Title: Soul Forged

Heat Level: 4/5

Genre/subgenre: SciFi Romance

Target audience (age group, reader type): Adult

Word count or page count: 89841/285

Release date: Dec-21

Publisher: Sevannah Storm

 

Series info: The Gifting Series #1

 

Short blurb:  Know-it-all Oriana agreed to travel with aliens who need women. But she didn’t agree to abduction, life/death battles, and escaping with a bossy, arrogant man. With a bounty on her head, happily-ever-after isn’t all flowers and pink sunshine.

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One-line hooks or taglines: A dying world. A stolen woman. A bond neither expected.
They wanted a breeder. They got a battle queen.
She came for diplomacy. She got death matches and a growly alien mate.

 

Buy link: https://books2read.com/u/bpoaAq

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Excerpts:

He spun her, fearless, like he couldn’t drop her, and crushed her to his chest once more. Visor to visor, she had nowhere else to look but at him. She gasped and blinked at the Etterian male. The cerulean flecks in his eyes glowed.

“I have you.”
She had never heard a sweeter voice.
The supreme commander’s solid embrace imparted the belief she would live.
With great gulps of air, she forced her body to go limp and not hinder his movement.
He spun her, fearless, like he couldn’t drop her, and crushed her to his chest once more.
Visor to visor, she had nowhere else to look but at him.
She gasped and blinked at the Etterian male.
The cerulean flecks in his eyes glowed.

He peered through his lens. He swallowed a gasp. She had raised her face and in doing so confirmed her identity again. Bold, breathless, and blazing excitement swept through him. He gripped the lens as he fought the tremors racking his body. It was her. His McKenzie.

Inching closer, he dipped his head to sample her lips. When she gasped, he crushed his mouth to hers, taking advantage of her parted lips. At the first taste of her, he groaned. He wanted nothing more than to claim her.

“Shit, are you royalty? I don’t believe it.” He frowned and squared his shoulders. “I am the Crown Prince of Etteria. Do I not look princely?”

“You are a dirty fighter,” he rasped. She shrugged, unrepentant. “Not everyone fights with honor. A lesson I learned the hard way.” He winced as he climbed to his feet. Still, she shouldn’t have punched him there. “I can kiss it better later,” she whispered. Heat exploded against her cooling cheeks. “Or anything else aching.”

He captured her mouth with his to snatch her breath, her will. Lifting her off her feet to pin her to the wall, he raised her so his hips forced her thighs apart. She arched in response, her fingernails embedding in his shoulders as a throaty cry escaped her.

The Etterian's arched brow contrasted with his bronze skin, tempting her to run a fingertip along it. Good thing he wore a helmet.
“It was a joke.” Dipping her chin, she imagined her boss’s mottled face when he heard she'd fondled the 'unknown' species.

He grinned. “Do you adore me too?”
“For rescuing me, I just might.” She smiled.
He jerked back, his brow arching.
Its darkness contrasting against his bronze skin tempted her to run a fingertip along it.
Good thing he wore a helmet.
“It was a joke.” Dipping her face to hide her embarrassment, she imagined her boss's mottled features when he heard she'd fondled the 'unknown' species.

She blinked at the play of light as it rippled across his sculpted chest. The thick-corded muscles in his arms and the splaying of his long fingers fascinated her.
“Does my bare chest bother you?” he teased. He fought the urge to flex his muscles under her appreciative gaze.

When the scimitar with its silver metallic panels came into view, it snagged Ori’s breath. Moaning, she bounded over, too excited to stroll along the causeway. After all, she was about to travel on the most beautiful ship in the galaxy.

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Reader reviews:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly different!
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2024
Loved it. Something different and unique. Intense. Enjoyable. I couldn't put the book down and read it well into the night. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.
Awesome to see an author from South Africa and not the usual USA.
Very well written.

4.0 out of 5 stars Hot Alien Romance
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2024
Very hot alien romance, Seveannah Storm is an author to watch out for!

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific!
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2023
I loved this book, the world's were incredible, as was the different races of aliens and there individual politics. I very much look forward to the next book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent series
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2024
I started with this one, got into 5 chapters... then bought the rest of the series immediately! Very well plotted, well written and extremely enjoyable. Needless to say, I binge read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Sci Fi, romance novel.
Reviewed in Australia on March 17, 2024
Great futuristic story. Full of adventure. Creating a storyline for future books in the series to follow establishing a cultural feel.

5.0 out of 5 stars Really great story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 30, 2023
This is a superior sci fi story. It has everything you could wish for in this genre, but it has a great story line, really good world building, and great characters. Highly recommend.

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Discussion or book club questions:

Oriana is portrayed as a know-it-all with a sharp mind and stubborn will. How did her intelligence and personality both help and hinder her throughout the story?

Enyl has given up hope before meeting Oriana. In what ways does his character change because of her? What does she awaken in him that had long been dormant?

Do you think Oriana and Enyl would have formed the same connection if they met under different (less traumatic) circumstances? Why or why not?

How do the side characters—like the other captives, warriors, or even the king—shape our understanding of Oriana and Enyl?

One of the central themes is survival in the face of overwhelming odds. What moments best capture this, and how do Oriana and Enyl embody that theme differently?

The idea of hope resurfaces throughout the story—from Enyl’s fading hope for his people to Oriana’s refusal to quit. How is hope used as both a strength and a vulnerability?

Genetic modification plays a big role in the Etterian crisis. What parallels can be drawn between this fictional problem and real-world scientific ethical dilemmas?

Oriana is thrust into a gladiator-style arena. What does this setting reveal about the alien culture—and what do you think the author is trying to say about power and control?

Mating bonds are a recurring element in sci-fi romance. Do you think the bond between Oriana and Enyl enhances or diminishes the idea of free will in love?

What makes their connection believable or compelling to you as a reader? Were there any key turning points where you began to root for them as a couple?

If you were in Oriana’s shoes, would you have trusted Enyl after everything she went through? Why or why not?

Imagine a sequel—what challenges do you think Oriana and Enyl would face next? Would their bond hold strong in peacetime?

If you could ask Oriana one question at the end of her journey, what would it be?

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Relevant tropes or keywords:

Soulmates
Kidnapped
He falls first
Alpha hero
Gladiator
Damsel in distress. Not.
Royalty