Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Rizzo Berg is tormented by memories of his lost lover and Dom who died in combat years before. After yet another in a string of really disappointing dates, Rizzo goes to sleep in his apartment and wakes up on a spaceship with an alien Captain Conrad D’Ollet of Heracia, a man so dominant Rizzo’s knees turn to jelly. The Heracians need help, and Rizzo is a humanitarian, and the perk of spending more time around Conrad isn’t one of the reasons he offers that help, right? They seem made for each other. But Conrad has his own past and neither man is willing to risk his heart, let go of the past, and believe in a future together.
This is an unusual and well-written erotic space romance with angst, BDSM, aliens, and action. It begins as insta-lust based on both physical attraction and dominance, but morphed into more quite rapidly.
The world building was enough to give me a good feel for it without getting bogged down in description as some fantasy/sci-fi can do. For the most part, the author did an excellent job of giving just enough to paint a picture while not letting the details interfere with the flow of the story. A few things that I would have really enjoyed though are a bit more physical description of Heracians, and some background on how their AI/biological combo had come about.
Speaking of the flow, this is a quick-paced story that kept my attention and made me smile a lot. I completely enjoyed Riz’s snarky, abrasive personality. He was so fun! Adored the scene that resulted in them becoming bonded due to Riz’s error in cultural understanding. OMGosh, that was just hilarious. Then there are the cute nicknames Riz tends to use, his irreverence, brazen sexuality, and ballsiness are a perfect next to Conrad’s calm determination. Overall, a very fun read.
I’m not a huge fan of the cover by Brooke Albrecht, mostly because I’m not really sure what it is or how it relates to the story. The concept just doesn’t come across to me.
Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press All Romance (ARe) Amazon 
Book Details:
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 