Vaka by Keira Conrad

3 Stars

This novel was fairly well written and edited, with not too many typos that I found in the ARC version of this manuscript. The world building was fairly interesting, with the landscape of the dragon's world and village not being very vibrantly described. The characterization was competent, wit both hero and heroine being fairly sympathetic individuals. The development of the romantic relationship may be the strength of this novel, though the hero's unwillingness to commit tends to be my least favorite hero type in a romance novel. My fantasy is more men in romance novels who see the heroine and say, "Mine!" The plot and pacing was alright, with the evil alien enemies of the dragons being an ever-present threat that drove the plot forward and made me want to know what was going to happen next. The angst was medium in this story, but the stakes were very high. Unfortunately, the author did not have the angst in this novel caused by the high stakes or setup of this plot, which was a missed opportunity and meant I did not enjoy the angst in this novel. This novel uses the Breeder trope of sci-fi romance, and also the Refusal to Communicate trope, which is my least favorite trope in romance. The world building, plot, and pacing rated three stars. The characterization and development of the romantic relationship also rated three stars. Therefore, the combined score for this novel was three stars. This novel has a Happy Ever After ending instead of a cliffhanger, so that is a big plus for this novel. I recommend this alien breeder sci-fi romance to readers who enjoy such romances on Kindle Unlimited. I do not plan to buy myself a keeper copy of this novel, though I enjoyed it. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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