SOUL OF A WARRIOR

An action-packed paranormal romance featuring alien vampires and werewolves.

Holm’s debut novel tells the story of Kimi, a young woman who runs into some very unusual characters. Feeling ill one night, she leaves her bar-waitressing job early, and a man who calls himself Tallyn abducts her. He soon explains that he’s from the planet Laizahlia, which has two different species of sentient creatures. He describes his own race as being akin to shape-shifters or werewolves, and she learns that a man at her workplace, Neyvarre, is a member of the other species, which are similar to vampires. Each of these alien creatures can only reproduce with a single person, who has the other half of their soul. Kimi is Neyvarre’s mate, and it turns out that her friend and roommate, Amanda, is Tallyn’s. However, neither woman desires an arranged relationship to a man from another planet; in fact, they want to get as far as they can from these seemingly deranged men. Before they can do so, however, two more extraterrestrial visitors show up—and they’re not so kind. There’s never a dull moment in this novel, which features violence, treachery, interplanetary travel and steamy love scenes. This paranormal romance’s sci-fi element provides an intriguing twist, although at times, the many plotlines become tangled and confusing. This is particularly true in scenes set on Laizahlia, where the introduction of new characters with different motivations adds new wrinkles to the plot. The third-person narration tells the story primarily from Kimi’s perspective, and she appealingly retains her casual, down-to-earth mentality even when she’s transported to a distant planet. Overall, the author’s easygoing style helps to keep this complex tale accessible.

Readers who can suspend their disbelief will likely enjoy this fast-paced sci-fi romance, which leaves room for a potential sequel.