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Veslor Mates #3
The Breeding Experiment
Darla Mitts has been secretly protecting her younger sister, Becky, for years. She’ll do anything to continue, even if it means leaving their family to work on a United Earth fleet ship. She thinks they’ll be safe.
She’s quickly proven wrong when the sisters’ transport shuttle is seized by aliens instead. Aliens who want to force an experimental breeding between humans and the muscular Veslor who was also captured.
Gnaw has no intention of touching the human female from the shuttle, no matter how attractive he finds her. But Darla is determined to keep her sister safe by any means necessary, and refuses to take no for an answer.
Captured and threatened by the Elth, they agree to work together as a team. What they didn’t expect . . . was starting to feel things for each other.
She’s quickly proven wrong when the sisters’ transport shuttle is seized by aliens instead. Aliens who want to force an experimental breeding between humans and the muscular Veslor who was also captured.
Gnaw has no intention of touching the human female from the shuttle, no matter how attractive he finds her. But Darla is determined to keep her sister safe by any means necessary, and refuses to take no for an answer.
Captured and threatened by the Elth, they agree to work together as a team. What they didn’t expect . . . was starting to feel things for each other.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 28, 2020
316 people are currently reading
706 people want to read
About the author
Laurann Dohner
81 books8,718 followersI had a rather short area here telling a little about me but then I had more than a few people ask me to expand it so... here goes. LOL. I'm a full time home 'supervisor' which is a nice word for saying I'm a housewife. I'm married happily, I met my dream guy 20 years ago, and we have 4 children. I live in Southern California and I can't function without iced coffee. I believe in romance, I've always been a daydreamer, and I'm a HUGE fan of books, always have been.
No, I didn't know that I always wanted to write. I inhaled books as a child. I read entire series (Pippi Longstocking, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, Trixie Beldon, The Borrowers, etc) in a matter of days at a time. By the time I was nine years old I had an adult library card where I visited often. I moved on to John Saul, Stephen King, Richard Laymon, Agatha Christie, and then found romance. I was hooked. I wrote poetry in my teens and then moved on to short stories. My first book was started after I read a real bomb of a book that ticked me off with really horrible characters and a plot that was shabby at best and I thought... I could do better. LOL.
I wrote my first book which will probably never see the light of day in the early 90's. I wrote a series of a few books from it. I'm a series fan! I kept writing for fun, wrote MANY books and then in 2009 I decided to try to get published. I wrote my first Sci Fi romance and Ral's Woman came to be. I submitted it and with a little tweaking, Ellorascave sent me an acceptance letter. It was kind of a 'Cinderella' experience for me. It's been a terrific ride so far and I'm really happy that I finally had the time to commit to writing full time. It's a dream come true.
No, I didn't know that I always wanted to write. I inhaled books as a child. I read entire series (Pippi Longstocking, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, Trixie Beldon, The Borrowers, etc) in a matter of days at a time. By the time I was nine years old I had an adult library card where I visited often. I moved on to John Saul, Stephen King, Richard Laymon, Agatha Christie, and then found romance. I was hooked. I wrote poetry in my teens and then moved on to short stories. My first book was started after I read a real bomb of a book that ticked me off with really horrible characters and a plot that was shabby at best and I thought... I could do better. LOL.
I wrote my first book which will probably never see the light of day in the early 90's. I wrote a series of a few books from it. I'm a series fan! I kept writing for fun, wrote MANY books and then in 2009 I decided to try to get published. I wrote my first Sci Fi romance and Ral's Woman came to be. I submitted it and with a little tweaking, Ellorascave sent me an acceptance letter. It was kind of a 'Cinderella' experience for me. It's been a terrific ride so far and I'm really happy that I finally had the time to commit to writing full time. It's a dream come true.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
July 4, 2020
10% instalove. 90% hot gass.
August 31, 2020
Short and sweet
A nice Sunday evening read, light and easy. I had to finish it all in one sitting and enjoyed it very much :).
A nice Sunday evening read, light and easy. I had to finish it all in one sitting and enjoyed it very much :).
May 9, 2022
Darla the boring human and Gnaw the boring Veslor.
The side characters were more interesting.
girl is on the run with sister when she and boy get kidnapped by evil dudes.
...the end.
I'm exaggerating... a wee bit, well not much really.
What has happened to LD?
Her books have gotten so lifeless. There's no passion, and the tiny amount intrigue is spoon fed and repeated ad nauseum.
Sigh.
Safety is ugly
The side characters were more interesting.
girl is on the run with sister when she and boy get kidnapped by evil dudes.
...the end.
I'm exaggerating... a wee bit, well not much really.
What has happened to LD?
Her books have gotten so lifeless. There's no passion, and the tiny amount intrigue is spoon fed and repeated ad nauseum.
Sigh.
Safety is ugly
January 12, 2021
Giros en la historia y personajes que hicieron una agradable y buena lectura
The breeding experiment
de Laurann Dhoner serie Veslor Mates libro 3
Mí humilde opinión:
Darla Mitts ha estado protegiendo en secreto a su hermana menor, Becky, durante años. Hará cualquier cosa para continuar, incluso si eso significa dejar a su familia para trabajar en una nave de la flota de la Tierra Unida. Ella cree que estarán a salvo. Se equivocó rápidamente cuando el transbordador de las hermanas fue tomado por extraterrestres. Alienígenas que quieren forzar una cría experimental entre humanas y el musculoso Veslor que también fue capturado.
Gnaw no tiene intención de tocar a la hembra humana del transbordador, no importa lo atractiva que la encuentre. Pero Darla está decidida a mantener a su hermana a salvo por cualquier medio necesario, y se niega a aceptar un no por respuesta. Capturada y amenazada por Elth, acuerdan trabajar juntos como un equipo.
Lo que no esperaban era empezar a sentir cosas entre ellos.
Este tercer libro estuvo bien aunque corto de nuevo. La historia no se repite por lo que es un buen cambio.
Gnaw y Marla me gustaron los dos, tienen historias de vida sufridas y me conmovieron. Me gustó la parte en que se conocen, que ella le seda un asiento junto a ella en la nave fue lindo inicio.
Juntos me parecieron dulces aunque las escenas de sexo fueron bastante ligeras. Lo que siento con todas las parejas es que falta chispa en estas escenas y aquí pasó lo mismo.
Con respecto al apareamiento de los Veslors en su forma animal con una humana. A mí me pareció que aquí se resolvió bien. No me sentía cómoda justo con eso desde el primer libro, le quitaba la parte sexy a las escenas de sexo. Por más que era algo natural entre la raza Veslor, no con humanos.
Es una pena que la autora no lo hubiera pensado mejor antes porque ahora obviamente está cambiando esta parte fuerte por decirlo de una manera porque a muchos no les gusta. También pienso que ella debió seguir adelante con su idea sin importar lo que los demás opinaran. El que quería la leía y el que no la pasaba como yo pensaba hacer. O mejor, dejar esa necesidad de su parte animal para marcar a su mujer referenciado, sin los detalles del primero.
Me encantó el cambio en la historia, está vez los protagonistas son secuestrados por Elth, alienígenas que son conocidos por experimentar con otras razas. H y H trabajan juntos hasta que pueda llegar el rescate y cuando salen de esta fea situación, se separan.
La combinación de acción, terror y tensión estuvo muy bien pero me tocó un poco que se resuelva tan rápido, me hubiera gustado que se forme un vínculo más fuerte entre ellos en ese momento.
Mientras están separados, Gnaw dice que no sabe realmente lo que siente por Marla y luego cuando se entera de que está embarazada está todo desesperado y enamorado?
No sé, me faltó un mejor desarrollo en su relación luego de que fueran rescatados. Ellos solo están separados creyendo que el otro no está interesado.
Me sorprendió y molestó que ahora resulta que los Veslor pueden tener hijos con cualquier mujer, o sea las pueden embarazar si que sean su pareja verdadera?! Han quedado todos ellos como mentirosos por no querer asustar a los humanos!
Me pasa de nuevo que disfruto mucho de las escenas con los grupos de los Veslor, son una hermandad unida, cariñosa, son emocionales, protectores, interesantes como raza y me encanta cuando hablan con honestidad entre ellos compartiendo sus preocupaciones. Estas escenas no son muchas y son las que más me gustan.
Hasta ahora este estuvo mejor que los anteriores, hay más detalles en la historia y los protagonistas.
Maith me sacó de quicio con sus desconfianzas pero me gustaría verlo caer enamorado por una humana... Tal vez Becky?
February 20, 2021
“No male would want to hurt a female.” “That’s not true. I was raised on an entire planet where the men in charge don’t care much about women. My father is a good man, but most living there aren’t.”
I’m a sucker for tragic backgrounds and both Darla and Gnaw have tragic backgrounds. I eat that shit up! Since book one I’ve been curious about Gnaw and I was not disappointed. He was the added male to the already established grouping. He was sent away as a child for something he couldn’t control and discarded like trash. These guys found him and took him in. Of course he’s messed up in the head over it. He’s also traumatized and very desperate to always be accepted by his grouping. Come on!!! I live for this. It’s so dramatic and emotional. These two were fierce survivors and best part of all it gave me New Species vibes. Darla and Gnaw were kidnapped by another evil alien group and forced to breed to survive. I mean, it was almost cage sex. Almost. Other things happen and voila these two are in love.
I also, really enjoyed the action parts in this book. You got to see more of their human team and their human leader really cares for them. I liked seeing them work. They are a scary group when they shift but work so well together. And I really liked the humans in their team. There was a a lot of racism towards them by other humans and I had forgotten about this. The word “animal” was used to describe them and man humans suck everywhere, even outer space.
I loved this book but I think I I was just missing this world.
I’m a sucker for tragic backgrounds and both Darla and Gnaw have tragic backgrounds. I eat that shit up! Since book one I’ve been curious about Gnaw and I was not disappointed. He was the added male to the already established grouping. He was sent away as a child for something he couldn’t control and discarded like trash. These guys found him and took him in. Of course he’s messed up in the head over it. He’s also traumatized and very desperate to always be accepted by his grouping. Come on!!! I live for this. It’s so dramatic and emotional. These two were fierce survivors and best part of all it gave me New Species vibes. Darla and Gnaw were kidnapped by another evil alien group and forced to breed to survive. I mean, it was almost cage sex. Almost. Other things happen and voila these two are in love.
I also, really enjoyed the action parts in this book. You got to see more of their human team and their human leader really cares for them. I liked seeing them work. They are a scary group when they shift but work so well together. And I really liked the humans in their team. There was a a lot of racism towards them by other humans and I had forgotten about this. The word “animal” was used to describe them and man humans suck everywhere, even outer space.
I loved this book but I think I I was just missing this world.
February 16, 2021
Meh. I had hoped this might recapture the allure of book one, but it didn't. Some of the dialog was so cheesy! While I'm curious to see if Maith and Jessa pair up, I'm otherwise done with this series. A disappointment. 2 stars
July 2, 2020
2.5 stars
It was ok. I wanted more character development and steam. These have been good but I find myself comparing them to her new species series which are much hotter and better.
It was ok. I wanted more character development and steam. These have been good but I find myself comparing them to her new species series which are much hotter and better.
August 4, 2022
Me ha gustado, al igual que las entregas anteriores de esta serie. Con extraterrestres más espeluznantes aún, y una realidad desgarradora en uno de los planetas colonia de la Tierra Unida. Buen argumento y una relación muy dulce a pesar de las tórridas circunstancias en que se inicia.
July 19, 2020
Sweet, making the best out of an otherwise horrid situation.
I liked both the leads and plot was stress and angst-free. Easy breezy read. ^_^
August 14, 2020
I enjoyed the first two books but I absolutely loved this one. The book was a super quick read. I do wish the story was a tad longer and we got to see more of their developing relationship but I’m happy with the way things played out. Darla will do anything to protect her sister, including running away and getting them jobs off planet where they will be separated from their family but her sister won’t be taken and forced to work in a brothel. When they are captured by the Elth, an enemy alien species, Darla takes one for the team and in place of her sister is forced to mate with Gwan, he future Veslor mate. Now to be 100% transparent, Darla is the enforcer when it comes to their relationship. When Gwan refuses to comply with their captors wishes, it’s Darla who has to pick up her big girl panties and convince him otherwise. It’s so clear from their first meeting these two are a match. In a world much like our own filled with bigotry and racism, Darla never once sees or thinks of Gwan in a negative light. If anything, she’s super curious and open to change. Darla basically lived an Amish style life where women are second class citizens with zero rights. Gwan is not only kind and gentle, he’s the best version of a male (aside from her father) that she’s even met. While these two are brought together under unfortunate circumstances they make it work for them. The two were meant to be and even having known each other for a short time, the instalove just works for them. They’ll just have a more interesting story to tell when people ask when and how they met lol. I wish the book was longer, I really enjoyed both characters and how their unconventional relationship grew. The series has really laid a lot of groundwork so I’m eager and ready for more.
February 2, 2021
2021 READ: 4.5 STARS!
I started reading the series so I ended reading this again. FL is really strong in another kind of way compared to FLs in book 1 and 2. She is timid yet her strength is deep. She compliments with the ML as well.
My review is not for intelligent discussion. It's what I felt/thought while reading the book. For 2021, I would rate the book this way:
1 - DNF'ed
2 - does not exist
3 - did not like
4 - it was okay
5 - I like it / I enjoy reading it (but it doesn't mean I recommend it)
*************************************************************
2020 READ: 4 STARS!
Well, this is the first book that I read in the series and I actually enjoyed it. Both ML (Gnaw) and FL (Darla) are pragmatic with their situation. I actually like the FL very very much :) No complications with entangled emotions or whatsoever.
I started reading the series so I ended reading this again. FL is really strong in another kind of way compared to FLs in book 1 and 2. She is timid yet her strength is deep. She compliments with the ML as well.
My review is not for intelligent discussion. It's what I felt/thought while reading the book. For 2021, I would rate the book this way:
1 - DNF'ed
2 - does not exist
3 - did not like
4 - it was okay
5 - I like it / I enjoy reading it (but it doesn't mean I recommend it)
*************************************************************
2020 READ: 4 STARS!
Well, this is the first book that I read in the series and I actually enjoyed it. Both ML (Gnaw) and FL (Darla) are pragmatic with their situation. I actually like the FL very very much :) No complications with entangled emotions or whatsoever.
November 13, 2023
Thankful for the enemy
Poor Darla, she might come from a loving family, but her circumstances have led to some disturbing choices. I love how the author took her getting captured by aliens to bring her to Gnaw and their HEA. I especially enjoyed the way we got to see a second Veslor from this grouping find their mate. The author put so many surprises in this book, both good and bad, and she really kept the excitement high and the story moving. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Poor Darla, she might come from a loving family, but her circumstances have led to some disturbing choices. I love how the author took her getting captured by aliens to bring her to Gnaw and their HEA. I especially enjoyed the way we got to see a second Veslor from this grouping find their mate. The author put so many surprises in this book, both good and bad, and she really kept the excitement high and the story moving. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
December 28, 2020
Darla does anything required to protect her sister. She thinks they're safe when they get on a shuttle to start work on a big space ship, but things don't turn out that way.
Gnaw is a little insecure due to his past but he knows his family grouping will come to rescue him. If only he can keep his feelings for Darla at bay.
Very sweet, I really loved Gnaw
Gnaw is a little insecure due to his past but he knows his family grouping will come to rescue him. If only he can keep his feelings for Darla at bay.
Very sweet, I really loved Gnaw
July 6, 2020
3 1/2 "Bonded" Stars!
July 13, 2020
It is interesting how a book can cause different reactions in readers.
I am not to be influenced by others' reviews, and that's why I NEVER read a review before reading any book. I prefer to trust my "feeling" (cover and blurb).
Just now, after several months, I went to read some reviews of the previous books and noticed many people complaining about the new stories by Ms Dohner.
With so many plots, characters and books, it is clear that one book or another may not become so interesting.
For my part, even when the plot is about an alien (which unfortunately I haven't met in person yet), totally fantasy, I like to analyze each character psychologically. His life, his sufferings, his character.
In this book here we have a Veslor alien, Gnaw.
Yes, he is a Veslor like the characters in previous books, but his life history is sad even for a Veslor. This obviously makes his actions totally different from other warriors.
At the beginning of the story, being an alien - very big, tall, strong and with pointed ears - Gnaw already suffers xenophobia from most of the humans in the vessel that he would take back to Defcon Red, another bigger ship. Only one human girl is nice with him and allows him to sit next to her.
After the vessel leaves, they are attacked by a race called The Elths.
The Elths are tall, very thin and full of arms, usually attack ships and turn their prisoners into slaves, or else kill them after getting what they want.
When they saw that there was a Veslor on the ship - known to be great warriors, and really, Gnaw alone killed 14 Elths before he was finally caught - The Elths decide to do a breeding experiment: make human women get pregnant with the warrior so that their cubs (children) can be trained by the Elths to attack other races.
None of the human women on the vessel wanted to have sex with a Veslor. They were afraid of him (there is one especially that is extremely annoying). But one of them offers herself, trusting Veslor's earlier word that his mates would rescue him.
Darla Mitt was on that vessel especially to save her younger sister, Becky.
They lived on the planet Radison, which had backward laws, in which women had no rights whatsoever. With extreme religiosity, everything was considered a sin. On the other hand, the planet's colonizing family, in its great hypocrisy, did not think twice about making single girls, at the age of 18, whores for visitors, in sex tourism. The girls were taken to brothels, and when they got old or became pregnant with their clients, they were sent to work in mines until they died.
Darla managed to escape work at the brothel, but not to become the lover of an Inspector, who was old enough to be her grandfather. In return, Becky would be spared.
But with the death of this inspector, Darla knew that Becky would be taken to a brothel.
She took her sister off the planet, and ended up in the middle of an Elth attack.
However, Darla soon realized that having Veslor as an ally was a smarter option. And when those disgusting aliens insisted that one of the women should have sex and become pregnant with Veslor, she immediately volunteered.
Deceiving the Elths while waiting for the rescue would be the easy part. The problem would be to resist Gnaw's charm.
After arriving at Defcon Red, Gnaw would return to his warrior life, while Darla and Becky would work as a gardener on the ship. However, a human doctor, who despised all aliens, discovered what happened between Gnaw and Darla and opened an investigation accusing the Veslor of rape the human.
Now, Darla would come to the defense of the warrior who kept his word about the rescue.
Gnaw might not even be penalized for the sexual act they practiced while prisoners of the Elths, but Darla's heart was already fully captured and trapped by the great warrior.
-----------------
Unlike previous books, this story does not focus on the struggles and attacks between alien races, but on the process of innocent Gnaw, and, later, on the romance between the two. A slightly calmer but interesting plot, and hooking up for the next book.
5 stars
I am not to be influenced by others' reviews, and that's why I NEVER read a review before reading any book. I prefer to trust my "feeling" (cover and blurb).
Just now, after several months, I went to read some reviews of the previous books and noticed many people complaining about the new stories by Ms Dohner.
With so many plots, characters and books, it is clear that one book or another may not become so interesting.
For my part, even when the plot is about an alien (which unfortunately I haven't met in person yet), totally fantasy, I like to analyze each character psychologically. His life, his sufferings, his character.
In this book here we have a Veslor alien, Gnaw.
Yes, he is a Veslor like the characters in previous books, but his life history is sad even for a Veslor. This obviously makes his actions totally different from other warriors.
At the beginning of the story, being an alien - very big, tall, strong and with pointed ears - Gnaw already suffers xenophobia from most of the humans in the vessel that he would take back to Defcon Red, another bigger ship. Only one human girl is nice with him and allows him to sit next to her.
After the vessel leaves, they are attacked by a race called The Elths.
The Elths are tall, very thin and full of arms, usually attack ships and turn their prisoners into slaves, or else kill them after getting what they want.
When they saw that there was a Veslor on the ship - known to be great warriors, and really, Gnaw alone killed 14 Elths before he was finally caught - The Elths decide to do a breeding experiment: make human women get pregnant with the warrior so that their cubs (children) can be trained by the Elths to attack other races.
None of the human women on the vessel wanted to have sex with a Veslor. They were afraid of him (there is one especially that is extremely annoying). But one of them offers herself, trusting Veslor's earlier word that his mates would rescue him.
Darla Mitt was on that vessel especially to save her younger sister, Becky.
They lived on the planet Radison, which had backward laws, in which women had no rights whatsoever. With extreme religiosity, everything was considered a sin. On the other hand, the planet's colonizing family, in its great hypocrisy, did not think twice about making single girls, at the age of 18, whores for visitors, in sex tourism. The girls were taken to brothels, and when they got old or became pregnant with their clients, they were sent to work in mines until they died.
Darla managed to escape work at the brothel, but not to become the lover of an Inspector, who was old enough to be her grandfather. In return, Becky would be spared.
But with the death of this inspector, Darla knew that Becky would be taken to a brothel.
She took her sister off the planet, and ended up in the middle of an Elth attack.
However, Darla soon realized that having Veslor as an ally was a smarter option. And when those disgusting aliens insisted that one of the women should have sex and become pregnant with Veslor, she immediately volunteered.
Deceiving the Elths while waiting for the rescue would be the easy part. The problem would be to resist Gnaw's charm.
After arriving at Defcon Red, Gnaw would return to his warrior life, while Darla and Becky would work as a gardener on the ship. However, a human doctor, who despised all aliens, discovered what happened between Gnaw and Darla and opened an investigation accusing the Veslor of rape the human.
Now, Darla would come to the defense of the warrior who kept his word about the rescue.
Gnaw might not even be penalized for the sexual act they practiced while prisoners of the Elths, but Darla's heart was already fully captured and trapped by the great warrior.
-----------------
Unlike previous books, this story does not focus on the struggles and attacks between alien races, but on the process of innocent Gnaw, and, later, on the romance between the two. A slightly calmer but interesting plot, and hooking up for the next book.
5 stars
September 20, 2020
This was a bit boring and predictable. But the thing I didn't like was the fact that the main couple spend more time apart then together. To be honest I have read way better books from Lauran Dohner but that said this is a quick and easy read for a day when you don't know what else to do.
June 4, 2022
Darla and Gnaw, so much wasted potential. This book was depressing and boring but also weirdly unintentionally hilarious at times? Imagine taking the Hunger Games and putting a s3x/br33ding prison in space in there. And take out any social commentary. Yeah, that was this book.
📍 This book is like a weird repeat of Dohner's Brawn book that came out in 2011. Is Dohner repeating plots now? Or I guess Dohner just likes this plot and readers do too because I've read the s3x/br33ding prison plot more than a dozen times by now in various fantasy and sci-fi romance books. What made this so much worse than Brawn (which I remember somewhat liking) was the haphazard and nonsensical plot and the terrible writing and romance. It was so predictable and lacking in any creativity to repeat the same plot without adding anything new or interesting.
📍 For the Hunger Games relation, Darla was 100% committed to protecting her younger sister. Admirable but her "mama bear" instincts were a little unhealthy. A little pathological even.
📍 All of the characters in this series have a single defining trait and that becomes their whole personality. Only one because Dohner doesn't seem to like complex characters. They don't really have character arcs. Darla does sort of. A little. Abby f--king didn't. Vivian didn't either.
📍 The more Dohner I read, the more the protagonists all start to sound the same. They might be a little more brash or brainier than others but they all sound the same and, worse, feel the same as characters. I feel like I'm reading the same character over and over again. Very repetitive.
📍 I don't think I'm going to read Jessa's book. What a clumsy way to introduce a character. I normally don't mind Mary Sues but I've been up to my eyeballs in reading about Mary Sues this year (what is going on in publishing?) and I'm tired. Jessa is also the annoying type of Mary Sue. The line below where Jessa acted like a child cemented my decision.
📍 The feminism in this book was all over the place. It was WILD. You have quotes like the one below that is the most basic feminist take ever.
But then you get little insights of sh!t that show all of the internalized misogyny and slut-shaming.
But then as if Dohner is trying to gaslight you, you get absolute cr@p like the line below.
WHAT? But the characters were just slut-shaming each other. What is HAPPENING? Does Dohner know what slut-shaming is??? The book keeps flip-flopping between being feminist (if on the most basic level) and not feminist.
Because all girls are catty mean girls that can't be trusted, right? 🙄 BARF.
This was a rollercoaster of feminism here. Unintentionally hilarious at times too.
📍 There is an enormous amount of r-pe and non-con here. And this isn't a dark romance either? This is marketed as a fun sci-fi romance book but all I will ever remember from this book is all the r-pe and non-con. Rather than a romance, the thing Darla and Gnaw needed the most was therapy.
The r-pe and non-con are below under spoilers because they are huge spoilers. This is undoubtedly the most r-pey Dohner book ever.
The whole plot surrounds coerced s3x in a s3x prison so it makes sense that the vibe of the book would be very r-pey, but it felt like the r-pe and non-con were on steroids. Both characters have experiences with r-pe and then they are forced in a life-or-death situation to have coerced s3x with each other... See?
I don't think Dohner had the skills to handle these heavy topics with the sensitivity and care they needed per how they were written in this book because they felt a little unresolved at the end? What was Dohner's mindset when writing this?
📍 The dialogue during most official "fleet" talks or between "fleet" professionals were unintentionally hilarious. It sounded like a bunch of children or idiots were talking instead of adults working in professional environments.
📍 This is the fourth Dohner book now where some character p!sses in front of other characters. There has been a reference to ur!ne in every book in this series so far. All of them unnecessary. WHY is there so much p!ss in this series and WHY is there a pattern of p!ssing? I don't get it.
📍 Okay. Let's address the elephant in the room. Since this is the series with the sort of b3@st!ality s3x happening, did it happen in this book? No. In this book, another overly convenient and a little ridiculous plot excuse was used to avoid the four-legged s3x. I felt like the excuse was a little bit of a f--k you to the world building in this series. It was just too convenient.
📍 With each new book in this series, I feel like Dohner is allowing readers to have too much input in this series. Taking reader feedback into consideration is fine, but this series feels wonky because of readers shaping the series. Ever since the first book with the almost b3@st!ality s3x, Dohner has been using every excuse under the sun to avoid it in subsequent books. Not my cuppa so I don't care but I have noticed the breaking the rules of the world building to do this. Not just that, the tone and steam levels of the books have felt off too. The second book with Abby and Drak was basically no steam and no bonding scene as an attempt to lure readers to return to the series. But then readers were vocal about the lack of s3x and typical HEA in the second book, so now this book has tons of coerced s3x but no bonding scene BUT also somehow includes a deus ex machina to allow bonding in their human form and . It shows when readers basically shape a series because the world building and plots start going off the rails.
I don't know what is happening to this series. It started off so well with the fun first book. This was just depressing. Here we basically get a story about a girl who escaped from a cult and nothing goes well for her after that. Darla needed some time to just breathe and take a vacation. I just noticed I mentioned nothing about the relationship. That says a lot about this romance book. Overall, I didn't care for the couple. Nothing about what happened felt romantic. Gnaw was not even a character.
⚠️ CW: R-pe. Non-con. Gore.
Dohner gets one last chance before I quit this series because I don't have time for sh!t books.
📍 This book is like a weird repeat of Dohner's Brawn book that came out in 2011. Is Dohner repeating plots now? Or I guess Dohner just likes this plot and readers do too because I've read the s3x/br33ding prison plot more than a dozen times by now in various fantasy and sci-fi romance books. What made this so much worse than Brawn (which I remember somewhat liking) was the haphazard and nonsensical plot and the terrible writing and romance. It was so predictable and lacking in any creativity to repeat the same plot without adding anything new or interesting.
📍 For the Hunger Games relation, Darla was 100% committed to protecting her younger sister. Admirable but her "mama bear" instincts were a little unhealthy. A little pathological even.
📍 All of the characters in this series have a single defining trait and that becomes their whole personality. Only one because Dohner doesn't seem to like complex characters. They don't really have character arcs. Darla does sort of. A little. Abby f--king didn't. Vivian didn't either.
📍 The more Dohner I read, the more the protagonists all start to sound the same. They might be a little more brash or brainier than others but they all sound the same and, worse, feel the same as characters. I feel like I'm reading the same character over and over again. Very repetitive.
📍 I don't think I'm going to read Jessa's book. What a clumsy way to introduce a character. I normally don't mind Mary Sues but I've been up to my eyeballs in reading about Mary Sues this year (what is going on in publishing?) and I'm tired. Jessa is also the annoying type of Mary Sue. The line below where Jessa acted like a child cemented my decision.
📍 The feminism in this book was all over the place. It was WILD. You have quotes like the one below that is the most basic feminist take ever.
If seeing a knee or elbow makes men attack us, they should be the ones in trouble with our law keepers.”
But then you get little insights of sh!t that show all of the internalized misogyny and slut-shaming.
“Yes. God, sometimes I hate other women.
You never have to worry about him screwing any old bitch who flashes her t!ts at him.”
You know, rumor has it that she’s sleeping her way through some of the higher-ranking officers to get promotions. After spending time with her, I’m a believer.
But then as if Dohner is trying to gaslight you, you get absolute cr@p like the line below.
“We’re not attempting to slut-shame [spoiler], or get her fired.
WHAT? But the characters were just slut-shaming each other. What is HAPPENING? Does Dohner know what slut-shaming is??? The book keeps flip-flopping between being feminist (if on the most basic level) and not feminist.
They’ll pretend to be your friend to gather information, only to stab you in the back.”
“Too true. It’s why I don’t have any friends. I’ve been stabbed way too many times.”
Because all girls are catty mean girls that can't be trusted, right? 🙄 BARF.
This was a rollercoaster of feminism here. Unintentionally hilarious at times too.
📍 There is an enormous amount of r-pe and non-con here. And this isn't a dark romance either? This is marketed as a fun sci-fi romance book but all I will ever remember from this book is all the r-pe and non-con. Rather than a romance, the thing Darla and Gnaw needed the most was therapy.
The r-pe and non-con are below under spoilers because they are huge spoilers. This is undoubtedly the most r-pey Dohner book ever.
The whole plot surrounds coerced s3x in a s3x prison so it makes sense that the vibe of the book would be very r-pey, but it felt like the r-pe and non-con were on steroids. Both characters have experiences with r-pe and then they are forced in a life-or-death situation to have coerced s3x with each other... See?
I don't think Dohner had the skills to handle these heavy topics with the sensitivity and care they needed per how they were written in this book because they felt a little unresolved at the end? What was Dohner's mindset when writing this?
📍 The dialogue during most official "fleet" talks or between "fleet" professionals were unintentionally hilarious. It sounded like a bunch of children or idiots were talking instead of adults working in professional environments.
📍 This is the fourth Dohner book now where some character p!sses in front of other characters. There has been a reference to ur!ne in every book in this series so far. All of them unnecessary. WHY is there so much p!ss in this series and WHY is there a pattern of p!ssing? I don't get it.
📍 Okay. Let's address the elephant in the room. Since this is the series with the sort of b3@st!ality s3x happening, did it happen in this book? No. In this book, another overly convenient and a little ridiculous plot excuse was used to avoid the four-legged s3x. I felt like the excuse was a little bit of a f--k you to the world building in this series. It was just too convenient.
📍 With each new book in this series, I feel like Dohner is allowing readers to have too much input in this series. Taking reader feedback into consideration is fine, but this series feels wonky because of readers shaping the series. Ever since the first book with the almost b3@st!ality s3x, Dohner has been using every excuse under the sun to avoid it in subsequent books. Not my cuppa so I don't care but I have noticed the breaking the rules of the world building to do this. Not just that, the tone and steam levels of the books have felt off too. The second book with Abby and Drak was basically no steam and no bonding scene as an attempt to lure readers to return to the series. But then readers were vocal about the lack of s3x and typical HEA in the second book, so now this book has tons of coerced s3x but no bonding scene BUT also somehow includes a deus ex machina to allow bonding in their human form and . It shows when readers basically shape a series because the world building and plots start going off the rails.
I don't know what is happening to this series. It started off so well with the fun first book. This was just depressing. Here we basically get a story about a girl who escaped from a cult and nothing goes well for her after that. Darla needed some time to just breathe and take a vacation. I just noticed I mentioned nothing about the relationship. That says a lot about this romance book. Overall, I didn't care for the couple. Nothing about what happened felt romantic. Gnaw was not even a character.
⚠️ CW: R-pe. Non-con. Gore.
Dohner gets one last chance before I quit this series because I don't have time for sh!t books.
June 30, 2020
Great storyline
Great storyline, I enjoy the creativity of the storyline. I was concerned that this storyline would be a repeat but the new storyline is creative and some of the previous characters are present in the new storyline.
Great storyline, I enjoy the creativity of the storyline. I was concerned that this storyline would be a repeat but the new storyline is creative and some of the previous characters are present in the new storyline.
October 8, 2021
They are forced by evil aliens to be intimate with each other because the aliens want a baby to become a super soldier. But they were both attracted to each other so their relationship becomes real.
October 2, 2020
Considerando el género y que tenga más páginas que las 150 que normalmente hacen, no lo pone aburrido o muy repetitivo con situaciones sexuales cada dos por tres.
Trama sencilla, pareja linda e incluso el insta-Love no está y es más como confianza mutua para crecer en sentimientos confusos y luego amor.
También vemos a la loquilla doc. Que espero su libro en un Futuro y “ojo” con que vi una insinuación para la piloto Blaze con Roth xD.
Trama sencilla, pareja linda e incluso el insta-Love no está y es más como confianza mutua para crecer en sentimientos confusos y luego amor.
También vemos a la loquilla doc. Que espero su libro en un Futuro y “ojo” con que vi una insinuación para la piloto Blaze con Roth xD.
December 17, 2023
Wow
This was a wonderful continuation of the Veslor mates . A fantastic well written shape shifter sci fy romance with some hot hot hot scenes. I can't wait to read more in this series.
This was a wonderful continuation of the Veslor mates . A fantastic well written shape shifter sci fy romance with some hot hot hot scenes. I can't wait to read more in this series.
July 2, 2020
Perfect story ... but i finished it too fast !
July 9, 2020
2.5 bland ⭐️ though this wasn’t horrible it was a tad bland and predictable. There was no real chemistry and the story lacked depth
May 11, 2021
Fun and short! I’m really like this series & am excited for the next one. I’m rooting for Jessa & Maith!
September 27, 2020
THE TITLE SAYS IT ALL. It's a guilty pleasure of mine to read sci-fi stories with this kind of plot that keeps it going. This was a quickie read, I'm only saddened that after the characters were rescued, they spent half the story apart before reuniting again.
GNAW and DARLA met while they were in a spaceship headed off to another planet when their ship got attacked. To ensure her baby sister is safe, Darla's done plenty of things to make it so, even selling her body and she's not afraid to do it again this time. She volunteers herself after having no choice and better her than anyone since she already sort of 'knows' Gnaw from the short time they had to talk in the ship. It's quite interesting to see the female role advancing on the male for once. I mean, they are forced to have sex but for once, the male lead is not ready to just jump in for sex. I liked that a lot. It made you see Gnaw and Darla in a different light, how they are molded by circumstances and I loved Darla's character a lot. She's a fighter and brave, even if she has to lose her pride and body for it.
OVERALL it's a pity that they get so little time together after being rescued, and everything was pretty much fast forward after that. The story was short and quick, so I guess I can't blame anyone for it being just scratching the surface.
GNAW and DARLA met while they were in a spaceship headed off to another planet when their ship got attacked. To ensure her baby sister is safe, Darla's done plenty of things to make it so, even selling her body and she's not afraid to do it again this time. She volunteers herself after having no choice and better her than anyone since she already sort of 'knows' Gnaw from the short time they had to talk in the ship. It's quite interesting to see the female role advancing on the male for once. I mean, they are forced to have sex but for once, the male lead is not ready to just jump in for sex. I liked that a lot. It made you see Gnaw and Darla in a different light, how they are molded by circumstances and I loved Darla's character a lot. She's a fighter and brave, even if she has to lose her pride and body for it.
OVERALL it's a pity that they get so little time together after being rescued, and everything was pretty much fast forward after that. The story was short and quick, so I guess I can't blame anyone for it being just scratching the surface.
July 9, 2025
Prose was a bit clunky at parts, and some of the characters weren’t super in-depth, but it had a HEA and was a cute, quick read. Might read more from this series.
November 16, 2024
Дарла ( Човек) и Гноу (Веслор)
Дарла отчаяно иска да изведе сестра си от родната им планета. Управниците на планетата й са основоположници на култ, който се отнася много зле с жените на планетата. Всяко момиче, което не е омъжено на 18 години бива изпратено да работи в бардак, и принудено да простотуира защото това прави планетата привлекателно място за туристи. След като станат достатъчно възрастни, за да не са привлекателни, биват изпратени в мините, където пращат всички престъпници, и никога не излизат от там. Дарла и семейството й работят в бутаническа оранжерия. Когато е на 18 тя е неомъжена, затова склчва сделка с надзирателя на оранжерията им. На всеки 6 месеца, когато той ги посещава, Дарла ше му позволи да спи с нея, а в замяна той ще пази в тайна, че тя и сестра й са неомъжени момичета, и така няма да бъдат изпратени в бардака. Минават години и неочаквано мъжа умира. Сега ще имат нов надзирател и Дарла е сигурна, че щом той разбере, че със сестра й са неомъжени, Дарла ще бъде изпратена в мините, защото не е девствена и това е престъпление, а сестра й ще бъде пратена в бардак. Дарла успява да измоли двете да бъдат наети на работа в оранжериите на Дефкон Ред. Пътувайки на там обаче, совалката им е пленена от подобна на октоподи раса на име Елф. Те са известни с това, че обичат да правят експерименти с всички раси, до които могат да се доберат и след това ги превръщат в безмозъчни роби. Сега обаче те искат нещо различно. Избивайки всички мъже на борда, те оставят живи жените, защото искат да ги накарат да се размножават с пленения Веслор мъж, с надеждата да създадат армия от веслор под тяхно командване. Боейки се, че Елф искат да изпратят малката й сестра при пленения мъж, тя решава да бъде доброволец и да направи всичко, което трябва, за да опази всички живи.
Гноу е бесен, че е пленен от гнусните Елф и смята да ги избие до крак, в мига в който му се предостави такава възможност. Те искат той да направи някоя човешка жена своя половинка и да създаде с нея бебета, които те да използват... това ще стане само през трупа му. До момента в който в килията му е изпратена дребна човешка жена, която е решена на всичко да спечелят време, докато мъжете от групата му ги спасят.
Поставени в невъзможна ситуация, двамата ще работят заедно,за да се измъкнат живи и докато го правят ще се сближат повече отколкото са подозирали, че е възможно.
Отново чудесна книга, много ми харесва тази поредица, наистина. Дарла беше героиня изстрадала много, живяла в страх през целият си живот. Начина по който Гноу се отнасяше с нея бе толкова чудесен, тя наистина заслужава някой като него.
Гноу от своя страна милия също е преживял много. Баща му се е обвързал с жена, която не го искала и това довежда да пълната му лудост. В акт на насилие, майка му забременява с Гноу, баща му бива убит, а като е още малък, Гноу е прогонен от групата на майка си,защото прилича на баща си. Гноу винаги се е боял да не стане като баща си, и това винаги го подтиква да е внимателен около жените. Ситуацията в която се намират обаче е уникална и води до доста неочаквани последици. [spoiler] Дарла успява да забременне с близнаци[/spoiler]
Като цяло двамата бяха сладка двойка и много се радвам, че се намериха. Тук се запознахме и с главната героиня в 5та книга, д-р Джеса Брик, която е специалист по извъземни. Тя постоянно дудне на Веслор мъжете, че иска да ги сканира и да научи повече за физиологията им, и медика на групата Веслор, Мейт, постоянно беснее като я види. Между тези двамата прехвърчат такива искри, че книгата им ще е взривоопасна.
Следващата книга е за Рот, който все се муси, че мъжете му си намират половинки, ред му е и той да намери своята.
Дарла отчаяно иска да изведе сестра си от родната им планета. Управниците на планетата й са основоположници на култ, който се отнася много зле с жените на планетата. Всяко момиче, което не е омъжено на 18 години бива изпратено да работи в бардак, и принудено да простотуира защото това прави планетата привлекателно място за туристи. След като станат достатъчно възрастни, за да не са привлекателни, биват изпратени в мините, където пращат всички престъпници, и никога не излизат от там. Дарла и семейството й работят в бутаническа оранжерия. Когато е на 18 тя е неомъжена, затова склчва сделка с надзирателя на оранжерията им. На всеки 6 месеца, когато той ги посещава, Дарла ше му позволи да спи с нея, а в замяна той ще пази в тайна, че тя и сестра й са неомъжени момичета, и така няма да бъдат изпратени в бардака. Минават години и неочаквано мъжа умира. Сега ще имат нов надзирател и Дарла е сигурна, че щом той разбере, че със сестра й са неомъжени, Дарла ще бъде изпратена в мините, защото не е девствена и това е престъпление, а сестра й ще бъде пратена в бардак. Дарла успява да измоли двете да бъдат наети на работа в оранжериите на Дефкон Ред. Пътувайки на там обаче, совалката им е пленена от подобна на октоподи раса на име Елф. Те са известни с това, че обичат да правят експерименти с всички раси, до които могат да се доберат и след това ги превръщат в безмозъчни роби. Сега обаче те искат нещо различно. Избивайки всички мъже на борда, те оставят живи жените, защото искат да ги накарат да се размножават с пленения Веслор мъж, с надеждата да създадат армия от веслор под тяхно командване. Боейки се, че Елф искат да изпратят малката й сестра при пленения мъж, тя решава да бъде доброволец и да направи всичко, което трябва, за да опази всички живи.
Гноу е бесен, че е пленен от гнусните Елф и смята да ги избие до крак, в мига в който му се предостави такава възможност. Те искат той да направи някоя човешка жена своя половинка и да създаде с нея бебета, които те да използват... това ще стане само през трупа му. До момента в който в килията му е изпратена дребна човешка жена, която е решена на всичко да спечелят време, докато мъжете от групата му ги спасят.
Поставени в невъзможна ситуация, двамата ще работят заедно,за да се измъкнат живи и докато го правят ще се сближат повече отколкото са подозирали, че е възможно.
Отново чудесна книга, много ми харесва тази поредица, наистина. Дарла беше героиня изстрадала много, живяла в страх през целият си живот. Начина по който Гноу се отнасяше с нея бе толкова чудесен, тя наистина заслужава някой като него.
Гноу от своя страна милия също е преживял много. Баща му се е обвързал с жена, която не го искала и това довежда да пълната му лудост. В акт на насилие, майка му забременява с Гноу, баща му бива убит, а като е още малък, Гноу е прогонен от групата на майка си,защото прилича на баща си. Гноу винаги се е боял да не стане като баща си, и това винаги го подтиква да е внимателен около жените. Ситуацията в която се намират обаче е уникална и води до доста неочаквани последици. [spoiler] Дарла успява да забременне с близнаци[/spoiler]
Като цяло двамата бяха сладка двойка и много се радвам, че се намериха. Тук се запознахме и с главната героиня в 5та книга, д-р Джеса Брик, която е специалист по извъземни. Тя постоянно дудне на Веслор мъжете, че иска да ги сканира и да научи повече за физиологията им, и медика на групата Веслор, Мейт, постоянно беснее като я види. Между тези двамата прехвърчат такива искри, че книгата им ще е взривоопасна.
Следващата книга е за Рот, който все се муси, че мъжете му си намират половинки, ред му е и той да намери своята.
December 24, 2024
love this series
I almost let nay-sayers stop me from reading this series but I am so glad I didnt. Trusted in one of my fave authors to make it good and Laurann Dohner had built another unique and detailed world. I cant wait to read the next one!
I almost let nay-sayers stop me from reading this series but I am so glad I didnt. Trusted in one of my fave authors to make it good and Laurann Dohner had built another unique and detailed world. I cant wait to read the next one!
January 25, 2023
Really like this series and thought Gnaw and Darla were great together.
Just did a re-read.
Just did a re-read.
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