The newest book in this very entertaining and imaginative science fiction series about aliens who raffle off a certain number of humans once a year, all perfectly legal in exchange for saving humankind from an awful disease, had me very excited to see what Jana Downs has come up with now. And it was so worth it! This is a story about the importance of communication, and not just the linguistic part. With instant translations due to cerebral implants, that has only been an issue where the languages were so incompatible that even translations didn’t help. This volume, on the other hand, deals with a situation where the cultural behaviors behind the language, including body language, are so different that actual communication is almost impossible. A fascinating concept!

Trev is a human who isn’t terribly unhappy with his new alien "master". In fact, the Tanarran is extremely polite, always wants to give Trev presents, and is extremely attractive (if somewhat purple). Trev falls in love, but the lack of an emotional response from Yanai gets to him. He needs to know his lover is involved with him outside the bedroom as well as when they have sex. Which they manage to do often and well. And why does Yania keep calling him "pet"? Trev has a name, darn it! Trevor wants more, and he gets so desperate that he asks for some time off when they arrive on Earth. All he wants to do is have some time to think, and make some friends.

Yanai has no clue what is wrong with the human. He senses something is off, but all the signals he has given Trev about how much the man means to him seem to leave Trev cold. The human still calls him by his given name, instead of giving him an endearment, something only they will share (even though Yanai has long-since started to call him pet). And now he wants to leave? Yanai is devastated, but his culture demands he remain calm, show no emotion, and give the man he loves deeply anything he asks for. Including his freedom, even if it tears Yanai apart.

See where the problem is? It was devastating for me to watch both sides, see how each was misconstruing the other's signals by interpreting them using their own cultural perspective. It took them a while, but even when they finally begin to figure what their issues may be, it is still tough for them to adapt to each other's deeply ingrained ways of behaving. I really enjoyed watching them as they figure out what is what.

If you like science fiction stories with men from two different cultures who don’t even notice they're simply misinterpreting much of what they do, if you enjoy reading about yet another alien culture, one that operates on scents and pheromones, and if you're looking for a hot read full of heated exchanges and emotional upheavals, then you will probably like this novella. ( )