Grace Goodwin has ruined me for all other alien romance novels. Correction… she has ruined me for ALL romance novels. After reading her material, I find the others to be tame, dull and overall anticlimactic. I am not ashamed to admit that I have read each of her books at least twice.
The Interstellar Brides series takes place at a time where aliens are real and there are several different planets and species. There is a galactic enemy known as the hive, which is a technological species that invades planets and either kills its inhabitants or transforms their captives into one of them. A coalition was formed between the planets who are at war with the hive. Each member of the coalition is required to supply soldiers and brides to the cause. Soldiers to fight the hive, and brides to repopulate the diminished that have fallen victim to the war. There is a neurological test that a bride takes to me matched to their perfect alien planet, then their perfect alien match on that planet, through a series of sexual desires that only our subconscious can answer for. Earth allows for volunteers to apply to the program, or grants female criminals the option to become a bride over a prison sentence. Those who volunteer are paid a healthy sum of money, and those who are prisoners are given clean slates. All applicants are required to give up their Earth citizenship to become a resident of their new chosen planet. A bride has 30 days to accept or reject their match. If they accept their claim, they are mated to their new alien husband for the rest of their lives where they are expected to make babies. If they reject their mate, they are assigned a new one on that same planet. Where they are still expected to make babies. Warden Egara makes continued appearances throughout the series as she is the one who processes the brides on Earth.
Written in first person, Mated to the Vikens is book 8 in this series and follows the human bride Sophia Antonelli and her alien mates Erik, Gunnar and Rolf from the planet Viken. Sophia was an art dealer, found guilty for smuggling diamonds and weapons for a powerful mafia. She did the crime, but not by choice. She initially agreed to do it in exchange for money that paid for her mother’s cancer treatment, but was ultimately blackmailed when she tried to back out. So she opted for the bride program instead of a 20-year prison sentence. Viken initiated a new practice after the successful mating between the three princes and their queen (from book 3). Now, every bride is matched to a group of three men, one from each sector. Erik was from sector 1 (weapons of a spear and shield), where family was all and they preferred anal sex and public affection. Gunnar was from sector 2 (weapons of bows and arrows), where they preferred bondage while claiming a woman’s pussy. Rolf was from sector 3 (a sword as a weapon), and members of his sector preferred oral sex. There was a mixup during Sophia’s arrival. Her transport was interrupted, the receivers trying to kidnap the new queen and her baby, but got Sophia instead. She killed her abductor, then fled to the wilds. Her mates received the queen at her portal instead of Sofia, and they tracked her down. They worked together to root out who was behind the threat by a tattoo link to a sex club. All four fall in love and live happily ever after.
Vikens are humanoid. What sets them apart from everyone else is their massive size (they’re larger than humans but smaller than Prillions), their potent cum that changes the body to accommodate their mate, and their cum is an aphrodisiac that when it comes in contact with skin, releases a pheromone to make the woman aroused and horny (and crave their partner to an extreme).
There have been way too many romance novels I’ve read that had me frustrated and yelling “Jesus Christ, when are they gonna fuck?! Get to the good shit already!” When we’re 50% in, and the main characters have barely kissed each other, leaves readers like me aggravated. This is NOT one of those books. The very first chapter gives a very clear indication of what we are in for. I’m fairly confident that there is more sexual content in this book than adventure. It is, quite literally, word porn.
The first few books in this series were a little too hardcore for my tastes. Which is saying a lot because I am far from a prude and consider myself a person with a healthy and active sex life. Filled with bondage and S&M, the consent line was a little blurry in some cases. This book was a little tamer with a much clearer line of consent, making the book even more enjoyable. Spankings take place in every single book. If any man spanked me, I would probably kill them in their sleep, but I guess some women do enjoy them. Spankings are more of a turn-off than turn-on in my case, so I just ignore those parts of the books like “nope, that didn’t just happen.”
This was probably one of my least favorites in the series, but I think it’s simply my personal preference. One possessive and dominant mate is hott, two better, but three? Nah, that’s pushing the limits and just doesn’t do “it” for me. I guess the author was smart in how she developed her story lines with the different species. Whenever she feels like getting kinky with orgies, she just has to write a match made to Viken. Feeling like dominant wall sex? Looks like it’s an Atlan beast book. In the mood for sentimental feelings? Prillion it is. Or some one-on-one bondage and S&M? Yep, it’s a Trion book. Lol
As I’ve read through this series and all its spin offs, I can attest that the plot is incredibly addictive. I am way too invested in each book, in all its adventure and romance. This book is no exception. I heavily recommend it.