Written by Miranda Bridges, this Elemental Mates series follows elemental aliens and their human female mates. (The series used ti have a co-author, but she stopped contributing in this particular book) It takes place on Earth during a post-apocalyptic event where a fire wiped out most of humanity and burned the planet, leaving its remaining population starved and desperate. Earth wasn’t just dying; it was also full of people who had gone insane. Everyone resorted to a primitive state and they only cared about survival, doing whatever was necessary to ensure that. That involved murder, rape, theft, and copious amounts of violence. People scavenged for food and took refuge inside compounds against threats from other humans. The Koraxians came to Earth in search of females that were capable of unlocking their elemental potential. Nanobots swept over the Koraxian females, leaving the remaining immortal males unable to access their elemental powers and on the brink of extinction. Their desperation to find compatible alternatives led them to Earth, where they successfully found more than what they were looking for.
Written in first person, Terra is book 6 in the series, and follows Commander Maxim of the Earthbloods and his human mate Ivy. Ivy was abducted in book 1 by the Torags and sold to a couple Skolas that specialize in rare animals. Unfamiliar with the human species, the Skolas Vurk and Moed threw Ivy into the cage of a kielie, which was basically a dangerous wild wolf that could cast fire. Instead of killing and eating Ivy, the kielie took a liking to Ivy, wanting to care for and protect her. She named him Cobalt and became his official handler.
Maxim was a physician, introduced in prior books, particularly as the one who supplied Daxis with his serum. He was introduced to Ivy when he went searching for a way to track elyxim, a crystal found on his home planet. Where there was elyxim, there was the Master, which is the enemy Maxim was tasked with hunting down. The Master was the one who owned and operated the zoo that Blaze was taken hostage in, and had been on the run ever since. When Max found the Skolas, they sold him the kielie that would be able to track the elyxim, and the kielie came with its handler Ivy, who just happened to be the fated mate to unlock Maxim’s full potential.
They did find the Master on a planet called Eylarus and wound up with more than they bargained for after being taken hostage by a massive group of Aetherbloods in hiding (who were supposed to be eradicated). The master almost killed Maxim while gathering information, but Ivy saved him.
The two had baggage from their pasts that hindered their ability to accept one another. Ivy was badly burned in the fires that killed Earth and had become self conscious about her looks. Maxim’s brother died during a hunt and he blamed himself for his death. After overcoming several obstacles and surviving endless amounts of drama, the couple finally accepted the inevitable and fell in love.
The couple had their first intercourse in chapter 14, at the 67% mark. The buildup was balanced and kept the reader hooked. The raunchy scenes are the only reason I read this genre of books, so I’m glad the author didn’t hold back. My only complaint is how long it took to get to the juicy bits. Maxim’s full potential was unlocked, but there was a side effect (or bonus depending on your perspective); Ivy was transformed into a Koraxian mate, gaining air powers herself, adapting his hair color and birth marks, along with immortality.
There was a LOT going on in this book. So much so, that I am sure I missed some important highlights. We discover towards the end that that master is actually Ashryn, Xennith’s nephew and heir. As a reminder from previous books, Xennith was behind the killings of the Aetherbloods and other Elders, and he was the one who released the nanobots that killed the Koraxian females, in order to gain ultimate power. He also intended to eliminate the humans in order to prevent his kind from gaining their true potential or procreate because he wanted to be the only one of his kind with powers.
So far, this series is good. Plenty of lust-filled raunch and I like how the authors incorporated magic into an alien romance. I recommend the read. I look forward to reading the final book in the series.