I finished my second ARC for the book Tempting Cargo by Lyra Strake a couple of weeks ago but delayed this review. I realized about 50% through the book that I wasn’t the target audience. The book is written well but didn’t resonate with me. Please keep this in mind when reading my review.

My full review is below with no spoilers, assuming you’ve read the bare minimum synopsis. I start with my appreciative feedback then work into critiques, if that helps you identify where you want to start (or stop) reading.

Overview

Tempting Cargo is a sci-fi romance between an alien captain, Shohari, and her human cargo, Garrison. Shohari is captain of a spaceship meant to deliver cargo, all to keep her parents happy and avoid an arranged marriage. Garrison ends up on the run and needs to be transported to another location for safety. They cross paths and sparks fly~

As an alien movie and video game lover, I thought this would be right up my alley. However, Lyra definitely knows how to write smut and the book is filled to the brim with romancing. There is, of course, actual plot and character development. I’m leaving out details to avoid spoilers as these aren’t revealed until later on in the story.

Praises

I enjoyed the characters! There’s a huge swath of characters besides the two main characters and they were quite enjoyable. Lyra has hinted the sequels will include these side characters so any and all details matter. There is a mysterious character towards the end that had me hooked!

The two main characters are obviously lovable, almost immediately. I’d imagine both would be considered “good people” in the real world and if you knew them, they’d probably be your close friends.

The descriptions, characters, and conflicts constantly reminded me of the video game Mass Effect. I love ME and it was such a joy to read books which reminded me of the video game.

Lyra also does well with the non-romance sub-plot. Towards the last 20% of the book, I was staying up late to find out more as the plot rapidly progressed and our protagonists got themselves in the thick of things. I wish I was able to share more without spoiling but I’m not going to risk it! Greatly enjoyed the plot and conflicts of the story.

Critiques

There’s a lot here, but don’t panic! I actually did enjoy the book but wanted to highlight my own critiques, which may be praises for others.

Romance was about 20-25% of the plot lines. I didn’t mind it, but I realized it left me wanting more of the non-romance. I almost wish the book was longer to include more of the non-romance aspects and world building. If you love romance in your sci-fi books, this is definitely for you!

I craved more world building and descriptions. It was difficult to imagine how some of the alien races and the environments looked. I kept wondering if I was missing things or forgetting what was described before. Some were really fleshed out and details, but other scenes left me wanting more.

Conclusion

Overall, I enjoyed my reading and many aspects of Tempting Cargo. In hindsight, I probably would have passed over being an ARC reader and instead have purchased the book myself or checked it out at the library. If you like aliens, alien romance, or even monster romance, this book is intended for you. Same if you’re a gamer and you enjoyed the romancing in Mass Effect!