Book Review of The Astronomer by Charmaine Pauls

Book Title: The Astronomer

Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance

Pages: 416

Author: Charmaine Pauls

Date Published: 4 December 2014

Synopsis:

Loving someone madly, obsessively, to the point of addiction can be heaven ... or hell. 

The year is 2165. A new blood group has evolved, and biological pairing, called mating, has replaced the old-world marriage ritual. When a stranger saves astronomer Dr. Fraya Riber from drowning, her body goes into a strange state of arousal. Bound to be paired with another, Fraya frantically searches for the answers to the phenomenon that soon becomes an unwelcome addiction. Nothing has prepared her for this painful dependence, and nothing will prepare her for the cure, or the identity of her enigmatic savior. 

Can she reject desire for loyalty? Must she choose between her career and her love? Can passion truly craft a bond that will last a lifetime?

Review:

The Astronomer by Charmaine Pauls
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

Dr. Fraya Riber is a fascinating character. I liked her a lot, but she has a tendency to overreact and whine at times. She is a dedicated astronomer and is very much a workaholic. After being saved by a stranger, she finds herself attracted to her rescuer. Unfortunately, there is a side affect from this experience she didn't foresee.

Emilio Larraín is also a fascinating character. I wasn’t sure if I liked him at first, as I found him to be a very domineering and arrogant man. However, he does have some good points; he has a romantic side that made me melt as I got to know him better. Saving a damsel in distress wasn’t planned, but Emilio finds himself strangely attracted to her. Could he have found his perfect mate?

This is an unusual erotic romance novel, with a unique storyline that captured my attention and held it from the first page. This story is set in the future, 2165 to be precise. The world has survived a biological war, which has created a mutation in the survivors. This mutation has lead to a change in the way people choose their life mate. Suffice it to say, that once someone has found their perfect mate, it’s for life.

The story is told through both Fraya’s and Emilio’s points of view, which gives the reader a better understanding of their thoughts and feelings. I did, however, find some of their attitude towards each other a little baffling; they were attracted to each other, but they also seemed to hate each other too, or maybe it was the situation they found themselves in. As the story unfolded however, I really wanted to shake Fraya (or maybe give her a swift kick) to get her to open her eyes instead of being so tunnel visioned about her career. Yes, it is nice to have prestige and be able to work in a field which is still relatively male dominated (even in the future?), but I found her incessant inner monologue about this to be a big irritant and made her seem very selfish; I am not sure who she was trying to convince, the reader or herself.

I really liked meeting Emilio’s grandmother. She is a force to be reckoned with! She has a determination and drive most people would be scared to cross. There are also some other very interesting characters that are introduced. However, I found Gene (Fraya’s boyfriend) to be a bit insipid and lacking in several ways. His character came across as rather weak and disloyal. I suppose this is why Fraya and Emilio’s connection seems so intense.

The sexual chemistry between Fraya and Emilio is extremely volatile. If they were a Molotov cocktail, they would have caught fire and exploded! As it is, they fairly scorch the pages with their antics in and out of the bedroom. Be warned, it’s steamy and rather on the explicit side.

The story has a few twists and turns that surprised me. There is one scene near the end that completely threw me. I won’t go into details, but it is an intense scene full of action and danger. Who knew that ancient Peruvian customs would still be practiced in the future? Certainly not me! The ending felt a bit anti-climatic after all the action, but it finished off the story nicely.

Charmaine Pauls has written an entertaining standalone erotic romance. Her characters are lifelike and come alive on the page. I love her fast paced writing style and the flow is wonderful. This is the first book I have read by this author, but I don’t think it will be my last. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Due to the explicit nature of some of the scenes, as well as use of foul language, I do not recommend this book to readers under the age of 18. I do, however, recommend this book if you love science fiction, erotica or erotic romance genres. – Lynn Worton

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