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Human Pets of Talin #4

Fighting Captivity

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Born deaf, Zia Higgs never let that stop her from going after what she wants. After growing up poverty-stricken on the human colony of Wimol, she found a high-paying job with a scrap trawler that allows her to send money home and also save for new implants.

When a confused and hurt Talin named Palforma is brought on board the trawler by accident, her first thought is the same as all her crewmates: give this giant plenty of space. But when he attaches himself to her and won’t let go, she realizes this might get more complicated than she previously thought.

When the Talin gets her fired, she finds herself left behind along with her new companion. With nothing else to do, she decides to accompany Palforma home and then figure out what she’ll do from there. What she doesn’t expect is to find herself wearing a collar and embroiled in some kind of Talin political conspiracy and insurrection.

Zia has never been one to give up, so she fights like hell against this new captivity. The problem is, part of her wants Palforma, even if his entire civilization has decided her only value is as a pet.

If they survive, is there any way they can be together as equals instead of human pet and Talin owner?

290 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2022

87 people are currently reading
79 people want to read

About the author

R.K. Munin

37 books97 followers

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5 stars
192 (48%)
4 stars
128 (32%)
3 stars
69 (17%)
2 stars
7 (1%)
1 star
4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
Profile Image for buket.
1,005 reviews1,550 followers
June 6, 2023
I GIVE UP at %67

idk why i thought this would be good even though i hated the first book and the whole concept😠

first, miss girl gets angry when they treat her like a pet and keeps saying she wants to be equal to him while making a contract to be his owner without telling him???🤥 girl at least they gave you a nice pair of hearing aid and lots of candy, what did you gave him?☠️ (four pair of pants and she didn't shut up about them)

secondly, he started as a sweet and vulnerable hero and ended up being pathetic. and not the way that some men are in the books that i enjoy. if i had to put money aside everytime he said "don't leave me", i would be rich right now, forbes lists kind of rich🤠

at some point he pressed a dagger to his neck and put her hand on it so she could punish him AND she really contemplated killing him. WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO EXTRA 🤣🤣

at %67 he still doesn't know that he's practically a slave, she's refusing to go his home planet so he gave up on that too and i really don't care what will happen to them at this point. i only gave 2 stars because the first chapters were good 💅🏼


BONUS RANTING: sometimes she's such a pick me girl that i can't read about it. she HATES dresses and only wears pants and combat boots(i don't care what she wears) but her "deepest secret"(direct quote) is she loves sparkly things like the diamond collar he bought her!!!!!!!!!!🤠 she wouldn't shut up about how she hated being a slave/pet, wearing collars, dresses, slippers and then she's the happiest person because he got her a diamond collar ☠️☠️☠️☠️
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
3,680 reviews327 followers
July 6, 2022
3.75 stars. This was fun with some interesting world building. They pretty much declare their love for each other before half the book is done and the rest of the story is action/adventure.

There’s a plot point that sort of gets lost in the middle and shows back up in the epilogue that makes the heroine a bit of a hypocrite… but not enough to make me not enjoy the story.

No OW/OM. There’s a weird dual ownership thing going on with him being a slave and her being a pet. But I like how forthright and capable she is. And it’s really cool that she’s deaf and has some technology to help with communicating. And that he has trouble verbalizing and she helps him.

Solid and I’ll likely check out more in this series.
Profile Image for Honest Mabel.
1,252 reviews40 followers
April 26, 2024
well there is a picture at the end

I was not expecting that it also did not look like anything I had in my head oh my god. Hahahahaha but okay this wasn’t a bad book I think the FMC was a bit much at times but does redeem herself. There is quite a bit of repetitive aspects of this book so that became annoying. But overall I think the second half of the book was far better than the first half and redeemed the book.
Profile Image for Kimbot the Destroyer.
754 reviews16 followers
June 19, 2023
Ima keep reading these til someone goes and gets that poor kid from Lakin's book.
Profile Image for Twilla Wickedly Sweet and Synful Book Blog.
1,040 reviews13 followers
July 12, 2022
Very Enjoyable

Loved this couple!! Loved the tapping languages and implants. I loved the overall message. This isn’t my first book by this author. I’m obsessed with the Talin universe
Profile Image for Gavin.
1,072 reviews445 followers
May 12, 2025
Fighting Captivity was the fourth book in RK Munin's Human Pets of Talin series. This installment continued the overarching sci-fi romance/adventure themes by further developing the evolving dynamics within Talin society and balancing that with a heavy focus on the central romance.

The story focused on Zia Higgs, a human woman born deaf, who worked on a scrap trawler. Her life took an unexpected turn when Palforma, an injured and confused Talin warrior, was accidentally rescued by her ship. As Zia tried to help him, she found herself drawn into the Talin world, eventually finding herself a pet and becoming entangled in a dangerous political conspiracy and insurrection. Palforma, unsurprisingly for followers of the series, quickly grew deeply attached to Zia whose unique circumstances and abilities brought unexpected beneficial changes to his life even beyond those we have seen from the Talin/Human romantic relationships in previous books.

I found that I liked the relationship dynamic better in this installment as it felt more balanced compared to some of the earlier books. Despite her disability, Zia emerged as the most proactive and capable female lead of the series so far, which was a fun development. I also particularly enjoyed the fact that Zia and her use of sign language played a significant role in her connection with Palforma. It ultimately helped to improve things for him by introducing him to a new means of communication that proved highly beneficial. He struggled with speech after his injury and, as we seen in previous instalments, it had caused a lot of issues for him. They really seemed to complement each other well as a romantic pairing and I did feel like Palforma truly respect Zia and her capabilities.

The bulk of the story concentrated on the developing romance between Zia and Palforma but the story did deliver some action and notable movement on the larger scale Talin political situation within the last 20-25% of the book which added some action and intrigue.

If I had a flaw to highlight, it would be that the relationships in the last couple of books in the series, including this one, are leaning a bit towards insta-love for my personal liking. That said, Fighting Captivity offered a compelling story with engaging characters and continued to build upon the fascinating, if flawed and weird, world of the Talins!

This series is a weird one but I’m definitely hooked on the nonsense. I’ll continue with the series for sure!

Rating: 4 stars.

Audio Note: No official audio so I went with the Eleven Reader text-to-speech app. I used the Hope voice. Not quite as good as the others I’ve tried but still passable enough.
Profile Image for Jess.
749 reviews3 followers
January 14, 2024
I started to be a bit bored with this serie, too much the same. Although this h is deaf and I really liked H, some things were done so slow in the development of this story, I mean, he was pronounced dead in the last book. But all his possessions and wealth was still reachable? I mean, I thought they mentioned other characters that if they died they wealth and possessions would be distributed amongst his clan etc, so I was like …. Why can he access his money and no institution says ‘hey that’s weird, a dead guy wants to access his money’.

And some other stuff was solved so easily, but other simple stuff is not solved in several book lengths….. just weird
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Duetro.
198 reviews12 followers
December 17, 2023
Read this one cause I really like Palforma and I like him and Zia together. This one was a little less edited than the previous books though, lots of randomly italicized letters and misused words that wouldn't have gotten caught by a spell-checker ("so many difference species," "she gave me an unapparelled gift"). This one also seemed extra fast-burn to me, but I guess that fits for Palforma.

I will say the low-angst take on the entire setting is even more obvious in this one, considering the potential it had when Palforma

I also liked the dynamic of their entire relationship, with Zia being very assertive and Palforma being happy to take a back seat in the decision-making. But that's the same reason that my suspension of disbelief was really strained this book. It's a similar issue I have with Nalia and Lakin: that these extremely independent, capable women (especially Nalia) get a collar slapped on their neck and then just shrug and say 'it's a better deal than humans would get anywhere else.' Any issues or doubts they have, they quickly move on from to keep it light. I just find it tough to believe that women like that wouldn't chafe under the title of 'pet.'
Profile Image for Debbie.
729 reviews1 follower
October 24, 2023
Fighting Captivity

Oh what a lovely book! The main characters are both forces to be reckoned with in their own ways. And they each have special needs - I very much appreciated the sign language being used through the whole book.

I have a couple favorite lines - one describes the MMC who is routinely underestimated because of an injury he had in the past,

‘I’m harmless and peaceful until I’m not, and then I’m the last thing you will ever see.’

I also loved this bit of wisdom which I plan to take out into real life with me, "I’m responsible for my second thought and first action". The FMC explains this in detail so you can go look for that when you read the book.

And the author did a fabulous job with banter in this book. I love good joking between characters.

‘I might not be as giant as you Talins, but I’m bigger than a few other species out there.’ ‘This is true,’ he conceded. 'Some single-celled organisms are smaller than you, but only a few.’
She mock-scowled at him. ‘I’m going to put corks on all your quills and glue your back plates down if you’re not careful…'
Profile Image for DemetraP.
5,839 reviews
July 12, 2023
I've liked the secondary character of Palforma ever since he appeared in the earlier books. I was so excited to see that he gets his own book (instead of being dead like everyone thought when they couldn't find an escape pod).

I really enjoyed how the heroine saved his life. She is deaf and communicates with hand language and her visual implant. The moment the hero learns sign language so he can talk with her more easily it was so beautiful. It helped him communicate better too because he has a stutter after an old war injury.

SPOILER PSOILER PSOILER
S
P
O
I
L
E
R......................................................

I didn't like how the hero lied to her. He was so afraid of losing her he thought he could just hide how Talin aliens think humans are pets. He wanted her to get better hearing implants so he took her to a Talin medic. Instead, it led to problems because they claimed Palforma was abusing her. Obviously he wasn't.

Eventually she forgives him. He agreed to work anywhere she wanted and go anywhere to be with her.

Profile Image for Mille-feuille.
529 reviews1 follower
September 10, 2024
2.75
This book was slightly better than the last one. Mostly because the FL actually got angry and Palforma never belittled her skills and capabilities. It felt a bit insta love and I was expecting more from the book of my favourite character but it was fine. It seemed out of character that Palforma would hide the pet status from her though. A lot of Palforma's characterization was off compared to what we already know of him from the previous books.

I like when alien books mention very human things like disabilities and anger management. This was a plus for me. Although I feel like the FL was always justified in her anger.

The scent oil thing gets to me because I do not enjoy the thought of oily hair and every time the FL talks about it it makes me laugh imagining her drenched in oil.

I don't know if the author intended it but this whole series is pretty much full time kink with alien politics as an excuse. Great escapism for when you are sick of our capitalist hellscape and want to have zero responsibility.
Profile Image for Calamity Bliss.
Author 2 books2 followers
December 7, 2025
I love this series in general but this one is probably my favorite. The reversal of roles at the beginning is just gorgeous. The delight Zia takes in her new 'pet', is so refreshing (and adorable). Most alien romance focuses on the alien rescuing and spoiling the human woman, and often reversals have the woman be a captain or elite assassin or someone who doesn't really need her alien. I'm sure it's someone's cup of tea, but I much preferred this.

Zia is supremely capable, but she also has little status or power, so not only does it make her kindness towards Palforma more meaningful, but also gives him a way to dote on her in return.

The way disability is handled here is also marvelous. Integral to character without being forgotten or constantly shoved to the fore and used for pity. Plus, cool sci-fi ways of overcoming it!

And Palforma finally gets the human he's always deserved. What's not to love?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jack-Jack.
368 reviews
April 8, 2023
I couldn't oversee the fact that humans were "conscious pets" in this universe. The relationship was amazing, it takes a lot for an author to describe some of the aspects of living in a world that was not fair nor kind to non speaking humans or people with speech impediment. The bonding and writting were also great.

But, to me, it made No sense that a "pet" would be a speaking, self sufficient, well informed being. It seemed as some sort of representation, maybe in the way that some people treat life on earth, problably. Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it.

Still, with all the technological advances they had, Talins were an incredibly small minded and self centered race.

Regarding the story, it had an HEA ending, sort of.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
772 reviews1 follower
September 7, 2024
Wow another good story in this world. I am so glad that Palforma got his human and she is a doozy!!! I love that she literally owned him and treated him as a pet. I love that she made the decisions for him and showed him the care and love he deserved. I was so mad at his stupid decision and was screaming at him to have some sense. (Lol) I truly Loved Zia's determination and wit.

My one peeve is the repetition. Even with the addition of a glossary we are hearing the same explanations for EVERYTHING over and over again. It gets heavy and drags the story down. I know the author wants these to be read as stand-alones but I think we who are reading the series have had enough. Please stop and let the glossary do its job.
Profile Image for Robin L.
1,270 reviews9 followers
October 9, 2023
I’m going to say the controversial thing. Palforma should have actually died in the last book. It was the perfect send off for him.

In this book his character seemed completely different and I found that I couldn’t even root for him. If I’m not mistaken, he never even used his move of keeping his human on his back to protect her while he fights that he had been practicing as indicated in the last book, nor did he give his girl the little knife he had given the girl in the last book. He was the one who wanted a human so badly and had been carefully planning for it, but we saw none of that pay off in this book.

I’m so disappointed.
21 reviews
January 25, 2023
Love this author and series

Everybody has quirks or mannerisms, but this book series explores different ones. Like how having a disability isn't what defines you, but is rather just a part of who you are. There are good people and bad people with every race (or aliens) . But its nice when good triumphs over evil. I usually read these books in one sitting if I can, and let me say I have devoured them. I anxiously await the next book out!
Profile Image for Awesome Sauce.
319 reviews2 followers
May 12, 2023
Loving this series!

I can not get enough of these brawny cinnamon rolls and their human "pets."
It was so sweet to see how they each helped lift one another up and how much love they had for one another.

The world building and ongoing plot are awesome, hoping to see Lorian get his hea!

If you are looking for aliens that look alien and humans who are mistaken for cute cuddly pets this book is for you!
Profile Image for Amber.
2,213 reviews60 followers
July 3, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have been waiting for Palforma's book ever since he showed up in book 2! This book was well worth the wait and Zia is the perfect human for him. Lakin and Zia together could wipe out all of these Traditionalist easily!
I can't wait to see how Tamerin does with Zia's mission.
Profile Image for Sarah.
644 reviews
September 11, 2022
This may have been my favourite of the series. I really enjoyed the story around the use of the ‘tapping’ language and how self-sufficient but polite she was. It’s a delicate balance to have an empowered but not obnoxious FMC and I think this one was enjoyable to read.

Looking forward to the prequel series too!
Profile Image for JP.
1,826 reviews14 followers
October 10, 2022
EXCELLENT Again 😁

This story truly makes you realize that humans are quite capable of being productive for things other than pets 😃. This series continues to fight prejudice and indoctrinated ideas, which is something I really like 😊. Thanks again RK, I've truly enjoyed reading this series and look forward to reading more by you 🤓.
Profile Image for Elisa  Castro .
2,583 reviews2 followers
December 10, 2023
my Talin

Fighting Captivity is book four in the series Human Pets of Talin by author RK Munin. So this is my favorite book so far in this series. Something about Palfroma speaks to me. He’s so genuine- he’s a warrior with exceptional skill yet he’s a gentle giant. His way of communicating is very basic - yet it holds no pretense.
Enjoy!!
32 reviews
January 21, 2023
loved the series

Nicely paced, easy to read with great characters that draw you quickly into the story. I have enjoyed each book this writer has written so far. Keep up the good work
Profile Image for Meg's Reads.
97 reviews1 follower
February 28, 2023
I just love this series

Loved this book, Palforma and Zia were such a surprise package, both 'damaged' in others eyes, but are actually amazing characters and when they come together, wow! Cannot recommend enough.
Profile Image for Jean Morgan.
960 reviews4 followers
April 19, 2023
Love this Story

I love Palforma and his story! This was such a great adventure, romance and I love meeting new Talins as I feel we will be reading more about them! Very enjoyable story!
335 reviews1 follower
November 5, 2023
My favorite of the series

I've had some struggles with the females here agreeing to the nice ownership in previous books so it was great to see this story. My favorite of the series by far!
70 reviews
September 15, 2024
I really like this series so far. It's been fun even though I'm jumping around.
Having a deaf FMC and an MMC with speech difficulties was so refreshing and fun!
Love the fish out of water trope a lot.
79 reviews
June 7, 2025
Loved it!!

Each story is getting better and better. And a little bit more intrigue is uncovered in each one.
I like how Zia and Palforma are both considered "damaged" by everyone around them, but they are perfect for each other.
8 reviews
December 12, 2025
My sweet Palforma gets the happiness he deserves. I love the representation of disabled characters and I loved Zia. So happy Palforma can finally communicate with Norka. Loved every second of this book!!! My favorite in the series!!!
37 reviews1 follower
July 3, 2022
Excellent read

Loved finding a New book series is getting started. Looking forward to reading more books by this author. Highly recommend all the books written in this series.
688 reviews3 followers
July 5, 2022
Fighting Captivity

What a great story! It was VERY exciting! Lots of intrigue and spying. I look forward to more of this world.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews

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