Elizabeth Stephens was not lying when she said this one was DARK and that is great because that is exactly what I was looking for when I picked this one up. (Also, I'm just patiently waiting for the final book to drop.)

Taken by the Pikosa Warlord is a standalone in the Xiveri Mates series so this one can be read at any point. This story takes place on Earth... but Earth 4000 years after humanity has destroyed itself and the planet.

Halima is a linguist and part of the team dedicated to restarting civilization 10,000 years after the fall of Earth. But they are awoken from stasis early and enslaved by the Pikosa, one of the warrior races that now inhabit this new earth. Now Halima must use her skills as a linguist to bring together her people and the other enslaved tribes in order to escape their captors.

And Ero, the Pikosa warlord, is dealing with his warring decisions to either kill Halima and be rid of the problem, or to give into his instinct that she is his and he must keep her.

Yeah, it's fucking dark. Ero is barely redeemable. But I still loved it. One of my favorite things is the idea that, as a linguist, Halima is the key to their success because all of the tribes different languages are derivative from the ancient human languages that she knows.

ALSO... I would love to stay here and see some of the side characters get additional stories of their own (novellas, maybe?) Jia FOR SURE... like, we're told what happened but I'd love to SEE it. And I think Chayana's story would be a really good time too.

TWs: slavery, racism, xenophobia, torture, murder, violence