A review by lezreadalot
Stay with Me by Lily X.

4.0

The words “Blood Mate” flit through my mind like a whisper and my body curled around her in a protective embrace, as though it was calling her home.

3.5 stars. This was fun! A little lacking in the plot department, but it's a really creative sci-fi world and I'm kind of excited to delve into this series. It's science fiction that has a sort of paranormal slant, because the genetically modified species in this world resemble vampires and shifters and the like. In this book, we follow Cedra, a Fanger on a new world who owns a ranch/farm. She orders a robotic servant to aid her with chores, but when the package comes, there's a human woman inside of it instead.

This is a fated mates romance between Cedra and Twyla, and it was really good! Like I said, the world-building was interesting, and pretty easy to get the hang of. And as far as meet-cutes go, this is a really good one. There's kind of an omegaverse-ish feel to it, especially in the tone of the sex scenes, and a/b/o is really not my thing. But still, I ended up liking this so much. It was sexy, and I was charmed instead of annoyed by the way they had this instant connection. I adored the way the author wrote their attraction. The fated mates bond did a lot of the work, but not all of it. There's a mental connection aspect that I really liked; I thought it would start to feel uneven, since it was only one-way for most of the book, but I really liked it. I wish we'd seen more of their mundane life on the farm, and the plot in the latter half is a bit on the lacklustre side. But I still overall really really enjoyed it. Looking forward to delving into the rest of the series. I'm already in love with Ana, so I can't wait for her romance.

Merged review:

The words “Blood Mate” flit through my mind like a whisper and my body curled around her in a protective embrace, as though it was calling her home.

3.5 stars. This was fun! A little lacking in the plot department, but it's a really creative sci-fi world and I'm kind of excited to delve into this series. It's science fiction that has a sort of paranormal slant, because the genetically modified species in this world resemble vampires and shifters and the like. In this book, we follow Cedra, a Fanger on a new world who owns a ranch/farm. She orders a robotic servant to aid her with chores, but when the package comes, there's a human woman inside of it instead.

This is a fated mates romance between Cedra and Twyla, and it was really good! Like I said, the world-building was interesting, and pretty easy to get the hang of. And as far as meet-cutes go, this is a really good one. There's kind of an omegaverse-ish feel to it, especially in the tone of the sex scenes, and a/b/o is really not my thing. But still, I ended up liking this so much. It was sexy, and I was charmed instead of annoyed by the way they had this instant connection. I adored the way the author wrote their attraction. The fated mates bond did a lot of the work, but not all of it. There's a mental connection aspect that I really liked; I thought it would start to feel uneven, since it was only one-way for most of the book, but I really liked it. I wish we'd seen more of their mundane life on the farm, and the plot in the latter half is a bit on the lacklustre side. But I still overall really really enjoyed it. Looking forward to delving into the rest of the series. I'm already in love with Ana, so I can't wait for her romance.