Xarik Tek-ra is one of few of his kind who do not want to take over the Stryxian empire by force. He is a Vanyi—one of the rare, silver-scaled Stryxians possessing devastating mind powers. When he finds an unconscious human female in the middle of nowhere and returns with her to his settlement, his mala is awakened. She may be his true mate, but she is terrified of him. It was other Vanyi who had abducted her, making winning her trust the greatest challenge of his life.
Andi Belta barely escaped with her life, only to wake up face-to-face with one of the monsters who abducted her. But Xarik is nothing like the other Vanyi who took her. He seems determined to help her find those who harmed her and rescue the other women who are still trapped. As she learns to trust him, she also finds herself powerfully drawn to him. But are her emotions true, or is he manipulating her with his powerful mind control abilities?
When Xarik and Andi dive deep into enemy territory to rescue the other abducted women, they learn this is no simple rescue mission. Dark forces are at work on Stryxia and threaten to destroy the work that has brought the planet back from the brink of ruin. They may save Andi’s friends and bring the traitors to justice, but at what price? How far will Xarik go to win the trust and love of the woman he is destined for?
This is book four of the Stryxian Alien Warrior series but can be read alone with no cliffhangers and no cheating. I write what I love to read, so there is always consent and always a happy ending.
The following ratings are out of 5: Romance: 🖤💙❤️💚 Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥 Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔 World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍🌎 Character development: 🙂🥰☺️😂😀 Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙 Narration type: Dual Narration
The heroine:Andromeda (a.k.a. Andi) - she was abducted from earth while walking her dog down a normal street. She was taken to a small windowless room with a bunch of other earth women and held captive. They were sometimes taken to a lab where they were cuffed to a ben and pumped full of hallucinogenic drugs which was basically torture. At one point when one of the drugs didn’t seem to work on her and there was an emergency in the lab, she was able to sneak out and escape. Though she didn’t get far before she passed out.
The Hero:Xarik - he is a Vanyi, which is a different species than the regular Stryxians. The Vanyi have mental powers that most Stryxians do not have. They have the ability to see what is in other individual’s minds and even to push his will into their minds. A lot of the Vanyi had broken from Stryxian society to follow a male that Xarik grew up with called Sleer who thought they were superior to the rest of the Stryxians and should be treated as such. Because of this, many of the Stryxians in his village look at him with fear and distrust.
The Story: Xarik understands why the rest of his people may distrust him, but he does his best to try to reassure them that he is trustworthy. He lives in a small domed village on Stryxia. Since the Morr’ta decimated their planet by using most of their natural resources, they have been making great strides in renewing their planet and making it livable again. They live inside a dome because outside, the air is thin, and they need breathing devices. Though every few days, Xarik travels outside and flies around the area to check the progress of the lands and also to make sure there is nothing to defend against. On one of his trips, he finds Andi and takes her to his settlement.
Andi is immediately afraid Xarik, since he is a Vanyi like those who kidnapped her, but eventually he shows her that she is now safe and that he is not part of that group that held her captive. Xarik immediately starts to feel a bond forming between them, but since Andi is not on Stryxia by choice, he knows he can’t have her as a mate.
This book was different than the previous books in this series. I liked the fact that it took place on the planet of Stryxia and that Xarik is unique in that he is a Vanyi. There were other great characters as well, such as the human female Kira who was a former lieutenant with the UEA, there was also the Stryxian doctor who took care of Andi and Xarik’s friend Arris, who was a bit of a recluse, but he was a mechanical genius who created different gadgets for all sorts of things. The world building was great, and the story was both interesting and exciting, as well as romantic and steamy.
This audiobook was told in dual points of view via dual narration and was narrated by Elle Sonali and Zachary Johnson. I like both of these narrators quite a bit. Zachary Johnson has a deep, clear voice and speaks in a formal manner that works well for an alien male. Elle Sonali has a soft, feminine voice which is very pleasant and sounds very natural.
There will be spoilers (I honestly don’t know how to write proper reviews without them).
This was my first by this author. I will say, she writes well, it’s just it’s not exactly my preferred style of writing. But I kept on.
She gives the physical descriptions of the main MCs, BUT she doesn’t give too much description of the side characters. She did of a couple of the other women, but she didn’t give a description of the mother that showed up in the bonus epilogue. Which I felt was SO important. I would have liked to know how her mom looked, and better yet, an age.
Which brings me to another point. The author did not give us the age of Andi, or Xarik. Maybe the ages and life spans of the aliens were listed in previous books, but it stated clearly on the book description that this one could be read a stand alone. If that’s the case, then each book needs to be able to stand completely on its own. Meaning, all these questions need to be answered.
For me, knowing the ages of the MCs, or those who are important side characters, is important to me. It adds a bit more depth and reality to the story.
I loved Xarik. He was beautiful and strong and so mouthwatering. I wanted him. Like, if he were real, I’d steal that alien for myself. I loved the way he looked. Just breathtaking.
I would have liked more info on what happened with her mom and the potential alien love interest. Or, better yet, a book dedicated to her.
Xarik and Andi’s story is yet another mesmerizing addition to the Stryxian Alien Warrior series. Exciting, romantic, action packed and infused with energy it was an expertly written narrative. Taking place on the planet Stryxia a place recently ravaged by a war with the Morr-ta and their allies of rouge Vanyi Stryxian the planet is slowly being brought back to life by its inhabitants. While on patrol one day Vanyi Xarik who is a subset of the Stryxian race once the sages, prophets and advisors of his people finds human female Andi near death. Returning to his Trakia settlement with her the race is on to discover what she was doing in the plains of Sanrous and how she got there. Lots of suspense and intrigue soon follow as does the Mala mate bond springing to life between the two. Great writing and world building continues to bring the stories to life in these over arching stand alone stories, and this fourth entry was no exception. Thoroughly enjoyable Sci-Fi Romance read and can’t wait for the next!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Possessed by the Stryxian is book 4 in the Stryxian Alien Warriors series. This is an off-planet alien romance between a human female and a Stryxian male. Each book is a different couple, but we do see various characters throughout the series. I really enjoyed this book and the continuation of the overall storyline. This has been a fun series so far and I look forward to continuing on to book 5. The narration was good. Both narrators did a great job.
Stryxian Alien Warrior Series. Like most alien novels, there was a galactic war. And like most alien romance novels, it involves human women for brides. The Morr-tas attacked Earth. The Stryxians came to our aide under the condition that once the war was over, Earth provided females for Stryxian males. They were having some issue with only producing male offspring and it was jeopardizing the future of their race. Earth was running a little short on men due to sending them all as soldiers to fight the battle. This series takes place at the point where the Morr-ta war was won, and it is time to pay up (by the means of women). All unattached women of child bearing age were entered into a lottery. Once picked, they were shipped to a settlement where they would choose their alien to mate with. Around book 4, however, the lottery system was abolished, and turned to a strictly voluntary deal. With the lack of human men, they were able to complete the agreement with volunteers alone. The Stryxians were gorgeous masculine beings. They stood at 7 feet tall, covered in muscles and gray skin with scales, sharp facial features, thick leathery wings arced from their backs, with black eyes that only changed colors when they were mated. They all basically looked like Greek Gods, but better.
Possessed by the Stryxian is book 4 in this series, and follows Xarik and Gwen in a first person perspective. This relationship developed outside the lottery women. Andromeda Belta (Andi) was a decommissioned soldier of the United Earth Alliance after the war ended. She was a bartender that lived in Oregon, was abducted by the Vanyi and Morr-ta, and taken to a secret underground base as a prisoner. Xarik’s a subset of the Strixian line called the Vanyi. He’s similar to his brethren, except he’s skinnier with less muscle and his scales are a lighter silver opposed to the darker grey, and his wings are lighter as well. The Vanyi were once the sages, prophets, and advisors of the Stryxian people. They possess powers of the mind that were used for divination, council, and negotiation. Unlike Sleer who used his powers for evil. Because of Sneer, his own people remained leery of Xarik, who was the very last Vanyi with wings and honor, who refused to side with the greedy Sleer. We first met Xarik in book 1 of this series, when Sleer kidnapped Trinity and sent her to Xarik’s settlement.
My first impression of Andi’s character was not positive. I thought she was a judgmental b*tch. Sure, she was abducted by the Vanyi, but even she admitted that Xarik looked nothing like her abductors. Yet she has the nerve to treat him like sh*t after she KNEW he didn’t hurt her? Wtf? So if you’re mugged by a Mexican, are you gonna treat every single Mexican like a villain? Actually, don’t answer that, because I fear the answer. Even on advanced alien planets, racism runs rampant. I digress… back to the single minded character in this book. She even had the nerve to pat herself on the back at how her bartending “skills” provided her the ability to “read people.” Well it looks like you sück at that too princess. She eventually apologized, and I found myself slowly forgiving her, but also being hypocritical of her every move after. Overall, I felt like she never deserved Xarik, and he undoubtedly deserved FAR better than her.
Xarik found and rescued Andi after she escaped from the hidden base that held her captive. It took 2 weeks of Andi being in the med bay before she was recovered. They provided her a cloak for a disguise since the captors will still looking for her and the village had no defenses. They had to play it safe to prevent an attack on the settlement. Eventually, she agreed to have her mind analyzed for clues so they can find this mysterious base and rescue the other abducted women. Andi and Xarik left the settlement and set off on a dangerous mission to find the missing women. They found them; all brainwashed and subservient to their captors. The place Andi escaped from turned out to be a cloaked pop-up city where mercenaries received goods in exchange for services. They found an ally in a cyborg mercenary named Mazak, whose only interest was killing Sleer, who was running the entire market in attempt to regain power. Since they had a common enemy with common goals, they worked together and formulated a plan. It worked, of course. They killed Sleer, saved the hostages, and blew up the mercenary market on the way out. Commander Raig from Tyro base met everyone in the settlement shortly after they returned. He took care of the irritating Garos, helped attend to the abducted females, placed Xarik officially in charge of the settlement, and arranged for Andi’s mom and dog to be brought to her. As expected, they got their well-earned happy ending.
Stryxians have a 6 inch tongue and their cocks are similar to a human’s, but bigger, with a series of ridges running parallel to the head, along the top of the shaft. (Picture a cock with speed bumps that expand your lips upon gliding over.) Xarik and Andi didn’t get intimate until the 50% point; half way through the book. It took longer than the previous books to achieve erotic pleasure. Realistic, considering her traumatized experience. At least Andi was completely on board with the mate bond by the time it happened. Their love-making was passionate, as displayed in prior books. Unfortunately, the romance has become mundane and repetitive; almost boring now that I’m 5 books in. Same story, different couple.
The book didn’t suck. It was a major improvement from the last one. It probably would’ve been better if I didn’t start out despising one of the main characters I was supposed to be rooting for. And because I’m committed at this point, I feel obligated to finish the series. Onto the next book…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The writing and editing of the ARC version of the manuscript was clean, with no typos that I found and well constructed sentences. The world building was vibrant, with the terraforming environment of the hero’s home world and the mercenary encampment coming to life. The characterization was great, with both the hero and heroine being sympathetic individuals with strengths and weaknesses. The development of the romantic relationship was sweet and sizzling, with great chemistry. The heat level of this novel was three chili peppers. The plot was exciting, full of action and adventure. There was one scene of the heroine wielding two assault weapons that made me cackle! I loved it. As a consequence, the pacing flew by. There was low angst and high stakes throughout this novel, which tends to be one of my preferred narrative structures for a romance novel. This novel used the Fated Mates trope and the Defying Prejudice trope. The world building, plot, and pacing were all four stars. The characterization and development of the romantic relationship were also four stars. I therefore gave this novel a combined rating of four stars. This novel ended on a Happy Ever After ending instead of a cliffhanger ending, so that was a big plus. I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy humor, action, and wise, centered heroes in their sci-fi romances. I look forward to reading the next book in this series when it releases. I will probably buy myself a keeper copy of this novel. It was fun and made me happy.
I received a free advance review copy of this book, and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is my first book by the author and I really enjoyed it. The hero Xarik wasn't trusted my most of the Stryxian people. He is a Vanyi- beings who possessed powers of the mind and were once sages, prophets, and advisors. But when a friend and fellow Vanyi rose up and began using his powers as a weapon, along with the majority of the Vanyi, they were considered an enemy and a threat. Xarik refused to follow such a path, and though he remains loyal to the Stryxian people, they viewed him with distrust and wariness. While flying on patrol, he finds a human woman unconscious and near death and brings her to the settlement for immediate medical assistance. Her name is Andi, and they soon learn she was abducted from Earth along with other human woman- tortured and attempted mind controlled. The force against them is dangerous and could endanger the lives of those on the settlement. But the other abducted women are also in danger and need to be rescued before it's too late.
This book is really interesting- an alien planet ravaged by war whose natural resources were being depleted and now slowly recovering. Even the air itself is thinner and harder to breathe in- more so for humans than Stryxians and Vanyi.
I took an immediate liking to Xarik. I always have a soft spot for heroes who are wrongfully mistreated or judged for their appearance or the actions of others. I always want them to get their happy ending and the respect (and love) they deserve.
This is your standard earthling being mated to an alien read. Andromeda/Andi was kidnapped by one set of aliens, who did the typical experimenting and selling the captured women thing. She escaped and was rescued by another set of aliens where she meets Xarik. Not an auspicious first meeting as she thought he was one of her original kidnappers and freaked out.
Once the dust settles, they decide to rescue the other women still being held by the bad aliens. The rescue and subsequent happenings are all pretty much paint by numbers for every B rated alien film, complete with a jerk that wants to make trouble for Andi and Xarik.
Andi held her own and didn’t become the hysterical female when things got tough, which I liked. Xarik due to his mental abilities was able to figure out what made Andi tick and catered to her needs. The characters were likeable however the plot was predictable and nothing out of the ordinary from other books in this genre. It’s an easy read without to much mental lifting.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Another book with the Stryxian characters. The characters in this story are Xarik Tek-ra and Andi Belta. Andi sees him as the enemy but in reality he is against the violence created by his people. There is adventure as these two work through their relationship to get to their happy ever after.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Have read all the books in this series. It is very good filled with adventure and a different take on tbe storyline. The characters come to life on the pages .. I can highly recommend this series. I am looking foward to the next installment and the world known as Stryxia.
Wow, so much going on here! I was stuck in this story right from the start. I absolutely loved Andi and I'm glad that Xarek finally gets his chance at love! This story was exciting, full of dramatic twists and characters that will have you feeling all the feels for them. The story has layers and each one pulls you in deeper. I can't wait to read the next one!
Ok ok so yeah this is the best one by far. Yep I am not changing my mind on this gawd this story was the best. Yeah it could use punctuation but when I read a book I read to go somewhere and be someone else and this story did that. I was there. I felt it so yeah. It was toooo good 😊
Another great story from this series. Andi escapes after being kidnapped from earth and a Vaniey happens to find her before she dies…from their their adventure begins
I liked this book the best so far. I've read the other 3 and look forward to the next one. Well written and very well thought out. You really couldn't figure out what was going on or what was going to happen.
This was a good story. I started the series with this one so I am reading out of sequence. Which only means I am missing some of the back stories. Even with that in mind, I still found the characters and story flow enjoyable without any "holes" so to speak.
Andromeda is a character an escaped prisoner who almost dies but for Xarik a Vanyi Stryxian with wings. She draws Xarik into helping find and possibly free her fellow prisoners.
Another book bites Holy moly Wow!!! From the plot to the storyline to the added extras, this book has humongous humor. It's a pleasure reading through this series.❤️🔥
Xarik was introduced to us a couple of books back. I liked him then and I'm really happy that he has is own story and now has a mate, Andi. What an awesome book!
I love how each book adds so much new detail to the world of the Stryxians and their mates. It kept me wanting to go to the next book and the next… And the sex was good too!! ;-)
These are wonderful stories with wonderful plot lines but for me I feel let down in the end even after reading the funnel epilogues. It would be nice to see or to read epilogues that show the couples far in the future.
So difficult to describe the FMC in the initial stages? The MMC is described, thoroughly, but it takes and extended time to give the physical attributes of the females. Not all earth females are Caucasus---as this female character.
This was more opposites attracting & I was here for it. Xarik was very self-restrained whereas Andi was more fiery & temperamental; I actually really enjoyed her character & loved that Xarik ended being an untapped well of power. Just overall hot couple vibes.