Caged Mate

Reaper's Pet #1

by Athena Storm, Zora Black

They're the stuff of nightmares.
So frightening that most think they're legends.
But they're real.

And now they've taken me.

You're in deep trouble if the Reapers find your ship in space.
If they board you, chances are you'll die.
Most likely they'll loot your ship.
Take your women.
Sometimes they'll even eat your heart.
They're brutes. Pirates. Murderers.

And now they've captured me and the ship I was on.

The galaxy has treated me like garbage.
But the Reaper King that claims me...
He treats me like his princess.
He loves me. He gives me treats.
He takes care of me and protects me.

He shows me more kindness than anyone in the galaxy ever has.

So maybe I belong in this dark world of pirates.
When civilized people are the truly malevolent ones.
With their wars and their deceit.
Maybe the simple violence of the Reaper soul is where I belong.

It's twisted.
It's dark.
It's sick.

But with my Reaper King...it's home.

Caged Mate explores a much darker and grittier side of the Athenaverse. It can be read as a standalone, but it still shares the same universe that you've found in other books. Themes in this book should be approached with caution.

Genres: Aliens, Science Fiction, Romance, Dark, Erotica, BDSM, Science Fiction Romance

158 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 15, 2020

About the author

Athena Storm is the pen name for two authors who fell in love with writing science fiction romance as they fell in love with each other.

She's the Athena. And he's the Storm. Athena hopes that one day it won't be a boyfriend/girlfriend writing duo, but a husband/wife team. But she's not pressuring at all. Not one bit.

Science fiction is the biggest love for the writing duo, and they've been doing the writing for quite some time now, building a universe that readers can get lost and explore in. Filled with big bad alien warriors, sassy human women who give as well as they get, hilarious situations, and enough steam to melt stars!

The duo have created the Athenaverse, where all books in all series are tied together. You can start anywhere but once you do, you'll want to explore them all!

When they get married, they plan to continue writing science fiction romance forever. But again, no pressure on the marrying part. Not at all. (Not like writing Happily Ever After ALL Day won't give you any ideas on its own, right?)

Reviews

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 31%
Unfortunately I didn’t really like this one at all initially it sounded so interesting but I just couldn’t get over the female main character Caroline my god she was the most irritating female I’ve ever encountered.

The initial plot did sound good and it all started off quite strong with some good explanations of the world and how it functioned. I also loved the idea that Caroline wasn’t a conventional heroine being a con woman and all and now after being caught she was stuck serving her time as a slave on this luxury liner.

The Reapers themselves were also intriguing They were psychotic and ruthless especially Vishar there captain they are basically intergalactic murderous space pirates so when they come across the Celeste they do what they do best.

But after Vishar catches Caroline hiding in an air duct on the hijacked ship it all started to go swiftly downhill. We are then treated to a constant stream of sexual one liners all from Caroline who doesn’t seem to know when to zip it. I found them all just too much and it ended up totally spoiling this for me. Caroline is certainly a strange duck and rather than coming across as brave and bad-ass she just seemed like she had little self-preservation or even sense. I’m actually surprised Vishar didn’t kill her just to shut her up.

I can guess what the rest of this is now going to entail just from the tone so far and there just isn’t enough actual plot to entice me to continue further with this. If your after a light hearted but brutal steamy read that doesn’t seem to take itself to seriously whilst still being dark maybe you’ll like this better than me just a trigger warning though this book comes with a very annoying heroine that your gonna want to strangle you’ve been warned.

[Jac K · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ll start with the positives… The book blurb sounds great. The cover dude is pretty hot, and the author does a good job of explaining/laying out/world building. The first chapter explains everything that is going on in the universe with the two fighting/warring (The Coalition and the Alliance) sides, as well as the different types of aliens… what they do… what they're like… histories, etc.

Caroline/ Black cat is a con woman/thief that is serving as a slave on a luxury cruiser when they are boarded by Reapers. (a bony-long limbed species) Vishar is the captain of the reaper ship the Vice; he’s tough and violent… Reapers do not respect weakness. They both are pretty ruthless, borderline sociopaths; neither really experience empathy. She’s crazy, and overly sexy which was fine, but it got old as it went on and on.

My problem was the lack of a plot. There’s not really anything going on; the Reapers board the ship… kill almost everyone… then torture the prisoners for information…over and over again. The couple doesn’t even have sex until almost 60% so the first part has literally almost nothing going on except Caroline’s constant one-liners about sex, and her laughing at everything.

Bottom Line- It was ok, but not very entertaining. I put it down for several days and read other books, which I never do. It ends in a bit of a cliffy, (they are left in a potentially dangerous situation) which I found annoying since these are supposed to be stand-alone. I did peek at book 2, and neither name is mentioned (Vishar or Caroline) so I read the first chapter. Goran the H of the next book sees them getting away, so they’re fine.

[jenn *mother of dragon & snake* · Rating 3 out of 5]

well well well..

this was more than slightly a dissapointment. the plot had potential but the characters themselves made. NO. FREAKING. SENSE.

[Jennifer Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really like this one

It was basically a rinse and repeat each day he interrogates her and the other humans he eventually bangs her again and again over and over and ends on a Cliff Hanger definitely didn't like it

[Ann Holden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two and a half stars.
I was so disappointed this ended with a cliffhanger. I have read other books by Athena Storm so I was also surprised where it ended. I was fascinated with Caroline’s character, but disappointed how quickly she let her walls down. Vishar wasn’t as much of a bada** as I expected either. Having sex in front of everyone else just to prove she is his pet? There were parts that were good involving Caroline and her strengths but if the Reapers were that strong, she probably wouldn’t have stayed standing when they hit her. This book just didn’t do it for me.

I received a free copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

[Smart · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a dark romance, I would call it weird space sex between a woman and what's supposed to be a monster but description of these "Reapers" is difficult to picture. Also this book ended with a cliffhanger and I absolutely hate those (warn a sister so she can avoid your games). The build up to sex took forever, I wasn't completely convinced the h in this book was a worthy person to have survived the pirate attack. Even worse, people drop like flies around her and she justifies their deaths because she's seen a thing or two. Meh and meh. D-

[Samantha Mitchem · Rating 1 out of 5]

The blurb for this book is great, the story is crap!

*Spoilers ahead*

First off, the so called alien pirates use very old human slang like ‘don’t sweat it’. Even with it being thousands of years into the future it’s hard enough for humans of other cultures to pick up word slang like that let alone an alien pirate who can’t even manage to wash his own a**!

Second, oh my god I HATE Caroline!!! I’ve never loathed a main character before this much, she acts ‘crazy’ but is in all honesty just stupid. She laughs at nothing, again she was written to be crazy but it comes off stupid, she is constantly using sexual innuendos and advances against the reaper king and the other reapers which almost gets her eaten but is sadly saved, I was really hoping the reaper would take a bite out of her to finally get her to shut up and realize her situation in a more mature adult way but no she gets to stay stupid and immature thanks to the lead reaper. I can go on all day about how much I hate this character honestly, she was written very poorly and it’s disappointing to say the least.

Third, the king reaper is a pushover!!! ‘ I’ve been stabbed before by a human hybrid when I thought I could let my guard down around her but turns out as soon as she showed me her vagina she was plotting to slit my throat! Who’s knew right?’ <— Not word for word but you get the idea!
As soon as Caroline starts putting innuendo and advances on the king reaper he pretty much says ‘f’ it to his past lessons of human women hitting on him and just head into the advances or Caroline’s, this aliens tendencies resemble to much of a human males for him to even be imagined as a alien in my head, but any way he falls into her the first chance he gets which is pretty early on with no build up at all. All the while she still won’t shut up!

This is not worth the read at all and will be skipping over this author in the future for sure!

[TP · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started out very interesting.
I found it refreshing to have actual dark characters in a dark sci-fi romance. I was really interested in how that would turn and work out.
Until they both meet for the first time and open their mouths...sigh... the book went completely downhill from there. The whole story looses its substance.
Her sarcasm and behaviour towards the Reapers and him was quickly annoying and irritating.
His simple minded focus boring.
How brutally it was described how she was thrown around, but didn’t have a scratch on her body? It made no sense and made the described scenes look false. Especially because the author multiple times pointed out graphically, how fragile human bodies are and how easily they are crushed by the Reapers. But no tissue swelling, throat damage, dislocated shoulder or bruises and not to mention a whiplash, instead she was full of exuberant sarcasm and sexual bravado.
That dampened the reading fun a bit, foremost after all the effort the author put in and the details presented in the world building and background story at the beginning. It just didn’t fit.
And I don’t know, it feels weird to watch two sociopaths falling in “love” and having extreme and seemingly uncontrollable emotional mood swings which are contradictory traits to have in the first place.

Too many vocabulary errors. Those are lousy mistakes, when it impacts the reading. Let some people proof read it before publishing.
...”I put my hands on my fists and stare up at him.”...

The cover looks intriguing but somehow doesn’t reflect the bodily attributes described in the book.

[Kristy Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I’m a little torn. I enjoyed reading this book a lot. The characters were perfect for each other... well I think Caroline might have been a little more developed than Vishar. I don’t think we knew as much about him and his character. But Caroline was tailor made for his lifestyle. But I was left feeling a little unsettled.

He can’t claim her as anything more than a pet, and he can’t show any type of affection for her. He can’t let her sleep with him in his quarters she will have to live the rest of her life in a cell. Yes her cell is nice but eventually I think she will want more. More freedom, more from him. More acknowledgment for her place in his life. But it left off as just that.

There were parts that were hinted that there might be more, like the singing to the stars part. Like maybe the Reapers could still have that magic and connection to the worlds around them. That they might could get some of what they lost back. But maybe that is something that will happen further in the series.

What I’m sort of confused by is this left off in a bit of a cliffhanger, but the next book is not about this couple. I thought at the end of this maybe the series just follows them, but it switches to the reapers that put them in the cliffhanger moment. I guess I’ll just have to read the next book, but I’m not really happy with how Vishar and Caroline’s story ended. It doesn’t feel finished. It doesn’t sound like such a great life for Caroline despite her enjoying it now.

[HEATHER · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caroline astounds the Reaper crew while their Captain falls under her spell!
by sewsummore

Caroline was a human slave on the luxury cruise ship Celeste when it was attacked by the Reapers and taken prisoner together with some of the crew and ships passengers. While everyone else had to suffer the cramped cells she was give a cell of her own. Vishar was convinced she was a spy but her story never changed and eventually he had to admit he had been wrong about her, one thing was for sure she tempted him beyond reason and in the end he took her as his sexual pet. By that time she had also gained a certain amount of favor amongst his crew for capturing two escaped female prisoners and on two occasions by shooting other humans and saving their leader's life not once but twice. Life for Caroline was perfect, she was safe and well cared for, the sex between the Captain and herself was the best she ever had with all her wants supplied. This was an entertaining story that kept me smiling as Caroline both astounds and amazes the reaper crew with her smart comebacks and refusal to back down to threats or intimidation, and their captain falls deeper under her spell.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Karen Nastasio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me hanging on the edge of my seat throughout it and I loved the characters they are so strong in there own ways and that’s why they are drawn to each other physically and mentally. Caroline Blackwood is a thief and a very good one and has the reputation to back it up as the Blackcat Blackwood and a con artist to boot and now they have caught her and is given a choice go to prison or become a slave on a cruise ship, she chooses the ship and now she wonders if she has chosen wrong. Vishar is a Reaper and the captain of the spaceship Vice and he and his fellow crew are feared throughout the galaxy because the never let anyone live, they take what they want and do what the please to the women and then kill them. Now the cruise ship has just entered the badlands and Vishar and his men are waiting to attack and it’s not long before It happens and the cells on his ship are filled with the rich people and the crew all ready for interrogation. Wow I need to stop it right here, get this book it was amazing you won’t be disappointed at all.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caroline was a cleaner but basically a slave on a luxury liner for rich people. It was either that or prison and prison was worse even thought the passengers seemed to be pretty bad towards her. She would hide out in secret passage ways. Vishar is a Reaper and they are very much feared as being ruthless. He spots the luxury liner and boards it to plunder and take whatever he wants and get information from the crew about where the liners ports of call are and such. Caroline is hiding but gets caught but she is unafraid which perplexes Vishar. She is feisty. Vishar takes a liking to Caroline. She proves herself to him and helps him in is endeavor to get information. She has no loyalties to the humans as they treated her like trash. Vishar wants Caroline as his but they have to go about it carefully. He takes her as his pet and to shoe other Reapers how she is loyal to them. The Reapers start to trust Caroline more and more. One day the are at a port when all hell breaks lose. It's another group of Reapers even worse than them. Killarn is their captain. Can Vishar and Caroline escape from them? Seems to be a TBC story.

[Dora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying to evade a mortal fate Caroline, a con woman, accepted been slavered. Something that made her hatred and contempt for the humans around her and sunk her in a path of no return. When the brutally fierce and bloody Reapers attacked and seized the ship she was in, only her skills could save her. Vishar, the leader of the Reapers on board, was restless about the intriguing, deceptive and tempting human. She didn't fear him and constantly challenged him making him doubt and desire her, but he didn't trust, at all. As Carolina pointed out she and Vishar were not normal creatures. That was very obvious! They had been carved by circumstance and both needed someone who could challenge and stir them. Tit for tat! Vishar really was a monster. Didn’t like either one but Caroline was mean since before. Maybe she was part Reaper. A very dark story with dark and strong emotions, lot of violence, gory details, torture, manhandling, lust and raw sex. The end left me intrigued. I did not expect what happened.

[Deborah Gebhardt · Rating 2 out of 5]

**Spoilers**I didn't enjoys this as much as some of the other Athena Storm I have read. It is a darker romance with scenes of imprisonment, allusions to torture and rape.
Caroline grew up alone and learned to depend on just herself, by con and theft. Predating the events of this novel, she was captured and convicted, and given the choice of life imprisonment or slavery. She chose slavery, thinking it was her best option and has had moments of regret. When the ship she serves on is attacked by Reapers, she hopes it is an opportunity to escape. She is wrong.
The Reapers, the descendants of a fallen race, destroyed in the intergalactic war, survive by being intergalactic pirates. The captain, Vishar, finds this female human captive, more than intriguing, but, he almost lost his life once, he doesn't trust than he can believe anything that comes out of Caroline's mouth.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

From slave, to captured slave, to the love of her life.

When Vishar captures Caroline from the luxury slave ship she is on, her sassiness, courage and being unafraid of him shocks him. Everyone else is screaming yelling and crying. He thinks she’s a spy because she seems so trained in interrogation tactics and he can’t break her even though he tries multiple times. He thinks she is trying to get under his skin to kill him. But that’s not the case. Caroline wants him for herself. She has never felt this way about another man and neither has Vishar about another woman. He finally claims her as his pet, and no one is to touch her. He makes it out like it is torture for her, but for her it is the most intense pleasure she has ever received. What is it about aliens that makes them love human women? She is like a siren and he is the one hearing her call. Great book.

[JLH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Cat Blackwood has met her match. Being raised from the streets as poor as can be, she used to being to crooked to be straight. One con after another has worked until her last get her caught. As all this is going on she now hides in holes on a ship that she is now basically on house arrest, well not working, the cruise ship that she is on gets attacked. As she’s watching all the killing evolve around her she basically falls in lust with one of the killers as he moves. He is just as agile as she.Can she come on her way out of this one or does she want to con her way out of this one like she’s done so many other times. Nice characters. Very dark and steamy scenes. Enough to wet your noodle and whistle.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[L.J. Luck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uhhh

The premise sounded exciting....BUT then:
The lead female character is straight cray. Not like sexy, intelligent crazy. Just straight up insane. She's unattractive to me, I was NOT rooting for her and, I don't even know what she looks like except she has huge tits and a RED ......vagina?
The lead character was hard for me to get into as well. Hey, I love an aggressive big bad as much as the next girl, but for being a "bad ass" this reaper gave in too easily.
I've read authors who could make a SQUID sexy, this guy was dirty, with gross hair and a skeleton face.
Plus he just wanted to cum in her ass all the lifelong day.
I don't usually rant this long, i m off to wash my mind out with a different book.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caroline is a slave on a cruise ship that is attacked by Reapers and she manages to hide until a sneeze gives her away. Vishar pulls her out of an air vent and feels an odd attraction to her. He is amazed by her blasé attitude and humor at her current situation. The story is very erotic in the sexual interaction between the two of them. There is danger surrounding her as the other Reapers are as vicious as they come. Enjoyed the story, it is well written, action packed and holds your attention. There is a cliff hanger at the end which makes me want to read the next book. I would highly recommend this book as a great read.

[Claire RC · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book features the meanest and nastiest of Aliens, the Reapers! They didn’t always use to be this way but changed to survive. Caroline is a con-woman whose crimes caught up with her, instead of life imprisonment she opts for the sentence of a slave maid on an Intergalactic Cruise Liner, Vishar is the leader of a ship full of Reapers who board that ship to plunder it. Their relationship from the beginning is hot, stormy, ruthless, he thinks nothing of using interrogation to get information. This is a fast moving, action packed book with some quite gory scenes.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Trixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first impression of the Reapers when I read them from another book by the same author was that they were degenerates. The protagonists in the stories are considered criminal, they did become one because of their need to survive, but there is some redeeming qualities to them especially when it comes to the ones they love, they become protective.

Caroline found her refuge in Vishar, the reaper king, and Vishar found his happiness in her but also his weakness. Would he also found his strength in her with his need to protect the one he loves?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tina Locklear · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this thriller I think Black Cat Blackwood has met her match and being raised from the streets as poor as can be, she was used to being to crooked to be straighted out. One con after another has worked until her last fight were she is caught and gets found out..All this is going to show she hides in holes on a ship that she is now basically on house arrest and not working.the cruise ship that she is on gets attacked. He going to be her way out cause he is somewhat like her in wats. Great storyline and main characters make the book good read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t think anyone could do it.....have someone fall in love with a reaper, she did it, and did it well. Then again, the human Caroline, is no angel herself. Warning: this book ends in a cliffhanger.
Teaser

I’ve got one of those voices screaming at me right now. Don’t seduce the Reaper, Caroline. It makes me giggle. You can be damn sure, if something is a bad idea, I can’t help myself from doing it. When he changes his grip again and his long fingers dig into the soft skin of my thighs, I can’t help it. I let out a moan. This guy is just radiating sex. I’ve heard so many horror stories about what the Reapers look like but so far, they don’t look so bad to me.

[Ruby's Java Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reaper's Pet...

Vishtar found a human female who was a very unlikely human he had ever met and she confounded him when she didn't react like most humans do. He realised she is different, a woman born of circumstances that forced her into the person she became, Black Cat Blackwood, for survival. They bond over time through torture and sex, finally he takes her as a pet for he couldn't let her go.

This was a very unique spin on alien romance, or not so romantic. I'd say this book is worthy of my 4 cups pf Java rating, ☕☕☕☕. It is pretty gruesome in some parts. But it also has some funny wisecracks in it. I will be reading the next book.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received ARC from BookSprout for Honest Review.
I Give this Book a 2.5-3/5 Star Rating, Listing as 3.

HEA(?): Yes.

Drama: 3/5
Suspense: 3/5
Heat: 3.5/5
Romance: 3/5

I Kinda got bored pretty early on in the book, I found Vishar to be annoyingly laid back and just too easy to manipulate, and he wasn’t intimidating to me.
Caroline was actually a very interesting character and did enjoy her a bit, but the farther the sexual innuendo went the bored I got and the story was just bland over all.
I wasn’t impressed with this read as much as I thought I was going to be.

[Tayra Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Reapers attacked and seized the ship Carolina was in as a slave. Vishar, the leader of the Reapers on board, was restless mean and bad. But she didn't fear him, she was a constant challenge for him. This made him want her bad. They were both dangerous intense creatures. This story is dark, I mean dark but I loved it. Athena once again takes you or amazingly intense ride while reading this book. I could not get though this story with out going hot and cold. I am not patiently waiting on the next story.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome book that I really enjoyed. The story and characters grabbed me from the beginning and I couldn't stop reading. I loved the characters and watching them grow together, they were well written and went well together. I found this book amazing with great word building making me feel apart of the story and watching it unfold in front of me. A definite must read for any fan and I can't wait to read more from this author!!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Elisa Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caged Mate is the first book in this series by author Athena Storm. Not actually sure what the series is called maybe Reapers.
Anywho, it’s absolutely delicious!!!! It slowly pulls you in until your hooked and I promise you won’t buy up a fight. These Reapers are vicious- isn’t that wonderful!! Everyone is terrified of them - now they have met their match- soon she’ll have them purring!!!
Only issue it’s a cliffhanger- ugh!!!!!! I guess that’s ok, waiting adds to the anticipation (wink).
Enjoy!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm

I'm not sure how I feel about Caroline. I understand that she was not treated well but her attitude towards everyone shocks me.
Vishar is a Reaper and captain of his ship. He finds Caroline hiding in the air vent on the ship she's enslaved on.
Reapers are huge and immensely strong - how does Caroline, a mere human, get up after being hit by one?
The sex scenes were ok
The Typos one practically EVERY page drove me nuts
And then it ends in a flipping cliffhanger!!! Argh

[Mrs S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twisted

This book is akin to sour sweets .... the hero and heroine are not what you expect in any romance.... but they are addictive

I suspect this is going to be a marmite book, you will either love it or hate it.. and you have to read it to find out

It does end on a tiny cliff end, but since there are 4 or 5 in the series it kinda gives it away that they survive the first pages of the next book

The only other thing to warn you about are the number of edit errors in the book. It needs a proofreader. Without looking for typos etc there are few sprinkled throughout the book

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sizzling chemistry, dark desires and scorching heat are paired beautifully with a dramatic and engaging storyline that grab my attention and hold on to it brutally tight! Right from the very first tantalizing jaw-dropping page I was dragged into this was It’s twisted.
It’s dark. It’s sick.original,
suspenseful,erotic,magnificent read , what a tasty treat at the end of a long work day!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.