"He drove into her pussy with his fingers and nipped her breast with his lip-covered teeth."

Lip-covered teeth.   Dear author, do you know how mouths work?

This is the kind of thing that I both love and hate.  Like some of this was eye rolling worthy, and some of it was like, 'alright, i got ya, I like it.'   I disliked it as much as I liked, and I did so equally.   Not like I liked half, but so much more than the rest.   So two and a half stars, I guess. 

The world building wasn't good enough for this to be a stand alone, and even some of that made me raise my eyebrow.   Like the whole cybernetics allowing them to really only breed with one female.   How do they know?   How does Barrel know when the only thing he does is talk to her and see her over a screen?  I'd assume the whole breeding thing would be genetics, and as a cyborg, he might be able to scan her in some way - but over a screen?

I do have a thing for how much Barrel loves Nola.   (But some of the names.   Like Barrel?   Why?)

"His Nola would breed with him, would eventually grow to love him."

The 'breed with her then she'll slowly fall in love with him' makes no sense.  Keep in mind, the cyborgs in this tend to use breeding instead of fucking or sexing her up.   Or whatever you want to call it.  

I mean, if she doesn't like fucking you the first time, will she really agree to do it over and over again until she loves you?

Shouldn't you try to win her over before you fuck her?

"A huge knife was rucked in the waistband of his ass covering."

I'm not quite sure if that should read as pocked in the back of his jeans, or if he has a special piece of clothing called an 'ass covering.'

"A leather strap slipped between her lips, muffling her question.   The male had gagged her."

First of all, I wanted to bash something when they called each other the male and the female.   Just why?

Secondly, he's gong to fuck her, then she'll 'eventually' fall in love with her, but first he'll start off with a non-consensual gagging.   I was like 'OH SHIT WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN HERE?????'

Nothing like what I was thinking, but yeah, I don't care if he says it's a precaution or not, the fact that he doesn't want me screaming doesn't equal love.   It equals a good, hard kick in the balls. 

"She's been on her own since she had four solar cycles."

I'm not sure if 'solar cycles' is years or not?

"He tasted like metal and male..."

Keep going, please!

"...her rapidly expanding hair."

"Barrel slid his shaft along her folds, breeding without entry."

...

That just sounds wrong.  I mean, I know what he's doing, but breeding might not be the word you want there. 

"She was hot, slick, snug, her inner walls hugging his tip, her purely female fragrance surrounding him."

I find this ridiculously not hot.   Am I the only one?

"He licked every droplet within reach, tasting salt and aroused female."

...

Show, don't tell.   Aroused female gives me nothing.   Is that in her sweat, so not her other bodily fluids?   Because other than that, how would you tell what aroused female tastes like?   This is part of the lazy world building, though.   Really, a microcosm of that. 

"...her curves absorbing the race of his breeding, a buffer of softness, of caring."

The next time someone tells me I've gotten fat, or look pregnant, I'm going to gently chide them with 'that's just a bugger of softness, of caring.'

"His essence made contact with her flesh and she screamed, her form convulsing under his, her pussy squeezing his shaft harder."

Man, I almost laughed out loud so many times, but then I"d have to explain why and I didn't want to read this thing aloud. 

So, yeah, not a great book - at all. 

He requires an Expert. She needs a hero.

Barrel requires an Expert for the Tau Cetian orphans. He’s looking for a female who is willing to commit to a lifespan-long role, who is comfortable with moving off planet, and who, preferably, has the ability to speak the offsprings’ first language.

Nola wants the role Barrel is offering so badly she bends a few truths. Yes, she was born off planet but she has lived almost all of her lifespan in sheltered Academies. Yes, she has learned Tau Cetian but she has never spoken with a local. Yes, she plans to follow the rules but his deep, sexy voice tempts her to rebel.

When a fact-morphing human academic meets her battle-worn cyborg warrior, deceptions are revealed, passions flare, and circuits sizzle. Wrong seems right. Lies turn into truth. The candidate least qualified for the role becomes the one candidate Barrel can’t let go.

Review

This is one of those short stories that make me very sad it is a short story. It started off grand. So, funny and sweet.

The hero is great and so is the heroine. Then sex. And then done. Sigh. I would have adored another few chapters of living on this world and being together.

Zip's story is going to be a blast.

Wild. Free. Hers.

Mayhem has spent his lengthy lifespan obeying the Humanoid Alliance's rules. Finally free from their cruel control, the cyborg warrior plans to cause chaos. He infiltrates a remote settlement, provokes the savage locals until they want him dead, and allows himself to be captured by the sexiest little Retriever he has ever laid his mechanically-enhanced eyes on.

Imee's sole mission in life is to keep her family alive. To do this, she must hunt rebels, returning them to the Humanoid Alliance's evil clutches where they will be executed. She doesn't allow herself to feel anything for her targets...until she meets a tall, muscular cyborg with wild hair and even wilder eyes.

With his sure hands, laughing lips and erotic holds, Mayhem makes Imee's body sizzle and her resistance melt. Their love is doomed. She must deliver the warrior to his death or she'll place her family's safety at risk. But she can't resist him.

Imee soon discovers that Mayhem, life, and love are never predictable.

Review

I had a lot of fun with this one despite the darker themes.

The hero is a bit nuts and the heroine is a lot locked in and it has the silly erotica elements of have sex at any times.

Yet, there is a lot of humanity in the rage of being oppressed and the banter between the couple is silly fun.

There are several twists that are good for the series with new characters being introduced as well as new allies for the Cyborgs. Yea!

Can a stubborn scientist and a sexy cyborg make love grow?

Green, a cyborg warrior, cares for one being—his plant Windy. When Windy becomes sick, he’ll do anything to heal her, even venture across the universe to visit a worlds-renowned plant doctor.

He doesn’t expect to find love.

Doctor Shelby Cooper is the sole resident of a tiny planet. She prefers to be alone rather than risk caring for another being and then losing him. The curvaceous scientist is determined to resist Green’s patient caresses, his thought-burning kisses, his slow seduction.

She has underestimated the power of a cyborg’s passion.

Review

The hero is super sweet with a major attachment to a plant. His friends are loyal. The heroine is nuts and needs a lot of thearpy which the hero can give her with penis.

It is a lot of insta love and lust with sweet and silly parts.