Sithe

Blades of Arris, Book 1

By: Starla Night

Narrated by: Lance Greenfield, Cindy Kay, Connor Crais

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

It’s a routine mission. Hunt down the ones who dared - dared - steal our sacred procreation metal from us, the rulers of the empire.

The Arrisans conquered Earth in a day. They smashed into our helpless planet like a wrecking ball, and overnight, everything changed. That’s what our history books say.

The truth is, I’ve never seen an Arrisan face-to-face. But when my lone medical ship is attacked by ruthless pirates, the nightmare that hunts them down is no hero. Cloaked in assassin’s gray, metal scythes fused to his wrist-bones, he is the grim reaper of the conquerors. The Arrisan elite special forces. A blade.

Luckily for me, he’s in a good mood now that he’s the last man standing in the blood-soaked ruins of my bridge - so, he lets me live. After all, I’m just a lesser. Clearly, I’m no threat. Until his body starts reacting to mine.

From the author of the Lords of Atlantis and Onyx Dragons comes a dazzling new series full of unique alien shifters, fierce passion, and loyal warriors who find their fated mates in the stars. Each full-length book is a complete romance with an epic happily-ever-after. Claim your conqueror today!

©2021 Starla Night (P)2021 Starla Night

Master Class in Consent & Fabulous World Building

I saw this book in Facebook and figured, "what the heck why not?" I'm so glad I decided to read this book. I listened to the audio book version. So good! The narrators really did a great job of sucking you into the story.

As for t story itself, it's fantastic. The world building is so good. The characters are rich and their respective character arcs? Top notch. I will say the book felt a smidge long but that could be because I've been reading shorter books lately and not because the story drags, let me tell you, this story doesn't drag. its all purposeful. if sex scenes aren't your thing, you may want to skim a bit but I found them interesting and the scenes were designed to show the deepening connections between Cat and Sithe. Also, Sithe...that man is something special. His tenderness, the respect he shows Cat in honoring her wishes and listening to her, recognizing her skills in and letting her take the lead? whew! I loved it. I can't wait for the next book which features Zai. Also the poor ship Captain, he was so outta his depth with Cat. 😄 In summation, read it! You won't regret it!

Excellent

This has to be my favorite alien romance thus far. Yes, there is sex and steam, but it's such an integral part of the story and the world building that this book wouldn't be as good without it.

This was a completely different take on the fated mates concept. Without giving too much away, I loved the way the main characters figured out what they were to each other without a whole lot of "destiny" involved. Their relationship really evolved as the story progressed and they helped each other to grow as they got closer.

The narration was very good. Both narrators brought a lot of depth and personality to the characters and made this a very enjoyable story to listen to.

Awesome!

My heart sank when I first started listening to this because I thought it would turn out to be another erotic book disguised as a Romance. Yes there is erotica, but it’s such an intrinsic part of the story it is totally necessary. Sex is both an illness and a salvation in the story. I cannot recommend this book enough and I cannot wait until the next one in the series is released. If you like intrigue, this is the story for you. The performances were perfect. And there was a hint of the next story at the end.

Interesting premise.

I like the story but found some of the verbiage odd. looking forward to the next book.

Intriguingly Different & Enticingly Good

I've got to say that this book was quite a surprise. Not a bad surprise but a BIG surprise. If you are at all familiar with any of the author's books (which I am. I've read them all), the differences here are like night and day. While previous works were light, heartfelt, charming and humorous; this book sets a much darker, sharper, edgier and much more serious tone. Again, this is not a bad thing, it's just very, very different and it probably won't be for every reader. Initially, I struggled a bit when I started this book but soon enough I was caught up in the storyline and invested in the characters. The story and characters are skillfully crafted and complex. The world building is excellent as is the cast of secondary characters that should inspire many future entries in this new series. As for the characters I liked them. Sithe was a very intriguing character. In my head he seemed like enticing combination of Spock and The Terminator and that really worked for me. Cold, logical and deadly was actually very, very hot! Catarine on the other hand, I had to warm up to. If you are anything like me, you are going to find her shocking and frankly a bit off-putting at the start of this book. As the story unfolds sympathy firmly takes hold though and your feelings about her will evolve. I know mine did. In the end I loved these two together. They brought a soft sweetness out of each other, while also making each other more. They were most definitely a powerhouse couple. I found the blend of drama, emotion, danger, action, excitement, twists and steam enticing and I am eagerly looking forward to the next entry in this series. Change can be a challenge but sometimes the effort is so worth it and in this case it truly is.

It gets better

Thank you to the reviewers who warned about the first 2 chapters . I was ready to quit listening because I don’t mess with erotica. Well, once you get past the opening scene , the story develops into a sci-fi worth staying all night for. The author builds a world that draws you in and keeps you interested. I am so vested on who is the mysterious enemy that I had to purchase additional credits to indulge in the next book. So many of unresolved tensions in this book .

Pretty good start

The storyline is different from other books in this genre, action at the very start of book. I had to get used to the narration style of Cindy Kay, she seemed a bit flat but ok with it now. Both male narrators fit their characters. It is interesting enough to continue listening ti the series.

Amazing!!!

This was an amazing story! So different from what Starla Night usually writes and I'm definitely here for it! I loved how dark it was and how Sithe went from essentially being a mindless soldier to fighting against everything he's always known for his love.
The narrators were perfect for the roles and definitely helped immerse me farther into the story than I would have if I had read it myself. It was almost as if a movie was playing through my head as I listened to them tell the story.
In summery, 5 stars and a definite MUST read!!!!

slow but steady

Well written, slow at first, a good story with a path. catarin does whisper alot she is timid at first. she by the end finds her purpose. site is a solid alien perspective, not that I have met many, but compared to someone unfamiliar with customs. he is appropriately unaware

Clearly the minority here

This book has some good moments but overall it wasn’t for me. Though the story line was very unique to anything I have ever read/listen to before, it was so difficult to follow and the politics in the book were so boring and complicated. I felt like the author was trying so hard to create this world but failed because she was trying to squeeze so much into one book. Maybe it would have been better if there were several books based around the first couple or maybe the next book will be better since we have some background on this world the author created? I don’t really know but I’m not exactly sure I intend to find out.

FYI, mc has a sex addiction and talks about impaling herself on inanimate objects to get her “fix”. It’s cringe to say the least and I’m no prude when it comes to my romance novels.