Stowaway (The Baron's Hand Saga, Book 1) : Heather Relken

An epic tale of abandonment and loss but above all, one of love and family

This book is the first in a Reverse Harem Sci-Fi Romance series by Heather Relken. It is set in a distant galaxy and features human and alien beings. It can be read as a standalone novel. There is some violence and there are several descriptive scenes of consenting inter-species sexual activity between all three males and one female.

Someone has discovered Earth, a previously unknown planet hidden away in the far reaches of the universe. Someone is kidnapping humans, stripping their memories and selling them for wildly high prices at auction.

Cinn is a human female who’s first memory is of waking up in a chaotic and crowded barn, with a group of humans being auctioned off to the highest bidders. She doesn’t recognise any of the alien species surrounding her. She doesn’t understand any of their languages. She is bought by someone who looks like an angel but feels like a devil. She has no idea if this is normal or legal but she knows she has to get away if she is to survive. 

At her first opportunity she escapes and hides herself in the storage area of a small vehicle, which happens to be an interplanetary craft belonging to a family of farming aliens. She is of course discovered by them mid-flight. What follows is a journey of her learning to communicate with four different species of aliens, coming to terms with having no family and not knowing her place in the universe, wanting to be part of this family and avoiding being reclaimed by the Angel.

This is an epic tale of abandonment and loss but above all, one of love and family. Each character is well thought through, deep and complex. Their interactions and behaviours feel real and almost tangible. As a reader, I could feel Cinn’s sense of loss and wanting to belong. I could feel her hope and her love for the family who had taken her in. I could feel her anxiety over being discovered by the Angel and her terror of being taken again. 

There are scenes of suspense, action and violence. There are trigger warnings where appropriate. There are also descriptive scenes of a sexual nature. They are consenting and they are part of the characters bonding with each other, therefore are necessary to the plot of the story. 

The worldbuilding and descriptions of alien landscapes are vivid and feel realistic. The aliens are not all humanoid in appearance and each species has defining characteristics and abilities which make them unique. Humans are rare and unusual.

Heather Relken is a very talented writer. She clearly has a passion for linguistics and this is evident in her attention to detail when it comes to alien languages. The book contains an index of the alien races, the languages spoken and which existing languages influenced them. The story is well paced and flows beautifully. I didn’t want to put it down. 

Although this is the first book in the series, it is the second one I have read. Each can be read as a standalone. I cannot wait to see what else this author produces. I want more of this universe.

Available from Amazon