My female matches two Vetusians: me, and the warrior she just killed.Fate is unpredictable. One moment I lose my destined female. The very next, I walk in on the kill of the other male who intended to claim her. For the Empire, the punishment for murder is death; her execution inevitable. Until I steal Katie and her daughter away to Odheim. A planet where all the ugliness of the universe comes … ugliness of the universe comes together, including the darkest memories of my past.
I’m a sgu’dal, an ex-addict.
The shame of the healer stratum.
But unsuitable, I am not, and now is the time for me to prove it. I will protect Katie and Grace from the grim reaches of injustice, even if it means I have to redefine the meaning of fate.
Matched is the second book in this interconnected romance series, taking us beyond the borders of Garrison Earth. If you enjoy resilient women, devoted aliens, fated mates, and hard-earned happily ever after’s with no cliffhangers, you’ll love Garrison Earth.
Author Note: The entire Garrison Earth series touches on subjects such as captivity, drug abuse, forced prostitution, loss of loved ones, human trafficking, rough handling, and violence. Any reader uncomfortable with the harsh realities of an alien invasion should please consider before purchase.
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This book was like a movie in my head, better than the first in this series! I couldn’t stop reading it once I started. It was so compelling! The characters were all so realistically drawn, they felt like real people to me. The action was non-stop, even when I thought I knew what was coming, I was surprised quite a few times. The setting was so fully described that I felt like I could smell the hallways of the whorehouse and feel the grittiness in the air. I loved this second book in the series more than I liked the first one, which is crazy because that one was good too, and I’m definitely moving on to the next one, probably tomorrow though, because, sleep, but if I could force myself to stay up without busting my face with my Kindle, I’d start it tonight, lol!
Katie finds not all warriors are the same!
by sewsummore
Although this is book two in the series, I had no trouble following the storyline. Melek believes that his fated mate Katie has been matched with another warrior. Despite his protests, he is separated from Katie and allows himself to fall into bad habits with alcohol. At the same time, Katie is finding it hard to warm to the Warrior she has been matched with and finds it hard to express her distaste for her alleged mate. Things come to a head when he nearly rapes her. In an attempt to fight back, she hits him with a heavy object and kills him. Melek fears something terrible has happened to his mate and finds her badly beaten and hurt and her supposed mate dead. He whisks her from the scene of the crime together with her teenage daughter. They escape to a neutral planet for safety. Their story does not end there but continues, but you will have to buy the book to discover what happens next. This story had me hooked from the beginning. Melek as a broken man after losing his “fated mate,” however, he proves his love for her, and she finds herself more attracted to her savior as time passes.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I love this world. The beginning was a bit uncertain for me, but I got into it quickly. This 2nd book pulls us away from Garrison Earth and we learn much about the past and other aliens. Love it . Can’t wait for more.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Melek has been matched to his anam ghail, his mate but oddly enough to she has also been matched to someone else. He is adamant that something is wrong That she can’t be matched to Kidman as well but the Vetusians don’t want to admit that he might be right, this as it’s supposed to be a fool proof matching system for finding mates that they have. Katie doesn’t know about Melek all she knows is that it doesn’t feel right with Kidan.
Melek saves Katie and Grace, her daughter and goes to a safe place until he can find a way to solve the problem so they will be safe and free.
It’s a brilliant story and I loved Melek, he is kind and caring and only has Katie’s best interests at heart. You get wrapped up in the story from the beginning and I didn’t want to stop reading.
It can be read as a stand alone but I would suggest you read Captured first as you will know some of the characters mentioned in this book.
What I love is that they are full length books and I feel I really get invested in the characters. I am so looking forward to reading about Grace and Takel’s story and hopefully Kael’s as well.
Totally recommend this, absolutely loved it.
Brilliant 5 stars – This book is more than a romance story. It is a statement on bias, corruption, abuse of women, slavery and government arrogance on their vulnerability. It has a rich and well-developed plot that takes you beyond the steamy sex and love between Melek and Katie. Even though it involves aliens, it has that realistic feel because of the hardships they have to overcome. Brilliant story and can’t wait for the next one. [I received an advanced copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.]
First let me state that I received an advanced reader copy, (ARC), but this in no way influences my review. I always leave an honest review.
Holy shiznet!!! This story is just as gr8 as the first, and you don’t need to read Book 1 to understand book 2. I couldn’t put it down. I recommend this read. 5 Thumbs up
Well worth reading!
Another good book in this series but wished there was a little bit more world building. I received a free copy of this book. This review was posted voluntarily.
I really enjoyed this book. Melek is my book alien boyfriend! Supposedly Kiden and Melek have both been matched to Katie, a single mom to teenage Grace. But when Kiden decides to “claim” Katie without her permission, a fight ensues, she is hurt and Kiden is killed. Melek walks in, knows the penalty for killing another is death, so takes an unconscious Katie and Grace off planet to safety. I love how Melek has taken his past problems, which is there for the world to see, and overcomes them to make himself a stronger man. I love Katie’s strength, determination, and firey attitude. And Grace was a great surprise. The book has great twists and turns, a surprise or two, and steaminess to spare. Great flow, great pace, a great read. And free to read with your KU Subscription.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Story line is great and I loved the characters. I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it! Unexpected twists and turns had me reading this book in one sitting. Great storyline and character development made this book a hot and enjoyable read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I had read Captured by this author and while I liked it, parts of it for me were too drawn out. I found this story moved at a much better pace and while Katie did have her moments of histrionics she was able to roll with the punches a lot better I thought.
Being on the run with her daughter and being beholding to a male is something that chaffs the normally self-sufficient Katie, for her males are not to be believed or trusted with your well-being. The fact that Melek is a recovering drug addict who brought her and her daughter to a brothel to recover is not instilling confidence in her.
As time passes and his actions show not only his devotion to both of them but who he is behind the ugly past allows Katie to let down her guard a bit.
These two must work together to figure out how Katie became matched with two Vetusian males and how to get her a stay of execution for the murder of one of them.
There are some very dark parts to this story and if you are not comfortable with torture or the realities of what happens when you are taken as a slave then this story is not for you.
The ending seemed to fizzle a little but it didn’t lessen the intensity of the majority of the book which was a good read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
When Katie submitted to the DNA testing to identify a mate, she was never expected to have two mate possibilities! One of them, Kidan, attempts to rape her and in the resulting struggle to defend herself, she kills him.
One of the worst things to be in that world is a drug-addict since not only is it shameful, but the Vetusians can recognize one because of their eyes. Melek had been addicted and was still fighting his temptations. But he wanted to be better, wanted to be worthy, and to earn the love and trust of Katie, his identified mate, after her run-in with Kidan.
Melek does rescue her, along with her 15-year-old daughter, Grace, and they escape to an amnesty planet where they had hopes of living without facing the death penalty for murder. Would they truly be safe there, however? Is there any way for them to escape bounty hunters who would ignore rules and insist on bringing them back? Will they find out what else is going on and why Katie ended up with TWO mates which is not what is supposed to happen?
I loved this story. Melek and Katie are mates and he walks in when she is killing her other match. It seems as if her other match was being disgusting she took care of it. Sometimes human men and alien men have the same affliction. Melek and Katie with her daughter Grace flee to another planet but will they ever be able to live free? Especially from bounty hunter that are sent to retrieve them? I look forward to reading more of this series. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I loved the first book and this one is even better! Being matched to the wrong partner can be a nightmare. Having the right partner come in and save the day is a dream come true. Melek and Katie are characters with emotions and actions that take your breath away. Katie is a strong female character and Melek is what we all want in a partner, someone who is willing to do anything for you, even die. This is a great book. Warning there is some graphic sex and violence in the book, but it compliments the story doesn’t become the story. I would highly recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Excellent as the previous book, character introduction and its further development is very well done and comprehensible, everything harmoniously composed with a well-tempered drama, romantic moments of relaxation and crackling between the sheets.
There are some unvarnished aspects of the content, which have to be carefully sorted and digested, but they are not presented in an exaggerated way, the own imagination and some thinking is needed.
I am really glad to have stumbled upon V.K. Ludwig and I am glad that Vienna Invasion is never completed so quickly. I am looking forward to the next follow-up books.
An author I will keep an eye on, because the stories are captivating, exciting, interesting and damn well told, sci-fi at it’s best.
Someone is stealing mate matches. Something went wrong when Katie was matched with a Vestuvian. She didn’t know it but she was matched with two mates and the first one to claim her tried to rape her. But Melek knew he was her true mate, saves her, and whisks she and her daughter Grace to another planet, one where he lived before, hoping they can stay hidden. But while there she has to overcome the trauma of the attempted rape, killing the man, and trying to stray safe. They learn that the man she killed was not her true mate, but bought her match. Someone has hacked into the main data and is stealing mate matches and selling them to the highest bidder. Now they have to get proof, because if they are caught they will be executed. I loved Melek. He lived through a lot of tough things and came out stronger. Katie too got pregnant in high school and had to raise her daughter alone. Now as mates they have each other to take care of. They aren’t alone anymore. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review
We met Melek in Captured. He is a healer who has recovered from his addiction to souldust and is now looked down upon by Vetusians who can recognize them because of their two colored eyes. Katie has submitted to DNA testing to find her mate, but she has two mates! When her other mate, Kiden, tries to rape her, she fights him and kills him. Melek rescues her and her 15 year old daughter Grace. They go to a planet that is known as the amnesty planet and try to survive. Eventually, there are bounty hunters sent after them and Melek needs to find a way for them to live together openly. This series is the best I’ve read in world building. I know the author has one more book in the series, but I hope she considers continuing the series. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The writing and editing were both excellent, from what I could see in the ARC version of this manuscript. This author knows how to write really pretty sentences. The world building in this novel was more minimal than it was in the first novel in the series, and I personally would have enjoyed a little bit more physical description of this world. I know a lot of romance readers prefer an author not spend any more time on world building than is essential for the plot, however. The characterization in this novel was incredible, which seems to be a hallmark of this author. The heroine really came alive, and her recovery from trauma seemed so respectfully and realistically written. The hero and his struggle with the shame and discrimination he faced due to his previous addiction was so thoughtfully done. It was wonderful to see a former addict who had gone clean but still occasionally struggled with temptation as the hero of a sci-fi romance novel. Yay representation! The development of the romantic relationship between these two was naturally and organically done, with me the reader really appreciating the fact that the heroine was not ready for a new romantic relationship for quite a while after her assault, and the hero realizing that and giving her all the space she needed until she was really ready to go there. This novel’s pacing was a little slower than in the first novel in the series, but the plot was super well done and interesting, with the slowly unraveling mystery of how the heroine got Matched to two different men being revealed at just the right time. There was a fair amount of well deserved angst in this novel, but I thoroughly enjoyed it because it was rooted in these characters’ trauma and caused by or contributed to by the high stakes plot elements driving this story forward. This is how to write angst so that readers who don’t typically enjoy it will totally buy in! This novel uses the Fated Mates trope and the Mars Needs Women trope, but it also uses the Woman Recovering from Abuse trope. I personally enjoy that trope because it gives me hope in the context of a romance novel. The characterization, plot, pacing, and development of the romantic relationship all rates five stars. I detracted one star from the overall score because I would have liked more vibrant world building, but I am a reader who really enjoys world building. This novel ends on a Happy Ever After Ending instead of a cliffhanger, so that is a big plus to this series so far. I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy romance novels with suspense or political intrigue, even if you don’t usually read sci-fi romance. I think this series has strong cross-genre appeal. I am planning on getting myself a keeper copy of this novel for sure!
I received an ARC of this novel and am voluntarily reviewing it.
All You Need Is An Alien…
by and1515
Wow hands down V.K Ludwig is a sensational writer with quite an imagination.
Melek knows she’s his but there’s an unforeseen complication that could keep her from him. Katie is trying to raise her teen daughter alone, she’s been matched with someone who’s proven to be extremely forward in his pursuit.
Their worlds collide when Melek stumbles upon Katie in a desperate situation and he’ll do anything to protect Katie and her daughter.
This book totally rocks it’s absolutely fascinating the shifts and exciting turns and I’d love to read more books like this one.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.