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Xera Harrisdaughter’s life as a translator for the Galactic Explorers (GE) is not without its share of problems. While she loves learning new cultures and has been fascinated by the Scorpio race, she recognizes that her employer is without her same scruples and sense of exploration. She now finds herself in a crashed ship on a hostile planet where humans are merely food. Worse yet, a Scorpio craft has also crashed… and Xera is the only woman on either ship. Xera finds herself the center of both attention and distrust, particularly as the Scorpio commander, Ryven Atarus, sets his sights on her. How will Xera handle it when she is chosen to wed Ryven? Autumn Dawn does a spectacular job at world building! She crafts a world with the technology of tomorrow and the gender roles of the past. Xera is a wonderful character to highlight the similarities and differences of the worlds. As a translator, she is used to understanding and respecting diverse cultures but her own upbringing makes her feel slightly trapped in the strictures placed on women. Xera is frustrating at times to a reader like me who is used to the take-charge heroines I normally read about, but Autumn Dawn ensures that Xera’s reactions are true to the heart of the character she has created. NO WORDS ALONE is the first book in what looks to be a promising series. I must admit that my enjoyment of NO WORDS ALONE surprises me as it contains many of the elements of the historical romances I studiously avoid- a captive virgin, an alpha male, a subservient culture for women, and an arranged marriage. And yet, Autumn Dawn makes all of these elements work as she crafts a world of alien cultures and shows us the contrasts between compromise and true subservience. Very entertaining and easily recommended! Reviewed by Debbie |
Buy the Kindle eBook No Words Alone Rating:
Posted June 2009 |
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