Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔 (very good for the hero but almost nothing for the heroine – the final chapter gives a touch for her)
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞 (I found this book really romantic – there was so much sweetness and emotional growth between these two – and the things the hero thinks about for the heroine/gifts given etc)
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 (there was something here about the sex that I didn’t LOVE – maybe it was being only in the hero’s POV but it was missing just a little something...maybe because it was simplified into ‘put a baby in her’ mentality and I missed the ‘I’m literally going to die if I don’t touch you’ vibes
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥ish – there’s kind of a mix of scenes and lengths
Humor: A bit
Perspective: first person from the hero only except a short chapter at the end from the heroine
More character focused or plot focused? maybe character?
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: pretty soon in, chapter 1
Cliffhanger: This doesn’t end on a cliffhanger but doesn’t have a traditional happily ever after either - 

  It ends with them living their entire life together and dying together in old age

Epilogue: There is a final chapter that wraps everything up
Format: listened to audiobook on audible – I had it in my library but didn’t see it in my gift or purchase history so I think it’s a plus catalog read
Why I chose this book: I have been curious about this book for literally years and years, but I keep forgetting about it. @imromanticallyinvolved and @nickipascarella_author have both recommended it to me within the last month so I finally dove in!
Mains: This is a M/F relationship between a cishet hero and heroine where the contemporary heroine travels back to prehistorical times to the hero.

Should I read in order?
This is a stand alone.

Basic plot:
Ehd is shocked when he finds something more in his animal pit used for hunting.

Give this a try if you want:
- paleolithic romance-ish (my assumption) PLEASE NOTE THIS DOESN’T HAVE A TRADITIONAL HEA 

  This story ends with the couple having lived their whole life together and dying in each other’s arms. 

- time travel – the heroine is contemporary and comes back
- size difference – she’s a tiny thing to him, up to his chest
- survival themes
- language barrier
- close proximity
- never been kissed hero
- hero nurses heroine back to health
- pregnancy and children are a focus
- character focused, no real villain or mystery as a main plot focus
- first person POV from hero only (minus a short chapter at the end)
- dual virgins
- medium steam – a range of scenes but I settled at 4-ish flames

Ages:
- I didn’t catch them, but I think maybe early 20s?

First line:
I awake to cold and near darkness like I do every morning.

My thoughts:
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this one going in – I kept hearing it was Twilight fan-fiction and that kind of put me off. But I ended up really falling into this novel and loving so much about it.

This is almost exclusively from the heroes point of view, which is usually my jam. It was really interesting to see the story through Ehd’s eyes especially with their language barrier. Ehd is unable to learn Bea’s way of speaking so they really have to get creative and learn to speak to each other’s hearts in a different way.

Ehd learns SO MUCH through his relationship with Beh and it’s so, so cute. This is the sweetest love story, the journey of trust and contentment and the building of a lifetime together. This book has one of the best love declarations I’ve read, it was just so emotional and sweet to me.

This story is just so unique and memorable. And a true love story, though I’m conflicted about people thinking it’s the typical romance due to the ending. It is, truly, a happily ever after, but I’ve included some spoiler headings for those that need to know the details.

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: This is my first
Average rating: 5 stars
Favorite book: This one

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- scenes of hunting, killing, eating animals
- remembrances of predator animals attacking tribes/family death
- attempted rape of heroine by another man
- scene of violence and battle
- there is pregnancy, birth and child care on page
- child illness and child separation
Author content warnings? Didn’t notice any on audio

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:

 
Safe sex: 

  No 

 
How’s the consent? 

  there’s elements of dubious actions/thoughts due to the language and cultural barriers and a scene where he almost takes her but does listen to her ‘no’ 

 
Pregnancy/children in story? 

  Definite breeding vibes in this one – you’re in the hero’s head and he is very focused on procreating and it’s important to have babies and reproduce to be ‘happy’. The heroine has multiple children and pregnancies on page. 

 
Chapter 6 – kisses
Chapter 9 – kisses, touches
Chapter 11 – 🔥 handy for him, fingering for her, sex
Chapter 13 – 🔥 sex (short) then later, fingering for her, missionary sex, followed later by another brief mention of sex
Chapter 14 – 🔥 missionary then later, another scene (short), then later another her on top scene
Chapter 19 – 🔥 blow job that leads to 69
Chapter 23 – sex but it’s shorter
Total chapters - 24