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“I never wanted a mate. Until this troublesome human showed up and changed everything.”

PRIYA

Lerokan is a huge pain in my human butt. He’s cocky, obnoxious, and refuses to show me his face, hiding it behind a bone mask.

He keeps saying he saved me from the battle.
But all I see is the man who separated me from my friends.

Luckily, he seems to find me just as annoying as I find him, and he agrees to take me back to my friends as soon as it’s safe.

But then a sudden storm traps us in a deep, dark cave…
For days on end…
Together.

LEROKAN

I’ve been exiled from my tribe for sixty-two days, all because I don’t want a mate. Well, that’s fine. I’ll wear the mask of an exile and remain alone out here if it means I don’t have to lose myself in the mate bond.

Only, I’m suddenly not so alone after I rescue a small boy from a battle.
Turns out, it’s not a small boy. She’s a female.

I have now saddled myself with the strangest, mouthiest woman I could possibly imagine.
The worst part?
The longer we’re together, the more I grow to like that mouth. And those eyes. Her laugh. Her many, many frowns…

Alas. Lerokan the exile is now Lerokan in love.

But despite my obvious charms, all Priya wants is to get back to her friends.
And away from me.

316 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 18, 2022

309 people are currently reading
604 people want to read

About the author

Ursa Dax

33 books1,315 followers

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5 stars
928 (48%)
4 stars
665 (35%)
3 stars
259 (13%)
2 stars
37 (1%)
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10 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
Profile Image for She Reads So Much.
1,417 reviews94 followers
January 14, 2023
This series is just so damn good. I mean come onnnn😩😍 They’ve got hilarious moments, language mishaps, hot alien big guys, and epic heroines.

Love love love! 5/5⭐️ 2/5🌶 (slow burn still🔥)
Profile Image for Amanda books_ergo_sum.
676 reviews89 followers
March 23, 2023
So fun!

◾️ We had our first alien hero who didn’t want a mate—fun!
◾️ He was exiled and forced to wear a mask because of it—also fun! (Falling for a hottie you don’t know is a hottie because he has a mask never gets old)
◾️ Danger + a big storm = forced proximity in the wilderness waiting out the storm goodness.

And then the gentle angst of our masked non-mate-wanting alien hero falling for our human lady Priya.. thinking that if he stays in exile he’ll never see her again. But if he breaks his exile to follow her, he’ll be tied to a mate who’s not Priya.

Don’t worry hot alien guy, we all know who your mate is 🥰
Profile Image for nat. ❦.
437 reviews62 followers
November 29, 2024
3.5/5 alíen sarcástico que no quiere ninguna pareja predestinada y es exiliado de su comunidad por eso, aunque aún así se termina encontrando y enamorándose de dicha pareja 😨, jajajaja en realidad fue refrescante leer a un protagonista que solo buscaba tener la opción de ELEGIR, no que alguien decidiera por él y lo hiciera “enamorarse” de la nada. Y se enamoró ☝️.
—-

El último 25% me aburrió un poco porque fue como presentación a anteriores y futuros protagonistas con sus próximas historias, así que eso no me interesaba tanto(? Y ahora que lo pienso, no sé cómo leí el último libro de esta serie (#15) y le entendí JAJAJA, aquí se presentan más todos esos personajes, mundos, rangos etc
Profile Image for Poppy || Monster Lover.
1,832 reviews514 followers
December 12, 2023
Yay for sarcasm

Honestly, it was such a breath of fresh air to have an alien in this series who was sarcastic AF. He was every inch the arrogant prat, but he brought Priya out of her shell. They had some fun banter and grew from one another.

Spice: 4/5

Triggers: grief, violence, gore (mild), abduction, imprisonment
285 reviews
January 17, 2023
I really liked this one! It was a slow burn with a hero who didnt want a mate. They got to know each other naturally. I enjoyed all their alone time in the cave during the storm and the survival aspect to that. I also enjoyed the only one "horse"(flying alien bird thing) trope. The hero was so cocky and I loved it! And even before they were mated, he loved the heroine and would do anything for her. I also liked the whole mask thing - that the hero had to be exiled and wear the mask because he refused the vrikas call to mate and would rather make his own decisions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jenni.
6,535 reviews81 followers
November 25, 2023
I stumbled across Ursa Dax and her romance Fated Mates of the Sea Sand Warlords series after finishing up reading books from another author. I wanted something a bit different from normal romance and decided that Sci Fi romance was the go because anything can go. Let me tell you I really enjoyed them and read the whole series one straight after the other,
Alien men in all sizes and shapes, all growly and protective of their mates was just what I needed. Of course, it takes a while for the abducted Human women to come around but that is just part of the fun.
Ursa’s world building makes it so easy to imagine the world she has created, and the characters are so easy to fall in love with.
If you love Sci Fi romance that is messy, sexy, a little alien erotica and fated mates then Ursa is your gal.
I was not disappointed, and I know you won’t be either.
Profile Image for TheReaderVert .
817 reviews32 followers
December 10, 2022
Mask was nice touch

I love the diversity of characters. I even loved the mask angle. The hardest plot point to digest: enemies to friends to lovers angle. No steam between the two until 90%. Love yous were declared around 88% but real character information didn't come until 95% 😩. That means large swaths of the story were drawn out. The threat from different bands took up too much of the story when the MCs don't even kiss until closer to 70% of the story. The first half of the story hit much better than the convoluted second half.
Profile Image for Alejandra Guerrero.
1,724 reviews5 followers
April 16, 2025
It was better than the previous two books, but we essentially repeat Alien Victor. FMC gets separated from her group while traveling, finds herself alone with MMC, who doesn't want a mate, and they fall in love. She was very stupid, and the constant giving a new expression with plenty of context cues (that I understand, thank you very much, no need for an explanation), then the question from Priya ( who can't understand context cues, it seems), then the explanation from this guy, then Priya also thinking "oh, he's saying this" was tiresome and annoying. How stupid does the author think her readers are? As stupid as Priya, I guess. It was even worse than the mansplaining of French phrases from Alien Heart. Without that annoying repetition the first third of the book could have been told in about two chapters.
Lerokan was funny, I give the author that, but Priya was as plain as flour. Completely uninteresting and, quite frankly, stupid (did I mention she was stupid?). Her only personality seemed to be that she hogs blankets, and even that is from the previous book. Again, she’s very shallow (just like any other fMC in this series). There’s mention of some elements of British-Indian culture, but it’s as if someone is reciting facts they saw on the internet. None of that is reflected in Priya’s character.
There are many unexplained things, like the fact that these new guys can hold their breath underwater as well as the Bitter Sea guys, but they live in the mountains. There’s nothing to justify that, except the author wanted a scene where he held his breath for a long time just to eat her up (which was completely unnecessary, BTW, he could have lifted her up and he wouldn’t have had to contort as much). And the “explanation” for the Deep Sky tribes never encountering the Sea Sand people didn’t make sense. Also, why on Zaphrinax didn’t they take guns with them in this perilous journey? The men might not know how to use them (which makes no sense, they’d had plenty of time to train them to do so), but the humans? They have enough weapons and ammo between the ship and Valeria’s shuttle to train the people who are going on a dangerous journey and improve their aim. Or they should have sent Valeria and her shuttle (that keeps getting bigger), which is exactly what they did in the end anyway, so this whole book was completely unnecessary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Claire Carroll.
29 reviews1 follower
January 19, 2023
Clever Cartographer meets Cocksure Sky Clan Warrior

"I'll choose you. I'll choose you every day. Every moment.”

When a rescue turns into an accidental kidnapping, Lerokan is only more than happy to return the bossy Pria back to her people… If only a storm didn’t roll in, blocking their journey back. Trapped in a cave for shelter, they form a tentative truce as neither are looking for a mate. The truce turns into a friendship and develops into an attraction that neither believes is reciprocated.

There are so many ways to describe Lerokan: cocksure, cocky, cheeky, snarky, blustering goofball, flippant, sarcastic, sexy, heart melting… you get the idea. And Pria, a usually quiet, accepting, open and calm individual turns into a testy, emotional person due to circumstances she cannot control and the added stress of not knowing what happened to her friends.

The story focuses on the trust and friendship built between the two, and the simmering attraction that grows the more they learn from one another. The spice factor didn’t really pick up until close to the end of the book, but that won’t be a problem. The back and forth between the couple was interesting and the new characters draw you in and get you excited for their own stories (Erokan is on my watch list).

I loved the introduction of the new clans and am super excited for the progression of this series. The world building was also amazing and contained a lot of depth. An added bonus is the dynamic between the two new tribes. Also, Thaleo, I want him. His personality sucked me in straight away.

Overall, I rated the book 5 stars. Ursa goes above and beyond my expectations and I am truly hooked for life. I love her writing style and ideas so much. I truly look forward to everything she does and will continue to revel in the masterpiece’s that she continues to create. Congratulations on another beautiful read.
Profile Image for mars.
114 reviews14 followers
May 29, 2024
ursa dax my queen forever
21 reviews
July 10, 2025
Best of the series so far

I've been working my way through this series after loving the author's Cowboy Alien series. This isn't as good as that series, but it's a fun and interesting world. This MMC of this book is my favorite, had me laughing out loud several times. Fun and arrogant, instead of constantly brooding, so it was a nice change.
Profile Image for Esmeralda Silva Tenazinha.
1,054 reviews16 followers
December 5, 2022
I loved to read this book. Absolutly amazing. I havent read the other books but I'm going to now! It also means that I could read it without the background but it did left me wanting to read the rest! Its so much fun to read. The MMC is so funny and sarcastic that we both love him an think he is super anoing. A must read for sure.
Profile Image for Allison.
593 reviews18 followers
June 27, 2025
You think you are my equal in size, strength, or fighting power? My equal in cleverness, perhaps, though that is sometimes debatable. Greater than my equal in beauty. But in hardiness of limb? Really? You think you’d be my equal when it comes to taking a spear through your guts and remaining upright?”...“Hold on. Did... Did you just say I was beautiful?” I felt the muscles of Lerokan’s back tighten below my knuckles. “I didn’t say that,” came his terse reply. “You did! You said I’m your equal in cleverness, though I’d like to object to that ‘sometimes debatable’ remark! And then you said something about beauty!” “I said you are nowhere near my equal in beauty,” he replied quickly. Too quickly. “That’s not what I heard,” I said. “Well, we both know that you are not my equal when it comes to hearing, either.”


The way I was kicking my feet and giggling non-stop while reading this! Lorokan is amazing and Priya is so perfect! I love these cuties!
Profile Image for Danielle Wu.
48 reviews
November 23, 2022
Ursa Dax does it again

I’ve really enjoyed this series since randomly picking up book one last year.. but with each addition she’s just gotten better and better. Alien Mask is the best book yet. I LOVE Lerokan, he was snarky and sarcastic (very different than the other male MCs in this series) and extremely funny. This book felt very different from the others in that we got so much dialogue and time with the two MCs apart from the main story plot. In a way it felt very standalone but we still circled back at the end and got to meet back up with the main crew and further that storyline! I really love how the over arching plot has evolved, we’ve still got unanswered questions and relevant threats after 12 books, but the world building picks up the slack because each book sort of expands what we already know about the planet.
I’m really interested to see what happens with the human forces.. will there be any new women landing in Zaphrinax? There’s an awful lot of lonely warriors, Ursa! And lest we forget the vague historical mentions of a sky creature..

There’s just plenty to cover, which makes me happy because I really enjoy reading a super long world building series. If you’re a fan of Ruby Dixons novels, you’ll love Ursa Dax. She publishes very quickly and the work is always well written. Can’t wait to read the next installment!!
Profile Image for Arctic_Banshee.
380 reviews3 followers
June 25, 2024
The mmc in this one was such a sarcastic testicle. I loved him. And I could totally understand why he didn’t want a mate. It’s explained further towards the end of the book the complete reason. I won’t spoil it here.

The fmc was funny. First, as someone who gets motion sickness at the drop of a hat, I could really empathize with her issues lol. His constant questions of “What is wrong with you” had me laughing.

These two were matched in snark, intelligence, and loyalty. Was the sexual chemistry there? Hmmm… well, it was an extremely slow burn. Buuuut.. she was competent, intelligent, strong sense of justice, and good at masking interest. Good banter. It took a long time for both of them to let go.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but if I had let read the other books before this, I don’t know that I would have liked it as much. I’m looking forward to reading the next one with Gahn Errok. :) He’s gonna crash and burrrrrn lol
Profile Image for Afina ❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:・.
52 reviews
March 19, 2025
5/5 ⭐️

I absolutely loved this one!! This book was so DIFFERENT from the other ones. Don’t get me wrong, I adore this series, but 11 books of the same “I don’t want an alien mate,” humans and the “I’ll do anything to make her love me,” aliens, gets a little old.

No, this book was a breath of fresh air. I loved that they discovered two new tribes, they’re purple!! And don’t get me started on Lerokan, ugh what a man. I was obsessed with his character. The aliens from the original five tribes are so serious and literal, which is the complete opposite of Lerokan. He’s so easy going and laid back. His personality really reminded me of the aliens from Ice Planet Barbarians, all of them are so goofy and lovable. Lerokan and Priya are definitely my new favorite couple in this series.
Profile Image for Scarlett (scarlettexpressions).
72 reviews2 followers
April 23, 2023
This is one of my favorites of the series
Why?
Leroka and Priya's constant banter
Leroka and his brother's banter
BREENA
The Mad Gahn appears
Gahn Thaleo
The epic moment of humans, sea sand lords, and bitter sea men landing and stopping a conflict like no one's business. A scene that leads me to anticipate the book where the war actually begins with everyone united against the invading mankind... or something else that was hinted at in Tok's and Taylor's story. I cannot wait for that revelation.
Cock cloth was mentioned 21 times
Profile Image for •Kate•/.
389 reviews22 followers
October 2, 2023
It was extremely evident that I was coming in deep in the middle of a long-running series. Which I typically have an aversion to. However this book was free at the time and I kinda thought the premise was interesting, so I gave it a whirl. I feel that I need to present that fact before I review.

I was hugely bored. I felt that it could have been tons shorter than it actually was. Book equivalent of ‘this meeting could have been an email.’

Also the writing was a bit tedious. I feel like there were a lot of missed opportunities to edit.
Profile Image for Stefanie.
564 reviews7 followers
January 24, 2024
OMG, I f*cking love the banter between these two! Honestly, they're like an old married couple from the second they meet. 😂
I laughed so hard during this book. Lerokan is the king of sarcasm and deadpan. I'm pretty sure this is actually my favourite book in the series.

👽 Alien Romance
👽 Fated Mates
👽 Cocky Alien (who's attempting to dodge the mate bond)
👽 He Rescues/Kidnaps Her
👽 Enemies to Friends to Lovers
👽 Spice

* Each book has a different couple, but I highly recommend reading in order due to the plot running through each book.

🔞 Aimed at mature audiences.
1,861 reviews3 followers
November 22, 2022
The Cockiest!!!!!!

The Alien Mask, newest book in the Sea Sands Warlords, is fabulous! It has the most lovingly arrogant hero, a mapmaker, sassy heroine, Breena - avian intelligent transportation, action, heat and chuckles - lots of chuckles. A very entertaining read! The next one can’t come fast enough!
Profile Image for Kayce B.
504 reviews10 followers
July 29, 2023
Oh this was a delightful change up. I *loved* cocky sarcastic Lerokan who, despite the bravado and deflection, still turned out to be a giant love sick puppy underneath. Priya wasn’t my favorite, some of the snappy comments were meh, but I did love the banter and how she and Breena instantly bonded.
362 reviews3 followers
September 26, 2023
Really Not well done..

Is it fabric or hide? At one point the mmc says "I refuse to use fabric from your hides" Duh...Too many instances too list. Annd just using the word bloody, doesn't make you an Englander. Get a proper thesaurus. Just generally not well written. At some point the writer needs to realize they've played a storyline out.
Profile Image for Jordie.
162 reviews2 followers
October 10, 2024
Okay, no this has been my favorite one. The sky tribe has the most stunning environment and I could read a dozen more stories in that setting, to be honest. 10/10, no notes.

Okay, maybe one... MFC did not seem at all like a geologist, but rather a cartographer. Still, I adored her so much! And win for southeast asian representation!!
Profile Image for Xerxia.
805 reviews9 followers
October 26, 2024
There was some lovely nuance in this one, featuring a hero reluctant to have anyone else determine his fate. There was a lot more intelligent banter in this book than previous books in the series, which painted the heroes mostly as lumbering alpha types. This guy was sarcastic and cranky, the Loki of the alien world.
Profile Image for LilLaurasaurus.
230 reviews
May 2, 2025
I actually like the banter in this one lol. Lerokan was sarcastic and hilarious. Honestly he gave me Flynn Rider vibes with the way he interacted with Priya. 🤣
Ngl I do like these newer mmcs who are sarcastic, clever and cheeky. Lerokan and his brother interacting was comedy gold.
I liked the slow burn in this one with them becoming friends first too.
Profile Image for jennifer | offmyredcarpet.
562 reviews44 followers
January 31, 2023
DNFd at 36%. I really wanted to like this but it’s essentially the same scene over and over with slightly different language. The dialogue is cute and funny per the authors usual style, which I loved, but the in between is bloated.
Profile Image for TaylorReads.
205 reviews12 followers
February 18, 2023
UNDERWATER LEROKAN?!? Whew🥵 mans really said idc, BON A-PETITE
I thought this one was cute. The banter was great and the love story made sense. Can’t wait to start the next one!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews

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