As part of Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week, I wanted to post a review of Elizabeth Stephens’ upcoming book Taken to Lemore. This is the sixth book in the series and can easily be read as a standalone. If you like sci-fi romance with great world building and steamy love stories, you should totally check it out!
About the Book:
Title: Taken to Lemora
Author: Elizabeth Stephens
Series: Xiveri Mates #6
Publication Date: July 29, 2021
Synopsis: Raingar
My horns itch and I hate it. I’m a Lemoran clan chief and I hate that I’m being forced to schmooze with the other Quadrant dignitaries.
Looking for a way out, I run into flesh peddlers. Pagh! I hate flesh peddlers and I’m not interested in what they’re selling!
Until I see her…
Half human, Essmira’s soft, and I hate that she’s so easy to break. I hate that her beauty makes my horns and heart both ache. And most of all, I hate that she has no idea that she’s my mate.
Essmira
A female must always smile. She must always aim to please. She must always obey.
A pleasure female, that’s what I’ve spent my whole life training to be. Now that I’ve been purchased by a Lemoran clan chief, I’m more than happy to please him. But his pleasure might be out of my reach.
Because he doesn’t want me to be a pleasure female anymore. He wants me to be…me.
Taken to Lemora is a full length (85k word) SciFi alien romance that features one grumpy alien and a hybrid human female just discovering freedom and eager to grab it by the horns. Literally. Lemora is the not-too-distant neighbor of Voraxia and while this book cameos a couple familiar faces, it focuses on a new couple in a new constellation and can easily be read as a standalone.
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My Review:
Taken to Lemora is the sixth book in the sci-fi romance series Xiveri Mates by Elizabeth Stephens. The story follows Essmira, who is preparing to be sold as a pleasure female, and Raingar, the male who frees her. Essmira is such a likable character, and she goes through so much throughout the story. She is a strong woman and a survivor, and I love that she slowly learns her worth. Her story is difficult, and her past is abusive and traumatic. However, when she gets to Lemora, Essmira experiences freedom for the first time, and she finds a new life with a variety of possibilities. Since Essmira was trained to be a pleasure female, she has spent her entire life learning how to please others. She has never considered what would make her happy. On Lemora, Essmira finally has a chance to figure this out. However, as she adjusts to her new and unexpected reality and freedom, she also has to deal with the trauma of the past and her growing feelings for Raingar. I think her growth throughout the story is immense.
On a side note, I would recommend reading any content warnings before starting the book, as some of Essmira’s experiences could be potential triggers for some readers.
Raingar is a bit more difficult to love than Essmira. He is grouchy and ornery. Often impatient and negative, he is a bit of a curmudgeon. However, he is also very kind, protective, and loyal. The youngest of all clan leaders, Raingar is an honorable male who always looks out for the best interest of others, and he is well respected among his people. This male yells and gets frustrated a lot, but it’s obvious that he is confused by his feelings and desires, which he’s never felt before. I like how Raingar learns and changes as the story progresses. Essmira becomes the most important thing to him, and I love how he shows her how deeply his feelings are. If you like a grumpy, stubborn alpha hero, then this is the protagonist for you!
Essmira and Raingar have a slow-building love story with many bumps and bruises along the way. They struggle with their feelings, fears, inexperience, and more. Plus, it appears that Essmira’s life might be threatened, which adds more conflict to their story. I love how determined Raingar is to keep Essmira safe and how they slowly face their feelings for each other. I also love how much his feelings for Essmira rocks Raingar. He knows that she is his Xiveri mate, and the depth and strength of that bond are so powerful. It absolutely rocks Raingar’s world and changes him for the better.
I enjoyed a lot of the side characters in the story, especially the varied beings Essmira meets on Lemora. The female clan leaders who, along with Raingar, rescued and freed her, the beings who hired her, Raingar’s best friend, and others add so much to the story and show Essmira what it feels like to be supported, respected, and cared for.
I also liked the setting. Lemora is an accepting and inclusive planet, and the inhabitants are so welcoming and trustworthy. They embrace Essmira as one of their own, much like they do everyone who lives there. The author does a great job of creating a unique and admirable society in which everyone is accepted no matter their differences.
Like the other books in the series, Taken to Lemora is a standalone and can easily be read without reading the other five books in the series. However, several of the characters from the other book do make appearances in this book, much to my delight! I always love seeing what beloved characters are up to, and they are woven so well into this story. I can’t wait to see what kind of adventure Elizabeth Stephens will take me on next and am so thankful for the copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
Rating:
Favorite Parts:
- The romance!
- The intrigue.
- The well-developed characters.
Favorite Line:
I’m a rock, and she’s more beautiful than a star. How do you attract the sun?
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