This isn't your typical mail order bride book! This is about Starr Conner and Torg. Starr is basically forced onto a ship and sent to another planet to be a bride to Torg after being convicted of murder. She figures she will just wait until her appeal and then go back home. Hopefully. Torg (and the other men who take brides) think the women are there because they made the choice to be there. They don't know they are convicts. I really enjoyed this book. It hooked me right from the start and made me laugh pretty hard. I liked the twists and turns that are in it, and I definitely loved one of the main side characters! Starr and Torg are very sweet with each other and I love how the men treat their women! I'm really hoping there will be more books in this series as I really want to read about Torg's brother!!

Good story. I liked how they both had to work together. I was surprised at the end

If you love a good story of about an alien an a human then this one is for you... the characters are engaging and unique... The setting is spectacular... And the plot keeps you guessing... All in all a very well written book.... Can't wait to see what else this author comes up with...

Cara Bristol has done another great book. Good solid plot. Enjoyed.

A quick, romantic read with spice and action! I went into this with low expectations, which is just a testament to the alien romances I have read in the past. It's hard to find one where you're not rolling your eyes and closing the book halfway through. This book was funny, and I loved the main characters. Very well done!

Starr Conner has been convicted of murder and sentenced to life on Dakon as mate to one of the alien males inhabiting the planet. Two hundred years ago, an asteroid struck their planet, killing most of the population and causing majority of the births to produce males. Now they are desperate for females to repopulate, and Earth has plenty of female criminals to go around. The problem is, Starr is innocent and she is also in love with her alien mate. Now she must decide if she loves him enough to stay on a Dakon with him.

Starr and her mate, Torg, were great characters, with depth and history that made them very intriguing. I loved that Torg truly cared about Starr and her acclamation to Dakon. This could easily have been one of those books where alien man meets earth woman, drags her by the hair back to his cave (which, incidentally, Trog does have), and ravishes her against her will. I have read enough of those to last me a lifetime. Luckily, the author had the smarts to make Torg loveable and gentle, who actually offered to wait to consummate their mating until she was more comfortable. Starr, seeing how caring and hunky he is, doesn't accept that offer, but it was sweet nonetheless. She was an independent woman who appreciated what a special man Torg really is, and that was really nice to read.

I am eager to read more books by this author! This was my first by her, and I can already tell that she will make me a very happy reader in the future.

3.5 stars

This was a solid space romance. You really jump right into the story. I will admit that there were some questions I had by the end of the book but I was intrigued enough to want to continue, if this is a series.

I received a free copy of this book from the author through netgalley.

This book was such a fun read! I had read one of Care Bristol her short stories in the anthology Pets in Space and had been planning to pick up one of her full length books, so when I saw this one on netgalley I couldn't resist requesting it. Alien Mate is basically a mail-order bride plot line set in space. Terran decided to solve one of their problems and gain some valuable mineral they need. They sent some convicted females to Dakon who had a female shortage and gain the mineral in exchange.

I really liked the concept for this one, it made for a fun set-up for a story and I enjoyed seeing how things played out. From the first chapter it grabbed my attention and I just wanted to keep reading. It's an enjoyable read, well written and paced nicely. There is a bit of mystery surrounding Starr's past, what she has done and why she's sent to Dakon, while the others had a choice in the matter. Then there is a good romance between Star and Torg. Getting to know an alien planet and there are a few interesting plot twists at the end as well.

Starr and Torg literally come from different worlds, but when they meet sparks fly. Their romance develops quickly, but I didn't mind. I could feel their connection and chemistry and given the situation I thought things progressed believable, although I did think Starr changed her mind a bit quickly. The romance is very low on drama and conflict, which fit the kind of read I was in the mood for. You could say things got resolved a bit quickly, but I thought it was refreshing not to have things blown out of proportion and the characters actually talked things through after their initial reaction.

Starr and Torg were so fun together. I liked reading about them getting to know the other and learning about the other their planet and customs. There's a fun misunderstanding at first when Torg doesn't understand the wording of something Starr says and a few differences between their cultures that cause some funny situations.

While the focus is on the romance, I did like that the author also spend some time building the world of Dakon and how she gave the reader a feel for the planet and it's people. There's still some things left open, but I am hoping this might become a series as I would love to read more books in this universe. I could visualize the planet Dakon well and I enjoyed learning a bit about how they lived and what caused their current situation. I only was a bit mixed about the direction things took at the end. Not sure why, but it didn't set quite well with me. I do understand it was a good change for them, but at the same time it felt like it changed their whole way of living.

To summarize: This was a fun read that grabbed my attention from page one. It's well written and nicely paced. I enjoyed reading about Starr and Torg. They have chemistry and while their romance developed a bit quickly I didn't mind too much as I could feel their connection and how much they cared about each other. There are quite some hot scenes, but very little drama and conflict. There are some fun situation caused by cultural differences or misunderstandings which were fun to read. And I like how the author took a bit of time to describe the planet Dakon and give us a feel for it's people. I had a lot of fun reading this one and plan to pick up more of Cara Bristol's books in the future. I would recommend this book if you're looking for a fun and hot alien sci-fi romance book.

I really liked this story. Alien Mate by Cara Bristol was a captivating story line with appealing characters. This new planet and inhabitants were really interesting and I'm looking forward to reading more about them as this series unfolds. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This was a new and refreshing take on the alien, ordered bride scenario. I loved the fact that the women were criminals. This was a quick read with likable characters. I also appreciated the fact that the author allowed us to experience each characters total thought process. So there wasn't a moment where they were thinking A and doing B and your like how did that happen? I would have given it a higher rating if the men were a little more alpha, and there was a little more angst or action, it's just a personal preference. I hope there is a second book because I really enjoyed the character Darq and would love to read more about him.

Sigh....alien romances are my new crack. What it is about an alien who knows nothing about earth women, but he falls madly in possessive, alpha, over-the-top love with his assigned mate? Seriously, sign me up!
Anyway, I loved this book. Starr is wrongly convicted of a crime and sent to be an alien's mate without her knowledge. She's the only blonde on a ship full of tall dark-haired women. The "selection" scene reminded me of my elementary and middle school years being picked for dodge ball teams. Anyway, Torg was just the right amount of possessive and bossy. The plot was fairly predicable, but hey, it's a romance...that's just fine with me. I definitely recommend this!

This book was partly good and partly "ugh". Anyway, I enjoyed the time I spent reading this book - once I switched off my critical brain.

I liked the idea of sending women to an alien planet, clashing "modern" with "stone age" societies. The human trafficking aspect was unsettling for me, but couldn't be helped to make this story work.
I liked the detail of the ship's name "SS Australia" - parts of this story reminded me of the history of the former convict colony. .

There were some glitches - grammar, spelling (of the female MC's name).

Starr Conner has been railroaded and she does not know why and at first she does not know where she is going. Even so she never gave up and quit. Imagine her surprise when she arrives at Dakon and finds that she is the mate of a very wonderful Daconian. Torg is everything anyone would want in a mate but Starr comes with some problems. In fact there are some she knows nothing about. I loved the way Starr and Torg worked together. Starr is very strong and Torg is determined to protect her no matter what. Bristol has given the aline mate trope a interesting twist. I look forward to the next stories in the series.

It was an okay alien themed romance book. There was aspects of the plot that I liked such as the trading between the planets of things they are in need of. However in terms of the relationship between the two main characters, I wanted more. I felt that we didn't get to see enough of how the characters' relationship developed. I would have liked to have seen more about the alien planet as well.

There were many moments throughout where I had to remind myself that the suspension of disbelief was key to enjoying this space-order brides story.

Cara Bristol's imagination certainly works here, though it's harder to believe that Earth women - convicted criminals no less - would be happy being shipped off as mates to aliens who live on an arctic planet without having met them or know about their culture. Near-instalove ensues and the mated couples actually get on swimmingly despite the cultural and physical differences.

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what of make of this novella yet, because it was interesting in some parts and utterly unbelievable in others, perhaps in part due to the brevity of the story.

This book was a good and quick read. The story is in a futuristic time where earth has depleted many of its resources. This story contains aliens of gigantic size, romance, and trouble.
Starr Connor works for the government and is wrongfully convicted of a crime. As her punishment, she is sent to Dakon, where the there are very few females. Dakon has resources earth needs and earth has females. These females are convicted felons. Starr looks different from the other females selected, and many of the men overlook her.
Torg is the chief of his tribe and arrives late to the selection due to an argument over the female, Icha. Icha wanted Torg but he denied her. Torg arrives and does not get a choice and gets stuck with Starr, who sees his disappointment.
Torg and Starr try to work out their differences. When Starr hears about reasons to be banished or exiled, she cannot tell Torg the truth about her "crime". As they grow closer, they begin to care and fall in love with the other. However, there are those who are not happy with the exchange program and would try to hurt Starr and the other females. Will Starr eventually tell Torg the truth about how she came to Dakon and her "crime"? Will Torg be able to protect Starr and how will he handle her secret?

Well this is a mail order bride story unlike any other I've read! In fact you could consider it to be 'trafficking ' although to be fair the majority of the women on board the SS Australia are there voluntarily except for Starr. Starr never had a choice and has resigned herself to the idea of an alien husband but her very first meeting with Torg is anything but happy because the horned brute definitely doesn't like what he sees!
I really liked the idea of this but will admit I was disappointed that the couple got frisky very quickly. I guess I just prefer a build up when it comes to romance but can happily state that the story became very interesting. Not only is Starr on a primitive, inhospitable, almost caveman like planet but she has to deal with natives who are anything but friendly! Yet the author rolled out a far more complex plot then just a standard alien mating story. There's a reason Starr is mated to Torg and all started before she set foot on a spaceship and her troubles are still not quite over!
This was a fun sci fi romance with plenty of steamy interludes . The Dakonians really do seem to want to do anything to get and keep women with very good reason but the trouble is let's be honest not all women are particularly nice. I really liked that the author showed the other side as it made it feel more realistic and then had enough up her sleeve to genuinely surprise this reader as the end drew near. Yes they get busy too quick for my liking but it's a story with danger, intrigue, shocks and of course love. I'm a sucker for happy endings and got exactly that with this book.
This voluntary take is of a copy provided for me and these thoughts are my own honest opinion

I am in love with this book. Alien mate is the story of Starr and Torg. Starr is a Terran who has been convicted of murder. As her sentence she has been exiled to Dakon, and alien planet that is in desperate need of mates.

Torg has everything he could want. His brother close by, leader of his tribe, but he doesn't have a mate for late at night to battle the cold. He wants someone to have for himself.

This book is good it is a story of destruction and rising from those ashes. Having your life and losing everything only to find a new life you never expected someplace else and find out that well it might be better this way. There is mystery, hot sex, and sweet moments too. I enjoyed it a lot.

I really liked this book. This is the first book I have read by this author so I wasn't sure what to expect.
Starr Elizabeth Connor is convicted of a crime she did not commit and finds herself on a ship headed for an alien planet where the men are desperate for women to take as brides to avoid the extinction of their species. The problem is Starr didn't know or sign up for this and is waiting to win an appeal to prove her innocence..
Torg wants his own female and Starr is not what he expected.
I enjoyed the story, there is lots of potential for other books with other couples, which I would definitely read.
It is well written and an interesting story. Some alien books fill what i call my 'fluff' read but this book has a solid story and great potential for a series.

I've got to preface this by saying I took a leap and read something that's out of my norm and I enjoyed it. Futuristic aliens and primitive harsh living conditions melded well for an enjoyable read. Even if I wasn't the biggest fan of Starr's omitting a few things of her reason for being on Dakon, I saw it coming as it was needed and worked well. Overall I was quite entertained and Torg and his fellow men mostly won me over with their alpha attitudes mixed with a sweet caring side.
This was a complimentary advanced reader copy from the author/ publisher in exchange for a honest review via Netgalley.

Starr was sentenced for murder (while it was self defence) and shipped on a space ship with 49 other women to planet Dakon. They serve as a trade off for valuable ore found on the planet that suffers from an asteroid-induced winter. The asteroid carried a virus that killed most of the women.

Torg is leader of his clan and won the chance on choosing a mate. He is late, however, and gets the only choice left: Starr. The only blonde, small woman. Not really suited for the cold planet, but he is totally happy with her.

Loved the story. Torg was so careful and smitten with his new mate. I liked the world building and the romance. Nicely done!