The Warlord's Survivor

by L.J. Anderson, Ashlyn Fables, Lark Anderson

When Elena is kidnapped by corsairs, the last thing she expects is for her situation to go from bad to worse. That was before she and her companions were shipwrecked on an island full of exiles. Huge, grey-blue men that she somehow has to win over in order for her people to survive.

Luckily, their leader has taken a keen interest in her. But…there’s a problem.

The exiles see them as weak and only value the strong. But with no other women in sight, Elena thinks she has a way of winning them over. She just has to convince the exiles they're strong enough to be their mates.

241 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 27, 2022

Reviews

[kymagirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elena (h) is one of a group of women kidnapped by corsairs who are then shipwrecked on Melgrim. Grixis (H) spies the women but does nothing more than observes, as his people value strength over all else. When she crashes into his camp, he begins to see how strong her instincts are to survive and it's not long before he's trying to persuade his tribe that the women may not be as weak as they first seemed. Both the MC are great leaders for their respective peoples and it's interesting to see some of the women begin to explore their strengths, particularly when the one that so many saw as a weak link ended up playing a critical role. There were some interesting miscommunication and cultural ideas that played into the story, and it was nice to see some compromises being reached. This was an interesting start to the series - it does appear to be one where you're going to want to read them in order to get the overarching storyline. Wonder if somethings going to hit the fan when Ramsey comes back to his hut.

[Tima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elena, the female human lead, is a bastard and has been poorly treated all her life until she is stolen by slavers. When the ship she’s on crashes on a dangerous land mass, she’s the one who organises the group of noblewomen who were abducted with her.

Grixis, the male alien lead, is the leader of a group of exiled warriors overseeing the terraforming of Earth to make it suitable for his people. His people believe in survival of the fittest and these human females look weak. But his group don’t have females…

This story is dual POV, and based on an interesting premise. I found the cultural clash and compromise engaging and enjoyed seeing how the lead characters learned to work with each other. I also appreciated that class status was challenged within the female group. I enjoyed the relationship development and the character development that it forced. I’m looking forward to more stories in this series.

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

[Turtlex · Rating 4 out of 5]

great escape …

This is book one in an ongoing series; and there are a string of unresolved conflicts left to be addressed in the following books.
The story is very original. There are many unique aspects here that fired my imagination. Very much enjoyed many of the characters.
The first stage of the story is “the kidnapping” pirates kidnap women from shorelines, they are from different social strata’s and are sorted based on virginity; we assume this is so they can be sold at different rates.
The women and pirates crash and stage two of the story begins. Stage three being the women having contact with the islands inhabitants.
The story was well paced and moved quickly- until about the 70/80 percent mark, then is slowed and bogged a little.
Personally, I feel the plot to introduce the machine and it’s damage is what took the story off course. Trying to fit that in ment the couple took a back seat. Not a deal breaker. Still a great story.

[Kirstine Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great premise: Young women from a strict patriarchal culture are marooned far from home, in a place with harsh weather and terrifying wildlife. Here, they clash with a tribe of huge, blue males who value women above everything else - but only if they're strong and able to fend for themselves.

Most of the women are frail, pampered nobles, so our scrappy heroine has her work cut out for her if all of them are to contribute and survive. Will the locals ever accept them?

I quickly fell in love with Elena, Grixis, and their whole world, and am dying to find out what happens next.

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

[Goddess of Chaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Strong in different ways,..."

Elena's life went from bad to worse... and then things took a turn leaving her and the other abducted women vulnerable and about to discover who can adapt, who can think on their feet, who's a team player... and who can't leave the past behind.

Grixis and his men value strength above all else. Finding frail, weak, injured women who need their help to survive is the same as finding no women at all... Until Elena gets him to realize they are strong in different ways.

This done in one Kindle Unlimited quick read has some great world building, all too relatable group dynamics, and a great exploration of strength in its many forms.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Survival is a Great Motivator . . .

Being abducted is difficult enough to survive. But Elena and the other women ended up shipwrecked and at the mercy of huge men who only value brute strength. The injured and needy women therefore have no value to them and are disposable, unless Elena can convince their leader that the women are strong. Perhaps not in the same way as the men who are built to protect and fight. But there are many other ways that women can excel, most especially as mates bearing and raising children. If Grixis and the men can be convinced of that fact, will they protect “their women” from harm and co-exist together with each doing the jobs they are best at?

[Mrs A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting storyline. Elana and her friends have been kidnapped by the corsairs and shipwrecked into the island of Melgrim. Grixis, the male alien, discovers the women who have landed on his island but watches from afar, however Elana soon catches his attention. He feels that the women are weak and have nothing to offer to him and his men but soon changes his mind. Enjoyed this, some funny moments too due to the culture clashes. Enjoyed this hot dual Pov, quite steamy too.

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

[Nina Diab · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Great world building and wonderful characters. I loved the concepts of class and strength in this book and how they were challenged. I also liked the dynamic between the human females and the male aliens and the cultural differences between the two peoples and how they worked through them and compromised. This is the first book I've read by this author and I look forward to more in this series. 4 stars.

[Veronica Albertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! I wasn’t crazy about the way it ended, made it sound a little like a cliffhanger. But overall it was a great read. I loved how it was set like a historic romance meets intergalactic aliens of some sort. I loved how the characters blended well together and how the women came out strong and didn’t let the “men” come in and take control of the situation. Great work!.

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

[Blue Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid

I first read this in Kindle vella, where it caught my attention, but when they discontinued vella, I looked up the author and was glad to find it in KU. It's an interesting story, definitely working with a trope, but it feels a little unique. With a solid writing style, I will definitely check out the next book.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good, it was very imaginative and fun to read. It showed how woman can be strong amd self reliant but also how having a man can be good. Elana and Grix had very strong chemistry and I really enjoyed their love story. This is a must read

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am super intrigued on what is happening in the plot. This was interesting for sure. Quite a few steamy scenes. Although sometimes the fmc annoyed me at first.

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

[LizKat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had promise but not a good romance and the steamy scenes weren't that exciting.