Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
I'm having a bit of a time deciding how I want to rate this. Warning, possible mild spoilers ahead, though it's kind of hard to actually spoil anything in this placid story.
Abel's work and I have a history at this point, and my usual nitpicks at her work apply to this one—her MMCs are just too instantly marshmallowy for my tastes, she has issues with kink-shaming and including systemic misogyny in her work (worth mentioning in this one because of alleged and baffling matriarchal society Susan hails from), and there's something about her writing style that often twists me the wrong way.
But.
Susan isn't squeamish in the way Abel's heroines often are, and she lacked their usual sanctimoniousness that were big pluses in her box. She was level-headed and pragmatic, which was consistent with her backstory as a farmer. I liked that she accepted she had to do things she wasn't necessarily happy about but that's how it was. No whininess or complaining. Just nose to the grindstone and trying to figure out how to angle towards her goals. Solid gal. Liked that a lot.
Olix—the alien, but not too alien—isn't actually grumpy, which often happens with these stories. I'm promised a grump, and instead what I get is someone who maybe simply doesn't like talking—or in this case, someone who was reserved and disliked her profession for cultural reasons. So defensive, but not grumpy. (His entire village were oddly stubborn, given the fact they're starving and possibly only months or years from extinction if they do not change. I would hope they're smarter and more practical than humanity is as a whole.) But he's not an OTT alphahole spouting nonsense about Weak Women/Females which was again, refreshing. He was thoughtful and helped. And the cast from the village were also all pretty decent eggs; even the ones who were jerks off and on. No jealous bitches to be seen. No weird usurpation attempts. I appreciated that the antagonist was a greedy, power-grabbing corporation, rather than some flat, busted romance trope.
This story is cute and low stakes with minimal drama which I've also come to expect when reading Abel's work.
But.
This one didn't wow me, and it's largely due to the oddness of Susan's home world, which tried to be portrayed as matriarchal—everything passing from mothers to eldest daughters or the second daughter/women are the landowners—but every aspect of it screamed patriarchal society—despite the fact that women own the land and theoretically should hold power because of that, they're expected to have...dowries, which are how men passed land and wealth along via a bride (???). (Not to mention how sex-negative her society was. The denial of birth control/family planning and sex negativity alone were enough to make my poor brain hurt figuring out how that was supposed to fit with the frame. Why wouldn't everyone stop at the second female child born? Knowing my children would be doomed to indentured servitude and raised separate from the rest of the family, there's no way I'd be having more. There's a City there, I guarantee there's an underground birth control/sterilization market. Shoot. They're farmers with a bunch of botanical knowledge: don't tell me no one is growing plants with abortifacient properties. This is a human planet, and we're a really creative bunch at getting things done.)
And.
I'm really over fetishizing hymens. And misunderstanding how they work. "It's a story..." yadda yadda yadda; I get it. All I'm saying is a female person of Susan's age with an active lifestyle that I would bet included all kinds of movement including riding bikes, possibly riding horses or similar animals, and we know for a fact used tampons...is not going to have much, if any, of that membrane left. (She didn't strike me as the type kept in a tower and forced to sit and embroider all day long.) And while thicker, more intact ones can bleed a bit more, almost 60% of female persons will have no bleeding during first intercourse. Those that do, it's usually a couple drops and no big deal at all. Surely not enough
Anywho. I got stuck in the first chapters by all of this and tried to move past it, but I have one of Those Brains, that can't help but hone in on things that do not seem right.
So this story is very smooth sailing with no real struggles or issues to overcome. It didn't wow me, but I obviously didn't hate it. It just didn't leave a lot of an impression. That cover though? I'm kinda digging that. There's something so cheesy about it that I'm enjoying.
Abel's work and I have a history at this point, and my usual nitpicks at her work apply to this one—her MMCs are just too instantly marshmallowy for my tastes, she has issues with kink-shaming and including systemic misogyny in her work (worth mentioning in this one because of alleged and baffling matriarchal society Susan hails from), and there's something about her writing style that often twists me the wrong way.
But.
Susan isn't squeamish in the way Abel's heroines often are, and she lacked their usual sanctimoniousness that were big pluses in her box. She was level-headed and pragmatic, which was consistent with her backstory as a farmer. I liked that she accepted she had to do things she wasn't necessarily happy about but that's how it was. No whininess or complaining. Just nose to the grindstone and trying to figure out how to angle towards her goals. Solid gal. Liked that a lot.
Olix—the alien, but not too alien—isn't actually grumpy, which often happens with these stories. I'm promised a grump, and instead what I get is someone who maybe simply doesn't like talking—or in this case, someone who was reserved and disliked her profession for cultural reasons. So defensive, but not grumpy. (His entire village were oddly stubborn, given the fact they're starving and possibly only months or years from extinction if they do not change. I would hope they're smarter and more practical than humanity is as a whole.) But he's not an OTT alphahole spouting nonsense about Weak Women/Females which was again, refreshing. He was thoughtful and helped. And the cast from the village were also all pretty decent eggs; even the ones who were jerks off and on. No jealous bitches to be seen. No weird usurpation attempts. I appreciated that the antagonist was a greedy, power-grabbing corporation, rather than some flat, busted romance trope.
This story is cute and low stakes with minimal drama which I've also come to expect when reading Abel's work.
But.
This one didn't wow me, and it's largely due to the oddness of Susan's home world, which tried to be portrayed as matriarchal—everything passing from mothers to eldest daughters or the second daughter/women are the landowners—but every aspect of it screamed patriarchal society—despite the fact that women own the land and theoretically should hold power because of that, they're expected to have...dowries, which are how men passed land and wealth along via a bride (???). (Not to mention how sex-negative her society was. The denial of birth control/family planning and sex negativity alone were enough to make my poor brain hurt figuring out how that was supposed to fit with the frame. Why wouldn't everyone stop at the second female child born? Knowing my children would be doomed to indentured servitude and raised separate from the rest of the family, there's no way I'd be having more. There's a City there, I guarantee there's an underground birth control/sterilization market. Shoot. They're farmers with a bunch of botanical knowledge: don't tell me no one is growing plants with abortifacient properties. This is a human planet, and we're a really creative bunch at getting things done.)
And.
I'm really over fetishizing hymens. And misunderstanding how they work. "It's a story..." yadda yadda yadda; I get it. All I'm saying is a female person of Susan's age with an active lifestyle that I would bet included all kinds of movement including riding bikes, possibly riding horses or similar animals, and we know for a fact used tampons...is not going to have much, if any, of that membrane left. (She didn't strike me as the type kept in a tower and forced to sit and embroider all day long.) And while thicker, more intact ones can bleed a bit more, almost 60% of female persons will have no bleeding during first intercourse. Those that do, it's usually a couple drops and no big deal at all. Surely not enough
Spoiler
for the dude to be like, "Omg, I can feel The Blood," or enough to ornament clothing and weapons with it.Anywho. I got stuck in the first chapters by all of this and tried to move past it, but I have one of Those Brains, that can't help but hone in on things that do not seem right.
So this story is very smooth sailing with no real struggles or issues to overcome. It didn't wow me, but I obviously didn't hate it. It just didn't leave a lot of an impression. That cover though? I'm kinda digging that. There's something so cheesy about it that I'm enjoying.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love the concept of the Prime Mating Agency, and I think the relationship growth and sex were well written.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Slavery
I did not expect to love this book, but I absolutely did! Give it a shot. You might be pleasantly surprised like me.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Susan goes to a different planet, gets married and show her new people the benefits of farming. The romance was cute, a lot of communicating (because they are very physically different).
Aw, what can I say? I have a big ole soft spot for lizard men.
Now that was exactly what I was looking for. A sweet funny marriage of convenience with an alien!
3.5⭐️
No pensé que me fuera a gustar, no se pueden dejar llevar por la portada.
No pensé que me fuera a gustar, no se pueden dejar llevar por la portada.