Destroyed Desire

Shattered Galaxies, Book 6

By: Liz Paffel

Narrated by: Tatiana Sokolov

I am Lady Assassin Krunch. Okay, not really. But I'm dressed like her at the CosPlay Con I waited forever to attend. And I play her in the live action role play group I belong to. It's nerdy. I'm aware. But there's not a lot to do for a socially awkward pharmacy technician from Fargo, North Dakota.

My life is lonely and boring . . . until I get sucked into a portal through my phone at the Con and tossed into an alternate time on an alien planet.

Turns out I am Assassin Krunch after all because this planet makes all your desires come true. Except, I sort of crash landed in the middle of an alien wedding and now Gamalt, the priest of Tala Furi, who is also the groom, thinks I'm his fated mate. And his fiance-ex?-wants me dead.

I may have accidentally started a war. Oops.

Gamalt has magic hair and his body lights up like a holiday tree when we touch. He says it means we're meant to be together. I think he has a screw loose. Fine, so he's hot for an alien. But I just want to go home.

But my desires could cost Gamalt his life, and the choices I make will have consequences that even Assassin Krunch can't fix. What was that I was saying about my life being boring?

Contains mature themes.

©2022 Liz Paffel, Twin Lakes Press, LLC (P)2024 Tantor

A Fun Alien Romance That Asked Me to Suspend My Disbelief

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💛❤️🖤💙
Spice/Steam: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘
World building: 🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 😋😀🤯😎
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Solo Narration

Main Characters and Plot Overview

Fern is a socially awkward pharmacy technician from Fargo who finally gets to attend the cosplay convention she has been looking forward to. Dressed as her favorite fictional assassin, Lady Assassin Krunch, she expects a weekend of fun, not to be pulled through a portal in her phone and dropped onto an alien world. She lands in the middle of Gamalt’s wedding ceremony, where the priest immediately believes she is his fated mate. Unfortunately, his intended bride is not about to step aside quietly, and Fern’s unexpected arrival quickly sparks a conflict that grows much larger than either of them anticipated.

Gamalt was an easy hero to like because he never treats Fern as a burden, even when her appearance turns his entire life upside down. I especially enjoyed the scenes where he patiently tries to convince her that the bond between them is real while Fern spends most of the story trying to figure out whether she has completely lost her mind. Their chemistry develops through a mix of danger, humor, and plenty of awkward moments as they work together to survive the fallout from the interrupted wedding and the growing war surrounding them.

Highlights and Limitations

This book was simply fun. It never takes itself too seriously, and I appreciated that it leaned into the fish out of water premise instead of trying to explain every strange event with hard science. The wedding interruption was probably my favorite sequence because it throws Fern into chaos from the moment she arrives, and the escalating consequences kept the story moving at a brisk pace.

That said, this was also the point where I had to suspend my disbelief a little more than I usually like. I could accept the magical portal without much trouble, but I found myself getting distracted by all the cosmetic changes that happened along with it. Fern’s faux leather cosplay suddenly becoming real leather was one thing, but then her braided hair somehow transformed into a bouncy shoulder length haircut and even her teeth were perfectly straightened. That combination pulled me out of the story because I kept wondering why the world would make those particular changes instead of focusing on the much bigger problem of transporting her across the galaxy. It is a small complaint in the grand scheme of things, but it was the one detail I kept thinking about.

Narration

Tatiana Sokolov did a solid job bringing Fern’s personality to life. Though she sounds a bit older than Fern, she captured Fern’s confusion and sarcastic inner thoughts well, especially during the early scenes when she cannot decide whether Gamalt is completely delusional or if she has somehow become trapped inside the fantasy world she has always admired. I also liked the warmth she gave Gamalt, making him sound sincere rather than overly possessive, which helped sell the romance. The pacing stayed energetic throughout the relatively short audiobook, making it easy to listen to in just a couple of sittings.

Final Thoughts

Destroyed Desire is one of those books that succeeds because it embraces its wonderfully ridiculous premise. I enjoyed watching Fern adapt from an ordinary woman playing an assassin at a convention into someone who actually has to survive on an alien world where wishes and desires have real consequences. Gamalt and Fern made an entertaining couple, and their interactions kept me invested even when the plot ventured into some very unbelievable territory.

It was not my favorite book in terms of internal logic, and I definitely laughed at the unexpected makeover the portal gave Fern, but I still finished the audiobook with a smile. If you enjoy lighthearted sci-fi romance with fated mates, portal fantasy, and plenty of humorous culture shock, this is an entertaining installment that does not overstay its welcome.