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For thousands of years, the Sollirians abducted children from their homeworlds to fuel their magic.

Inez would know. She was one of them.

Like other star-maids, she was tethered to an archlord, Rylec. Unlike other star-maids, she fell for him, and he helped her escape.

Three years later, Inez can’t forget Rylec or the other star-maids she left behind. Unable to return to Earth, she’s spent her time smuggling others out on unsuspecting intergalactic cruise ships.

Then, a sudden knock on her door shatters her world – it's Rylec, her former archlord. Her current husband, one pesky detail she tried her best to forget.

Exiled for helping Inez flee, Rylec is determined to bring her back to Sollir. Despite how much she’s craved his touch, Inez swore she’d never be a star-maid again.

But Rylec will risk everything to claim her once and for all...Archlord of Exile is the first installment in the Star-Marked Mates of Sollir series. Each enemies-to-lovers romance features a wicked alien lord who can’t resist his star-marked mate. While each story has a standalone romance, the series includes an overarching plot and should be read in order for maximum enjoyment.

110 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 15, 2024

6 people are currently reading
33 people want to read

About the author

Kate Stevens

11 books294 followers
USA Today Bestselling Author Kate Stevens has been devouring romance novels and absorbing every detail since she was far too young to be reading them. With a passion for sci-fi and fantasy, she loves nothing more than a captivating villain, a touch of angst, and endless groveling. She lives in Toronto, Canada, with her cute-but-demanding pets and a hoard of books.

She's the author of Bloodborne Court, a dark fantasy romance series. Prior to that, she published sci-fi romances including Archlord of Exile and the Bride to an Alien Prince series. Her work was featured in the Claimed Among the Stars anthology, which hit #42 on the USA Today Bestseller List in 2022.

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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
Profile Image for jagodasbooks .
1,225 reviews421 followers
November 29, 2023
3,5/5⭐️
As the first person who rated and review this book, I'll tell u: read this book.
It gave exactly, what it was supposed to give. It was short, fast paced, angsty, the whole time something was going on. Read it in one sitting, perfect palette cleanser.

Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.
Profile Image for Jess | jadecanread.
1,302 reviews191 followers
January 4, 2024
Reading this felt like starting a tv show mid-season. You dive into the deep end while trying your best to understand what the heck is going on while staying afloat.

After the brief moment of shock and you acclimate though? A thread of uncertainty remained but I was hooked on the story.

I found this to be a fast paced sci-fi alien romance with high stakes, cut throat characters, nice banter, and a splash of spice.

I would've loved it more if there was more world building and time spent showing why Inez and Rylec love each other. But as it is? Honestly pretty solid. I'm intrigued by the story and I'd be interested in continuing this series!

I received an arc of this book however all thoughts are my own
Profile Image for Janni (theladysparks).
221 reviews101 followers
May 10, 2024
For centuries, the Sollirians have been taking children from their galaxies to fuel their magic. Inez was one of the unfortunate ones, becoming a star-maid under the command of the archlord Rylec. But Inez couldn't help but fall for Rylec, and he, in turn, helped her escape the madness.

Fast forward three years, and Inez is still struggling to forget about Rylec and the other star-maids she's left behind. She can't head back to Earth, so she spends her days smuggling others out on unsuspecting intergalactic cruise ships. But her world is rocked when Rylec shows up at her doorstep, exiled for helping Inez escape before.

Inez is determined not to let herself fall back into Rylec's grip, but the alien lord is willing to risk everything to make her his once and for all..

”I failed you once. I won’t again.”

Unfortunately, this book was not the book for me which was disappointing because the cover and the entire synopsis really had me thinking it would be. I think that this particular book would have been more enjoyable if it had been a full novel instead of a shorter novella-length book, especially with the in-depth world-building that we’re sort of just thrown right out of the gate.

The story starts with an entire fleshed-out relationship, which would have been fine if it had been laid out and explained a bit more in length but that wasn’t going to happen unfortunately in a book with less than 200 pages. The chemistry was unfortunately lacking because of this so it was hard to be invested in the entire story arc between Rylec and Inez. Their history felt like it fell to the back burner a bit which confused me because it’s the foundation of the entire plot of this story and I just feel like even after having read this book from start to finish, I’m missing so much vital information.

Overall I think that the plot and premise are super solid, it just fell short because it was so much plot crammed into 103 pages. (I’m not saying that this is something that the author should do because I’m just one person and my opinion is obviously subjective to my particular reading taste.) But if the author did decide to flesh this story out a bit more and give us more, I would be inclined to read it again. But as it stands right now, I don’t believe I’ll be continuing this series.
Profile Image for Brittanica Bold.
585 reviews71 followers
December 14, 2023
This was everything a fantasy romance involving aliens should be!

What I liked:
✨ Even though this was a novella, the worldbuilding and political makeup of the Sollirian society was carefully thought out and explained. I can see how it is only going to bloom more going forward, but this was a great introduction into the world, especially given only a 103 page count!

✨ I loved the way the magic system worked, especially with the mate bond only making his powers stronger while his openness allowed her to use magic as a Earthling.

✨ I loved our MCs! Not only was Rylec just complete perfection, but Inez was also pretty legit.

Rylec was a smirking devil who fought for equality and sacrificed his “normal” for his wife and child. I mean….does it get better than that?!?!?!

Inez escaped and then started a smuggling business helping those who had her horrific past also escape. That’s the kind of badass women we like to see! Women 👏🏻 supporting 👏🏻 women 👏🏻 is 👏🏻 badass.

✨ I liked that the villain was a woman. While I liked nothing about her, It was refreshing to see this, especially with some of her torture tactics being of a sexual nature. I definitely don’t think I’ve seen this before, and I enjoyed being surprised.

✨ Ummmm…..I literally cannot wait until I can request Eliaz’s book. When this is the way this book ends:

Within the day, he’d have himself a star-wife. Within a week, she’d be with child. After the baby was born, Tertia would be his and Eliaz would be free. And his star-wife? He’d have no need for her anymore. The first Archlord of Tertia never lost.


I know two things are bound to happen:
1. He’s going to fall first, and it’s going to be HAAAAARRRRRDDDD
2. She is going to be a little spitfire and I’m here for it!

What could have been better:
✨ Ok, what the hell was that battle scene? There wasn’t even a battle. I’m hoping in future books, if there is another villain to come along, that the final battle scenes are more climatic.

Thank you to NetGalley, 3AM Press, and Kate Stevens for the opportunity to read this book. The opinions expressed above are honest and my own.
Profile Image for Liv - Livslibrarylabyrinth.
231 reviews41 followers
January 30, 2025
This book had a lot of potential but unfortunately it wasn't for me. I found it to be too short to fit in everything it tried to be and it kind of felt like starting a movie right in the middle and missing the important information at the start.

The tropes list at the start said it was an enemies to lovers and second chance romance but by page 45 she's already saying "She was his. He was hers. Forever".

I did like the concept and I thought the world was unique so I will still check out other books from this author.
Profile Image for kymagirl.
6,373 reviews89 followers
March 12, 2024
Story: Rylec (H), an exiled Sollirian archlord, is forced to help locate his star-wife, Inez (h), whom he helped escape to freedom three years earlier, in exchange for his young daughter’s safety. Inez has spent her years of freedom helping other star-maids escape the brutal abuse and torturous training the Sollirians use to enslave abducted children, using them to feed their magic. Inez is initially angry that the husband she once though loved her is willing to force her back, but when she hears why, Inez begins working with her husband on a means of saving themselves and their daughter from the monstrous villain who control the Sollir Empire, Empress Calanthe, Rylec’s stepsister, who has claimed their daughter as her own. Hot and steamy huma-alien romance with lots of action, adventure, drama, violence, and more. Great start to the series – can’t wait to see how Eliaz fares with his convincing a star-maid to be his wife.

Audio: Narrator John York does a great job with Rylec and other male voices, and a good job with Inez's voice and other female voices - I personally prefer a female narrator is used to voice female voices. The audio quality is good and there were no issues.
Profile Image for Courtney.
316 reviews38 followers
March 1, 2024
2 stars

This story was not for me. This is a short story Alien romance, with a second chance trope and follows the perspectives of the two main love interests. I love a good Alien romance, but I had several Issues with the length of the story based on plot, certain events in the story that happened and finally the writing style.
The length of the story did not work for me because there was so much happening in such a short number of pages that it took away from a number of aspects. I think if it would have had a more of a focal point such as when they are reunited or just the scene when captured, I would have liked it more. I think that it is because there was so much going on that at the same time the writing style did not work for me and I wanted a more detailed and descriptive story then it was. The ending of this story I did not like, it did not wrap up well, it was not very satisfying, I would not recommend it.
I received an advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.
Profile Image for Geneva Roa.
117 reviews2 followers
March 16, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and author Kate Stevens for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

"For thousands of years, the Sollirians abducted children from their homeworlds to fuel their magic.

Inez would know. She was one of them.

Like other star-maids, she was tethered to an archlord, Rylec. Unlike other star-maids, she fell for him, and he helped her escape.

Three years later, Inez can’t forget Rylec or the other star-maids she left behind. Unable to return to Earth, she’s spent her time smuggling others out on unsuspecting intergalactic cruise ships.

Then, a sudden knock on her door shatters her world – it's Rylec, her former archlord. Her current husband, one pesky detail she tried her best to forget.

Exiled for helping Inez flee, Rylec is determined to bring her back to Sollir. Despite how much she’s craved his touch, Inez swore she’d never be a star-maid again.

But Rylec will risk everything to claim her once and for all."

This is the first book in the Star-Marked Mates of Sollir. It was a quick and easy read. I enjoy reading this book.
Profile Image for Jessica Booth.
Author 10 books165 followers
April 26, 2024
What’s it about?
In this alien romance we have star lords — who are horned, aliens— and star maids—those marked at birth and destined for these aliens as kind of slave consorts.

But one alien man, Rylec, is different and makes his maid, Inez, his star wife, joining his power with her so she can use it too. But that made her a target.

Now, years later, after he helped Inez escape, he needs her to come back to save their daughter from the cruel empress.

My thoughts:

I knew going in that I was getting alien romance, and I kinda dig the big, muscled man with horns sharing his magic with his fragile human wife and going against the power structure to do so. Go Rylec!

I did feel like I started this book in the middle of the story though. I looked it up to make sure it wasn’t a book 2, but it’s not. And while it definitely keeps the book pace fast, I was confused on some details.

That being said, this was still a fun, fast audiobook, and the narrator does a fantastic job.
Profile Image for SadiesShelves.
144 reviews4 followers
December 10, 2023
Woah woah woah. This was my first ever sci-fi read and I’m all here for it. Even though this is part of a series it was a great stand alone. Short sweet and to the point! I finished this all in one sitting.

I loved the futuristic world and human like beings, it was very similar vibes to a romance fantasy books which I adore. The character relationships had a lot of depth and the sex was 🥵. Even the set up for the next book was 👌. I never thought I’d say this about a sci fi but I want to read the next one really bad, I may have just found a new genre…sci-mantasy?

I’d recommend this book for new sci fi readers and fans of paranormal/fantasy romance books! It hit every nail on the head and was a great quick read.
Profile Image for Sharmaigne (sips.and.stacks).
105 reviews1 follower
December 14, 2023
Archlord of Exile is a sci-fi alien romance. Inez and Rylec are your typical Archlord and star maids except for one thing, they fell in love and committed themselves to one another in a concrete way. This decision led to Rylec helping Inez escape; although she has to leave behind more than she bargained for. When Rylec comes calling three years later to bring her back to her tormenter on Sollir, Rylec and Inez must decide if their love is enough to face impossible odds.

This is a fast paced story that can easily be binged in one sitting. It blends magic, romance, family, and violence seamlessly. While this is a standalone, it also sets up nicely for the next book. While I enjoyed this read, I was left wanting when it came to the backstory and world building.

If you are a new sci-fi reader, who enjoys romance, this is an easy read to get you started.
305 reviews
February 4, 2024
A nice, quick easy read. I generally avoid romance novellas because often they are too short for the love story to be believable. In this case, Rylec and Inez were already married and still in love with each other so I was fine not questioning it. However, given this is the first in a series, it really should have been a novel. The author could have really fleshed out the world building as well as shown us how Rylec and Inez fell in love and how she was able to become a star-wife instead of a star-maid. Despite the brevity it was an enjoyable read so 3.5 stars from me.


Many thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Autumn Brimm.
509 reviews12 followers
December 18, 2023
Archlord of Exile is a short sci-fi romance with aliens. This was pretty decent when you consider that it was only 100 pages long. Ideally I would've liked more time to get to know the characters and their pasts as well as have some more world building. The story doesn't have much of that but it does have unique and powerful magic, hot aliens with horns, and plenty of action. I really enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Viktoria.
221 reviews6 followers
August 6, 2025
What I liked was the futuristic world and human-like beings, giving me major romance fantasy vibes. The character relationships had depth, the sex was hot 🔥, and the setup for the next book was absolutely perfect. I never thought I'd say this about sci-fi, but I'm desperate for the next one.
I'd totally recommend this for new sci-fi readers and fans of paranormal/fantasy romance. It truly hit every nail on the head! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this new version in exchange for my honest review!

Profile Image for Court.
11 reviews
December 10, 2023
Inez and Rylec’s story is definitely worth a read.

Fast paced, easily read within a few hours and enough captivating elements to keep you from putting it down.

Sci-fi + romance + magic + spice isn’t ever a mixture in a book I can say I’ve read but it just works in this story…
Inez and Rylec are enemies for a brief period and then a formidable pair that get through everything that is thrown at them!

* copy received by NetGalley. All opinions are my own *
Profile Image for Bella Toric.
696 reviews38 followers
December 12, 2023
This book gave us exactly what it was supposed to. It was short, really fast paced, and over all a brain off type of read. I loved that I didn't have to think too much as I was reading this and really just enjoyed it for what it was. The summary told me exactly what I was getting and I loved that I got all that. This was a read in one sitting, not too hard to follow sci-fi romance that was perfect for a palette cleanser!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Profile Image for Barbara.
19.2k reviews8 followers
January 31, 2024
Archlord of Exile is the first installment in the Star-Marked Mates of Sollir series which is better read in order. Inez and Rylec's engaging story is a great start to this series. I found it to be well worth reading and I want to read the next book.
I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for RNDK.
721 reviews12 followers
February 19, 2024
If you're like me, always looking for originality in a jam-packed sci-fi romance genre, then you won't be disappointed in giving this one a try. The world building and rules are interesting. Needs a bit more fleshing out but has potential. The pace keeps you hooked and no angsty unnecessary delays. The bad gal gets what is coming to her, pronto. I am looking forward to reading more books set in this world.
Profile Image for Emily Lindsey.
Author 4 books21 followers
July 17, 2024
An exciting story, full of action! This is a wonderful story of good vs evil! The heroine was basically an escaped slave, but that's not what they call her. The hero is her husband who was banished. They are both on a mission, separated, and needing to kill the vilest queen imaginable. The action is steady, and the characters are likable and relatable. I love the story so far and can't wait to read more!
Profile Image for Karen.
523 reviews62 followers
January 18, 2026
I would have preferred this to be longer but Kate Stevens managed to pack so much into so few pages. There are definite hints of what was to come in Bride of Brutal Hearts, which is one of the best books I have read in years.

I would like the sequel and to find out more about the archlords but not at the expense of of the sequel to Bride.
Profile Image for Marianne.
7,245 reviews86 followers
January 20, 2024
This is a very good enemies-to-lovers/sci-fi romance.. I enjoyed it.. It is steamy and emotional, dangerous and exciting..

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Andi Downs.
1,480 reviews13 followers
January 31, 2024
A new series featuring enemies-to-lovers/sci-fi in a romance.. Thoroughly enjoyed these two characters and look forward to more in this series. It has steam, emotion with adventure.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Cat.
502 reviews14 followers
November 11, 2025
This was good, but not exactly what I was hoping for when I picked it up.

I just didn't feel the connection between the two of them. There was the tension and irritation, but then everything kind of shifted out of nowhere and it personally felt a little jarring. I get it's a shorter book so things had to be done a certain way, but I guess I think that it would have benefitted the story to be longer. To give us a bit more time learning about their history instead of getting a crash course.

I do also find already established relationships a bit hard to connect with at times so this could totally be me. The spice was pretty nice though. I think it would be a good entry for someone just getting into spicy sci-fi romances. T

I want to thank NetGalley and 3AM Press for giving me the opportunity to read this title in exchange for an honest review.
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