Rating: 2.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novella
Derek Herman is trying to live his life, but he has no one to turn to. Before he was born, Earth was taken over by aliens that control the minds of humans, except Derek is not affected. He goes to work, but feels scared all of the time, especially when he runs into his neighbor, Ocren Starburst.
Ocren knows he’s too obsessed with Derek. Whenever he sees him, he wants to just hold him forever, which ends up in him scaring Derek away. After four years, Derek runs the other way when he sees Ocren. But now, Derek thinks Ocren has broken into his apartment and Derek has had enough. Except, while the button Derek found on his floor is the same kind Ocren has on his police uniform, it’s not Ocren’s.
Ocren can’t handle that someone wants to hurt Derek and, after years of keeping his dragon hidden, his dragon now wants to end anyone who even looks in Derek’s direction. Ocren has had issues with rage control in the past and one more incident will be the end of life as he knows it. But Ocren wants Derek as his mate and he needs to keep Derek safe while convincing him that being together could be right for both of them.
This book seemed promising to me as it opened. We learn that Earth has been taken over by aliens that control the minds of humans; humans don’t have much, if any, say in their lives; and Derek is unaffected by the mind control. However, why no one has noticed that Derek is unaffected before this is not explained.
That’s the issue I had with much of the book then as it progressed—not enough was explained. We do get Ocren’s backstory and learn where he fits into the alien society, but then it was all chaotic or bland for me. Derek is fine when he learns that Ocren is a dragon, we never learn why Derek is the only one not affected by the mind control other than his mind is “exquisite,” and the ending felt unfinished. I also didn’t feel any chemistry between Derek and Ocren. We are told they are mates, but it wasn’t enough to sell me on a forever relationship between them.
Holly Day is the paranormal pen name for author Ofelia Grand, so if you like that author’s style, this one then might work better for you.
