Zorak (Lunar Uprising 1) by Cyndi Friberg-a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 18, 2021

When Cat’s father is kidnapped by her alien boss she turns to Zorak, one of the mysterious lunar raiders “cultivated” by the aliens to protect Earth. Cat isn’t sure she can trust Zorak, but she has nowhere else to turn. Lunar raiders are ruthless hybrids created for war, so why does Zorak make her feel safe? She has never been so intensely attracted to anyone before and has a hard time believing her feelings are real. They’re surrounded by conflict and deceit, and Cat’s father isn’t the only one in danger. If they can’t learn the truth about the aliens, the entire human race could be enslaved.

••••••

REVIEW: ZORAK is the first instalment in Cyndi Friberg’s sci-fi/paranormal romance series. This is lunar raider / guardian Zorak Savoy, and Catriona Barco’s story line.

SOME BACKGROUND: Eight years earlier, six Pylorian spaceships arrived on Earth asking for asylum claiming they were fleeing their immortal enemy, the wolf-like Morax, but in the ensuing years, the Pylorian began to take control, using their considerable powers to force the governments of Earth to do their bidding. In an effort to protect Earth, the Pylorian’s claim to have cultivated aka created the lunar raiders, a hybrid of three alien species (Morax, Pylorian, Dox Tory) one of which reacts instantly when their destined mate is near.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Zorak and Cat) ZORAK follows the building relationship and mating between lunar raider Zorak Savoy and Catriona Barco. Catriona Barco, a human ambassador at large between the Pylorians and the US Government, despises her position as assistant to Advisor Erot, a Pylorian warrior who demands more from our heroine than she is able to give but when her father is imprisoned by Advisor Erot, Catriona finds herself asking for help from a group of ‘cultivated’ hybrid aliens, known as lunar raiders, created to protect Earth from the marauding Morax. Enter lunar raider Zorak Savoy, and the male with whom Cat will fall in love. What ensues is the building relationship between Cat and Zorak, as the lunar raiders begin to uncover the truth, as they set out to rescue our heroine’s father.

The relationship between Cat and Zorak is one of immediate attraction predicated upon fated mates, and DNA. Cat acknowledges there is definitely something between them but refuses to accept Zorak’s claiming until she fully understands his need to mate. As the story line progresses, Zorak’s need for his mate intensifies with every encounter. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the stop, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including lunar raiders Zorak’s friend Prime Commander Vosic Parso, recon-class commander Leko, munitions-class commander Rogar; medic-class commander Benlon, Cat’s father Matthew Barco; DC One Governor Yaved Kreth, infantry class Dracus, Secretary of State Danielle Schweitzer, Ambassador to the UN and Cat’s friend Marisol Conti, and Morax adolescent Max.

ZORAK is a tale of specieism and discrimination, power and control. A detailed introductory story that reveals some of the history and background between planets, the different species, and the war that destroyed so many lives. The Pylorians are determined to destroy everyone they consider beneath them and unworthy, using Earth and her moon to secure their position within the system. The premise is engaging and entertaining; the romance is captivating and seductive; the characters are colorful, determined and animated.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy