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Mates of Planet 25XA #1
Spared by the Monster
Welcome to the Gestalt, where Humans are forbidden and mates are sacred.
Hauling scrap to feed his family and pay for his sick brother's plague treatments, The Twilight Scion of a Lost House finds himself in possession of a Human that somehow managed to escape the Grays.
Humans, and Earth, are strictly Off-Limits, and being caught with Chess--no matter the circumstances or reasons--will be the final destruction of his House and family. But he also can't shove her out an airlock or abandon her at a shipyard. She's an innocent victim, and the Grays will be looking for her. Her fate in the hands of the Gestalt authorities will be just as bad.
She's delicate, soft, and luscious. Clearly, he's been alone for too long if he's attracted to a Human. And this particular Human is already spoken for, with a mate of her own waiting for her back on Earth. But Chess shines as bright as a star, and resisting her pull is nearly impossible.
There's only one way to buy the time to keep her safe until he can figure out how to get rid of her. He'll have to spend his family's meager savings on the trinket that will awaken his awareness of his true mate, and present her as that mate. She's brave enough to go along with the plan, and kinder to him than he deserves.
His brothers will be furious, the Gestalt will mock him, and she'll need to be gone before his true mate arrives.
The little Human's secrets are astonishing, and her courage undeniable, and when the moment comes, the Twilight Scion isn't sure he will be able to give her up... even if it's impossible that she stay with him.
Spared By The Monster is a standalone sci-fi monster romance. No cliffhanger!
Hauling scrap to feed his family and pay for his sick brother's plague treatments, The Twilight Scion of a Lost House finds himself in possession of a Human that somehow managed to escape the Grays.
Humans, and Earth, are strictly Off-Limits, and being caught with Chess--no matter the circumstances or reasons--will be the final destruction of his House and family. But he also can't shove her out an airlock or abandon her at a shipyard. She's an innocent victim, and the Grays will be looking for her. Her fate in the hands of the Gestalt authorities will be just as bad.
She's delicate, soft, and luscious. Clearly, he's been alone for too long if he's attracted to a Human. And this particular Human is already spoken for, with a mate of her own waiting for her back on Earth. But Chess shines as bright as a star, and resisting her pull is nearly impossible.
There's only one way to buy the time to keep her safe until he can figure out how to get rid of her. He'll have to spend his family's meager savings on the trinket that will awaken his awareness of his true mate, and present her as that mate. She's brave enough to go along with the plan, and kinder to him than he deserves.
His brothers will be furious, the Gestalt will mock him, and she'll need to be gone before his true mate arrives.
The little Human's secrets are astonishing, and her courage undeniable, and when the moment comes, the Twilight Scion isn't sure he will be able to give her up... even if it's impossible that she stay with him.
Spared By The Monster is a standalone sci-fi monster romance. No cliffhanger!
412 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 28, 2022
320 people are currently reading
907 people want to read
About the author
Merry Ravenell
23 books344 followersMerry is a dark sci-fi and fantasy author that currently lives in rural Alabama. She enjoys tormenting her main characters and doing excessive research to make sure unrealistic things are as realistic as possible.
When she's not writing, she enjoys coffee, vodka, painfully bad movies of all varieties, documentaries, coloring books, and knitting.
When she's not writing, she enjoys coffee, vodka, painfully bad movies of all varieties, documentaries, coloring books, and knitting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
June 12, 2023
Sci-fi romances, my beloved, you strike again.
MAIN CHARACTER NAMES
Francesca “Chess” | Keiron
FEATURES
∘ alien-human romance
∘ marriage/mating of convenience
∘ true/fated mates
∘ bewildered mmc
∘ miscommunication (the fun kind)
∘ miscommunication (the less fun kind)
∘ different anatomy (tails, scales, and uh…)
REVIEW
I am in love with Planet 25XA and am shocked that there are not more books set in this universe!
I felt like I was going on the same journey as Chess. I did not understand the logistics of the world at first (e.g. needing trinkets to fall in love), but the more it was mentioned and explained, it eventually clicked—which is no easy feat considering the moment terms get technical or philosophical, my mind refuses to try to comprehend them.
Although I wished Keiran was a bit more overprotective, I enjoyed his character. He was charming, nerdy and a bit of an idiot. Chess was my favorite of the pair, but aside from Taidc (Keiron’s brother), nobody was going to outshine her.
There were a few mentions of covid, and while I understand why the explanation needed to be there (there’s a bloodborne plague in the book), it genuinely took me out of the novel. The pandemic took a lot away from us and the fact I have to endure it in fiction is the turd cherry on the hellhole pie. That being said, this is an entirely personal preference.
The ending was a little bit rushed, and I was disappointed by the lack of closure. A lot of political, biological, and familial questions were left unanswered. There was also no epilogue, which hurt my soul. It didn’t take away any of my enjoyment, but I was definitely left wanting more.
Merry Ravenhell clearly put a lot of thought into the creation of this universe. That thoughtfulness combined with a cheeky sense of humor made for such a fun and engrossing read. Seriously, sequels when???
OW/OM DRAMA OM — Chess is engaged and Keiron believes that he is her mate (which is sacred on Planet 25XA)
CHEATING sort of but not really — Chess’s fiancé is present only by name and she was already thinking of ending things before she was abducted
THIRD ACT BREAKUP none
ENDING HEA — no epilogue
POV dual / first person (Chess); third person (Keiron)
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 4 / 5
MAIN CHARACTER NAMES
Francesca “Chess” | Keiron
FEATURES
∘ alien-human romance
∘ marriage/mating of convenience
∘ true/fated mates
∘ bewildered mmc
∘ miscommunication (the fun kind)
∘ miscommunication (the less fun kind)
∘ different anatomy (tails, scales, and uh…)
REVIEW
I am in love with Planet 25XA and am shocked that there are not more books set in this universe!
I felt like I was going on the same journey as Chess. I did not understand the logistics of the world at first (e.g. needing trinkets to fall in love), but the more it was mentioned and explained, it eventually clicked—which is no easy feat considering the moment terms get technical or philosophical, my mind refuses to try to comprehend them.
Although I wished Keiran was a bit more overprotective, I enjoyed his character. He was charming, nerdy and a bit of an idiot. Chess was my favorite of the pair, but aside from Taidc (Keiron’s brother), nobody was going to outshine her.
There were a few mentions of covid, and while I understand why the explanation needed to be there (there’s a bloodborne plague in the book), it genuinely took me out of the novel. The pandemic took a lot away from us and the fact I have to endure it in fiction is the turd cherry on the hellhole pie. That being said, this is an entirely personal preference.
The ending was a little bit rushed, and I was disappointed by the lack of closure. A lot of political, biological, and familial questions were left unanswered. There was also no epilogue, which hurt my soul. It didn’t take away any of my enjoyment, but I was definitely left wanting more.
Merry Ravenhell clearly put a lot of thought into the creation of this universe. That thoughtfulness combined with a cheeky sense of humor made for such a fun and engrossing read. Seriously, sequels when???
OW/OM DRAMA OM — Chess is engaged and Keiron believes that he is her mate (which is sacred on Planet 25XA)
CHEATING sort of but not really — Chess’s fiancé is present only by name and she was already thinking of ending things before she was abducted
THIRD ACT BREAKUP none
ENDING HEA — no epilogue
POV dual / first person (Chess); third person (Keiron)
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 4 / 5
June 29, 2022
Ughh too good
This author always pulls you into the story. You don't even read the words anymore it just becomes a movie playing in your head Top tier writing
This author always pulls you into the story. You don't even read the words anymore it just becomes a movie playing in your head Top tier writing
July 1, 2022
Loved it
Ultimate abduction romance. Find a human, but they are highly illegal. Lots of culture confusion and figuring things out. Great world building. Loved the side characters and need more!!! The smex was soo 🔥🔥🔥🔥. The MMC had some great dirty talk…even when you don’t know what he’s saying…I was surprised at how into that I was.. just so doggone good!
Ultimate abduction romance. Find a human, but they are highly illegal. Lots of culture confusion and figuring things out. Great world building. Loved the side characters and need more!!! The smex was soo 🔥🔥🔥🔥. The MMC had some great dirty talk…even when you don’t know what he’s saying…I was surprised at how into that I was.. just so doggone good!
February 22, 2023
***3.5***
First, let me say I think the title does this book no service. Keiron isn't a monster. He doesn't "spare" her. He saves her. And not from himself, but from his government. I just want to make that clear. It's a weird title for this particular book.
Now, I like a good alien abduction trope when it's done right, and this one wasn't half bad. The Greys (think little grey men) abduct Chess for the exact purposes you would think aliens abduct humans. Only Chess manages to escape (first ever human to do so) and gets tossed with the trash, only to get picked up by our salvager MMC Keiron. It's illegal for him to have Chess on his ship, so he has to come up with a plan that doesn't involve spacing Chess but also won't put him and his family in any more peril. Hence, an arranged marriage of sorts is conceived. This makes Chess a legal citizen and gives them both a chance to figure out how to return Chess to Earth. You can see where this is going...
I have two main gripes. First, I didn't love Chess's vernacular. She was very lax and kind of immature in her language. That kind of humor doesn't really work for me and was a little off-putting. Second, there was a ton of repetitive back and forth that was tedious and frustrating to read. I'm just like, "Okay. I get it." But, on the whole, Chess had some redeeming qualities that made her tolerable. She seemed like a good person. She was pretty perceptive and adaptable. She was just a person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or was she? All this cosmic law stuff may agree to disagree. Keiron is exactly who I wanted him to be. He's a big, kind of gruff, dragon-esque alien who wants nothing more than to save his family by finding his one true mate. A top-tier mate. Let me tell you, the whole debacle around the mate issue made for some frustrating reading and responses from both MCs. I was just like, "Seriously guys, open your eyes!" To both of them. And I think Keiron's backstory, or rather his House's backstory, was pretty glossed over. It felt like we were missing some of the whole picture. But, we do get plenty of spicy alien action without it feeling too excessive. I mean, there's definitely a good bit of it, but it wasn't too over the top. That works for me. Fated mates is my least favorite trope, but this felt a little less like that and more like two people who were right for each other finding one another.
Overall, I liked it and was entertained by it, and in the end that's what matters.
First, let me say I think the title does this book no service. Keiron isn't a monster. He doesn't "spare" her. He saves her. And not from himself, but from his government. I just want to make that clear. It's a weird title for this particular book.
Now, I like a good alien abduction trope when it's done right, and this one wasn't half bad. The Greys (think little grey men) abduct Chess for the exact purposes you would think aliens abduct humans. Only Chess manages to escape (first ever human to do so) and gets tossed with the trash, only to get picked up by our salvager MMC Keiron. It's illegal for him to have Chess on his ship, so he has to come up with a plan that doesn't involve spacing Chess but also won't put him and his family in any more peril. Hence, an arranged marriage of sorts is conceived. This makes Chess a legal citizen and gives them both a chance to figure out how to return Chess to Earth. You can see where this is going...
I have two main gripes. First, I didn't love Chess's vernacular. She was very lax and kind of immature in her language. That kind of humor doesn't really work for me and was a little off-putting. Second, there was a ton of repetitive back and forth that was tedious and frustrating to read. I'm just like, "Okay. I get it." But, on the whole, Chess had some redeeming qualities that made her tolerable. She seemed like a good person. She was pretty perceptive and adaptable. She was just a person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or was she? All this cosmic law stuff may agree to disagree. Keiron is exactly who I wanted him to be. He's a big, kind of gruff, dragon-esque alien who wants nothing more than to save his family by finding his one true mate. A top-tier mate. Let me tell you, the whole debacle around the mate issue made for some frustrating reading and responses from both MCs. I was just like, "Seriously guys, open your eyes!" To both of them. And I think Keiron's backstory, or rather his House's backstory, was pretty glossed over. It felt like we were missing some of the whole picture. But, we do get plenty of spicy alien action without it feeling too excessive. I mean, there's definitely a good bit of it, but it wasn't too over the top. That works for me. Fated mates is my least favorite trope, but this felt a little less like that and more like two people who were right for each other finding one another.
Overall, I liked it and was entertained by it, and in the end that's what matters.
December 17, 2023
Update 12/17/2023:
I found out recently that this author frequently uses AI and stolen, uncredited artwork. It was pretty obvious when I took a look at their social media and there is nary a credit in sight for ANY artwork being used ANYWHERE, to say nothing of the AI being used. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement.
I can't in good conscience recommend this author or book anymore. :( I cancelled my pre-order for the second book and updated my Amazon review as well.
Original Review 09/01/2022:
5 stars
You know what? This one took me by surprise. It was hilarious and the science fiction stuff in the book was genuinely really thoughtful and interesting. I loved the alien world building with the species sociocultural differences, language barriers (no easy, direct perfect translations here!), and overbearing space government juxtaposed with quiet, day to day alien life just trying to make a living. It was fantastic!
I really love the whole "humans are space orcs" or "earth is space australia" idea and this honestly kind of feeds into that idea. It wasn't one I expected or knew about going into the book, so it was an absolute delight to discover.
The characters were all fun and the book managed to establish a handful of them. There was really only the one female character (a couple others are briefly seen) so that's kind of a bummer. I'm still giving it five stars so that's really telling you how much I enjoyed everything else about the book. In fact, the dreaded miscommunication trope was even used but it was handled well enough that I let it slide and begrudgingly went with it.
As a treat, I'm including one of the many, many bits I highlighted while cackling uproariously. It doesn't really give anything away about the plot but I'm putting it in spoiler tags to be safe.
I found out recently that this author frequently uses AI and stolen, uncredited artwork. It was pretty obvious when I took a look at their social media and there is nary a credit in sight for ANY artwork being used ANYWHERE, to say nothing of the AI being used. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement.
I can't in good conscience recommend this author or book anymore. :( I cancelled my pre-order for the second book and updated my Amazon review as well.
Original Review 09/01/2022:
5 stars
You know what? This one took me by surprise. It was hilarious and the science fiction stuff in the book was genuinely really thoughtful and interesting. I loved the alien world building with the species sociocultural differences, language barriers (no easy, direct perfect translations here!), and overbearing space government juxtaposed with quiet, day to day alien life just trying to make a living. It was fantastic!
I really love the whole "humans are space orcs" or "earth is space australia" idea and this honestly kind of feeds into that idea. It wasn't one I expected or knew about going into the book, so it was an absolute delight to discover.
The characters were all fun and the book managed to establish a handful of them. There was really only the one female character (a couple others are briefly seen) so that's kind of a bummer. I'm still giving it five stars so that's really telling you how much I enjoyed everything else about the book. In fact, the dreaded miscommunication trope was even used but it was handled well enough that I let it slide and begrudgingly went with it.
As a treat, I'm including one of the many, many bits I highlighted while cackling uproariously. It doesn't really give anything away about the plot but I'm putting it in spoiler tags to be safe.
July 4, 2022
Did not finish
I get that this is alien romance,not sci fi, but its just tedious. Every sentence is repetitive lust descriptions. Monotonous af. Sigh. And its obvious the author could have actually written a decent story. There are hints of humor, such as translational mishaps, that could've been enhanced for decent comedy. Yet every tangible storyline gets lost to the two main characters over focusing on their lust. Its just boring, predictable, repetitive. A lost story.
I get that this is alien romance,not sci fi, but its just tedious. Every sentence is repetitive lust descriptions. Monotonous af. Sigh. And its obvious the author could have actually written a decent story. There are hints of humor, such as translational mishaps, that could've been enhanced for decent comedy. Yet every tangible storyline gets lost to the two main characters over focusing on their lust. Its just boring, predictable, repetitive. A lost story.
December 19, 2024
This was an excellent alien/human romance where it's illegal to even have a human on your ship, let alone at all. I liked how this turned out, and will definitely check out more by this author. 5 ⭐!
May 18, 2023
Okay I REALLY enjoyed this. This scratched an itch. This is the book for you if you like:
Slow burns
Lots of detailed world building
Lots of small details about small things
I really liked this. There were so many moments while reading where I had to stop and think about something the author wrote about aliens or life or humans or humanity because it had never crossed my mind before. There were so many interesting, unique ideas!
Also there was plenty of smut without being ALL about smut. It was a good balance. It did not feel like too much.
The only thing that bothered me was that the mmc was so oblivious sometimes lol. He was so insistent that the fmc was only having sex with him because she was hungering for her "mate" on earth(her cheating fiance). So many problems could have been solved with just a tiny bit of communication. And less lying. The mmc had a habit of thinking he knew what was best for the fmc better than she did. He wasn't doing it to hurt her, but to protect her. Still though. Tell the truth!
Im really sad that this seems to be the only alien book by this author!! I'd love to read more about the mmcs grouchy brother. Or even the one who had the plague!
Speaking of the plague. Some parts were gruesome and dark. And it felt very foolish of the fmc to infect herself with the plague to use her antibodies for the mmcs brother. She knew nothing of the disease.
Slow burns
Lots of detailed world building
Lots of small details about small things
I really liked this. There were so many moments while reading where I had to stop and think about something the author wrote about aliens or life or humans or humanity because it had never crossed my mind before. There were so many interesting, unique ideas!
Also there was plenty of smut without being ALL about smut. It was a good balance. It did not feel like too much.
The only thing that bothered me was that the mmc was so oblivious sometimes lol. He was so insistent that the fmc was only having sex with him because she was hungering for her "mate" on earth(her cheating fiance). So many problems could have been solved with just a tiny bit of communication. And less lying. The mmc had a habit of thinking he knew what was best for the fmc better than she did. He wasn't doing it to hurt her, but to protect her. Still though. Tell the truth!
Im really sad that this seems to be the only alien book by this author!! I'd love to read more about the mmcs grouchy brother. Or even the one who had the plague!
Speaking of the plague. Some parts were gruesome and dark. And it felt very foolish of the fmc to infect herself with the plague to use her antibodies for the mmcs brother. She knew nothing of the disease.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
August 8, 2023DNF 5% - this writing style and MFC aren’t for me
August 10, 2022
Great story. Lots of feels.
June 30, 2022
Chess is a human who's escaped the Bad Aliens and found herself on a ship of a Good Alien by the name of Keiron. Keiron is the head of an ancient, noble house that's broke. Really broke. Dangerously broke, as he can't afford to keep up the treatments for his plague-ridden brother. Keiron's hauling scrap and trying to make ends meet when he realizes Chess is on board. And because he's not a monster, he know he needs to help her. Only it's all kinds of illegal to have a human...
You're probably better off reading the description.
Merry Ravenell is an auto-buy for me. One of my favorite things about her writing is that she tends to do series (I'm a sucker for long, extended time spent with characters), but this is a one-off. Which is sad, in a way, but her author's note made it seem like there's a possibility for a second book between Brother #2 and Unknown Human. I'd be down! If that never happens, this book still ends happily and conclusively.
What I liked:
- Chess was fairly rational in the aftermath of her capture. She understood the need to play along with the ruse they concoct to keep her safe; she wasn't cruel to anyone out of fear; she didn't cry in a corner and weep for her circumstances (even if that would be understandable). She was a great blend of strength and empathy.
- The bits of humor. I don't think this is a story that took itself too seriously. There are some assumptions Keiron makes about humans that made me laugh.
- World building. There were some truly cool things I loved reading about. Like...non-humans buy "trinkets" from priests in order to find love. You think of the qualities you like in a person and the trinket will help you realize when you've found someone compatible (soul-compatible, it seemed like). The more money you spend, the more you can "wish" for. The cheapest trinkets only guarantee love. Interesting! There are also answers to questions like: what do alien kids watch on TV? What's standard alien dinner fare?
- Zippy, engaging writing. The pages flew by. It was a bit like talking to a friend who's downed five Redbulls.
- A sweet, noble hero. I mean, he has his aggressive moments toward others in the story...but overall he's so moral. It's financially disastrous to save Chess not to mention so dangerously close to illegal that he could face serious consequences. He saves her anyway. He's also noble in general, and you root so hard for his happiness. You know an author's done a good job when you're sadly waving goodbye to the characters at the end.
- It competes and easily beats down most of the alien romance/semi-erotica books out there. It made me want to go, "More like this, please!" to the genre as a whole. After so much hunting for something in the genre, it's nice to have one that I liked.
What I didn't like:
- The main relationship conflict is strung along until the very end, and it hinges on a reason I personally find very frustrating. It's not miscommunication, exactly, but it's a form of it. A "I couldn't possibly tell the truth" version. Oh, how I hated that. This is not to say they don't like each other before the end: they do happily work together and there are still sweet/spicy moments, but there's a lot of A) frustrating nobility and B) forced lack of self-awareness.
- From the start, we're told Chess is engaged to a pretty awful fiancé, Kevin. He cheated on her, and Chess admits that the main reason they were still going to get married was because she didn't want to disappoint the wedding guests. Knowing this, it was really hard to read the "we can't possibly be together" moments between Chess and Keiron. They have slightly different reasons (Chess thinks Keiron has a true mate waiting out in the universe for him and she doesn't want to interfere with his possible happiness; Keiron constantly struggles with having feelings for someone who's taken), but both of them are exhausting and I felt like One Adult Conversation could have solved a lot of their problems. Anytime that's a thing, I feel disappointed.
- End felt rushed. There's a long build-up to Keron and Chess actually getting to his planet and selfishly, I wish we'd had more time on it. Seeing it and the two of them together exploring.
- Writing, while entertaining, was not as polished her other books.
That said, I'm down for Merry Ravenell's writing any day all day. I zip through her stuff so fast, and I was happy to see her dipping her toes into spicier-than-her-usual scenes. If alien romance/erotica is your thing, then I'm sure you'd love this.
You're probably better off reading the description.
Merry Ravenell is an auto-buy for me. One of my favorite things about her writing is that she tends to do series (I'm a sucker for long, extended time spent with characters), but this is a one-off. Which is sad, in a way, but her author's note made it seem like there's a possibility for a second book between Brother #2 and Unknown Human. I'd be down! If that never happens, this book still ends happily and conclusively.
What I liked:
- Chess was fairly rational in the aftermath of her capture. She understood the need to play along with the ruse they concoct to keep her safe; she wasn't cruel to anyone out of fear; she didn't cry in a corner and weep for her circumstances (even if that would be understandable). She was a great blend of strength and empathy.
- The bits of humor. I don't think this is a story that took itself too seriously. There are some assumptions Keiron makes about humans that made me laugh.
- World building. There were some truly cool things I loved reading about. Like...non-humans buy "trinkets" from priests in order to find love. You think of the qualities you like in a person and the trinket will help you realize when you've found someone compatible (soul-compatible, it seemed like). The more money you spend, the more you can "wish" for. The cheapest trinkets only guarantee love. Interesting! There are also answers to questions like: what do alien kids watch on TV? What's standard alien dinner fare?
- Zippy, engaging writing. The pages flew by. It was a bit like talking to a friend who's downed five Redbulls.
- A sweet, noble hero. I mean, he has his aggressive moments toward others in the story...but overall he's so moral. It's financially disastrous to save Chess not to mention so dangerously close to illegal that he could face serious consequences. He saves her anyway. He's also noble in general, and you root so hard for his happiness. You know an author's done a good job when you're sadly waving goodbye to the characters at the end.
- It competes and easily beats down most of the alien romance/semi-erotica books out there. It made me want to go, "More like this, please!" to the genre as a whole. After so much hunting for something in the genre, it's nice to have one that I liked.
What I didn't like:
- The main relationship conflict is strung along until the very end, and it hinges on a reason I personally find very frustrating. It's not miscommunication, exactly, but it's a form of it. A "I couldn't possibly tell the truth" version. Oh, how I hated that. This is not to say they don't like each other before the end: they do happily work together and there are still sweet/spicy moments, but there's a lot of A) frustrating nobility and B) forced lack of self-awareness.
- From the start, we're told Chess is engaged to a pretty awful fiancé, Kevin. He cheated on her, and Chess admits that the main reason they were still going to get married was because she didn't want to disappoint the wedding guests. Knowing this, it was really hard to read the "we can't possibly be together" moments between Chess and Keiron. They have slightly different reasons (Chess thinks Keiron has a true mate waiting out in the universe for him and she doesn't want to interfere with his possible happiness; Keiron constantly struggles with having feelings for someone who's taken), but both of them are exhausting and I felt like One Adult Conversation could have solved a lot of their problems. Anytime that's a thing, I feel disappointed.
- End felt rushed. There's a long build-up to Keron and Chess actually getting to his planet and selfishly, I wish we'd had more time on it. Seeing it and the two of them together exploring.
- Writing, while entertaining, was not as polished her other books.
That said, I'm down for Merry Ravenell's writing any day all day. I zip through her stuff so fast, and I was happy to see her dipping her toes into spicier-than-her-usual scenes. If alien romance/erotica is your thing, then I'm sure you'd love this.
December 7, 2022
This book hooked me from the first page, which is rare. The stark, sarcastic narration was an attention grabber. There is plenty to like about this story, but I grew frustrated as it continued on, especially once the hero and heroine made it to the hero's home world. That is when character inconsistencies began and continued until the end of the book, specifically in regards to the hero's brothers. Also, from the heroine herself.
Another issue was the seriously over the top sexual scenes and dirty talk. It was too much at times and I don't mean that in regards to personal taste...I mean that it actually takes away from the seriousness of the situations and plotline that the author built up through out the course of the book. To just throw random mentions of genitals into serious conversation, as if that were true reason to take into account, took away from the levity of the problems occurring.
The miscommunication trope grew to be unbelievable after a certain point, especially after the halfway mark. There was multiple times when the hero mentions his misconception out loud and the heroine just conveniently misunderstands or overlooks what is right in front of her face even though she is supposedly extremely observational and that characteristic is mentioned repeatedly.
The ending seemed rushed as if all the solutions were presented at the last minute and crammed into two chapters. I would say the pacing off the book was not great.
Another issue was the seriously over the top sexual scenes and dirty talk. It was too much at times and I don't mean that in regards to personal taste...I mean that it actually takes away from the seriousness of the situations and plotline that the author built up through out the course of the book. To just throw random mentions of genitals into serious conversation, as if that were true reason to take into account, took away from the levity of the problems occurring.
The miscommunication trope grew to be unbelievable after a certain point, especially after the halfway mark. There was multiple times when the hero mentions his misconception out loud and the heroine just conveniently misunderstands or overlooks what is right in front of her face even though she is supposedly extremely observational and that characteristic is mentioned repeatedly.
The ending seemed rushed as if all the solutions were presented at the last minute and crammed into two chapters. I would say the pacing off the book was not great.
September 10, 2022
PLEASE WRITE A SERIES FOR THIS BOOK!!!!!!
I WANT TO KNOW IF THE ONE BROTHER SURVIVED? WILL THE GRUMPY ONE GET A HUMAN BRIDE? WILL THE HOUSE BE RESTORED? WILL THE ANTOBIDIES WORK TO SAVE EVERYONE?
I WANT TO KNOW IF THE ONE BROTHER SURVIVED? WILL THE GRUMPY ONE GET A HUMAN BRIDE? WILL THE HOUSE BE RESTORED? WILL THE ANTOBIDIES WORK TO SAVE EVERYONE?
February 5, 2023
well written but not for me
For some reason I skimmed a lot of this one. Maybe it’s just my mood but it did not keep my interest.
For some reason I skimmed a lot of this one. Maybe it’s just my mood but it did not keep my interest.
August 20, 2023
Dnf@18% Extremely repetitive. I didn’t even get 100 pages on and the only things written are how absolutely horny our MMC is and how dumb he thinks humans are. Let’s move on!!! I get it!!
March 1, 2025
Surprisingly hilarious
I saw this suggested a few days ago, and since it was already on my TBR figured try it out...now I want more! It was funny and sassy, but had a good storyline, great character development and fun world building. I'll need to get the next 2 books soon. Oh, yes, lots of spice, but honestly the humor and story kept b my attention well enough that I would have been fine with less, it was just that fun.
I saw this suggested a few days ago, and since it was already on my TBR figured try it out...now I want more! It was funny and sassy, but had a good storyline, great character development and fun world building. I'll need to get the next 2 books soon. Oh, yes, lots of spice, but honestly the humor and story kept b my attention well enough that I would have been fine with less, it was just that fun.
August 20, 2024
Joke on jokes on JOKES. This book is a HOOT and a somewhat fuakty translator is basiclaly its own side character. It's my first Merry Ravenell, but after I blast through he rest of the series, you can bet I'm branching out!
May 11, 2025
Great book. I loved the characters. The world (galaxy?) building was just enough to understand what was going on but not so much that it's overwhelming.
I loved that humans weren't viewed as weak in this. They're viewed as potentially dangerous creatures from an off-limits planet, and they're rumored to have psy powers (because apparently the rest of the galaxy has no idea how to read body language and facial expressions??)
I loved that humans weren't viewed as weak in this. They're viewed as potentially dangerous creatures from an off-limits planet, and they're rumored to have psy powers (because apparently the rest of the galaxy has no idea how to read body language and facial expressions??)
May 9, 2023
DNF DNF DNF WILL NOT FINISH
I made it about 25% in. It’s a long book so I gave it a chance. The human chick is the most obnoxious pos. all she does is complain and make demands. Really interesting for someone who now relies entirely on this strange alien.
It was ridiculous in the not good way. No thanks.
I made it about 25% in. It’s a long book so I gave it a chance. The human chick is the most obnoxious pos. all she does is complain and make demands. Really interesting for someone who now relies entirely on this strange alien.
It was ridiculous in the not good way. No thanks.
January 6, 2024
I cant decide if it’s a 3 or a 5
A 5 because
-it’s a unique story
-fun world building (mostly)
-seemed more realistic in some ways. Of course it can’t be that simple to just go in space and communicate
A 3 because
- the romance ain’t romancing
-90% of the story is about culture shock, or them trying to share their culture with one another or them lacking in explaining things.
-why is everyone yelling at each other all the time?
- why is the second book not about big ol’ grumpy green? So much time is spent building his character and for what? He isn’t even what the next book is about. It’s more on these two. I don’t know if I want more…
-it felt like no time passed. They slept like 3 times that was mentioned and then suddenly they mention weeks have passed but it doesn’t feel like that.
-there is so much confusion in the way they talk and at points I had to back track to ensure I hadn’t indeed skipped a page.
Overall, I feel like this book could have been so much better if it was flushed out more and some non sense was removed. I really liked the idea and was happy to find something different from the typical alien stuff but it was just too much
A 5 because
-it’s a unique story
-fun world building (mostly)
-seemed more realistic in some ways. Of course it can’t be that simple to just go in space and communicate
A 3 because
- the romance ain’t romancing
-90% of the story is about culture shock, or them trying to share their culture with one another or them lacking in explaining things.
-why is everyone yelling at each other all the time?
- why is the second book not about big ol’ grumpy green? So much time is spent building his character and for what? He isn’t even what the next book is about. It’s more on these two. I don’t know if I want more…
-it felt like no time passed. They slept like 3 times that was mentioned and then suddenly they mention weeks have passed but it doesn’t feel like that.
-there is so much confusion in the way they talk and at points I had to back track to ensure I hadn’t indeed skipped a page.
Overall, I feel like this book could have been so much better if it was flushed out more and some non sense was removed. I really liked the idea and was happy to find something different from the typical alien stuff but it was just too much
April 8, 2024
Decent read.
The world building is pretty good. Somethings were repetitive, both main character’s profession were irrelevant. I kind of wished they would have put it to use, or kept it out. The main conflict was flimsier than paper. But the main female character was surprisingly smart. There weren’t many “too stupid to live moments”, and even those moments that were borderline stupid I could justify in my head. I actually really liked her. The sexy times were…wet. And I have this intense aversion to the word “moist”. Everything was gushing, and splashing. A little bit like how you’d describe Sea World (horrible place that it is). It also suffers from first book-itis. It’s has a direct sequel, so maybe that’s why something’s weren’t expanded as much, so I’m not going to judge it too harshly because I haven’t read the second book. All in all I think it’s a solid beginning to a series. Characters were very interesting, species was interesting, world building was interesting. I recommend it.
The world building is pretty good. Somethings were repetitive, both main character’s profession were irrelevant. I kind of wished they would have put it to use, or kept it out. The main conflict was flimsier than paper. But the main female character was surprisingly smart. There weren’t many “too stupid to live moments”, and even those moments that were borderline stupid I could justify in my head. I actually really liked her. The sexy times were…wet. And I have this intense aversion to the word “moist”. Everything was gushing, and splashing. A little bit like how you’d describe Sea World (horrible place that it is). It also suffers from first book-itis. It’s has a direct sequel, so maybe that’s why something’s weren’t expanded as much, so I’m not going to judge it too harshly because I haven’t read the second book. All in all I think it’s a solid beginning to a series. Characters were very interesting, species was interesting, world building was interesting. I recommend it.
August 2, 2022
Confusing…but it was okay to read
I really liked this story but the repetitiveness was a lot to handle. By the time the book ended it drilled into me that she was from Earth and abducted by some aliens and vulnerable. Not to mention repetitive words and phrases. Also there is at least one chapter labeled “Keiron” where Chess is actually the one talking which made things super confusing. Then there was the ending. I feel like the author missed the opportunity to address so much by dealing on her abduction who we never meet, at all. It would have been wise to spend it on the Council, the couple love (which I enjoy), and making this book less confusing and unsatisfying towards the end.
I really liked this story but the repetitiveness was a lot to handle. By the time the book ended it drilled into me that she was from Earth and abducted by some aliens and vulnerable. Not to mention repetitive words and phrases. Also there is at least one chapter labeled “Keiron” where Chess is actually the one talking which made things super confusing. Then there was the ending. I feel like the author missed the opportunity to address so much by dealing on her abduction who we never meet, at all. It would have been wise to spend it on the Council, the couple love (which I enjoy), and making this book less confusing and unsatisfying towards the end.
February 18, 2023
Great world not great story
The world Merry created was fantastic the story not so much. The push pull was a fiance back on earth. First I think that is a crap plot device but the finance was a d bag. He wasn't likable. I just hated having to hear her hem and haw in the last chapter about diipshit back on earth. He sounded like a tool in chapter 3 and at the end of the book she's still wanting to go back to him. I just thought there were so many other better ways to keep the characters apart than dipshit on earth
The world Merry created was fantastic the story not so much. The push pull was a fiance back on earth. First I think that is a crap plot device but the finance was a d bag. He wasn't likable. I just hated having to hear her hem and haw in the last chapter about diipshit back on earth. He sounded like a tool in chapter 3 and at the end of the book she's still wanting to go back to him. I just thought there were so many other better ways to keep the characters apart than dipshit on earth
June 13, 2024
Starting out HATING this book. The insta lust is not my thing. I found the FMC more unbelievable than the aliens. No fear. Super horny. Smartass. Who would act like that after being abducted by aliens. She never stopped running her mouth. So frustrating. Once a plot picked up I enjoyed it. I would rather started with a plot with the spice at the end. Will I continue the series? Doubtful. Will I try another monster romance? Probably.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2022
Best part of this book was the “abilities” of the human chick and how powerful they all saw her as and it wasn’t ANYTHING we would deem as special. Original. I know I’ve never read a book where it flipped it like that. There is so much to laugh at in this book too but I found the brothers too abrasive towards her, even at the end of the book.
October 18, 2022
Absolutely loved this book. I really hope this becomes a series. I would love for Ohade or Taidc to find a human mate to love. I would also like to know what's going on with the other humans on the planet.
March 16, 2024
The premise of this book is not bad, but I felt like it was slow and I couldn't connect with this book as I would have liked. It wasn't for me, but it could work for other people.
April 18, 2024
I was surprised by how much I truly enjoyed Spared By the Monster. As much as I love sci-fi, a lot of sci-fi romances do not do it for me, and I think this book helped unravel some of that.
First, Ravenell clearly loves sci-fi and understands how to build an intriguing world and dynamic between human and alien characters. The humor around Chess' interactions with Kieron's world and being not on Earth any longer felt a lot like John Crichton in early Farscape episodes, which I've always thought was a more "realistic" display of how a human may react. Like John, Chess gets scared, curious, horny, makes incomplete judgments, falls into miscommunication with Kieron and other characters (the universal translators are not quite universal), and makes references and colloquialisms that Kieron and others have no basis for understanding. Not to mention, much of it was very humorous.
Second, if historical romances are fantasies, then sci-fi romance is historical. Kieron is the eldest son of a family whose lost fortune and good standing. It's his responsibility to take care of his four brothers, including one who is in desperate need of highly expensive medical care for a horrific and chronic illness, and build their house back up. Kieron is a bit of a class snob who ends up with a lowly (and possibly illegal) human. He is also the Lord Scion of a crumbling estate in the countryside where his three brothers are farming (worms), and they can no longer afford any employees. Kieron also has to make some quick cash gambling and beats up the "new money" peers who taunt him.
As much as Ravenell builds up Kieron's 25XA species and culture, plus that of the greater Gestalt federation, the historical style framework and tropes keep us grounded in who Kieron is. He is a familiar character that we trust to have a heart of gold. I appreciated the way Ravenell mixed science, superstition, and what we just cannot (yet) explain about the galaxy. Chess got to experience the ways 25XA was more advanced than Earth and the ways it was not (the healthcare!), and Kieron believed that Humans have great psychic abilities because they find their own mates without trinkets and can read body language.
The sex was very hot. Oh, Kieron, the blue-scaled dragon alien man, has extra fingers, a prehensile tail that can change shape, a dick "perfectly shaped" for his fated mate, and cum that tastes like cookie dough.
I do wish Kieron had realized on his own that Kevin was no longer in Chess' heart, especially after she gave herself the Plague to produce antibodies to help heal Kieron's body. The use of Kevin as an object for him to deny the reality that his fated mate connection to Chess was a two-way street dragged on too long.
The other major misstep Ravenell makes is at the beginning when Chess is abducted by the Greys. The absurd nature of how she ended up on Kieron's was pure romp. However, there was no need for her to be sexually assaulted by the Greys. Everything else could've happened to her with them with the same consequences for the story.
First, Ravenell clearly loves sci-fi and understands how to build an intriguing world and dynamic between human and alien characters. The humor around Chess' interactions with Kieron's world and being not on Earth any longer felt a lot like John Crichton in early Farscape episodes, which I've always thought was a more "realistic" display of how a human may react. Like John, Chess gets scared, curious, horny, makes incomplete judgments, falls into miscommunication with Kieron and other characters (the universal translators are not quite universal), and makes references and colloquialisms that Kieron and others have no basis for understanding. Not to mention, much of it was very humorous.
Second, if historical romances are fantasies, then sci-fi romance is historical. Kieron is the eldest son of a family whose lost fortune and good standing. It's his responsibility to take care of his four brothers, including one who is in desperate need of highly expensive medical care for a horrific and chronic illness, and build their house back up. Kieron is a bit of a class snob who ends up with a lowly (and possibly illegal) human. He is also the Lord Scion of a crumbling estate in the countryside where his three brothers are farming (worms), and they can no longer afford any employees. Kieron also has to make some quick cash gambling and beats up the "new money" peers who taunt him.
As much as Ravenell builds up Kieron's 25XA species and culture, plus that of the greater Gestalt federation, the historical style framework and tropes keep us grounded in who Kieron is. He is a familiar character that we trust to have a heart of gold. I appreciated the way Ravenell mixed science, superstition, and what we just cannot (yet) explain about the galaxy. Chess got to experience the ways 25XA was more advanced than Earth and the ways it was not (the healthcare!), and Kieron believed that Humans have great psychic abilities because they find their own mates without trinkets and can read body language.
The sex was very hot. Oh, Kieron, the blue-scaled dragon alien man, has extra fingers, a prehensile tail that can change shape, a dick "perfectly shaped" for his fated mate, and cum that tastes like cookie dough.
I do wish Kieron had realized on his own that Kevin was no longer in Chess' heart, especially after she gave herself the Plague to produce antibodies to help heal Kieron's body. The use of Kevin as an object for him to deny the reality that his fated mate connection to Chess was a two-way street dragged on too long.
The other major misstep Ravenell makes is at the beginning when Chess is abducted by the Greys. The absurd nature of how she ended up on Kieron's was pure romp. However, there was no need for her to be sexually assaulted by the Greys. Everything else could've happened to her with them with the same consequences for the story.
March 25, 2025
So. This book.
It starts out in a fairly interesting way. The MMC realizes his cargo haul came with an illegal human. Cool meet-cute. Great setup for an interesting SciFi Romance.
I enjoyed some aspects of the story. There's zero doubt that the, er, physical side of things was melt your panties hawt. The 25XA species was cool, physiology and culture wise.
But the tension and pacing needed a lot of work. The only thing keeping the couple apart was this one issue that took THE ENTIRE BOOK to overcome. Not because the characters grew and the issue kept evolving, which would've been interesting. Nope. It was the same issue repeated in the same way in the same language with the same feelings attached over and over. And over. And over. By about halfway through, I was so frustrated with this lack of growth that I wanted to throw my Kindle against the wall. (Except I didn't because I'm an adult and I value my Kindle and my walls.) This was a total Dear Author moment, as in, Dear Author, please learn the fuck how to escalate conflict.
Also, stop repeating yourself. Tedious, wasteful, frustrating.
The other major, major problem I had was in the way the author portrayed humans. I liked the realistic portrayal included in the Gestalt's knowledge. Humans live in a dangerous world where everything's trying to kill and/or eat them. This is the reality. What I hated was the whining. Oh, I'm an American so I can't get good health care unless I pay for it, boohoo! What utter shite. Try being a third worlder who doesn't even have access to clean water or adequate food, let alone a doctor. It's so exasperating to watch the unironic myopia of an entire generation of overprivileged, self-righteous, entitled a-holes unfold across a book. Not to mention the deep dive into universal healthcare propaganda.
I hate human bashing. I equally hate leftist stupidity, especially when it stems from an unquestioning acceptance of propaganda.
Did I mention the grammar and word usage problems? No? Well, they were spare, but distracting. Dear Author: There's a difference between "subject" and "subjugate." Also, switching between third person and first person is just...no. Pick one. Stick to it. Stop giving readers whiplash every time there's a viewpoint shift.
Why am I being so hard on this book? Because it had potential it completely failed to meet; it completely and totally did not meet the expectations the author set up at the beginning of the book. This started out as a five-star read. It ended in utter misery for me as a reader.
It starts out in a fairly interesting way. The MMC realizes his cargo haul came with an illegal human. Cool meet-cute. Great setup for an interesting SciFi Romance.
I enjoyed some aspects of the story. There's zero doubt that the, er, physical side of things was melt your panties hawt. The 25XA species was cool, physiology and culture wise.
But the tension and pacing needed a lot of work. The only thing keeping the couple apart was this one issue that took THE ENTIRE BOOK to overcome. Not because the characters grew and the issue kept evolving, which would've been interesting. Nope. It was the same issue repeated in the same way in the same language with the same feelings attached over and over. And over. And over. By about halfway through, I was so frustrated with this lack of growth that I wanted to throw my Kindle against the wall. (Except I didn't because I'm an adult and I value my Kindle and my walls.) This was a total Dear Author moment, as in, Dear Author, please learn the fuck how to escalate conflict.
Also, stop repeating yourself. Tedious, wasteful, frustrating.
The other major, major problem I had was in the way the author portrayed humans. I liked the realistic portrayal included in the Gestalt's knowledge. Humans live in a dangerous world where everything's trying to kill and/or eat them. This is the reality. What I hated was the whining. Oh, I'm an American so I can't get good health care unless I pay for it, boohoo! What utter shite. Try being a third worlder who doesn't even have access to clean water or adequate food, let alone a doctor. It's so exasperating to watch the unironic myopia of an entire generation of overprivileged, self-righteous, entitled a-holes unfold across a book. Not to mention the deep dive into universal healthcare propaganda.
I hate human bashing. I equally hate leftist stupidity, especially when it stems from an unquestioning acceptance of propaganda.
Did I mention the grammar and word usage problems? No? Well, they were spare, but distracting. Dear Author: There's a difference between "subject" and "subjugate." Also, switching between third person and first person is just...no. Pick one. Stick to it. Stop giving readers whiplash every time there's a viewpoint shift.
Why am I being so hard on this book? Because it had potential it completely failed to meet; it completely and totally did not meet the expectations the author set up at the beginning of the book. This started out as a five-star read. It ended in utter misery for me as a reader.
December 12, 2024
this was bad. this was really, really bad. i picked it up from a tiktok recommendation that came across my fyp, and after seeing the number of good reviews this books has, i was optimistic. now i'm just concerned.
this book reads like a rambling, half thought out first draft. if someone told me this was edited beyond checking for simple spelling and grammatical errors, i would be shocked. when reading something set in sci-fi or fantasy realm, you expect a certain amount of exposition, either through directly describing something to the reader, or through dialogue. this book does nothing but. it is all tell, no show. and most of the tell is done through the lens of a character i refuse to believe is a college educated woman on the verge of taking a bar exam.
the number of poorly executed attempts at being clever is staggering. a well done malaphor can be great, idioms and metaphors too. there were none of these. instead there were strangely fabricated sayings like, 'spin me around and spank my ass and tell me when the ride came to a complete stop.'
what.
the dialogue is delivered to the reader in large blocks of run on sentences with little to no indication as to who is saying what line, outside of whoever happened to speak first at the beginning of the dialogue chunk. this will go on for an entire page. no tone inflections, no descriptors of whoever is speaking, nothing. also, large chunks of dialogue is repeated over and over, especially towards the end of the book.
lastly, the author's absolutely refusal to name ANYTHING or ANYONE (save for the brothers and one or two side characters in the very beginning of the book), is infuriating. instead of names, or proper in world terms, we are subjected to whatever juvenile nickname chess comes up with in the moment. a nickname we either are stuck with reading and associating with a character for the rest of the book, or one that is rapidly discarded and replaced with another, equally nonsensical name, making it wildly difficult to keep up with who is in what scene.
all in all, skip this. the writing quality is horrible. which is an absolute shame, because the one good thing i can say about this book is that the universe built out in the story is actually really interesting. especially the quantum entangled soulmates. great idea, really, really bad execution.
oh, and if your clit *shivers*, you need to immediately make an appointment with an obgyn.
this book reads like a rambling, half thought out first draft. if someone told me this was edited beyond checking for simple spelling and grammatical errors, i would be shocked. when reading something set in sci-fi or fantasy realm, you expect a certain amount of exposition, either through directly describing something to the reader, or through dialogue. this book does nothing but. it is all tell, no show. and most of the tell is done through the lens of a character i refuse to believe is a college educated woman on the verge of taking a bar exam.
the number of poorly executed attempts at being clever is staggering. a well done malaphor can be great, idioms and metaphors too. there were none of these. instead there were strangely fabricated sayings like, 'spin me around and spank my ass and tell me when the ride came to a complete stop.'
what.
the dialogue is delivered to the reader in large blocks of run on sentences with little to no indication as to who is saying what line, outside of whoever happened to speak first at the beginning of the dialogue chunk. this will go on for an entire page. no tone inflections, no descriptors of whoever is speaking, nothing. also, large chunks of dialogue is repeated over and over, especially towards the end of the book.
lastly, the author's absolutely refusal to name ANYTHING or ANYONE (save for the brothers and one or two side characters in the very beginning of the book), is infuriating. instead of names, or proper in world terms, we are subjected to whatever juvenile nickname chess comes up with in the moment. a nickname we either are stuck with reading and associating with a character for the rest of the book, or one that is rapidly discarded and replaced with another, equally nonsensical name, making it wildly difficult to keep up with who is in what scene.
all in all, skip this. the writing quality is horrible. which is an absolute shame, because the one good thing i can say about this book is that the universe built out in the story is actually really interesting. especially the quantum entangled soulmates. great idea, really, really bad execution.
oh, and if your clit *shivers*, you need to immediately make an appointment with an obgyn.
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