Recommend by: Riley

Today I am talking about Cari Silverwood’s Preyfinders series. Last December, I read and enjoyed Cyberella, which takes place in the same universe. I really like the world described in Cyberella, so I decided to read Preyfinders to find out more about that universe.

Preyfinders is composed of one novella and two not-too-long novels. According to Amazon, the page count is 525. All together, it makes for one good long novel you can really sink your teeth into.

Since I am really talking about three books, I will try to avoid spoilers, but no guarantees. Proceed at your own risk!

I can divide the three-book story into two main parts.

The first is the romantic/sexual part. There are four couples made up of alien males – the Preyfinders – and Earth women. Preyfinders hunt females, use a nano-chem to draw them in, and then make them Preyfinder pets. They (the aliens) think it is just that 3-step-easy. Of course, since these are Earth women, being turned into a pet is not exactly something that is on their list of acceptable relationship paradigms. So the Preyfinders will be challenged every step of the way. But to make things interesting, the Earth women are attracted to the aliens.  Of course.  It has to be that way since it is a romance.  In true Cari Silverwood style, there will be a number of erotic sex scenes.  Warning: with each installment in the series, the sex became more explicit.  Ms. Silverwood does successfully tie most of the erotic scenes in with pertinent plot points. But some sex scenes were just – there – and felt a bit awkward.  Especially since Earth was in the middle of a major crises throughout most of the book.

The second main part of the book is the SciFi part. There is an ongoing battle with the Bak-lal. The Bak-lal are major creepy bad aliens that have been storming across the universe in an attempt to take it over. They have an insidious (think horror movie) process that turns the indiginous population of any planet into Bak-lal soldiers. Somehow, many years ago, they got a foothold on Earth, but remained buried for who knows how long. In Preyfinders, the Bak-lal will emerge and Earth will become a major battle ground with these monsters.

One of the things I appreciated about Preyfinders is that there was not a big to-do about aliens showing up on Earth. By aliens, I mean the Preyfinders and their fellow Iggrak and Freya soldiers. The good guys. This was evident in two ways. First, the women that connect with the aliens just accept their alienness. And second, when the Bak-lal come out of hiding, Earth’s governments seem to have no problem with the alien soldiers that arrive to help them out. No, it does not seem at all realistic that the Earth governments would not be raising a big stink about the sudden arrival of creatures from outer space. But in a planetary crisis, perhaps that is how things would really be. At any rate, the story is about the conflict with the Bak-lal, not Earth authority, so it worked.

These two main parts of the story I have described – the romance and the SciFi were combined via the couples. Each of the four women has a unique hidden talent that sets them apart from the average human woman. That uniqueness becomes more pronounced, even enhanced, when they finally bond with their mate. And that uniqueness may just be something that will be vital in the war with the Bak-lal.

The Preyfinder series is full of characters, both alien and human, that have charm, intelligence and depth. There are hunky males and intelligent females, with all of the main characters being strong and brave, even as they face their fears. Even the main evil Bak-lal factory queen is fascinating.  The reader gets a disturbing glimpse of her thoughts and frame of reference from time to time.

Here are a few other things I appreciated about Preyfinders (in no particular order):

• Katana
• Sparrow
• Knives and Forks
• Popstar
• Alice in Wonderland
• Doomslagger (I just like the word ‘Doomslagger’.)

With each of the three separate stories in the Preyfinders trilogy, I enjoyed learning more about the universe, the people out there, their culture and beliefs. Even though most of this series takes place on Earth, the fact that I have read Cyberella combined with what I learned in Preyfinders makes me wish the author would revisit this universe again.

By the way. Not that you have to read one to appreciate the other, but after reading Preyfinders, some of my questions from Cyberella are answered.

 

The author provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Because this discussion covers the entire story arc and is less about the individual stories, I’m including the book blurbs here:

Precious Sacrifice

Jadd is an Igrakk Warrior, honed like the sharpest blade, to kill and to command his men, but his conscience gets in the way. When punishment entails becoming a Preyfinder and trialling the Pet-creating drug on a human called Brittany, he plans to stay calm and do his duty. Until he falls in love.

A Preyfinder is trained to withstand hardship and pain, but Jadd would rather kneel before a firestorm than leave his captive, Brittany, to be stalked and killed. The choice between love and loyalty to his soldier brothers may tear him in two.

 

Intimidator

Willow has her hands full scraping out a life in a grungy neighborhood where drugs and crime are the norm. Life is hard, but it’s about to get harder. Being transformed into a sexual pet for an alien warrior may be her only way out.

But Stom, the man she’s been awarded to as a battle honor, has no use for a female, not when his heart is still in a million pieces.

Though the need to be Stom’s mate is overwhelming her, mending his heart isn’t going to be enough. His enemies are searching, looking for the women who are more than they seem, and she’s in their hands before she discovers she’s more-than-human.

 

Defiler

Our Earth is on the edge of destruction, our cities are pocked with missile craters, and beneath the surface the alien factory queen lurks.

Four women of power may be our saviors. The last is Talia. Gifted by earth magic with a mastery of edged weapons, she’s a katana-wielding, geek chick with a loathing of alpha men. Though bond mating enhances magic, she knows mating with aliens must be wrong. Besides, her destined bond mate, Brask, is an Igraak warrior of the caveman persuasion. One dominant male is bad enough. Dassenze, the alien man-god in the flesh, also desires her and no isn’t a word he appreciates.

As they near their target, Talia’s man problems become the lesser of many evils, for the factory queen awaits them with her nerve chewers and her drills. The price for being avenging, kickass heroines could be a messy death.

 

Warning: Dominance and submission themes, hot aliens, and gory violence. Mild horror too if you’re squeamish.

 

Links:

Cari Silverwood’s Blog

Preyfinders on Goodreads

Buy links – If you are interested in the individual stories in the Preyfinder trilogy, click the book covers beside the blurbs above.  The all-in-one trilogy is the best buy though!  Amazon Links: