Stud

Stud by Cheryl Brooks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Review to come.  I'm still putting my thoughts together.  This one, I wasn't sure I'd like more than the others.  I can say it was much meatier.  After the beginning which I was kind of bored with, it became much better.  I read the acknowledgements and the light bulb went off in my head.  Now I know why this one appealed to me better than the others. 

Updated Review

Tarq is a man in the wrong time.  He can survive in the wild but in civilization, his strengths do not help him.  I can't imagine what life would be like, being unable to read.  In this day and age, with the necessity of literacy to get around, I can't fathom how well Tarq has survived.  Tarq is a "stud" in a non flattering way.  Basically, he spends his life squirting sperm into women who pay him to have a night of passionate sex.  If they get pregnant, even better, more population for his dying race.  He has over 500 children. 

I enjoyed the first couple of books in this series, but after a while, they started to lose my interest.  The stories were mostly fluff and filled with alien sex.  Amazing tasty sex, but they were missing substance.  In this latest one, I'm wooed back to the series.  The conflict was more realistic for me.  Alien haters who try to wipe out innocent aliens was pretty good as the main plot.  The world in this book felt meatier as the band of persecuted refugees tried to make it through dangerous terrain.  I'm a big fan of survival stories so this was right up my alley.  The attention to detail on how basic weaponry was created impressed me.  Instead of glossing over how a tool came to be, Ms. Brooks demonstrated and showed how tools were created.  This is a departure from her previous books.

The relationship between Tarq and Lucinda grew in a realistic way for me.  The fears and doubt each held for the other was rather sad yet believable.  Both characters pulled me into the story line more.  While they could have easily overcome their fears with open communication, in real life, how many people are this open?  Very few, is what I've learned.  I was rooting for the two of them coming together.  It was nice to see two non perfect characters with complementary strengths pair up.  I love this type of relationship romance story.  I recommend this futuristic fantasy romance story to those who enjoy a regular guy stepping up to become a hero.  If you enjoy smexy hot sex, this book is also for you.



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