Doryan: Fated Mate Alien Romance

This is a good addition to the series about Detyen warriors. Doryan is a “soulless” warrior who knows it is time for him to be retired. He is getting ready to meet with his superior for that determination. It is all okay until he sees Amy. She awakens something in him. Amy is a retired cop, now PI looking for new clients and definitely not the usual female in most romance stories. Not only is she intelligent and strong, she is older than the expected heroine. There is a “bad guy” who just won’t go away and some good action scenes with a murder mystery. The sex is tasteful and frequent. I received a free copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

Doryan is book 9 in the Mated to the Alien series, and though they are all billed as a standalone, I would feel comfortable saying that you should really read some of the previous books (at least a few back) in order to fully appreciate this one. You CAN read it by itself, but you'll be doing a lot of picking up clues. Also, you'll miss the fun of SO MANY CAMEOS from previous books. That was a lot of fun in this book-getting to catch up with all those old characters; including some from the Detyen Warrior series! This book honestly felt like a series crossover, and it really was (don't have to read any of the Warrior series as everything from that is clearly explained, but it was fun). This is our first real Soulless encounter in the series, and I really enjoyed how it went. Doryan and Manda were rescued by Braxtyn NaZade and his mate in the last book and brought home to Earth. Doryan is a Soulless, but his years in captivity have changed him and he has found, at the very least a desire to live, which has him delaying returning to the legion. The NaZade family pretty much adopts the pair and that dynamic is very sweet-ESPECIALLY how accepting and protective they are over Doryan knowing he's a Soulless. The relationship between Amy and Doryan follows a similar path to any of the previous Soulless books if you've read them, and that involves a lot of confusion and a good bit of pain, but with that saving grace touch of hope. Amy is pretty awesome and mostly well rounded person, which was great for Doryan, honestly. They made a very sweet couple. The promise of Deke's future book has me waiting but also feeling so sad for him! Poor guy. If you like your mate's destined, a little bit of a who-done-it mystery, some action, a good dose of steam, and some rather touching family moments, I think you'll enjoy this book.

Much as I loved Doryan and the story I was rather disappointed that the murders Amy is investigating aren't solved in a satisfying manner. It seemed tied up rather too neatly, and, as a huge fan of real-life crime I found the seemed almost too 'convenient'. Without better evidence they'd never get a conviction! Apart from that it was a great story as Doryan fights against the thoughts and feelings he cannot have as a 'soulless' Detyen. Is he devolving and 'fixating' on Amy or is something else wrong with him? Will the Legion retire him when they know? Doryan really tugged at my heart as he is so damaged by his time imprisoned/enslaved in the depths of space. If anyone deserved something good it is him. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.