ARC Review: Taken to Heimo by Elizabeth Stephens

Title: Taken to Heimo

Author: Elizabeth Stephens

Series: Xiveri Mates – Book 4

Page Length: 250

Publication Date: Jan. 20th, 2021

Synopsis: Svera
He’s staring at me again. Protector, tormentor, roommate. It’s against my religion to spend this much time with Krisxox – or any male – but he’s a shadow I can’t seem to shake. For all his hatred for the human species, he joins me on my next mission to the human colony. Our welcome party? Deception, betrayal and pirates.

This isn’t my first time crossing paths with the pirates seeking to steal human women. But this is the first time that I’ve had the coordinates to an unprotected human space station – and the pirate king wants them.

Stuck in a desperate situation, I’m not sure if Krisxox is a help or a hindrance. He wants me to live, but he’s a short-tempered brute and I suspect that if he can’t learn to work with me – a human – both of us will end up dead.

Krisxox
I’m staring at her again. I don’t think she’s noticed. And that’s good. She’s a filthy human. I don’t need her knowing that she’s my one true mate. With enough hate, I intend to break the bond, but until then…I guess I’ll stick with keeping her safe.

That becomes a harder task than anticipated when human nature reveals its acidic underbelly. Deals brokered by ghosts bring pirates to our shores. They think they can take her and use her for information. Not sviking happening.

I’ll keep her alive. I’ll keep her at arm’s length. But what happens when we’re trapped together in a dungeon barely bigger than a box? Keeping her alive and fighting blood-thirsty pirates doesn’t seem so scary as what will happen when she finds out that she’s my Xiveri mate.

Taken to Heimo is a full-length (95k words), standalone, interracial, SciFi romance complete with a possessive alpha alien – who’s also a big jerk – and a sweet, smart heroine who has no trouble standing up to him. This story features fated mates who are also enemies-to-lovers, epic world building and steam – lots of it. All Xiveri Mates books can be read as standalones, each one with a guaranteed HEA, but I recommend reading book 1 first to set the stage. NO cheating, harem or love triangles. Violent action scenes may be disturbing for some readers.

LINKS:     Goodreads     |       Amazon   

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon, and I may earn a small commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through my links.

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My Review:

Taken to Heimo is the fourth book in the Xiveri mates series, and it focuses on Krisxox and Svera’s relationship. Yay! I’ve wanted to read Krisxox and Svera’s story since we met them both in Taken to Voraxia. They have had a love-hate relationship throughout the series, and I was so excited to learn the causes of their tension. Prejudice, fear, disgust, religion, pirates, jealousy, vengeance, greed, and more contribute to their heart-stopping journey towards a happily-ever-after.

Krisxox and Svera are very different, and they face many obstacles, both internal and external. Krisxox is a male of action. He’s not one for flowery professions, but his actions show the depth of his feelings. However, Krisxox struggles with his prejudice toward humans for much of the story. He had to unlearn a lot of the beliefs of his sires before he could truly embrace his feelings for Svera. He, like Svera, fights his feelings and the idea that they are fated mates.

I need to be careful. I don’t need her knowing that I spend each lunar in her room. I don’t need her knowing that I dream of her. That failing her gives me nightmares.

Svera is kind and gentle and intelligent. Her gentle and giving nature shouldn’t be mistaken for passivity because Svera is fierce and strong and full of sass when the situation calls for it. She also is very devout and close to her family, which is why she resists the pull of her fated mate. It’s interesting to see how Svera and Krisxox deal with their internal conflicts.

The romance between Svera and Krisxox is tense and explosive! There is a tremendous amount of build-up, as they both try so hard to resist their feelings. This makes their eventual union passion-filled swoon-taticness!! I so rooted for this couple. They are so different, yet so similar. They both love deeply and have a strong sense of duty and loyalty. They are both fierce and wonderful and flawed, and their feelings for each other, whether good or bad, are palpable.

In those treacherous imaginings, I want to be her whole entire xoking galaxy because she’s already mine. She’s already ruined me.

I’m really interested in the pirates and some of the other new species introduced in the story. At one point in the story, Krisxox and Svera are thrown into a gladiator-type battle, and they encounter many new alien species and characters. I love how Stephens continues to expand the world and am curious if they will play a role in future books in the series.

I also like that characters from the previous books make appearances in this book. It’s always great to see what’s happening in the lives of the other couples, and Stephens ties their stories into Krisxox and Svera’s story well. The over-arching plot that began in Taken to Voraxia is also well-developed, well-layered, and full of surprising twists and turns.

Overall, I really enjoyed this addition to the Xiveri Mates, and I’m looking forward to reading more of the series. I enjoy stories that entertain and offer a level of poignancy, and Stephens’ stories do just that. Plus, the romances are always amazing, and I’m learning to speak an alien language! Thanks so much to Elizabeth Stephens for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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Rating:

Favorite Parts:

• The romance, of course! I’ve been dying to read Krisxox and Svera’s story for a while!

• The continued world-building. This is such a unique and creative universe!

Favorite Lines:

Hate fills the wounds. Love erases it.

Memories are wicked things. They prick like needles with the ability to incapacitate.

I’m not like Kiki – I can’t wield a spear. And I’m not Miari – I can’t build one. But I can learn and my father always said that knowledge is power.

She starts to hum. A melody so delicate and beautiful it hurts. Like sunshine through Qath’s dense canopy of leaves, it touches me gently, in a way that makes me want to tilt my face up to the light.

Recommendations:

Want to learn more about the series? Check out my reviews for the first three books!

Want to learn more about Elizabeth Stephens? Check out my interview with her!

Author Spotlight: My Interview with Elizabeth Stephens

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Giveaway:

To celebrate the upcoming release of Taken to Heimo (doesn’t it sound great!), Elizabeth Stephens is giving away a copy of the first book in the Xiveri Mates Series, Taken to Voraxia!

Enter the Giveaway here!