Ral's Woman

Zorn Warriors, Book 1

By: Laurann Dohner

Narrated by: Simone Lewis

Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Ariel never knew aliens existed until she finds herself kidnapped and taken from Earth. When the Anzon declare humans useless, she learns her fate - prize for the winner of a brutal fight between large, muscled alien men.

Ral is a Zorn warrior. He has also been kidnapped by the Anzon, along with his crew. Forced into slavery, he's got one thing on his mind - freeing his people. That is, until he sees the small human woman he's willing to fight to win. He doesn’t just want her body, he wants her heart forever.

In the hands of a hot alien, Ariel is about to discover how pleasurable captivity can be.

©2009 Laurann Dohner (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Fantasy, Romance, Erotica and Sci Fi Blend

I love romance, specifically paranormal or fantasy romance. Sci fi romance rides the cusp of what I like, and this one looked like it had all the elements I enjoy, so I gave it a whirl. I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't overjoyed either.

First, what I liked about the book. For a short book, the character development was remarkably good, and for at least the first 80% of the story, the plot didn't seem rushed. I enjoyed the heroine's character. She was not a doormat, but she wasn't a tough as nails girl either. The action scenes in the book seemed to properly cover what was happening without droning on and on with a blow by blow account of details that wouldn't interest me in the first place. Being the first book in a series, it set the stage and explained well the basis for future books.

I'm not offended by erotic love scenes, but frankly, I can take them or leave them. This book is full of them, so be aware of that before you purchase. For those of you who do like books on the spicier side, the sex scenes were well written and managed not to sound repetitive or "corny".

Now for what I didn't particularly like about the book. While the plot did move well during the majority of the book, the "resolution" towards the end seemed rushed and unimaginative. It was as if I could see the author going in a direction that would lead to an interesting conflict and resolution, but then just dropping that angle and settling for a quick and tidy wrap up. Consequently, even though it did have a "happily ever after", it left me feeling a bit let down at the end. The romance itself could be presented as "everything a woman could possibly want in a relationship." In other words, a bit too perfect.

The narrator wasn't terrible, but I wasn't all that impressed either. Her narrative was good, her female voices were adequate, but she really dropped the ball with the male voices. In particular, I thought her voice for the hero, Ral, was rather robotic. It was very stilted, and stilted isn't sexy. Yes, Ral is an alien, but so are all of the characters in the book besides the heroine, and yet he's the one she gave the robot voice to. I just didn't find it pleasing.

Having said all that, this audiobook was a pleasant way to spend a quiet afternoon, and I'm not sorry I purchased it. I love the premise of the series, and somewhere down the track I'm sure I'll give the next book a try.

Oh Sexy

This one is really easy to enjoy. I do like the big over sexed alien and the human aspect. I do enjoy a "hot" story and this one is. It seems like a very good start to what could be an interesting series. Things happen at a very fast pace but I don't have a problem with it in this story. It's under the $10 price so just go ahead and purchase it and save your credit for the more expensive books. I'm off to book 2.

5 Ral's Woman Stars

I have read this series one other time, and I love it. I was trying to explain it to my husband, I like that Ral is other worldly and Ariel is human.

I liked their differences because they learned to love those differences. He was forceful but not, he never really made her do anything she didn’t want to. Because once she did what he wanted she got just as much out of it.

If you have ever read any other book by Laurann Dohner then you the best I can explain this is like her New Species books.

Again Simone Lewis is amazing I really like the way she narrates I can’t really explain what I like about it I just know that I do.

*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*

Sadly disappointed

Any additional comments?

Where do I begin with this book *sigh* .... let me start off by saying how much I love Laurann Dohner. After reading her New Species, Mate Set and Cyborg Seduction series I was really looking forward to reading this. I was very disappointed in the way this story turned out. The story had no backbone, it was just page after page of confusion and a constant disconnect on the reader’s part. I guess after finishing this, I was more intrigued by the concept of the story and not the actual story itself. Although, the book had plenty of action and adventure, I felt there was no detail. The story just went from one obstacle to another. I know many people liked this book, but it just didn't sit well with me. I will not be continuing with this series but will always be loyal t Laurrann's work. :(

Awesome Book!

I totally love Laurann Dohner books...Sometimes her books follow a pattern...but I think that is what makes her books so great... You always know what to expect...but there is always this one factor that makes each book different... which makes me love the way she writes.

This was an awesome story of Ral and Ariel... Ral is a Zorn Warrior trapped on another planet after being captured...then along comes Ariel who gets captured too.. Ral ends up winning Ariel in a battle... and that where the story gets so interesting...

I simply love the Zorn world... So real like if such a place truly existed...

Nice one!

Great credit, buy or sale... So enjoyable... Smexy time starts early on.. and it was awesome.

Nice narration too!

On the Fence

I am on the fence with this book. I like sci-fi romances and have read a few. I guess my biggest complaint is that you just did not get the connection between Ral and Ariel. I think the author should have built this up more before she just put them in bed together. I need to feel tension or passion before characters fall in love. Having said that, the book did have some good parts it just needed more build up. I also think that the series may get better. You get a glimpse of the next book and it seems to have potential. Overall I think this book has an interesting concept but lacks some forethought. I know that they wear ear pieces to understand each other but you would still think that there would be different words for things. For example; I cannot believe that all body parts would be called the same in different worlds. The author does make some attempts to be creative but falls short. I think that Jaid Black does a better job at this. In the end I think that you will either love or hate this book. I would buy it before using a credit. It is also short only 5 hours long and so I feel a bit cheated on using a credit for this length of story. Having said that if I need a book to fill in time, I think I will try one more to see if there are improvements. So I am sitting on the fence with this one.

Surprising refreshing!

Would you listen to Ral's Woman again? Why?

Yes, I really enjoyed the interaction between the male and female leads..

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ral's Woman?

After the other woman offered herself and he declined.

Have you listened to any of Simone Lewis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No but I enjoyed it very much.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The moment when she realized he would be with her no matter what.

Any additional comments?

I like this book because the the two main people always believed in each other. I have listened to many books and I am tired of the ones where the female and male are often at odds, I really like the fact they worked together.

A Fun and Steamy Love Story!!!

First I will warn you, this is a very sexually explicit book. It is also not the typical "Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind" I found this to be a fun, sexy, and very enjoyable love story. Ral and Ariel have some interesting situations come up and its fun to listen to them learn about one another. The cultural difference and not always being able to understand one another cause some interesting problems. It also shows what can happen when some one's family sticks their nose into your business where it doesn't belong. It almost cost Ariel dearly. I also expected Ral to knock his youngest brother out!!! It will be interesting to see what happens in future books.

If you liked the Krinar series, then I think you will like this one as well. I have already gotten the next 3 in this series and now it's time to listen to them. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

Enjoyable

For the passed few months I have been listening-reading Laurann Dohner books and I know what I'm getting...hot sexy men with hot scenes.
I wish the book was longer then 5 hours and I like that when you finish with one that you get a sneak preview to the next book.

Simone Lewis did a good job reading. The reason why I only gave her 3 stars is because I have my favorite narrators and this is my first time listen to her....trust me I would mention if she is bad.

Great price too I saved my credit and just bought it.

No doesn't mean no apparently....

The first time they have sex she asks him to stop and he says "this will happen" she says no multiple times. His response is that he's going to have sex with her one way of the other, so if she doesn't want it to hurt she should cooperate. To me that is pretty clear cut sexual assault, and worst of all the woman suddenly changes her mind and starts liking him after he rapes her. Would not recommend.

Predictable and Lack-lustre

A human woman who is Kidnapped by aliens seeking compatible to breeding partners as their race is struggling to reproduce. Kyra determined to be incompatible is given to the slaves for whoever is the prizefighter. Obviously Ral wins!
As an offering its bit boring and predictable. The story also becomes annoying due to a lack of character development, only because she comes to terms with her capture, ownership and the love she feels is almost instantaneous.
It an average and predictable alien romance but not one of LD's better ones. Some moment had excitement but by the end the book was lagging and I was not begging for the next book, in fact maybe struggling to finish the book if I am being brutally honest...
Simone Lewis gives a great performance despite the less than thrilling material.

Kidnapped..

Kidnapped from earth by a reptilian alien race to see if she is compatible to breed, Kyra finds herself given up as a fighting prize to the encumbered slaves of the space mine she finds herself on.
I found the this offering a little predictable and a bit boring in comparison to some of LD's other works, only because she comes to terms with her capture, ownership and the love she feels is almost instantaneous, even the erotic scenes where a bit dull that I found myself skipping to get to the rest of the story. I have obviously read too many of these types of books and become jaded.
An okay Sci/Fi romance but not one of LD's better ones, I personally would skip straight onto the 'New Species' series by the same author if you want a treat.
Simone Lewis gives a great performance despite the material.

Good storyline

I liked this book a lot. With a good understanding of who everyone is and what alien species they are. A brilliant performance.

Take me to zorn

loved all the zorn warrior book but I would have preferred it was man doing the males voice considering that the males in the story are huge and alpha males. The female voice makes them look wimpy

Don't waste your time!

What would have made Ral's Woman better?

It may have been bearable if the characters had a personality. Ariel was shallow and weak and Ral was more like a caveman than an alien from a highly intelligent race. There was no lead into the story, Who was she? Where did she come from? How was she captured? Why was she so happy to give up a happy family on Earth for a stranger who practically raped her? The story was poorly written and I find it difficult to believe that it was written by an experienced author and not a teenager. I tried to listen to it all the way through but just could not suffer any longer.

What will your next listen be?

Certainly nothing in this series

Have you listened to any of Simone Lewis’s other performances? How does this one compare?

The performance was fine, I just feel sorry for her having to narrate such bad material.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Ral's Woman?

I would just start again from scratch. I gave up half way through.