Synnr's Hope

Zulir Warrior Mates #2

by Kate Rudolph

She’s stuck on the wrong planet…
Lena is supposed to be back on Earth, but any chance of returning home was stolen by the aliens who kidnapped her. She’s safe from those pirates now, but she’s going crazy on Aorsa with nothing to do. Her only hope lies with Solan, the smokin’ hot military leader responsible for rescuing her from her former captors. She’ll team up with him to earn her wings—literally—but no matter what, they’re not falling in love.

He can’t claim a human…
Things were simple in the military: follow orders, take out bad guys, protect his people. At home in Osais, Solan has a heap of family obligations and expectations he can’t live up to. Adding a human Match on top of things will only complicate matters, but a Matched unit could go far in the Synnr military. To bond with Lena, he has rules and one is more important than any other: their relationship is strictly professional.

But when they fail to gel as a unit, they’re sent off to intensive training in the middle of nowhere. Just Solan, Lena, and a house determined to hone them into the best team they can be. When sparks start flying, there’s nothing to stop the two of them from crashing together with explosive heat.

Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Aliens, Paranormal Romance

310 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2020

About the author

I love writing about kick butt heroines and the steamy heroes who love them.
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Reviews

[Greyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️ I liked this one more than the first because I thought Lena was a badass! I could understand and relate to her need to work and do something. Solan and Lena fistfighting as foreplay and fistbumping to match was perfect. For this book being the length that it is, I’d call it a slow-burn, which was fun for me. I loved the different trials, loved the climax scenes and the ending was very satisfying. Not to mention, it made me chuckle more than a twice and thats a win.

[Pet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is different from KR’s other books. Mostly because of Lena, she’s been through so much, seen and done a lot in her life, it’s aged her beyond her years. Even her Match, what should be something joyous and easy becomes another stumbling block she needs to fight through.
This world is fascinating and we’re taken deeper into the issues in it and the training was astounding.
I honestly and voluntarily review this book that I received as a free arc.

[Amanda F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this one in one day. It was a quick read. Aliens falling in love with humans and finding their mate. Exactly what you think it would be. :)

[Shawna Sears · Rating 5 out of 5]

Synnr's Hope is book 2 in the Zulir Warrior Mates series and follows directly after the first book, Synnr's Saint. This is Solan and Lena's book. As an added bonus, we get to see more of some old friends from the first book (lots of Emily and Oz *squee*!) and the overarching progress of the war continues. This book could possibly standalone, but it wouldn't be as enjoyable and you would have some head-scratch moments too, so I highly suggest reading these in order.

We met both our leads in the last book: Solan was Oz's partner who, though reserved was clearly supportive of his friend and their cause. In this book we get to know him and his history as well as his present, which is sticky with family matters. Lena was a DEA agent on earth before she was snatched away and finds herself floundering without the work she lived for her whole life. The answer to her quandary, and the giant monkey wrench in Solan's, comes when they are listed as a potential Match by the database.

Woo-boy did these two have a time of it! That whole keeping it professional business (we all know that wasn't gonna work-it's a romance novel after all), really hindered their progress, but they made it through. With a bit of luck and a lot of really interesting choices by an AI. I love Lena's nickname for their training facility. Anyhow, the two of them learn one another, how to work together, and of course how to love. Solan makes peace with not being solely dedicated to his family's name and not himself. Lena finds her place.

Overall, it was a great story. I enjoyed the scenario's they were put in and all of the little moments they shared that really made the book good. The next story looks to be interesting indeed! If you like your alien romance with a lot of action, a good helping of steam, some family drama, and some sweet bonding between two very military minded people, this is book you should try!

[Karen Nastasio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing and I loved everything about the characters that popped up from book one to help this couple find there way. Lena was kidnapped from earth and taken away from her job as DEA agent that she loved and now is at a loss of what to do on Aorsa. The hot alien warrior that saved her is Solan and even though he thinks the human is sexy he cannot get involved with her at all because of his family commitments. Now they must work together as a team but they are struggling so it’s decided that they be sent away by themselves for intense training. The chemistry is so explosive between that once they give into there desires as a matched pair things start to come together. Can everything work out between them and can Solan convince Lena to stay or does she still want to go home.

[Melanie S · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cosmic skillet upside the head...Lena (human, ex-DEA agent. rescued alien kidnap victim) and Solan (perfectly correct Zulir heir and by-the-book soldier) are brought together by those same fates who seem to be in charge of match-making. Zulir-human mating is possible, and the award is enhanced Psionic powers (his) and - WINGS!!! (hers) So their mating is a no-brainer, right? Ummm... it takes these two a big embarrassing failure at training, followed by a trip to remedial super-powers training camp, to make them see what's in front of them. ❤️ is the answer. Great story and more to come? this is a voluntary ARC review.

[Shayay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a 3.5 for me, but I rounded up because I've loved plenty of Kate Rudolph's books and the writing is good. Human Lena, was abducted from Earth by some evil aliens, but ended up being saved. Now, she is having trouble adjusting to having down time and accepting help from some nicer aliens. She wants to contribute, but without knowing much about this new alien place she finds herself in, she's finding it difficult to find the right path. When her match/mate papers are delivered, she's hopeful that she'll be able to join the alien military with her match; matched pairs are given priority in the military since they become really strong together. Luckily, she's matched with an alien she knows, Solan. Unluckly, Solan and Lena don't start off on the best foot; both want to keep themselves emotionally distant, and Solan's position in a family of nobility, causes some problems. The alien nobles are elitist and aren't exactly loving to humans; especially, Solan's mother. This withholding of themselves is causing them to not be quite the awesome team they should be.

Still loving the alien aspect; the electrical wings are super awesome! Love how matched pairs kick butt! The story does start off too slow in the beginning, but picks up around 50 percent; I loved the electronic training house premise. Entertaining and fun! Some good action going on later in the book. Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of the match of convenience scenario; they both jumped too quickly into something that deserved more thought. I just didn't quite connect with either Solan or Lena, and it took me awhile to feel any connection between them. Solan and Lena both are too bottled up emotionally, but they do get a bit better as the story goes on. I just wanted to feel that heat between them a lot sooner.

Overall, I ended up enjoying the story and the connection between Solan and Lena. This series has such a fun premise; loved the first book! I'm going to skip the next book because I'm not into ménage, but I do look forward to reading more books in this series.

I also listened to this story on Author's Direct, and the narrator did a good job. The performance was clear and well done. I wasn't a total fan of the tone of his voice, but I'd still recommend listening.

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a lot of potential, unfortunately it also had a lot of missing information. While it was nice to not get the brutal parts about being an alien abductee we don’t really get much info on what happened to Lena or any of the others that were abducted when she was.

We did get that once she woke up from being injured she tries to save the rest of the other abductees and almost further endangered her own health in the process.

Once matched and bonded to an Osasisian they other none Osasisian sprout wings and get other super powers, there needed to be a lot more explanations about how that worked with humans that were not genetically predisposed to having wings.

Lena and Solan began their relationship as more of a means to an end, Lena with something to do and Solan with furthering his career. For me there was very little chemistry, there was respect from Solan in regards to Lena and her need to protect other than that I didn’t feel a connection between them.

There is a caste system on his planet and earthlings are considered cute, but lets be real we don’t marry inferior beings. Solan is very wealthy and he is expected to take his place in society with an appropriate spouse and Lena the earthling is not it. Lena is perceived as marrying way, way above her station and is therefore lacking in every regard to his family and friends.

The one redeeming quality is that Solan did stand up for Lena with his family and friends when they sort to disparage her. There was caring between the two of them but it still felt more like a friendly business transaction than an all out passionate pairing.

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

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate Rudolph is a master at writing books that keep you on your toes. Leave you in suspense and give you plenty of hot and steamy while always with a guaranteed delicious HEA. This is a story that will find you smiling and remembering parts of the book for days. You'll be pulling up your library on your ereader just to read this again and again. Synnr's Hope is book 2 in the Zulir Warrior Mates series and it doesn't disappoint. Lena and Solan are fantastic and relatable characters. There are also some blasts from the past which definitely adds to this incredible series. So grab book one to start reading and this book to follow. I highly recommend this book and this author.

[Becky Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The two of them had been snatched around the same time, Lena in 2006, Zac in 2007, which made conversation with him a bit easier and less prone to minefields about technology or the state of politics. Lena was pretty sure Emily, who had come from 2019, had been joking about some of the things she'd said."

Oh honey, we wish Emily was joking!

Lena and Solan decide to bond in an effort for Lena to be able to have a career without the long wait, and the bonus of extra strength for Solan. Neither of them wanting to bond romantically, they decide to have a purely platonic bond. But instead of making them stronger, they end up worse off than before.
This book has an interesting commentary on racism, one that well reflects out own society. We have the Apsyn who are overtly racist and malicious, kidnapping humans for their own amusement and treating them poorly. The Synners have their own racism, but aren't as malicious about it. They certainly don't want to harm the humans, but they don't want them marrying into their families, nor do they think of them as equals. They are the racists who pat themselves on the back for deigning to be kind to the lesser species.
Solan represents another shade of racism. Even less malicious than the Synners, but still subconsciously bias. He tries to write it off as not wanting to put a human through the cruelty of the snubbing they'd receive from his social circle. He sees them as less-developed, and essentially enters the bond with the impression that Lena will have nothing to bring to the partnership. He blames her for dragging him down, even though he recognizes it's not really her fault. But Solan has the opportunity to come to terms with the fact that his viewing humans as less-advanced enables the racism of the other Synners, whose racism reinforces the racism of the Apsyns. His viewing them as less-advanced translates to seeing them as, for less than a better phrase, less than human. Coming to terms with his bias is the first step, and only once he recognizes that her differences are a benefit rather than a deterrent can they succeed.

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

[Space Cowgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

ADULT Alpha Alien Male Romance💕 and Adventure🚀 with Abduction.

Lena💃💋🔫, a 34 year old DEA agent of Pakistani descent, is abducted right off the street in Oklahoma in 2006 by alien slavers. Put in stasis, She is awakened 80 earth years later. She and some other human women are rescued from the Apsyn👹 by Zulir🐺🔪💪🔫 warriors from Synnr. There is a war brewing between the Apsyns👹 and the Synnrs🐺, and the women are in the middle of it!

Solan🐺🍆⛲💪🔫 is Synnr nobility and a warrior, too, and soon to be head of his family, but he's still about a dozen relatives away from being a Lord. He bails Lena💃💋 out of Synnr jail when she is wrongly detained for chasing a thief through the market. Lena💃💋 is upset that she owes him and her abduction rescuer and benefactor, Crowze, and has no job, no way to pay them back.

The human women have nothing to do except hope for a match with one of The Synnrs!

Lena💃💋 is matched to Solan🐺🍆⛲💪, although his mother disapproves of the humans. If Lena💃💋 bonds to Solan🐺🍆⛲💪, she will get special physical or mental powers through the bond! She wants that, since she will never be able to go home, She wants to become a soldier. Lena💃💋 thinks they can bond without a physical relationship! WRONG!

ARC Provided by Booksprout 🌱
This ebook was $4.99 on Amazon📚 at the time of this review.
Opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

The Synnr🐺💪 aliens apparently have natural electric wings that can be extended and used as weapons if needed. They can't fly with them, but can use them to glide. OH! And fangs! Synnrs🐺💪 have fangs!

I haven't read book one in this series from Author Rudolph📚, so the explanations were hit and miss in this book, scattered throughout it. There are same-sex bondings in the book, a possible trigger for some readers.

[Goddess of Chaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before being abducted from Earth by Aliens, Lena had purpose in law enforcement. She had been a soldier, a police officer, a DEA agent... fighting for others, and protecting gave her life meaning. Now she’s been rescued, but can’t return to Earth, her residency status is still being sorted out on the Alien moon she and the other rescued humans are on... and a soldier from a wealthy family is providing shelter, food, clothing... everything they need — except purpose.

Solan’s species believes in Matches, soulmates, and while the idealized fantasy may sound great, and his friend Oz might have gotten lucky in the previous story and had his dream come true, Solan, as a child, saw how Matches can destroy families/lives, steal away common sense and logic, and he has no interest in becoming some kind of.... he’s not sure what, but deceiving liar is a possibility, if he meets his match and let’s his emotions get involved.

Both of these characters are focused on protecting others, yet it takes time for them to learn to communicate, to get in sync... and to realize they’ve been so focused on trying to protect and help one another that they’ve been distracted from the mission at hand.

This done in one quick read was fun, has the most interesting get away ever, and stands alone nicely. (It provides memory jogs for the previous story, but is not heavily reliant on it, and gives strong hints who we can hope will be center stage in the next story.)

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

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 2 in Rudolph's Zulir Warrior Mates series and let me tell you - I thought book 2 was even better than book 1. While book 1 gave us some back ground into the alien world we find ourselves on and a bit about the races found there...this book provides us with more of the racial tension and relationship complications. Family dynamics can be a problem no matter where you are and with Solan on this alien planet it's no different, family responsibilities can be exhausting. Lena is a human who was captured and rescued by Solan and his team and is struggling to find her place on this new planet and her new life. When the two discover they are mates, matches, whatever - they both find that this could benefit each other and agree to matchup - only it's not as easy as they thought. When the walls finally come down they are able to rely on one another and everything falls into place.

Again, I thought this book was better than the fist, I loved these characters, their inner struggle as well as how they struggled as a team. It's so relatable. Also, the family dynamics Solan and his responsibilities and Lena missing hers...Just a really great read! Narration was wonderfully done and I can't wait to get more into this series!

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
*this review is based on the audio version of this read

[Nikki Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lena and the other Earth abductees are slowly acclimatising to their new life with the Synnrs. They know there is little chance of them ever getting home, so they will have to forge a new life here.

Lena is/was a DEA agent and a damn good one. She doesn't want to just sit around, she wants to be productive. But until she matches with someone or her legal standing is solidified there are only so many opportunities available. But when she gets notification of a match she is left in a quandary. She knows Solan but he is stinking rich, attached to the nobility and she is sure he'd never look at her twice.

Solan is not very receptive of the match either. His parents married and were torn apart when his father met his match. He doesn't want to repeat that and cause even more upset within his family.
But Lena is strong, independent and seems to want to move on from her former life. Can he match with her and keep emotions out of it?

I loved the murder house LOL. What a way to get partners who continually doubt each other to work together! Lena learns to trust Solen and Solan learns that there is more to life than protocol, reputation and family standing.

The little hints for the next book are tempting. Can't want to see what unfolds!

[Ronel Olver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written action-packed alien romance with action, drama, suspense, mate bond and the best of all wings! Very entertaining, slow burning alien adventure with a great plot complete with a sassy human female and a super-hot Alien. Lena wants to join the military and earn her electrical wings (literally) so much and she is excited to get her match paperwork to Solan, an emotionally unavailable Synnr Nobel. The overall story line, plot and idea is excellent, but I feel that more details and description sin some of the situations and scenes would have helped the story flow smoother.

The author did an amazing job highlighting and describing the emotions and feelings between Lena and Solan and their growing attraction to each other. I loved that he took her side against the future Monster in law. The supporting characters and relationships between them were realistic and well done. I loved this book can't wait to read more by this author.

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

[Emily Pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lena is kidnapped from Earth and awakens 80 years later. The humans are rescued by Zulir warriors of Synnr. Solan happens to also be from Synnr nobility. The human women are all waiting for a match to one of the warriors.

Lena was a DEA agent and is not used to standing around feeling useless. When Lena is matched to Solan, his family is not pleased and he can’t get “involved” with her. Lena cannot go home now, so she is trying to make the best of her situation. But things are more complicated than that for Solan. Lena doesn’t want to fall in love, but she wants to be a soldier and get her electrical wings. But some remedial training is required for them both to learn to trust and work well together when they haven’t fully participated in the matching and have deliberately held themselves back. Once everything falls into place, will they find their HEA?

[Kristine L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lena finds herself with other humans that have been abducted from Earth. Lena is used to working and on Earth she was a DEA agent. She wants to be productive. She's stuck until she get notified of a match. She's not sure about this match as Solan is daddy warbucks rich, part of the nobility and not sure he even has looked at her. Solan isn't too happy either. His parents were not matched and later when his father met his match his family was ripped apart. He doesn't want to repeat the experience. Lena is a strong independent woman and wants to move forward with her life. Will he match with her? Love how they finally learn to trust each other and Solan finds there is more to life than reputation. There are snippets of the next book. Can't wait to pick that one up. I received an ARC copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Athena Diven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lena';s worked all her life. Now that she's been freed from the Apsyns, she feels like a charity case. Everywhere she turns, she runs into roadblocks, until she finds out she's Matched to Solan. Except Solan doesn't want to be Matched but once Matched , he has no choice and they train for the military, but he sure as heck doesn't want to their bond to be sexual, just professional. This whole convoluted dynamic was a delight to read as it has so many painful issues that we grow up with that we suppress instead of dealing with appropriately, until they come back to bite us. Both Lena and Solan's characters have to overcome their insecurities to be able to grow to become a team and to bond. I love the characters and the adventure.

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

[Leanne Bryson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Zulir Warrior Mates series by Kate Rudolph and should be read after book one for context. Lena is one of the humans rescued from evil aliens by Solan and the Zulir warriors. Lena now feels at loose ends, she has no job, no purpose, and is floundering. Solan is a proud warrior, but from a privileged family, which is a difficult balance for him. Lena finds out her match is Solan, but Solan does not want match because of family issues. She simply wants to bond to get the powers that bonding would give her and become a warrior as well. The book has good pace after the first few chapters, the characters are interesting, plenty of action and steam. Overall, a good read.

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

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solan is an aristocrat in his society and a soldier. It's a delicate balance between his missions and his family. Lena is lost, trying to find her place on a new planet. She desperately wants to get back to her military career even on a different planet, but she knows she doesn't have the strength or skills required to be successful in this new environment. But when she and Solan discover they are a match, she knows that with his spark, she can get her wings and skills. But things goes wrong, and the newly matched pair is sent for remedial training. Solan knows that this is probably not something they can recover from.

This is a good story, but it's very slow getting started. Stay with it, though!

[Elizabeth McDaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lena was one of the humans that the Zulir Warriors rescued after they had been kidnapped from earth. She received documents that she was a mate to one of their warriors. Solan was opposed to mates due to his parents relationship. Since Lena wanted to be in law enforcement and the easiest and fastest way was to pursue the match, she confronted Solan with an in name only match. Their interesting and exciting romance was full of intrigue, failures on the job, disappointments, struggles with accepting their feelings towards each other, and an unexpected love. Fun read

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

[Ann Holden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book two in this series is about Lena, one of the humans rescued by the Synnrs from slavery. Solan is a member of the military who was a participant in the rescue. It would help to read the first story but not necessary to enjoy this one. Solan goes to great lengths to avoid a real attachment to her but hasn't told her why. I found Lena to be relatable but Solan was distant too much of the time.
Interesting story.

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

[Caroline Doig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lena is kidnapped by space aliens from earth she is saved by Solan and dumped on a planet with no way to get back home she’s bored to tears and she wants to join the alien military but she needs to bond with an alien and Solan comes to mind. At first things don’t go over too well with these two but in the end they agree to a professional relationship but does it stay that way?. I enjoyed this story it took a bit to get into it with these two characters but eventually they sorted themselves out.

[Katherine Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate does not disappoint in this book. It abounds with aliens and humans, and problems to overcome. They both went into the relationship for other reasons but in the end they are together for the right ones. I would hate to be hundreds of lightyears from my home and out of my element with language barriers and the whole nine yards. Kate makes it an interesting story with a good outcome. The narrator did a very good job with the story as he has done previously.

I received a free copy of this audio book from StoryOrigin for an honest review.

[Sara Munoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book 2 in the Zulir Warrior Mates Series is an very well-written story with amazing characters that are strong, powerful and arrogant. These characters are well crafted and you feel as if you know them and feel their emotions. This story has action, adventure, twists, turns, chemistry and love. This is a must read story in a new great series by an amazing Author and better than the first book I. Series.

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

[Ramona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pleasing read about Solan and Lena. Lena is abducted from Earth and saved by the Zulir Warriors. Lena decides to join their Alien Military but she needs to be matched so she's takes the test and is matched to Solan who also needs to be matched so he can advance in his military career. Now they have to learn to become a unit during their training, but can they? This Alien romance was enjoyable, the romance steamy, the characters interesting and the world building was detailed with action to keep me flipping the pages in this ARC I volunteer to read and review via Booksprout.

[Bigred6126 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I really like books that have developed characters with rough pasts. They have to decide if that's going to define their lives or be stronger because of it. It's standalone but it's also part of a bigger picture. All the basics from the first book are there so you don't get lost but if you want the nuances than read it to. I also listened to the audio book.It has a great narrator.

I received a free copy from authors direct and I'm voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Sharon Ryder Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

An Alien romance novel with a difference, this one explores what some one would do on an Alien planet after being rescued from other not so nice Aliens... when boredom is your only issue. After finding she has a match she embarks on pursuing it in order to get into the Alien Military.. But neither of them want a relationship but they end up training together. I do not feel the love between them, or the attraction, even though they come together eventually. I feel that this novel leaves you wanting more in the way of their relationship..... some how it does not feel done.

[Ashante Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

i have to say that I didn't not like Lena at the beginning of this book. She was being completely selfish and stubborn and used Solan and their match just to get what she wanted. Solan's family story was really sad and it was understandable that he agreed to give Lena what she wanted. The buildup of their relationship as working partners and bonded mates was a little more interesting. They had to learn to work together and then realize the differences between them as well as similarities. I really liked that. They ended up with some serious chemistry which made for some really hot scenes.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Purpose

Lena really had a lot of adjusting to do in this post-alien-abduction situation. The whole mate match thing was interesting with unexpected abilities revealed. Wings that could double as shields and an inner spark that could be used as a weapon was fascinating. For Lena and Solan, their path both personal and work related was quite bumpy. Dealing with new shared inner spark channeling skills while trying to do a job competently amidst emotional upheaval kept the story moving. It was nice to hear Solan express himself in the end.