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review 2018-06-28 16:18
Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts (Claimings, #1) by Lyn Gala 4 Star Review!
Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts - Lyn Gala

Liam loves his life as a linguist and trader on the Rownt homeworld, 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.

 

Review

 

This book has been recommended a lot but I wasn't sure. However, I read it and really liked it,.

The world and culture building are very good. Liam is a wounded, smart, and wonderful hero. Ondry turns out to be pretty amazing as well.

The details of Liam's submissive nature woven in with the culture of this alien world are well done and engaging.

Even though they have very different bodies, our heroes are able to connect in all sorts of powerful ways. 

The plot is good and the love story a slow burn that is worth the wait. And yes, there is tail sex but really if you had a tail???

I am sad that the next books in the series stay with this same couple. I like to leave them fully happy and would love to see another couple but this is a good book and I really enjoyed it.

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review 2016-04-17 12:49
Interesting and original
Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts - Lyn Gala

Only con: it was very short. It felt like a novella at best.

 

The writing was good, the setting original, the characters interesting.

 

There was just not enough flesh to it.

 

And the price too steep for such a short piece.

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review 2016-01-12 03:09
My first dip into the alien pool...
Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts - Lyn Gala

I received this book from my Secret Santa, the lovely Jenn, because she felt I needed a nudge to give it a try and step out side of the box. It's turned out she was right. So I did my part and convinced a few friends here on GR to do a buddy read with me and am I glad I did.

 

'Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts' was an unexpected treat and one with more depth to it than I was expecting. The author is Lyn Gala so I was pretty sure going into this that I'd enjoy it. What I didn't expect was that it would also be thought provoking. Liam is a soldier stationed on the Rownt home world as a linguist and a trader. Most of his trading is done with Ondry. During the course of his 5 years on the Rownt home world he's managed to build both a strong business relationship and a friendship.

 

Life isn't going to badly until Liam gets a new commander. One who doesn't seem to be very fond of the 'enlisted' men and isn't above throwing anyone under a bus if it served his purpose. Ondry is drawn to Liam and wants to protect him.

 

Because this is a story about not just different races or cultures but species. Liam is human and Ondry is not, which is not to say that he isn't intelligent, sentient, capable of reason, emotion, logic and many other attributes that humans tend to attribute only to themselves. It is the fact that Ondry is an 'alien' that allows us to see not only human perspective towards another race of beings but the author's interpretation of how another race might view human beings and sadly that view isn't always very flattering.  Ondry sees Liam's commander as being cruel, less than honorable, abusive of his position and power. He also values the uniqueness of Liam's nature and wants to protect Liam from further emotional and physical pain.

 

I have to admit I wondered how into this story I'd get I wasn't sure my brain would want to do the whole human/alien relationship thing and what I discovered was that I was just into this story and the human/alien factor was a non-issue. Truthfully I loved Ondry, I loved his confidence, how sure of what he was doing and his desire to be with Liam and to protect him from those who didn't appreciate him. Ondry was exactly what Liam needed. We don't get a blow by blow account of Liam's background because sadly the story is too short for this, but we do get enough information to know that Liam's life has not been easy or pretty. He's not an 'oh woe is me type' and he's learned from his past and he's tried to protect himself as best as he is able from further abuse.

 

Ms Gala has a wonderful gift for making her world building a part of the story and creating scenes and images with her words that I found my mind visualizing without any conscious effort being required. I'm looking forward to seeing what book 2 has in store for this unusual and adorable pairing.

 

I know my thoughts really are all over the map on this one. Hopefully by the time I get through book 2 I'll make a bit more sense, but suffice it to say I really, really liked this book!

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review 2015-05-01 22:32
Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts (Lyn Gala)
Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts - Lyn Gala

3.75 stars rounded up

Strangely fascinating (for someone who dislike sci-fi and alien in general ^^) with well-built alien culture that felt alien. The whole culture of the society, including the roles of the males and females was worth to get loss myself into. I mean, I struggled to get a grip of understanding about Rownt and the way of their live, but it was the good kind of struggle because I stayed curious throughout. I felt like learning a lot about these creatures and their living situation.

Although I slightly had issues with the romance (it felt rather lacking), and the courtship to be rather deficient, my biggest problem would definitely be the D/s culture, namely, well, I didn't really understand it. There were some things that made me uneasy and unsure about....

I honestly thought that Liam had a deep baggage for what he had going through before. He had a submissive nature but he was betrayed by others, and this would leave emotional scars. So, the way that Ondry 'forced' him to drink the potion and then took Liam as his palteia without Liam completely understood about the term just made me a little uneasy. I couldn't help thinking that it would not be good for Liam, psychologically speaking. Especially because Ondry and the Rownts are, well, aliens, and the whole different culture of D/s there (palteia was cherished in Ondry's planet) made it difficult for Ondry to understand the human's issues.

ALTHOUGH, I thought this would also make the relationship and the dynamic to be the kind in which both party would learn about each other, and that sounds like what a great partnership would be. So, in overall, I enjoyed this and looking forward to read the (novel) sequel.

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review 2015-04-18 00:57
Axel's Pup by Kim Dare
Axel's Pup (Werewolves & Dragons Book 1) - Kim Dare
Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts - Lyn Gala

The most interesting part of this book for me was the treatment of werewolves in society.  The system of laws was similar to apartheid or Jim Crow, where the wolves have to follow all the laws humans do and many more, but no human has to follow laws with respect to wolves.  It brings to mind the famous Dred Scott case that said slaves and descendants of slaves had "no rights which the white man was bound to respect."  Werewolves aren't slaves anymore, but they aren't citizens either. There are signs toward the end of the book that a civil rights movement is beginning to gather momentum, which made it easier for me to read about.

 

Werewolves do have some natural advantages that help them survive in this nasty and unfair world.  They are naturally tough and strong - good fighters and hard to kill.  Many of them make a living with sex work or fighting (or both).  They take the view that since they aren't owned anymore, they always have a choice, even if it is only the choice to submit to poor treatment rather than bringing more trouble on themselves. I admired their coping mechanisms, though it was hard to read about.

 

Bayden is a werewolf and a natural submissive, and it makes things very hard for him when he falls for a human dominant, Axel.  Everything in his experience says don't trust humans, and certainly don't give them any control over you or let them find out anything they can use against you. It is a long process for him to learn to trust, and that made sense. The book dragged for me during this part because I am not that interested in motorcycle riding, bars, or BDSM scenes.  

 

I actually picked up this book because I am always looking for 24/7 BDSM books that I can really get.  The idea kind of fascinates me, but usually I just can't relate.  The best book on that score has been Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts (and its sequel). The alien culture is so different, while making so much sense on its own terms, that it worked for me.   I figured this book, where one of the characters is a werewolf might work for similar reasons.

 

This book didn't work as well for me as Claimings, but it was less confusing and annoying than most, because I did feel that everything Axel did was in Bayden's best interests.  Axel made mistakes, but he plainly wasn't being selfish or self indulgent. I still don't get why they each want and need this kind of relationship, but if I take it for granted that they do it seems like a good one. I definitely liked this book better than Duck! The world building was much better and the dom was much more competent and likable.

 

I am not sure if I will read more books in the series.  If the civil rights aspects are emphasized I probably will, but if it is mostly motorcycles and sex scenes, probably not.  Since 90% of the readership would probably prefer it the other way around, I am guessing I will be disappointed!

 

 

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