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Maxim Colonies #1
Jailmates
This wasn’t in the contract.
Simon Quigley had no idea what to expect when he agreed to do this for the money, but the eight-foot-tall pink alien isn’t what he was expecting. For starters, Simon’s straight.
And Mohrn isn’t a girl.
The contract? It’s unbreakable.
It’s going to be a long five years…
310 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2019
243 people are currently reading
456 people want to read
About the author
Lesli Richardson
175 books445 followersLesli Richardson is the writer behind the curtain of her better-known and more prolific USA Today Bestselling Author pen name, Tymber Dalton (her "wild child" side). She lives in the Tampa Bay region of Florida with her spouse and too many pets of various species. When she's not playing D&D with her friends or shooting skeet, she's a part-time Viking shield-maiden in training, among other pursuits. The two-time EPIC award winner is also the author of over two hundred and fifty books and counting.
She lives in her own little world, but it's okay, because they all know her there.
She also loves to hear from readers! Please check out her website for links, and to sign up for updates to keep abreast of the latest news, snarkage, and releases. There you'll also find reading order lists, and more information about her different series.
She lives in her own little world, but it's okay, because they all know her there.
She also loves to hear from readers! Please check out her website for links, and to sign up for updates to keep abreast of the latest news, snarkage, and releases. There you'll also find reading order lists, and more information about her different series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
May 5, 2019
Simon is at the end of his 5-year stint in the military. He has to decide what’s next for him because he doesn’t’ want to re-enlist. A bunk mate of his tells him about a list of job openings offered through an intergalactic conglomerate. One of the ads that catches his eye is for a “limited contact conjugal mate”, basically a temporary sex partner. The picture in the ad is of a pink alien, and Simon assumes the alien is female.
Mohrn is a Pfahrn. The Pfahrn are big green reptilian type aliens with red hair and identify as nonbinary. Because Mohrn was born pink with blue hair, they are pretty much shunned by their people. They have been given a 5-year prison sentence for an accident they have accepted responsibility for. During their sentence they will need a mate to have sex with so that they don't die. The mate would be required to have a conjugal visit with them at least once a month or as needed.
Eventually Simon signs the contract (a contract that he doesn’t fully read), and it’s not until his first meeting with Mohrn that he discovers Mohrn is male.
The author gets A+ for world building and for a unique story idea.
The story itself get 2 stars from me because:
-the pacing was too slow. Simon and Mohrn don’t meet until 32% into the story
-Simon’s snarky personality mostly annoyed me. For an ex-military guy, his character was immature and undisciplined. Oh, and I don’t even want to get into the crying…damn that man can cry!!! Sappy much?? And his dialogue..ugh!! “dude”, “yo”…yeah I wasn’t’ feeling it.
-Simon’s pet names (which were used A LOT) for Mohrn were “buddy” and “big pink bastard”. I didn’t find anything remotely endearing or romantic about those pet names.
-the couple separation. Simon and Mohrn are apart for too much of the story.
Warning: For my GR friends who don’t tolerate sex with others: there were two incidents where sex with others occurred after Simon and Mohrn have been together. Technically, it wasn’t considered cheating because of a “contract” but I know that’s a hard no for some people.
The story ends at 89%
Mohrn is a Pfahrn. The Pfahrn are big green reptilian type aliens with red hair and identify as nonbinary. Because Mohrn was born pink with blue hair, they are pretty much shunned by their people. They have been given a 5-year prison sentence for an accident they have accepted responsibility for. During their sentence they will need a mate to have sex with so that they don't die. The mate would be required to have a conjugal visit with them at least once a month or as needed.
Eventually Simon signs the contract (a contract that he doesn’t fully read), and it’s not until his first meeting with Mohrn that he discovers Mohrn is male.
The author gets A+ for world building and for a unique story idea.
The story itself get 2 stars from me because:
-the pacing was too slow. Simon and Mohrn don’t meet until 32% into the story
-Simon’s snarky personality mostly annoyed me. For an ex-military guy, his character was immature and undisciplined. Oh, and I don’t even want to get into the crying…damn that man can cry!!! Sappy much?? And his dialogue..ugh!! “dude”, “yo”…yeah I wasn’t’ feeling it.
-Simon’s pet names (which were used A LOT) for Mohrn were “buddy” and “big pink bastard”. I didn’t find anything remotely endearing or romantic about those pet names.
-the couple separation. Simon and Mohrn are apart for too much of the story.
Warning: For my GR friends who don’t tolerate sex with others: there were two incidents where sex with others occurred after Simon and Mohrn have been together. Technically, it wasn’t considered cheating because of a “contract” but I know that’s a hard no for some people.
The story ends at 89%
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2021
⚡
dnf @ 55%.
⚡
✦ i completely lost interest in this book tbh, so it's just going to my dnf shelf.
✦ the characters and the romance are just NOT hitting it for me at all.
✦ we only got to meet the alien love interest Mohrn @ 35%. needless to say that was a little disappointing. if i'm reading a romance, i kinda want to meet both mcs more in the beginning of the book, y'know?
✦ the lack of actual relationship development was a little annoying. i know the mcs got all kinds of alterations done to them, to find each other attractive/appealing/whatever, but i was craving something a little deeper. i just don't feel any actual real connection between them at all.
✦ it seemed like a lot of their time together was off-page, so that didn't help either. i wanted to actually see more of their interactions, not just get told about them later.
✦ by 50% of the book, i'd expect to be attached to the characters at least a little bit... but that hasn't happened, sooooo... bye? lol
✦ i completely lost interest in this book tbh, so it's just going to my dnf shelf.
✦ the characters and the romance are just NOT hitting it for me at all.
✦ we only got to meet the alien love interest Mohrn @ 35%. needless to say that was a little disappointing. if i'm reading a romance, i kinda want to meet both mcs more in the beginning of the book, y'know?
✦ the lack of actual relationship development was a little annoying. i know the mcs got all kinds of alterations done to them, to find each other attractive/appealing/whatever, but i was craving something a little deeper. i just don't feel any actual real connection between them at all.
✦ it seemed like a lot of their time together was off-page, so that didn't help either. i wanted to actually see more of their interactions, not just get told about them later.
✦ by 50% of the book, i'd expect to be attached to the characters at least a little bit... but that hasn't happened, sooooo... bye? lol
May 31, 2019
4 Stars for the SciFi aspects. I loved the world-building, the ships, the planets, the actual science (like time-dilation & other travel issues, plus providing a medically induced/nano-based physiological alteration to allow for mating & future MPreg)...
2 Stars for the rest. I know "Big Pink Bastard" was supposed to be a term of endearment, but it felt completely out of place. See, when I say something like, "But I still love the bastard" I mean that my SigO is a complete asshat of epic proportions, actually saying/doing things that are offensive or just piss me off...but that I can't help my feelings. (Well, that changed in 2016; he's just a bastard now.) Mohrn is nothing short of perfection and doesn't deserve the moniker. So, yeah. Doesn't fit. Also, calling Mohrn "buddy" constantly was a bit...off-putting. It's what you call your nephew, or a neighbor's kid. Maybe your own kid if you're an extremely awkward parent. But not something you call your lover/mate. (It continued after Simon realized he might have actual feelings for Mohrn, which is when it got considerably more icky.)
I didn't mind Simon's (that's not a deal-breaker for me) but I DID mind that he couldn't be bothered to use the pronouns Mohrn preferred. Phey were entirely too forgiving of the continual disrespect IMHO (as the repeated misuse was followed by a "whatEVER" in most cases.) However, #Points! for non-binary gendered alien inclusion.
The title is a bit misleading as well. Very little of the story takes place in the penal facility and so I think I thought this was going to be a bit darker than it turned out to be. (Not dark at all, honestly.)
If there is a sequel for the other couple we're introduced to at the end of the story I might read it, though. There's not enough MM SciFi, even if it's mediocre.
2 Stars for the rest. I know "Big Pink Bastard" was supposed to be a term of endearment, but it felt completely out of place. See, when I say something like, "But I still love the bastard" I mean that my SigO is a complete asshat of epic proportions, actually saying/doing things that are offensive or just piss me off...but that I can't help my feelings. (Well, that changed in 2016; he's just a bastard now.) Mohrn is nothing short of perfection and doesn't deserve the moniker. So, yeah. Doesn't fit. Also, calling Mohrn "buddy" constantly was a bit...off-putting. It's what you call your nephew, or a neighbor's kid. Maybe your own kid if you're an extremely awkward parent. But not something you call your lover/mate. (It continued after Simon realized he might have actual feelings for Mohrn, which is when it got considerably more icky.)
I didn't mind Simon's (that's not a deal-breaker for me) but I DID mind that he couldn't be bothered to use the pronouns Mohrn preferred. Phey were entirely too forgiving of the continual disrespect IMHO (as the repeated misuse was followed by a "whatEVER" in most cases.) However, #Points! for non-binary gendered alien inclusion.
The title is a bit misleading as well. Very little of the story takes place in the penal facility and so I think I thought this was going to be a bit darker than it turned out to be. (Not dark at all, honestly.)
If there is a sequel for the other couple we're introduced to at the end of the story I might read it, though. There's not enough MM SciFi, even if it's mediocre.
April 12, 2019
Unpopular opinion tiiiime.
Ok. I thought this would be up my alley but the constant misgendering of Mohrn was insufferable. You’re married & love each other but you can’t fucking get their pronouns right? I really need cis people to stop.
Perhaps it’s my fault for assuming this would be alien-fucking erotica with a solid plot but most scenes fade to black. The scenes about contracts are more detailed & lovingly crafted than the sex scenes. Something about Simon was deeply annoying to me but I can’t put my finger on it. (But there was plenty to dislike that was obvious)
Overall, very cool idea, but I personally wish it was better executed.
DNF @ 79%
Ok. I thought this would be up my alley but the constant misgendering of Mohrn was insufferable. You’re married & love each other but you can’t fucking get their pronouns right? I really need cis people to stop.
Perhaps it’s my fault for assuming this would be alien-fucking erotica with a solid plot but most scenes fade to black. The scenes about contracts are more detailed & lovingly crafted than the sex scenes. Something about Simon was deeply annoying to me but I can’t put my finger on it. (But there was plenty to dislike that was obvious)
Overall, very cool idea, but I personally wish it was better executed.
DNF @ 79%
April 12, 2019
WOW. I LOVED this book!
Simon has finished his military service and he's trying to figure out what to do with his life. He finds a job listing that seems too good to be true - surely there's gotta be a catch. He finds out that his intended is not female - this species uses gender neutral pronouns, similar to they/them - and that he will be on the receiving end of physical acts, something he wasn't prepared for. But Simon jumps into the role 100% committed and discovers that not only is Mohrn sweet, gentle, and caring, he's also completely innocent of the crime he is in jail for.
I absolutely adored these two together. Plenty hot, very sexy, and still lots of emotion. There's plenty of switching, self-lubricating places, some egg-related things, and hot claiming mating bites. I also loved the storytelling and plot going on around the on Mohrn's home planet. I also enjoyed Dr. H'looder, and all the different type of characters and species we got in this story.
This is a sexy, beautiful love story between one big, pink bastard and one slippery human, with some excellent world building, a great blend of the sci-fi and the romance (often I find the romance plot lacking in sci-fi mm novels) and two characters you'll absolutely fall in love with. Can't wait to get more in this 'verse!
Simon has finished his military service and he's trying to figure out what to do with his life. He finds a job listing that seems too good to be true - surely there's gotta be a catch. He finds out that his intended is not female - this species uses gender neutral pronouns, similar to they/them - and that he will be on the receiving end of physical acts, something he wasn't prepared for. But Simon jumps into the role 100% committed and discovers that not only is Mohrn sweet, gentle, and caring, he's also completely innocent of the crime he is in jail for.
I absolutely adored these two together. Plenty hot, very sexy, and still lots of emotion. There's plenty of switching, self-lubricating places, some egg-related things, and hot claiming mating bites. I also loved the storytelling and plot going on around the on Mohrn's home planet. I also enjoyed Dr. H'looder, and all the different type of characters and species we got in this story.
This is a sexy, beautiful love story between one big, pink bastard and one slippery human, with some excellent world building, a great blend of the sci-fi and the romance (often I find the romance plot lacking in sci-fi mm novels) and two characters you'll absolutely fall in love with. Can't wait to get more in this 'verse!
Read
July 5, 2019No rating. TOD is 36%. I'm a huge fan of this author but this was not engaging me at all. I didn't like Simon, the pacing felt glacial, and even the SciFi could not save it.
Maybe I'll pick up later - I don't tend to like brats and here Simon felt very much one of those - self serving, refusing to acknowledge things, just generally obnoxious. Some folks love that type of character - just not me. Probably suffered as well due to its proximity to two recent SciFi reads that were great (Earth Fathers Are Weird and the one I'm nearly finished with The 5th Gender)
Maybe I'll pick up later - I don't tend to like brats and here Simon felt very much one of those - self serving, refusing to acknowledge things, just generally obnoxious. Some folks love that type of character - just not me. Probably suffered as well due to its proximity to two recent SciFi reads that were great (Earth Fathers Are Weird and the one I'm nearly finished with The 5th Gender)
May 9, 2024
Reread May 2024: 1.5 stars
The constant misgendering I talk about in my original review annoyed me just as much as it did the first time around, but since I was expecting it, this time I had enough processing space left to realize how much the rest of the book also sucks.
On a very base level, it's just poorly written. There are multiple instances of very bad and plain wrong grammar, which I always find questionable in a published book. I tend to be a bit more lenient in self-published books, but plenty of other authors also manage to get good editing, so that should be the minimum. I myself am not a native speaker, but plain wrong grammar just... should not happen.
Another annoyance, which to be fair was pretty minor, was the pet names the main character uses for the love interest. I am not the biggest fan of pet names in general, but I can vibes with a "baby," a "sweetheart", or even more extreme or kinky ones too. Here, the main character uses "buddy". Which just. No. I'm sorry, maybe I am in the wrong here, but I only know "buddy" to be used in either condescending if not outright hostile environments. It just was not sexy. Even the "big pink bastard" that is also sometimes used and that I'm also not a fan of was better than "buddy".
My biggest gripe (misgendering aside) was how much time we spent in character's heads, though. Which is a taste thing, to be fair. I just found it agonizing how fucking slow the book was because every POV character mulls every decision or thought over 23983732498 times in their head, without coming to a new conclusion, and sometimes only to come to the completely wrong conclusion. This is also used as a miscommunication device which was even more annoying.
So yeah, I did not enjoy myself this time around.
Original review December 2020: I have no idea what to rate this.
It was totally unexpected and very different from what title, cover and description make you believe. I loved it to pieces - except the constant and flippant misgendering of the love interest made this harmful and a huge disappointment.
Read this review and more on the blog!.
Content warnings include: near constant misgendering that is acknowledged repeatedly yet almost always brushed away with “whatever”, cis- and binary-normativity, imprionment, group sex, sex on- and off-page, contractual sex and a lot of invasive and body altering surgical procedures (consensual), what boils down to “mail order bride” system, fraud, egg-laying; mentions of death of parent, death threats.
First of all, the cover and official descriptions convey a very wrong image and doesn’t reflect the story or tone of the book at all. Like, to start of, yes, “it” absolutely was in the contract. Second, this isn’t alien erotica or an m/m romance. (It’s an alien romance with focus on background plots rather than the romance itself, and the alien is not male, but nonbinary.)
The plot follows Simon, who after finishing his contract with the military wants a cushy job to provide for his mother and sister and fund their educations, and he stumbles over a well-paying mail-order bride-like job. Instead of this being a story about him being scammed into a sordid contract, there is a lot of details about the scientifical research and the legal and ethical contract behind it. A good third of the book is spent on Simon rethinking his options, and him talking with the doctor facilitating the contract – who also spends a considerable amount of time telling Simon to read the entire contract, which Simon does not do.
This was already unexpected, but delighted me, and the surprises continued when Simon met Mohrn, the alien he is contractually obligated to sleep with regularly. Their relationship was lovely and loving from the start, with a certain love-at-first-sight element to it, but this really is one of the times I truly wasn’t bothered by that. Despite Mohrn and Simon spending a lot of time apart, it was very sweet and never boring.
What I truly hated however was the constant misgendering. When Simon first sees a picture of Mohrn, he for some reason assumes Mohrn to be female. No idea why. He quickly is informed that the Pfahrn, the alien species Mohrn belongs to, do not have genders and all use the pronouns phey/phem/pheir. Here came the first detail that made me wince: These alien have a specific set of (to us) neopronouns, but are still mostly referred to with they/them pronouns for some reason instead of their actual pronouns.
But even after being told this, Simon keeps talking about Mohrn using she/her. Then when he meets Mohrn and realizes phey have a penis, this switches to he/him, which is terribly cissexist.
What made this even more infuriating was that Simon does correct himself in his flow of consciousness and direct speech. BUT. Every. Single. Correction. is followed up by a “whatever”. This is so flippant and disrespectful it made me fume every single time.
Simon even talks to Mohrn and apologises for not getting pronouns right, yet doesn’t seem to make any effort to correct himself. He keeps asking the reader to “cut him some slack”, and insinuates that it’s the aliens that are weird and he as a human (who are a “binary species”) can’t be expected to think this is normal.
As a nonbinary trans reader, I found this othering and hated every instance of this, and there were A LOT.
What made this even more infuriating was that Simon aside, none of the aliens have problems with the pronouns. And after Simon and Mohrn’s relationship goes a step further, Simon suddenly has no issues using they/them, and after a year passes he consistenly uses phey/phem correctly (though he still treats this as being super weird and “not normal”). So it’s not even an issue of not understanding how (neo-)pronouns work. This constant othering was willfully implemented as part of the story.
Additionally, the author clearly has not spent a single thought to the existence of trans people, be it binary or nonbinary. Humans are assumed to be stricly binary, and at some points gender and sexual identity are confused.
I am so annoyed by this, because if not for this constant and deliberate misgendering this could have become a new favourite. As it was this felt too transphobic to me. Sure, misgendering happens in real life, but this is a book. It was edited. The misgendering was deliberately included and continuously brushed off on-page as “whatever” – even when the protagonist uses the correct pronouns, he remarks upon how weird and unnatural it is.
I wanted to talk more about the plot and some of the more delightful and (positive) unexpected things in this book, but after revisiting all the misgendering and talking about it I no longer want to. I already get misgendered regularly in my life, and regularly have to misgender myself to keep myself save. I don’t need to read about this in what’s supposed to be escapism.
The constant misgendering I talk about in my original review annoyed me just as much as it did the first time around, but since I was expecting it, this time I had enough processing space left to realize how much the rest of the book also sucks.
On a very base level, it's just poorly written. There are multiple instances of very bad and plain wrong grammar, which I always find questionable in a published book. I tend to be a bit more lenient in self-published books, but plenty of other authors also manage to get good editing, so that should be the minimum. I myself am not a native speaker, but plain wrong grammar just... should not happen.
Another annoyance, which to be fair was pretty minor, was the pet names the main character uses for the love interest. I am not the biggest fan of pet names in general, but I can vibes with a "baby," a "sweetheart", or even more extreme or kinky ones too. Here, the main character uses "buddy". Which just. No. I'm sorry, maybe I am in the wrong here, but I only know "buddy" to be used in either condescending if not outright hostile environments. It just was not sexy. Even the "big pink bastard" that is also sometimes used and that I'm also not a fan of was better than "buddy".
My biggest gripe (misgendering aside) was how much time we spent in character's heads, though. Which is a taste thing, to be fair. I just found it agonizing how fucking slow the book was because every POV character mulls every decision or thought over 23983732498 times in their head, without coming to a new conclusion, and sometimes only to come to the completely wrong conclusion. This is also used as a miscommunication device which was even more annoying.
So yeah, I did not enjoy myself this time around.
Original review December 2020: I have no idea what to rate this.
It was totally unexpected and very different from what title, cover and description make you believe. I loved it to pieces - except the constant and flippant misgendering of the love interest made this harmful and a huge disappointment.
Read this review and more on the blog!.
Content warnings include: near constant misgendering that is acknowledged repeatedly yet almost always brushed away with “whatever”, cis- and binary-normativity, imprionment, group sex, sex on- and off-page, contractual sex and a lot of invasive and body altering surgical procedures (consensual), what boils down to “mail order bride” system, fraud, egg-laying; mentions of death of parent, death threats.
First of all, the cover and official descriptions convey a very wrong image and doesn’t reflect the story or tone of the book at all. Like, to start of, yes, “it” absolutely was in the contract. Second, this isn’t alien erotica or an m/m romance. (It’s an alien romance with focus on background plots rather than the romance itself, and the alien is not male, but nonbinary.)
The plot follows Simon, who after finishing his contract with the military wants a cushy job to provide for his mother and sister and fund their educations, and he stumbles over a well-paying mail-order bride-like job. Instead of this being a story about him being scammed into a sordid contract, there is a lot of details about the scientifical research and the legal and ethical contract behind it. A good third of the book is spent on Simon rethinking his options, and him talking with the doctor facilitating the contract – who also spends a considerable amount of time telling Simon to read the entire contract, which Simon does not do.
This was already unexpected, but delighted me, and the surprises continued when Simon met Mohrn, the alien he is contractually obligated to sleep with regularly. Their relationship was lovely and loving from the start, with a certain love-at-first-sight element to it, but this really is one of the times I truly wasn’t bothered by that. Despite Mohrn and Simon spending a lot of time apart, it was very sweet and never boring.
What I truly hated however was the constant misgendering. When Simon first sees a picture of Mohrn, he for some reason assumes Mohrn to be female. No idea why. He quickly is informed that the Pfahrn, the alien species Mohrn belongs to, do not have genders and all use the pronouns phey/phem/pheir. Here came the first detail that made me wince: These alien have a specific set of (to us) neopronouns, but are still mostly referred to with they/them pronouns for some reason instead of their actual pronouns.
But even after being told this, Simon keeps talking about Mohrn using she/her. Then when he meets Mohrn and realizes phey have a penis, this switches to he/him, which is terribly cissexist.
What made this even more infuriating was that Simon does correct himself in his flow of consciousness and direct speech. BUT. Every. Single. Correction. is followed up by a “whatever”. This is so flippant and disrespectful it made me fume every single time.
Simon even talks to Mohrn and apologises for not getting pronouns right, yet doesn’t seem to make any effort to correct himself. He keeps asking the reader to “cut him some slack”, and insinuates that it’s the aliens that are weird and he as a human (who are a “binary species”) can’t be expected to think this is normal.
As a nonbinary trans reader, I found this othering and hated every instance of this, and there were A LOT.
What made this even more infuriating was that Simon aside, none of the aliens have problems with the pronouns. And after Simon and Mohrn’s relationship goes a step further, Simon suddenly has no issues using they/them, and after a year passes he consistenly uses phey/phem correctly (though he still treats this as being super weird and “not normal”). So it’s not even an issue of not understanding how (neo-)pronouns work. This constant othering was willfully implemented as part of the story.
Additionally, the author clearly has not spent a single thought to the existence of trans people, be it binary or nonbinary. Humans are assumed to be stricly binary, and at some points gender and sexual identity are confused.
I am so annoyed by this, because if not for this constant and deliberate misgendering this could have become a new favourite. As it was this felt too transphobic to me. Sure, misgendering happens in real life, but this is a book. It was edited. The misgendering was deliberately included and continuously brushed off on-page as “whatever” – even when the protagonist uses the correct pronouns, he remarks upon how weird and unnatural it is.
I wanted to talk more about the plot and some of the more delightful and (positive) unexpected things in this book, but after revisiting all the misgendering and talking about it I no longer want to. I already get misgendered regularly in my life, and regularly have to misgender myself to keep myself save. I don’t need to read about this in what’s supposed to be escapism.
October 30, 2023
Yeah, this world building is superb.
September 17, 2019
I don't know how this book got such a high rating on both Goodreads and Amazon, but it's time to STOP.
I am sorry for being harsh. However, I felt like the author treated all her readers like dummies.
First, Why is the title called "Jailmates"? Were both MCs in jail? It's misleading.
Second, This book is flawed on so many levels and I really hope that author, in the future, can write a MC with normal IQ level with different types of charisma. The narration from MC (a "straight guy") in this book feels like a 45 year-old "I want to see your manager" mom with middle age crisis and constantly hitting on her son's hot friends (big man babies) who is so annoying that you just want her to STFU.
There were so many unnecessary, repetitive components of this book which made me constantly want to bang my freaking head on the wall. For example:
That doesn't make sense even in a story unless MC is just not capable of making his own decision or not a rational being.
Another thing that made me question the MC's intelligent level constantly was the fact that MC, being corrected by somebody about the gender/sex pronounce of Mohrn for maybe FIVE THOUSAND TIMES, still kept calling Mohrn a "she." If stupidity is a characteristic that the author was trying to portray in the book, then she clearly succeeded.
Due to my own curiosity, I kept reading and wanted to see how bad this book can get. The author didn't fail to make this book even worse.
Near the end of this book, the author was driving me crazy again by It feels like a crappy personal statement for college admission. SHOW, NOT TELL. Please show me why MC has a certain characteristic instead of saying"I am a smart person, PERIOD."
And, Mohrn was your big alien cry baby who constantly suffered from existential crisis. The story barely touched on the transition of Mohrn's mentality and made you believe that this would not happen, even in a story.
Also, if you are not a fan of NTR, be ware that
Ugh, I cannot believe I spend 4 bucks on this...
I am sorry for being harsh. However, I felt like the author treated all her readers like dummies.
First, Why is the title called "Jailmates"? Were both MCs in jail? It's misleading.
Second, This book is flawed on so many levels and I really hope that author, in the future, can write a MC with normal IQ level with different types of charisma. The narration from MC (a "straight guy") in this book feels like a 45 year-old "I want to see your manager" mom with middle age crisis and constantly hitting on her son's hot friends (big man babies) who is so annoying that you just want her to STFU.
There were so many unnecessary, repetitive components of this book which made me constantly want to bang my freaking head on the wall. For example:
That doesn't make sense even in a story unless MC is just not capable of making his own decision or not a rational being.
Another thing that made me question the MC's intelligent level constantly was the fact that MC, being corrected by somebody about the gender/sex pronounce of Mohrn for maybe FIVE THOUSAND TIMES, still kept calling Mohrn a "she." If stupidity is a characteristic that the author was trying to portray in the book, then she clearly succeeded.
Due to my own curiosity, I kept reading and wanted to see how bad this book can get. The author didn't fail to make this book even worse.
Near the end of this book, the author was driving me crazy again by It feels like a crappy personal statement for college admission. SHOW, NOT TELL. Please show me why MC has a certain characteristic instead of saying"I am a smart person, PERIOD."
And, Mohrn was your big alien cry baby who constantly suffered from existential crisis. The story barely touched on the transition of Mohrn's mentality and made you believe that this would not happen, even in a story.
Also, if you are not a fan of NTR, be ware that
Ugh, I cannot believe I spend 4 bucks on this...
March 10, 2021
somewhere between 2.5-3 stars
i'm again not sure what's compelling me to keep reading alien stories. maybe it's just the discovery of a new subgenre, idk. i found that i really enjoyed lesli richardson's writing itself, but there were some things that irked me.
misgendering the alien, yeah. i know. i know. but still. misgendering anyone is never ok, and when it comes from an mc and then is just forgotten or never addressed as being a flaw, that bothers me. everyone is worthy of being referred to using the pronouns they prefer, and you don't have to meet some magical standard to be worthy of that. it's basic respect. to know that they were married and he was still misgendering his partner was irksome.
that's really the biggest complaint i have about this book, but i also struggled with some of the language. i can't remember the exact phrase but i think it was 'big pink bastard' or something like that. some variation of that. i get that it was supposed to be endearing and the mc was supposed to be giving in and having mushy feelings and using the nickname in an endearing way, but after the constant misgendering it just made him seem like an asshole.
so there was absolutely nothing about simon that i liked. he was a shit character and an even shittier person and this would have been 8000x sexier without him. in fact, i'd rather have read an entire book on alien masturbation than read one more page about simon.
but i digress.
overall, good premise, good writing, the concept was there. failed a little in the execution of character development and that's where it all fell apart for me.
i'm again not sure what's compelling me to keep reading alien stories. maybe it's just the discovery of a new subgenre, idk. i found that i really enjoyed lesli richardson's writing itself, but there were some things that irked me.
misgendering the alien, yeah. i know. i know. but still. misgendering anyone is never ok, and when it comes from an mc and then is just forgotten or never addressed as being a flaw, that bothers me. everyone is worthy of being referred to using the pronouns they prefer, and you don't have to meet some magical standard to be worthy of that. it's basic respect. to know that they were married and he was still misgendering his partner was irksome.
that's really the biggest complaint i have about this book, but i also struggled with some of the language. i can't remember the exact phrase but i think it was 'big pink bastard' or something like that. some variation of that. i get that it was supposed to be endearing and the mc was supposed to be giving in and having mushy feelings and using the nickname in an endearing way, but after the constant misgendering it just made him seem like an asshole.
so there was absolutely nothing about simon that i liked. he was a shit character and an even shittier person and this would have been 8000x sexier without him. in fact, i'd rather have read an entire book on alien masturbation than read one more page about simon.
but i digress.
overall, good premise, good writing, the concept was there. failed a little in the execution of character development and that's where it all fell apart for me.
March 27, 2019
It has been a long time since I have read a sci-fi book and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I like books that take me through a myriad of emotions and still have a HEA. The beings and the planets were described in detail and were believable. You only have to have an imagination.
This is the story of Simon- a human who is getting out of the military and needs to find a good paying job to support his mom and sister and put them through school. It was a promise he made to his dying father and Simon is an honorable man and he keeps his promises. He finds an add which he has to be a conjugal mate for a Pfahrn and the money is phenomenal. It is an airtight contract for 5 years once it is signed and sealed. Simon, after many questions and deliberation, finally accepts it and is surprised when he meets Mohrn. Mohrn is a mutation of the Pfahrn and is not totally accepted by his people. At first I had a hard time with the Pfahrn's personal pronouns but I soon got used to them.
We go on a journey that Ms. Richardson takes us and it turns out to be quite a compelling story. I had a hard time putting the book down and recommend it to any sci-fi romance reader with an open mind. I can't wait for the next one!
This is the story of Simon- a human who is getting out of the military and needs to find a good paying job to support his mom and sister and put them through school. It was a promise he made to his dying father and Simon is an honorable man and he keeps his promises. He finds an add which he has to be a conjugal mate for a Pfahrn and the money is phenomenal. It is an airtight contract for 5 years once it is signed and sealed. Simon, after many questions and deliberation, finally accepts it and is surprised when he meets Mohrn. Mohrn is a mutation of the Pfahrn and is not totally accepted by his people. At first I had a hard time with the Pfahrn's personal pronouns but I soon got used to them.
We go on a journey that Ms. Richardson takes us and it turns out to be quite a compelling story. I had a hard time putting the book down and recommend it to any sci-fi romance reader with an open mind. I can't wait for the next one!
May 12, 2019
Not enamoured with the book cover at all....
This started out with potential, but Simon got on my nerves. Even with his sweet and tender care around Mohrn, he then spoilt it with "dude" or "buddy" it kinda took the shine off the moment.
It was far too descriptive in some areas (the medical enhancements) and not enough others - time with Mohrn and Simon was often limited or fade to black, this didn't help when it takes to 33% into the story for them finally to meet!
I also struggled with the misgender and pronouns around Mohrn - it was frustrating to have to wait till almost the last 10% of the story for the decision to go with "Phey" " Phem".....
Overall, the concept was interesting and the world building was very well done, especially around the code of honour, and Mohrn's birthright - this actually had me on the edge of my seat and why the book got 3*stars. What I didn't like was the slow pace, Simon's dalliance with the prison guards (was that really necessary??) and the limited time Mohrn and Simon seem to spend together and Simon's OVER USED endearment "big pink bastard", it grated on my very last nerve....
The ending was a year down the road and on a strong HFN, which was kinda sweet, but it was a fade to black finish.
This started out with potential, but Simon got on my nerves. Even with his sweet and tender care around Mohrn, he then spoilt it with "dude" or "buddy" it kinda took the shine off the moment.
It was far too descriptive in some areas (the medical enhancements) and not enough others - time with Mohrn and Simon was often limited or fade to black, this didn't help when it takes to 33% into the story for them finally to meet!
I also struggled with the misgender and pronouns around Mohrn - it was frustrating to have to wait till almost the last 10% of the story for the decision to go with "Phey" " Phem".....
Overall, the concept was interesting and the world building was very well done, especially around the code of honour, and Mohrn's birthright - this actually had me on the edge of my seat and why the book got 3*stars. What I didn't like was the slow pace, Simon's dalliance with the prison guards (was that really necessary??) and the limited time Mohrn and Simon seem to spend together and Simon's OVER USED endearment "big pink bastard", it grated on my very last nerve....
The ending was a year down the road and on a strong HFN, which was kinda sweet, but it was a fade to black finish.
May 8, 2019
I am 100% confused on all the high ratings this book has....
I am also not sure whether I should be proud of myself for finishing this book or disappointed that I wasted my time.
This book has been on my radar for maybe a few weeks and I was rather excited to dig in. Unfortunately that died rather quickly when I realized this was going to be a slow read... I mean our couple didn’t even meet until around 30%... and not only was everything slow but it was pretty much Simon constantly rambling on and on about crap... I mean the whole time...
I will admit there were some parts I liked and some parts that made me emotional. But it was nowhere near enough to drown out Simons constant day by day motions, activities and thoughts.....
Spoilerish triggers below
As far as trigger warning go there was definitely a gang bang (offpage, “for a good cause”) that included one of our MCs while they were mated and while the other was prison. Technically it was “acceptable” by the terms of the mating contract but feelings were hurt.
I am also not sure whether I should be proud of myself for finishing this book or disappointed that I wasted my time.
This book has been on my radar for maybe a few weeks and I was rather excited to dig in. Unfortunately that died rather quickly when I realized this was going to be a slow read... I mean our couple didn’t even meet until around 30%... and not only was everything slow but it was pretty much Simon constantly rambling on and on about crap... I mean the whole time...
I will admit there were some parts I liked and some parts that made me emotional. But it was nowhere near enough to drown out Simons constant day by day motions, activities and thoughts.....
Spoilerish triggers below
As far as trigger warning go there was definitely a gang bang (offpage, “for a good cause”) that included one of our MCs while they were mated and while the other was prison. Technically it was “acceptable” by the terms of the mating contract but feelings were hurt.
July 15, 2019
I had only minor quibbles with this book through about 60% of it, tore through the rest...and everything fell off the rails hard at the end. I was sad.
Things I liked: the worldbuilding was great (I did get the feeling toward the end that there was a lot of legal/cultural handwaving going on, but I was willing to grant that to get the happily ever after the author was obviously aiming for.) I love me some aliens being alien, and this book did a good job of that. The science aspects of the enhancements that Simon gets and of how to solve the issues with cross-species sex were pretty entertaining and well done, though that part of the book was way, way too long and created some pacing issues. The romance with Mohrn was also done well, if you can just accept the medical aspect of why they immediately hit it off as well as they did. Characterwise, I also liked both phem and Simon, though some of Simon's quirks did grate (the constant dismissive misgendering carried on for so long that it really, really stopped being funny, though I didn't mind his pet names for Mohrn as much as some other commenters obviously did - "buddy" I took to mean that at the beginning he was just seeing Mohrn as a friend that he was trying to help out, which made sense, given the contract.)
Things that weren't great: pacing - too, too long for the two main characters to get together, and then an odd rush through the parts where they're actually interacting while Mohrn's incarcerated. It left this feeling that the book was really about Simon and that Mohrn was a secondary character, which detracted from their relationship arc some. I felt also like this book would have really benefitted from more of Mohrn's point of view sprinkled throughout, rather than just near the end. Also, the blurb's main conflict (that Simon didn't know that Mohrn was nonbinary) was 100000% Simon's own fault, and felt kind of out of character, for someone that thought of himself as very deliberate and not-reckless. Dude was so worried about everything else that he completely didn't think to check what kind of equipment he'd be dealing with? The only thing that saved this from really ticking me off was that the scientist he's working with does a great job on-screen of reaming him out for being such a bonehead, and that Simon adjusts so quickly.
The trainwreck: Plotting. Needing a continuity check. At the beginning, it was only little things, like Simon mentioning in passing something that I was pretty sure the reader hadn't been told about (as if a scene had been cut, or a detail moved elsewhere in the manuscript). Then, at the end, there is a "twist" that strikes me as absolutely asinine . There's eventually a happily ever after, but...this stupidity seemed so out of character that to enjoy this book again I'll have to just put on blinders and pretend it stops before the Stupidity Train takes over. Honestly, it made me reticent to pick up the author's other book in this series, because this attack of dumb was totally an author choice, and now I'm not sure I trust her plotting enough to toss more money at her work. So yeah. Sads.
Things I liked: the worldbuilding was great (I did get the feeling toward the end that there was a lot of legal/cultural handwaving going on, but I was willing to grant that to get the happily ever after the author was obviously aiming for.) I love me some aliens being alien, and this book did a good job of that. The science aspects of the enhancements that Simon gets and of how to solve the issues with cross-species sex were pretty entertaining and well done, though that part of the book was way, way too long and created some pacing issues. The romance with Mohrn was also done well, if you can just accept the medical aspect of why they immediately hit it off as well as they did. Characterwise, I also liked both phem and Simon, though some of Simon's quirks did grate (the constant dismissive misgendering carried on for so long that it really, really stopped being funny, though I didn't mind his pet names for Mohrn as much as some other commenters obviously did - "buddy" I took to mean that at the beginning he was just seeing Mohrn as a friend that he was trying to help out, which made sense, given the contract.)
Things that weren't great: pacing - too, too long for the two main characters to get together, and then an odd rush through the parts where they're actually interacting while Mohrn's incarcerated. It left this feeling that the book was really about Simon and that Mohrn was a secondary character, which detracted from their relationship arc some. I felt also like this book would have really benefitted from more of Mohrn's point of view sprinkled throughout, rather than just near the end. Also, the blurb's main conflict (that Simon didn't know that Mohrn was nonbinary) was 100000% Simon's own fault, and felt kind of out of character, for someone that thought of himself as very deliberate and not-reckless. Dude was so worried about everything else that he completely didn't think to check what kind of equipment he'd be dealing with? The only thing that saved this from really ticking me off was that the scientist he's working with does a great job on-screen of reaming him out for being such a bonehead, and that Simon adjusts so quickly.
The trainwreck: Plotting. Needing a continuity check. At the beginning, it was only little things, like Simon mentioning in passing something that I was pretty sure the reader hadn't been told about (as if a scene had been cut, or a detail moved elsewhere in the manuscript). Then, at the end, there is a "twist" that strikes me as absolutely asinine . There's eventually a happily ever after, but...this stupidity seemed so out of character that to enjoy this book again I'll have to just put on blinders and pretend it stops before the Stupidity Train takes over. Honestly, it made me reticent to pick up the author's other book in this series, because this attack of dumb was totally an author choice, and now I'm not sure I trust her plotting enough to toss more money at her work. So yeah. Sads.
May 19, 2019
So, I think this book needed one more character that could serve as a friend to Simon and also as a voice in the book that would address Simon's ignorance around gender and sexuality and cultures not his own. I think this way the character's voice wouldn't be confused for the author's voice. But even so, this book takes place over a long stretch of time and Simon should have gotten a clue way way before he does.
Simon misgenders Mohrn, mainly in his head, a lot and until near the end of the book. In the epilogue, he has finally acculturated and fully moving away from thinking in male and female terms.
So, I completely understand why someone could not stand this book or finish it because of the nails on the chalkboard of Simon's struggle with a non binary gender and body as well as the lack of acknowledgement of intersex people, non binary people in humans. This is the future and he discusses class oppression, women's rights, racial discrimination, toxic masculinity, and homophobia with thoughtfulness so it seems a misstep in character creation as well as offensive.
Simon is a complex hero. This is a pulpy alien erotic novel with from a kind, steadfast, lonely, resilient persistent, inventive, and clever point of view of a man who has signed away five years of his life in a contract marriage to five himself and his mother and sister a better life. Again, I think the idea that he didn't read the contact and understand that his marriage would be to a someone who would need to penetrate him and has a penis as well as something like a vagina isn't fully in keeping with his personality (at least to the length of time he doesn't read) and adds drama and angst that doesn't need to be this book which is really finely written in so many ways.
I am not sure if I would call it lazy writing in a book that does such great world building and character creation but maybe writing to this genre without challenging the parts that are hurtful.
So, this is Simon's story and pov but Mohrn is really an amazing gentle giant type who really embodies the stupidity of prejudice and the cost to a society from being born Pink and not Green.
Simon's skin hunger and loneliness is powerful as his love of Mohrn and hatred of injustice. There is a nothing he won't do to protect Mohrn and some of that might be a bridge to far some readers. He is also very very clever and the mystery he solves in this book rooted in the excellent world building is divine. My favorite part of the book.
It is hard to know what to rate this book. It gave me a ton to think about in terms of character making. The scientist who modifies Simon is very clear about the misgendering and never does it feel like Simon's trouble with pronouns isn't something that doesn't need to stop but it goes on too long and doesn't feel correct to the character. So, I can't recommend it but there is something emotional compelling in this story.
Simon misgenders Mohrn, mainly in his head, a lot and until near the end of the book. In the epilogue, he has finally acculturated and fully moving away from thinking in male and female terms.
So, I completely understand why someone could not stand this book or finish it because of the nails on the chalkboard of Simon's struggle with a non binary gender and body as well as the lack of acknowledgement of intersex people, non binary people in humans. This is the future and he discusses class oppression, women's rights, racial discrimination, toxic masculinity, and homophobia with thoughtfulness so it seems a misstep in character creation as well as offensive.
Simon is a complex hero. This is a pulpy alien erotic novel with from a kind, steadfast, lonely, resilient persistent, inventive, and clever point of view of a man who has signed away five years of his life in a contract marriage to five himself and his mother and sister a better life. Again, I think the idea that he didn't read the contact and understand that his marriage would be to a someone who would need to penetrate him and has a penis as well as something like a vagina isn't fully in keeping with his personality (at least to the length of time he doesn't read) and adds drama and angst that doesn't need to be this book which is really finely written in so many ways.
I am not sure if I would call it lazy writing in a book that does such great world building and character creation but maybe writing to this genre without challenging the parts that are hurtful.
So, this is Simon's story and pov but Mohrn is really an amazing gentle giant type who really embodies the stupidity of prejudice and the cost to a society from being born Pink and not Green.
Simon's skin hunger and loneliness is powerful as his love of Mohrn and hatred of injustice. There is a nothing he won't do to protect Mohrn and some of that might be a bridge to far some readers. He is also very very clever and the mystery he solves in this book rooted in the excellent world building is divine. My favorite part of the book.
It is hard to know what to rate this book. It gave me a ton to think about in terms of character making. The scientist who modifies Simon is very clear about the misgendering and never does it feel like Simon's trouble with pronouns isn't something that doesn't need to stop but it goes on too long and doesn't feel correct to the character. So, I can't recommend it but there is something emotional compelling in this story.
June 15, 2019
If something seems too good to be true, then maybe don’t sign on the dotted line.
Simon’s enlistment is almost over, and he’s worried about having enough money to help his family, so he eagerly grabs the extremely generous offer to have sex with an alien. After all, it’s for scientific research, right? But when he meets Mohrn, things go sideways fast: Mohrn’s not female....but he’s not male either...and he/she/they are huge...everywhere. As Simon and Mohrn’s relationship develops, they fall hard for each other and Simon becomes determined to help Mohrn escape a bleak and hopeless future, even if it means they can’t be together.
I just couldn’t get invested in this story - waaay to much detail on all the ‘augmentation’ that Simon gets in order for him to accommodate a physical encounter with Mohrn. It goes on for pages and pages...full of unnecessary details on what the nanobots (or whatever) are doing to change him.
Then there’s the business with The Pronoun used for Mohrn, whose body has both female and male characteristics, and who is apparently gender-fluid as well. But playing with that grammatically is distracting and annoying.
There’s the insta-love that seems wholly unlikely; and there’s all the changes made to Simon which happen without any problem at all, thankyouverymuch.....Because science always works flawlessly, right?
So. Not a fan of this book.
Simon’s enlistment is almost over, and he’s worried about having enough money to help his family, so he eagerly grabs the extremely generous offer to have sex with an alien. After all, it’s for scientific research, right? But when he meets Mohrn, things go sideways fast: Mohrn’s not female....but he’s not male either...and he/she/they are huge...everywhere. As Simon and Mohrn’s relationship develops, they fall hard for each other and Simon becomes determined to help Mohrn escape a bleak and hopeless future, even if it means they can’t be together.
I just couldn’t get invested in this story - waaay to much detail on all the ‘augmentation’ that Simon gets in order for him to accommodate a physical encounter with Mohrn. It goes on for pages and pages...full of unnecessary details on what the nanobots (or whatever) are doing to change him.
Then there’s the business with The Pronoun used for Mohrn, whose body has both female and male characteristics, and who is apparently gender-fluid as well. But playing with that grammatically is distracting and annoying.
There’s the insta-love that seems wholly unlikely; and there’s all the changes made to Simon which happen without any problem at all, thankyouverymuch.....Because science always works flawlessly, right?
So. Not a fan of this book.
March 31, 2019
This was a great read. I love the way the characters interact with each other Simon and the Dr. and how they learn to trust each other and then Simon to Mohrn. How a mistaken appearance can help you in the long run. I love that there is such a connection between the main characters and wrongs to be righted. All in all a book that will have to be reread.
May 14, 2019
3.5 Stars!
June 20, 2019
Well... That was weird and wonderful and sweet and laugh out loud funny! I've already ordered book 2 in this series, so what the heck; 5 stars!!
March 27, 2019
Awesome
Unique. A whole new universe, a whole new constellation of alien races. The discovery of love in the strangest situations and unexpected people. Love is Love, no matter what shape it takes, as long as everyone is adult and consenting. There was even a brief reference to tentacles. Although neither MC have them. I totally enjoyed this book and really look forward to the next one in the series.
Unique. A whole new universe, a whole new constellation of alien races. The discovery of love in the strangest situations and unexpected people. Love is Love, no matter what shape it takes, as long as everyone is adult and consenting. There was even a brief reference to tentacles. Although neither MC have them. I totally enjoyed this book and really look forward to the next one in the series.
December 21, 2021
This was an extremely weird book. Other reviews have mentioned the constant misgendering of the nonbinary love-interest, but it's weirder than that.
Many things that are not plot-relevant are lovingly dwelled-on and described in detail that only makes sense for fetish porn purposes, and yet the narration actively downplays the sex factor of the actual sex. There's an off-screen gangbang halfway through. There's so much sex (which we're told is good, enjoyable sex) going on, but nothing is sexy. Not like it's bad erotica writing--like it wasn't meant to be sexy. The love interest shows up at the 35% mark because before that is mostly the MC getting dick surgery? You don't write at least ten thousand words of dick surgery without having a dick surgery kink, and yet how would you write dick surgery this absolutely unerotic if you do? How did this get written?
I don't know why I finished this book. I'm so confused. I do not recommend it, unless you want to engage in some kind of psychosexual study.
Many things that are not plot-relevant are lovingly dwelled-on and described in detail that only makes sense for fetish porn purposes, and yet the narration actively downplays the sex factor of the actual sex. There's an off-screen gangbang halfway through. There's so much sex (which we're told is good, enjoyable sex) going on, but nothing is sexy. Not like it's bad erotica writing--like it wasn't meant to be sexy. The love interest shows up at the 35% mark because before that is mostly the MC getting dick surgery? You don't write at least ten thousand words of dick surgery without having a dick surgery kink, and yet how would you write dick surgery this absolutely unerotic if you do? How did this get written?
I don't know why I finished this book. I'm so confused. I do not recommend it, unless you want to engage in some kind of psychosexual study.
October 22, 2019
Oke,I must say,this is not my genre m/preg,sci/fi.
but sometimes you must try some other genre`s.
I gave it my best shot and.......failed.
my god this is not my cup of coffee.
The bones of the story are nice ,but a bit dragging to much
telling and less showing,to much of the same,we al know.
that Simon never read the contract and is a class A ass.
The pink "bastard"is a sweet alien,who deserved much better.
If you keep naming the love of your moment: Buddy,than clearly you
are not that much in too it and simply forgot the poor thing his/her name.
Not much interesting to read the follow-up,but it is free on kobo,who knows
maybe it will be better.
and I thought : Twilight and midnight breed where much but at least they where fun and
made some sense.it is saying a lot when even the author is not in to it,to make even a decent
story.shame
but sometimes you must try some other genre`s.
I gave it my best shot and.......failed.
my god this is not my cup of coffee.
The bones of the story are nice ,but a bit dragging to much
telling and less showing,to much of the same,we al know.
that Simon never read the contract and is a class A ass.
The pink "bastard"is a sweet alien,who deserved much better.
If you keep naming the love of your moment: Buddy,than clearly you
are not that much in too it and simply forgot the poor thing his/her name.
Not much interesting to read the follow-up,but it is free on kobo,who knows
maybe it will be better.
and I thought : Twilight and midnight breed where much but at least they where fun and
made some sense.it is saying a lot when even the author is not in to it,to make even a decent
story.shame
September 13, 2020
WOW, if you liked
you should give this a try.
Simon is done with the military and he wants to find a way to help his family. The contract he signs is quite interesting and Morhn is adorable. Their relationship is quite unorthodox but develops into something spectacular.
Lots of medical and alien law stuff but very well done. I did have trouble keeping track of the other Pfarhn aliens...their names especially. Morhn being a non-binary person adds an amazing slant to this story and makes it exotic and rare.
Blown away!
you should give this a try.Simon is done with the military and he wants to find a way to help his family. The contract he signs is quite interesting and Morhn is adorable. Their relationship is quite unorthodox but develops into something spectacular.
Lots of medical and alien law stuff but very well done. I did have trouble keeping track of the other Pfarhn aliens...their names especially. Morhn being a non-binary person adds an amazing slant to this story and makes it exotic and rare.
Blown away!
July 1, 2020
Rating: 3 stars
This book wasn’t on my radar until a friend lent me her copy. I found the first part of the book to be tedious. It wasn’t until Mohrn showed up on the scene that I enjoyed the book a little more. I really thought Simon to be a bit stupid at the start of the book, but he grew on me as time went on. Overall, the book was okay. I enjoyed the ending enough that I would probably read more in the series.
This book wasn’t on my radar until a friend lent me her copy. I found the first part of the book to be tedious. It wasn’t until Mohrn showed up on the scene that I enjoyed the book a little more. I really thought Simon to be a bit stupid at the start of the book, but he grew on me as time went on. Overall, the book was okay. I enjoyed the ending enough that I would probably read more in the series.
April 29, 2019
This book is so bro dude. Oh yeah, there’s cheating and it’s totally pointless.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2019
Interesting story line but it was getting to wordy and I struggled to finish. When I finish it, I just didn't care to start enough to start the 2nd book in the series.
May 20, 2019
I really wanted this book to be amazing, and after reading the blurb and the beginning I could hardly contain my excitement!
Damn it! Why do I ever think things will go the way my brain wants them to?
I love books about military and ex military men. I got so excited when I read that Simon was in the military and about to get out after his five year stint. Then as I kept reading I just started cringing more and more until I started rolling my eyes and my mouth hubby agape. He cries more than the most hormonal teenage female I have ever met. He acts like he is sissy. His words and his thoughts and his actions further confirm he is no manly man. No macro ex military guy. He is a softie. A pansy if you will, who was supposedly straight but suddenly doesn’t mind getting married to a man-alien and taking it up the rear. In fact he enjoys that.
I love mm romance. It’s all I mainly read. But I feel whip-lashes and misinformed here. I definitely feel like the author wrote a script for a MC female lead and named him Simon.
Other than that I loved the world! I loved the creativity and the upgrades that Simon got. The biting and venom. All so great! But I didn’t like the MC and a lot of over descriptive info dump sessions about the fraud and the case. I was sometimes very confused.
Overall I did enjoy the IDEA of the story. I will just imagine Simon didn’t call his husband “buddy” as many times as he did and comfort him like a dog or a child and cry as much as he did. Poor sensitive man.
Damn it! Why do I ever think things will go the way my brain wants them to?
I love books about military and ex military men. I got so excited when I read that Simon was in the military and about to get out after his five year stint. Then as I kept reading I just started cringing more and more until I started rolling my eyes and my mouth hubby agape. He cries more than the most hormonal teenage female I have ever met. He acts like he is sissy. His words and his thoughts and his actions further confirm he is no manly man. No macro ex military guy. He is a softie. A pansy if you will, who was supposedly straight but suddenly doesn’t mind getting married to a man-alien and taking it up the rear. In fact he enjoys that.
I love mm romance. It’s all I mainly read. But I feel whip-lashes and misinformed here. I definitely feel like the author wrote a script for a MC female lead and named him Simon.
Other than that I loved the world! I loved the creativity and the upgrades that Simon got. The biting and venom. All so great! But I didn’t like the MC and a lot of over descriptive info dump sessions about the fraud and the case. I was sometimes very confused.
Overall I did enjoy the IDEA of the story. I will just imagine Simon didn’t call his husband “buddy” as many times as he did and comfort him like a dog or a child and cry as much as he did. Poor sensitive man.
July 26, 2024
I don't typically review my DNF books, but I feel like this one is a special case.
I did my absolute best to just ride along with this book, but twelve chapters and 30% in and I had to stop. Not only is the book *weirdly* obsessed with talking through the nanotech procedures the MC is receiving, the procedures don't even make sense? From either a logistics OR a medical angle, the "required augmentations" and the procedures to complete said augmentations are insulting.
The thing that absolutely killed it for me though was the rampant misgendering of the love interest. The MC learned the LI pronouns in early chapters, has been REMINDED and CORRECTED on pronouns *multiple times*, has had internal thought trains of "he didn't want to be that guy", and YET. "But (LI) is pink! Of course I'm going to use she/her, I can't help it."
Bro, grow up. And also, author, if you wanna do a mistaken gender book, check with a sensitivity reader on how you're handling it.
I did my absolute best to just ride along with this book, but twelve chapters and 30% in and I had to stop. Not only is the book *weirdly* obsessed with talking through the nanotech procedures the MC is receiving, the procedures don't even make sense? From either a logistics OR a medical angle, the "required augmentations" and the procedures to complete said augmentations are insulting.
The thing that absolutely killed it for me though was the rampant misgendering of the love interest. The MC learned the LI pronouns in early chapters, has been REMINDED and CORRECTED on pronouns *multiple times*, has had internal thought trains of "he didn't want to be that guy", and YET. "But (LI) is pink! Of course I'm going to use she/her, I can't help it."
Bro, grow up. And also, author, if you wanna do a mistaken gender book, check with a sensitivity reader on how you're handling it.
July 28, 2025
There were so many things I liked about this book that I really wanted to push through it, but ultimately I decided that its handling of gender was too careless. You don’t get to create a nonbinary love interest and then have the other MC misgender them EVERY time they refer to them despite being corrected. And what’s worse is the internal dialog when they realize it themselves phrases like “he, oh no them… whatever.” Completely dismissive and uncaring but yet we are supposed to believe that this person loves them? I also really hated the part about (paraphrasing here) ‘oh I originally assumed they were a girl alien bc they were pink, you understand right?’ No ofc I don’t understand u twat waffle!
March 30, 2019
This was an amazing book that stayed with me for several days after I finished it! The world building is extensive and quickly drew me into the story. Simon is looking forward to leaving the military but is at loose ends trying to decide what to do next. A bunkmate shares a job site with him and Simon is intrigued with a picture of Mohrn, a Pfahrn who needs help getting through a prison sentence. The significant paycheck, as well as the look he sees in Mohrn's eyes, causes Simon to throw caution to the wind and take the job. When he realizes what he's signed up for, will he be up to the challenge? A fabulous book that I will be reading again!
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