Lilibet Bombshell's Reviews > Seminal

I read Pheromone and freaking loved it so much, but I didn’t write a review for it. I don’t remember why. Knowing me, I meant to and forgot. After I finished Seminal, though, I knew I had to write one because this series is absolutely phenomenal and I need people to get up and not sleep on it.

I don’t usually go for the alien romances where the aliens aren’t humanoid. I know, right? I wasn’t even a fan of Ice Planet Barbarians. There’s something about Stunich, however, that always makes me want to give any genre or trope a try. She’s a terrific writer with fabulous FMCs, an absolutely hilarious sense of humor, and I’ve always enjoyed how sex-positive her writing is. There’s no shame in Stunich’s game, folks.

Stunich has always had such a talent for writing dialogue and creating an amazing amount of sexual tension and chemistry between her love interests that even I, as someone who doesn’t get hot for non-humanoid aliens, was able to feel flushed and squirmy during the spicy stuff because the “alien” aspect of everything was almost the last thing I was thinking about–it was the snap, crackle, and pop of how intense everything felt between Eve and the aliens she’s falling for.

A lot of stuff happened in Seminal, but somehow the book didn’t seem rushed or crammed. That’s proof of good writing, pacing, and editing. Eve has a lot thrown at her, but there are MMCs and supporting characters to help absorb some of the exposition and some of the emotional blows. Poor Avril gets to bear the brunt of Eve’s reckless, stubborn, and sometimes careless behavior, but honestly she’s one of my favorite characters (and the inside jokes between Rurik and Eve about how they should go about killing her made me snicker continuously).

I love that Eve and Rurik both have some internal conflicts regarding the physiological manipulation that their bodies and minds are going through to make them compatible mates, but I love that Eve wants to find a way to free Rurik from the same fate as his father, too. Rurik truly wants to be a good mate and king, but there’s a lot of deprogramming to do there. Officer Hyt? Oh, you poor baby. And steady, protective, fierce, dedicated, loving Abraxas. I love him to the moon and to Saturn.

I can’t wait for Venery, which should be out soon. I never thought that I’d be so happy for a side project that took Stunich away from the F*ckboy Psychos series, but I am.

This review was written without any offer of compensation. All opinions, thoughts, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone.