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Xithilene Mates #1
Unblessed
Naomi Parsons discovers things get complicated when you unintentionally catfish a Xithilene priest. She wasn’t planning on falling in love with an alien—or on lying to him. Now he's coming to her sleepy little town for Christmas, and he assumes that she's his mate. It turns out she should've read the fine print on that mate portal website before she signed along the dotted line...
R’visth has his own share of secrets, yet he hopes his prospective mate will be able to overlook his flaws. All his life, he has longed for a woman who can see that he is more than his faults. When he travels to Earth with little more than a single piece of luggage and naked hope, he isn’t sure whether he’ll be welcomed with open arms or sent back to Xithilene in disgrace.
Naomi and R’visth are from worlds apart, yet they’ve been searching for the same things. When they meet, they’ll get the chance to have it all: love, belonging, and family—but only if their enemies don’t stop them first. Not everyone is happy to have an alien in their midst, and some people will stop at nothing to get what they want.
R’visth has his own share of secrets, yet he hopes his prospective mate will be able to overlook his flaws. All his life, he has longed for a woman who can see that he is more than his faults. When he travels to Earth with little more than a single piece of luggage and naked hope, he isn’t sure whether he’ll be welcomed with open arms or sent back to Xithilene in disgrace.
Naomi and R’visth are from worlds apart, yet they’ve been searching for the same things. When they meet, they’ll get the chance to have it all: love, belonging, and family—but only if their enemies don’t stop them first. Not everyone is happy to have an alien in their midst, and some people will stop at nothing to get what they want.
363 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 21, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 19, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up
I thought Naomi (h) and R’visth (H) were such likable main characters. Besides both having great personalities, they had a lot of depth with detailed backgrounds and character traits. Naomi lives in a small, Northern town on Earth (which has become mostly desolate and struggling). She lives with her aunt and young nephew and one night while she's out with friends, she drinks a little too much and signs up for a mating portal for another planet. She does use someone else's photo for her profile. R’visth is a priest on that planet and is considered "unblessed" because he has wings. He has a traumatic background and is treated very poorly. He also signs up for the portal and uses someone else's photo, to hide his wings. R’visth sends Naomi a message and from there they start communicating regularly and developing deeper feelings long distance. Then comes the opportunity for R’visth to travel to Earth. Written in third person, dual POV. No ow drama, om drama from Naomi's sister's ex who has decided he wants her. H is a virgin and h is not (no real history given for her).
I loved their messages and another friend mentioned wishing for more of them. They each had their insecurities and were uncertain so the messages allowed them to open up, even if they were also hiding behind other photos. When they met for the first time in person, they cleared the air about their deceptions and it was so nice to not have the story descend into huge amounts of angst. Overall, this was a low angst book. There is some drama regarding the om, who's also unwelcoming to having an alien around. But most of the town is kind and accepting of R’visth, which surprised him and gave him lots of warm fuzzy feelings since he wasn't accepted on his own planet.
Their relationship does develop quickly once they're in person, including the steam, but it also made sense because they'd been in contact for 6 months prior. R’visth's self esteem really developed and Naomi stepped out of her comfort zone to take a chance early on with committing to their relationship. I loved all the daily interactions and scenes, before they met and after. There were also lots of cultural differences being shared and communication. R’visth had to adjust to human clothing, Naomi was perturbed by some of his normal priestly worship, things like that. Naomi is also descended from Native Americans so there is a bit of that part of her culture shared.
The story did read slow for me in places because this author just seems to be kind of wordy and overly descriptive in places. Sometimes I found myself skimming, but I really liked the characters and their situation. It really hit the spot from all the high angst relationship books I've read this year. They were just so adorable together. Most of the world building happened in the prior series I think, but there are enough details that this story is pretty clear, although some nuances may be lost.
There is some danger with a threat to R’visth and their relationship from the om. There's also a side plot about what happened to Naomi's sister, who disappeared mysteriously leaving behind her son. I didn't love the resolution to these side plots, but I didn't hate them either. I thought both could have used something a bit more. Lots of side characters with Naomi's family and her friends. There's also the liaison for the aliens who've come to Earth who plays an important role.
They do get their HEA and it was adorable. I would have loved an extended epilogue with them further down the road, maybe with a child, since R’visth wasn't interested in children (because of his wings) until Naomi.
I thought Naomi (h) and R’visth (H) were such likable main characters. Besides both having great personalities, they had a lot of depth with detailed backgrounds and character traits. Naomi lives in a small, Northern town on Earth (which has become mostly desolate and struggling). She lives with her aunt and young nephew and one night while she's out with friends, she drinks a little too much and signs up for a mating portal for another planet. She does use someone else's photo for her profile. R’visth is a priest on that planet and is considered "unblessed" because he has wings. He has a traumatic background and is treated very poorly. He also signs up for the portal and uses someone else's photo, to hide his wings. R’visth sends Naomi a message and from there they start communicating regularly and developing deeper feelings long distance. Then comes the opportunity for R’visth to travel to Earth. Written in third person, dual POV. No ow drama, om drama from Naomi's sister's ex who has decided he wants her. H is a virgin and h is not (no real history given for her).
I loved their messages and another friend mentioned wishing for more of them. They each had their insecurities and were uncertain so the messages allowed them to open up, even if they were also hiding behind other photos. When they met for the first time in person, they cleared the air about their deceptions and it was so nice to not have the story descend into huge amounts of angst. Overall, this was a low angst book. There is some drama regarding the om, who's also unwelcoming to having an alien around. But most of the town is kind and accepting of R’visth, which surprised him and gave him lots of warm fuzzy feelings since he wasn't accepted on his own planet.
Their relationship does develop quickly once they're in person, including the steam, but it also made sense because they'd been in contact for 6 months prior. R’visth's self esteem really developed and Naomi stepped out of her comfort zone to take a chance early on with committing to their relationship. I loved all the daily interactions and scenes, before they met and after. There were also lots of cultural differences being shared and communication. R’visth had to adjust to human clothing, Naomi was perturbed by some of his normal priestly worship, things like that. Naomi is also descended from Native Americans so there is a bit of that part of her culture shared.
The story did read slow for me in places because this author just seems to be kind of wordy and overly descriptive in places. Sometimes I found myself skimming, but I really liked the characters and their situation. It really hit the spot from all the high angst relationship books I've read this year. They were just so adorable together. Most of the world building happened in the prior series I think, but there are enough details that this story is pretty clear, although some nuances may be lost.
There is some danger with a threat to R’visth and their relationship from the om. There's also a side plot about what happened to Naomi's sister, who disappeared mysteriously leaving behind her son. I didn't love the resolution to these side plots, but I didn't hate them either. I thought both could have used something a bit more. Lots of side characters with Naomi's family and her friends. There's also the liaison for the aliens who've come to Earth who plays an important role.
They do get their HEA and it was adorable. I would have loved an extended epilogue with them further down the road, maybe with a child, since R’visth wasn't interested in children (because of his wings) until Naomi.
December 25, 2022
This was an adorably sugary sweet holiday alien romance. What starts on a whim turns to love for this space alien and his human mate. Neither expects to find love via an online dating program. Both upload false images, insecure and doubting their own worth, unknowingly catfishing one another. They can’t deny the chemistry between them and so R’visth comes to earth determined to find his HEA. Luckily for them their false images actually make they’re meeting in person even better as both are rather blown away and immediately smitten. The two spent months getting to know one another online and when they physically meet it’s like fate. These two are so cute together it was so much fun watching them learn about one another, their customs etc. Such a great holiday read!
January 20, 2023
Representation: Biracial Yooper Native American Heroine, Yooper Native American supporting character, Yooper Native American side character
Overall: 4-stars
Safety Rating: Safe
Possible Triggers: Yes
Ending:
Overall: 4-stars
Safety Rating: Safe
Possible Triggers: Yes
Ending:
December 2, 2021
DNF - quit at 18%
I had a really hard time getting into this book. The blurb said it can be read independently/stand-alone from the series it came from, but I disagree There's a lot of info skipped over in this book, or I would assume so, since I didn't read any from the series. I felt lost or confused over a lot of things going on (like why his wings are bad to his alien society). The flow is super duper slow. I lost interest real quickly. The short "letters" that are sort of like emails I guess, thru the dating site, start off so boring, then it skips ahead like 4 months & they are talking serious, like they are romantically involved. I had a hard time with the fact that they both lied to each other about their physical appearance & never filled the other in. I guess cause I didn't catch the nuances to the wing factor, that I didn't understand, but her, made no sense at all, she's not described as ugly or anything, to hide her looks. The characters are super flat, nothing about them drew me in or made me care. So much is against them, & I can't even care if they sort it out. I definitely won't be reading the series.
At my age (60), life is way too short & my time is too important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
I had a really hard time getting into this book. The blurb said it can be read independently/stand-alone from the series it came from, but I disagree There's a lot of info skipped over in this book, or I would assume so, since I didn't read any from the series. I felt lost or confused over a lot of things going on (like why his wings are bad to his alien society). The flow is super duper slow. I lost interest real quickly. The short "letters" that are sort of like emails I guess, thru the dating site, start off so boring, then it skips ahead like 4 months & they are talking serious, like they are romantically involved. I had a hard time with the fact that they both lied to each other about their physical appearance & never filled the other in. I guess cause I didn't catch the nuances to the wing factor, that I didn't understand, but her, made no sense at all, she's not described as ugly or anything, to hide her looks. The characters are super flat, nothing about them drew me in or made me care. So much is against them, & I can't even care if they sort it out. I definitely won't be reading the series.
At my age (60), life is way too short & my time is too important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
December 8, 2021
3.5 stars
The pacing of the book was a bit slow. It almost felt like a slice-of-life read because so much of the book focused on the daily lives of the two characters separately and then together. I have not read the other books set in this world, but I plan to. This book was enough to make me very interested.
The pacing of the book was a bit slow. It almost felt like a slice-of-life read because so much of the book focused on the daily lives of the two characters separately and then together. I have not read the other books set in this world, but I plan to. This book was enough to make me very interested.
Read
March 15, 2023sadly i dnf this at %59 😭😭😭 even though characters are loveable it's too long and they're already together i don't care what will happen next 😩 and i don't think i'll try reading another book from this author her style is really WORDY 😂😭
January 4, 2023
3.5
Do you ever read a romance book and there is so much conflict before the couple actually get together and when they finally decide they want to commit to each other it jumps straight to the epilogue and you’re left wishing you could read about their HAE?
Well, this is the HAE I’ve been craving in so many romance books. This story is about two souls coming together and the H experiencing life in a new place and for the first time in his life, experiencing love and acceptance. That’s it, just the day to day of two people being smitten with each other, sure there’s some family drama that picks up and comes to a head towards the end but really, this was romance through and through.
While drunk, the h creates a profile on an alien match making site using someone else’s picture. She doesn’t actually think she’d ever come face to face with any of the aliens so she wasn’t giving it too much thought other than being lonely and doing it on a whim. ( While tipsy she doesn’t read the fine print and also doesn’t pay too much mind to preferences while she selects “wingless” as to what she’s looking for in a mate )
The H has wings and because of his wings he’s considered “unblessed” and basically he’s treated like a leper. It’s really sad 😭
He overhears people mention the matchmaking site and he creates a profile but he also doesn’t use his own picture 🥺
A double catfish story ! *gasp*
The beginning of the story follows each MC individually living their own daily life. Once they started corresponding is when I got more interested. I was hoping we’d get to see more of their messages ( I’m greedy) but we see enough.
They’re going to meet up and NEITHER of them had revealed that they used a false picture. They’re both at the airport looking for two different people and my anxiety was SO HIGH. But apparently these two were fairly confident the other would be accepting as long as they got a chance to explain themselves.
Then what follows is their coming together and the H existing in the h’s town. It was like “a slice of life” nothing really exciting happens, it really it just like a day to day type of thing.
The only other plot is that the h’s sister is kind of missing, leaving behind a son that the h and the aunt take care of. The son’s father keeps trying to cause drama and wants the h for himself mainly because he thinks she’s easy to control and takes good care of his son.
Some secrets get revealed at the end, some danger starts unfolding and there’s a good ending for the family. Tho it felt very abrupt how it was handled and there was a plot hole, like the mastermind gets punished but not the person who actually fired the weapon ???? I guess it didn’t need to be tied up too nicely since the main focus was really the romance between the MCs. It was beautiful 🥺
What I didn’t really like
-I think my Goodreads friend described it best, this is very “wordy” (there’s only so many times that I’m willing to read about someone getting dressed to go out into the snow in detail. )
-The villain felt very one dimensionally evil but I’m not holding it too much against the story since that wasn’t the focus.
What I liked
-The characters
-The slice of life aspect, just a look at their everyday life, tho it takes place during Christmas time so there’s some activities around getting a tree,decorating and drinking hot chocolate.
-No drama, no angst. There was no doubt in my mind that these two were all in for each other at every step of the book.
No sharing/no cheating 🥰
Wings,purring,biting,marking 😏
In conclusion, this is not your typical sci-fi alien romance story where there is a constant driving force towards an end goal. This is mainly day-to-day, nothing too exciting happening. This was a comfort read. This still felt too slow at times but I was still able to enjoy it mainly because I knew what I was getting into this time.
Do you ever read a romance book and there is so much conflict before the couple actually get together and when they finally decide they want to commit to each other it jumps straight to the epilogue and you’re left wishing you could read about their HAE?
Well, this is the HAE I’ve been craving in so many romance books. This story is about two souls coming together and the H experiencing life in a new place and for the first time in his life, experiencing love and acceptance. That’s it, just the day to day of two people being smitten with each other, sure there’s some family drama that picks up and comes to a head towards the end but really, this was romance through and through.
While drunk, the h creates a profile on an alien match making site using someone else’s picture. She doesn’t actually think she’d ever come face to face with any of the aliens so she wasn’t giving it too much thought other than being lonely and doing it on a whim. ( While tipsy she doesn’t read the fine print and also doesn’t pay too much mind to preferences while she selects “wingless” as to what she’s looking for in a mate )
The H has wings and because of his wings he’s considered “unblessed” and basically he’s treated like a leper. It’s really sad 😭
He overhears people mention the matchmaking site and he creates a profile but he also doesn’t use his own picture 🥺
A double catfish story ! *gasp*
The beginning of the story follows each MC individually living their own daily life. Once they started corresponding is when I got more interested. I was hoping we’d get to see more of their messages ( I’m greedy) but we see enough.
They’re going to meet up and NEITHER of them had revealed that they used a false picture. They’re both at the airport looking for two different people and my anxiety was SO HIGH. But apparently these two were fairly confident the other would be accepting as long as they got a chance to explain themselves.
Then what follows is their coming together and the H existing in the h’s town. It was like “a slice of life” nothing really exciting happens, it really it just like a day to day type of thing.
The only other plot is that the h’s sister is kind of missing, leaving behind a son that the h and the aunt take care of. The son’s father keeps trying to cause drama and wants the h for himself mainly because he thinks she’s easy to control and takes good care of his son.
Some secrets get revealed at the end, some danger starts unfolding and there’s a good ending for the family. Tho it felt very abrupt how it was handled and there was a plot hole, like the mastermind gets punished but not the person who actually fired the weapon ???? I guess it didn’t need to be tied up too nicely since the main focus was really the romance between the MCs. It was beautiful 🥺
What I didn’t really like
-I think my Goodreads friend described it best, this is very “wordy” (there’s only so many times that I’m willing to read about someone getting dressed to go out into the snow in detail. )
-The villain felt very one dimensionally evil but I’m not holding it too much against the story since that wasn’t the focus.
What I liked
-The characters
-The slice of life aspect, just a look at their everyday life, tho it takes place during Christmas time so there’s some activities around getting a tree,decorating and drinking hot chocolate.
-No drama, no angst. There was no doubt in my mind that these two were all in for each other at every step of the book.
No sharing/no cheating 🥰
Wings,purring,biting,marking 😏
In conclusion, this is not your typical sci-fi alien romance story where there is a constant driving force towards an end goal. This is mainly day-to-day, nothing too exciting happening. This was a comfort read. This still felt too slow at times but I was still able to enjoy it mainly because I knew what I was getting into this time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2024
1.5⭐ rounded up for being my favorite trope.
Did I read all of this? No. I skimmed a large portion, skipped pages at a time, then just stopped at 88%. The writing is on the low end of the fanfic spectrum. The dialogue was just so thick and unnatural. No one expresses all that every time they speak. And the plot...
My son asked me why I was reading it still if I wasn't having fun. I told him I had to get to the part where they find the long list sister, reunite, then kick Dustin's butt. What happened at 88%? Well, they reunite with the sister and it's a complete let down. The FMC was so focused on finding the MMC, she barely cared. Then, authorities caught Dustin off page and took care of his punishment in one sentence off page. WTF?! The dude blackmailed the mother of his child, ignored said child for years, then started making endless unwanted advances on the FMC. The readers want some vengeance, dear author.
Did I read all of this? No. I skimmed a large portion, skipped pages at a time, then just stopped at 88%. The writing is on the low end of the fanfic spectrum. The dialogue was just so thick and unnatural. No one expresses all that every time they speak. And the plot...
My son asked me why I was reading it still if I wasn't having fun. I told him I had to get to the part where they find the long list sister, reunite, then kick Dustin's butt. What happened at 88%? Well, they reunite with the sister and it's a complete let down. The FMC was so focused on finding the MMC, she barely cared. Then, authorities caught Dustin off page and took care of his punishment in one sentence off page. WTF?! The dude blackmailed the mother of his child, ignored said child for years, then started making endless unwanted advances on the FMC. The readers want some vengeance, dear author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2022
A pair o' intergalactic, inter-web cat-fishers?! Sign me up!
But then. Ugh. No.
This pair was so friggin' angsty. I mean. Ugh.
So many hang-ups, not all of them unwarranted, but still--the characters are really hard to accept because the way they're written is so very showboaty.
I agree with the pacing comments as well, this was very slow to action, especially when the fun concept of the story didn't really jive with the seriousness of the writing. It was a mixed bag for me, so I will cry off. Others enjoyed it! I hope you do too~
But then. Ugh. No.
This pair was so friggin' angsty. I mean. Ugh.
So many hang-ups, not all of them unwarranted, but still--the characters are really hard to accept because the way they're written is so very showboaty.
I agree with the pacing comments as well, this was very slow to action, especially when the fun concept of the story didn't really jive with the seriousness of the writing. It was a mixed bag for me, so I will cry off. Others enjoyed it! I hope you do too~
December 18, 2023
4 ⭐️
I really liked this one (I'm always a fan of an underdog) but there was no epilogue and an abrupt ending (at least in my opinion) so that's why I had to take away a star
– Dual pov, third-person
– Virgin H/celibate heroine (no info at all so you could pretend she's also a virgin if you wanted to I suppose)
– Alien H/human h
– No cheating or OW/slight OM drama (h's sister's ex causes trouble but that's it - safe)
– HEA ending + NO epilogue (I admit I wanted babies in this one, okay? LOL)
I really liked this one (I'm always a fan of an underdog) but there was no epilogue and an abrupt ending (at least in my opinion) so that's why I had to take away a star
– Dual pov, third-person
– Virgin H/celibate heroine (no info at all so you could pretend she's also a virgin if you wanted to I suppose)
– Alien H/human h
– No cheating or OW/slight OM drama (h's sister's ex causes trouble but that's it - safe)
– HEA ending + NO epilogue (I admit I wanted babies in this one, okay? LOL)
December 20, 2023
Great sci fi romance
I wasn't certain I would enjoy a book about a relationship started with lies, but Naomi and R'visth won me over. There is some graphic violence, and there's definitely graphic sex. The town of Garnet is a pleasant surprise filled with interesting characters and beautiful places. Although Christmas is in the title, Unblessed is inclusive as far as religion goes. Some bad stuff happens, but the story also has laughter, tears, heartwarming moments, and family.
I wasn't certain I would enjoy a book about a relationship started with lies, but Naomi and R'visth won me over. There is some graphic violence, and there's definitely graphic sex. The town of Garnet is a pleasant surprise filled with interesting characters and beautiful places. Although Christmas is in the title, Unblessed is inclusive as far as religion goes. Some bad stuff happens, but the story also has laughter, tears, heartwarming moments, and family.
January 17, 2022
Adorable
Cute little read. I absolutely loved this adorable alien romance. These two are so cute its sick. Both somehow don't feel enough, yet they become so much more then they both could ever ask for. There is mystery, a really jerk bad guy, and such a HEA. Really enjoyable and highly recommend
Cute little read. I absolutely loved this adorable alien romance. These two are so cute its sick. Both somehow don't feel enough, yet they become so much more then they both could ever ask for. There is mystery, a really jerk bad guy, and such a HEA. Really enjoyable and highly recommend
January 10, 2022
Amazing
This was my first time reading this author and I really enjoyed the book.I will definitely be reading more of their sci-fi romances. The book was a refreshing read, with at the christmas aspect not being overpowering.
This was my first time reading this author and I really enjoyed the book.I will definitely be reading more of their sci-fi romances. The book was a refreshing read, with at the christmas aspect not being overpowering.
January 11, 2022
loved it
This book was so moving, and I loved that the two MC were open to the vulnerability of allowing a new person in their lives, despite the differences in their appearance and cultures
This book was so moving, and I loved that the two MC were open to the vulnerability of allowing a new person in their lives, despite the differences in their appearance and cultures
November 1, 2026
Cute
Unusual story with a different sort of alien and thoughtful themes.
Elements of danger and one stupid human provide the tension while a slow getting to know you arc plays out.
Unusual story with a different sort of alien and thoughtful themes.
Elements of danger and one stupid human provide the tension while a slow getting to know you arc plays out.
February 1, 2022
OMG
What an amazing story ❤. I could hardly stop myself from putting it down from start to finish. Now I plan to read the series to see what else is going on 😉!
What an amazing story ❤. I could hardly stop myself from putting it down from start to finish. Now I plan to read the series to see what else is going on 😉!
March 8, 2022
This was a cute story pero Diossss I thought I was never going to finish this, había momentos en que se alargaba la historia innecesariamente
November 29, 2022
Nice
This is a nice easy enjoyable read with a easy plot and great characters to get onto. I look forward to more.
This is a nice easy enjoyable read with a easy plot and great characters to get onto. I look forward to more.
April 21, 2026
When it's KU, and the plot is a dating app for earth girls to meet aliens, I should have known.
Did Not Finish
August 5, 2026I don’t love aliens on Earth plots, but I do love a “undesirable hero” trope. The characters and plot were a little boring. They didn’t have much personality.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews