Red Sands

Warlords Of Atera #1

by Celia Kyle, Natalie Eaton (Narrator)

She’s on the run from a violent past...
He solves his problems with a sword...

Fleeing a life of abuse, Sheri climbs aboard a mail-order mate spaceship bound for a distant station, but never arrives… Fate intervenes and her trip takes a quick, deadly turn when she crashes on the planet Atera. She’s surrounded by endless sand dunes, dangerous creatures, and alien beings that remind her of Earth lizards. But one particular lizard hardly leaves her thoughts - a sexy, two legged, muscular male bent on protecting and caring for her at all costs!

Drazan is a fierce warrior, the strongest Ateran of the Red Sands, he rules his dunes with an iron fist and sharp sword, and is honour bound to face all challengers to his position. During one of these battles something… strange… happens. Fire rains from the skies and a strange black metal box filled with females crashes to the sands. All thoughts of fighting are lost to the allure of these odd humans - especially one deliciously curvy female who stirs his blood. Now he finds himself with dark yearnings, strong need, and a hardness between his legs that he’s never used before!

With Sheri consuming his thoughts, Drazan may have forgotten about his last challenge but his opponent’s brother hasn’t. Now he’s determined to see Drazan suffer… even if that means killing Sheri!

Genres: Aliens, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Forced Proximity, Audiobook, Science Fiction Romance

Audiobook

First published July 22, 2019

About the author

Celia Kyle would like to rule the world and become a ninja. As a fall-back, she’s working on her writing career and giving readers stories that touch their hearts and *ahem* other places. Visit her online at http://celiakyle.com | http://facebook.com/celiakyle | http://twitter.com/celiakyle | http://pinterest.com/celiakyle

Reviews

[Ivy Deluca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lied this review's not quickish at all. Also, it's 3.25 WTF stars. Ok, let's begin.



I mean...I liked it? *blinks* But I gotta dive into this because it was a trip and I'm here for the crackiliciously strange and unusual...with some notable caveats.

The sitch
So, the story begins on the planet Atera, from the perspective of the hero Dravan, the Warlord of the Red Sands, a planet inhabited by a lizard-like species. And when I say lizard-like, I mean VERY, very lizard like....yes, red eyes, bald head, forked tongue, and don't get me started on what's going on downtown. Well, at least not yet.

Anyway, he's dealing with some shenanigans from a potential assassination plot, when this vessel comes shooting across the sky and crashes near his lands. Now, he's convinced that this is a gift from his goddess, Eana, so he and his warriors go to investigate and claim the "gifts."

The heroine, Sheri, is one of a bunch of human women who have set out with an intergalactic matchmaking agency to meet their alien mates (and get away from her physically abusive ex). Except the spaceship crashes and yes, things go sideways and yes, romance happens.

My Feelings
I mean, this is SO different in tone from Ms. Kyle's previous books, as far as really taking more time to delve into the worldbuilding and being pretty straight up sci-fi, instead of going for the funny. I really liked that details usually glossed over in insta-love sci-fi roms - like, how do they know if the atmosphere, food would impact humans on another planet? Physically, how is this even possible? are addressed.

And speaking of the physical side of things....It's a slow build towards the love scene, but when that love scene finally happens?

Ok, straight up, I was not expecting this from Ms. Kyle. Yes, she's written about dragons, but they always felt more humanoid with pretty coloring and wings. However, the Ateran's physiology is very...not. Like, there are scales, demon-red eyes, no visible genitalia

there's ...ridges, and ...fronds...and

Yeah, I'm kinda speechless.

Anynoodle, as a love scene, it was surprisingly effective, even with their physical differences.
Yes, it was strange, my jaw was on the floor for most of it, and kinda weird, but in the end also kinda sweet.
Hey, I said don't judge me.


Bottom Line
Is the romance completely on point? No. It was more uneven than I'd like, and I wasn't sure if I bought into Sheri being fully invested by the end. There are inconsistencies that aren't addressed (like what happened to her burned hand?) that would have helped the narrative along (also, why were there no unmated females from Red Sands going to the big hootenanny aka the Meet & Mate?). I have several questions with no answers.

That's why it's rated a wee bit lower, but I'm definitely intrigued and I want to read more, so that's something, right? If you're into alien sci-fi rom, then you're prolly down for some weirdness, so you may enjoy this.

**borrowed through Kindle Unlimited**

For more reviews, visit

[Angela (Angel's Book Nook) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red Sands is book one in the Warlords Of Atera series by Celia Kyle as Erin Tate.

Red Sands is currently on Kindle Unlimited and that is how I picked it up. It's a nice start to the series.

We are introduced to a desert planet with lizard like aliens. There are a few different types of colors for these lizard aliens and each live in different parts of the planet. They all come together during one time of the year to find their mates. During this pilgrimage something falls from the sky. They feel it's from there goddess.

All the human women where on their way to be brides to aliens when something happens to their ship and now they are stranded on this sand planet. The human women are trying to learn and understand this new world and in doing so some find their soul mates.

Drazen is without doubt a sweetie at heart. I liked him. They aren't without technology they just don't bring it on there pilgrimage into the sacred sand lands.

Sheri, I didn’t like her. She struggled with trusting and getting intimate with an alien even thou she signed up to be a bride for another alien race. Contradiction.

The romance is a slow build and slow towards the love scenes. The love scenes where successful, even with the physical differences. I’m not sure if I total believed in the romance by the end; because of how against Sheri was of hooking up with an alien.

I liked the world building. I also enjoyed meeting the different tribes and learning about the lizard culture. I would have liked more information about their wildlife and flora.

We are also treated to a little evil plot in that someone is trying to kill the leader of the Red Lizards.

Red Sands was an ok read.

Rated: 3 Stars

[Marta Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book in a new series by an author who usually makes me laugh out loud. This however had a different feel to her irreverent shape shifter stories and actually even went a little darker than the Alien Dragon stories I’ve read from her. This is actually following a popular trope of human females being stranded on an alien planet with of course aliens that are in many ways physically compatible even if at first sight a little scary. The difference for this read was these aliens are not really sounding that attractive and our heroine Sheri does frequently refer to Drazen, the Warlord as a lizard. From the first description of him it’s clear he has scales, reptilian features and a forked tongue. Yes I realise that tongue is meant to incite bedroom fantasies but unfortunately I honestly didn’t find it attractive.
So what did I think about the story ? I liked that there’s no instant lust although I’m sure Drazen would loudly disagree ! Any scenes of a truly intimate nature occur oo about seventy percent in which to this reader made it much more realistic . I just couldn’t imagine Sheri wanting to bump uglies as soon as she realised they were stranded and the big, butch Warlord had claimed her. The world building was interesting and I enjoyed the small peek we got of other tribes on the planet. I would have liked more about the way these people live as we don’t really get information about their flora, fauna or wildlife but this is the first in this series so stay tuned.
Drazen is without doubt a sweetie at heart although these aliens are very violent. Which leads me to say that Sheri frequently mentioned suffering from abuse back on Earth so obviously I was sceptical about how she interacted with Drazen as she never seemed cowed or downtrodden. Still this author always gives her readers a happy ending so perhaps I should just say that this could turn out to be a very interesting series and I’m intrigued to find out what happens next.
This voluntary take is of a copy advanced to me and my comments and thoughts are honest and I believe fair

[Irie❤Life · Rating 2 out of 5]

TSTL Annoying heroine ruins it

Warning Spoilers

DNF 75%

Wow, could this heroine be any more nonsensical and annoying?

Let me set this up for you. This is your run-of-the-mill alien ship full of human women crash lands and women are found, protected and mated (eventually) to the Male inhabitants. Nothing real original about this. I'm not disparaging the author; clearly I enjoy this subgenre from time to time since I read it (or tried to, couldn't force myself past 75%).

So the h got on this ship willingly to be mated to a different alien through an intergalactic mating agency. She was trying to escape Earth due to an abused past with her father then ex-husband. Upon first discovering her following the crash, the H reacts to her (arousal), which is his kind's way of knowing their mate.

To cut to the chase, the heroine is completely resistant to his advances and basically gives him (he's the leader of his area's people) a very hard time about every little thing he does with the human women and for her. She is rude and pushes him away over and over again. She disrespects him in front of his men.

Things I found I couldn't get past:

1. She claims to have been abused badly most of her life but, other than cowering when faced with H's temper (not directed at her), she doesn't act at all afraid of H.

2. She was already on a ship headed to marry an Alien she didn't know, yet somehow found it unacceptable to accept the fact that she could be a mate to H, even though she continuously thought about how well he treated her and how attractive he was.

3. The WHOLE time she kept on and on about how she felt like a prisoner and wanted freedom and in the next thought remembered the monsters in the dessert and that there wasn't enough food and water. Is that what being a strong woman is to this author, being completely illogical to what's around you and inconsiderate to those trying to help you? Standing by morals, all good, but culture goes both ways, and gratitude toward ppl keeping you alive is justified.

4. Even after it was explained to her that not having sex with her was making the H irrational and hard to control his anger, she comes on to him and has him give her oral and multiple Os, all while thinking about how she's not ready for actual sex. Again...does that sound logical or at all considerate?

5. 75% and she was still acting the exact same way, had not DTD, and was telling H's enemy that said he wanted H dead that his fight was with H not her.

We're supposed to believe in a romance that 75%in the h is still a cold B? I don't think so.

The writing itself was okay, I just couldn't stand the h and how she shaped the story. I will try the author again, as many said she's written better.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled with how to rate this one, because I wanted to like it. I enjoy when authors are more bold with alien design and not afraid to make them as non-human as possible while staying humanoid enough to be compatible. I was stuck in the 2.4-2.6 star mark for this book: do I round this down to a 2 or up to a 3? I chose to round down.

The things I liked:

★ I appreciate more sci-fi in my sci-fi romance reads, so I liked the (slightly) slower build up into the romance plot line to provide a little world building. It was more sparse than I would have liked, really, but it gave some insight into the non-human species that MMC belongs to. (I honestly would have liked more about them, since it becomes clear a bit later in the book that they are more advanced than they appear in the beginning. How do warlords fit into these more advanced societies?) In many ways, they are a lot like us; they think there is other life out in the universe, but they're not sold on the idea. Reported sightings of craft flying through space are treated as dubious rumors and not taken as proof. They want to believe.

★ The MMC was not a perfect tame gentleman all of the time. He was allowed to be frustrated and upset about the situation he was in and even allowed a couple tantrums along the way. Not attractive, but much more believable than the usual route of 100% acceptance and pitiful pining this genre often takes while FMC warms up to her situation. Based on his culture and biology, he should be frustrated and dismayed by how this is playing out. He would want to blow off steam in other ways and have a pretty short fuse at times. I thought his attempts to compromise and change his cultural expectations was pretty well done, and I appreciated that he was able to put himself into a time out when he started to act up.

★ There was no assumption right away that anything on this new-to-them planet was going to be safe for the human women to ingest or come into contact with. This idea is revisited nicely in reverse later on in the book: just because something is OK for one does not mean it's safe for the other. Be careful what you use or ingest; you might just get poisoned for your assumptions.

The things I didn't like (man, so many):

★ FMC. Oh... where do I start with you, honey?

I am not a fan of abuse back stories for FMCs, largely in part to how poorly they're handled. No two people react exactly alike, but there seems to be this pervasive desire to write former abuse victims as overly-aggressive TSTL heroines on testosterone benders. She's ANGRY with the world and going to stick it to all of the men, and how is she going to show it? By dogging every single little thing MMC says and does, constantly verbally shove him, and be a dick all around and ungrateful for any help provided... despite stating that "violent" men scare her while never actually acting in a way to cope or try to defuse that violence that allegedly triggers her. As someone who grew up with an abusive father, and having so many friends in similar situations (including multiple, serial abusive relationships), I always struggle with how shallow and lacking in nuance these portrayals of abuse victims are. It leads me to believe that the authors have no real life experience with it and should just avoid them all together. Seriously. Please stop. (The most recent Zoey Draven Luxirian novel handles this better than most if aliens + abuse victim story lines are your thing.)

FMC signs up to be a mail order mate for another never-really-described alien male on a different world, but she has no desire or ability to view things outside of her own experience and point of view. As far as I could tell, she has no real intellectual curiosity about others nor does she want to adapt. She wants what she wants as she's used to having it. I had no reason to believe that she actually wanted any of this alien mating situation, unless she's the world's most impulsive bad decision maker and managed to accomplish getting off Earth in a matter of hours with no time to consider the ramifications of her choice. I'm sure for less money, it would have been easier for her to simply relocate elsewhere on planet to "escape" her ex than to leave and commit to mating with some male she never met but who sounded good on paper. (And based on the opening situation with her and the other women...what are the odds that the male she believed she was going to meet was anything nearly as charming or desirable as she was led to believe [or once briefly hinted at]? But she never stops to consider this, strangely enough. Nor does she consider that she may have dodged a bullet by crashing instead of making it to her destination. There are so many unanswered questions about this known-to-her-but-not-us mate she chose. What were her expectations for where her life was headed? How did it differ from what she was being offered by MMC? Things. I like to know them.)

★ There was a lot of emphasis on honor in regards to MMC's race, so having the antagonist be so flat and cartoon villain-y was a let down. I would have liked a bit more depth and nuance there too. So apparently all of these males are really honorable, but just not that one.



Despite my criticisms and lower rating, I think this series has potential, and I may check out future installments. It was a decent first attempt at a story outside of author's usual comfort zone.

[❀ Crystal ✿ - PEACE ☮ LOVE ♥ BOOKS · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an ok read, not my fave by these authors by far but decent nonetheless. The end sort of came rather abruptly and I wish it had more of a conclusive feel. Given the reptilian nature of the men on the planet I’m shocked how quickly some of the women adapted. Then again they were on their way to become alien brides already so I guess maybe some were more mentally prepared than others lol. The heroine was ok, she was a bit floppy floppy with her moods and feelings. With an abusive ex in her past she at times seems horrified by the hero’s often grumpy and destructive behavior and others she just accepts things too easily. For instance she sort of takes charge in the crash, she’s thoughtful about the other women and that just sort of tapered off over time. I wish we got more info about this weird planet they’re on but I’m sure that’s something we’ll learn more about as the series continues on. Good start, can’t wait to see where things go.

[Mummy's Naughty Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I liked it but I didn't like it. I felt there was a lack of communication between the mc's although Sheri had a translator chip. I also felt that the women gave in really fast. i did like the world but it was weird for them to be so primitive in one moment then having so much technology but they cant contact other planets and have never traveled through space it doesn't really make sense.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this hero. I like how virginal he is. But as a male virgin reading conisseur can i please point something out to the authors out there?!
There are different levels of innocence, yes.
1. Guys who have messed around but never gone all the way.
2. Guys who have never done anything with a woman.
3. Guys who have never had access to a woman nor their own pleasure. (Some shifters and aliens do not even get erections until they find their fated mate.)
So imagine we have an alien that never had an erection and when he finally gets one the female doesn't let him use it for a while. Now you are FINALLY going to have sex for the first time and... you are able to:
1. Have the ability to give multiple organisms.
2. You are able to hold out and last long enough until she comes first!

Really though? I don't care what planet or what animal you shift into, how is this possible?

I want to read the books where the guy sticks it in, "comes apart" as they say, and then has a longer adventure. No guy is a master his first time out, i am assuming... i mean, i guess i don't know for sure. Just seems more realistic.

That is my whole review. Guess i am blowing off some steam. There is a story and characters too. I am just done writing for now.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3 stars.

[Kathryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Ended at 62 %. Celia Kyle hooked me to her stories with sassy heroines and Alpha males with a huge dose of humor. This book has one of the most annoying females I've ever read in a book. I can't stand her and I keep cringing when her pov is present. Also, I don't enjoy a book when an obvious alpha male is being reduced to nothing by an asshole of a female. This book just annoyed me to no end and I have to give up today.

[Chappy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story had a lot of potential but fell short for me.

I never connected to Sheri. Drazen was pretty cool but the whole goddess thing got on my nerves.

Some things felt too easy...like the almost instant communication for example. Other things were just glossed over, like the food and their immediate acceptance by the natives. I wanted more details about the kissing with a forked tongue!!! The one sex scene was OK but I wanted MORE.

[jenn *mother of dragon & snake* · Rating 2 out of 5]

i was seriously dissapointed in this. this could have gone places.

but no. i didn't get what i wanted.

boo hiss

[Susani · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 38% solely due to the “heroine”. The h was abused in the past and now, IMO, has some sort of overinflated savior complex. I found her to be extremely annoying, but that could just be me. The H on the other hand, seemed fabulous! LOVED that these aliens only have one fated mate and that is the only one they’ll ever be with. Hoping the next book has a better h!! 🤞🤞

[Jacqueline J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent sci fi romance

[Chrissy Loves Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-Star Review: Lizard Love and a Side of Eye-Rolls

Alright, so here’s the deal. This book gave me major whiplash—on one hand, I was all in for Drazan and his band of “unapologetically alien” lizard men from Atera. I mean, they were alpha, sexy, respectful, and had this whole “fierce protector of women” vibe going on. They put in serious effort to understand and respect the humans (and that alone deserves a standing ovation, right?).

But then… there’s Sheri. Oh, Sheri. She’s supposed to be brave and strong, I get it, but every time she opened her mouth, my eyes were rolling so hard I was worried they’d get stuck. She’s got this irrational, whiny streak that just did not vibe with me. Brave? Maybe. But to me, she felt more like a constant irritation I couldn’t quite ignore.

Drazan and the lizard crew? Love them. Cherish them. Protect them at all costs. Sheri? Let’s just say she had me struggling through a few chapters. If you can handle a dash of frustrating heroine in exchange for some fierce, lovable aliens, this one might still be worth your time. Just be prepared for some serious side-eye moments.

[DJL · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars out of 5 stars. Pretty good sci-fi romance story and looking forward to reading the next in the series.

[Elizabeth]

Not in the mood. And not sure if I ever will be. Just a darker start than I feel like.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a good job.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might be SUPER specific, but human survivors who are distinctly unsuited to life on the planet they crashed on, but who are plucky and don't know how to stop fighting to survive and who somehow find love and acceptance with the alien beings they meet is something that does it for me. BIG TIME.

So. Sheri and her human cohorts are thrown into a whole lot of crazy when the ship they're on malfunctions and ends up depositing them (in a fiery blaze of broken ship parts) on a desert planet populated by a lizard-like (but humanoid in all the right ways) species. Sheri's a fighter, but she's also dealing with the aftereffects of abuse and the Aterans' warrior-based culture puts her in a bad place a time or two.

Fortunately for her, Drazan takes a shine to her. And by "shine", I mean she stirs his blood and riles up all his mating instincts. Which leads to some awkward times because humans don't have mating instincts and all that.

Buuuut...everything works out. Eventually. There's a little fighting. A lot of sexy. Cultural differences. Close-lipped warriors who aren't good at explaining things at times. You know, the usual.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[TP · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my second book from Celia Kyle and it will be my last.
It is not my kind of genre.

The second book was marginally better than the previous book “Jarek” I read, yet it didn’t win me over.
For the life of me I couldn’t get into the mindset of the female protagonist.
She struggles with the idea of trusting and getting intimate with an alien? But wasn’t she on her way to become an alien bride in the first place?
That is one of many examples presented in the book, that left me wondering what am I reading here!
The romance develops, and therefor a plus. But otherwise...

So no, I am not the target group of this author.

[Sofia · Rating 1 out of 5]

GOD THIS WAS A HASSLE TO READ.

Let me just say, I absolutely hated Sheri and that ruined the entire book. I cannot stand characters or people like her. That is all.

[Þórey Jónsdóttir · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Shannon The Romance Addict!]

Sheri made the book bad for me. IDK, I just really disliked her. I stopped reading @ 45% Since I didn't finish I won't rate. I also won't be reading this or trying to read again, Just wasn't for me.

[mspotts · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The story starts out fairly quickly with an intro to the Warlord MMC and his life, which intrigued me right from the start.

Then the ship carrying the women crashes onto Atara and we switch to the FMC's - where the story begins on much more traditional Sci-fi romance terms.

There was lots to like in this one. I loved the world building, it was a weird mix of high tech hovercrafts mixed with strong religious beliefs and traditional gender roles.

I liked the MMC, especially the fact that he was flawed (he had a temper) but was aware of it, and tried to do better.

I also liked that he was a virgin - it added a fun twist to the big scary warlord persona.

Where the book missed its mark was with the heroine and her character development. At first, I really liked that the FMC took the lead during the crash and showed how capable and strong she was.

But in her relationship, it got to be too much. She rejected the MMC at first (totally understandable) but then starts being rude to him, making demands of him and just wasn't pleasant at all.

It didn't make sense how resistant she was to him personally but also to him being an alien - considering the whole reason she was in space was to be shipped off as an alien bride to a male she'd never met or seen before.

On that basis, you'd assume she'd be primed to adjust to her new life quickly but the opposite happened. While the other women quickly accepted their new lizard spouses, she judged them for giving in and basically turned up her nose at the whole thing.

Her background as a beaten spouse / DV survivor only seemed to surface whenever the MMC had a show of temper (which was never directed at her btw) and never manifested in other ways e.g. her having mixed feelings about being touched by men in general.

The final fight with the villain at the end was too rushed and felt unsatisfying. I would have liked more action scenes to really showcase the MMC's skills as the country's best fighter.

[Dice · Rating 1 out of 5]

TERRIBLE HEROINE ! POOR STORY !
In the hall of fame of horrid alien/human romance female leads, this Sheri takes the crown. She is dreadful from the beginning to the end : ridiculously puritan ( the attitude "males only want sex and sex is rather bad"), overbearing and judgemental with the other women, xenophobic and prejudicial towards the aliens, snobbish and confused).
Moreover, her hard to get attitude towards the alien makes no sense, because she and the other woman are journeying into space to find a mate via some kind of alien dating agency.
The sex scene is pffff not even hot.
There's absolutely NO CHEMISTRY or charm between them. I almost felt bad for the alien dude who "imprints" sort of on this uninteresting narrow-minded woman.
Oh and then, there's a good deal of evolutionary NONSENCE. Indeed, the alien can only "imprint" on a single female. In a harsh desertic environment having a male only being to reproduce with a single female who "stirs his heat" is ridiculous. Biologically speaking, mother nature would rather have his species mate with several partners to ensure offspring, since the environment is absolutely harsh.
AVOID THIS BOOK !

[Racheal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was giving me 'Seasand Warlord' vibes a little bit, which I absolutely loved! I'm honestly not getting why this book isn't hyped more than it is. There was so much to love about this book!

Starting with Sheri (our human FMC), she was a solid mix of defiance, stubbornness and uncertainty. Drazan on the other hand is a strong, lethal and confident Warlord lizard of a MMC who knows exactly what and who he wants- Sheri. Seeing the battle of wills and how they came together was as captivating as it was spicy. I also liked how solid the plot was in this book. The action, drama and thrill of danger was as nonstop as the romance was, which made this book fly by in no time. There was also a bit of alien culture thrown into this, which is always fun to read about. I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to read the second book in the series!

Read this book if you love:
-SeaSand Warlords by Ursa Dax
-Drama, Action
-Lethal, Strong and Dangerous MMCs
-Fated Mates
-One Bed Trope
-Human Women Stranded On A Planet
-Lizardy Aliens
-Alien Culture
-Worldbuding

[moon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 🌟

“Era muy extraño ver a este macho, este guerrero grande, fuerte y poderoso, luciendo tan inseguro. Esto despertó tiernos sentimientos dentro suyo, instándola a consolarlo y protegerlo”.

Es el primer libro de Monster Romance que odio, si pudiera ponerle 0 estrellas lo haría.

La historia es cliché porque se conocen como la mayoría de libros de este género, donde los extraterrestres secuestran a los humanos y los protagonistas la salvan. En este libro la escritora lo estaba manejando bien al inicio, sin embargo dejo de lado las escenas románticas y se la paso explicando cómo los extraterrestres manejaban su planeta, y eso aburria.

Pasando a los personajes, la protagonista fue insoportable, era malagradecida con su pareja y los demás humanos no le tenían respeto. Se que fue secuestrada y blah blah, pero Drazan no tenía la culpa y el fue quien las salvó, y ni un gracias le dieron 😭

[Constantine AAA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red Sands wasn’t a bad read at all, but it definitely left me wanting more—and not in the “wow, I’m desperate for book two” way, more in the “this needed more space to breathe” way.

The world of Atera has potential, and the premise is interesting, but everything moves so fast that nothing really gets explored deeply. The characters show up, the conflict happens, the romance starts…and before I could fully settle into any of it, the book was already wrapping up. It felt rushed, like the story was checking off plot points instead of letting them develop naturally.

Because of that, some emotional moments fell a bit flat. I wanted more world-building, more character depth, and more tension—especially in the relationships. The ideas are there, they just aren’t given enough time to land.

Overall, it’s an okay, quick read with a solid foundation, but it needed to be longer and more detailed to really shine. A decent start to a series, just not as impactful as it could have been.

[Sydnee Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drazan has the privilege of getting to the goddess’s offering first so he gets to protect the human woman. One just happens to be his Kode and he will do anything to keep her. Sheri has other plans. That is until the Warlord shows over and over that he isn’t like her ex husband but could be a great possibility for her future.
They have so many differences to overcome. One being they are both aliens to each other. Thank goodness for the AI of language implants that learn and help with understanding.
There is much to also get into their courting dance. The unstable world being one. Each section wanting access to the humans and their mating ways being the biggest. Plus you know other males wanting power that our warlord has is a big deal. Starts out the book with this and almost ends the book and our happy couple with it too. A few times.

[Sydney M Neblett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shifting of the sands

The author hit us with the action and danger right from the first page with this one, but she also showed us the strength of the poor ladies caught up in it. I love how they managed to survive all on their own. But they didn’t thrive until the author threw a group of aliens in the mix. I enjoyed how these two had an instant connection, but it took a little work on his part to convince her. The author really did a fantastic job with the characters and the emotions they brought to the relationship. The slow build to the HEA was perfect and I couldn’t help but caught up in the drama at the end. This book is a fantastic weekend read and I can’t wait to see what happens next on the sand planet.