This was a pretty good start to a new sci-fi romance series. I’m assuming each book will work as a stand-alone with a few reoccurring characters and a larger scale storyline. This time round we are introduced to Catriona & Zorak. She works as an ambassador between humans and a recent alien ally race called the Pylorians. Of course on the surface the Pylorians seem nice and willing to help humans and even protect earth. But the more we learn of them the more we see this is not the case. Catriona having worked with them for a while now knows this all too well. Unfortunately for her, her father is kidnapped and held prisoner by them. This puts her in a very precarious position where she’s basically a slave to their whims and by some standards an enemy of humankind. Things get a little tricky with the background building but in essence Zorak and his race were engineered (from multiple different species) to be slaves and warriors for the Pylorians-who don’t seem to like to get their hands dirty. After servitude and learning more about themselves Zorak and his brethren want freedom and peace to just live on their own terms. Zorak’s role is warrior/guardian to his leader, who (at the time Zorak and Catriona first meet) is trying to broker peace. He also sets straight a few truths about the Pylorians that throw everything Catriona knew about them right out the window. Many of Zorak and his people's’ personality traits were falsified. ((Think common clone mindset-a few implanted false memories, often switched up between clones to make them think on the surface they are unique)). Some males have begun to piece things together about who and what they are and even begin to sense their mates. Thus they want the opportunity to meet as many earth females as possible. Catriona wants to help but with her father being held captive, there’s only so much she can do. The two strike up a bargain and soon things get a bit out of control and crazy as they race through space. I will say this did kinda feel borderline insta-love. The hero off the bat knows she is his and she doesn’t really refute this or seem bothered by it. There is some hesitancy on her part but personally I thought she took it all on stride. While they don’t immediately sleep together it isn’t long before she fully accepts his claim and the two are going at it like rabbits 🤭 I really enjoyed the story overall. It had some more common sci-fi traits like the mating instinct and him having a battle form but I found the author added enough of her own spin on things and a blend of unique qualities that made for a really fun and exciting read.

Six years ago, Aliens called the Pylorians arrived on Earth. They claimed to be refugees. They claimed to be peace-loving. They claimed to have just barely escaped total annihilation from their enemies.

They lied.

The enemy followed them. In response, they created and grew a race of "disposable soldiers" to combat this enemy. It worked for a time. But then the soldiers threw off their programming, rebelled. After taking over the Lunar base, they are now negotiating for their future. And for their fated mates.

Ambassador to the Pylorians, Catriona (call her Cat), is stuck between a rock and hard place. The Pylorians are using her father as a hostage to control her. Her boss can't, or more likely won't, help her. She's left with just one option, make a deal with the Lunar rebels.

Zorak is a guardian. A commander. As second-in-command to his race, he protects the back of his leader. But as soon as he sees Cat, he knows she is the one. His fated mate. And he will do anything to help her.

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This is a really fun and sexy sci-fi romance from a new-to-me author. The world building is quite frankly fascinating. I'm already wanting more from this world. There's a lot of really great sci-fi tropes in play here including: Alien Invasion, Space War, Cultivated Soldiers, Sentient AI, and so much more. The tropes are woven together well with the romance plot and I felt that one complimented the other.

The action is fast-paced and exciting. With both Cat and Zorak getting their own character arcs and places in the plot. Cat is a competent heroine. While she's not a fighter, she is a natural diplomat and is able to use her ability to negotiate when brute force fails. She's smart, intelligent, and possesses a lot of common sense. Even better, when she proposes ideas the militaristic men listen to her. It's a lovely change of pace. Zorak is an alpha hero, but he doesn't cross the line into a-hole territory. He is protective and eager to mate with Cat, but he respects her decision and isn't afraid to articulate what he wants while at the same time not pressuring her for more than she's willing to give. He's big into consent. And I found myself saying "good boy" a lot in this book.

There are two things that keep this from being a perfect read for me. The first is that there's just a few too many technical errors for my liking... an "our" instead of "or" and other issues like that. The second is that as the start of the series I feel like we started in the wrong place. I wish I had seen the rebellion, the initial throwing off of the Lunar Raiders' chains. In its place, we get a lot of infodump early on. It's interesting to be sure, but I wanted to see it.

That said, I'm absolutely hooked on this series and am invested in the rest of the characters and the over-arching story.

Four stars.

Not a bad story for the most part. It's a sci-fi romance and has an interesting story concept. Cyndi Frisberg has written quite the story.

ZORAK is the first instalment in Cyndi Friberg’s sci-fi/paranormal romance series. This is lunar raider / guardian Zorak Savoy, and Catriona Barco’s story line.

SOME BACKGROUND: Eight years earlier, six Pylorian spaceships arrived on Earth asking for asylum claiming they were fleeing their immortal enemy, the wolf-like Morax, but in the ensuing years, the Pylorian began to take control, using their considerable powers to force the governments of Earth to do their bidding. In an effort to protect Earth, the Pylorian’s claim to have cultivated aka created the lunar raiders, a hybrid of three alien species (Morax, Pylorian, Dox Tory) one of which reacts instantly when their destined mate is near.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Zorak and Cat) ZORAK follows the building relationship and mating between lunar raider Zorak Savoy and Catriona Barco. Catriona Barco, a human ambassador at large between the Pylorians and the US Government, despises her position as assistant to Advisor Erot, a Pylorian warrior who demands more from our heroine than she is able to give but when her father is imprisoned by Advisor Erot, Catriona finds herself asking for help from a group of ‘cultivated’ hybrid aliens, known as lunar raiders, created to protect Earth from the marauding Morax. Enter lunar raider Zorak Savoy, and the male with whom Cat will fall in love. What ensues is the building relationship between Cat and Zorak, as the lunar raiders begin to uncover the truth, as they set out to rescue our heroine’s father.

The relationship between Cat and Zorak is one of immediate attraction predicated upon fated mates, and DNA. Cat acknowledges there is definitely something between them but refuses to accept Zorak’s claiming until she fully understands his need to mate. As the story line progresses, Zorak’s need for his mate intensifies with every encounter. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the stop, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including lunar raiders Zorak’s friend Prime Commander Vosic Parso, recon-class commander Leko, munitions-class commander Rogar; medic-class commander Benlon, Cat’s father Matthew Barco; DC One Governor Yaved Kreth, infantry class Dracus, Secretary of State Danielle Schweitzer, Ambassador to the UN and Cat’s friend Marisol Conti, and Morax adolescent Max.


ZORAK is a tale of specieism and discrimination, power and control. A detailed introductory story that reveals some of the history and background between planets, the different species, and the war that destroyed so many lives. The Pylorians are determined to destroy everyone they consider beneath them and unworthy, using Earth and her moon to secure their position within the system. The premise is engaging and entertaining; the romance is captivating and seductive; the characters are colorful, determined and animated.



THE READING CAFÉ: http://www.thereadingcafe.com/zorak-lunar-uprising-1-by-cyndi-friberg-a-review/


GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3913250534


AMAZON. COM: https://www.amazon.com/review/RK39HH25MANX7/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8


BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2114530240

I was a bit confused in the beginning when Cat called her dad Matthew. Why not call him dad or father by calling him his first name it made me think they did not have a close relationship. However as you continue reading you find that she does have a close relationship with him, it was just so odd in the beginning.
This is a very creative storyline with interesting characters who bring plenty of drama to life on the pages of this book. I do like that Cat waited and didn’t just jump right into the mate bond right away. They grew together as they got to know each other.
The shuttles, pods and war ships were so complex and really added to this story. How advanced the technology was on each of these vessels was amazing.
Really creative story.

Truly enjoyed this story of love, passion and redemption. Just what makes an action the wrong one? Is it doing what you believe is right or is it doing what you know will hurt another? For Catriona (Cat) being forced into a position where she could commit treason because of her love for another is tearing apart her heart. But a chance meeting may just change the outcome. Will her fascination and attraction to Zorak make her question the reality she finds herself in?

I did not want this story to end. The world building is excellent. I had no trouble visualizing any of the elements. The cities and such being an intelligent construct is truly fascinating. Love how the connection between. Cat and Zorak was built. Another series from this author that will be on my must read list.