Sign Here for Horns

Vandalar Concubines #1

by V.K. Ludwig

I accidentally bought myself an alien concubine.

Thirty-one, recently divorced, and behind on the mortgage for my farm, I scrape my last savings together and buy myself a farmhand.

That big, horned alien I end up with? He’s a Vandalar saikh, a male concubine, and he wants to plow more than just my fields.

Guess I should have read the fine print of the purchase contract better because the trader refuses to take him back. Now I’m stuck with weed-infested fields, red letters from the bank, and a guy who says he studied one million ways to please a female. (His words, it’s not like I’m going to count…)

Sign Here for Horns is the first book in this interconnected alien romantic comedy series, featuring concubines trained to cook, clean, and something that rhymes with buck.

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

164 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 15, 2020

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did kinda enjoy it, but don't think I will be reading any more of the series. My problem with it is that it seems like they are willing (well he is, not the other guy, though he also was at one point it seems) slaves. The same story line could have been made with it being a mail order husband business, instead of a slave order. I liked the flip over from other books of this style, it is almost always the woman who is the slave in these. However, she isn't a willing slave, and the heroes almost always get them to free them, even if it is to free them to be their mates. These girls are buying them to be slaves.
The friend, whos book is next, is beyond horrible. She gets the slave, who no longer wants to be a slave. She gets him to have sex with. He doesn't want to, but she still tries to force him to, and shocks the hell out of him all the time with his eclectic collar. No means no, even if his body does respond.

[Mikky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and fun read! The concept was very interesting and made for a nice story. My only problem was that I wanted more of that story. I went into this novel thinking it would be a regular paranormal romance novel. What I got straddled the line more into erotica than paranormal romance. I wanted a more intense plotline running through the book. All the sexy times were ok but they were a bit much (and that's coming from someone who doesn't normally have much to say about that subject in particular in books). I guess it all comes down to personal taste and this was a bit over the top in my opinion.

The main couple were interesting characters though they came off a bit flat on the page. There wasn't much substance behind them in terms of development. There were some things that were a bit too convenient and would have made for a better story had that not been the case.

The ending was nice. I didn't really like the heroine's friends so their stories don't interest me. So I don't plan on continuing onto the next books in the series.

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sci-fi romance is definitely more erotica than I was expecting the romance here was actually quite sweet. Jax is an absolute poppet a total marshmallow and so eager to please. He comes from a society where the females have all of the control and has been conditioned to behave in a certain way for him it’s all about his female's pleasure and happiness.

Jax finds himself up for sale after displeasing his last female and as he is trained in the art of pleasure this is what he expects his new role to entail. Lilly needs a farmhand her husband left her in the lurch a year previous and she’s desperate. Jax apparently has a defect and he is all she can afford so after an initial misunderstanding where Jax blows Lilly’s mind the two settle down into a cosy domesticity that soon morphs into a scorching red hot chemistry. There are the usual misunderstandings and cultural issues to address. I liked that Jax comes complete with a sexy arousing growl horns and a tail. He’s not the most alpha of males more of a pleaser and quite simplistic in his wants and needs. I actually felt sorry for him his fear of abandonment runs quite deep.

I did find this story a tad problematic I was uncomfortable with the actions of the friend Steph. I think my feelings and my conflict was more because this wasn’t meant to be a serious story it read as lighthearted but the alien males here were basically slaves and it was just accepted and normalised. If this had been deeper exploring the concept of this slavery and just how abhorrent it was then I think I’d be less conflicted. Slavery is not ok just because your owner treats you well and is nice to you. Of course, this is a common trope in a lot of alien romance stories but it’s usually addressed at some point usually one of those involved has an epiphany but here that didn’t happen it was just swept under the carpet and normalised hence my internal strife. Lily acknowledged that it was immoral and wrong but then contributed to the problem and she didn’t seem to have that much of an issue with her friend's behaviour.

Overall this reads as a lighthearted alien romance with plenty of sexy times. The writing was good for its particular niche but I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series as the friend Steph is the heroine in the next book and she managed to totally turn me off here. She doesn’t seem to have any issues with the whole slavery aspect and I could deal with that but her constant shocking of her slave to the point he passed out was way too much. I couldn’t help thinking if she was male and her new slave female it would have been a whole different ball game entirely.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/63435390

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I'll be honest in that I did laugh quite a bit, and had a fun reading this sci-fi romance-- buuuut one or two things didn't 100% sit right with me.



For example, her friends casual mistreatment of her...sex slave?

“The shock disables him completely?” Steph gives a dismissive wave. “He always turns stiff like that. Give him ten minutes, and he’ll be able to speak again.”

“Sorry for all this drama. I shouldn’t have taken him out just yet. He’s still settling in, you know.”

“I shock him, and you guys look at me as if I’m nuts. So I cuff him to the bed, avoiding that shock, mind you, and now you’re giving me shit about that too?”

Or you know the sex slave thing in general isn't really my jam.



Also, the dubious consent surrounding the H's growl kind of confused me. At first I thought it just kind of lowered the h's inhibitions but at the end it seemed like...sexual coercion?

“Take me into your mouth.” She does as told but the hint of a cutting glare flits across her eyes. “You said you wouldn’t take advantage.” “I didn’t say that, and you clearly need another growl if you still manage to notice.”

It’s a sight to behold for sure. One I’ll gladly pay for later, when her mind clears of my growl, but hey, my imperfections have to start somewhere.

So does she have to answer his commands after he growls or what?
Overwhelmed by lusty feels? Okay.
Somewhat lulled or drugged into sexual compliance? No thanks.



I feel like its just another form of collar- either of which I wasn't feeling.


So yeah, not to say that I didn't like the story and romance-because I did at times- but just the one or two things kept this from being a 4 star read.

[Rayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been a really good book. I loved this authors other series and this one had all the right things going for it except one major thing. The FMC buys the MMC and doesn’t see a problem with it at all. The moment when she finally removes his collar is when she’s in love with him and makes him promise not to run away. The way slavery is so casual in this book is jarring. The friend was the worst part though. She bought his friend with the intention of making him have sex with her and constantly shocks him when he tries to run away. The main couple in this book don’t even bat an eye when this happened at their place or when they later find out she tied him to her bed. I don’t think there was any ill intent but the plot could have turned out the same if the slavery was taken out completely.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. God.
This book has to be the funniest Sci-Fi romance of the year, if not for the way it spins the entire genre around. If you expect a hunky alien to invade your planet, capture you for breeding, or purchase you from a slave trader, you'll be disappointed. In this book, the ladies turn those tropes around. And who can blame them? Two years of reading alien romance, bags packed and stored in my closet for when they finally arrive. What's taking them so long?
Lilly takes matters into her own hands and gets herself her very own, sexy alien. But not just any alien. A Vandalar saikh. A male concubine. Jokes abound in this story, and yet the heartfelt development of a romantic relationship is there, complete with real, grown-up issues. I cannot wait for book # 2

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[Inna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. I’m two books into this series and I’m really loving it. It’s def a series that has me cringing just as often as snickering.

Safe; no virgins, no om/ow drama, no cheating

[Jess | jadecanread · Rating 3 out of 5]

I laughed out loud a handful of times while reading this but the casual abuse of the slaves left a sour taste in my mouth.

The FMC's best friend's constant use of the shock collar? The fuck?

Also don't read this if you don't like it when the MCs don't communicate their feelings. I felt so bad for Jax. He deserves the world. When he's begging Lilly not to sell him when she lets the ad stay up too long, my HEART.

Rating 2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.

[Tania Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a vekking great read! Absolutely loved this. Lovely written prose, funny as vek, and also vekking hot!

I feel sorry for poor Jax. I mean, honestly any guy who thinks his wigit doesn't work definitely needs some self confidence. And that's exactly what Lilly gives him, as well as a tough ride winning her heart.

I loved the characters, the world and the amusing voice in Lilly's head. Will be continuing with the series.

Thanks V.K. Ludwig!

[Liv - Livslibrarylabyrinth]

DNF in the first chapter so not rating.

I started reading this book because it was on online lists for a lighthearted and funny alien romance.

The FMC buys the MMC as a slave and keeps a shock collar on him. Her friend also objectifies the other slaves at the market and it’s just super gross.

I’m not sure I could ever consider a book that has this premise as a lighthearted and funny romance.

[TaylorReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ I really enjoyed this. V.K. Ludwig is just so good at writing spicy scenes. I only docked half a star because of the unnecessary drama like 25 pages from the end.

Beware though, this book was rampant with miscommunication for a while. I’m not the biggest fan of that trope but I got over it.

[Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔 (I wanted a bit more background on the characters)
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: First person from both the hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? More character
When mains are first on page together: Almost immediately
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Not really, the last chapter kind of wraps up a bit though
Format: bought paperback
(Descriptions found at end of my review)

Should I read in order?
This is the first book in Ludwig’s Vandalar Concubines series.

Basic plot:
Lilly just wants help on the farm but ends up buying an alien concubine.

Give this a try if you want:
- science fiction romance
- alien setting (planet Agari II)
- 30+ divorced/widowed heroine
- alien hero / human heroine pairing
- light touch of language barrier in the beginning
- farmer heroine
- you have to be okay with content warnings for slavery (heroine owns the hero for part (most?) of the book)
- hero washes the heroine’s hair
- higher steam – 4 full scenes within a shorter page count (note the dubious consent due to the both the hero’s mating growl and the heroine being his owner)

Ages:
- Heroine is 31, didn’t catch hero

First line:
Ninety-something boobsweating degrees outside, and I’m the lunatic tugging my wool scarf higher.

Endearments

The hero calls the heroine a few random things in the book like ‘booty call’, and ‘peanut butter’.


My thoughts:
Oh my gosh the first half of this book was soooo good to me. I was so giddy reading it – the humor was hilarious and the steam was delicious. It had so many things I really love in romance. The light language barrier in the beginning. The first couple sex scenes were perfection to me. I really liked them both opening up to each other – they each have their own issues with trust and having a supportive environment.

The second half of the book slowed down for me a bit. And I did end up getting caught up on a few things. His slavery being first off. It lasted way too long into the book for me, and I really disliked how she had him wearing a collar on and off for most of the book. I know they had to build up trust around each other but I felt like it could have been changed a bit to eliminate that oppressive plot point and still held together the same way (maybe a bargain struck between them instead of a slave/owner relationship)

I did really like the writing and want to read more from Ludwig! This was my first by them.

Cock/Hero Stats:

- Hero is a Vandalar male
- braided hair, horns, tail with a claw at the tip
- the males cut and brand themselves to make themselves more enticing to females (hero has floral patterns over his chest and arms
- they have a mating growl that drives the females made with lust
- cock has ridges and protrusion at the base
- they have a mating bite that rouses their seed into making a baby


Quotes/thoughts: (Any mistakes are my own)


“Ei cain’d b’lieve ‘m doin this.”
My ears prick.
I spin around, heart pounding something ragged in my chest. Did the slaver deactivate the forcefield?
The female stands with her arms crossed in front of her chest, frowns lining her forehead. “Why ‘m ei gettn da slaive who jizzd on da floar?”
Her friend throws her hands up. “Cuz y’ar broak.”
“Right,” my female sighs.
My female.
---
“May I address her?” I take his grunt as a yes and turn toward my female. “You won’t regret this, woman. I’ve learned thousands of techniques to make you scream in pleasure. My hands, my tongue...it’s all yours. I won’t disappoint.”
Of course, she has no idea what I say.
That’s okay.
Tonight, I will prove myself worthy as her saikh, and tend to her primal urges like no male has ever done before. I will use my tongue to edge her to orgasm while I study her body’s reactions.
She tilts her head, eyes narrowed. “What’d ei say?”
The slaver sighs deeply, but smiles. “Hei said hei will werk hard.”
“Oah.” My female gives a nod of approval. “Good.”
“Yes,” I say and nod back. “In a few hours, you will scream my name.”
---
“Saikh?” Steph straightens her spine, breathing the remains of my growl out of her system. “What’s that exactly?”
“My sole purpose is to please my female,” I explain. “I cook. I clean. I converse. But mostly, I…” Vek them. Lick them. Spank them. Choke them. No, too direct. “Mostly, I do whatever it takes to bring them sexual pleasure and gratification.
---
“Don’t care about others. Only you.” Grabbing her hips, I flip her onto her stomach. “And I’m not done with you yet.”



Content warnings: (This should be taken as a minimum because I could have missed some!)

- slavery is a big point of this book – the hero is enslaved because he was turned away by 3 females on his planet. The heroine buys him and they have a slave/owner relationship for most of the book.
- abuse and trauma within slavery – the hero is basically a sex slave – he has had training to pleasure females and does wear a shock collar. He is desperate to please his owners
- there is a scene where the heroine has kept the hero’s collar on and it’s so bad it’s infected. And he wears it on and off through almost the whole book
- Poly sensitivity notice - I just wanted to point out there is a mention of ‘humans only taking one mate’ and also how the hero’s people will usually have poly relationships with many men and one woman and there is some fighting / jealousy and he was relieved to have 1 mate



Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

Safe sex? Heroine is on birth control
Pg 20 – 🔥 hero uses his mating growl on the heroine and she loses it, lust wise. This leads to oral for her on the couch

“That’s right.” Jax places my palms onto his shoulders, the scars decorating his skin raised and soft underneath my touch. “I will make you tremble against my mouth.”
He lifts his chin and guides my hands upward to where swirls start on his neck. Down a sculpted chest. Down across the ridged lines of muscle on his stomach, lower, lower, until they disappear underneath the towel.

Pg 54 – kiss
Pg 60 – 🔥 a bit of fear play, hand necklace, oral/fingering for her, doggy style

“Sure?”
A third nod. “Yes, I’m su-”
Jax grabs my throat with such force, my heart slams against my ribcage. He squeezes. Hard. One push and the back of my head presses against the cushion, his fingers clasping so tightly I stare at him in shock.
His hips bully my legs apart, and he lowers himself down, a tight ball forming from my guts. I suck in a sharp breath, adrenaline pumping through my veins like lava.
A spark of hunger ignites in his eyes as he whispers, “Fear. Right there in your belly.”

Pg 87 – a mention of past sex including a blow job (no details)
Pg 97 – 🔥 missionary

“I’m going to bury myself so deep inside you, there won’t be an inch on your body not knowing my touch.”

Pg 154 – 🔥 blow job (incomplete), fingering for her

“Do that lips bumping down my ridges thing,” I tug Lilly’s hand until she lowers to her knees. “Take me into your mouth.”

Total pages: 160


Extra stuff like what my review breakdowns mean, where to find me, and book clubs


Full break down on what my ratings above mean here:
Overall: How I felt about it everything considered!
Readability: How ‘readable’ was the book? Did I fly through it? Did I have to tell myself to pick it back up repeatedly? Were any passages confusing? (I will probably score like (1) is literally unreadable due to formatting/typing errors, etc (2) There were lots of errors that made it difficult to read OR It was extremely confusing and I had to reread passages to make sense of it OR I disliked it so much I had to bribe myself to keep reading (3) I didn’t really want to keep reading and would have preferred to abandon the read and start something else OR some minor continuity issues/confusion (4) I liked it fine, maybe a minor error or 2. I was happy to pick it up when I had time. (5) I never wanted to put this down. I thought about it when I wasn’t reading it. I hid in the bathroom from my kids to read. I threw inappropriate food at my children for dinner so I could read instead.)
Feels: Totally subjective to each person but did the book give me any tingles? Any butterflies? Did it rip my heart out (in a good way?)
Emotional depth: How well do I feel I know the characters at the end? How much did I feel their emotions throughout the story?
Sexual tension: Again, subjective, but how strong was the wanting and longing to me between the characters? A book might have strong sexual tension without a single touch.
Romance: Was there romance? Did romantic things happen? This can be actions/words/thoughts of the characters and again is subjective.
Sensuality: This is how the intimate scenes are written. Kisses and sexual scenes – how sensual were they? Were they on the mechanical side? Was there emotional pull tied in? Were the details explicit or flowery? These are subjective but generally (1) too short to get a good judgement (2) not all what I'm looking for - very vague or flowery prose (3) either not explicit enough or not enough emotional pull (too mechanical/physically descriptive without the emotions) (4) what I love in a scene (5) absolute perfection - perfect balance of emotional longing and explicit descriptions
Sex Scene Length: How long the bedroom scenes are (generally (1) is 1-3 sentences (2) is a few paragraphs to a page-ish (3) is about average, a few pages (4) more well developed scenes, quite a few pages with descriptions (4) the majority of the book takes place in the bedroom. This is always hard to tell for me on audio!
Steam Scale: Generally, each flame is a scene. If scenes are super close together I sometimes combine them. If a scene is super short or so vague I don’t know what’s happening, I don’t count it. There’s some levels of grey but generally the number of flames is how many sex scenes there are (I max out at 5 so I’ll put a + after if there’s more than that)



Find me
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Book Clubs
The Ton and the Tartans (Historical Romance)
Upturned Petticoats and Undone Cravats (Historical Romance with Steam Requirements)
A Love Less Ordinary (Science Fiction, Paranormal, Monster, Fantasy Romance)
Modern Manuscripts (Contemporary Romance)
Words for the Wicked (Contemporary Romance with Steam Requirements)
Vintage Romance (Old School Romance – published 2000 and prior)

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A down on her luck human (one of only a handful on the planet) needs some muscle so she doesn't lose her farm. What does she get? A sexy hunk of an alien who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. And who has a very VERY soft heart when it comes down to it.

Lilly is just trying to make things work and stand on her own two feet after her husband up and bailed on her and left her with a floundering farm on a distant planet. She's desperate, heartsore, and she's only looking for someone to help her around the farm. Or so she thinks.

Jax is defective by his people's standards. The good news is his defect doesn't bother Lilly in the least. The bad news? She's not looking for a trained concubine and he's pinning his own desperate hopes on being kept by her. Hopes which he's pretty certain are going to be shot down. Probably.

These two have a bit of a bumpy road until things smooth out. As you would expect. But Jax ends up finding a place that makes him happy and Lilly learns that there are still honorable men in the big, bad universe who won't leave a lady high and dry at the worst possible time. GOOD STUFF!

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Ash · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a very hard to read. I cannot get behind slavery. It doesn’t matter if the person is green purple has wings has webbed feet or has horns bc slavery is never OK. Property cannot love you. One of the female characters is supposed to be quirky and cute. She stuns her slave over and over again. She then chains him to the bed. This is cute?! He does not want her. He tries to run over and over again. This is supposed to be quirky?! I’m Aware that we’re not on earth but this are human women from earth. Human beings were sold forced to perform chained to beds and were hurt much worse than a electric shock. How can anyone read this and be ok with it?! Maybe slavery triggers me too much idk. I’m usually ok with the dark dark romances but the way this is presented as cute and bubbly bothers me. At least in the dark romances there’s some awareness and emotional torment by the oppressor. This seemed like buying a sentient being is some kind of meet cute.

[Rae (semi-hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confused how there are so many reviews saying this was cute or sweet…

This was…quite something. I’m actually uncomfortable after reading this. 😅

I could not get into Jax and Lilly’s story or their “relationship.” She was a slave owner and he was a slave. She mentioned she didn’t see anything wrong with it until about halfway through! And about that time she finally took off HIS SHOCK COLLAR. Even after she “freed” him, he was still doing everything he could to please her. It honestly made me so uncomfortable, and even thinking about it rn makes me wanna forget. Don’t even get me started on Steph and what all she was doing to Varak. I was grossed out, and it’s written like it’s supposed to be cute and funny.

The only reason I gave this 2 stars is because the writing was well done and I liked the world building. Literally everything else is 🥴

[Yolanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this read, it was light funny no real action but that is what made it different from most of the SFR's that I normally read. The steamy sections were perfectly distributed throughout the book and there was so many feelings being expressed from our Alien and his lack of knowledge from women from other parts of the galaxy made for a hilarious read. It shows us how funny and spectacular life can be when there are cultural differences that we just don't understand or don't take into account. The other characters that I think should have a book also makes the story even better, I can't wait for the BFF of Lilly to have her own story.

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally enjoyed this book! I was sitting there at midnight, laughing out loud at some of the images. A rolling pin!? The characters are so relatable, and so very likeable. Jax is such a delicious combination of sweet, sexy and strong, yet, in a way, innocent. And Lilly was a character I could so look up to. Steph just ruled, and I'd like to read more about her and Varac . I'm hoping this is the start of a new series.

[Annette Dahl "Old Vicarious Reader" · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF – Actually, I really didn’t even get it started because I only got to page 2. I guess I didn’t read the description well enough. But, I can’t read any kind of slavery, even if it’s meant to be funny.

[Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lilly needs help with her farm or the bank is going to take her home. She uses her last bit of money to buy a farmhand, but she actually ends up with a Vandalar saikh. No refunds or exchanges so she’s stuck with him.

This was like a novella to me. I’m not usually into short books, but this was hilarious. It moved quick, it was easy to follow and yeah I had some questions, but not receiving those answers didn’t consume my mind and prevent me from being able to pay attention to the book.

A little more world building would have been nice. However, I enjoyed this quite a bit. It made me smile and laugh.

[Julie Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good

This is a great start of a new series by Miss V. K. Ludwig. I really loved the misunderstanding that keep coming up and they both have to clear the air to move forward.

[Jean Stillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

V. K. Ludwig has written another wonderful tale for her fans and soon to be fans! Sign Here For Horns is hilariously funny! Her intro blurb to the story had me shocked and laughing so hard that I cried! But the funny one-liners don't stop with the intro! Lilly is a 31 year old divorcee who needs a man! Well, she does have a farm on the planet Agari II and needs help with ploughing the fields, repairs to the house, and other farm chores. When she goes against her beliefs to buy a slave to help her save her property, the only one she can afford is Jax, a Vandalar male, who wants to go home with this female more than anything. Miscommunication about his expected duties only add to the this witty, steamy, sexy sci-fi rom/com. You will love Jax and Lilly and her crazy friend Steph. Congrats to V.K. Ludwig as she knocks another out of the park!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing and editing was clean in the ARC version of the manuscript, with pretty sentences and hilarious inner monologue on the part of the heroine. The world building was pretty good, though I did not get a really vivid picture of the colony world's landscape. The characterization of the the hero and heroine was very good, with both of them being sympathetic and complex individuals with strengths and weaknesses. The characterization of the heroine's best friend, however, was weird and did not fit with the light hearted tone of the rest of the novel. *Spoiler* There is a scene in which the heroine's best friend horrifically tortures a Vandalar male for trying to run away from her that is treated in a really light hearted way that is...really not great to read. *End Spoiler* The development of the romantic relationship was sweet and heartfelt, while at the same time really making the reader think. The plot and pacing were tight and enjoyable. The angst was medium low and the stakes pretty high, which tends to be one on my preferred narrative structures for a romance novel. This novel used the Woman Shortage trope. The humor, characterization, and development of the romantic relationship rated four stars. The world building, plot and pacing also rated four stars. I deleted one star from the novel's overall score because the heroine's best friend was really cruel, sadistic and rapey and the heroine seemed to have no problem with her friend's behavior. It really did not fit in a rom-com sci-fi romance. This novel had a Happy Ever After ending instead of a cliffhanger, so that was a big plus. I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy rom-com sci-fi romance and are not triggered by slavery. I hope the best friend is somehow redeemed in the next novel, because I really enjoyed this one, mostly. I will buy myself a keeper copy of this novel.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[girlwithhearteyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars. This was a fun, sweet and steamy read, but also problematic. I am so conflicted!

Lilly is recently divorced, living on an alien planet and needs help with her farm, so she goes to buy a slave to be farmhand. Except the only one she can afford ends up being Jax, a Vandalar saikh (a male concubine) who desperately wants to please his female. Whoops.

Poor Jax. He just wants to be chosen and to be loved. And for Lilly to not (accidentally) burn the food after he spent 2 days carefully preparing it.

Now, the whole purchasing a slave thing concept. It not presented in a dark way, because Lilly declares upfront that she will treat her farmhand well and wanting it to be more like a 'partnership', and Jax is shown to be willing (or as willing as he can be, when he has been taught that his measure of worth is based on whether his female keeps him around). But it is still problematic, especially with how Lilly is PURCHASING A SLAVE (even if she's just doing what she needs to to stay on her feet), and keeps the shock collar on Jax for half the book (even if she doesn't use it, and yeah you could argue it's for protection). However, the book does show a genuine connection building between them when they are working together on the farm, and addresses Jax's freedom/agency in a satisfying way.

If I didn't feel so conflicted this would probably be 4.25 stars!

[•Kate•/ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved and hated this. I did however lose sleep finishing the damn thing. So I was invested in it. I didn’t DNF it.

I will say: the casual attitude towards slavery and all its trappings exhibited by the female characters was.. pretty alarming.

I guess I’m confused as to how I felt. It was well-written. Very polished. I can’t criticize that portion.

But those shock collars. 😬

Also the book bills itself as a Rom-com. Maybe my sense of humor is dead but I didn’t laugh. There was definitely double entendre, tongue-in-cheek silliness in there. But I found it more cringey I suppose?

Jax and his extremely earnest feelings made me hang in there. I suppose that’s it. I wanted to really love it more and in some ways I did. Jax was the saving grace of this book. I fell in love with him. For everything that happened to him he is not a broken creature. I just… really liked him.

[what.rachel.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable novella and the premise of thinking she bought a farm hand when he’s actually a sex slave *chefs kiss*.
They learned to work her farm together and he appreciated that she was reciprocal in gestures.
It was a super sweet read when they both caught feelings but she didn’t know if it was real because of his occupation and he didn’t want to displease her and have her kick him out like all the other females.

I’ll definitely be continuing with this author. The length of the story mixed with heart and steam was a great read after a book slump.

[Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely entertaining, captivating and interesting sexy read. I could not put it down. Wonderfully written with strong, intriguing characters. I want to read more from this author.

[JoyBella · Rating 2 out of 5]

All women could use a Jax every now and then.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot considering the maledom, but I also have thoughtsᵀᴹ.

🌼 This was funny as hell at times

I chose the wanker.
Not because I wanted to, but because the perverted doodle-dasher is the only male i can afford.

🌼 Self-worth, acceptance, and body positivity
I adore the story arch of Jax learning to like his body. I think insecurity about looks is something that isn't explored enough in romance when it comes to male MC. Every FMC and their mother find their body subpar, but the guys? I think this is something that is worth being explored.

🌼 I'm iffy on whole... slavery thing
So I have no problems with slavery in romance, when it's a kink thing. Like, some books want to provide that fantasy for people. It's the world where everything is divided into hyper-BDSM roles. It's meant to be enjoyed as such.

This isn't that. The slavery here is a plot device. And I think it's handwaved too much.
Our heroine does feel a little weird about it, but clearly her financial needs outweigh any moral qualms she might have with slavery. Again, our heroine, is largely fine with being a slave owner when push comes to shove.
Her friend is even worse, though.

"Wait until you see what I treated myself to."

The friend gleefully purchases a guy to use for sex :/
While Jax is happy being a slave for Lilly. The guy the friend buys tries to escape again and again. HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE THERE, LADY. And Jax and Lilly are just fine with this?

"I don't need a female," he snarls. "I'm sick of slaving for them."
"You might want to rethink that."

And Steph is just like, what am I doing wrong???

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong."
"I have no advice, Steph," I say. "You should probably ask Jax."

Yes, Steph. Ask the slave what you're doing wrong in getting your UNWILLING slave to obey you.


🌼 Maledom
Not something I enjoyed, but soft enough that I didn't skip sex scenes. Jax seems more like a service dom, if you can call it that. Most of the story he is very focues on Lilly's pleasure.

Final thoughts
So despite my thoughtsᵀᴹ I liked it a lot. Jax carried it a lot. He was just so sweet. So settling on 3,5 stars rounded up.

[Devon Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say that hasn’t been said already? I received an ARC of this book for reviewing purposes, but I would gladly pay for it and review it on my own.

The author has stepped out of her usual angsty, conflict-filled, emotionally driven comfort zone of Garrison Earth and I couldn’t be happier. Though I love GE, VK Ludwig has had a hidden knack for the romantic comedy all along! Who knew?

This book is perfect when you need a hot alien fix, but you also want some laughs and some light hearted, tender moments.

It’s a quick read, and, honestly, I could have read for another two hours about this couple. But wanting more at the end is better than feeling like it’s gone on too long.

I did read one reviewer who said that the world building wasn’t very in depth. Having read so much of VK Ludwig’s books I will say that her series needs to be taken not as an individual book but more as a whole when it comes to that. The more books you read in a particular series the more the whole world opens up and begins to show itself. This book was about Lily and Jak and her farm, so that is what you got. I like this because it just gives me what I need to enjoy the story at hand....and I trust that, next time, if I need to know about how the planetary government works or what it’s like to shop at the space grocery store Ludwig will set her next couple up there.

I cannot wait for the release of the next book, but in the meantime I will amuse myself rereading this one. I know Lily’s best friend might come across as cold or callous in this one, but I have high hopes that deep down there’s a story behind her actions that will blow us all away.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came back to this book after reading another book by this author that I really liked AND now I remember why I didn't finish it but also left a 4 star rating. The book is super surprising and original. Funny and heartfelt. See my issue is that the name of the main is Lilly, my daughters name is Lily......I mentally came out of the book every single time the name popped up, which SUCKS, but totally my own weird hang up HAHAHAHAHA Its a good book I mean honestly, there has to be a quick fix for us that don't want to hear a particular name shouted out in their head while the lady is getting plowed by the handsome man and vice versa. You give me a Dave or David and I trash the whole book. Anyways, I wanted to continue the series but I also didn't want to be lost in the next book, so I forged ahead and read this thing to completion. It really was just great! Highly recommend. Its one of those melt your heart and make you laugh moments. Definitely not cookie cutter, and has just enough edge to keep it out of the land of cotton candy sweetness.