GET the plot point of "plain Jane falls for exotic beauty," but I feel like Navenah tipped the scale so much that Tara, just, didn't get the attention she probably deserved.
Navenah is, by far, the most interesting thing about this book. She is a very compelling character from the very beginning and I love how she uses her effect on Tara to her advantage. Sure, it's manipulative, but it's smart and it's captivating. And when your people are dying out - well, you gotta do what you gotta do.
Overall, I think I pushed through this book *for* Navenah. Tara and most of the plot - or lack thereof - just didn't do it for me. I definitely encourage others, especially if you're interested in aliens and/or LGBT romance, to check the book out because it's not badly written or problematic or anything! Navenah was captivating, but the rest of the book just didn't hold up to what I thought the summary promised.
The summary of this book is a bit misleading. Judging from the summary - and especially the last paragraph - I thought this book was going to be a lot more action-packed than it was. And I know what you're thinking: the summary and cover clearly scream "romance." But with the summary promising things like "a race against time" and "worldwide chaos" and "galactic die-off," how could I *not* think that this book must contain some action?
Don't get me wrong, this book was not poorly written. Tara's background and Navenah's character in general were both extremely interesting. However, as far as actual plot goes, the plot didn't really hold my interest until after Navenah brings Tara back to her planet, which doesn't happen until well after half the book is already over. I know I had to take on some rush reviews in the middle of focusing on this book (I had to, editing purposes), but the plot is partially why this book took me awhile to get through. The majority of it just wasn't enough to hold my interest - most of the plot is about Tara trying to get home to her cat! And, even though I thought Tara's background was interesting, her overall character just pales in comparison to Navenah. I GET the plot point of "plain Jane falls for exotic beauty," but I feel like Navenah tipped the scale so much that Tara, just, didn't get the attention she probably deserved.
Navenah is, by far, the most interesting thing about this book. She is a very compelling character from the very beginning and I love how she uses her effect on Tara to her advantage. Sure, it's manipulative, but it's smart and it's captivating. And when your people are dying out - well, you gotta do what you gotta do.
Overall, I think I pushed through this book *for* Navenah. Tara and most of the plot - or lack thereof - just didn't do it for me. I definitely encourage others, especially if you're interested in aliens and/or LGBT romance, to check the book out because it's not badly written or problematic or anything! Navenah was captivating, but the rest of the book just didn't hold up to what I thought the summary promised.
February 13, 2018
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: The Builders
Author: Tonya Cannariato
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 23
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 6/10
Of the 23 readers:
20 would read another book by this author.
14 thought the cover was good or excellent.
23 felt it was easy to follow.
21 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
16 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
17 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
20 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
17 thought the title was poor.
Readers’ Comments
‘A very enjoyable read. I liked that there were so many twists in this story. The characters were the strongest part of the story, the author working particularly well with speech.’ Male reader, aged 52
‘What an interesting story. I loved the plot; the sci-fi angle (not usually my thing) was well-handled and, often, fascinating. I also loved the way the author handled the bond between the two women. Although this is listed under ‘Lesbian Romance’, and there is a strong element of that, it is much more. ’ Female reader, aged 61
‘Fascinating. I would think anybody who enjoys really getting to know characters and how they tick will enjoy this. The author did a wonderful job here. I enjoyed it very much.’ Female reader, aged 67
‘The cover didn’t work for me. Too bitty; too much going on. But the story is excellent. It is a little slow in parts but the intriguing characters bring the story to life. It’s always fun to watch a character face the unknown, and seeing how he or she will react.’ Male reader, aged 66
‘Terrible title: The Builders – really!? I thought it was a book on house construction. The cover’s also a mess with the author’s name crammed at the bottom. So, getting beyond all that, there’s a wonderful story here. This author can write a book, she just can’t package a book. It has a terrible Amazon ranking but that’s because of the cover, the title and the horrible blurb e.g. ‘a short-term assignment with vague directions to find generators’ – ‘generators!’ Now that’s going to pull the reader in – not! I know I sound mean but I’m not. I’m just frustrated for this author. She’s written an interesting page-turner populated with powerful characters with a well-written lesbian element, and it’s not being sold correctly.’ Male reader (publisher), aged 39
‘A dynamic, powerfully written ‘first contact’ novel.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: The Builders
Author: Tonya Cannariato
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 23
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 6/10
Of the 23 readers:
20 would read another book by this author.
14 thought the cover was good or excellent.
23 felt it was easy to follow.
21 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
16 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
17 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
20 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
17 thought the title was poor.
Readers’ Comments
‘A very enjoyable read. I liked that there were so many twists in this story. The characters were the strongest part of the story, the author working particularly well with speech.’ Male reader, aged 52
‘What an interesting story. I loved the plot; the sci-fi angle (not usually my thing) was well-handled and, often, fascinating. I also loved the way the author handled the bond between the two women. Although this is listed under ‘Lesbian Romance’, and there is a strong element of that, it is much more. ’ Female reader, aged 61
‘Fascinating. I would think anybody who enjoys really getting to know characters and how they tick will enjoy this. The author did a wonderful job here. I enjoyed it very much.’ Female reader, aged 67
‘The cover didn’t work for me. Too bitty; too much going on. But the story is excellent. It is a little slow in parts but the intriguing characters bring the story to life. It’s always fun to watch a character face the unknown, and seeing how he or she will react.’ Male reader, aged 66
‘Terrible title: The Builders – really!? I thought it was a book on house construction. The cover’s also a mess with the author’s name crammed at the bottom. So, getting beyond all that, there’s a wonderful story here. This author can write a book, she just can’t package a book. It has a terrible Amazon ranking but that’s because of the cover, the title and the horrible blurb e.g. ‘a short-term assignment with vague directions to find generators’ – ‘generators!’ Now that’s going to pull the reader in – not! I know I sound mean but I’m not. I’m just frustrated for this author. She’s written an interesting page-turner populated with powerful characters with a well-written lesbian element, and it’s not being sold correctly.’ Male reader (publisher), aged 39
‘A dynamic, powerfully written ‘first contact’ novel.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
March 2, 2018
This is an interesting concept for a book, it fell a little flat in execution. The story is well written, and the characters intriguing. The author started to build on some concepts that ultimately never felt fully fleshed out. The story started out at a brisk pace but seemed to stagnate as the main character, Tara tried to get home. It was about the 65% mark before things started to pick up again and then felt rushed to conclude the story. Overall, the story was entertains.
April 20, 2019
I was really blown away by how *real* and organic Tara is. I wasn't quite expecting what this book delivered but I'm genuinely impressed. The sci-fi parts are unique, and Tara is completely relatable. A great sci-fi thrill with a little spice tossed in.
February 28, 2018
This is a very interesting sci fi fantasy book ,it is actually more then that . It start with a simple meeting in a bar between Tara and Navenah. Then things go crazy from will Tara get home to her beloved cat or will she be swept away by the beautiful alien Navenah . Will she ever be the same again.
The author wrote some very emotional characters . Tara is such a broken character . She is an abuse survivor and is dealing with panic attacks. You want to hug her and keep her safe . The way she handles things is heartbreaking . As you read along you see her starting to let go and realize that she is worth the love . Navenah is well she is the calming effect on Tara and she is strong and silent . You will really like her.
The author takes us on a very emotional journey . I couldn't put this book down I needed to find out what happens . This is a book of healing and a journey into the life after abuse . All rolled up in a sci fi fantasy book . There is action from basically the first page and keeps you engrossed . I was turning pages until late into the night . There wasn't a dull moment and really you just want to hug the main character and tell her everything will be alright . So if you want a gut wrenching book with a great ending check it out .
The author wrote some very emotional characters . Tara is such a broken character . She is an abuse survivor and is dealing with panic attacks. You want to hug her and keep her safe . The way she handles things is heartbreaking . As you read along you see her starting to let go and realize that she is worth the love . Navenah is well she is the calming effect on Tara and she is strong and silent . You will really like her.
The author takes us on a very emotional journey . I couldn't put this book down I needed to find out what happens . This is a book of healing and a journey into the life after abuse . All rolled up in a sci fi fantasy book . There is action from basically the first page and keeps you engrossed . I was turning pages until late into the night . There wasn't a dull moment and really you just want to hug the main character and tell her everything will be alright . So if you want a gut wrenching book with a great ending check it out .
March 29, 2019
Book Title: The Builders
Book Author: Tonya Cannariato
Rating: 4 stars
Has potential triggers that have to do with feelings and thoughts about abuse and rape.
This is a sci-fi novel with elements of adventure and lesbian romance. It's a powerful book filled with deep thoughts about life and meanings behind relationships. At times, it was difficult to understand her emotions and or why she was doing the things she was doing. Tara's most important being was a cat by the name of Bear. It was always happy thoughts about him and at one point made me a little sad making my rating lower for the book. I zoomed through the book in the beginning. It was fast paced with her trying to get back home and then it slowed down once she learned more and more about her romantic interest - a female alien.
It's a great book to read.
I recommend this novel for 18+.
Book Author: Tonya Cannariato
Rating: 4 stars
Has potential triggers that have to do with feelings and thoughts about abuse and rape.
This is a sci-fi novel with elements of adventure and lesbian romance. It's a powerful book filled with deep thoughts about life and meanings behind relationships. At times, it was difficult to understand her emotions and or why she was doing the things she was doing. Tara's most important being was a cat by the name of Bear. It was always happy thoughts about him and at one point made me a little sad making my rating lower for the book. I zoomed through the book in the beginning. It was fast paced with her trying to get back home and then it slowed down once she learned more and more about her romantic interest - a female alien.
It's a great book to read.
I recommend this novel for 18+.
March 4, 2018
This book had potential...
However, I think the delivery just didn't follow through.
Poor Tara has had a childhood that makes trying to survive into adulthood almost impossible. But with therapy and her cat she's found a pattern and a way to live doing her job as a planner.
The story started out with a bang! We were introduced to Navenah and Tara's unwanted and unwelcome feelings towards the stranger. But this is where the story kind of fell off for me.
For more than 50% of the book, it's just filled with Tara's adventures of trying to get home.
What's the deal with the suitcase?
Why were the agents after her? Did her blood work show something?
There were so many things that were left unanswered after reading this book it was a bit disappointing.
However, I think the delivery just didn't follow through.
Poor Tara has had a childhood that makes trying to survive into adulthood almost impossible. But with therapy and her cat she's found a pattern and a way to live doing her job as a planner.
The story started out with a bang! We were introduced to Navenah and Tara's unwanted and unwelcome feelings towards the stranger. But this is where the story kind of fell off for me.
For more than 50% of the book, it's just filled with Tara's adventures of trying to get home.
What's the deal with the suitcase?
Why were the agents after her? Did her blood work show something?
There were so many things that were left unanswered after reading this book it was a bit disappointing.
March 30, 2019
Two different worlds come together in The Builders and we see through the eyes of Tara and Navenah. One wants to save her dying race and the other is trying to just get thru life as a survivor of childhood abuse. Both are stuck in the same place but each have a goal no matter how different they may be. If you want to see what happens next, you'll be reading this book. I would love to see it with a different name as I searched for it all I could find books about building things.
February 28, 2017
Interesting
This was an interesting book with the alien premise. You really feel for the main character and wonder how she will react to what is happening around her.
This was an interesting book with the alien premise. You really feel for the main character and wonder how she will react to what is happening around her.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews