Fated to the Alien Grump

Warriors of Tavikh, Book 3

By: Erin Hale

Narrated by: Chris Chambers, Penelope Ann Rose

Maeve

With the protection of a brand new identity, I flee Earth on a ship bound for a planet light years away from the death that awaits me if I remain here.

Months later, life on Tavikh is good. As long as I avoid the attention of the massive Tavikhi warriors—the alien race native to this planet. Two of my best friends may have found their mates amongst them, but the men—males—terrify me. Especially the largest, grumpiest warrior in the village.

Benham

From the moment the humans arrived on Tavikh, we have done our best to protect them from our enemies. And yet, all they do is take advantage of our shefir's kindness. The new shefira and her four closest tribe sisters are the only exception.

They bring hope to our people. Or to those wishing for a mate. Which does not include me. At least not until I accidentally collide with the smallest, always-frightened female who triggers my mating marks. Now I must prove to her that, with me, she has nothing to fear.

Contains mature themes.

©2023 Erin Hale (P)2025 Tantor Media

Maeve and Bentham’s emotional journey.

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💜💚❤️🩶
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: 🤓😋😀😍
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration

The heroine: Maeve - she is always afraid, since her abusive relationship with her ex-David, who was from an upper caste while she was from the lowest. She escaped him by changing her identity and boarding a starship bound for the planet Tavikh. Her real name is Katherine, but she started going by a different name on the ship. She doesn’t want anyone to know anything about her and though she has made some good friends of the other women on Tavikh, none of them know anything about her past.

The Hero: Benham - he is the grouchy weapons maker for the Tavikhi community. He has been training Zara, a human female to be his apprentice and was surprised by her ability to make eye contact with him without shying away, she is tough for a human female. More than once he has exchanged harsh words with the humans that had made their home in the Tavikhi village and don’t do anything to help out in the village while also looking down on the Tavikhi people. The only exceptions are his leader Zander’s mate and he friends. Though he thinks it is best to keep people at a distance since they could die at any time if the Krijese attack again, like his family did.

The Story: Maeve knows that people who are dark inside often hide it in a veil of kindness and affability. Because of this she doesn’t trust anyone or anything. She just would like to fade into the background. Though one evening she crashes into a large Tavikhi male, Benham and he gets mating marks. She thinks he is the most terrifying Tavikhi warrior and is not happy at all to find out she is connected to him in any way. I love that their bond is first marked not by romance, but by collision—literal and emotional. That “crash” feels symbolic of the unraveling that’s to come: unexpected, jarring, and maybe even liberating.

Benham turns out to be a lot more sensitive than anyone would have guessed. He was deeply affected by the death of his parents five years ago and the loss of parents was something that he and Maeve had in common. This is incredibly rich, Maeve and Benham’s dynamic is steeped in layered emotional tension and aching vulnerability. Erin Hale carved out two souls who wear their armor in entirely different ways: Maeve hides in plain sight, suspicious and guarded, while Benham brandishes brusqueness like a shield forged from grief and wartime scars. Their emotional symmetry—both survivors of loss, both mistrustful of intimacy—sets the stage for a slow-burning, deeply cathartic arc.

This audiobook was narrated from multiple perspectives, done in dual narration by Penelope Ann Rose and Chris Chambers. Penelope Rose has a fantastic voice, which is very soft and feminine, I enjoyed her soft tone, and she was easy to listen to. Chris Chambers was not one of my favorites, but I am getting used to his clear, deep voice and liking him more and more as I listen.