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Rystani Warrior #3
The Ultimatum
Dr. Alara Calladar needs a man...
...but she sure as krek doesn't want one.
If Alara doesn't make love soon, her cells will fail to regenerate and she'll die. Unfortunately, her only option is an enemy--Rystani starpilot Xander, her abductor... and a member of the race who has been battling hers since the beginning of time.
Xander issues an ultimatum: He'll make love to Alara only if she will use her psi-talent of identifying DNA to help him find the cure for the deadly Terran virus spreading across the galaxy.
Alara is trapped. She gives Xander what he wants--and gets when she needs. But Alara holds a pair of secrets: the more they make love, the more Alara's cells adapt to Xander's body, until the only person she can make love with is him--and the more time they spend together, the more Alara likes Xander.
When it seems that all the forces in the universe have aligned against them, can Alara trust Xander with her life... and her heart?
...but she sure as krek doesn't want one.
If Alara doesn't make love soon, her cells will fail to regenerate and she'll die. Unfortunately, her only option is an enemy--Rystani starpilot Xander, her abductor... and a member of the race who has been battling hers since the beginning of time.
Xander issues an ultimatum: He'll make love to Alara only if she will use her psi-talent of identifying DNA to help him find the cure for the deadly Terran virus spreading across the galaxy.
Alara is trapped. She gives Xander what he wants--and gets when she needs. But Alara holds a pair of secrets: the more they make love, the more Alara's cells adapt to Xander's body, until the only person she can make love with is him--and the more time they spend together, the more Alara likes Xander.
When it seems that all the forces in the universe have aligned against them, can Alara trust Xander with her life... and her heart?
360 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 7, 2006
14 people are currently reading
301 people want to read
About the author
Susan Kearney
119 books129 followersSusan Kearney used to set herself on fire four times a day, now a USA TODAY—BESTSELLING author, she does something really hot—she writes paranormal romance and romantic suspense for Tor. She can apply the old rule of "write what you know" and never run out of ideas for characters and plots. An All-American and professional diver, expert in martial arts, sailor, real estate broker and owner of a barter business as well as women's fitness and three hair salons, she has enough material for a lifetime.
Kearney, a native of New Jersey, writes full time and has sold books to the industries' top publishing houses — Grand Central, Tor, Simon & Schuster, Harlequin, Berkley, Leisure, Red Sage and Kensington. As an award winning author, Kearney earned a Business Degree from the University of Michigan. Kearney's knowledge and experience spans throughout the romance genre, and her fifty plus books include contemporary, romantic suspense, historical, futuristic, science fiction and paranormal novels. She resides in a suburb of Tampa—with her husband, kids and Boston terrier. Currently she's plotting her way through her 54th work of fiction.
Kearney, a native of New Jersey, writes full time and has sold books to the industries' top publishing houses — Grand Central, Tor, Simon & Schuster, Harlequin, Berkley, Leisure, Red Sage and Kensington. As an award winning author, Kearney earned a Business Degree from the University of Michigan. Kearney's knowledge and experience spans throughout the romance genre, and her fifty plus books include contemporary, romantic suspense, historical, futuristic, science fiction and paranormal novels. She resides in a suburb of Tampa—with her husband, kids and Boston terrier. Currently she's plotting her way through her 54th work of fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 18, 2009
While parts of this story over-exercised my eyebrow, there were also parts that worked.
If Alara doesn't make love regularly, her cells will fail to regenerate and she will die. If she has sex regularly with the same man she becomes dependent on him to live. She's researching a method of stopping this dependency for her race.
She has been kidnapped by Xander, a member of a race that has been battling her race for ages. Xander wants her help in identifying a virus that's been killing humans across the galaxy. What the two of them don't realise is that they have to work together to find this cure. While they're supposed to be enemies they're finding themselves attracted.
I do have some issues with some of the concepts behind the story, and there are moments where it feels like the story is being forced along rather than flowing and that the plot is there to ensure that the characters get the maximum amount of sex in.
If Alara doesn't make love regularly, her cells will fail to regenerate and she will die. If she has sex regularly with the same man she becomes dependent on him to live. She's researching a method of stopping this dependency for her race.
She has been kidnapped by Xander, a member of a race that has been battling her race for ages. Xander wants her help in identifying a virus that's been killing humans across the galaxy. What the two of them don't realise is that they have to work together to find this cure. While they're supposed to be enemies they're finding themselves attracted.
I do have some issues with some of the concepts behind the story, and there are moments where it feels like the story is being forced along rather than flowing and that the plot is there to ensure that the characters get the maximum amount of sex in.
February 14, 2008
Wow, she's just gotta have sex or she'll die. Because she's an alien. She's also a chemist and an antiques dealer.
Oh and there's bondage in space, but that doesn't have much to do with her occupation.
I promise there's a plot somewhere in there too.
Oh and there's bondage in space, but that doesn't have much to do with her occupation.
I promise there's a plot somewhere in there too.
could-not-finish
February 11, 2021I could not finish this book. I got to about 50 pages and I'm giving up. Even though I'm not reading anymore, I will use my crystal ball and tell you that the main protagonists will have sex because she won't be able to stop herself. She'll hate him and herself. He'll get his feelings hurt. She'll say it's not her fault and have sex with him again. He'll begin to back away. She'll say say wait a minute, he's actually a great misunderstood guy and there will be a HEA and she'll help mankind. That's my prediction from the first 50 pages.
May 30, 2022
Giving up at page 39...this is too much of a slog to continue. While I think this is supposed to be a steamy hot, romantic sci-fi - all of which sounds like things I've liked before - it does not work for me. I can't stand the main characters - Alara and Xander - and the plot is glacially slow. Time to move on.
August 9, 2013
Originally published in 2006 this book (and series) are being re-released and put into ebook format. The good news is this is a stand alone novel. It is the third book in the Rystani series, and although interplanetary and personal relationships have already been established I never felt lost. Brief overviews were slipped into the story to remind those that already have been reading the series and to catch up new readers. I also liked that this story seemed to take place a few years after the last book. It seems like each story is a few years apart from the last. Which not only makes it easy for each book to be a stand alone novel, it also makes it easier to focus on the new featured leads and gives the ability to see how former leads have progressed. Unfortunately, I didn’t like this story.
First, I did not like Xander. I understand that he is trying to save several life forms, but he tried to pretend like he is some kind of good guy when he is really an ass who was going to do what he had to regardless of Alara’s well being. Even though he has spent years hating Endekian people he never realized that he knows very little about them. After being at war with them he just noticed during this mission that he had never seen any Endekian women off of their home planet. When Xander asks Alara to go away with him to help him find a cure for the Terrans she says no. One because she hates them and two because it would be illegal for her to leave the planet. It never occurred to Xander to find out why and he kidnaps her. Once she is onboard his ship she is forced to reveal that Endekian women have to have sex with men in order to stay alive. Xander’s reaction to this news is for her to either enthusiastically help him or die. What? The way that scene was written you would have thought she was a stowaway not kidnap victim. He then judges her and her people as if the women of that planet are just sluts, not beings with intense biological needs, and then after all that he decides that they are going to have sex the Rystani way. Even though he knows nothing about Endekian physiology or if his essence (sperm) is compatible enough to keep her alive. Xander is not a good guy hero, he is a sadist.
I am usually tough of the female leads when the hero is a jerk but Alara get’s a pass. The woman is literally ruled by her hormones and can not think straight. She has no room to negotiate for her own well being because if she doesn’t comply she will die. I’ve read some books where the heroine is powerless but this takes things to a whole new level. She comes from a world where because a woman can not survive without a man, the men treat them like garbage. While it is ridiculous that two people who come form warring worlds would fall in love over the course of a few days, Alara’s combination of stockholm syndrome and being given the barest form of kindness from Xander explains her infatuation.
Another thing that bothered me was that aside from Earth the women seemed to be treated like second class citizens throughout this universe. The Rystani only have sex in a way that the male is always a dom (completely controlling the sexual situation and the female orgasm) and the woman a sub and any deviation from that is perverse. And they travel to another planet that requires their women to make a huge sacrifice but mentions nothing of the men. What is the point of living in the future with insane technology if women are still treated like they live in the dark ages? The book is written with a overlying theme of men knowing what is best for women. Even men who are aliens and know absolutely nothing about another woman’s culture or biology. As I was reading it I felt like it was written by a man who thinks women just want to be controlled. I won’t be reading the other books in this series.
First, I did not like Xander. I understand that he is trying to save several life forms, but he tried to pretend like he is some kind of good guy when he is really an ass who was going to do what he had to regardless of Alara’s well being. Even though he has spent years hating Endekian people he never realized that he knows very little about them. After being at war with them he just noticed during this mission that he had never seen any Endekian women off of their home planet. When Xander asks Alara to go away with him to help him find a cure for the Terrans she says no. One because she hates them and two because it would be illegal for her to leave the planet. It never occurred to Xander to find out why and he kidnaps her. Once she is onboard his ship she is forced to reveal that Endekian women have to have sex with men in order to stay alive. Xander’s reaction to this news is for her to either enthusiastically help him or die. What? The way that scene was written you would have thought she was a stowaway not kidnap victim. He then judges her and her people as if the women of that planet are just sluts, not beings with intense biological needs, and then after all that he decides that they are going to have sex the Rystani way. Even though he knows nothing about Endekian physiology or if his essence (sperm) is compatible enough to keep her alive. Xander is not a good guy hero, he is a sadist.
I am usually tough of the female leads when the hero is a jerk but Alara get’s a pass. The woman is literally ruled by her hormones and can not think straight. She has no room to negotiate for her own well being because if she doesn’t comply she will die. I’ve read some books where the heroine is powerless but this takes things to a whole new level. She comes from a world where because a woman can not survive without a man, the men treat them like garbage. While it is ridiculous that two people who come form warring worlds would fall in love over the course of a few days, Alara’s combination of stockholm syndrome and being given the barest form of kindness from Xander explains her infatuation.
Another thing that bothered me was that aside from Earth the women seemed to be treated like second class citizens throughout this universe. The Rystani only have sex in a way that the male is always a dom (completely controlling the sexual situation and the female orgasm) and the woman a sub and any deviation from that is perverse. And they travel to another planet that requires their women to make a huge sacrifice but mentions nothing of the men. What is the point of living in the future with insane technology if women are still treated like they live in the dark ages? The book is written with a overlying theme of men knowing what is best for women. Even men who are aliens and know absolutely nothing about another woman’s culture or biology. As I was reading it I felt like it was written by a man who thinks women just want to be controlled. I won’t be reading the other books in this series.
August 9, 2013
I want to say this book takes place about a federation decade after the events of "The Dare." Xander, the young lad whom we met in "The Challenge" is now an adult and captain of the same crew present in "The Dare" and under Zical's command. Tasked with a mission to find a cure for a virus that is killing the Terrans (Earthlings), most notably Tessa who had once saved his life when he was a boy, he must find bio-geneticist Alara Calladar and hope that her special abilities can help in his quest. There is one problem, however, Alara's unique DNA requires her to periodically mate with a male in order to survive.
The story was interesting in that the main female character is of a species that requires the females to mate with a male in order to live, keeping the females at the mercy of the males. Additionally if a female mates with the same man, she may become linked with his essence further complicating the relationship because then the female's life is tied to that specific male's. Because Alara witnessed her parent's unbalanced and often times harsh relationship, Alara commits herself to finding a cure, giving the females in her species a choice.
Alara is smart and independent. She tries so hard to fight Boktai which is a phase in which Alara virtually loses control of the visceral responses of her body and begins to crave a male.
Xander is strong and extremely loyal. He is committed to his people, his culture, his friends, his crew, and his responsibilities. In taking Alara from her home planet in a quest to find a cure for the virus, he takes it upon himself to ensure her safety.
I loved the way this romance was told. Alara has always been skeptical about forming a relationship with a man, however in the unfolding of her feelings and trust with Xander, she doesn't shy away from it or hide. Instead she approaches it in her usual logical manner, giving Xander the chance to come around on his own. Xander has a lot on his plate and the complications of being highly attracted to Alara muddles his rational thoughts. He cares for Alara and even though he may not be fully aware of his depth of love for her, it comes out in his actions and concerns and I enjoyed those little nuances.
The overarching plot in the story is fascinating in that Kearney deals with a set of higher beings which can be construed as makers of races. Their presence in the story makes for an interesting plot.
Overall, this book had it all for me: great love story, smoking hot love scenes, interesting sci-fi elements, and a great plot that kept me flipping the electronic pages of the Kindle edition.
I want to read Kirek's tale so bad that I may not be able to wait for the Kindle edition to come out (Due out Aug 15, 2013). I may just have to pick up a hard copy from the book store.
The story was interesting in that the main female character is of a species that requires the females to mate with a male in order to live, keeping the females at the mercy of the males. Additionally if a female mates with the same man, she may become linked with his essence further complicating the relationship because then the female's life is tied to that specific male's. Because Alara witnessed her parent's unbalanced and often times harsh relationship, Alara commits herself to finding a cure, giving the females in her species a choice.
Alara is smart and independent. She tries so hard to fight Boktai which is a phase in which Alara virtually loses control of the visceral responses of her body and begins to crave a male.
Xander is strong and extremely loyal. He is committed to his people, his culture, his friends, his crew, and his responsibilities. In taking Alara from her home planet in a quest to find a cure for the virus, he takes it upon himself to ensure her safety.
I loved the way this romance was told. Alara has always been skeptical about forming a relationship with a man, however in the unfolding of her feelings and trust with Xander, she doesn't shy away from it or hide. Instead she approaches it in her usual logical manner, giving Xander the chance to come around on his own. Xander has a lot on his plate and the complications of being highly attracted to Alara muddles his rational thoughts. He cares for Alara and even though he may not be fully aware of his depth of love for her, it comes out in his actions and concerns and I enjoyed those little nuances.
The overarching plot in the story is fascinating in that Kearney deals with a set of higher beings which can be construed as makers of races. Their presence in the story makes for an interesting plot.
Overall, this book had it all for me: great love story, smoking hot love scenes, interesting sci-fi elements, and a great plot that kept me flipping the electronic pages of the Kindle edition.
I want to read Kirek's tale so bad that I may not be able to wait for the Kindle edition to come out (Due out Aug 15, 2013). I may just have to pick up a hard copy from the book store.
April 6, 2013
Alara, knows that if she doesn't find a male to have sex with soon, her cells will degenerate and she will die. Her race, all the women must have sex in order for them to survive, and Alara has always felt like it was a curse, and has endeavored to find a way to fix it. Alara is a Dr and a genius when it comes to identifying DNA and fixing problems, its her lifes work, however she never thought that she would end up kidnapped by a Rystani Warrior..Xander, an enemy and the one that if she doesn't give in to her needs she will deteriorate and die, but in return Xander expects her to help find a cure to the virus that is spreading across the galaxy. Alara starts to feel more than just sexual need for Xander, she starts to feel like she could be falling for him, and she knows that it could never be possible, considering his career and she would just be a crutch for him, but the power of love can overcome anything if only one learns to trust in love?Ultimatum is the third installment in the Rystani series by Susan Kearney. This is the first book that I have read from this author. I was browsing the library looking for a new author, and then when I saw the cover and the blurb for this book, I knew I had to try it out. Boy am I thrilled to have read Ultimatum, it definitely satisfied every romantic craving I had for the day LOL It was full of action, romance, suspense, mystery, and love. From the beginning to the end, I was raptured and couldn't put it down, the characters were enthralling and the plot had my head spinning I was turning the pages as fast as I could get them read. One of the most riveting reads I have had the pleasure of reading so far....I LOVED IT!!!! So if you love the futuristic romance, this one is for you!!!!
My Favorite Quote
"Logic isn't as important as my love for you. I shouldn't love you, but I do. I don't seem to ahve a choice. " He said the words with conviction. And then he gathered his woman close to his heart. "I love you, Alara. Even when I didn't want to love you, I couldn't help myself. I've loved you for a long time. And I always will"
My Favorite Quote
"Logic isn't as important as my love for you. I shouldn't love you, but I do. I don't seem to ahve a choice. " He said the words with conviction. And then he gathered his woman close to his heart. "I love you, Alara. Even when I didn't want to love you, I couldn't help myself. I've loved you for a long time. And I always will"
September 15, 2013
The Ultimatium is book three in the Rystani series but it works very well as a stand alone. Some of the characters from the previous two books are mentioned but are not really a part of this story.
Backstory: Everything is presented as part of the current story and explains the tension between the characters and the reason for the mission the characters undertake. While this is part of a series there was never a time when I felt that I did not have the background I needed to understand the world.
Characters: Susan Kearney knows how to create interesting and unusual main female characters. Alara’s is unique because during certain times she has to have sex to regenerate or she dies. At times that overshadows how intelligent she is. Xander is the alpha male who brings her on his ship without knowing about the need Endekian women have. Both are strong intelligent people who have to work out their problems in order to sued in their quest. There are some very well developed secondary characters who add interest to the story. Then there are the Perceptive Ones who show up in small segments scattered between the chapters. T
Plot: It is fairly standard. There is a virus that will kill everyone unless a cure is found. There is a time limit that adds to the tension. Secondary is the attraction between Alara and Xandar.
Writing: The writing moves the characters and the plot along in an interesting manner. The dialog was crisp, the action fit the plot and the characters moved in the manner that fit their development. A very well done book.
I liked the story. I am looking forward to reading next book in the series, The Quest. If you like SFR this is a good choice for you.
Backstory: Everything is presented as part of the current story and explains the tension between the characters and the reason for the mission the characters undertake. While this is part of a series there was never a time when I felt that I did not have the background I needed to understand the world.
Characters: Susan Kearney knows how to create interesting and unusual main female characters. Alara’s is unique because during certain times she has to have sex to regenerate or she dies. At times that overshadows how intelligent she is. Xander is the alpha male who brings her on his ship without knowing about the need Endekian women have. Both are strong intelligent people who have to work out their problems in order to sued in their quest. There are some very well developed secondary characters who add interest to the story. Then there are the Perceptive Ones who show up in small segments scattered between the chapters. T
Plot: It is fairly standard. There is a virus that will kill everyone unless a cure is found. There is a time limit that adds to the tension. Secondary is the attraction between Alara and Xandar.
Writing: The writing moves the characters and the plot along in an interesting manner. The dialog was crisp, the action fit the plot and the characters moved in the manner that fit their development. A very well done book.
I liked the story. I am looking forward to reading next book in the series, The Quest. If you like SFR this is a good choice for you.
May 7, 2010
The concept is magnificently trashy and practically vintage sci-fi: imagine a race in which their women need sex on a regular basis otherwise they die. This book follows a protagonist that is a doctor who desires to free her fellow women of this humiliating genetic necessity. However the book becomes bogged down when it introduces in a slapdash manner such history as warfare and atrocities between planets and races, a plague that is destroying everyone's DNA, and personal tragedies that temper the backgrounds of our hero and heroine that just get more and more ridiculously "i've got more personal tragedy than you." So HE shows up and kidnaps her to go searching for a cure for DNA plague that only she can help with but she needs sex and he, after 5 seconds of soul searching because their races are enemies, right?, proceeds to sex her up right good, as well as spank her thoroughly (apparently the behavior of choice in this book). Oh yes, and there are other alien races and mysterious voices rather like the blinking dot angels in "It's a Wonderful Life" and a hectic experience involving subterfuge and rescue on a strange planet but in the end we all know love, and spanking, will prevail.
July 6, 2009
I feel like I've read this author before, but after looking at the descriptions of her other novels, I think I just thought about reading her and never actually picked one up.
I picked THE ULTIMATUM up because it was in the local (UK) library's very limited romance collection and because I'm desperate to discover new sci-fi romance writer to love. Well, Ms. Kearney isn't it.
I should have known she wouldn't be it from reading the back cover blurb, but I decided to give it a try anyway. I didn't make it to 100 pages. The plot didn't interest me - something about saving Earth from pollution or a disease. I read on to see if the characters could hook me. Nope. The plot, the conflict, the different cultures, they're all designed just so the two main characters can have sex. Blah.
This is the problem with the sci-fi romance genre. Authors keep turning it into erotica and I'm so not interested in reading erotica. I just want a good story with spaceships and interesting characters. Apparently, that's asking too much.
Ms. Kearney's writing wasn't horrible. She has the label of a USA Today Bestselling Author. She's just not for me.
I picked THE ULTIMATUM up because it was in the local (UK) library's very limited romance collection and because I'm desperate to discover new sci-fi romance writer to love. Well, Ms. Kearney isn't it.
I should have known she wouldn't be it from reading the back cover blurb, but I decided to give it a try anyway. I didn't make it to 100 pages. The plot didn't interest me - something about saving Earth from pollution or a disease. I read on to see if the characters could hook me. Nope. The plot, the conflict, the different cultures, they're all designed just so the two main characters can have sex. Blah.
This is the problem with the sci-fi romance genre. Authors keep turning it into erotica and I'm so not interested in reading erotica. I just want a good story with spaceships and interesting characters. Apparently, that's asking too much.
Ms. Kearney's writing wasn't horrible. She has the label of a USA Today Bestselling Author. She's just not for me.
November 13, 2014
I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
For fans The Ultimatum is connected to her story The Dare so make sure to read them together so that you know what happens to her characters in the future.
That being said its a unique plot, while light hearted isn't serious with itself and doesn't push itself on the readers which is good because with the quirks of her characters it wouldn't work. However Susan does a good job of making her characters believable while adding entertainment to a very intimacy latent based book.
Creating a world as different as this one is obviously a challenge. For those of you that don't get that, I suggest you give it a try. Its not easy. Susan does a fabulous job keeping the reader interested while creating something you won't find in any other paranormal romance.
For fans The Ultimatum is connected to her story The Dare so make sure to read them together so that you know what happens to her characters in the future.
That being said its a unique plot, while light hearted isn't serious with itself and doesn't push itself on the readers which is good because with the quirks of her characters it wouldn't work. However Susan does a good job of making her characters believable while adding entertainment to a very intimacy latent based book.
Creating a world as different as this one is obviously a challenge. For those of you that don't get that, I suggest you give it a try. Its not easy. Susan does a fabulous job keeping the reader interested while creating something you won't find in any other paranormal romance.
May 13, 2009
I've doggedly plowed my way through the first two books in this series, thinking to myself that Kearney was almost there in her efforts to write a sci-fi romance that did both world-building and romance-building not just in equal measure, but in ways where each actually informed the other.
With this book, Kearney's finally done it.
I do still have some critiques - aspects of the end seemed a little too easy - but all in all I really liked it, and I'm looking forward to the next book.
With this book, Kearney's finally done it.
I do still have some critiques - aspects of the end seemed a little too easy - but all in all I really liked it, and I'm looking forward to the next book.
June 19, 2015
If this didn't have the explicit "romance" scenes, it would have been a fantastic sci-fi novel all on its own. Not that I minded the more steamy parts, I just wanted to express that it could definitely hold its own outside of the romance genre. It was a lot of fun envisioning all the worlds and species out in the galaxy. Also a lot of fast paced action and adventure. Sort of Star Trek meets Lexx, for my fellow sci-fi nerds and geeks. Overall I really enjoyed this one.
March 16, 2014
Like the other two before it, it starts out slow and a bit boring. But by the end, it turns into a page turner and a lovely story. You just have to get to that point. I probably won't read it again, but I am glad I have stuck with the series.
December 24, 2010
Space romance, light-hearted and easygoing.
August 14, 2014
Enjoyable series.......
May 13, 2019
Their planets are enemies but he needs her to help him save the family he loves. She's a DNA expert and he's a warrior with a code. Something is slowly killing everything and spreading quickly. Plants, animal, and people of all species and planets are dying.
He needs her.
Soon she's aboard his ship.
However her biology demands a male essence to keep her alive. Too many times with a male and she will be forever bound.
Can she help figure out how to save everyone before she stuck with no choice?
He needs her.
Soon she's aboard his ship.
However her biology demands a male essence to keep her alive. Too many times with a male and she will be forever bound.
Can she help figure out how to save everyone before she stuck with no choice?
September 22, 2024
4.3/5 I really enjoyed this story with Xander and Alara. I loved her world building- I’ve never read a book quite like this and I found the story to be refreshing, hot, and on my toes.
Definitely recommending to friends!
Definitely recommending to friends!
September 24, 2019
i love....to warble......and to wail...
May 29, 2024
Stop would have been better without sadomasochism. It wasn't needed to make this story good.
September 30, 2013
My Makin’ the Love Mon-Tuesday this week is Susan Kearney’s The Ultimatum–the third Rystani book in her futuristic sci-fi/romance space series. I have downed the first three books in this series in the last month and only have Kirek’s book left. The series was recommended to me through Goodreads based on my read shelf for August when I started reading the Brides of the Kindred books by Evangeline Anderson. The two book series share a similar science fiction feel but I like Susan Kearney’s characters more than the Kindred characters. So Goodreads gave me a really good recommendation and I got a further boon because this book became available on NetGalley and I got the ARC sent to me for free. For the full review please follow the link below to my blog All the Things Inbetween.
Makin' The Love Monday - The Ultimatum by Susan Kearney
Makin' The Love Monday - The Ultimatum by Susan Kearney
June 18, 2009
Love the premise: no survival without sex.
March 31, 2018
First, let me say that I don't have any huge objections with the actual writing of this book. The plot was fun, the characters were cute, and the sex was hot. However, I can't say I liked the book because I didn't like the theme.
In the book, Dr. Alara Calladar despises her female biology, which requires that she have sex to live, and then eventually bond permanently to one man for life. Now, I realize that this is a fictional story and that a biology like hers really doesn't exist, but I am forced to take her biology as an analogy for mine. Her Boktai is my menstrual cycle. The problem is, she hates her biology and searches for a "cure" for it, throughout the book. Even at the happily ever after, there are comments about how the love match is a stupid one because Alara's biology is just whacked out, but they can't help themselves because they're in lurve.
To me, what would have made this book so much better would be to have Alara slowly realize that maybe it's not so bad to be bonded to one man for life, if you love him and if he treats you with respect, and to realize that her body is not her enemy, and even to learn to love her biology. This hits a special nerve for me because it took me YEARS to learn to enjoy being a woman, and everything that comes with being a woman, so I get frustrated when I see people perpetuating the idea that women are "stuck" with our biology, instead of celebrating our connection to the moon and the earth and each other.
So, I guess if you don't have the same hang-up as I do about the book, you'll probably enjoy it.
In the book, Dr. Alara Calladar despises her female biology, which requires that she have sex to live, and then eventually bond permanently to one man for life. Now, I realize that this is a fictional story and that a biology like hers really doesn't exist, but I am forced to take her biology as an analogy for mine. Her Boktai is my menstrual cycle. The problem is, she hates her biology and searches for a "cure" for it, throughout the book. Even at the happily ever after, there are comments about how the love match is a stupid one because Alara's biology is just whacked out, but they can't help themselves because they're in lurve.
To me, what would have made this book so much better would be to have Alara slowly realize that maybe it's not so bad to be bonded to one man for life, if you love him and if he treats you with respect, and to realize that her body is not her enemy, and even to learn to love her biology. This hits a special nerve for me because it took me YEARS to learn to enjoy being a woman, and everything that comes with being a woman, so I get frustrated when I see people perpetuating the idea that women are "stuck" with our biology, instead of celebrating our connection to the moon and the earth and each other.
So, I guess if you don't have the same hang-up as I do about the book, you'll probably enjoy it.
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