Overall, this one didn't stick with me very much. I generally love SFF with non-human characters learning how to interact and have relationships with humans, and the particular twist at the end was interesting, but overall it felt overshadowed by what felt, to me, like a shallow relationship. I felt like I didn't connect with the characters (especially the love interest) very well and it felt a little bit like a genuine emotional connection was being circumvented by just having sexual tension, which doesn't really work for me.

That said, the writing style itself was not lacking in any way and it was a smooth, quick read. It was just that the story overall was hard to connect to when I couldn't find myself caring very much about the characters.

Review: [spoiler] The character discovers aliens on another planet. The twist in this is that it's not aliens but demons who ..are in hell? But no one is too worried about being in hell.



Lesbian erotica without emotional attachment with the characters makes this a two for me. May be stereotypical but I want to feel for the people and who, what and why they're doing what they're doing...thank you muchly.



I understand that the characters aren't two humans but there still needs to be something there. I read many Sci-fi / fantasy with characters of different species/unfamiliar with one another that.. feel more connected to one another. Maybe that is what this author was going for was the alien - unattached to one another feel of things..but meh.



Based on the reviews on Netgalley it's a extremes of not enjoying the content and really liking the story/content.



Downloaded from Netgalley for free in exchange for a free review filled up with only my opinions.

I'm sorry, writing is very personal and hard work - this one just didn't hold my interest.

The writing is smooth and descriptive. I just couldn't become invested in the characters.

This hits all the spots! Lesbian erotica Scifi fantasy fiction? Yes please!

(and I say fantasy sci-fi as it starts in space... And then turns into something quite different)

Sue is a space bus driver who slips through a wormhole, and is rescued? Captured? By a lithe and unknowable alien woman, seemingly carved from stone. Many sexy times occur. She discovers not all is what it seems in the planet she crash landed on.
What more could you want? This is a slice of sweet fluffy lesbian fiction, and I enjoyed every mouthful. It's cute, and sexy, and just long enough for an evening read.

It's never going to be hailed as the next literary classic alongside the Bronte sisters or Dickens, but sometimes you don't wanna read serious, sometimes you just wanna read something light and fun, and this book has that in spades.

Serious points for a f/f relationship, something that is sadly lacking in this genre.
I'd read more from this author.

Recommend.

This book won't be for everyone but wow it was right up my alley. Five stars isn't enough in my opinion.

It offers a new twist to sci-fi romance and also has a paranormal feel about it. That's if you consider the devil as paranormal. The main question that I felt needed to be answered wasn't answered. If you go to church you are told the need for forgiveness. Do I need to say more?

Think good and evil, heaven and hell then add outer space.

It isn't an easy read but well worth the effort.

*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2492721002

https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R3AZ2C6D4ZE3T0/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Interesting and provoking, the idea was a really good one with lots of potential, but impoverished a lot by the not mature enough writing style. There was more sex than romance and that was at the expense of character development. Consequently not as good as it could be, which is too bad. But still worth a read.

Reading this book gave me very mixed feelings. Some elements have promise and the base story works OK - but execution is limited. There is an interesting concept here trying to get out, but it can’t escape. I’m not sure if it due to the author or the editor but this book could have done with quite a few more words. Science fiction, or generally speculative fiction, can handle that much more than romance – readers want world building, descriptions of cultures and an internal coherence. This book left too many things half done.
Slight spoilers here: I am not a fan of anything with biblical touches especially in what is billed as science fiction. I was not expecting it. If the concept had been taken further in the “science and aliens” direction it would have been better all round. This story seems to use science fiction as a thin cover for something else.
So, overall, I can’t really recommend it. It didn’t work for me despite an interesting concept underneath it all.

Decent concept, but the writing wasn’t up to the complexity of the story. The characters are thinly portrayed and there’s no build up to the relationship, which makes the sex unrealistic. They hook up far too soon, and for no discernible reason. There’s no engagement and it’s hard to care about anyone. It’s mainly sex, whipping and repentance. I was bored a few pages in and that continued through to the end.

The Outcasts by Alexa Black

< — SPOILER ALERT — >

This review will contain spoilers. If you aren’t afraid of spoilers, please continue to read. If you don’t want spoilers of any kind skip down to the book description and my star value for the review.

I did not hate this book, but I feel that I should have. For reasons.

I was expecting a sci-fi romance and what I got was a pseudo bondage fantasy story with overt religious connotations.

< — YOUR LAST WARNING THIS IS WHERE THE SPOILERS BEGIN — >

The only thing about this book that is remotely sci-fi is the premise that one of the characters is a space bus driver that leaves earth and discovers aliens. But it turns out that the aliens are actually demons (outcast, because they were cast out of heaven) and the planet she landed on is actually hell. She is attracted to the demon Kara and they begin a master/servant relationship. Which included sex, but weird, unfeeling sex. There was no chemistry between the two characters.

We are left with a billion questions that are glossed over or just never answered. We learn very little of the ring dwelling outcast and why they are up there and even less about those that are still on the planet’s surface doing what demons in hell are supposed to do to the eternally damned humans.

Why isn’t the human in the story worried about her own immortal soul after learning there is indeed a hell? Were we ever even told why she was out flying aimlessly in space looking for alien life in the first place?

If there had been more character building and more world building, I might have enjoyed this more. I finished the book, so it wasn’t awful, just not that great. I will give it 2 out of 5 stars.

Time to nitpick about the cover. I know, I know, don’t judge a book by the cover. I’m not. For the most part I like this cover. It just bothers me when the cover artist hasn’t read the character or book description before creating the cover. (I wrote a book and did not have much say in my own cover. So I know I can’t blame the author here.) Okay, back to my nitpicking. The Outcasts are described as having cracks all over their bodies not craters. The effect the artist used here does give an alien or otherworldly feel to the character, but it isn’t the character that I read about in this story. While I can say, good job Sheri Halal (cover artist), it just doesn’t hit the mark (at least not for me).

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I don't normally read books that are categorized as erotic. It just isn't my thing. The sex scenes and the dialogues are usually just crap. Sadly, that isn't much different in this book. Although not as graphic as other erotic books I have read. So there's a plus. I never felt and chemistry between the tow main characters. Is it because one was human and one was "alien"? Or rather just because the author didn't give it to us? I personally feel it is the latter of the two as I have read plenty of romances that will pull you in even if they are alien to you.

The basic idea of the story was interesting. I just feel the author could have done a better job of conveying it to us.

So I can only give this book 2 out of 5 stars and that is being generous. Sorry.

ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40405423-the-outcasts" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Outcasts" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528280823m/40405423.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40405423-the-outcasts">The Outcasts</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14245302.Alexa_Black">Alexa Black</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2448172526">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Definitely not your standard sci-fi romance. Ms. Black's books are raw and emotion provoking erotica with a BDSM bias. Sue and Kara star in this particular story which is intriguing and gripping and not for the "lily-livered". I was hooked and read through the night. Fiction, fiction!<br />4 stars<br />I rec'd an ARC from NetGalley/Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/31134832-gail">View all my reviews</a>

An entertaining and thought provoking lesfic sci-fi allegory. Sue and Kara discover reality never presents us with an absolutely unavoidable ‘either-or’ and the kernel of what each is seeking is there to explore and accept. They bedevil and enlighten each other into growth and togetherness.

I'll be honest: this is one of the first LGBTQ sci-fi romances I've read, and I went into it optimistically, but I think my issues mostly had to do with the believability of the romance and the fact that the plot didn't really feel like it went anywhere. The concept itself was something I was really into (a lot of Biblical overtones with a slight BDSM element), but when it came down to the main romantic pairing, I wasn't entirely sold on that relationship. And then the book just... ended! I was expecting a little more in the way of story, so this was only an okay read for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2.25 Stars. This is the second book I have read by Black. The first book really bothered me. I found it to be a torture book not BDSM. I’m happy that this book was more toned down than the first, but it still was not something that works to my personal tastes.

I love sci-fi and there never seems to be enough new lesfic sci-fi books coming out. It’s the reason I gave this book a chance even after disliking the first book so much. I knew this was going to be an erotic sci-fi story and I’m fine with that category. The problem is this type of erotica is not the kind I like. Firstly this is an owner/pet relationship. I don’t mind dominant/sub, but ownership kink doesn’t really work for me. The other part is this is cutting/slicing/blood kink which again is not a subject I like in my erotica. Putting two types of erotica together that I don’t care for just does not work for me. One the good side of things Black did tone both of these down a bit from her first book. There seemed to be some actual feelings between the two mains and the bloodletting was more for pleasure than just to cause pain. I was worried and almost DNF’d the book when the main character took off because she wanted to be tortured, luckily that scene went differently and wasn’t horrible like I was worried about.

One thing I did like was how the book took a sci-fi to almost paranormal twist. The world where the main character crash landed is not what I expected and I liked that twist. I don’t remember a sci-fi book doing this before. The problem was the concept did not really hold up well for the rest of the book. And I honestly never got into the characters enough to care what happened to them. I didn’t feel like there was much point to this book beyond the sex scenes.

I have a three book rule I try to give to authors before I decide if they are not for me. I think I’m going to break it and out of fairness to myself and the author, I don’t think I will be reading more of Blacks books. Maybe I’ll change my mind if she writes something besides pet and pain kink, but if she continues in these categories, these books are just not for me.

Sue Jones, spacebus driver, wakes to find herself not sure where she is. She can remember the sky opening up, a streak of lightning but now all she sees is a humanoid figure, dark with lines of light emanating from it like bioluminescence. Somehow she’s travelled through a worm hole, or something like it, and ended up in a new world with the Outcasts and Kara, the warrior, caring for her.

It sounded like a really interesting premise and combined with a beautiful cover, I really thought I’d enjoy this. But I didn’t. I felt as if I was been told a story rather than allowing me to become immersed in it. Sue is a mystery to me, even now that the book is finished. All I know is that she’s a spacebus driver from a human colony who failed to become a fighter pilot because of a badly injured leg. She’s had a boyfriend and a girlfriend, and a traumatic incident that is said to haunt her.

Kara is taller than Sue with stone skin, horns, claws, fangs, fiery eyes and glowing scars. She doesn’t talk much in the beginning. Sue seems to be attracted to her, concedes to be her pet, and they have sex a number times but I just couldn’t feel the connection between them. Also, when you describe your character as having claws so sharp that they can cut a head of hair, even the concept of intercourse had my legs tightly crossed and my face looking like I had inadvertently bit into a lemon.

The story line, science fiction with biblical overtones, also didn’t grab me. I struggled to finish it but we’re all different so someone may enjoy this much more than I did.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.