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The Astronomer
Loving someone madly, obsessively, to the point of addiction can be heaven … or hell.
The year is 2165. A new blood group has evolved, and biological pairing, called mating, has replaced the old-world marriage ritual. When a stranger saves astronomer Dr. Fraya Riber from drowning, her body goes into a strange state of arousal. Bound to be paired with another, Fraya frantically searches for the answers to the phenomenon that soon becomes an unwelcome addiction. Nothing has prepared her for this painful dependence, and nothing will prepare her for the cure, or the identity of her enigmatic savior.
Is physical dependence enough to craft a bond that will last a lifetime?
The year is 2165. A new blood group has evolved, and biological pairing, called mating, has replaced the old-world marriage ritual. When a stranger saves astronomer Dr. Fraya Riber from drowning, her body goes into a strange state of arousal. Bound to be paired with another, Fraya frantically searches for the answers to the phenomenon that soon becomes an unwelcome addiction. Nothing has prepared her for this painful dependence, and nothing will prepare her for the cure, or the identity of her enigmatic savior.
Is physical dependence enough to craft a bond that will last a lifetime?
416 pages, Paperback
First published December 3, 2014
About the author
Charmaine Pauls
101 books1,619 followersCharmaine Pauls was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. She obtained a degree in Communication at the University of Potchestroom, and followed a diverse career path in journalism, public relations, advertising, communication, and brand marketing. Her writing has always been an integral part of her professions.
After relocating to Chile with her French husband, she fulfilled her passion to write full-time. Charmaine has published several novels and short stories since 2011. Two of her short stories have been selected by the International Literary Society for an anthology from across the African continent.
When she is not writing, she likes to travel and read. Charmaine currently lives in France with her husband and children. Their household is a linguistic mélange of Afrikaans, English, French and Spanish.
After relocating to Chile with her French husband, she fulfilled her passion to write full-time. Charmaine has published several novels and short stories since 2011. Two of her short stories have been selected by the International Literary Society for an anthology from across the African continent.
When she is not writing, she likes to travel and read. Charmaine currently lives in France with her husband and children. Their household is a linguistic mélange of Afrikaans, English, French and Spanish.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 4, 2015
^^5^^ Addictive stars
I really enjoyed this story, the author has proved us once again her writing skills
and delivered a unique delightful story!!
Year 2165...Everything you know about pairing meeting someone, marrying him/her forget it because now there is Mating and...lasts for a lifetime. That's what is happening to the astronomer Dr.Fraya (IT'S TIME FOR MATING), but how will she react when her fate sends her an unwelcome mate?? And what about a cure..can they found one???
The characters are so amazing, at the begging it seems that they don't want each other but anyone can she how the passion ignites between them..
BUT..
There are so cute, i also have to mention the super steamy hot scenes (xxxx). Emilio it's so dominant in and out of the bedroom (if you know what i mean)..i just adore him, he is a little bit arrogant but nobody is perfect and he is sooo cute when he gets jealous. As for Fraya she is more difficult character she needs more time to process things, a little bit discussing with herself but who doesn't do that?? i know sometimes i was like "Fraya, girl cool down a little bit" nonetheless for the year that we're talking (2165) i think she is settling quite well with the "mate" thing. That being said i can see that both characters with their pros and cons have very good chemistry and you grow to love easily as you read the story.
I definitely recommend it, besides its uniqueness as a story and the amazing characters it also has a fast developed plot which for me is very important because you don't get bored reading it.
Thank Mrs Pauls for providing me this review copy.
December 26, 2014
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.
Dr. Fraya Riber is a fascinating character. I liked her a lot, but she has a tendency to overreact and whine at times. She is a dedicated astronomer and is very much a workaholic. After being saved by a stranger, she finds herself attracted to her rescuer. Unfortunately, there is a side affect from this experience she didn't foresee.
Emilio Larraín is also a fascinating character. I wasn’t sure if I liked him at first, as I found him to be a very domineering and arrogant man. However, he does have some good points; he has a romantic side that made me melt as I got to know him better. Saving a damsel in distress wasn’t planned, but Emilio finds himself strangely attracted to her. Could he have found his perfect mate?
This is an unusual erotic romance novel, with a unique storyline that captured my attention and held it from the first page. This story is set in the future, 2165 to be precise. The world has survived a biological war, which has created a mutation in the survivors. This mutation has lead to a change in the way people choose their life mate. Suffice it to say, that once someone has found their perfect mate, it’s for life.
The story is told through both Fraya’s and Emilio’s points of view, which gives the reader a better understanding of their thoughts and feelings. I did, however, find some of their attitude towards each other a little baffling; they were attracted to each other, but they also seemed to hate each other too, or maybe it was the situation they found themselves in. As the story unfolded however, I really wanted to shake Fraya (or maybe give her a swift kick) to get her to open her eyes instead of being so tunnel visioned about her career. Yes, it is nice to have prestige and be able to work in a field which is still relatively male dominated (even in the future?), but I found her incessant inner monologue about this to be a big irritant and made her seem very selfish; I am not sure who she was trying to convince, the reader or herself.
I really liked meeting Emilio’s grandmother. She is a force to be reckoned with! She has a determination and drive most people would be scared to cross. There are also some other very interesting characters that are introduced. However, I found Gene (Fraya’s boyfriend) to be a bit insipid and lacking in several ways. His character came across as rather weak and disloyal. I suppose this is why Fraya and Emilio’s connection seems so intense.
The sexual chemistry between Fraya and Emilio is extremely volatile. If they were a Molotov cocktail, they would have caught fire and exploded! As it is, they fairly scorch the pages with their antics in and out of the bedroom. Be warned, it’s steamy and rather on the explicit side.
The story has a few twists and turns that surprised me. There is one scene near the end that completely threw me. I won’t go into details, but it is an intense scene full of action and danger. Who knew that ancient Peruvian customs would still be practiced in the future? Certainly not me! The ending felt a bit anti-climatic after all the action, but it finished off the story nicely.
Charmaine Pauls has written an entertaining standalone erotic romance. Her characters are lifelike and come alive on the page. I love her fast paced writing style and the flow is wonderful. This is the first book I have read by this author, but I don’t think it will be my last. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.
Due to the explicit nature of some of the scenes, as well as use of foul language, I do not recommend this book to readers under the age of 18. I do, however, recommend this book if you love science fiction, erotica or erotic romance genres. – Lynn Worton
Dr. Fraya Riber is a fascinating character. I liked her a lot, but she has a tendency to overreact and whine at times. She is a dedicated astronomer and is very much a workaholic. After being saved by a stranger, she finds herself attracted to her rescuer. Unfortunately, there is a side affect from this experience she didn't foresee.
Emilio Larraín is also a fascinating character. I wasn’t sure if I liked him at first, as I found him to be a very domineering and arrogant man. However, he does have some good points; he has a romantic side that made me melt as I got to know him better. Saving a damsel in distress wasn’t planned, but Emilio finds himself strangely attracted to her. Could he have found his perfect mate?
This is an unusual erotic romance novel, with a unique storyline that captured my attention and held it from the first page. This story is set in the future, 2165 to be precise. The world has survived a biological war, which has created a mutation in the survivors. This mutation has lead to a change in the way people choose their life mate. Suffice it to say, that once someone has found their perfect mate, it’s for life.
The story is told through both Fraya’s and Emilio’s points of view, which gives the reader a better understanding of their thoughts and feelings. I did, however, find some of their attitude towards each other a little baffling; they were attracted to each other, but they also seemed to hate each other too, or maybe it was the situation they found themselves in. As the story unfolded however, I really wanted to shake Fraya (or maybe give her a swift kick) to get her to open her eyes instead of being so tunnel visioned about her career. Yes, it is nice to have prestige and be able to work in a field which is still relatively male dominated (even in the future?), but I found her incessant inner monologue about this to be a big irritant and made her seem very selfish; I am not sure who she was trying to convince, the reader or herself.
I really liked meeting Emilio’s grandmother. She is a force to be reckoned with! She has a determination and drive most people would be scared to cross. There are also some other very interesting characters that are introduced. However, I found Gene (Fraya’s boyfriend) to be a bit insipid and lacking in several ways. His character came across as rather weak and disloyal. I suppose this is why Fraya and Emilio’s connection seems so intense.
The sexual chemistry between Fraya and Emilio is extremely volatile. If they were a Molotov cocktail, they would have caught fire and exploded! As it is, they fairly scorch the pages with their antics in and out of the bedroom. Be warned, it’s steamy and rather on the explicit side.
The story has a few twists and turns that surprised me. There is one scene near the end that completely threw me. I won’t go into details, but it is an intense scene full of action and danger. Who knew that ancient Peruvian customs would still be practiced in the future? Certainly not me! The ending felt a bit anti-climatic after all the action, but it finished off the story nicely.
Charmaine Pauls has written an entertaining standalone erotic romance. Her characters are lifelike and come alive on the page. I love her fast paced writing style and the flow is wonderful. This is the first book I have read by this author, but I don’t think it will be my last. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.
Due to the explicit nature of some of the scenes, as well as use of foul language, I do not recommend this book to readers under the age of 18. I do, however, recommend this book if you love science fiction, erotica or erotic romance genres. – Lynn Worton
November 18, 2017
This was cleverly creative, scorchingly hot, and riveting to read! I just couldn’t put it down!
The futuristic world of Earth in 2165 is a mix of advancement and constraint. Marriages are now called “matings” and you only get to do it once. Not all matings are created equal, as some couples are more genetically (and sexually) compatible than others, to the point of physical addiction.
In this backdrop, Fraya Riber, a young precocious archeoastronomer, meets an alluring stranger just days from her pre-mating celebration. The conception of this story is so intriguing. My heart was captivated, my girly parts ached, my thoughts seduced. My only issues with this story were there were too many moments of “communication failure” where I wanted to grab the characters by the ear, drag them to my eye level, and tell them to “Stop being an idiot!” There were also quite a lot of distracting typos.
These problems are all forgiven as Fraya handles adversity, prejudice and finally, the realization that fate had gifted her with a perfect mating. The Astronomer demonstrates all the emotional forcefulness I have come to love from Charmaine Pauls.
The futuristic world of Earth in 2165 is a mix of advancement and constraint. Marriages are now called “matings” and you only get to do it once. Not all matings are created equal, as some couples are more genetically (and sexually) compatible than others, to the point of physical addiction.
In this backdrop, Fraya Riber, a young precocious archeoastronomer, meets an alluring stranger just days from her pre-mating celebration. The conception of this story is so intriguing. My heart was captivated, my girly parts ached, my thoughts seduced. My only issues with this story were there were too many moments of “communication failure” where I wanted to grab the characters by the ear, drag them to my eye level, and tell them to “Stop being an idiot!” There were also quite a lot of distracting typos.
These problems are all forgiven as Fraya handles adversity, prejudice and finally, the realization that fate had gifted her with a perfect mating. The Astronomer demonstrates all the emotional forcefulness I have come to love from Charmaine Pauls.
December 5, 2014
This is a story set in the future based on a woman's dreams of discovering lost cities. When Fraya is looking for these cities she meets her mate Emilio, but it's not as easy as it sounds!!. There are quite a few twists and turns in this story, it pulls you in at the very beginning and you don't want it to end. This book is action packed with a big touch of romance and a hint of erotica. I love the relationship between Fraya and Emilio and hope we get to see more about them in the future. Overall fantastic read great storyline and character development.
August 14, 2015
This book was different from any book I've read in a while but in a good way. It's uniqueness keeps you hooked from the beginning. I laughed, cried and wanted to kill people.... This book brings new meaning to love at first sight along with what you will do in the name of love. I was sad when the book ended.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews