Swarm

by Rhea V. May

A merciless villain. A woman who has tasted the sour tang of betrayal. And a mistake—that against all odds, reunites them.

With solid virtues and a lack of pretense, Melissa Mason has never wished for impossible things. Even blessed with above-average intelligence, she has never sought to surpass her Tert status.

But then she meets him—Oron A’Keni, the Emperor of the Kessar. And everything changes.

Before, she believed in his lies. Now, she lives and breathes fury. He called her his most precious, then stabbed her in the back.

Before, she thought him a victim. Broken and misguided. Now, she sees the truth.

Before, she dreamed about their bright, love-filled future. Now, she pictures the alien bastard’s face when her blow will come.

Hiding from everyone and everything, Melissa couldn’t care less about the crisis Earth is facing, with the threat of extinction a hair’s breadth away. All she wants is revenge.

And nothing is going to stop her. Not even the latest development, where she finds herself joining him on a trip—into the past.

But to survive this unknown universe, she has to postpone her greatest wish and form a reluctant team with the only person capable of keeping her safe.

All too soon, Melissa realizes her fears were unfounded. For there’s no greater danger than falling back in love with the arrogant emperor.

Publisher’s note: “Swarm” is the third book in the Delta Sydra Storm series. It’s a stand-alone Enemies to Lovers Dark Alien Romance, complete with HEA. Please note: mature content, dark themes, graphic violence, and strong language can be found within. May contain triggers. If such material offends you, please don’t read.

295 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2021

About the author

Rhea has once swooped down on a winged sea serpent and defeated a giant with one clean stroke of her mighty sword. She has scaled spires as tall as mountains and skipped across roofs at breakneck speeds. She has traveled to another galaxy inside a soap bubble and ate fluffy marshmallows with a bunch of aliens.

She has...

No, not really.

But she is (and always be) a storyteller. Because whenever she feels lost, stories are what she needs to bounce back. To that end, she finally committed to putting her mind’s designs to paper. And with each story, she reclaims a little more of her real self.

Rhea also likes lists, cats, and coffee. She abhors lies, tardiness, and steadfast seriousness.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing and editing of the ARC version of the manuscript was clean, with no typos that I found and an enjoyable authorial voice. The world building was competent. The characterization was good, with the heroine being sympathetic and me hating the hero’s guts initially before falling in love with him as the heroine did. The development of the romantic relationship was passionate and contentious, with hate turning to love. The heat level in this novel was two stars, considering it was quite a slow burn. The plot was action packed and exciting, so the pacing was therefore rocket fast. There was a high amount of well justified 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 Enemies to Lovers 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 had a Happy Ever After ending instead of a cliffhanger ending, so that was a major plus. I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy dark world building and high stakes in their sci-fi romances. I look forward to reading the next book by this author when it releases. I will not be buying myself a keeper copy of this novel.

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

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and gritty, Swarm by Rhea V. May is an extremely immersive read with engaging characters, and a wonderfully imagined plot line that is wholly complimented with a narrative that flows evenly throughout.
Sci-Fi Romance, and time travel make the premise of the story both unique and original.
The world building is extensive incorporating plenty of action while delivering the reader with a well written adventure that is intertwined with the complex relationship of the two leads Oron A’Keni and Melissa Mason rediscovering the love they once held for each other before they became enemies.
The story was very atmospheric and is a well done exiting read. HEA

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

[Kristine L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really intense story. The storyline was fast paced with great characters. This is a time travel, action and a love story that reconnects someone you loved at one time and finding that love again. Oron A;Keni and Melissa Mason find their way to each other and end up getting their HEA. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[BookLover1990]

This was a delightful story that I came upon by chance. The author is amazing at world building! The descriptions were vivid and it really painted a beautiful picture of the locations and characters.

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

[Juanita E. Arp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about second chances and changing the past. Melissa and Oron take adventure to a new level in this book. It's entertaining and I can't wait for more from this author. I received this book , as a FREE ARC copy to read and I voluntarily leave this review.

[Athena Diven · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome ending to an epic saga! Melissa falls in love with Oron, Emperor of the Kessar and believes in his fight against the veil. She believes that he feels the same way about her too. He says she's his Kessar, his fated mate. What she's unprepared for is the lengths that he'll go in his fight against the veil and the sacrifices he will make, with no regard to her or her people. Which is the real Oron? Has he been deluding her all along? Is he a monster? What I liked about this is that, you come to find out that nothing is ever cut and dried and sometimes people, even alien emperors make the wrong decisions. Loved the storyline and thought the worldbuilding and character development was spot on. A really grreat read! Bravo!

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

[Indie · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it !! love this series !!! love Melissa and Oron... this is their story... a fast paced action packed revenge drama... once upon a time... Melissa was in love with Oron... so much so... when he betrayed her.. all of her love turned to hate... she only dreamed of revenge.. that's all she lived for... when she has to team up with him.. you can feel her hate... Oron did what he had to.. maybe it wasn't right but... they travel back in time ... will they remember the love they had for each other ?.

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

[Lisa Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melissa and Oron’s adventure is about changing the past thru time travel. This is a sci-fi love story with action and finding a second chance at love. They find their way back to each other ending in a HEA. This is my first sci-fi romance book, this one is different than my usual read, but I will be looking in reading more from the author.

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

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in the Delta Sydra Storm series a well written story that kept me turning pages. Melissa Mason and Oron A’Keni, the Emperor of the Kessar's story of a second chance with all the ups and downs they go through to get it. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Reader03 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get ready for a nice fast paced romance where time travel and action meets plus very interesting well developed characters. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing story that kept me guessing from the beginning. The mixed signals from his character were compelling and made this book impossible to put down once I started reading. Nicely done. I requested a copy of this book and am voluntarily writing a review.