Unfrozen (Valos of Sonhadra Book 9) Kindle Edition

I started this book as a casual read, but I didn't expect it to take me hostage until I finished it 😂 I could NOT put this book down and I stayed up way later than I should have, but it was worth every minute, and what a beautiful HEA! 🥰💖

Unfrozen (Valos of Sonhadra Book 9) by Regine Abel, is one in a sci-fi romance series, the shared vision of nine sci-fi and fantasy romance authors. Each book is “a standalone, containing its own Happy Ever After, and can be read in any order”.In this book Unfrozen, an orbital prison (for women) from Earth is torn through a wormhole and crashes on an unknown planet. Lydia, the protagonist of the story, and seemingly the only survivor. has special body characteristics that made her a subject for experimentation on the ship, and her escape is somewhat liberating. But in this new world, she has to determine quickly what would eat her and what she must eat. She shows later that she has a tremendous appetite which must be satisfied to keep her energy up, as she steals away to find food and water. Lydia experiences wild beasts and a climate contrary to Earth; ice versus her warmth. She endures these and she discovers more challenges as the ice city she gets to seems uninhabited, except for Kai, a native who is fascinated by this strange creature from the sky.They set about engaging each other. learning their language, and merging skills to defeat danger, and to restore the natives to their former life conditions. Only Lydia can save them but she must face and overcome physical obstacles, and adverse reactions of the restoration. She and Kai get closer together in learning and understanding each other, and he is sworn to protect her. In the process of facing many adventures and saving his tribe, Lydia and Kai fall in love.I like the characters in this book. Lydia is strong, brave and loyal; a true heroine not killing as in the usual sense of war, but saving lives. They both see as ‘strange’ words and actions from the other, and perhaps designating it as such removes a lot of interpersonal friction. Kai has physical characteristics that will surprise you in their effects. With Kai’s constant promise to protect her, and her own resolution, she exposes herself to death in rescuing his tribe. Kai matches her strength with a lover’s tenacity, and the two make for a tense but warm story. The story is well written and told at a clip that holds the reader’s interest with wonder (and humor) at the safety of the heroine and the natives. In the end, it’s all Happily Ever After. Dangerous yet playful...

Unfrozen is the ninth book in the fiction series Valos of Sonhadra, which is a collection of 9 fiction books from 9 different authors. And am I glad that I read it! This extremely interesting story starts with a prison for women from Earth that's sent into outer space. Our protagonist Lydia is one of the prisoners who is being experimented on by the cruel and sadistic scientist on board. When the prison enters a wormhole and crashes on another plane does the story really begin.Kai is as fascinated by Lydia as she is by him. His planet has been frozen over and Lydia, with her warmth and special powers, is the only one that can save the natives, restoring them back to their old selves. This is a wonderfully written story; both characters see each other as strange and fascinating, taking out the discomfort and friction from their interactions.They become strong allies, standing together when everything seems lost, and it looks like Lydia may not succeed in saving Kai and his planet. This is a really warm and toasty story that's so realistic and relateable even though it's sci-fi. A total must read.

Lydia is a prisoner that survives the crash of the ship on which she and several women were imprisoned, tortured, and experimented. She makes her way to a city of ice and encounters Kai, a sexy and gentle make valos, who seeks to put her at easy. Because of her gifts with heat and cold, Lydia is able to retrieve the heartstone of Kai and his people- well, initially just the males. Eventually, Lydia risks her life to retrieve the heartstones of the female valos and is accepted as an honorary valos.The story has many, many sweet moments and a few tense ones. And the romance blossoms beautifully and gently, without the anger and angst found in some stories. This is my kind of story. Kai and Lydia don't waste precious time fighting their attraction. Eventually, they-and the valos-get their happily ever after.I found this series after I recently stumbled upon and liked the work of husband and wife team, Tiffany Roberts. I've only read this book and Tiffany's in the series (Regine's is my favorite) as I dislike multiple partners in romance stories. So, I know I won't be reading the others. But, this story is awesome and I loved that the author depicted the heroine with brown skin and kinky/curly hair. I've been reading romance books since I was 12 and, can read and can enjoy almost and M/F racial or species paring, and love how characters in stories have become more diverse over time. I especially appreciate authors who can diversify their M/F leads from story to story. I'll be seeking more of Regine's stories.