So, I gave this book a five star, when the heroine actually pushed this book to a three star on multiple occasions.
However, the brilliance that is this series can't be contained in a three star package. I was so enveloped in this 'alien' world, that I couldn't help but push on and just hope beyond hope that Olivia unstupid herself from this whole whiny BS she was spewing at me with her perpetual inner dialogue.
Olivia, oh dear Olivia.
You didn't get smart until the last like thirty pages of the book. By that point I felt you didn't really deserve your big bad alien stud.
Do I feel that she emasculated him?
No, because Baird actually never gave up his intentions or his belief system. I believe all the crap rested on Olivia's shoulders to be honest. The woman refused to communicate, because she was so dead set on getting back to her sister and bff, who were GROWN WOMEN, and even they realized before her, that she belonged with Baird.
I mean I get it.
I did get it.
At first.
This is a story about an alien invasion took place on earth, the Kindred came and stopped it. In return they asked to have access to all single, unclaimed women on the planet. Now, don't take that in a barbaric sort of way. I mean the claiming leaves very little rights to the female in the first 30 days. Someone said they only got a week, no the first week was where the couple was supposed to COMMUNICATE! The whole claiming period was 30 days, hey I think that's good, I think thats just under what The Bachelor and Bachelorette gets lol.
Olivia refused to talk to him properly. I think she was suck on the whole lust at first site more than him. He tried so hard and she was like "NO WALL UP!" Baird was a damned saint and incredibly patient with her.
What redeemed this book, and me continuing with the series was the total attention to detail. I was enveloped and transported to a fictional reality where aliens were read, earth knew about it, and women were sent up as Brides to them. But get this, they don't just pick randomly. The couple has usually has some sort of bond going on for months called 'dream sharing' before the Kindred call them to claim. I thought this would ruffle the feminist in me. But I'm one of those feminists that doesn't believe being submissive in the sac diminishes you as a strong female. I thought Olivia, by the end, had somewhat redeemed herself. It really helped that Sylvan allowed her to work as a medic. Olivia had spent most of her adult life working her butt off to complete nursing school, and then she's sucked up into space by a big barbarian (with a heart of gold) and she saw this as a waste of all her hard work.
I get the bonding period is part of the contract to secure, I'm assuming, pregnancy lol Yet, human woman are very independent, and were someone like me would be like OOOO Hunky alien I'm down lets get busy and enjoy this naughty month together (I would so be knocked up in like a week lol), most would be like erm, back off yo.
As a whole the story was compelling, and engaging and I couldn't help but move on right to book two.