Goodreads: Taken to Lemora (Xiveri Mates #6)
Published: 29 July 2021
Genre: Sci-fi Romance

Panda Rating:

_{(3 pandas)}

Raingar
My horns itch and I hate it. I’m a Lemoran clan chief and I hate that I’m being forced to schmooze with the other Quadrant dignitaries.
Looking for a way out, I run into flesh peddlers. Pagh! I hate flesh peddlers and I’m not interested in what they’re selling!
Until I see her…

Half human, Essmira’s soft, and I hate that she’s so easy to break. I hate that her beauty makes my horns and heart both ache. And most of all, I hate that she has no idea that she’s my mate.

Essmira
A female must always smile. She must always aim to please. She must always obey.
A pleasure female, that’s what I’ve spent my whole life training to be. Now that I’ve been purchased by a Lemoran clan chief, I’m more than happy to please him. But his pleasure might be out of my reach.

Because he doesn’t want me to be a pleasure female anymore. He wants me to be…me.

Taken to Lemora is a full length (85k word) SciFi alien romance that features one grumpy alien and a hybrid human female just discovering freedom and eager to grab it by the horns. Literally. Lemora is the not-too-distant neighbor of Voraxia and while this book cameos a couple familiar faces, it focuses on a new couple in a new constellation and can easily be read as a standalone.

TL;DR: Taken to Lemora was another fun, fast and entertaining book in the Xiveri Mates series. Lemora just might be my favourite alien location so far! Essmira and Raingar were a really likeable couple and I also liked them as individuals. Though I was hoping for some more character develompent, especially when it came to our hero, they were still really easy characters to root for and they got a well-deserved HEA! As with the other books, this can easily be read as a standalone.

The Xiveri Mates series is a fun and out of this world (hah, I’m sorry) alien romance that I’ve been enjoying since last year, and Taken to Lemora was another entertaining addition! I still haven’t read many alien romances and neither did I think it’d be my thing, but this series is just too much fun. Out of all the locations so far, I think Lemora might be my favourite location because the city was a giant melting pot of alien races and cultures, and it felt so vibrant and alive! Everyone was extremely friendly, helpful and accepting of others and it just served pleasant and happy vibes that I was totally here for. ✌🏽

The story follows Raingar and Essmira and they were easy to like as individuals and as a couple. Raingar is your typical grumpasaurus hero who’s actually soft and full of feels on the inside. He’s the youngest and only male clan leader in Lemora and despite always scowling and shouting at those around him, his people love him because underneath it he provides well and they know he cares deeply. It was nice to see how he prioritises his people but at times I felt that his (literally) shouty and flustered mannerisms made him come across as a bit… clumsily childish? I know it was probably meant to be endearing, and there were definitely moments, but after a certain point, it felt over the top. He’s also a very solitary guy, which is fine, but we don’t really learn much else about him and his relationships with people (like with the other clan leaders and with his friend who is also his advisor). So I wish that his character got a bit more development as it would’ve helped me understand him more.

On the other hand, Essmira experienced more growth and I felt more connected to her. I think the author writes smart and headstrong heroines really well, and Essmira was no exception. She was abducted as a child and raised to become a pleasure female, and suffered a lot of abuse at the hands of her ‘carers’. Lemora was really the perfect place for her to heal and an open safe space where she could explore her own person outside of the ‘pleasure female’ role she was moulded into. I was totally living for the women-supporting-women vibes in this story! I loved the women clan leaders in this story because they were so supportive and nurturing, and not just to Essmira but they also helped Raingar examine his own actions and see how he did wrong. It was just awesome!

This also had small tie-ins to the other Xiveri Mates books towards the end, so we get to see some familiar and well-loved faces, as well as get introduced to some new faces that I think might star in their own story? At least, I’m hoping they will because now I’m super curious and want more!

Have you read Taken to Lemora or is it on your TBR?
Have you read any of the Xiveri Mates books or is that also on your TBR?

• Follow me on Goodreads!
• Follow me on Twitter!
• Follow me on Instagram!