I Married a Lizardman

De: Regine Abel

Narrado por: Daryl Mayfield

Scaly, grumpy, but oh so cuddly....

As a third daughter on the farming colony of Meterion, Susan’s future prospects aren’t too promising. A pretty face, top-notch skills, and hard work mean nothing if your dowry doesn’t include fertile lands. With her 25th birthday approaching, and no suitors even remotely sniffing in her general direction, Susan will be forced to leave the family lands to work as an indentured servant in the capital city. Her only way out is to settle for an arranged marriage through the PMA - the Prime Mating Agency. She just never expected to be paired with a grumpy, massive lizardman, and above all not to grow so fond of his scales and quirky ways.

With everything going on, the last thing Olix needs is a mate, especially a squishy, scaleless, off-worlder with strange ways and an obsession with farming. He is a hunter, not a dirt digger. The Seer must have been mistaken when she insisted that, for the sake of the people, he take a mate from the stars. How can such a tiny thing be their salvation? And yet, his Susan’s softness is disturbingly addictive while it hides a surprising resilience.

With his ancestral lands on the line and the future of the clans threatened, could this wisp of a woman turn their fate around?

©2021 Regine Abel (P)2024 Regine Abel

Insanely detailed

(Review for all 6 books in The Prime Mating Series )
Edited to add #7
𝙀𝘿𝙄𝙏𝙀𝘿 𝘼𝙂𝘼𝙄𝙉 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙙𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 # 8 & 10
(Note: The book listed as 9 on audible "I Married Wonjin" is actually novella 5.5. IMO it was a 5 star follow up to my favourite book of the series, #5)

These books hit ALL my sweet spots: 
seemingly irreconcilable differences ✔️
marriages of convenience (with a wedding night consummation clause) ✔️
nesting (MFCs that create or truly appreciate their new world homes) ✔️
first contact (for the couple not entire species) ✔️
DETAILS ✔️

If you’ve been reading this genre you know most alien romances are light on detail (and heavy on big cocks). This series definitely had the cocks, but it was also the most specific, interesting set of books that I’ve read in this genre so far. The author was totally invested in making sure we understood her worlds and creatures on a cellular level. To that end sometimes she got carried away. Pretty sure 'I Married a Merman' was actually an instruction manual *yawn*

Although these books are technically about 'aliens' (we know each featured species lives on its own planet and has advanced technologies), there were no real depictions of outer space or space travel. They are largely fantasy. Book 6 does feature inter-dimensional travel, but it's about as sci-fi as that show Quantum Leap.

None of the books compromise on love or sex. Aaaaalthough most of the heroes are beta males in alpha clothing. These guys are excessively polite, heavily into consent, and spend so much time pleasing their females that they seem to have misplaced their balls. Yes, all romances blatantly pander to women's desires, but these books took it to the next level. 

There's NO 3rd act breakup. Not one of these books had that stupid mandatory break up all romances have. Instead the couple tackled the adversities as a team (shocking).

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝘀: book 1 (Lizardman)/book 5 (Minotaur). Worst of the bunch: book 6 (Dragon)/book 4 (Merman). The remaining two (books 2 & 3) were still solidly written, though IMO the naga was a bit too greta thunberg, and the birdman was a little too slick. The best were full of calculations, marketing schemes, tactical planning, and other oddities and novelties - like in book 1, who would have thought farming could be a superpower. Or book 5 the conflict is a genetic condition that causes blood-rage. Book 5 also gathered the loose threads from previous books. My least favourite books (4 & 6) had frail or rigid heroines and TOO MUCH WORLD BUILDING (never thought I'd write that).

𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗧: Book number 7 (Beast) is just okay. If you liked book 2 about the Naga you may enjoy this follow up/redemption story for one of the 'villains' of that book, Bayron. But I got a little bored with the all the morality in this one. Bayron is known for playing by his own rules in hunting competitions, while his mate does not like 'cheaters' and she's pretty holier-than-thou about it. This couple didn't have a significant problem to resolve together or a home to build. They were on his spaceship.

𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗧 𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗧: Book 8 WAS MY FIRST DNF IN THIS SERIES - Obviously I can’t go into too much detail about the plot because I didn't make it far, but I could tell from the info-dump-intro it was going to be a lot like mermaid (book #4), boring as hell. The hero is an Endocit a tree species, and all the vines, and flowers, and fungus growing everywhere was icky. But the whole "babies semi-gestate inside trees (not their mother's wombs) and your kid also calls a tree mommy" was a bridge too far. I guess I've found my limit.

Book 10 had plot and smut, but no romance. This author is clearly NOT out of ideas. She still OVER BUILDS her worlds. But I was disappointed at how little intensity or time the couple had for each other. Kronos never showed up for Malaya, not when she was almost killed, not when she needed healing, not when she was in a coma, not when she woke disoriented to find that somehow she was about to be the main witness in a hearing. It was insane how much the heroine went through alone. Plus the resolution to the 'dirty judge' plotline was 🤮. I was so annoyed I DNF'd the epilogue.

Not the best

I love this series and author is an excellent spicy author. I don’t like the ignorant virgin fmc thing.

A utopian communist love story

The cover and title are corny, yes, but wow this was such a fun/spicy/uplifting read. Can’t wait for the next ones in the series!

Love the story and the message.

This was a very entertaining story, love both characters, and how they grow to each other, and I love how they were able to overcome their issues with communication and understanding, even if it wasn't a 100% perfect. I loved it.

Really great story

I listened to this book on a whim and it was a very pleasant surprise. I loved how honest, open, and communicative the couple was with each other. By making these characters all very reasonable it felt more authentic and actually more sci-fi futuristic. There is some sex, but it is well balanced and healthy interactions (major kudos for Regine making them couples who communicate). The story was engaging and I like the world and universe that was built and could easily take more stories from it.

My only complaints are the virgin bleeding trope (of a 25yr old free woman who has at least passed a few bases on her own) and the lack of modern/environmental menstrual products like cups and disks. Both of these things I find so very silly and disappointing in sci-fi books. I can say the silly virginity part was handled better than most other stories and the menstruation was mentioned in passing, but really expected more modern approaches to both.

As for the narrator, I wasn't too sure at first, but after about 20 minutes I was pretty impressed with Daryl's voice acting and approach to the narration. The sample is good enough to get a feel for his voice, but honestly, it's much better than that short clip.