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A review by isitcake
Freeing Luka by Victoria Aveline
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Only the first 20-30% is in captivity, I thought it would be more. Also wasn't expecting Luka to be reduced to an animal-like state due to being so drugged out on LUST drugs (that let the Insurgents or PRICs take semen samples wth). So this wasn't the captivity I was expecting to read. Luka instantly recognizes Alice as his mate too. Alice manages to escape (a little too easily, but its a novella), and help free ~5 or so other human women too, and they're instantly found by Izzo, Luka's brother, who is instantly attracted to Daisy.
Turns out Luka was an undercover researcher to try to infiltrate the Insurgents. From book 1 these are the guys trying to find a compatible alien to breed with to save their species. They discover their operation is a lot bigger than they thought. After the women are taken to live in the Pearl Temple, a group assembles with the Queen Metli, Rhaego, Verreko (a hacker serpent like Clenanian who seems to have persuasive voice powers), Theo and Jade, another human Lucy (who's a big flirt), Asivva (represents the Intergalactic federation), Vila? (a female Clenanian), and maybe some others.
The group discusses the implications that with Alice mating with Luka, its clear humans may mark the return of mating, which will cause a gold rush to get humans from Earth. They discuss long-term how to approach that (trading tech, showing off their hot guys, etc.) but more immediate concerns are around freeing the other Insurgent captives, especially because as humans have been shown to be so compatible they are starting to murder the non-human captives.
Luka and Alice have a tenuous relationship at first as the mating bond causes him to be ridiculous, which makes her think he's not interested, but they bond over their love of research and animals. They also have a lot of sexual attraction.
The book ends with them freeing the humans being held in another lair, a fight happens and Verrecko gets taken by a flying Clenanian, but they prevail and that's pretty much it.
Mainly though I really didn't like Alice. She is everything I hate in a FMC; overly emotional and irrational, cries nonstop, has a history of "bad choices in men," thinks she knows best when CLEARLY she doesn't.
Turns out Luka was an undercover researcher to try to infiltrate the Insurgents. From book 1 these are the guys trying to find a compatible alien to breed with to save their species. They discover their operation is a lot bigger than they thought. After the women are taken to live in the Pearl Temple, a group assembles with the Queen Metli, Rhaego, Verreko (a hacker serpent like Clenanian who seems to have persuasive voice powers), Theo and Jade, another human Lucy (who's a big flirt), Asivva (represents the Intergalactic federation), Vila? (a female Clenanian), and maybe some others.
The group discusses the implications that with Alice mating with Luka, its clear humans may mark the return of mating, which will cause a gold rush to get humans from Earth. They discuss long-term how to approach that (trading tech, showing off their hot guys, etc.) but more immediate concerns are around freeing the other Insurgent captives, especially because as humans have been shown to be so compatible they are starting to murder the non-human captives.
Luka and Alice have a tenuous relationship at first as the mating bond causes him to be ridiculous, which makes her think he's not interested, but they bond over their love of research and animals. They also have a lot of sexual attraction.
The book ends with them freeing the humans being held in another lair, a fight happens and Verrecko gets taken by a flying Clenanian, but they prevail and that's pretty much it.
Mainly though I really didn't like Alice. She is everything I hate in a FMC; overly emotional and irrational, cries nonstop, has a history of "bad choices in men," thinks she knows best when CLEARLY she doesn't.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content