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Spark #2
No Words Alone
Stranded on a hostile planet, Xera, realizing that her only hope for survival is the warlike Scorpio, sworn enemies of her people, approaches their handsome leader and discovers a noble commander who sets her body on fire with his touch. Original.
292 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 25, 2008
120 people are currently reading
858 people want to read
About the author
Autumn Dawn
56 books336 followersAbout me:
I'm a stay at home mom with three kids, a dog and an active imagination. I spent the first 34 years of my life in Alaska, land of the midnight sun, but these days I'm located in Washington, and am enjoying a much warmer sun :) I'm married to my high school sweetheart, John, who is known to bring me flowers "just because".
My leisure time is filled with gardening, crochet, knitting, sewing, art and reading.
I'm a stay at home mom with three kids, a dog and an active imagination. I spent the first 34 years of my life in Alaska, land of the midnight sun, but these days I'm located in Washington, and am enjoying a much warmer sun :) I'm married to my high school sweetheart, John, who is known to bring me flowers "just because".
My leisure time is filled with gardening, crochet, knitting, sewing, art and reading.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
did-not-finish
February 27, 2026DNF at page 162
April 4, 2023
Nothing really to add to my original review. I just love revisiting this one!
............................................
Xera is a translator, stuck on a ship working for the GE (Galactic Explorers), a human enterprise lead by greedy businessmen. Khan, her captain is a dull-witted, cowardly misogynist prick. They end up stranded on a barren planet with another ship full of Scorpios. Not really the enemy, but almost.. and Xera is the only one who can speak to them.
Ryven is the Scorpio captain but also an important man on their home planet. He finds himself intrigued by Xera, although she is nothing like the women of his planet. But he is a patient man and hides his interest until the timing is right.
Xera is a very independent young woman who is better at martial arts than dancing. She comes from a planet that is OK with strong women but sexual intimacy is forbidden outside of marriage.
The buildup of the relationship between the h and H was great and their characters are strong and enduring.
The world building is pretty good. The Scorpios do have cultural differences, but not enough to really come across as 'alien' unfortunately. Still I found them intriguing and the characters were interesting. When Xera arrives on their planet she finds out about the aliens who live on the other side of Scorpio space, the Khun'tat, who attack humanoid species to drink their blood. Sounds a little silly when I put it that way... but they were well written and scary.
There is also intrigue on the planet of Scorpio.
I really had a hard time putting this one down. It gets a little silly with OTT action stuff at the end, but it was a great read overall. The ending and epilogue are sweetly romantic.
Safety is good
I do wish the author had written books about the other two romances in the making in Ryven's family. I really wanted to find out what happened to the girl (Rysing) rescued from the Khun'tat.
If you like this book you might also like; Morgan's Choice
............................................
Xera is a translator, stuck on a ship working for the GE (Galactic Explorers), a human enterprise lead by greedy businessmen. Khan, her captain is a dull-witted, cowardly misogynist prick. They end up stranded on a barren planet with another ship full of Scorpios. Not really the enemy, but almost.. and Xera is the only one who can speak to them.
Ryven is the Scorpio captain but also an important man on their home planet. He finds himself intrigued by Xera, although she is nothing like the women of his planet. But he is a patient man and hides his interest until the timing is right.
Xera is a very independent young woman who is better at martial arts than dancing. She comes from a planet that is OK with strong women but sexual intimacy is forbidden outside of marriage.
The buildup of the relationship between the h and H was great and their characters are strong and enduring.
The world building is pretty good. The Scorpios do have cultural differences, but not enough to really come across as 'alien' unfortunately. Still I found them intriguing and the characters were interesting. When Xera arrives on their planet she finds out about the aliens who live on the other side of Scorpio space, the Khun'tat, who attack humanoid species to drink their blood. Sounds a little silly when I put it that way... but they were well written and scary.
There is also intrigue on the planet of Scorpio.
I really had a hard time putting this one down. It gets a little silly with OTT action stuff at the end, but it was a great read overall. The ending and epilogue are sweetly romantic.
Safety is good
I do wish the author had written books about the other two romances in the making in Ryven's family. I really wanted to find out what happened to the girl (Rysing) rescued from the Khun'tat.
If you like this book you might also like; Morgan's Choice
April 15, 2012
I was kind of enjoying it -since to then, I like to read some romance mixed with science fiction- until I came to this dialogue:
(Hero / heroine are kissing)
The thought triggered a sudden panic. She jerked away as if bitten by ice water. “We’re not married.”
“Not my fault,” he murmured, making for her lips.
She wrenched away, aware that he allowed her to go. He didn’t look pleased, though. “We are not married,” she repeated, stronger this time.
He crossed his arms and regarded her.
Discovering her hands were shaking wasn’t pleasant. She hugged herself to disguise it. “Look, I don’t know what your morals are here, but we don’t do certain things before we’re married on my world. A woman can be ruined if anyone even thinks she has. I’ve no interest in becoming a whore.”
Let's see if I get this straight:
a) if you kiss someone, you have marry him/her, regardless of how long you've known each other (1 week in this case)
b) sex before marriages equals becoming a whore.
Excuse me?
Enough. It was bad enought having to go through some heavy-handed clichés that make life in a space station disturbingly similar to life in a middle-class suburban landscape.
In all honesty, I should give it 1 star only. But I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, there may be people out there who enjoy this kind of thinking. I am just not one of them.
(Hero / heroine are kissing)
The thought triggered a sudden panic. She jerked away as if bitten by ice water. “We’re not married.”
“Not my fault,” he murmured, making for her lips.
She wrenched away, aware that he allowed her to go. He didn’t look pleased, though. “We are not married,” she repeated, stronger this time.
He crossed his arms and regarded her.
Discovering her hands were shaking wasn’t pleasant. She hugged herself to disguise it. “Look, I don’t know what your morals are here, but we don’t do certain things before we’re married on my world. A woman can be ruined if anyone even thinks she has. I’ve no interest in becoming a whore.”
Let's see if I get this straight:
a) if you kiss someone, you have marry him/her, regardless of how long you've known each other (1 week in this case)
b) sex before marriages equals becoming a whore.
Excuse me?
Enough. It was bad enought having to go through some heavy-handed clichés that make life in a space station disturbingly similar to life in a middle-class suburban landscape.
In all honesty, I should give it 1 star only. But I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, there may be people out there who enjoy this kind of thinking. I am just not one of them.
November 30, 2013
What did I just read part of?
The book starts out much better than I expected: a ship of humans has just survived a skirmish with a ship of an alien species ("The Scorpio") they are at war with, and both ships have crash-landed on a hostile planet full of things that would like to eat them.
The lead character, Xera, is the human crew's translator. She's the only one who can communicate with the aliens - who outgun and outclass the humans - and, as the two crews seek shelter and survival together, in spite of their mutual animosity, Xera attempts to build a fragile alliance.
That first part is fine. Then the lead alien abducts her and the other humans and takes them to his home planet, where he is some kind of princeling. And everything gets incredibly weird.
Xera, it turns out, is not a modern lady spacefarer (as one might expect), but instead hails from an extremely conservative culture where remaining a virgin before marriage is of Taliban levels of importance. (But apparently also a culture where people are cool about unmarried ladies swanning around the galaxy having adventures..?)
And the culture of her kidnapper is "patriarchal and basically monotheistic", except it turns out that it is also a historical romance fantasy transplanted to space. The culture is obsessed with monogamy and sexual honor and women being chaste until marriage, except that the men are not really party to this agreement and sleep around a lot before marriage. (If you are wondering how this works, and who the women they sleep with are, if women are immediately rendered unfit by sex outside of marriage, you have too much logic for this book.)
On the alien world, Xera is turned, without asking, into Earth's ambassador to this culture. Also her alien captor marries her and has a lot of not-quite-sex with her (because virginity, you guys) and there a lot of segments about how bellydancing is so great for women and women should dress to be hot and should not sleep around (this goes in a couple of directions that are pretty weird) and so on and so forth, and Xera is eerily unconcerned about the fact that she's been kidnapped and has been coerced into a forced marriage and is involved in a sexual relationship that is, you know, semi-rapey.
So the sexual politics are super, super weird, and seem sufficiently unlikely for spacefaring cultures that I'd expect a ton more worldbuilding to explain how it is that these cultures wound up this way, and how it is that the women in the cultures are willing to put up with how things work. It's not that I'm just not willing to believe that these cultures could exist, it's that the author stakes out weird worldbuilding territory and doesn't back it up.
I also found the relationship between Xera and her alien boyfriend, Ryven (odd note: there's an early note about how the aliens can't pronounce the "V" sound - so one wonders what he calls himself) uncomfortable. It's not that I can't read about an off-kilter relationship with power imbalances, not at all. It's just that this one was really poorly done, so much so that I found it simultaneously creepy and dull. Xera so immediately accepts her barefoot-and-pregnant new status that she doesn't really struggle against Ryven's forced marriage scheme, or his insistence that women can only do this and that and certainly not be on starships or whatever. I found this very, very odd, that Xera went from a basically tough spacer to Betty Draper with hardly a complaint.
But the biggest thing is the difference in tone and quality and logic between the first section, on the hostile planet, and the next section, on the alien homeworld. It is literally as though one author started out writing a reasonably interesting science-fiction romance, and then a couple of chapters in, some other, lesser writer took over, and that author had a not-so-great unpublished historical romance about a forced marriage and cute outfits, and she just changed some details and crammed it onto the first chunk.
Very weird.
The book starts out much better than I expected: a ship of humans has just survived a skirmish with a ship of an alien species ("The Scorpio") they are at war with, and both ships have crash-landed on a hostile planet full of things that would like to eat them.
The lead character, Xera, is the human crew's translator. She's the only one who can communicate with the aliens - who outgun and outclass the humans - and, as the two crews seek shelter and survival together, in spite of their mutual animosity, Xera attempts to build a fragile alliance.
That first part is fine. Then the lead alien abducts her and the other humans and takes them to his home planet, where he is some kind of princeling. And everything gets incredibly weird.
Xera, it turns out, is not a modern lady spacefarer (as one might expect), but instead hails from an extremely conservative culture where remaining a virgin before marriage is of Taliban levels of importance. (But apparently also a culture where people are cool about unmarried ladies swanning around the galaxy having adventures..?)
And the culture of her kidnapper is "patriarchal and basically monotheistic", except it turns out that it is also a historical romance fantasy transplanted to space. The culture is obsessed with monogamy and sexual honor and women being chaste until marriage, except that the men are not really party to this agreement and sleep around a lot before marriage. (If you are wondering how this works, and who the women they sleep with are, if women are immediately rendered unfit by sex outside of marriage, you have too much logic for this book.)
On the alien world, Xera is turned, without asking, into Earth's ambassador to this culture. Also her alien captor marries her and has a lot of not-quite-sex with her (because virginity, you guys) and there a lot of segments about how bellydancing is so great for women and women should dress to be hot and should not sleep around (this goes in a couple of directions that are pretty weird) and so on and so forth, and Xera is eerily unconcerned about the fact that she's been kidnapped and has been coerced into a forced marriage and is involved in a sexual relationship that is, you know, semi-rapey.
So the sexual politics are super, super weird, and seem sufficiently unlikely for spacefaring cultures that I'd expect a ton more worldbuilding to explain how it is that these cultures wound up this way, and how it is that the women in the cultures are willing to put up with how things work. It's not that I'm just not willing to believe that these cultures could exist, it's that the author stakes out weird worldbuilding territory and doesn't back it up.
I also found the relationship between Xera and her alien boyfriend, Ryven (odd note: there's an early note about how the aliens can't pronounce the "V" sound - so one wonders what he calls himself) uncomfortable. It's not that I can't read about an off-kilter relationship with power imbalances, not at all. It's just that this one was really poorly done, so much so that I found it simultaneously creepy and dull. Xera so immediately accepts her barefoot-and-pregnant new status that she doesn't really struggle against Ryven's forced marriage scheme, or his insistence that women can only do this and that and certainly not be on starships or whatever. I found this very, very odd, that Xera went from a basically tough spacer to Betty Draper with hardly a complaint.
But the biggest thing is the difference in tone and quality and logic between the first section, on the hostile planet, and the next section, on the alien homeworld. It is literally as though one author started out writing a reasonably interesting science-fiction romance, and then a couple of chapters in, some other, lesser writer took over, and that author had a not-so-great unpublished historical romance about a forced marriage and cute outfits, and she just changed some details and crammed it onto the first chunk.
Very weird.
December 8, 2008
Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Dec08
Really 3.5 stars...
“No Words Alone” was my first read by Autumn Dawn so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. What I got was a pleasant surprise and a sensuous and interesting futuristic romance. For readers who are s/f fans like me, this is a more romantic s/f story with sex…nothing very explicit, and definitely not erotica, but more of a romantic bent than is found in most s/f books.
It was hard enough when Xera was the only female in her spaceship crew. Then they had to crash land on an alien planet…along with one of the enemy Scorpio spaceships they had just been battling! As translator and the only person who knows ANY Scorpio, of course she will be front and center in any ‘discussions’ with their little-known and mysterious enemy. Little does Xera know she’s about to get an up close and personal education on Scorpian culture from the enemy Captain.
Ryven isn’t just the Captain of the alien spaceship, he’s the son of one of their rulers! He’s disgusted and appalled by the barbarous treatment of the sole female in the earthmen crew. He doesn’t trust the Earth captain at all and when he sees him attack the female he steps in to protect her. He’s captivated by her courage and beauty and unless he wants her to end up in prison on Scorpio’s home planet, he’ll have to think of somewhere else she could be of use!
I agonized over the previous descriptions of the main characters because they are much more than they sound. But you’ll just have to bear with me because every edit sounded even worse! This book delighted AND frustrated me at the same time. There were some places where I was sure some important information must have been edited out. But then the author did a beautiful job of describing the anxiety and fear of a lone woman suddenly stranded with two shipfuls of men! When she added in the realistic descriptions of two people trying to forge a relationship while also learning about each other’s cultures, I found it fascinating.
Callous and greedy corporate raiding on a planetary scale, an Earthly planetary government too weak to be in control, monstrous blood-feeding aliens, handsome humanish aliens, descriptions of technology that were an interesting mixture of cutting-edge and futuristic…there was a lot to admire about Autumn Dawn’s first Dorchester Publishing release. The information gaps and couple of plot stutters in “No Words Alone” weren’t enough to mar my enjoyment of the author’s tale. I’ll be keeping an eye out for her next mainstream publication titled, “When Sparks Fly” (no firm release date). I think other fantasy/science fiction fans who appreciate an extra dollop of romance will enjoy this one too!
Really 3.5 stars...
“No Words Alone” was my first read by Autumn Dawn so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. What I got was a pleasant surprise and a sensuous and interesting futuristic romance. For readers who are s/f fans like me, this is a more romantic s/f story with sex…nothing very explicit, and definitely not erotica, but more of a romantic bent than is found in most s/f books.
It was hard enough when Xera was the only female in her spaceship crew. Then they had to crash land on an alien planet…along with one of the enemy Scorpio spaceships they had just been battling! As translator and the only person who knows ANY Scorpio, of course she will be front and center in any ‘discussions’ with their little-known and mysterious enemy. Little does Xera know she’s about to get an up close and personal education on Scorpian culture from the enemy Captain.
Ryven isn’t just the Captain of the alien spaceship, he’s the son of one of their rulers! He’s disgusted and appalled by the barbarous treatment of the sole female in the earthmen crew. He doesn’t trust the Earth captain at all and when he sees him attack the female he steps in to protect her. He’s captivated by her courage and beauty and unless he wants her to end up in prison on Scorpio’s home planet, he’ll have to think of somewhere else she could be of use!
I agonized over the previous descriptions of the main characters because they are much more than they sound. But you’ll just have to bear with me because every edit sounded even worse! This book delighted AND frustrated me at the same time. There were some places where I was sure some important information must have been edited out. But then the author did a beautiful job of describing the anxiety and fear of a lone woman suddenly stranded with two shipfuls of men! When she added in the realistic descriptions of two people trying to forge a relationship while also learning about each other’s cultures, I found it fascinating.
Callous and greedy corporate raiding on a planetary scale, an Earthly planetary government too weak to be in control, monstrous blood-feeding aliens, handsome humanish aliens, descriptions of technology that were an interesting mixture of cutting-edge and futuristic…there was a lot to admire about Autumn Dawn’s first Dorchester Publishing release. The information gaps and couple of plot stutters in “No Words Alone” weren’t enough to mar my enjoyment of the author’s tale. I’ll be keeping an eye out for her next mainstream publication titled, “When Sparks Fly” (no firm release date). I think other fantasy/science fiction fans who appreciate an extra dollop of romance will enjoy this one too!
August 23, 2012
Bu yorum aynı zamanda Romancekolikte yayınlanmıştır.
[image error]
Ben ailenımı isterimmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm oy oy diye türkü çığırasım geldi kitabı bitirdiğimde.
Neyse efenim şu aralar kitap beğenenememe sendromumdan sonra bu kitap iyi geldi açıkçası. Bu sayede de yeni bir tür ile tanışmış oldum. Bilim kurgu fazla detay ile beni boğmadığı sürece ilgimi çeken türlerden biri. İşe romance katılınca kitaba direkt daldım tabii.
Yazarın tarzı hoşuma gitti açıkçası. Olaya direkt giriş yaptı. Kurgusunu da bize ilerledikçe öğretti. Bu sürede bize adapte olmamız için iyi bir sürede tanıdı. İçerik ne kadar romance olsa da Bilim Kurgu yönü de pasif bırakılmamış.
Hikaye kendilerine Galaksi Kaşifleri diyen bir grubun araştırma sırasında araştırdıkları gezene çakılması ve o gezegendeki yaşayan canlılarla çöl gibi bir ortamda maruz kalmaları ile başlıyor.
Kızımız bir insan ve grubun tercümanı.
Kaptan tarafından pekte sevilmeyen biri.
Oğlumuz ise kendilerine Scorpio denen bir ırktan geliyor. Boylarının uzunluğu dışında tek fark ısıyı algılayabilen gözleri. Oğlumuz aynı zamanda gezegenlerini yöneten 12 liderden birinin varisi. İnsanlarla beraber kaldıkları durumu tartarak onları etkisiz hale getirmeme kararı alıyor. Böylelikle sığınaklara insanlarla beraber yolculuk ediyorlar. Yer altından ve havadan gelen saldırılarda bir kaç kişi kaybetmeleri üzerine sığınağa varıyorlar.
Kızımız o zaman koskoca bir erkek grubunda tek kadın olduğunun farkına varıyor. Ve burada kalacakları süre belirsiz... Akabinde kaptan kıza kötü davranmaya başlayınca, kızımıza göz koyan uzaylı kahramanımız onu himayesine alıyor. Kısa süre sonra da kendi şehirlerine götürüyor. Elçilik teklif ediyor. Bunun yanında da evlenme niyeti olduğunu geçte olsa fark ediyor. Böylelikle kızımız kendini, dilini bildiği ama kültürüne çok yabancı olduğu bu dünyada ailesinle bir görüşememek üzere kendini Prensle evli buluyor...
Peki, aşkları bu tür bir zorluğun altından kalkabilecek mi?
PS: Yazara seriye ortanca karakterden başlayıp, ikincide evlendiğini duyduğumuz karakteri bize okutturmaya çalıştığı için isyanlarımı sunuyor ve pes diyorum. Ben başka bir ailen hikayesi bekliyordum...
[image error]
Ben ailenımı isterimmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm oy oy diye türkü çığırasım geldi kitabı bitirdiğimde.
Neyse efenim şu aralar kitap beğenenememe sendromumdan sonra bu kitap iyi geldi açıkçası. Bu sayede de yeni bir tür ile tanışmış oldum. Bilim kurgu fazla detay ile beni boğmadığı sürece ilgimi çeken türlerden biri. İşe romance katılınca kitaba direkt daldım tabii.
Yazarın tarzı hoşuma gitti açıkçası. Olaya direkt giriş yaptı. Kurgusunu da bize ilerledikçe öğretti. Bu sürede bize adapte olmamız için iyi bir sürede tanıdı. İçerik ne kadar romance olsa da Bilim Kurgu yönü de pasif bırakılmamış.
Hikaye kendilerine Galaksi Kaşifleri diyen bir grubun araştırma sırasında araştırdıkları gezene çakılması ve o gezegendeki yaşayan canlılarla çöl gibi bir ortamda maruz kalmaları ile başlıyor.
Kızımız bir insan ve grubun tercümanı.
Kaptan tarafından pekte sevilmeyen biri.
Oğlumuz ise kendilerine Scorpio denen bir ırktan geliyor. Boylarının uzunluğu dışında tek fark ısıyı algılayabilen gözleri. Oğlumuz aynı zamanda gezegenlerini yöneten 12 liderden birinin varisi. İnsanlarla beraber kaldıkları durumu tartarak onları etkisiz hale getirmeme kararı alıyor. Böylelikle sığınaklara insanlarla beraber yolculuk ediyorlar. Yer altından ve havadan gelen saldırılarda bir kaç kişi kaybetmeleri üzerine sığınağa varıyorlar.
Kızımız o zaman koskoca bir erkek grubunda tek kadın olduğunun farkına varıyor. Ve burada kalacakları süre belirsiz... Akabinde kaptan kıza kötü davranmaya başlayınca, kızımıza göz koyan uzaylı kahramanımız onu himayesine alıyor. Kısa süre sonra da kendi şehirlerine götürüyor. Elçilik teklif ediyor. Bunun yanında da evlenme niyeti olduğunu geçte olsa fark ediyor. Böylelikle kızımız kendini, dilini bildiği ama kültürüne çok yabancı olduğu bu dünyada ailesinle bir görüşememek üzere kendini Prensle evli buluyor...
Peki, aşkları bu tür bir zorluğun altından kalkabilecek mi?
PS: Yazara seriye ortanca karakterden başlayıp, ikincide evlendiğini duyduğumuz karakteri bize okutturmaya çalıştığı için isyanlarımı sunuyor ve pes diyorum. Ben başka bir ailen hikayesi bekliyordum...
September 8, 2009
No Words Alone is an easy to read sci-fi romance. I finished it quickly and it kept my interest. I thought the characters could have been a bit more fleshed out, however. Also, neither character really stayed true to their start at the beginning of the book. I know that character development requires change in a character's attitudes and perceptions, but the hero started off the story by killing a man for even approaching him and that hardness was pretty much dropped from his character as the story went on. The heroine went from courageous military chick to helpless socialite housewife equally as fast. Basically, neither character was nearly as badass as the author tried to convince the reader in the beginning of the book. It's like the story started off in one direction but quickly became your run-of-the-mill romance with a few spaceships thrown in. For a run-of-the-mill romance it wasn't bad, so it got three stars, but if the author would have just kept up the feel of the beginning of the story I think it could have been a 5-star read for me.
January 21, 2013
This was a pleasant surprise. I read this book for a challenge. I've had it on my nook for a while now, but just never got around to it. It's a story about two alien races that both are similar to humans. Xera is from Polaris and is a translator on a warship. Ryven is basically royalty in the Scorpio race, but he is also a warrior Commander.
The first couple chapters were a little rough only because there are a lot of military terms thrown around and I'm just not used to that. Also, it's a completely different world, so it's a lot of information at the beginning. By the third chapter though, I was hooked. I devoured this book. I loved all the characters. The story flowed so well and a lot happens. I don't like long drawn out fight scenes and that wasn't a problem in this book. There is so much going on that nothing seems to be dragged out too long.
It took Xera 8 months to travel to the Scorpio's. Ryven rescues her from her own people. She is the only female on her ship and the Captain of her ship is very harsh with her and when things get physical Ryven steps in. He takes her back to his palace and places her in an ambassador position and they end up getting married. She won't marry him without being able to tell her sister. She promised her sister that she would never do that, since their other sister did exactly that and the family was very hurt by it.
When she gets to his palace, she is introduced to Namae, who is Ryven's sister and has a very interesting story of her own.
I don't want to give too much away, but this is a very interesting story and I would definitely recommend it. It was something different and I really enjoy unique stories. I can't wait to grab the next in the series.
The first couple chapters were a little rough only because there are a lot of military terms thrown around and I'm just not used to that. Also, it's a completely different world, so it's a lot of information at the beginning. By the third chapter though, I was hooked. I devoured this book. I loved all the characters. The story flowed so well and a lot happens. I don't like long drawn out fight scenes and that wasn't a problem in this book. There is so much going on that nothing seems to be dragged out too long.
It took Xera 8 months to travel to the Scorpio's. Ryven rescues her from her own people. She is the only female on her ship and the Captain of her ship is very harsh with her and when things get physical Ryven steps in. He takes her back to his palace and places her in an ambassador position and they end up getting married. She won't marry him without being able to tell her sister. She promised her sister that she would never do that, since their other sister did exactly that and the family was very hurt by it.
When she gets to his palace, she is introduced to Namae, who is Ryven's sister and has a very interesting story of her own.
I don't want to give too much away, but this is a very interesting story and I would definitely recommend it. It was something different and I really enjoy unique stories. I can't wait to grab the next in the series.
February 7, 2009
When I read the back jacket of this book I was really excited. I love reading Futuristic Romance and the jacket made it seem like the two protagonist, along with their crewmates, would be stranded on a hostile planet for awhile. The book started off with the female lead showing great courage and strength which the author failed to carry through the entire book. I did enjoy the book and finished it in two days, but the author did not allow for any emotional investment in the characters. Several times I was let down when I thought the two protagonists would have an argument or truly show what they were feeling to the other and it did not happen. It was just mentioned in passing in the next sentence. However, if you like Futuristic Romances and an easy read this book is for you.
January 24, 2009
I just read this one [science fiction romance:] and really liked it. Hopefully there will be more...
As the only woman in a team of all male marooned explorers, whom do you trust—your friends...or your enemy?
As the only woman in a team of all male marooned explorers, whom do you trust—your friends...or your enemy?
February 4, 2010
The story never really caught my attention. I think because I found the hero to be unattractive. When we first see him he is killing someone in cold blood. I never saw anything that made him into someone I would like much less love.
October 2, 2019
GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURLL....you were just abducted by aliens, your ass better be scared or I'm not buying into this book. Lame. #fallstooeasily #iwasabductedbutitscool #aliensexistotallynormal #noworriesIgotthis
June 18, 2012
It is so fun to discover a book all on your own that both promised to be and then was a very satisfying read. I started reading and got engrossed in this book from the start. I'm a fairly new convert to Sci-Fi Romance, but my favorite thing about the genre is the introduction to creative world building and exploring the imagination. No Words Alone did not disappoint.
The book begins with a crashed ship of humans representing a business conglomerate who were warring with a humanoid alien race over the humans presence in that quadrant of space. The aliens, Scorpios, were also crashed on the planet. It is a hostile planet and requires the humans to cooperate with the more physically strong Scorpio to survive.
Xera, the only woman in the group, is the translator and the only one who can understand the Scorpio language. She finds there are vast differences in how the two races think and finds herself required to be very diplomatic. Captain Khan of her people is an ugly customer who is secretly a coward and despises Xera for being strong and opinionated particularly when she is right.
But it is Xera's very strength and character that attract the notice of the silently watchful Commander Ryven of the Scorpio. Xera tries to learn all she can even while she is fearful of the knowledge that she is the only woman between two races of men stuck for who knew how long on this uninhabited hostile planet.
The situation deteriorates and Xera finds herself both protected by and at the mercy of the Scorpio through the machinations of Captain Khan. Now she must have faith that the Scorpio Commander will not treat her like spoils of war.
And I'm going to stop there with the plot summary so I don't give away any spoilers.
The plot was intense and exciting right from the get-go. The pace varied depending on what was happening. The establishment of the differences in the races took a little time, but it came out in short bursts so it didn't bog things down. The relationship between Xera and Ryven was handled so well. I love that though there was a spark between them there was realism in the build of their romance that had to go from trust to friendship to something more. And beyond the adventure and romance there was some intrigue just to keep things interesting.
I really enjoyed the characters of Xera and Ryven. Neither of them played around with emotions and they said what they were thinking. They were both understanding and patient with the differences. I liked how Xera handled the cards that were dealt her with spirit and without being obnoxious. Ryven was a strong alpha male with a gentle streak for Xera that he kept hidden accept for her. It was nice getting the story from both their points of view.
The tone of the book is fairly clean and sweet with little in the way of bad language and though sexual tension and sex are present they are not the focus.
Definitely a nice Sci-Fi Romance that I can recommend to those who enjoy the genre.
The book begins with a crashed ship of humans representing a business conglomerate who were warring with a humanoid alien race over the humans presence in that quadrant of space. The aliens, Scorpios, were also crashed on the planet. It is a hostile planet and requires the humans to cooperate with the more physically strong Scorpio to survive.
Xera, the only woman in the group, is the translator and the only one who can understand the Scorpio language. She finds there are vast differences in how the two races think and finds herself required to be very diplomatic. Captain Khan of her people is an ugly customer who is secretly a coward and despises Xera for being strong and opinionated particularly when she is right.
But it is Xera's very strength and character that attract the notice of the silently watchful Commander Ryven of the Scorpio. Xera tries to learn all she can even while she is fearful of the knowledge that she is the only woman between two races of men stuck for who knew how long on this uninhabited hostile planet.
The situation deteriorates and Xera finds herself both protected by and at the mercy of the Scorpio through the machinations of Captain Khan. Now she must have faith that the Scorpio Commander will not treat her like spoils of war.
And I'm going to stop there with the plot summary so I don't give away any spoilers.
The plot was intense and exciting right from the get-go. The pace varied depending on what was happening. The establishment of the differences in the races took a little time, but it came out in short bursts so it didn't bog things down. The relationship between Xera and Ryven was handled so well. I love that though there was a spark between them there was realism in the build of their romance that had to go from trust to friendship to something more. And beyond the adventure and romance there was some intrigue just to keep things interesting.
I really enjoyed the characters of Xera and Ryven. Neither of them played around with emotions and they said what they were thinking. They were both understanding and patient with the differences. I liked how Xera handled the cards that were dealt her with spirit and without being obnoxious. Ryven was a strong alpha male with a gentle streak for Xera that he kept hidden accept for her. It was nice getting the story from both their points of view.
The tone of the book is fairly clean and sweet with little in the way of bad language and though sexual tension and sex are present they are not the focus.
Definitely a nice Sci-Fi Romance that I can recommend to those who enjoy the genre.
February 3, 2016
This book was really great! I later found out that this was actually the second book in a series which explained why I didn't understand everything right from the start. Xera was stranded in a hostile situation with aliens on a godforsaken planet full of sand. When attacked by the captain of her ship Xera finds herself protected by the aliens and cared for. Ryven seems to have taken a liking to the little female alien that he rescued from the human captain. But without the words to tell her what he really feels I tries to show Xera what is going on in him. Unfortunately being human, Xera actually needs to hear the words but be sure of his feelings. Trust in a new situation and married off as a war price to Ryven hasn't left her without her doubts.
A sweet, romantic story set in a very exciting world with monsters, not-so-much monster and humans, that actually need to finally understand that there's much more out there then just them and what they want.
I actually really, really enjoyed this, but was then disappointed in the continuing story in book 3. A lot of story strings that were picked up in this story but didn't make it into the next one and were completely unexplored in their potential. That was too bad. I still love this one and I'm probably going to treat it as a standalone story.
A sweet, romantic story set in a very exciting world with monsters, not-so-much monster and humans, that actually need to finally understand that there's much more out there then just them and what they want.
I actually really, really enjoyed this, but was then disappointed in the continuing story in book 3. A lot of story strings that were picked up in this story but didn't make it into the next one and were completely unexplored in their potential. That was too bad. I still love this one and I'm probably going to treat it as a standalone story.
February 23, 2015
A scifi romance by Autumn Dawn. Xera is a translator and the only woman in her crew. They crash land on a hostile desert planet and have to depend on enemy aliens, Scorpios, to survive. The Captain of the enemy is Ryven.
It was a good read. Moved nicely and had a pretty decent romance. It had a few sex scenes but nothing over the top or erotic. This is part of a series and the other books focus on Xera's sisters, Gem and Brandy. But I believe they are basically stand-alone books.
It was a good read. Moved nicely and had a pretty decent romance. It had a few sex scenes but nothing over the top or erotic. This is part of a series and the other books focus on Xera's sisters, Gem and Brandy. But I believe they are basically stand-alone books.
September 22, 2012
The story was pretty good although it does start with a good guy being murdered by the hero because of the captain being the one he wanted to talk to not the 2nd in command. That was pretty much overlooked by the moralistic heroine. That put me off a little.
The sex scenes are quick with no large graphic chapters. The first time I read this author.
The sex scenes are quick with no large graphic chapters. The first time I read this author.
August 25, 2015
Loved it- but if you're into hot sex scenes, this will leave you disappointed.
April 19, 2019
What the hell happened here? I don’t really know how to rate this book. The writing was good, the idea was good, the concept of the world was good …
But it’s as if I missed a good two thirds of the story. And sadly, that were the most important and interesting parts.
I liked the first part after the crash on the hell-planet. It was a nice premise. It had a lot of potential to let them get to know each other outside their normal situation and the war between their people. Sadly it fell too short and didn’t use the possibilities it had. Xera and Ryven didn’t even talk much, let alone got to know each other. And they got rescued way to fast. They didn’t even really use the time on the way to his home planet.
Then came a really confusing and illogical part I still don't understand
The largest portion of the book was a long mostly useless part with some make out sessions and a lot of things and topics that were started but never surfaced enough.
The whole middle part mentions things or stats topics but it just dribbles on.
Then, in just 20 pages, all the action happens. But nothing gets more than a casual reference.
And I am so confused … where has all the story gone? What happened?
But it’s as if I missed a good two thirds of the story. And sadly, that were the most important and interesting parts.
I liked the first part after the crash on the hell-planet. It was a nice premise. It had a lot of potential to let them get to know each other outside their normal situation and the war between their people. Sadly it fell too short and didn’t use the possibilities it had. Xera and Ryven didn’t even talk much, let alone got to know each other. And they got rescued way to fast. They didn’t even really use the time on the way to his home planet.
Then came a really confusing and illogical part I still don't understand
The largest portion of the book was a long mostly useless part with some make out sessions and a lot of things and topics that were started but never surfaced enough.
The whole middle part mentions things or stats topics but it just dribbles on.
Then, in just 20 pages, all the action happens. But nothing gets more than a casual reference.
And I am so confused … where has all the story gone? What happened?
November 3, 2018
THIS WAS A REAL INTERESTING SCI FI ROMANCE, AND IT DID SUCK ME IN FROM THE BEGINNING BECAUSE OF ALL THE UNKNOWN THAT IS HAPPENING.
OUR HERO is a powerful and influential soldier amongst his people, being the heir of one of the 12 lords who govern their world. He has plenty of siblings, mostly sisters and a younger brother. Ryven's race is a bit primitive and conservative at the same time, putting a lot of stock on social status and they aren't keen on PDA. When their ship crashed, his crew was stuck with the enemies they were warring with - humans. Somehow the lone human female caught his attention and from then on he was already determined to make her his. Thanking about it now it was surprising to know that he wanted her because their interaction was minimal in the beginning, and he was cold and aloof... intimidating. Little does our heroine knows, this man changes into a whole new being when they are alone..he can be sweet, wild and also playful. I like Ryven's character because he is not just adept at what he does, he's also responsible but also logical - a good trait as a military man fighting to protect their home from flesh eating enemies. He's also kind and caring to women, especially his sister and wife (our heroine) whom he is extremely patient with
OUR HEROINE is an independent translator who took the courage to pursue her dreams as a space pilot but wound up learning the language of the enemy, finding it beautiful and she was thoroughly intrigued to learn more about them. Being in the same dire situation as the Scorpio, victims of crash landings while being injure doesn't dim her interest, yet it can be taxing as well. I didn't know what to expect, the beginning started off vague but later starts to proceed fast, when the Scorpio apprehends the humans as war prizes and Ryven claims Xera as wife and appoints her ambassador between their kind. Xera is not a meek character and it takes her awhile to warm up to being a mother. She prefers fighting over anything feminine, wears her hair short and also doesn't believe in primping despite her beauty.
OVERALL the fictional setting was interesting and the relationship between the characters that build from nothing to a solid marriage made this a good story. Compared to other scifi romances, it definitely holds points for originality.
OUR HERO is a powerful and influential soldier amongst his people, being the heir of one of the 12 lords who govern their world. He has plenty of siblings, mostly sisters and a younger brother. Ryven's race is a bit primitive and conservative at the same time, putting a lot of stock on social status and they aren't keen on PDA. When their ship crashed, his crew was stuck with the enemies they were warring with - humans. Somehow the lone human female caught his attention and from then on he was already determined to make her his. Thanking about it now it was surprising to know that he wanted her because their interaction was minimal in the beginning, and he was cold and aloof... intimidating. Little does our heroine knows, this man changes into a whole new being when they are alone..he can be sweet, wild and also playful. I like Ryven's character because he is not just adept at what he does, he's also responsible but also logical - a good trait as a military man fighting to protect their home from flesh eating enemies. He's also kind and caring to women, especially his sister and wife (our heroine) whom he is extremely patient with
OUR HEROINE is an independent translator who took the courage to pursue her dreams as a space pilot but wound up learning the language of the enemy, finding it beautiful and she was thoroughly intrigued to learn more about them. Being in the same dire situation as the Scorpio, victims of crash landings while being injure doesn't dim her interest, yet it can be taxing as well. I didn't know what to expect, the beginning started off vague but later starts to proceed fast, when the Scorpio apprehends the humans as war prizes and Ryven claims Xera as wife and appoints her ambassador between their kind. Xera is not a meek character and it takes her awhile to warm up to being a mother. She prefers fighting over anything feminine, wears her hair short and also doesn't believe in primping despite her beauty.
OVERALL the fictional setting was interesting and the relationship between the characters that build from nothing to a solid marriage made this a good story. Compared to other scifi romances, it definitely holds points for originality.
March 12, 2018
When human translator, Xera's, space craft crashes on a hostile planet and her Captain and crew ignore her cautions in dealing with the alien Scorpio, they find themselves captured. After her own crew calls her traitor for working with the Scorpio to help all to survive and then seem ready to make her the crew whore, the Scorpio leader separates her from them. Xera tries to work with Ryven to learn about their culture with hopes of bringing the info back to the human worlds, but Ryven has other ideas. He plans to make her the human ambassador for Scorpio and then marry her. Negotiations with the Interplanetary Council get the crew released and her fate sealed as wedded ambassador.
The story deals with Xera's learning to accept her fate learn to love her husband and join their causes. Several enemies and hostile aliens make this an adventure. However, the whole alienness of Scorpio is suspect; they only differ in eye color and customs, otherwise they look like humans. Why not call them humanoid? A definite failing in world building.
The story deals with Xera's learning to accept her fate learn to love her husband and join their causes. Several enemies and hostile aliens make this an adventure. However, the whole alienness of Scorpio is suspect; they only differ in eye color and customs, otherwise they look like humans. Why not call them humanoid? A definite failing in world building.
December 19, 2024
I read this because it was free, the cover entertained me, the author's name was amusingly made-up and the plot sounded interesting. I nearly put it down on page 5. It jumped too quickly into the story without much background or build-up. I skimmed a bit until the characterisation really kicked in. It was an interesting idea - getting taken as the spoil of war and married to the prince of an alien world, against your will, and never allowed to see your home / family again. I enjoyed watching how the relationship unfolded, although much more could have been done with it. It didn't need the 'romance' scenes. I could have done without those. They were pretty weak, anyway. My biggest issue with it was that when it came to the real sci-fi elements, it was a blatant rip-off of Dune - sand worms on a desert planet, kicking up water that can be transmuted into fuel. Really!
August 1, 2022
Dnf ~30%
The writing is excellent and there is a satisfying amount of depth to the alien culture, though most imagery seems to be derived from multiple Asian countries. I wish the author had taken the effort to flesh out entirely new visuals for the alien culture, as she did for the alien customs.
I did not finish reading this book because the author did not manage to convince me of the possibility of romance so soon. The main characters barely know each other a week while having been in a hostile captive situation for most of that time. The shift to a betrothal and steamy work out was too much for me.
The writing is excellent and there is a satisfying amount of depth to the alien culture, though most imagery seems to be derived from multiple Asian countries. I wish the author had taken the effort to flesh out entirely new visuals for the alien culture, as she did for the alien customs.
I did not finish reading this book because the author did not manage to convince me of the possibility of romance so soon. The main characters barely know each other a week while having been in a hostile captive situation for most of that time. The shift to a betrothal and steamy work out was too much for me.
April 11, 2023
Fun and interesting.
I enjoyed the concept of the plot but the execution was more tell than show. The earlier chapters were the best I think, not just because of the action (because that was great too) but because we got more character development and interaction in the beginning. It tapered off in the end to just inner thought monologues and fast forwards. And the climax was a bit anti-climactic. But this is a solid 3.5. I would recommend it to anyone who likes sci fi romance tamer on the smut side as well.
I enjoyed the concept of the plot but the execution was more tell than show. The earlier chapters were the best I think, not just because of the action (because that was great too) but because we got more character development and interaction in the beginning. It tapered off in the end to just inner thought monologues and fast forwards. And the climax was a bit anti-climactic. But this is a solid 3.5. I would recommend it to anyone who likes sci fi romance tamer on the smut side as well.
February 17, 2024
So, much more than expected.
I personally like my books a little more spicy then this…, but the story was so good that the spice that was included was more than enough. I just wish there were more then just the three books in the series because this book was so, much more than expected. It has been eleven years (2013) since this book was written I doubt there will be another in the series. But I still wish there were more.
I personally like my books a little more spicy then this…, but the story was so good that the spice that was included was more than enough. I just wish there were more then just the three books in the series because this book was so, much more than expected. It has been eleven years (2013) since this book was written I doubt there will be another in the series. But I still wish there were more.
April 11, 2022
Technically a reread, but I don’t remember how long ago I read it. Honestly it isn’t as good as I remember, but it’s still awesome. It’s one of the few alien sci-fi romances I’ve read that haven’t weirded me out. There’s a little too much sexism for me, but it’s also sort of their culture so I’m a little lenient.
September 21, 2023
great book!
Are used to read this author books years ago. What a great book, so glad I found this. Book starts off with a bang and keeps on going. A lot of edge of your seat action. The female main character is was no shrinking violet and her prince a take action hero, encourage her to grow and learn his world. Will look for more in this series
Are used to read this author books years ago. What a great book, so glad I found this. Book starts off with a bang and keeps on going. A lot of edge of your seat action. The female main character is was no shrinking violet and her prince a take action hero, encourage her to grow and learn his world. Will look for more in this series
July 29, 2017
I thought this book is romantic one 😕 but I read 7 chapters and Xera, Ryven didn't love each other.
The first meeting between them was cold and disappointed me. Where the love. ... nothing.
I can't read any more.
The first meeting between them was cold and disappointed me. Where the love. ... nothing.
I can't read any more.
September 4, 2024
I really enjoyed the first half of the story. Then was bored with the second half.
I liked Xera's character in the first half. She was likable and curious about their alien enemies that they found themselves having to survive alongside. I didn't mind her quick acceptance to being with Ryven problematic, but I did find her attitude afterwards annoying. I get that her life changed drastically but she wouldn't understand why he didn't want her owning a business...she is royalty now. Honestly, it got really boring about 2/3 the way in because she is having to find something to occupy her time. It did have a really sweet ending that saved it.
I liked Xera's character in the first half. She was likable and curious about their alien enemies that they found themselves having to survive alongside. I didn't mind her quick acceptance to being with Ryven problematic, but I did find her attitude afterwards annoying. I get that her life changed drastically but she wouldn't understand why he didn't want her owning a business...she is royalty now. Honestly, it got really boring about 2/3 the way in because she is having to find something to occupy her time. It did have a really sweet ending that saved it.
December 14, 2024
The translater
She the only women on a plant after crash landing with her crew and enemies.. But she's the translator and wins the heart of the alien captain. I enjoyed this space opra.
She the only women on a plant after crash landing with her crew and enemies.. But she's the translator and wins the heart of the alien captain. I enjoyed this space opra.
December 31, 2016
Nice read
Good romance with adventure. This author makes her characters with enough personality for you to enjoy. It's an easy read.
Good romance with adventure. This author makes her characters with enough personality for you to enjoy. It's an easy read.
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