One of my favorites! The sex scenes were spicy as hell and I really appreciate that! Dixon writes great smut, but sometimes it’s a little vanilla for my taste. There is only so many times I can read about big dicks and spurs and great cunnilingus before it gets a little repetitive. The dirty talk and slight power play in this one really lends to the spice. J’shel really works for that roll though because he’s so gentle and kind and considerate, he’s instantly trustworthy and makes you feel safe which is what is needed in a “dom” in a power dynamic. Really wish we’d seen a little butt slapping though lol it was suggested and I expected it but saw none. Maybe in another book?

As for the characters and romance, there is more to talk about there. J’shel is honestly great, but he isn’t perfect. He is endlessly patient until he finally snaps, but that snap always feels warranted. His issues with guilt needed to be dealt with sooner and that’s sort of where I see his faults… one can only blame themselves so much, he also was sort of taking the decisions out of N’dek’s hands due to his guilt, so when he finally lets go it was a great thing to see.

Hannah is a more complicated character and while I noticed a lot of people didn’t like her, I actually really really did. I’m a writer myself, not published or anything but I do it for fun, and so I really sympathized with her pain. Writing, and really any art form, isn’t like other work… it’s so personal. You pour everything you have into your work and it feels like a part of yourself, so while the idea that she was going to be famous being her reasoning for being so upset seems selfish and self centered, I don’t think that was entirely it. The work and time she put into her work, the heart and passion, it was all finally going to be rewarded and people all around the world would see it. That’s a big deal for a writer! Sharing your work with others is like connecting to them, it’s a very intimate thing. Having that all ripped away for a world you don’t like nor understand and on top of everything else you’re being set up by some alien parasite to want to fuck a stranger? I’d probably respond a lot like Hannah.

Denial is real. But for Hannah… it wasn’t really denial… it was a stubborn refusal to let one more thing out of her control after her entire life had been ripped from her. I mean we understand the khui is a good thing and she’ll be happy in the end, but imagine someone telling you that you have to fuck that stranger over there but not to worry because you’ll end up liking it so much that you’ll want to have his babies??? Anyone in their right mind would freak! Hannah deserves more sympathy because honestly she responded how any sane person would… Readers of this series are just blinded by their love of the big blue dongs to remember that.

The romance is just right for me. They had to work to get to it and I adored that. J’shel works for Hannah and vise versa. They play off of each other well with his patience and her attitude, it’s a good mix. He’s able to make her calm down and she makes him act more selfishly when needed. They bother learn from each other and gain something. That’s what a relationship should be, learning and growing together and enjoying the ride as you go.

And finally… I want to know who ends up with N’dek. I can’t wait to read his story! I’m also grateful that resonance didn’t fix his mental issues and he had to put in the work to start healing mentally.