Review: Game on Askole

Game on Askole by Gail Koger
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars



Humourous, erotic and action packed, GAME ON ASKOLE is a delight. This series is one of the feel good books I enjoy reading. Ms. Koger's writing voice is distinctive and a pleasure to read. It is smooth and with a jovial cadence with a healthy heap of snark. Her female characters tend to blend into one another just as the males do. Although it is a bit easier to remember the males due to their... male member.

This specific story I've been waiting on because I love reading about tentacle sex. There is something so depraved, dark and deviant with tentacles plucking, restraining and probing. Some may find it to be way too kinky. I found it to be just right. It's vanilla tentacle sex, if I would categorize it. Tihar is the alien in question. He showed up in previous stories and he fits the male alien prototype. He's an alpha male on the hunt for his mate. He wants a Jones female because they excel in bed sports and they have psychic power. What more could a male want? A bit of obedience would be nice. Is that too much to ask for? Apparently, for a Jones female, it is not only improbably but impossible.

Sarah is one of the female Jones who have been holding out and avoiding getting stuck with these Neanderthal aliens. When an Askole captures her and seduces her with his many black appendages, she falls head over heels for him, in only a bratty Jones female manner. This story is a little different in the conflict because rather than just protecting Sarah, Tihar comes across out of character compared to how he came across in earlier books. He is heartless and needlessly cruel to Sarah. It is a sad and uncomfortable experience to watch a previously confident woman come close to being destroyed by a male. A male that she has not even known that long. This is where the story does drag a bit for me. It was painful to watch Sarah's neglect and vulnerabilities come out in full force. This plot device was needed to make this story work, but it felt a bit harsh, perhaps heavy handed to me. Still, it does get the point across and moves this story arc forward.

The chemistry between Tihar and Sarah is palpable. Their erotic scenes are delicious as the many "arms" come out to play. It does get a little kinky, just right to keep this story spicy. The few sex scenes help enhance this paranormal romance and keep its sensual appeal. I really enjoy this series and wish it would be picked up by a cable network like Syfy or Starz. I think this would make an excellent mini series with the colour characters and hawt sex. Recommended for space opera fans who enjoy relationship challenges between an alpha male and a headstrong female.