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Rix Universe #1
Homebound
Earth is in decline, and the wealthy have fled it leaving only the destitute citizens behind. And aliens. Gemma McKinley works at a prison cleaning goop off the floors and serving food to inmates. When she is reassigned to the alien ward, Gemma is nervous. Aliens are dangerous and ruthless. They bite. But there is one that isn’t like them. Simon is damaged, starved, and wasting away in complete isolation. Touched by his loneliness, Gemma starts nursing him back to health, dismissing rumors that he’s high-risk, ignoring the advice to let him croak. Simon despises humans. His only goal is to get off this miserable planet fast, for he is hunted by a scientist obsessed with perfecting the human race. Simon’s rare alien genes are just the ingredient that’s missing for breakthrough research. Thanks to Gemma, for the first time in years he can escape. And he will. He will… As the hunt for Simon heats up, Gemma becomes an unintended target. Is she a fool to help him get away? And will he risk another captivity to protect her?
535 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 5, 2020
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May 27, 2021
A gripping action-filled romance that is gutting at times, this dystopian tale has a lot of heart.
✦ If you like longer SFRs with a lot of world building and character development, this is a good story to chew on. If you have a shorter attention span and find anything that isn't immediately romance-adjacent "boring," this likely isn't for you. That's OK, there are plenty out there for you.
TW/CW: this story takes place mostly in a prison and a really grim dystopian Earth. Attempted rapes, beatings, unwanted advances, descriptions of torture are all found in here.
Gemma used to live with her family on an island, where she was a ballerina. First, they lost her brother, Foy, in The Great Invasion. Then, she lost the remainder of her family and a her home when it became too toxic to inhabit any longer. In the confusion of evacuation, Gemma's ankle was broken and never properly fixed or set, leaving her with a life-long painful injury that could render her unemployable. Her last tie to home and hope is her doctor fiancé who went off to the planet all of the wealthy and "valuable" people fled to, leaving Earth to the destitute and an increasing population of violent alien races. She could not go with him before, but he promised to send for her when he was able. She's been waiting over 2 years in the "care" of distant family who all resent her and wish her gone, she now works in the prison facility as a janitor/helper in the women's ward.
Until she doesn't.
Abruptly switched to the dangerous aliens' ward, Gemma is thrown into a world of creatures she's never interacted with before—more than she knew even exist on the planet—with a steep learning curve and some sketchy coworkers. On her first day there, she notices the inhabitant of cell 35, a skeletal and silent male who seems to have been left to rot. Hitting a little too close to home, Gemma makes it her personal mission to see that he's looked after and not left to slowly die alone and filthy in his cell. She feels a connection to the unresponsive male and quickly becomes more deeply invested in his care, taking greater risks to improve his quality of life. It turns out he's really not popular with any of the other aliens in the block and neither of them are safe outside of his cell—both for different reasons.
Simon is a Rix who has been through Some Things. He has spent 3 years in cell 35, unable to eat, in a deep meditative healing state, and ironically slowly dying in the process. Humans are terrible, and even a superior Rix Defender can be overcome when weakened enough and against such large numbers. He's been left alone, until the one day he is not. Something very special walks into his small world the day Gemma becomes a helper in the alien block—a reason to live—and he starts the long, painful road to restoring his body.
This story is told 100% from Gemma's POV, meaning there will not be a lot of insight into Simon and his thought process. All we know about him he volunteers in conversations with Gemma. It's fairly sparse. It would have been interesting to see how these events progressed through his eyes, or even had more insight to why he thinks how he does—especially the Big Event before they leave the planet would have been interesting to see from his POV. Simon is a serious force to be reckoned with, even when he's operating on nearly empty. It was easy to see why many of the other aliens in the block were uneasy when it became clear he was going to wake up and did not want to be involved when feces started flying at the fan. What he volunteers makes it very clear that he's not from a human-like society.
It's hard to talk about this story in more detail without giving a lot of the plot away, and this isn't a book where you can skim to try and find "the good parts." The romance slowly builds up and doesn't come to "fruition" until over halfway through the book (this isn't a particularly explicit work. It's satisfying but not erotica), and even then there are hurdles to work around. All of the information in the world building comes into play in the story, even if it seems insignificant. All of the cast—alien and human alike—are believable and usually pretty awful, ngl. Earth is quickly dying and only the worst of the worst have been left there to die with it. Desperate times make for a lot of desperate and depraved people. There are some good people left, but they're understandably gun shy and guarded about who they extend their kindness to.
I really enjoyed how the romance built in this one, and watching Gemma try to puzzle out Simon's (obvious, but never stated in terms of love) feelings made me shake my head and smile sometimes. Honey, if someone refers to you as "[his] world," that says it all. Gemma is beautiful and flawed, tenacious, persistent, painfully naive, and manages to find a lot of trouble without being a walking TSTL trope. She has a huge heart and wants to give everyone a chance, because that is what she most wants. She tries to give what she wants back. Even though Simon is a lot of things she personally doesn't agree with, she finds herself accepting him—often questioning herself and her moral compass in the process. It was nice to see a mature relationship progress that wasn't build on melodrama, but rather on shared circumstances and mutual care. Though—
This tale abruptly ends and there is no Epilogue that we've been conditioned to expect in SFR. You have to be comfortable with knowing this is likely a stand-alone story and picture in your mind where they end up and how it goes. Maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised and find out what happens to these two next, but I'm perfectly content where it was left.
✦ If you like longer SFRs with a lot of world building and character development, this is a good story to chew on. If you have a shorter attention span and find anything that isn't immediately romance-adjacent "boring," this likely isn't for you. That's OK, there are plenty out there for you.
TW/CW: this story takes place mostly in a prison and a really grim dystopian Earth. Attempted rapes, beatings, unwanted advances, descriptions of torture are all found in here.
Gemma used to live with her family on an island, where she was a ballerina. First, they lost her brother, Foy, in The Great Invasion. Then, she lost the remainder of her family and a her home when it became too toxic to inhabit any longer. In the confusion of evacuation, Gemma's ankle was broken and never properly fixed or set, leaving her with a life-long painful injury that could render her unemployable. Her last tie to home and hope is her doctor fiancé who went off to the planet all of the wealthy and "valuable" people fled to, leaving Earth to the destitute and an increasing population of violent alien races. She could not go with him before, but he promised to send for her when he was able. She's been waiting over 2 years in the "care" of distant family who all resent her and wish her gone, she now works in the prison facility as a janitor/helper in the women's ward.
Until she doesn't.
Abruptly switched to the dangerous aliens' ward, Gemma is thrown into a world of creatures she's never interacted with before—more than she knew even exist on the planet—with a steep learning curve and some sketchy coworkers. On her first day there, she notices the inhabitant of cell 35, a skeletal and silent male who seems to have been left to rot. Hitting a little too close to home, Gemma makes it her personal mission to see that he's looked after and not left to slowly die alone and filthy in his cell. She feels a connection to the unresponsive male and quickly becomes more deeply invested in his care, taking greater risks to improve his quality of life. It turns out he's really not popular with any of the other aliens in the block and neither of them are safe outside of his cell—both for different reasons.
Simon is a Rix who has been through Some Things. He has spent 3 years in cell 35, unable to eat, in a deep meditative healing state, and ironically slowly dying in the process. Humans are terrible, and even a superior Rix Defender can be overcome when weakened enough and against such large numbers. He's been left alone, until the one day he is not. Something very special walks into his small world the day Gemma becomes a helper in the alien block—a reason to live—and he starts the long, painful road to restoring his body.
This story is told 100% from Gemma's POV, meaning there will not be a lot of insight into Simon and his thought process. All we know about him he volunteers in conversations with Gemma. It's fairly sparse. It would have been interesting to see how these events progressed through his eyes, or even had more insight to why he thinks how he does—especially the Big Event before they leave the planet would have been interesting to see from his POV. Simon is a serious force to be reckoned with, even when he's operating on nearly empty. It was easy to see why many of the other aliens in the block were uneasy when it became clear he was going to wake up and did not want to be involved when feces started flying at the fan. What he volunteers makes it very clear that he's not from a human-like society.
It's hard to talk about this story in more detail without giving a lot of the plot away, and this isn't a book where you can skim to try and find "the good parts." The romance slowly builds up and doesn't come to "fruition" until over halfway through the book (this isn't a particularly explicit work. It's satisfying but not erotica), and even then there are hurdles to work around. All of the information in the world building comes into play in the story, even if it seems insignificant. All of the cast—alien and human alike—are believable and usually pretty awful, ngl. Earth is quickly dying and only the worst of the worst have been left there to die with it. Desperate times make for a lot of desperate and depraved people. There are some good people left, but they're understandably gun shy and guarded about who they extend their kindness to.
I really enjoyed how the romance built in this one, and watching Gemma try to puzzle out Simon's (obvious, but never stated in terms of love) feelings made me shake my head and smile sometimes. Honey, if someone refers to you as "[his] world," that says it all. Gemma is beautiful and flawed, tenacious, persistent, painfully naive, and manages to find a lot of trouble without being a walking TSTL trope. She has a huge heart and wants to give everyone a chance, because that is what she most wants. She tries to give what she wants back. Even though Simon is a lot of things she personally doesn't agree with, she finds herself accepting him—often questioning herself and her moral compass in the process. It was nice to see a mature relationship progress that wasn't build on melodrama, but rather on shared circumstances and mutual care. Though—
This tale abruptly ends and there is no Epilogue that we've been conditioned to expect in SFR. You have to be comfortable with knowing this is likely a stand-alone story and picture in your mind where they end up and how it goes. Maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised and find out what happens to these two next, but I'm perfectly content where it was left.
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March 18, 2021
2-2.5 stars, this was a somewhat interesting, but ultimately disappointing read. I'll start by saying I barely consider this a romance, if you're into sci-fi and don't really care about romance you'll probably enjoy this book a lot more than I did, but from what I was expecting based on the blurb this didn't deliver.
The plot of this novel felt like you're on a boat on a very long, slow, meandering river that has no clear direction or purpose and ultimately your boat never gets to where it's going so you're left wondering why you even got on the damn boat.
Initially I found this book hard to get into because it starts very slowly. From the blurb you know the alien hero, Simon, is sick, but he's so sick that he doesn't start communicating with the heroine, Gemma, until 23% into the book. The 'romance' in this was, if you can't tell already, a very slow burn and lacking in tension, chemistry and believability. The build up is one of the most important elements in a romance and I don't think it was executed well. Before their first kiss...which omg side note: so awkward... like what was she thinking, that was so weird and rape-y to kiss someone who's in 'stasis'. Anyway, before that Simon never showed emotional attachment nor did he communicate much towards Gemma besides disdain and disregard. There were moments he expressed a little concern towards her when she was injured, etc., but it was very vague and came across more as worried about her usefulness because during the entirety of the novel he's never at 100% physical capacity so she's necessary for his survival. Even though after their kiss Simon communicates his feelings towards her better he's always so detached which I feel like the author is trying to pass off as 'alienness' but I really need to feel that these characters are desperately in love with each other and I never did. More awkwardness for the romance side of things was intimate scenes between them, it wasn't all bad, but there was some questionable wording like:
"she was suddenly free to revel in the plushness of his bare body" Plushness? What.
"He pulled her hips forward, in position, her wet entrance smack over his shooting point." Literally. every. single. word. in this sentence is just not it. Omg. I can't. Not to mention the sentence structure also sucks, but that's the least of that sentence's worries.
"His secretions hit her tongue, astringent and flavorsome." Again, please no with these word choices. Literally none of them are sexy.
I also didn't really love Gemma's character. It's hard for me to empathize with characters like her that eat shit continually from bad people and still do as much as you can to help those shitty people out, aka her 'family' members. She was so self deprecating and helpless and it made it hard for me to root for her.
This book in general is just super depressing, Earth is a destitute wasteland, people and aliens are suffering and everything sucks. In the second half of the book Simon and Gemma are separated for, what I swore was an eternity, but I just checked and it was only one chapter... wow. So the first half of the book while it started off slow kept my attention and I was hopeful for the trajectory the book would take, but the second half completely lost my attention and was a massive let down. *spoilers* The second half is basically Simon's prison escape which leads to Gemma's homelessness and almost dying. Then them reuniting after weeks apart, Simon murdering people left and right, which Gemma disapproves of, Simon building a ship while she sits around and does nothing because she's a helpless, useless human. When she finally does try to help she ends up in jail and Simon has to break her out, yadda yadda. It was just so boring. There was just this endless, monotonous escape planing with no passionate romance to keep it interesting. What would've made this book a lot better is if their escape from Earth had happened right after Simon broke out of prison (and he'd taken Gemma with him instead of leaving her behind to fend for herself) by maybe stealing a ship from the dock and going to his home planet. Instead they had to essentially build their own ship and once they finally do escape Earth which only happens in the last chapter of the book the author spends most of that chapter describing the monotony of months long space travel, no sex because Simon says so (dude's always fine with them not having sex, which is great for a romance novel *sarcasm*), the depressing outlook for them: not enough food, not enough water, not enough fuel, aka it's looking like after all that they're going to die in the vast nothingness of space. Of course, they run into even more trouble from space pirates and almost die before ultimately being saved by Simon's race at the very end and then the book just ENDS in the middle of a conversation. It honestly feels like there are pages missing, but I knew going in from the thread I got this recommendation from that it ended with a discussion of his name and yeah it definitely does lol No epilogue, which for a romance super sucks, no exploring Simon's home planet or seeing Gemma try to integrate to alien society. Exploring his home planet and getting to know his race and society had the potential to be a lot more interesting than the second half of the book the author wrote, but that's just my opinion.
Writing-wise it was okay-ish, but not great, which makes sense since this is a debut novel for this author and currently her only published work. There were quite a lot of typos and grammar errors that could've been easily caught by a beta reader if not an editor. Nothing egregious, it wasn't every page or anything, but it was often. I'm more forgiving of errors in indie publishing, but it definitely takes me out of the story and affects my enjoyment of a novel. There's a lot of weird shit I highlighted that I honestly just don't have the energy or desire to fully get into, but in general this book was in desperate need of a good editor to at least make it more cohesive and polished, if not help develop the direction of the plot and cut out some of the long meandering parts that didn't add anything interesting to the story.
The plot of this novel felt like you're on a boat on a very long, slow, meandering river that has no clear direction or purpose and ultimately your boat never gets to where it's going so you're left wondering why you even got on the damn boat.
Initially I found this book hard to get into because it starts very slowly. From the blurb you know the alien hero, Simon, is sick, but he's so sick that he doesn't start communicating with the heroine, Gemma, until 23% into the book. The 'romance' in this was, if you can't tell already, a very slow burn and lacking in tension, chemistry and believability. The build up is one of the most important elements in a romance and I don't think it was executed well. Before their first kiss...which omg side note: so awkward... like what was she thinking, that was so weird and rape-y to kiss someone who's in 'stasis'. Anyway, before that Simon never showed emotional attachment nor did he communicate much towards Gemma besides disdain and disregard. There were moments he expressed a little concern towards her when she was injured, etc., but it was very vague and came across more as worried about her usefulness because during the entirety of the novel he's never at 100% physical capacity so she's necessary for his survival. Even though after their kiss Simon communicates his feelings towards her better he's always so detached which I feel like the author is trying to pass off as 'alienness' but I really need to feel that these characters are desperately in love with each other and I never did. More awkwardness for the romance side of things was intimate scenes between them, it wasn't all bad, but there was some questionable wording like:
"she was suddenly free to revel in the plushness of his bare body" Plushness? What.
"He pulled her hips forward, in position, her wet entrance smack over his shooting point." Literally. every. single. word. in this sentence is just not it. Omg. I can't. Not to mention the sentence structure also sucks, but that's the least of that sentence's worries.
"His secretions hit her tongue, astringent and flavorsome." Again, please no with these word choices. Literally none of them are sexy.
I also didn't really love Gemma's character. It's hard for me to empathize with characters like her that eat shit continually from bad people and still do as much as you can to help those shitty people out, aka her 'family' members. She was so self deprecating and helpless and it made it hard for me to root for her.
This book in general is just super depressing, Earth is a destitute wasteland, people and aliens are suffering and everything sucks. In the second half of the book Simon and Gemma are separated for, what I swore was an eternity, but I just checked and it was only one chapter... wow. So the first half of the book while it started off slow kept my attention and I was hopeful for the trajectory the book would take, but the second half completely lost my attention and was a massive let down. *spoilers* The second half is basically Simon's prison escape which leads to Gemma's homelessness and almost dying. Then them reuniting after weeks apart, Simon murdering people left and right, which Gemma disapproves of, Simon building a ship while she sits around and does nothing because she's a helpless, useless human. When she finally does try to help she ends up in jail and Simon has to break her out, yadda yadda. It was just so boring. There was just this endless, monotonous escape planing with no passionate romance to keep it interesting. What would've made this book a lot better is if their escape from Earth had happened right after Simon broke out of prison (and he'd taken Gemma with him instead of leaving her behind to fend for herself) by maybe stealing a ship from the dock and going to his home planet. Instead they had to essentially build their own ship and once they finally do escape Earth which only happens in the last chapter of the book the author spends most of that chapter describing the monotony of months long space travel, no sex because Simon says so (dude's always fine with them not having sex, which is great for a romance novel *sarcasm*), the depressing outlook for them: not enough food, not enough water, not enough fuel, aka it's looking like after all that they're going to die in the vast nothingness of space. Of course, they run into even more trouble from space pirates and almost die before ultimately being saved by Simon's race at the very end and then the book just ENDS in the middle of a conversation. It honestly feels like there are pages missing, but I knew going in from the thread I got this recommendation from that it ended with a discussion of his name and yeah it definitely does lol No epilogue, which for a romance super sucks, no exploring Simon's home planet or seeing Gemma try to integrate to alien society. Exploring his home planet and getting to know his race and society had the potential to be a lot more interesting than the second half of the book the author wrote, but that's just my opinion.
Writing-wise it was okay-ish, but not great, which makes sense since this is a debut novel for this author and currently her only published work. There were quite a lot of typos and grammar errors that could've been easily caught by a beta reader if not an editor. Nothing egregious, it wasn't every page or anything, but it was often. I'm more forgiving of errors in indie publishing, but it definitely takes me out of the story and affects my enjoyment of a novel. There's a lot of weird shit I highlighted that I honestly just don't have the energy or desire to fully get into, but in general this book was in desperate need of a good editor to at least make it more cohesive and polished, if not help develop the direction of the plot and cut out some of the long meandering parts that didn't add anything interesting to the story.
March 5, 2025
2.5 stars
Easily the most cringe inducing first kiss I have ever read. And I wanted to throw things at the ridiculously abrupt ending.
Easily the most cringe inducing first kiss I have ever read. And I wanted to throw things at the ridiculously abrupt ending.
September 5, 2025
Wow! Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this dystopian sci-fi romance it was that good it had some phenomenal world-building and such a unique storyline that really made this one stand out from the crowd.
It’s set on Earth but a world very different to the one that we’d all recognise. It takes place sometime in the future when other alien species and interstellar space-travel has become a regular thing. This future dystopian world is absolutely brutal and our heroine Gemma is a refugee that has fled her prior island home and is now trying to survive her new hard life in the city.
A former dancer but injured during her flight to safety Gemma has very few options open to her so she now works long hours as an orderly at the city prison. Her meagre wages just manages to keep a roof over her head whilst her selfish and unwelcoming family and her former fiancée all seem to have forgotten about her.
When Gemma's work detail is switched she finds herself on the third level which houses the prisons alien inmates and its here she first encounters Simon. Simon is wasting away seemingly comatose and near-death Gemma takes it upon herself to be his own personal angel, Nursing him back to health and going above and beyond her job.
Gemma feels a connection to Simon and he starts to become the centre of her world. Very slowly he starts to respond to her care regaining his strength and though he hates humans in general she manages to earn his reluctant regard and devotion.
Simon is Gemma's total opposite where she is all empathy and compassion he has a cold analytical approach to death and survival. He feels no remorse for the lives he must take to keep her safe and makes no apologies for what he must do to accomplish this either.
This is all told from Gemma's POV which did work and I loved where this went especially the eventual escape.
Gemma placed her life in Simons's hands and rather than being without him she was willing to go to the ends of space and share any potential fate as long as they did it as one and together.
This one was predominantly plot-driven but did have some sexy times as well and Simon did have such a unique anatomy and a very alien appearance and manner.
I loved Simon so much and he was my favourite part of this whole experience I would love to maybe get a sequel showing Gemma and Simon overcoming their cultural differences now that they are finally both safe from Earth.
The turnabout of Gemma now being the alien rather than Simon sounds so very intriguing. I was really impressed with this and do recommend it.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2023
This is not a fast pace book for the first half but it didn't stop me from enjoying it as there was still alot going on. I loved the characters and the strangeness of the Prison where anything can happen.
I just read this book for the second time and I think I loved it even more the second time around.
Happy Reading 📗📚📓📚📙📕📚📓📒📚📗📚📘📚📙📚📕📚📒📓📚📖📙📓📒📘📔📗📚📖
I just read this book for the second time and I think I loved it even more the second time around.
Happy Reading 📗📚📓📚📙📕📚📓📒📚📗📚📘📚📙📚📕📚📒📓📚📖📙📓📒📘📔📗📚📖
March 11, 2023
I have never read 534 pages so fast, nor have 534 pages ever felt this short.
Gemma was compassionate and selfless. Not only to Simon, but to everyone around her. Her characterization was consistent. Simon did not mince words. Pragmatic to a fault, he wasn’t very romantic, and yet…he was. His love and devotion to Gemma was clear in every interaction. The two had completely different morals and should not have worked as a couple, but they did.
This book needed an epilogue badly. They achieve their goal and then, boom—book over. I needed more.
My only regret is that I did not read this sooner. Silly, silly mistakes.
POV: singular (FMC), third
Spice Level: 3/5
Rating: 5/5
Gemma was compassionate and selfless. Not only to Simon, but to everyone around her. Her characterization was consistent. Simon did not mince words. Pragmatic to a fault, he wasn’t very romantic, and yet…he was. His love and devotion to Gemma was clear in every interaction. The two had completely different morals and should not have worked as a couple, but they did.
This book needed an epilogue badly. They achieve their goal and then, boom—book over. I needed more.
My only regret is that I did not read this sooner. Silly, silly mistakes.
POV: singular (FMC), third
Spice Level: 3/5
Rating: 5/5
October 25, 2024
All the yes! Really enjoyed this one!
If you have KU and like a dark sci-fi human/alien romance I'd suggest checking this one out. I had a lot of fun reading the budding slow burn romance between these two opposites-attract leads set in a gritty prison setting. This was defiantly my jam!
If you have KU and like a dark sci-fi human/alien romance I'd suggest checking this one out. I had a lot of fun reading the budding slow burn romance between these two opposites-attract leads set in a gritty prison setting. This was defiantly my jam!
August 3, 2021
2 stars solely because I finished it, and I only did that because I was waiting for *something* to happen.
I don't understand how this book is so popular and beloved. 75% of it is literally just description of Gemma's misery in different settings , and the other 25% is Simon . The whole "romance" is her being drawn to Simon for no discernible reason, and him basically being grateful to her, in a very cold and stand-offish way. Even their escape is miserable and not really different from their life on Earth - she is sick, there isn't enough water, there are dangers everywhere and he won't have sex with her because.... I don't even know why.
This whole book is just suffering and drudgery and hopelessness. There is not one uplifting/positive thing in it. I need to go cleanse myself by reading some good books with this trope (alien and human overcome adversity). Strange Love by Ann Aguirre, or Radiance* by Grace Draven are both AMAZING and AWESOME and I would strongly suggest anyone who thinks about reading Homebound to choose those two instead.
*In Radiance the pairing is not human and alien from the space, but she is human and he is not.
I don't understand how this book is so popular and beloved. 75% of it is literally just description of Gemma's misery in different settings , and the other 25% is Simon . The whole "romance" is her being drawn to Simon for no discernible reason, and him basically being grateful to her, in a very cold and stand-offish way. Even their escape is miserable and not really different from their life on Earth - she is sick, there isn't enough water, there are dangers everywhere and he won't have sex with her because.... I don't even know why.
This whole book is just suffering and drudgery and hopelessness. There is not one uplifting/positive thing in it. I need to go cleanse myself by reading some good books with this trope (alien and human overcome adversity). Strange Love by Ann Aguirre, or Radiance* by Grace Draven are both AMAZING and AWESOME and I would strongly suggest anyone who thinks about reading Homebound to choose those two instead.
*In Radiance the pairing is not human and alien from the space, but she is human and he is not.
July 8, 2022
Audio - 5 Stars
Story - 4.5 Stars
Story - 4.5 Stars
January 18, 2020
Fabulous sci-fi read. I love everything about this story. Although, I did feel it ended quite abruptly and I hope the author has plans to make this a series. Also would have loved to have seen Simon's POV.
Highly recommend to alien romance lovers.
Highly recommend to alien romance lovers.
May 2, 2020
5 Stars....
This was sooooo good...
A bit like The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith. Great world building and character development. This is not erotica, so don't expect some heavy hanky panky as with the books of Laurann Dohner.
I know that dual point of view is very popular nowdays but i love the fact it was just told from one point of view. I sympathized with H, not knowing what Simon is and what he feels or thinks, his character was just as mystery for me as for her and i like a bit of a puzzle in my books, to dive into the unknown and discover piece by piece at the same time as H.
So verdict : Loved it.
Please write second part...I think you can give these two characters so much more adventure, it's a big universe!
June 4, 2025
Love blooms between a dying alien and a—oh, how shall I put this—naively stupid custody helper in a prison on a dystopian earth.
This started so well I was convinced I had stumbled upon a rare sci-fi romance that had substance. My bad. I mistook grimness for substance, but I should have noted the warning signs: the breathtaking (in more ways than one) amount of excrement, snot, and spit on the floors and walls of the prison, the way the FMC, Gemma, threw caution to the winds when she found herself assigned to the alien cell block and petted aliens and entered their cells while turning her backs on them, how unpleasant EVERYONE is apart from Gemma and a side character named Ruby, and how migrants and aliens were blamed for all the ills on earth. Later on, homelessness, exposure, starvation, and a cannibal made guest appearances.
In other words, if it was grim, ugly, nasty, or shocking, this author doubled, tripled, or quadrupled-down on it, and that was the extent and depth of world-building on dystopian earth.
The middle third of the book saw the alien prisoner, a Rix named Simon, emerging from his near-death catatonic state, thanks to the ministrations of Gemma. Even as a weakened shell of himself, Simon exuded arrogance and a disdain for other forms of life, with the exception of Gemma, whose compassion was apparently enough to capture all four of his hearts. As Simon revived, however, Gemma’s life as a poor relation in the home of a resentful aunt and her family became more desperate when her uncle was attacked by aliens, and she encounters the doctor who had tortured Simon into a state of near-death before Simon killed a bunch of people and was sent to prison to die.
How did an alien so close to death that the doctor couldn’t use him anymore attack and kill a bunch of people before being sent to die in prison? I don’t know either and quit trying to introduce logic into the equation.
The last third of the book highlighted Gemma’s lack of brain cells, sometimes to the point of unintentional hilarity (when she finds the body of the alien Simon killed to take over his home, she looks at his cracked skull and says, “Oh my God! We should help him! Let’s do chest compressions, quick, it can revive him”) and Simon’s reticence and lack of compunction about the string of dead bodies in his wake, which really bothered Gemma until he unsheathed the penis he seemed to be lacking and put it to good use. I like an arrogant, strong-and-silent type, but I really needed a little more out of Simon besides “I want to go home and you’re coming with me” (to which, by the way, Gemma replied, “I’ve never been there before.” It’s really hard to overstate this woman’s lack of intelligence).
I finished the book. I deserve a reward.
This was another adventurous buddy read with Izzah, whose enthusiasm flagged early, and Lori, who started laughing before I did. Thanks, guys! After this one, I feel like we’re combat buddies.
This started so well I was convinced I had stumbled upon a rare sci-fi romance that had substance. My bad. I mistook grimness for substance, but I should have noted the warning signs: the breathtaking (in more ways than one) amount of excrement, snot, and spit on the floors and walls of the prison, the way the FMC, Gemma, threw caution to the winds when she found herself assigned to the alien cell block and petted aliens and entered their cells while turning her backs on them, how unpleasant EVERYONE is apart from Gemma and a side character named Ruby, and how migrants and aliens were blamed for all the ills on earth. Later on, homelessness, exposure, starvation, and a cannibal made guest appearances.
In other words, if it was grim, ugly, nasty, or shocking, this author doubled, tripled, or quadrupled-down on it, and that was the extent and depth of world-building on dystopian earth.
The middle third of the book saw the alien prisoner, a Rix named Simon, emerging from his near-death catatonic state, thanks to the ministrations of Gemma. Even as a weakened shell of himself, Simon exuded arrogance and a disdain for other forms of life, with the exception of Gemma, whose compassion was apparently enough to capture all four of his hearts. As Simon revived, however, Gemma’s life as a poor relation in the home of a resentful aunt and her family became more desperate when her uncle was attacked by aliens, and she encounters the doctor who had tortured Simon into a state of near-death before Simon killed a bunch of people and was sent to prison to die.
How did an alien so close to death that the doctor couldn’t use him anymore attack and kill a bunch of people before being sent to die in prison? I don’t know either and quit trying to introduce logic into the equation.
The last third of the book highlighted Gemma’s lack of brain cells, sometimes to the point of unintentional hilarity (when she finds the body of the alien Simon killed to take over his home, she looks at his cracked skull and says, “Oh my God! We should help him! Let’s do chest compressions, quick, it can revive him”) and Simon’s reticence and lack of compunction about the string of dead bodies in his wake, which really bothered Gemma until he unsheathed the penis he seemed to be lacking and put it to good use. I like an arrogant, strong-and-silent type, but I really needed a little more out of Simon besides “I want to go home and you’re coming with me” (to which, by the way, Gemma replied, “I’ve never been there before.” It’s really hard to overstate this woman’s lack of intelligence).
I finished the book. I deserve a reward.
This was another adventurous buddy read with Izzah, whose enthusiasm flagged early, and Lori, who started laughing before I did. Thanks, guys! After this one, I feel like we’re combat buddies.
July 30, 2021
This was a great KU find! I love me some alien smut, and this one seemed to be a cut above the rest. This was a great slow-burn with H/h that I really liked.
Gemma was raised on a beautiful island and wanted to be a dancer. Things went bad when her family dies and she breaks her ankle escaping the destruction of her home island. All the rich have left earth and those who remain barely get by while still having to fight against aliens who are trying to take over and ruin things.
Gemma lives with her aunt and uncle who begrudgingly let her live with them so they can collect rent and use her to help out around the house. Gemma works at the prison as a prison cleaner (kinda like a custodian) and when she gets reassigned to the alien floor, she is thrown for a loop. She finds herself drawn to one prisoner in particular, Simon, who is skin and bones and doesn't talk or eat and barely moves. Being the sweetheart that she is, she decides she is going to rehab him and show him some care and help him.
This book was so much more than your typical alien romance. I was so into this story! I don't want to go into too much detail so I'll just recommend that you read this book if you like Sci-Fi, Alien Romance, mildly dark plotlines, great H/h. (My only quibble would be that the book seemed long at times, and the villain plotlines were too predictable, but it was only a small annoyance)
Safety
Gemma was raised on a beautiful island and wanted to be a dancer. Things went bad when her family dies and she breaks her ankle escaping the destruction of her home island. All the rich have left earth and those who remain barely get by while still having to fight against aliens who are trying to take over and ruin things.
Gemma lives with her aunt and uncle who begrudgingly let her live with them so they can collect rent and use her to help out around the house. Gemma works at the prison as a prison cleaner (kinda like a custodian) and when she gets reassigned to the alien floor, she is thrown for a loop. She finds herself drawn to one prisoner in particular, Simon, who is skin and bones and doesn't talk or eat and barely moves. Being the sweetheart that she is, she decides she is going to rehab him and show him some care and help him.
This book was so much more than your typical alien romance. I was so into this story! I don't want to go into too much detail so I'll just recommend that you read this book if you like Sci-Fi, Alien Romance, mildly dark plotlines, great H/h. (My only quibble would be that the book seemed long at times, and the villain plotlines were too predictable, but it was only a small annoyance)
Safety
July 11, 2020
What can I say about this book that isn't just: "wow."
I don't know. This book was good good good, and had a very unusual hero (even for an alien). But I adored Simon. And Gemma. And Ruby. Everyone else in this book though can fall into a pit of fire and I wouldn't care.
Some parts of this were hard to get through. The Earth is falling apart, and horror, murder, gore, and poverty are vividly described without any restraint. Gemma faces some very tough situations But, even with the extremely grim circumstances, there is a thread of hope that manifests in Gemma's compassion toward Simon that results in a unique romance.
Gemma was truly a gem, hehe. She harbored empathy for people (and aliens) who absolutely did. not. deserve. it. but it didn't stop her from treating those around her with kindness and compassion. She was also very smart, knowing what to do in order to protect herself in dire situations.
And, oh, Simon. I'll say, I was hesitant about him at the beginning. I really couldn't see how this comatose shell of a dude could ever be a love interest? But oh, boy, I was in for a big (and very pleasant) surprise. He was wonderful.
This is yet another sci-fi/alien romance that blew away all of my expectations. And it's not a bad romance sub-genre to obsess over- there are a lot of really great stories out here.
I don't know. This book was good good good, and had a very unusual hero (even for an alien). But I adored Simon. And Gemma. And Ruby. Everyone else in this book though can fall into a pit of fire and I wouldn't care.
Some parts of this were hard to get through. The Earth is falling apart, and horror, murder, gore, and poverty are vividly described without any restraint. Gemma faces some very tough situations But, even with the extremely grim circumstances, there is a thread of hope that manifests in Gemma's compassion toward Simon that results in a unique romance.
Gemma was truly a gem, hehe. She harbored empathy for people (and aliens) who absolutely did. not. deserve. it. but it didn't stop her from treating those around her with kindness and compassion. She was also very smart, knowing what to do in order to protect herself in dire situations.
And, oh, Simon. I'll say, I was hesitant about him at the beginning. I really couldn't see how this comatose shell of a dude could ever be a love interest? But oh, boy, I was in for a big (and very pleasant) surprise. He was wonderful.
This is yet another sci-fi/alien romance that blew away all of my expectations. And it's not a bad romance sub-genre to obsess over- there are a lot of really great stories out here.
December 14, 2025
Miserybound
~ 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 ✦ 𝐃𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 ✦ ~
Feel free to peruse our vast selection and pick the best tropes to fit *your* story.
:三 Natural disaster
🏷️ 5 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘺
:三 Death of family member(s)
↬ Mother 🏷️ 3 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘺
↬ Father 🏷️ 3 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘺
↬ Older brother 🏷️ 3 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘺
・
・
・
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
~ 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 ✦ 𝐃𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 ✦ ~
Feel free to peruse our vast selection and pick the best tropes to fit *your* story.
:三 Natural disaster
🏷️ 5 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘺
:三 Death of family member(s)
↬ Mother 🏷️ 3 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘺
↬ Father 🏷️ 3 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘺
↬ Older brother 🏷️ 3 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘺
・
・
・
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
March 31, 2022
5 Simon-loving Stars
This book was unexpected. I have to say, from the blurb, it just didn’t sound like something I would really enjoy reading, and I have to be in the mood for a slow burn, so I left this one sitting for too long. Once I picked it up, I was surprised by how quickly it pulled me in once I got reading.
Gemma lives a life of hardship. She was once a dancer, but after an ankle injury sustained while fleeing her homeland with her fiancé, she is left unable to dance and has to do whatever she can to get by. Fiancé long gone, she lives with an aunt and uncle who treat her as a burden despite her paying her own way. She works long, hard hours at the prison, where she only gets one day off a month. Even so, she knows she's one of the lucky ones. There aren't enough jobs to go around where she lives—a city where humans and aliens both reside.
One day she's reassigned to the alien floor, and that's where she encounters a being unlike any she's seen before—one that is completely unresponsive. Basically comatose. No one else cares for this prisoner—Simon—so she takes it upon herself to do so out of compassion.
When the last bit of hope she was clinging to for a better life is taken away from her, all she has left to look forward to is caring for Simon. It fills a need inside of her for some kind of connection.
The evolution of Simon from a husk of a being to killing machine is a beautiful thing to behold, and even though the story is very much a slow burn, I never felt like it was dull or dragging. I was very invested in the relationship between Gemma and Simon and I couldn’t help but root for them.
This book was a nice break from the common “mars needs women” alien romance trope and the big, strong alpha alien stories where the hero has to save the heroine. While Simon is revealed to be a badass, he only becomes one after Gemma saves him first. Once she does, her kindness is repaid. I loved that they had to save each other, and they both had times of weakness and strength. I loved that Gemma was able to maintain her empathy even while suffering herself. She might have been physically weak, but she had incredible inner strength. Simon was stoic, but the subtle ways in which he demonstrated his feelings toward Gemma spoke volumes.
I loved the story, loved Simon, Gemma, and Ruby. The only thing I didn't like was how abruptly it ended (as many others have also pointed out). However, I enjoyed the journey enough that even though the destination may not have been exactly what I envisioned, I still felt satisfied. I think an HEA was implied—we just don’t get the specifics in an epilogue.
This book was unexpected. I have to say, from the blurb, it just didn’t sound like something I would really enjoy reading, and I have to be in the mood for a slow burn, so I left this one sitting for too long. Once I picked it up, I was surprised by how quickly it pulled me in once I got reading.
Gemma lives a life of hardship. She was once a dancer, but after an ankle injury sustained while fleeing her homeland with her fiancé, she is left unable to dance and has to do whatever she can to get by. Fiancé long gone, she lives with an aunt and uncle who treat her as a burden despite her paying her own way. She works long, hard hours at the prison, where she only gets one day off a month. Even so, she knows she's one of the lucky ones. There aren't enough jobs to go around where she lives—a city where humans and aliens both reside.
One day she's reassigned to the alien floor, and that's where she encounters a being unlike any she's seen before—one that is completely unresponsive. Basically comatose. No one else cares for this prisoner—Simon—so she takes it upon herself to do so out of compassion.
When the last bit of hope she was clinging to for a better life is taken away from her, all she has left to look forward to is caring for Simon. It fills a need inside of her for some kind of connection.
The evolution of Simon from a husk of a being to killing machine is a beautiful thing to behold, and even though the story is very much a slow burn, I never felt like it was dull or dragging. I was very invested in the relationship between Gemma and Simon and I couldn’t help but root for them.
This book was a nice break from the common “mars needs women” alien romance trope and the big, strong alpha alien stories where the hero has to save the heroine. While Simon is revealed to be a badass, he only becomes one after Gemma saves him first. Once she does, her kindness is repaid. I loved that they had to save each other, and they both had times of weakness and strength. I loved that Gemma was able to maintain her empathy even while suffering herself. She might have been physically weak, but she had incredible inner strength. Simon was stoic, but the subtle ways in which he demonstrated his feelings toward Gemma spoke volumes.
I loved the story, loved Simon, Gemma, and Ruby. The only thing I didn't like was how abruptly it ended (as many others have also pointed out). However, I enjoyed the journey enough that even though the destination may not have been exactly what I envisioned, I still felt satisfied. I think an HEA was implied—we just don’t get the specifics in an epilogue.
November 23, 2021
I quite enjoyed this, but it stays an even 3 stars.
Gemma used to live in paradise but after a disaster destroys it, she had to return to Earth and struggle with everyone else living on this dying planet. The best job she could get was as at the local prison, but she's a pretty positive person. This is surprising after what life has dealt her and what she has to live with day after day living with her horrible aunt and uncle and their despicably shallow offspring.
Then everything changes when she is required to work on the floor where the alien prisoners are housed.
I wasn't impressed with the H as a romantic figure, but he WAS interesting.
The ending was an HEA that kinda felt more like an HFN. Not that he isn't devoted to her, but I was unconvinced how happy she'd be living with his people. I would have loved a little more fleshing out of the ending. Will she be cold all the time? Will they be able to fix her ankle so she can dance again? Will she die long before him?
But it was an interesting story and I would definitely read more by this author.
Safety is fine.
Gemma used to live in paradise but after a disaster destroys it, she had to return to Earth and struggle with everyone else living on this dying planet. The best job she could get was as at the local prison, but she's a pretty positive person. This is surprising after what life has dealt her and what she has to live with day after day living with her horrible aunt and uncle and their despicably shallow offspring.
Then everything changes when she is required to work on the floor where the alien prisoners are housed.
I wasn't impressed with the H as a romantic figure, but he WAS interesting.
The ending was an HEA that kinda felt more like an HFN. Not that he isn't devoted to her, but I was unconvinced how happy she'd be living with his people. I would have loved a little more fleshing out of the ending. Will she be cold all the time? Will they be able to fix her ankle so she can dance again? Will she die long before him?
But it was an interesting story and I would definitely read more by this author.
Safety is fine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2022
At twenty percent I just can't take the bleak any more. Gemma's life sucks. Everyone around her sucks. And Simon is still a no-show. Oh, he's there. Sort of. But he's in some kind of coma/fugue state and completely useless. In short, there's nothing to keep me reading. Frankly, I was on the ropes once Gemma's star-guy dear johned her (no spoiler tag as this was obviously coming and happens in the first quarter). She has literally nothing to live for and is facing a bleak life of drudgery and scorn. Oh yeah, and sexual assault. I have no hopes or expectations of her and am just going to call it good.
November 5, 2025
4.25*
This is really what I needed right now. Loved it!
This is an alien romance but has a contemporary rom-thriller feel.
Several times in the book, to me, the H and the h/H connection were evocative of two of my favorite authors' writing - Linda Howard and a little bit of Sandra Brown's (minus the hyper-asshattey but then this H a silent cool customer).
So, imagine my surprise when I went to the author's page, and saw these two authors' books rated in her updates!
GS, many 'alien-space-rom' books show Earth and Earthlings in dire post-apocalyptic conditions and I find it pretty saddening to read about a dying Earth.
“Truly, Earth was coming to a pitiful end.”
Here too, people are fleeing Earth for the new idyll, Meeus or at least those who can afford to, are. Rest are all a pitiful lot living a pitiable, hopeless existence with scarce resources and even fewer means of livelihood.
And things are very generalized - city vs island. What, where? - No idea.
Anyways.
A/N: As the author owes us an epilogue, she can repay with a sequel!
This is really what I needed right now. Loved it!
This is an alien romance but has a contemporary rom-thriller feel.
Several times in the book, to me, the H and the h/H connection were evocative of two of my favorite authors' writing - Linda Howard and a little bit of Sandra Brown's (minus the hyper-asshattey but then this H a silent cool customer).
So, imagine my surprise when I went to the author's page, and saw these two authors' books rated in her updates!
GS, many 'alien-space-rom' books show Earth and Earthlings in dire post-apocalyptic conditions and I find it pretty saddening to read about a dying Earth.
“Truly, Earth was coming to a pitiful end.”
Here too, people are fleeing Earth for the new idyll, Meeus or at least those who can afford to, are. Rest are all a pitiful lot living a pitiable, hopeless existence with scarce resources and even fewer means of livelihood.
And things are very generalized - city vs island. What, where? - No idea.
Anyways.
A/N: As the author owes us an epilogue, she can repay with a sequel!
April 30, 2020
Okay, anybody else getting some mad The Shape of Water vibes here???
Good giddy God I freaking loved this book.
That romance was soooooo slow to build. You constantly felt pain and panic for our poor h and her situation.
OH-ho-ho I enjoyed every second of this bad boy.
but....
this is the only book by this author...…
and...
I just can't even comprehend.
Listen I'll throw whatever you want your way Hun, so long as you keep stories like this coming our way.
This so hit that spot for Non-Insta, Non-fated mates/love. We got to see the bond grow over time and gah there is nothing truly as satisfying as seeing something so precious build from the beginning.
4.44 Get-You-A-Man-Who-Can-Rip-Dudes-In-Half-Goals stars
Good giddy God I freaking loved this book.
That romance was soooooo slow to build. You constantly felt pain and panic for our poor h and her situation.
OH-ho-ho I enjoyed every second of this bad boy.
but....
this is the only book by this author...…
and...
I just can't even comprehend.
Listen I'll throw whatever you want your way Hun, so long as you keep stories like this coming our way.
This so hit that spot for Non-Insta, Non-fated mates/love. We got to see the bond grow over time and gah there is nothing truly as satisfying as seeing something so precious build from the beginning.
4.44 Get-You-A-Man-Who-Can-Rip-Dudes-In-Half-Goals stars
dnf
August 17, 2023i felt more like a prisoner than a romance enjoyer while trying to read this idk. this was my first foray into alien romance and it will be my last ☝️like im sorry but wtf is sexy about some weak sickly mop looking creature who u hav to be the caregiver of—in prison—for like the entirety of the book?? this was not a romance this was some lame shit
June 2, 2023
Homebound is a story that focuses on Gemma's (h) life on a dystopian and decaying Earth and how that life is drastically changed when she encounters an alien male prisoner, Simon (H). I read the positive and negative reviews before I started this book and I think they all make good points. While the story is well-written, the world building and sci-fi elements were intriguing, and the characters and events certainly evoked a lot of emotions, this was not the right book for me personally. I settled on rating it 3 stars because even though it wasn't a good fit for my reading tastes (made esp apparent because I read it after a funny/sweet book), it was a good book.
Earth has become an extremely bleak place and Gemma's day to day existence was harsh. On top of that, Gemma is all that is kind and generous despite her reality and she is treated poorly by many parties. I loved that she had a core of strength and fire, but it just didn't balance out all that she went through that constantly tried to tear at that strength. Simon was also a great character in all his alienness and the evolution from a weak and dying figure to a killing machine. Written in third person, single POV from h. No ow drama, om drama in the sense that h is sexually harassed and there are attempts at assault as well. H's sexual history not given and h was a virgin.
Gemma is a prison worker who lives with extended family after the destruction of her home and flight of her boyfriend to pursue a better job. She has hope at the start of the story that the boyfriend will be sending for her. Simon is essentially a shell when she first comes into contact with him and he evokes her nurturing and compassionate side, as Gemma nurses him back to life. Meanwhile all around them, the prison is harsh, the city they're in is falling apart at the seams with conflict between humans and migrants and aliens. Then, because there's not enough against them, a sketchy doctor would love to study Simon some more.
Most of the supporting characters in this story are awful. Gemma's family are awful, many of her co-workers at the prison are awful, several prisoners, and general people she comes into contact with are awful. There are bright spots though with one of Gemma's co-workers and kindness here and there. But there's very much a feel to this story that it's Gemma and Simon against all the odds.
Homebound is light on the romantic side, not just because it's slow burn, but also because Simon is so different. Still, Simon has some wonderful quotes that make it clear to the reader how he feels about Gemma, even though she's unsure still many times. Steam-wise, there are a couple of scenes and there's a really funny assumption that Gemma makes about Simon's anatomy. Because of how alien he is, Simon reminds Gemma several times that she can't make assumptions and that they're different. But he also shows up big for her at important times, at the risk of himself, and I did believe they were in love. There are triggers, there are multiple dangerous/suspenseful moments, and some heart aching ones, but the characters do get a hard fought for HEA. The story ends abruptly with them safe and headed into the future and I would have loved an epilogue. Still, the last scene in the book made my heart melt. I've seen reviews for book 2 in the series, which is a different couple, mention that Simon at least features as a side character in that one with mentions of Gemma too.
Triggers: sexual harassment, attempted sexual assault, violence, death of side characters, physical assault, recollections of torture, homelessness, I feel like I'm missing some too
Earth has become an extremely bleak place and Gemma's day to day existence was harsh. On top of that, Gemma is all that is kind and generous despite her reality and she is treated poorly by many parties. I loved that she had a core of strength and fire, but it just didn't balance out all that she went through that constantly tried to tear at that strength. Simon was also a great character in all his alienness and the evolution from a weak and dying figure to a killing machine. Written in third person, single POV from h. No ow drama, om drama in the sense that h is sexually harassed and there are attempts at assault as well. H's sexual history not given and h was a virgin.
Gemma is a prison worker who lives with extended family after the destruction of her home and flight of her boyfriend to pursue a better job. She has hope at the start of the story that the boyfriend will be sending for her. Simon is essentially a shell when she first comes into contact with him and he evokes her nurturing and compassionate side, as Gemma nurses him back to life. Meanwhile all around them, the prison is harsh, the city they're in is falling apart at the seams with conflict between humans and migrants and aliens. Then, because there's not enough against them, a sketchy doctor would love to study Simon some more.
Most of the supporting characters in this story are awful. Gemma's family are awful, many of her co-workers at the prison are awful, several prisoners, and general people she comes into contact with are awful. There are bright spots though with one of Gemma's co-workers and kindness here and there. But there's very much a feel to this story that it's Gemma and Simon against all the odds.
Homebound is light on the romantic side, not just because it's slow burn, but also because Simon is so different. Still, Simon has some wonderful quotes that make it clear to the reader how he feels about Gemma, even though she's unsure still many times. Steam-wise, there are a couple of scenes and there's a really funny assumption that Gemma makes about Simon's anatomy. Because of how alien he is, Simon reminds Gemma several times that she can't make assumptions and that they're different. But he also shows up big for her at important times, at the risk of himself, and I did believe they were in love. There are triggers, there are multiple dangerous/suspenseful moments, and some heart aching ones, but the characters do get a hard fought for HEA. The story ends abruptly with them safe and headed into the future and I would have loved an epilogue. Still, the last scene in the book made my heart melt. I've seen reviews for book 2 in the series, which is a different couple, mention that Simon at least features as a side character in that one with mentions of Gemma too.
Triggers: sexual harassment, attempted sexual assault, violence, death of side characters, physical assault, recollections of torture, homelessness, I feel like I'm missing some too
March 2, 2022
Gemma is a former aspiring ballerina, but unfortunately her foot got broken and reset badly and now she's a crippled prison cleaner. When she gets moved from the cushy job she had on the women's floor to the dirty, violent world of the alien prisoners, Gemma is really depressed.
Until she finds her very own unmoving, unspeaking, genitalia-less Rapunzel-hair KEN DOLL which in one cell and she starts to baby him. Gemma, who has no friends and her family sucks, finds real fulfilment in caring for her very own KEN (tm).
She washes KEN, she talks to KEN, she tries to get KEN to eat by smearing her finger with prison goop and putting it on his lips. Finally, she gets a wheelchair for her heavy KEN, so they can even leave the prison premises and look at the sky together! Yeah!
She tells her KEN absolutely everything, including the sob story about how Gemma's boyfriend Zeke promised to get her off-planet and on the cushy new habitat Meeus, but after 4 years of never getting in touch he simply married some other broad. HA! Wasn't that a good investment for all the money Gemma gave to Zeke so he could become a doctor? Lol
Anyway good for Gemma she has KEN.
Eventually KEN does break out of the prison and do some violent stuff. Gemma is attracted but unsure what to do with a KEN sexually because d.i.c.k. is everything. EVERYTHING
They figure it out.
The end.
I hated every second of reading this and tbh this book may have had NO chance at redemption from my point of view, but what really sunk this Titanic was the fact that "Homebound" deadass ended when it actually got bearable.
Reading about a desperate Cinderella, her sucky homelife, and her conversations with RAKENZEL as well as her smushing goop on his face was EXCRUCIATING.
I know a lot of people have to take care of sick relatives at home, but there is nothing *sexy* about that. Also, treating a prospective love interest like your own personal Barbie? That's no basis for a relationship.
Finally, Gemma, who lived with her aunt, uncle and cousins, who all deserved to be shredded and sold as sausages, was the goodiest two shoes ever.
Every time something violent happened (often to her), you could hear her bitching and crying in her monologues about unnecessary bloodshed etc etc
Girl, you are on the a sitting duck on a gigantic pile of garbage that is left on Earth after all the rich&beautiful left, your family should be executed by Stomping Hippos, your neighborhood is a hotbet of murder&starving and every time you see a fleshwound you clutch the pearls around your neck for dear life?
Gemma was written as a very white (pristine) first-world, democracy-only, never seen violence except on television, suburbian girl. An innocent.
Which is impossible because everyone who cared about her died, or married someone else. In the same way that I find it crazy to apply modern values on historical figures, it's crazy to think that a cripple living in a dystopian trash can could have this cutesy, safe, worldview.
This was a hot mess, good bye.
Until she finds her very own unmoving, unspeaking, genitalia-less Rapunzel-hair KEN DOLL which in one cell and she starts to baby him. Gemma, who has no friends and her family sucks, finds real fulfilment in caring for her very own KEN (tm).
She washes KEN, she talks to KEN, she tries to get KEN to eat by smearing her finger with prison goop and putting it on his lips. Finally, she gets a wheelchair for her heavy KEN, so they can even leave the prison premises and look at the sky together! Yeah!
She tells her KEN absolutely everything, including the sob story about how Gemma's boyfriend Zeke promised to get her off-planet and on the cushy new habitat Meeus, but after 4 years of never getting in touch he simply married some other broad. HA! Wasn't that a good investment for all the money Gemma gave to Zeke so he could become a doctor? Lol
Anyway good for Gemma she has KEN.
Eventually KEN does break out of the prison and do some violent stuff. Gemma is attracted but unsure what to do with a KEN sexually because d.i.c.k. is everything. EVERYTHING
They figure it out.
The end.
I hated every second of reading this and tbh this book may have had NO chance at redemption from my point of view, but what really sunk this Titanic was the fact that "Homebound" deadass ended when it actually got bearable.
Reading about a desperate Cinderella, her sucky homelife, and her conversations with RAKENZEL as well as her smushing goop on his face was EXCRUCIATING.
I know a lot of people have to take care of sick relatives at home, but there is nothing *sexy* about that. Also, treating a prospective love interest like your own personal Barbie? That's no basis for a relationship.
Finally, Gemma, who lived with her aunt, uncle and cousins, who all deserved to be shredded and sold as sausages, was the goodiest two shoes ever.
Every time something violent happened (often to her), you could hear her bitching and crying in her monologues about unnecessary bloodshed etc etc
Girl, you are on the a sitting duck on a gigantic pile of garbage that is left on Earth after all the rich&beautiful left, your family should be executed by Stomping Hippos, your neighborhood is a hotbet of murder&starving and every time you see a fleshwound you clutch the pearls around your neck for dear life?
Gemma was written as a very white (pristine) first-world, democracy-only, never seen violence except on television, suburbian girl. An innocent.
Which is impossible because everyone who cared about her died, or married someone else. In the same way that I find it crazy to apply modern values on historical figures, it's crazy to think that a cripple living in a dystopian trash can could have this cutesy, safe, worldview.
This was a hot mess, good bye.
July 9, 2021
*** Book Q & A***
* How did the book make you feel?: Wow, I went into this book blind and had no idea how much I would love it. It’s one of the most unique and satisfying books of this genre I’ve read to-date. I stayed up all night reading this baby.
* How do you feel about how the story was told?: It’s told entirely from Gemma’s POV. There is a lot of suffering and the book is rather dark. There were a few typos, but not so many that it detracted from the story. It’s a slow burn. The dystopian, alien-invaded world building was incredible.
* What did you think about the main characters?: Gemma was weak physically, but not mentally. She nurses Simon back to health and gives him a will to live. Simon’s (the H) character was wonderful and so steadfast. His actions spoke of love and devotion without having to say the words.
* Which parts of the book stood out to you?: I loved the growing relationship between the MC’s. Their love for one another was palpable.
* What themes/tropes did you detect in the story?: sci-fi alien romance, victim of scientific experimentation, prisoner and prison employee, slow burn
* What did you think about the ending?: I would’ve loved an epilogue. Was Gemma pregnant? It was implied with the nausea that she could be. I would’ve loved to have read about how she adapted to being the alien. In my mind everything worked out.
* What is your impression of the author?: This was my first read, but I was blown away and so impressed.
Triggers: attempted rape, murder
* How did the book make you feel?: Wow, I went into this book blind and had no idea how much I would love it. It’s one of the most unique and satisfying books of this genre I’ve read to-date. I stayed up all night reading this baby.
* How do you feel about how the story was told?: It’s told entirely from Gemma’s POV. There is a lot of suffering and the book is rather dark. There were a few typos, but not so many that it detracted from the story. It’s a slow burn. The dystopian, alien-invaded world building was incredible.
* What did you think about the main characters?: Gemma was weak physically, but not mentally. She nurses Simon back to health and gives him a will to live. Simon’s (the H) character was wonderful and so steadfast. His actions spoke of love and devotion without having to say the words.
* Which parts of the book stood out to you?: I loved the growing relationship between the MC’s. Their love for one another was palpable.
* What themes/tropes did you detect in the story?: sci-fi alien romance, victim of scientific experimentation, prisoner and prison employee, slow burn
* What did you think about the ending?: I would’ve loved an epilogue. Was Gemma pregnant? It was implied with the nausea that she could be. I would’ve loved to have read about how she adapted to being the alien. In my mind everything worked out.
* What is your impression of the author?: This was my first read, but I was blown away and so impressed.
Triggers: attempted rape, murder
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2021
I loved this story and it's grim portrayal of a dismal futuristic Earth. Most have abandoned it and only the poor, criminal and various aliens remain.
Gemma is plodding through life just trying to make ends meet. Working as a janitor in an alien prison ward she tries to make the best of it. When she sees the strange alien Simon, she wants to help him.
She slowly draws him out and their adventure begins.
Simon is definitely not human and it shows. His behaviors are very unique and sometimes hard for Gemma to understand. The slow-burn was really well done.
The ending was very abrupt and I wanted more...
Gemma is plodding through life just trying to make ends meet. Working as a janitor in an alien prison ward she tries to make the best of it. When she sees the strange alien Simon, she wants to help him.
She slowly draws him out and their adventure begins.
Simon is definitely not human and it shows. His behaviors are very unique and sometimes hard for Gemma to understand. The slow-burn was really well done.
The ending was very abrupt and I wanted more...
December 5, 2020
I loved the story up to around 98% where I learned that this book would not have a satisfying end. It stopped abruptly (although it is a happy end) so that the enjoyment from this story turned to disappointment.
It doesn't have to be true, but for me this feels like the author just stopped writing and caring for the book. For me the ending is the most important part of the story. Without it, all seems so futile.
It doesn't have to be true, but for me this feels like the author just stopped writing and caring for the book. For me the ending is the most important part of the story. Without it, all seems so futile.
April 21, 2021
One of the best alien romances I've ever read. The emotional build up was so well done.
I just wish there was an epilogue or one more chapter so we could enjoy the HEA for a little longer.
I just wish there was an epilogue or one more chapter so we could enjoy the HEA for a little longer.
May 11, 2021
I give this 2 stars for effort, but it wasn't a great read for me.
The writing was serviceable, but like many romances was barebones and lacked scenic detail and atmosphere. I don't need an author to wax lyrical about a water stain for two pages, but if your backdrop is "dying, dystopian Earth run by the military" I want to feel the austerity, paranoia, and crushing despair. Especially for a character who grew up well off in one of the last places of natural beauty and was reduced to living off the questionable generosity of distant family.
Though there are some elements to give such an impression they're somewhat distant. A couple of times Gemma is worried about being out after military curfew (more because of the fine than because there are nightly riots and murder!!), but there's no propaganda or recruitment ads anywhere. Every human barring Gemma is a rampant bigot and xenophobe loudly hating on refugees, migrants, and aliens equally as a result of the "Great Invasion", but there are no signs of militia patrols or checkpoints to either keep such sentiments in check or reinforce them. I never did quite understand who had tried to invade or why.
Which is a lot of my problem with this story. If you step back from Gemma's immediate "woe is me, I am unloved and poor" concerns none of the world building is adequately explained enough to hold together and the little we do know doesn't makes sense to the setting.
So this doesn't stand up as a sci-fi, that's fine, romances are traditionally given a lot of leeway for the sake of the developing relationship. Except there's really not much of that either.
I could charitably call it a slow burn that blooms in the second half, but the characters don't ever really learn about each other so I'm flummoxed as to how, why, or when they fall in love. It also starts with Gemma instantly becoming fixated on an essentially catatonic inmate and deciding to "fix" him. Which raises so many red flags I don't even know where to start. .
Eventually the tables turn, mostly because Simon has a literally inhuman physiology which means he can gain muscle mass on a single meal a day and no exercise . At which point Gemma stops even pretending to not be a useless damsel in distress, proceeding to almost die at several points until Simon happens along to save her.
The "romantic ending" is, again, only so if you don't think too hard about it. .
I should probably go back and edit this review, cut things, talk about other stuff, but to be quite honest I've already expended more effort on trying to understand this novel than I want to.
The writing was serviceable, but like many romances was barebones and lacked scenic detail and atmosphere. I don't need an author to wax lyrical about a water stain for two pages, but if your backdrop is "dying, dystopian Earth run by the military" I want to feel the austerity, paranoia, and crushing despair. Especially for a character who grew up well off in one of the last places of natural beauty and was reduced to living off the questionable generosity of distant family.
Though there are some elements to give such an impression they're somewhat distant. A couple of times Gemma is worried about being out after military curfew (more because of the fine than because there are nightly riots and murder!!), but there's no propaganda or recruitment ads anywhere. Every human barring Gemma is a rampant bigot and xenophobe loudly hating on refugees, migrants, and aliens equally as a result of the "Great Invasion", but there are no signs of militia patrols or checkpoints to either keep such sentiments in check or reinforce them. I never did quite understand who had tried to invade or why.
Which is a lot of my problem with this story. If you step back from Gemma's immediate "woe is me, I am unloved and poor" concerns none of the world building is adequately explained enough to hold together and the little we do know doesn't makes sense to the setting.
So this doesn't stand up as a sci-fi, that's fine, romances are traditionally given a lot of leeway for the sake of the developing relationship. Except there's really not much of that either.
I could charitably call it a slow burn that blooms in the second half, but the characters don't ever really learn about each other so I'm flummoxed as to how, why, or when they fall in love. It also starts with Gemma instantly becoming fixated on an essentially catatonic inmate and deciding to "fix" him. Which raises so many red flags I don't even know where to start. .
Eventually the tables turn, mostly because Simon has a literally inhuman physiology which means he can gain muscle mass on a single meal a day and no exercise . At which point Gemma stops even pretending to not be a useless damsel in distress, proceeding to almost die at several points until Simon happens along to save her.
The "romantic ending" is, again, only so if you don't think too hard about it. .
I should probably go back and edit this review, cut things, talk about other stuff, but to be quite honest I've already expended more effort on trying to understand this novel than I want to.
March 7, 2022
3.5 stars!
Okay I don't know what it is about aliens + romance but I just can't stop reading this genre.
Homebound by Lydia Hope follows a woman by the name of Gemma who works at a prison that houses aliens. One day when she gets assigned to that floor she encounters a Rix (type of alien) name Simon. As the book progresses she gets more and more attached to Simon and things take off from there.
What did I like?
- Gemma! Hope really crafted a strong heroine in Gemma. She was tough yet compassionate and it is her compassion that really saves Simon. I also thought that she was very smart and resourceful which was a nice change of pace. I liked that even though she wasn't a physically strong heroine she wasn't just a sitting duck. She had fight, grit, and smarts to help her in any situation.
- Simon! Simon was a pretty cool alien and I liked his sarcastic wit. I felt like you could really see his devotion to Gemma and how much he cared for her. However, I do wish we could have gotten some of his point of view.
- The romance! I really loved the romance between Simon and Gemma. There was a good progression and once they got together I really felt their devotion for one another.
What I was mehhhh about
- The plot........yeah. This book was kinda long and I kept waiting for things to happen. I kept waiting for Simon and Gemma to escape the prison and go to space. And while that did happen it took a really long time to get there. I wanted to learn more about the world that Hope had created and I wanted to encounter the different species of aliens. Instead were mostly stuck in the prison, with Gemma's Aunt, the Dr.'s office, and the town. I felt like we were building to something a bit different and I was bummed that it took till 90% for us to finally get to space.
- I also think the book could've been shortened a bit.
All in all I could not put down Homebound and I really enjoyed this take on an alien sci-fi romance!
Okay I don't know what it is about aliens + romance but I just can't stop reading this genre.
Homebound by Lydia Hope follows a woman by the name of Gemma who works at a prison that houses aliens. One day when she gets assigned to that floor she encounters a Rix (type of alien) name Simon. As the book progresses she gets more and more attached to Simon and things take off from there.
What did I like?
- Gemma! Hope really crafted a strong heroine in Gemma. She was tough yet compassionate and it is her compassion that really saves Simon. I also thought that she was very smart and resourceful which was a nice change of pace. I liked that even though she wasn't a physically strong heroine she wasn't just a sitting duck. She had fight, grit, and smarts to help her in any situation.
- Simon! Simon was a pretty cool alien and I liked his sarcastic wit. I felt like you could really see his devotion to Gemma and how much he cared for her. However, I do wish we could have gotten some of his point of view.
- The romance! I really loved the romance between Simon and Gemma. There was a good progression and once they got together I really felt their devotion for one another.
What I was mehhhh about
- The plot........yeah. This book was kinda long and I kept waiting for things to happen. I kept waiting for Simon and Gemma to escape the prison and go to space. And while that did happen it took a really long time to get there. I wanted to learn more about the world that Hope had created and I wanted to encounter the different species of aliens. Instead were mostly stuck in the prison, with Gemma's Aunt, the Dr.'s office, and the town. I felt like we were building to something a bit different and I was bummed that it took till 90% for us to finally get to space.
- I also think the book could've been shortened a bit.
All in all I could not put down Homebound and I really enjoyed this take on an alien sci-fi romance!
January 10, 2021
Found this recommendation by Ruby Dixon- really good story (almost a 5).
It is gritty and a sad, hard world but I appreciate the lightness and humor our heroine Gemma has and her interactions with Simon. She gets to talk to him in a completely irreverent manner which (of course) takes him by surprise. Slow burn story.
This story is greatly detailed, and practical I might say, considering our heroines' debate to herself about trying to smuggle yogurt into the prison using the body cavities most people try to use. Too funny.
You cheer for the good guys, hate the bad guys and the aliens are well described and interesting- especially the Little Green Man. The prison was portrayed well but I think the best part was how Simon became alive when Gemma came along. They became each others' reason to live.
It is gritty and a sad, hard world but I appreciate the lightness and humor our heroine Gemma has and her interactions with Simon. She gets to talk to him in a completely irreverent manner which (of course) takes him by surprise. Slow burn story.
This story is greatly detailed, and practical I might say, considering our heroines' debate to herself about trying to smuggle yogurt into the prison using the body cavities most people try to use. Too funny.
You cheer for the good guys, hate the bad guys and the aliens are well described and interesting- especially the Little Green Man. The prison was portrayed well but I think the best part was how Simon became alive when Gemma came along. They became each others' reason to live.
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