I won’t touch her. But I will torment her soul. While the other warlords mate with the daughters of our enemy, I want nothing to do with these political marriages. Fate calls me north, searching for what the shamans say will complete my soul.
An impossible task without more warriors at my command.
Then an opportunity arises which I cannot refuse: hundreds of additional Jal’zar to strengthen my warband, allowing me to safely push into freeraider territory. The catch?
I must marry a woman. A kiss and a deal later, I take my unruly wife with me into the plains. Anne has a sharp tongue and refuses to submit herself to my rule, rubbing me the right way in all the wrong places.
I will never touch her. I will never love her.
Anne can never be more to me than the annoying fineprint at the end of a contract - because she is a daughter of the men who killed my family.
Tormented by the Warlord is a full-length novel, and the fourth book in the Sci-Fi Romance series Ash Planet Warriors. While this is a spin-off to Garrison Earth, taking place 20 years after the invasion, the series can be read on its own.
Has anyone ever asked if you could go back in time to read a book for the first time again, what book would that be? Well, Tormented by the Warlord would definitely be that book!
The Ash Planet Warriors series has been everything I could want and more. Each book and couple has had something that has pulled at different heart strings that I have loved. However, as amazing as those books have been and they’ve been amazing, they can’t even come within the same universe as Razgar and Anne’s story! When I first read about Razgar in Stolen by the Warlord, I will admit I wasn’t overly excited to read his story. I thought it would be your run of the mill asshole changes his tune once he sees the one woman that was meant to be his. I was DEAD wrong. There was nothing simple or cookie cutter about this story whatsoever. Razgar and Anne’s story took my emotions on an insane ride that I in no way so coming.
Since I read my first book of V.K a little over a year ago she has been an author that has had my full attention, but she has taken things to a whole other level with this book! This absolutely beautiful story about forgiveness and being able to let go of the past to be able to see what’s right in front of you, is not a story to be missed.
But this book is the best of the series thus far. Not insta-lust. Strong characters with clear motivations. Push and pull. There’s real emotion and gradual falling in love.
The writing is stilted at times, perhaps on purpose as part of the world building. But still.
Epic enemies-to-lovers deliciousness! Well, enemies more so on the part of the MMC, Razgar's, side. Anne, our FMC, is more neutral.
Tormented by the Warlord is Book 4 and the final book in V.K Ludwig's Ash Planet Warriors sci-fi alien romance series, with an interconnected world featuring different main interspecies couples each book. And let me tell you, this series has been AWESOME, from beginning to end. It's up there with my favorites of the genre, simply because it is written so well, there's actual interesting worldbuilding that complements and enriches the romance, which is the main focus. And making all the characters interesting and complex!
Razgar has been the alien I was looking forward to reading about the most, as we got tastes of him all series and his absolute hatred for humans. So I knew it was going to be sooooo tensely satisfying to see him fall in love with his own human woman. And it WASSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
V.K Ludwig, can I convince you to write more installments of this series? Please please pleaseeeeee?
I highly recommend this series to all romance readers, especially those looking to break more into the alien romance scene after only dipping your toes in the shallow end. These aliens are still kind of humanoid, but also alien enough to feel like you're reading something different.
Also, I thought I had finished the series with this last installment, but in my anticipation to get to this story, I skipped a whole other book in this series, so I’m not done yet!
I couldn't stand Razgar. A complete asshole for the last 4 books. I debated even reading his book, but he won me over. Anne's steady and calm nature helped soothe Razgar's hate and anger. She taught him forgiveness and allowed him to let go of the past. Together they had to fight tooth and claw lol, to have a future.
Gah I loved this! Tormented by the Warlord was far and away the best one of the series! It actually made me cry lol. Watching Razgar slowly change his ways of thinking and lose his hatred for humans - aka Anne - was everything. I also didn’t expect the bad guy which is a nice surprise. I won’t be reading the next one because it’s MMF and that’s just not for me, so I’ll be patiently waiting for book number 6!
This novel was excellent. The world building was incredibly vivid, with the landscape of this alien world and alien culture coming to incandescent life. The hero and heroine started the novel as broken people who had a lot of angst, but it was perfectly understandable and well justified, considering everything that both these protagonists had been through. It was lovely to see these two slowly and naturally fall in love, and thus heal and become much happier, healthier people. Their Happy Ever After ending was fought hard for, and I completely believed that these two would be able to face future hardship as a strong, united team. The way the hero desperately wanted children and did his best to diligently make that happen as often as the heroine would let him was super sweet and heartwarming, as well as SUPER hot. This novel was also 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥. I highly recommend this novel, and think it is in the top 10 novels I have read so far this year. That is saying something, since I read 3 books a day on average. Beautiful!
3⭐️ Another cute alien romance by VK Ludwig with an ugly cover!
What to expect going into this book:
* A marriage of convenience between an unwilling alien warlord who absolutely dispises humankind and a human fmc with a tragic past * Enemies to lovers ( I mean true enemies, he hated her so much in the beginning ) * Harsh, morally gray mmc who is a complete jerk in the beginning but turns into a kitten once he falls for the fmc * Kind, down to earth fmc who went through a LOT before she met the mmc * And the spice, oh boy the spice was pure filthery 🤌🔥🫣
What I wasn’t a fan of was the first time they had (hate)sex, he was a bit too rough with her, if you ask me. She claimed that she liked it like that and needed it..but it was a bit much for me, but maybe for some readers who enjoy dark romance books, this would be right up their alley. It got better after that one time, especially after he found out about her past.
Other than that, this was a very easy, uncomplicated and entertaining book.
Her writing and characterization is better than the genre average. Her plotting is also more brutal - she kills off side characters really often, when others authors might give them a redemption arc in future books. Which is not a bad thing. Some people are dicks and seeing them die is pretty satisfying.
Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Trope: enemies to lovers Angst: 😱😱😱😱 Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
This series has just been fantastic and Tormented by the Warlord did NOT let me down. Superb storytelling with the best characters that just have so much depth to them. Their backstories just tear at you and you become super invested in their ability to find comfort and happiness in each other. The world building is off the chain and you can totally visualize the time, world, and people of this planet. I loved how Anne was so physically different where so many heroines are cut from the same or similar cloth. Truly wonderful book I’d recommend to anyone and everyone!
ENEMIES TO LOVERS. INTENSE ENEMIES TO LOVERS. i cannot possibly understate how much hatred flows between the two main characters. there is vitriol. there is enmity. there is rough hate sex.
razgar, over the glimpses we got of him across the previous books, seemed like a first class asshole. and...he is. and that’s why i was positively feral for this book. there is almost nothing i love more than the reluctant, begrudging, but unavoidable softening of the heart between enemies in books. the romance in this story is hard-fought and hard-won, and it makes it a much richer, more rewarding experience. it has it all. forced proximity. marriage-of-convenience (or, at least, a business arrangement). mutual traumas that bring the characters together. FAMILY. LOVE. BETRAYALS. BATTLES. A CUTE BIRD PET. AND OUR FMC? an icon. a LEGEND. A WARLORD IN HER OWN RIGHT. anne is an earth woman who spent time on solgad, learned the ways of the jal’zar, and can fight and stand on her own amidst a society of warriors (and a warband led by the meanest of them all.) truthfully i think i like anne the best, out of all of the FMCs — she has albinism, she has panic attacks and psychological ramifications from her many traumas, but none of these are her defining traits. she’s truly remarkable, strong enough to deal with razgar’s hateful ass, brave enough to return to a world that only ever harmed her, and soft enough to open her heart to love despite all of it.
razgar’s journey takes the bulk of the focus in this book, BUT ANNE DESERVES SO MUCH CREDIT. she’s his north. and what a beautiful, exciting, painful journey it is.
(also, as a linguistics major, i have to say that VK ludwig’s use and invention of jalut in this series MAKES ME SO HAPPY. INVENTING YOUR OWN LANGUAGE, even if it’s just a few words and sentences here and there, IS SO HARD, AND VK LUDWIG DOES SUCH A GOOD JOB.)
please, please please, i need book 5 immediately. and then a hundred epilogues for all my favorite characters. 🤲🏻🥹
Very angsty and it took a while for the main character to develop any feelings for eachother which was refreshing and it kept me on edge. I loved the FMC, she has albinism and on a planted with grey people she obviously stands apart. She is resourceful resilient and smart and definitely kept her ground around the Hero which was a dixk most of the time.
Pls remember these ratings are all based personal preferences.
This is the story of the asshat from book 1! I skipped 2&3 ( not a fan when the H is all broken because of a past lover (2) or second chances (3) So here we are at book 4!
Now if you’ve read any of my other reviews 9/10 times you’ll see me complaining about how the h isn’t a good character and how much I love the H but here? I LOVED the h.
Anne (h) was everything I loved in an h! She had a sharp tongue, a sharp mind, skills, strength, resolve AND kindness. I love when a character has a quiet fire, she retorts at the right times, admits her mistakes and is just really well-rounded.
Now Razgar/Zaza (the H) was a straight up asshat. Sure he has his reasons, I don’t blame him but wow! He managed to be an asshat while at the same time not being too much of an asshat that it pissed me off. I understood his reasoning even tho I didn’t agree with it!
This story had so much hate between the MCs that my poor little heart was just squeezed right for a lot of the story. And towards the third act my mind was screaming for Anne to leave him ( leave him girl! ) I at least wanted a grovel! I didn’t really get one but Anne is better than me and I guess she didn’t blame him too much because of everything he was going through. WHICH LEADS ME - to my normal complaint. Give me more reassurance and some more time with the couple after the third act separation before jumping straight to the ending. 😭 This was a roller coaster of emotions and I still don’t feel steady from it.
Don’t worry, the third act separation has nothing to do with cheating and it’s not even that bad, what was bad was the pain the h felt. 😭
No cheating/no sharing. - Some hussy comes onto the H but he ignores her and it had been a long time since he’s been with anyone, he’s never loved anyone before.
Honorable mention: Romi ( H’s sister ) and her babies🥰
I was about to lose my shit if I didn’t get a baby after all that damn breeding talk and baby talk. ( sign up for author’s newsletter if you want to be a little satisfied after all the lead up to a baby)
This had a lot of things that usually put me off to a book like MCs actually feeling hatred toward each other, in this case H towards h. I dunno how this managed to work so well for me but it did, a lot of it was painful but once the tender moments started coming it got better, I loved it.
Highlights; Oh you know, the usual, Knots/humming/biting/bonds Breeding talk. The H being tender with his nieces. The H losing his shit when the h got taken. The traitor getting what they deserved.
What was lacking; More on-page time when they come together after the separation. I swear I’m a broken record about this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
If you loved Ice Planet Barbarians, you’ll love this series too. It’s similar in that it’s a primitive planet, but their major city has all the top technology and the warlords rotate between who occupies the city and who’s out on the plains. This one was my favorite, but they were all amazing! I loved how it incorporated a/b/o aspects while still remaining entirely unique. As far as I’m concerned this is in the top tier of sci-fi romance along with IPB and the Horde Kings series.
Nothing more to say other than AMAZING it's even better the second time around!
This one was so emotional!
I loved both of these broken characters who went from hating one another to being the absolute loveliest couple. I can't praise this one enough. It had all the emotion and danger of the first book, but on a bigger scale. Anne and Razgar had so many more obstacles in their love story than any of the other couples in this series. These obstacles turned the story into something bigger and more emotional than the other 3 books. I loved it so much!
I'll start with that I expected more darkness or angst in this one. Oh it was there. But it was more like a shadow cloaking the characters rather than a living breathing entity. Except for at the beginning. Razgar was the embodiment of hate at the beginning but that soon evolved.
Razgar was everything I could have hoped for. You absolutely could not blame him for his honest hate of what the Empire did to his family. To know who was the cause of such loss is one thing but to see it with your own eyes, experience it with the young innocent mind of a child and still survive the loss said so much for his strength of character. I adored him. I didn't like him much at the beginning of the series and only until book 3 was I itching for his story but I'm so glad we got it.
Anne was a heroine you honestly couldn't not like. Considering what she went through herself with being taken captive by freeraiders I'm amazed she was as calm and understanding as she was. Maybe it was just her nature, or maybe the intensive therapy she had following her captivity. Whose to say. But she had a will to live and a bravery one could only dream of having for her to willingly choose to live among those on a planet that did such a harm to her body and soul all in the hope she could find a place for herself. To do good. Make a change. But most of all fix herself and try to find the woman she once was. Anne's journey was admirable. And I appreciated how she handled situations so calmly and logically, especially when paired to Razgar's hot headed temper.
If anything I wish the book was longer. Even the additional epilogue didn't satisfy me. I wanted more intimate scenes between them. Not just sex, though those were fun but domestic scenes. Them just being together. It was so beautiful.
Lastly, I thought this was the final book but turns out we have one more coming about freeraiders. From what I've heard from the FB group it seems to be MMF/MFM type relationship and tbh that bums me out a little because those just aren't my jam though I know others love em. But considering it's the last book I won't be able to resist it and will likely read it despite my preferences because 1.) I need closure. And 2.) I trust in V.K. and her skills as an author. That though it may not be my favorite trope I can trust in her to tell a beautiful story as she has the entire series. No doubt it'll be fascinating how that relationship dynamic plays out regardless.
Tormented by the Warlord Ash Planet Warriors book 4 By V.K. Ludwig
I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is not your average alien romance. The depth of emotion involved in this series is so far beyond the average sci fi romance and yet it is also heartwarming and humorous. There is simply fascinating world and culture building as well as rather intriguing alien anatomy. Very high steam/open door.
Trigger warnings - family trauma, kidnapping, rape (not on the page but referenced in the past), being sold into prostitution (again in the past), death of parents and PTSD.
However the way two extremely traumatized individuals can be what the other needs is simply beautiful.
V.K Ludwig does it again. Amazingly epic sci-fi/alien romance. 5/5
I enjoyed this book. The writing is well done, and the story really captured my interest. A solid blend of tension, drama, turmoil and emotion had me firmly in its grip as this couple's relationship evolves and their story unfolds. This is my frank, freely posted review.
Admittedly, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this at first, but as we unwrapped our main characters I started to like it more. I love a good “who did this to you” scene, chefs kiss as always.
Stolen by the Warlord ✾ 4.5 Stars Claimed by the Warlord ✾ 3.5 Stars Bound to the Warlord ✾ Between 4.5 and 5 Stars because I can't decide yet. Tormented by the Warlord ✾ 2.5 Stars
I'm very sad about being right and not liking this book because of his main character: Razgar. We know this character from the very first book and, let's just say, I've interacted with rocks kinder than him. He wasn't only a bully but a ferocious warlord that wasn't too popular with the others.
This book it's the darkest one in the series so far. It wasn't an easy read by any means and it took a while for me to warm myself up to Razgar only for it come crumbling down and not working for me at the end. It's a HELL of a slow journey into character growth territory. Just when you felt he was stepping forward, he would step back even further.
Anne wasn't a bad character, I found her to be one the most experienced girls not only in combat but in regards to tribe customs and leadership. She was the best of both worlds but it wasn't believable for me when she decided to go only because she was told by a shimid she wasn't pregnant. A shimid that throughout the book was flirting with Razagar's friend that ended up being a liar and something else too. You're telling me that Anne didn't realize what was going on and didn't even consult with a second shimid before leaving? I knew she was vulnerable at the time but that was the whole point of Anne. A vulnerable character that's not only smart and resourceful but a badass as well.
I don't really know what to say about Razgar if I'm being honest. Their first sexual encounter was just too much for me though I understood where he was coming from. I also understood how devoted he was to family but it didn't sit well with me everything was done at the expense of Anne. It was almost like he was embarrassed of their relationship when Anne had proved herself time and time again, even confiding him her own struggles. I found him to be a hypocrite and I wanted to see A LOT of groveling from him. So much more groveling.
I understood the importance of Razgar's sister, Runa, but I found myself being confused at her. She hated Anne with her guts and made mention of it every single time she had the opportunity only for her to say something along the lines of: it's good she makes you happy. What in the actual fuck was the point? Her disdain was not only misplaced but the way she makes peace with it was so shallow I couldn't even care at that point.
Other than that, I enjoyed the breeding kink and some interactions between the MC's were cute. The world-building and culture just gets better and better. Characters with their own personality, even if we don't like them, are appreciated and are a breath of fresh air and the author has managed to give all of them their own voice.
VK Ludwig is a queen of writing alien romance. This book is an enemies to lovers, with a character we have seen through out the series, Warlord Razgar. He’s an asshole, he’s angry, and he hates humans and hybrids. So when he ends up having to marry a human woman, we are in for a wild ride. I LOVED the FMC Anne, and how strong she is, despite the life she has endured. She’s perfect for Razgar and getting to see them get to a place from hate to love is such a good story. The spice in this one is 🔥🔥 and there’s quite a bit of a breeding kink as well that is HOT 🥵. There’s one last book in the series, and I’m sad to see it near the end but I can’t wait for it as well!
Grandiose - never would I have expected Razgar to be a real oyster - ruggedly furrowed on the outside and softly concealing a perfect pearl deep inside. And Anne's inner strength radiates constantly and gives the feeling of moving forward without fear, because in the end all will be well. And if all is not yet well, then it is not yet the end.
Great book, impressive, believable characters, insane development - great performance in the narrative and design - great Ms. Ludwig!
I was really enjoying the book until the whole thing with Razgar and his lost sister. It went on for far too long that it made Razgar annoying.
This is my first book in the series. So there are freeriders and I would say there are hordes. The freeriders are like a group of outlaws who banded together against the hordes. The hordes were nomadic too but they have warlords leading them in charge. For some reason, there's an agreement to marry off humans to these warlords and Anne was supposed to marry one. But her bethrothed died and she was passed off to Razgar. Razgar hated humans with a passion because they enslaved his people's females and sold them off to I'm assuming freeriders. Despite the freeriders being his own people who liked to mark females with their stingers without making them their mates, Razgar directed his hatred to humans only. His sisters were enslaved but he only got one back, Romi. He's still looking for his other sister, who was also his twin.
Razgar didn't want a human as his mate but decided to take Anne anyways because he would be taking over the dead warlord's tribe, giving him more people to help him find his twin. He treated Anne badly due to his prejudice while Romi, the one who was actually abused, didn't hold anything against Anne. Every time Anne got scared, she would get aroused because her body didn't know the difference between fear and arousal. Razgar would mock her before he learned that she was also subjected to the stings. She was working as border patrol when she was captured.
Anne tried to get the dead warlord's second, Yodokan, to be Razgar's second so Yodokan wouldn't lead an uprising. But he wouldn't listen and stuck to his longtime friend, Setoy. Someone then challenged Razgar for the warlord position. He won but he was poisoned really badly. Anne knew the tribe couldn't see him weak and planned to get Razgar ahead to the next camp first, and only then have his people follow later so they wouldn't see him. Before they could move him, Yodokan entered their tent and saw Razgar. In fear that Yodokan would challenge him, Anne made him her second, which was unprecedented. They got Razgar to the next camp safely and Anne tended to his needs while he was out cold. When he was concsious, Setoy tried to claim credit even though it was all Anne. Razgar didn't believe Anne at first but saw the truth after speaking to Yodokan. He only reprimanded Setoy, and that marked the beginning of Setoy's hate.
Razgar and Anne grew close after learning that she was a victim too. He was also impressed that she knew how to fight and how well she bonded with the people. They came to a truce and started having sex. Razgar claimed that he was only enjoying her body and that he would never love her, although he would offer her protection for the rest of her life. Razgar didn't want to have kids with Anne but after the birth of Romi's baby, he got baby fever and decided he wanted kids with Anne. He still couldn't say that he loved her though.
Meanwhile, Setoy was slacking off more and more. When they were moving up north to find his sister, they were attacked by freeraiders. Yodokan was there to help but Setoy was nowhere to be seen. Anne saved Romi and her kid.
The next day, Razgar's long lost sister appeared. Romi and Anne thought that her appearance was suspicious but didn't want to say anything to Razgar yet. But when the twin didn't stop being hostile toward Anne even after knowing she was a victim too, Romi became outwardly disapproving of the twin. What's worse, Razgar couldn't pick a side and would just froze in his dilemma. This fight dragged on for way too long and I started to get annoyed.
Then Setoy approached Anne and offered to help her to leave camp. Anne was already thinking of leaving just so the twin would stay and because Razgar still couldn't say that he loved her. She didn't want to leave in case she's pregnant but Setoy got a healer that he'd been flirting with to say that she's not pregnant. This part reminded me so much of Zoey Draven's Claimed by a Horde King. She ran away and soon Razgar accepted that his twin was just there because she was sent by the freeraiders to make them leave. The twin never had any intention of staying but there also wasn't any effort to get Razgar to leave so eh. Would've been nice if there was some nuance that the twin actually wanted to stay longer than she was allowed to or something to explain why she was sticking for so long without doing anything but nah, in the end she just said that her home was with the freeriders. They also got a hint that the freeriders wanted to kill all warlords for some reason.
It took Razgar a while before he felt the pain of Anne being far away from him. And while he was weak, Setoy came out of the woodwork to challenge him. Razgar won and tied Setoy to his alien-horse-animal and dragged him lol.
Razgar got info that Anne was back home so he got a jet that he was going to fly on his own. When reading this, it was a really jarring that they're living so technology-free and then suddenly a jet popped up and he's suddenly a pilot. Razgar showed up all bloody and weak, and he apologized, and told her that she was pregnant. Then we got an epilogue with their kid.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I have been anticipating this book since the first scene in this series where Razgar appeared and stole my dark romance loving heart. I love assholes and he is no exception. He is moody, cruel, angry, vengeful, and he truly treats her like she is the dirt beneath his feet. The first few chapters were a little frustrating because the author does such a good job of writing his cruelty and morbid interest in her.
At first his interest is in her reactions. He enjoys scaring her because of her fear response. He is brooding and calculating and you see all of it in heavy doses early on and while I wanted to throttle the absolute hell out of Razgar I also understood his anger. Even when it was not directed at the right person I still understood his issues with humans as a whole. It is hard to separate a single out of a whole.
This brings me to what I love about Anne. I am a flight kind of person in real life so her responses to him were equally frustrating for me because my inner self was screaming RUN and hers was screaming GAME ON, ASSHOLE. She is beautiful, but more so, she is inevitable. She whittles her way into his daily life and into his people's hearts and oh boy does that grind his gears. Haha!
So then we have a warlord that doesn't know how to deal with his mounting attraction and need for an infuriating human, and a human with a heart of gold and a prideful ego the size of Texas. WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Well, a lot. And the explosion??? *chef's fucking kiss* I had the squirmy legs, the tingles, the heavy breaths... oof.
Now, I will say I did see the ending coming. I did. But I was still gasping and screaming and oohing and ahhing at all the moments I am sure the author was gunning for.
I have loved this entire series so much. It is definitely in my top three favorite alien smut series. I couldn't tell you who my favorite has been so far. I have yet to be disappointed with a single one. Can I tell you I was heartbroken, HEARTBROKEN when I read in her little after the book note that the next will be the last! *throws self in floor*
Oh, and I started this book last night around 11 thinking I'd take my time and read a couple chapters before bed.... *insert manic laughter* I stayed up until 6am reading this damn book because the two times I tried to stop and put it down I just stayed awake guessing the plot since I wasn't reading it until I finally gave in and read the whole damn thing.
6am people. I have crotch gremlins. I have now learned I cannot start one of V.K. Ludwig's books at night or else I will be crying into my coffee all day and swooning over alien dick. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Is my coffee salty now? Yep. Will I *actually* learn anything from this? Of course not.
The ultimate enemies to lovers, I hate you, marriage of convenience alien romance ever.
Oh poor baby Razgar. We see him in all the books, the Warlord of Wrath, the angry bad boy of the group who will NEVER marry a human woman and HATES anything that has to do with the galactic empire. Rightfully so.
Well... these two are thrown together and this delicious series does. We learn of what makes Razgar so angry and what is driving him. Anne is this very complex character that is trying to heal herself from her past, full of fear and anxiety but that has a backbone of steal when it comes to Razgar.
The bickering, the back and forth, the sexual tension if off the charts. Butttt what makes this book so good is the journey these two go on. The events and trials they go through that build their relationship outside of the physical.
Again in this one, there are a lot of beautiful passages that I didn't highlight that talk about them both being very different broke pieces that come together to form something beautiful when you step back and look at the whole picture. Wrath and Mercy, ying and yang, these two come together to form a true whole and you really get that development to a very satisfying resolution and romance.
This is one is the darkest of the Ash Planet series, regarding the characters' pasts for them and others.
I'm reading this in 2024 and sadly the author has not been writing under this pen name for a bit. I do hope she comes back and writes the last book of this series and more in the universe. I'm hoping that the time away has not put out the flame of this story. BUT I will happily read everything from this author, including her dark fantasy books under a different name while I wait.
HIGHLY recommend the Garison Earth/Ash Planet books. Books 1 and 2 of Garrison Earth are heavy subject wise. I read 1 and 2 years ago and then needed a break. But I then read 3-5 then .5-4 of Ash Planet all within the last couple weeks. So I'm not sure if the subject matter just wasn't as heavy (a few of those books were heavy but not enough to make me want to take a break from the series). I'm not sure if it is a me thing or just how the books progressed and changed since I didn't reread 1 and 2.
Recommend if you are wanting a grittier alien romance where the good guys are also the bad guys. All the HEAs are hard fought and complex. Two very fulfilling series that may have set the bar a bit high now as I'm trying to navigate other series.
Book 4, in the fabulous series of "The Ash Planet Warriors", by V. K. Ludwig, "Tormented by the Warlord" is the newest addition and the very best of them all, so far! I am in awe of this writer's story telling ability, keeping her at the top of my Favorite Writers list. But she really is extraordinary. Her writing style is unequaled as she delivers a marvelous story, time and time again with a happy ending that only leaves us panting for more. (Thank God, she loves her fans, especially when we beg, and will give us just one more book of the series!)
The main characters Razgar and Anne, of this enemies to lovers romance, have been long awaited by fans. Both are broken by thir life experiences, but in very different ways. Razgar is full of hatred, rage, and a purpose. He is wrath. Anne has emotional and physical scars and is resolved to conquer her crippling fear. She is mercy. I also adored Razgar's sassy sister very much and her role in this story! When Razgar is urged to marry Anne, a young woman from Earth, when her intended mate Haruto dies in a terrible accident, he is unwilling. But as Warlord Katedo points out the size of the tribe he will absorb into his ranks and the advantages to be had, he eventually agrees. He literally marries her for the additional warriors that can serve his purpose. Anne knows how much he hates her, as he reminds her often, but she is willing to honor the contract between her people and the Jal'zar, as she too has her reasons to have a mate.
Razgar is the perfect Alpha-hole that I dare you not to fall in love with. And Anne, though struggling with intense, disabling fear, challenges him and is much stronger than she realizes. The chemistry between these two will melt your panties, girls! This is a very sexy, steamy read.
Ms. Ludwig is an expert when it comes to world building. She weaves such vivid imagery into her stories, that she can take you to those worlds. In this series, you can feel the dry air, the heat, the hard ash under foot, and the incredible savagery of that world and its people.
The emotion in this book is intense and raw, creating a gripping plot that will leave the couple with important life lessons learned. As I stated earlier, this is the best book of the series, as more and more of the overall series plot is revealed. I love, love, love this book and am so emotional that this story had to end. It is beyond a book hangover!