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Description
Liam loves his life as a linguist and trader on the Rownt home world, but he has ignored his heart and sexual needs for years. After escaping the horrors of war, he wants a boring life. He won't risk letting anyone come too close because he won't risk letting anyone see his deeply submissive nature. For him, submission comes with pain. Life burned that lesson into his soul from a young age. This fear keeps him from noticing that the Rownt trader Ondry cares for him. Ondry may not understand humans, but he recognizes a wounded soul, and his need to protect Liam is quickly outpacing his common sense. They may have laws, culture, and incompatible genitalia in their way, but Ondry knows that he can find a way to overcome all that if he can just overcome the ghosts of Liam's past. Only then can he take possession of a man he has grown to respect. Contains mature themes.… (more)
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The story opens with Liam, a sergeant in the human military, worried about an incompetent new commander. The officer has taken a personal dislike to Liam. This is despite the fact that Liam is the best human trader in the garrison, who has made tremendous inroads with the native population. The commander has the power to rotate Liam back to the front lines of an ongoing war. But Liam has new problems to worry about when he and the commander attend a mysterious native ceremony that concludes with Liam being claimed as a prize by his favorite native trader Ondry.
~ Val for AReCafe
I thought the dynamic between our two main characters was really good. I liked that their linguistic differences were discussed while still including communication between the two by having Liam be a linguist. I don't like when these sort of alien plots have basically no communication the entire time because of the fact that they don't speak the same language at all.
If you like a more creative romance and are okay with inter-species romances, I think this is a really cute story and a really well built world.
Also, the first few chapters felt as if a separate short story prequel was added to the book. It was a little weird.