3.5 Stars !

I keep trying to finish this and failing. Currently DNFd at 37%. The author keeps dropping current cultural references into a timeline that is very clearly in the future and it takes me out of the story every time. “No shit, Sherlock” for example. Or sarcastically asking about nachos when she’s on an alien planet and was presented with alien food. I think it’s the author’s attempt at humor but it doesn’t land; just makes the dialogue come off stilted instead.

She also keeps using the word ‘race’ when she means ‘species’.

I know I could love this series if it was edited better with regards to some details. It’s otherwise written well and has an interesting plot but every time I get back into the story an out of time reference drops.

I have to admit, this book surprised me! I liked it a lot, the world is interesting, the characters are engaging, and the romance is not over the top. I will surely read the following instalments (book 4 is the next one, in case you're wondering).

(DNF) The main female(Abbey) character was beyond annoying I couldn’t get through the book. I rarely use the the b word but she would be it. No witty banter just a total witch. Throw the whole book away.

A classic damsel in distress, rescued by a dominate male. Only, the first rescue doesn’t go to plan, and she’s left critically injured.

THE BLURB

I refuse to die, especially because of an oversized cockroach. I am not having ‘killed by a cockroach’ on my obituary.

Abbey didn’t even know of the danger she was in when she was attacked. General Tarak couldn’t forgive himself for her injury, since he had bought the predator alien on-board her spaceship. His honour demanded he care and protect her… as well as some primal part of his soul.

Like many sci-fi romance novels, humans come across an alien species that is unable to reproduce young effectively. And of course, their species are both compatible.

TONE OF THE BOOK

Dark Planet Warriors has a neutral tone, leaning towards lightheartedness. It focuses on an action and event driven plot. The characters are strong willed and capable and don’t linger on problems with a woe-is-me attitude, instead seeking out solutions and taking steps towards resolutions.

SENSITIVE TOPICS

Doesn’t he get that you don’t just take people away from their home planets? That you don’t just separate people from their own species?

Dark Planet Warriors does include a kidnapping, depending upon the characters perspective. I can’t explain much more without plot spoilers, but be aware that one character is moved to another location not entirely of their own free will. Whilst it’s a point of contention between characters, its relatively quickly forgotten and forgiven.

This novel is intended for mature audiences as it includes detailed sex scenes between a human and an alien.

SERIES SYNOPSIS

Dark Planet Warriors is the first book in the Dark Planet Warriors series, with currently a total of 8 novels and several smaller novellas.

Anna Carven hasn’t published the books in a chronological timeline. If you wish to read the entire series chronologically, then the correct order is:

Book 1.0: Dark Planet Warriors (originally a serial made up of Invasion, Taken, Escape)
Book 4.0: Out of Darkness
Book 5.0: Forged in Shadow
Book 7.0: Electric Heart
Book 2.0: Dark Planet Falling
Book 3.0: Into the Light
Book 4.5: Darkside Blues
Book 6.0: Infinity’s Embrace
Book 8.0: Brilliant Starlight
Book 8.1: Earth Files: Book 1
Book 8.5: Sanctuary

Dark Planet Warriors is 252 pages long, which is slightly shorter than the average romance novel. Being fairly action driven, the characters are able to explore a number of dynamic worlds and environments. However the shorter length leads to some fairly large jumps of relationship developments, such as how quickly Abbey comes to trust General Tarak.

FINAL WORD

Dark Planet Warriors was a rather fun read. I enjoyed the action driven plot and the numerous environments. Due to its shorter length it lacked the depth that the novel had potential for.

I read this with the 3 different parts were put together as one "book". Interesting world and I liked Abby and that she wasn't a pushover. The space elves make for sexy warriors!

Boy this was good. It happens in the way future, but so far everything has been quite believable. I loved the world created here and how the humans are such inferior beings (because, let's face it, we would be), especially to the warrior Kordolians (who are damn hot and lethal fighters). The characters were fantastic, and I was completely into their relationship. I will say there were quite a few grammatical errors, but I was easily able to get over them.

I liked Abbey. She had a sense of humor, could be spunky, and was smart. I appreciated how she was trying to find a way back home, but at the same time would listen when Tarak told her to do something. I can't even tell you how much I get pissed off when a woman defies the male just because or because she's supposed to be some badass but she really isn't. Abbey challenged Tarak, but also quite easily submitted to him. It was perfect. Abbey is bio scientist on board the human space station Fortuna Tau. Just your normal girl doing her job there to make sure that there's always enough food and oxygen being provided. When a damaged Kordolian warship shows up in the dock, she wants nothing to do with the violent aliens that appeared and just hopes they quickly leave. So she goes back to her work.

I loved Tarak. Oh my gawd how I love a dominate male that is rough and brutal but sweet on his mate. He was simply great. Intelligent, fierce, and loyal. He has the respect and sometimes the fear of even his own people. He's almost untouchable and he knows it. So yeah, boy was he arrogant...with good reason. During a fight, his ship got damaged and pulled thru a wormhole putting him in the backwater sector 9. IE: with the humans. And he despises the situation. He easily gets the station commander to as he says and intends to get his ship fixed and back on his way before the wormhole closes.

What Tarak never counted on was bringing the enemy with him. This horrible insect like species that breeds like crazy and is super hard to kill. But what he expected even less was to encounter a female of this lesser race that he desires more powerfully than anything in his life. He has also been suffering from debilitating headaches, and in her presence they disappear. When Abbey is gravely injured because he wasn't there and because he brought these insects there, he makes an impulsive decision to take her back to his own world to heal her. He also decided that she is his now and woe to anything or anyone that wants to take her from him.

The relationship between these two just worked. Despite how it began and the situation Abbey finds herself in, it becomes the most natural thing for them to be together. And before you know it Tarak is claiming her as his mate and Abbey is saying "happy wife, happy life." Usually I hate insta-love, but here it didn't feel like that. At all. It was also really hot.

Things are not safe for them back on Tarak's home planet of Kythia. Especially when they find out about Abbey being there and what the tests told them of humans. Tarak isn't worried though. He hates the politics there and has been planning with an exiled prince for years. With this, their time table has been moved to now and it's time to head to Earth. The epilogue has them just about there after six years of having to go the longs way. Not that I don't mind skipping over all that time, but I would have liked to have gotten a little bit of it.

As all the books are out and the series completed, I'm going to be going at this in chronological order. So book 4, here I come.