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“I have trained, battled, and fought my whole life. But winning my mate’s love is the greatest challenge I have ever faced...”

MELANIE

After getting dumped on an alien planet and left for dead by Earth’s leaders, I’m learning to adapt and rebuild my life. It’s what I’m good at. Keeping my head down. Surviving.

But it turns out it’s kind of hard to keep your head down when the brooding, scarred alien warlord of the new tribe follows you with his glinting golden eyes wherever you go.

It gets even harder when you find out you’re supposed to be his mate.

Gahn Taliok makes a lot of promises, and I feel drawn to his hungry eyes and scarred body more than I want to admit. But experience has taught me be wary of things that seem too good to be true. I’ve been hurt one too many times.

I couldn’t even trust my own people, my own family, on my home planet.

How am I supposed to trust an alien warlord from across the universe with my heart?

TALIOK

With so few women in my tribe, I never imagined a life with a mate. But fate, it seems, had other plans for me. The Lavrika has joined me with a strange and wondrous creature called Melanie. After losing my parents so young, the thought of a mate and a family is a sharp joy I never thought I’d feel.

But Melanie does not feel the sacred mate bond for me as I do for her. Even more than that, she looks at me with distrust in her lovely dark eyes. She keeps space between us, and this space hurts more than any scar I’ve ever earned.

It is no great matter. I am a diligent and patient Gahn. I will do everything in my power to win her love to me.

But as Melanie avoids me at every turn, my doubt begins to grow. This human woman may turn out to be my undoing.

I would wait for her forever.
But what if no amount of waiting is enough?

220 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 13, 2021

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Ursa Dax

32 books1,546 followers

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5 stars
1,412 (35%)
4 stars
1,458 (36%)
3 stars
919 (23%)
2 stars
137 (3%)
1 star
26 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews
Profile Image for Kristina .
1,069 reviews997 followers
January 17, 2023
I love me a golden retriever alien. This story was so sweet, two scarred people find love together is a fave trope of mine, couple that with an earnest hero, eager to please, and I’m happy. It’s the simple things that do it for me. This series is a very low stakes read, not a lot of angst or darkness, these are pretty easy to get through and will entertain you. I wouldn’t say they were some of the best alien romance around, but they get the job done.
However this book did a huge pet peeve of mine and frequently called women ‘girls’. I just find that I am physically repelled when authors do this. It must be a trigger for me, that after all we accomplish in life, we get minimized and infantilized by colloquialisms. This book referred to all these accomplished human women as ‘girls’ over and over (33 times) and I died a little inside every time I read it. Once we hit 18 we are adults and should be referred to as women, as boys are referred to as men *except in kink circumstances.
For that reason it doesn’t get the four stars it probably should.
Profile Image for Amrit.
259 reviews18 followers
January 31, 2022
All four of these stars are for Taliok. He is the love of my life and I wish he would step on me. It would be my privilege. My GOD, what a darling baby boo - I can’t, it makes me too emotional.

As for The Exile - if anyone is ever fucking rude to him again, I will riot and kill their entire family. He’s just a sad little sweetheart. Leave him alone!!!!!!

We are still 0 for 3 on the diversity score but apparently, we might end up 1 for 6 if I read the cues correctly for a future book. The numbers are less than ideal but hey 🤷🏽‍♀️
Profile Image for ❀ Jess .
933 reviews112 followers
January 14, 2023
3.8 all for Taliok!


I skipped book 2 because I don’t care for those characters and mainly wanted to spear ahead to Taliok’s story since we meet him in book 1.


Now I LOVED him, he was perfect. *chef’s kiss* I love scarred Hs. 🥰

But the h is where we get to my typical ratings- I didn’t care for her. Her personality felt very disconnected for me. And the scene where she fell back into her “cam girl” ways with the way she was speaking, acting felt really off. Like a flip of a switch she was putting on a show for Taliok. Putting on a show for your alien lover the same way you would for your paying audience feels very… not special. And Taliok was very special. 😭 I didn’t like this pairing.


Insta love cos of the matebond, no sharing.🥰
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Mara.
2,041 reviews4,333 followers
September 10, 2023
3.5 stars - really liked this couple, intrigued by what's going to happen with Baldor's crew
Profile Image for Liv - Livslibrarylabyrinth.
277 reviews60 followers
June 27, 2026
I think this one was definitely an improvement over the last two (not that the last two were bad, I just think this flowed a lot better).

I’m locked in now and excited to keep reading the series.
Profile Image for Jai M {Cat Crazy Dragon }.
879 reviews52 followers
October 29, 2023
2.5⭐️ Not for me.

I can understand why so many liked this. The hero is an absolute sweetie, and the FMC is clearly meant to be sympathetic.

For me though, her development was all over the place and basically annoying.
Didn’t help that she was just sooo young in behaviour, I struggled to believe any of it.

On top of all of this, the story is basically waiting for her to get out of her own way, nothing else.
We get one brief action scene at the end, but the outcome [minus one surprise character], is so predictable, to be boring [this including the tstl moment. For crying out loud, she compares her plan to that of the roadrunner 🤨].

Jacob - Negative Motivation 😬




Spoiler Alert 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨




FMC : strict religious background, however she chooses to stop attending church around 16-17. Argues with parents [argues? Can’t be that strict.].

At 17-18 starts a sexual relationship.
Parents are known to search her room, so this is where she hides condoms [🙄🤨].
Parents kick her out, she moves in with boyfriend.
Boyfriend is a manipulative, verbally abusive tool, stays with him for 2 yrs.


So, either her parents are not that strict, or she’s smart enough to question and find her own answers. But if she’s strong enough to stand up and argue, or smart enough, despite being taught-conditioned not to, why not the boyfriend?

She leaves boyfriend, becomes a cam-girl so can continue school.
Says it’s to own her sexuality and self confidence again.

That alone takes courage and strength, especially as wasn’t a rock bottom choice, starvation, etc.
Again, which is she, weak, vulnerable and sheltered , or strong and confident?

On planet, she’s all prickly, insecure, overly sensitive, as if still dealing with her break-up. It’s been 3 years, all while working as this cam-girl, in very explicit scenarios.

[All this we learn in brief info dumps.]

Her character is all over the place, and we are offered very little detail to make it real, or believable. We are told what her situation was, but no examples, no memories, no specifics as a real survivor would experience.

She comes across as spoilt, whiny, and selfish, rather than sympathetic or vulnerable.

I paused with bated breath, waiting for shock, judgment, disgust. But there was none. Is that because Taliok is such a truly kind and understanding guy? Or is it because he doesn’t know what a cam girl is?


Barbarian, alien planet! 🤯

She puts her values and beliefs on an alien world and judges those there for being different.
She judges the other women for finding their happiness, despite making a very sharp and fast turn around when her time comes.

As for being a geologist, we see none of this, other than collecting rocks.
No testing, no tools, no scrapings, no real history.

When she goes on a scouting trip, she takes NOTHING with her.
Just plans to randomly pick up rocks and bring back 🥱😂 it’s a 2-3 day journey each way, on lizard back..😅

A real geologist would take something to collect scrapings with and in. Would take some basic chemicals to do on site tests.
It’s completely unrealistic to plan to just go back and forth on a 2-3 day journey 🙄😮‍💨

Soooo many holes, poorly used plot devices, and undeveloped characters.

Sorry, but I found it annoying and boring, even with the loveable MMC.
Profile Image for Ivy Deluca.
2,398 reviews341 followers
May 29, 2022
Every new SFR series manages to come up with an entirely new way to view male genitalia. Below Exhibit 1.

I used to look askance at kangaroo peen in another book series because the romance didn't work...and that genital setup is so not my jam. But then Ursa Dax said "hey, how about Doberman ears, cat nose, human bodybuilder torso and thighs....and some kangaroo tail and feet? Or you know, land crocodiles, but not til later?"

description

Um, excuse me what now?

So of course, I've devoured the entire crackilicious series in a couple of weeks. Because that's how I roll.

Any-whoosie, let's do this.

Series: It's a straight up alien soap opera and I'm ok with that. I think it was interesting to come at this familiar trope (human women kidnapped and thrust onto alien planet for REASONS) instead making the kidnapping as part of a mission to explore a strange new world (ok I just kept doing the Star trek opening, but you get what I mean).

The women end up being a reason for separate tribes on the planet Zaphrinax to come together because of the hope of repopulating their numbers with the human women, as opposed to the typical alien villains kidnapping women for sexual slavery etc. The worldbuilding is enough to keep me engaged without getting lost in the minutiae. And the overarching storyline continues to build. I'm digging it, kinda the way I like IPB. Getting to know the Sea Sand folx and their Lavrika's blood that fixes everything, and the survivalist aspect, seeing how the human women are fragile yet determined to make it on this deadly planet. They were all selected for this "mission" because of their particular skillsets and that makes the individual stories click along. It can be a little predictable but I like the comfort factor of that predictability since the physicality and the sheer weird factor of the planet itself keeps things hopping.

This Book: This is my favorite book of the series and the extra star is all for Taliok. His longing for Melanie is seriously *chef's kiss* brilliant. I don't highlight a lot in SFR books, but I was highlighting text left and right in this one. I don't think it's a perfect story but his perfect longing for her love and his complete devotion to her really makes the time when she begins to reciprocate his feelings and they come together really great. I definitely recommend them.
Profile Image for Nicole.
25 reviews7 followers
January 15, 2022
I've enjoyed all the books in this series so far, but this is my favorite. I loved everything about this couple. They were perfect for each other.

Taliok, the new leader of his people, is a gigantic warrior with scars over much of his body. He doesn't talk much in general and thinks he has no clue how to talk to women. Turns out, his rough exterior hides an absolute sweetheart inside. He's patient and kind, and is completely devoted to making his mate happy, even if that means he might have to accept her wish to deny their bond.

Melanie, a geologist with a history of being hurt and betrayed by people she trusts, is initially reluctant to accept their bond and makes her wishes known, but doesn't do it in a mean way. She's kind to Taliok and gives him the chance to earn her trust. It was refreshing to see it written this way after reading so many other books with female characters being cruel or cold to their would-be partners.

The story itself was well written, though there were a few typos. They weren't distracting and didn't interfere with the story.

I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.
Profile Image for Avery Molm.
77 reviews
May 15, 2026
Definitely my favorite so far.
I was definitely not expecting Melanie’s backstory but it definitely fits.
And Taliok is everything.
293 reviews
March 6, 2025
Another good one!
Positives: he asks her to sit on his face, always a plus. I enjoyed learning about Taliok and I liked his strong, quiet personality.

Edit: reread #1. I wish this wasn't so insta love. I enjoyed it even still! Looking forward to Kat's book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Paige Kujan.
86 reviews
July 7, 2026
Another installment! This is basically my cigarette at the end of a long shift — I love a couple of stoics who don’t trust anyone!

They were both people who had been estranged from their parents, and who had adapted the best they could to their circumstances. I think Melanie’s experience with her parents and her ex made her reasonably wary of all people, and especially of someone who approaches with such devotion — it felt unreal and unreasonable, and while that’s kind of the whole point, her slow unveiling of herself was interesting in that I would never ever have expected her adaptations to her new life. I was not expecting to see the words “cam girl” in these alien novels but here we are! I loved that it showed us a whole different side to her, where she’s actually very pragmatic and utilizes what she has to get her where she needs to be. She did that the whole book, and her succumbing to Taliok did seem a little like “well of course she would” but it was also nice to see her open to others emotionally. Awesome!

I wish I could have seen more of Taliok’s interactions with the tribe — I loved that you could see that even orphaned, he was adopted by the Gahn, and he considered him his father. He adapted well while also othering himself from the tribe, though they respect him and his choices. Very interesting dynamic and I would always love to see more platonic relationships between the mains and the rest of the cast. The book is so wonderfully short, but I would have been sat for Taliok getting a hug from his bestie or something fr.

I always feel like I want to see more of what the woman did professionally and what they’re interested in — Melanie didn’t even find sunscreen, or describe a rock! Girl, flaunt your degree, please! Tell Taliok words he doesn’t understand in a long complicated monologue about geology!!!! Maybe I’m still bitter about CeCe, but I love seeing women be smart and capable about things other than men!

That being said, I had a great time, and Ursa always knows how to raise the stakes. I’m betting they won’t find sunscreen until book 5. I need to know more about the Exile right now. For now, golden retriever boyfriend is next.

Song I listened to the most: Naive by LUELLA
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jenni.
7,383 reviews100 followers
November 25, 2023
I stumbled across Ursa Dax and her romance Fated Mates of the Sea Sand Warlords series after finishing up reading books from another author. I wanted something a bit different from normal romance and decided that Sci Fi romance was the go because anything can go. Let me tell you I really enjoyed them and read the whole series one straight after the other,
Alien men in all sizes and shapes, all growly and protective of their mates was just what I needed. Of course, it takes a while for the abducted Human women to come around but that is just part of the fun.
Ursa’s world building makes it so easy to imagine the world she has created, and the characters are so easy to fall in love with.
If you love Sci Fi romance that is messy, sexy, a little alien erotica and fated mates then Ursa is your gal.
I was not disappointed, and I know you won’t be either.
Profile Image for Amanda books_ergo_sum.
677 reviews92 followers
March 3, 2023
ThE sExUaL tEnSiOn. In this book.

Oh my, it was intense. This book was just 216 pages of heart-squeezing, throat-drying, blush-inducing sexual tension. That was it. It was amazing.

Virgin hero. Road-trip. Some adventure danger. And just So. Much. Pining.
Profile Image for Diana Wolf.
192 reviews53 followers
February 11, 2023
FMC: Melanie
MMC(s): Taliok
Tropes: SW (on Earth) Heroine, cinnamon roll/golden retriever MMC, virgin MMC/experienced FMC, fated mates, who hurt you, abduction (human to alien world)
Perspective: Dual
Plot or character driven: Mostly character
Spice level: 4, , but the first scene with her teaching him is a 5
Burn speed: Medium
Can this be read as a stand-alone: Yes, but it's going to make more sense if you have read the previous books.
Re-Readability: High.

I read this once and came back around to listen to it on audiobook. While Buroudei is King Arthur on the Sands and Lancelot on the hides, and Fallo is Scar, Taliok is a cinnamon roll. He's not the saccharine golden retriever, but never doubt that our boy is down to obey whatever his mate wants any time, any day, any where.

Now most of our guys have a little more experience than Taliok, they're a little harder, a little more bellicose, and he has his moments. He's a Gahn, but one of the newest to be made Gahn, and he has a quest for vengeance.

Both Melanie and Taliok have had rough places in their lives and they're both trying to continue with their lives past those things as best they can. And then they come together.

Now that scene... Oy.
1,354 reviews13 followers
October 15, 2021
Melanie is one of a number of women who were destined to be somewhere other than the planet that they have crashed on. They are seriously not designed for this environment where the sun is so strong that it practically burns them to a crisp, it hurts the eyes and there is no real water. That aside the women have chosen to make this theirt home. Their coming has brought the trides of the Sea Sands together in that twof leaders of opposing tribes have each mated a human woman. Melanie is a geologist and is desperately trying to find anything that they can use to create a sunscreen while also trying to fight a strange attraction to one of the most silent of the aliens. Taliok saw his mate in the pools but never truly believed that he would be blessed given his past and his appearance. Yet the quiet and industrious female called Melanie is his. He has no idea how to woo her as she doesn't feel or see the bond as he does. He would ask the males already mated but somehow he has the sense not to and after some advice from the first of the mated women, he chooses to be himself. Well if she cannot love him as he is and he cannot see her worth then they should not be together... they have to start talking to each other first though and that might be the biggest hurdle ever.
Profile Image for Jordie.
163 reviews2 followers
September 27, 2024
What should have realistically taken me like three hours to read, took three days. It was absolutely agonizing to finish after a certain point. The FMC is all over the place, and goes from shy and distrusting and bordering on traumatized to hypersexual seduction, like??? She flips in the matter of like two days and then she's trying to dirty talk and give him a strip tease? It just absolutely makes no sense. Any real information we receive about the characters are done in obnoxious info dumps.

Not to mention she's a geologist but like, there's no substance to that either. She's just picking up rocks and setting them back down. It would've been cool to see it actually used.

I'll say the MMC alone deserves more stars but I just can't bring myself to do it because the FMC disappointed me so much when I had such high hopes after the very beginning.

Still, looking forward to the next one and hoping it doesn't disappoint. Next dude seems very golden retriever energy.
Profile Image for Becca Saylor.
Author 13 books54 followers
August 10, 2022
If I Could Give More Than Five Stars…

I would absolutely rate this series, this writer, at 500 stars if I could. These books are lighter science fiction, and yet???? They are hilarious and deeply emotional and BEAUTIFUL. The characters, the scenery described, the way that the plot follows the current and sets up the next book perfectly - and the overall plot marching on in such a realistic way?!
I can’t get enough.
DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR and read these books. All of them. And, when you’ve finished? Go back and read them again!!
Profile Image for Alejandra Guerrero.
1,871 reviews8 followers
March 17, 2025
This was better than Fallo and Chapman’s book (God, I hate those two). Taliok was a consent king. He let her take the initiative and it really felt like she had all the power in the relationship. They actually talk and have somewhat meaningful conversations before the “I love you”. It still felt rushed. The ending wasn’t satisfying. 3.5 rounded up.
Profile Image for  ~*~Princess Nya Vasiliev~*~.
1,224 reviews7 followers
December 22, 2021
I had a very strong feeling that I was going to love this one...and I love being right.

Taliok and Melanie are incredible together. Their story was emotionally intense for the majority of their book. And I was here for every second of it.😜👅 I so loved watching their journeys and feelings unfold and Bloom for one another...
Great read. And I'm way too intrigued about the hybrid being "The Exile" that was introduced in this book. Please hurry with his story or more info on him. I am frightened and intrigued about this dude and who his mate will be, since he's clearly searching for her in here..

So based on all 3 books, I would recommend this series thus far.

I am gonna take a little break and then return for book 4, Kat and Galok's story. Though Kat is getting on my nerves with how rude she was to him in this book.
Profile Image for Jenni.
7,383 reviews100 followers
November 25, 2023
I stumbled across Ursa Dax and her romance Fated Mates of the Sea Sand Warlords series after finishing up reading books from another author. I wanted something a bit different from normal romance and decided that Sci Fi romance was the go because anything can go. Let me tell you I really enjoyed them and read the whole series one straight after the other,
Alien men in all sizes and shapes, all growly and protective of their mates was just what I needed. Of course, it takes a while for the abducted Human women to come around but that is just part of the fun.
Ursa’s world building makes it so easy to imagine the world she has created, and the characters are so easy to fall in love with.
If you love Sci Fi romance that is messy, sexy, a little alien erotica and fated mates then Ursa is your gal.
I was not disappointed, and I know you won’t be either.
Profile Image for Sophie Boyce.
662 reviews5 followers
August 10, 2024
Book 3 is Melanie & Taliok. Taliok was shown that Melanie was his mate before she even arrived on his planet, and he been excited to meet her, but she isn't keen on a mate, esp.

Taliok was so sweet, and finding out how he got all his scars just makes you love him more. The fact he asks for help on how to make Melanie fall in love with him and as he's not a big talker, he needed to really get out of his comfort zone.

As usual with Ursa's books, we have great romance, spice, and alien men who are obsessed with their mates.
Profile Image for Hannah Boyd.
793 reviews27 followers
February 17, 2023
It was good! But I made the mistake of reading this one back to back with 1st, i was so ready to be done with reading by the end of it lmao

It had some super funny moments lol
Steam- 2.5/5
Profile Image for Cheese.
50 reviews
March 18, 2025
I’m sorry but the amount of spelling and grammar errors ruined this for me-
Profile Image for jakira.
1,293 reviews99 followers
March 21, 2023
✨ fated mates
✨ pining
✨ road trip

🌶 spice: 2.75/5
❌ CW: toxic parents/ex

def one of my more fave ones in this series.. these alien men are truly so soft I LOVE
Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews