Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Submitted
SERIES: Star Marked Warriors Book 3
AUTHOR: Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 201 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 21, 2021
BLURB:
An alien bastard, a man without a home, and a war to end an entire planet…
Beau: I never had a place to belong. The only gay kid in my small town on the shores of the southern Mississippi River, I’ve spent my life hiding who I am. And the night I came out of the closet? Yeah, my dad kicked me out of his house. But there’s not belonging, and then there’s being kidnapped and whisked off the flipping planet and hanging out with huge, intimidating extraterrestrials.
Okay, given that I’ve been caged by a bunch of big blue aliens, I guess “hanging out” is an overstatement, but at least they’re feeding me. We get to an entirely new planet, and these warriors have more in mind for me than I’m prepared to give. Only, there’s one surly alien warrior who’ll put his life on the line to save mine.
Vorian: Son of Crux the Progenitor, self-proclaimed savior of Thorzan, I have spent my life outcast from Thorzi society, watching my princely half-brother Kaelum from the shadows. Hated by my human mother and a hybrid myself, the Thorzi see me as soft and weak. My father expects me to mate with one of our own kind, but I see my own weaknesses, hopes, and angers in the form of one beautiful human, trapped in one of my father’s cages.
To save him from the fate my father has in store, I’ll have to betray everything I’ve ever known, but I may need help from my people. And whether they know it or not, they’ll need Beau and me to survive the conflict with our greatest enemies.
By popular cowriting duo Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes, Submitted is an M/M alien romance with a hybrid warrior who’s spent his life as an outsider, a homeless young man who’ll find a place to belong on a planet he never dreamed of, and a battle for all of Thorzan in the hands of a special bonded mate pair. This book is third in the Star Marked Warriors series. Please see content warnings on the copyright page.
REVIEW:
Who can resist shirtless, “unspeakably buff blue dudes”? Not me. I couldn’t resist Kaelum and his totes adorbs romance with Lucas in Captured. I also couldn’t resist Jax and his swoon-worthy love story with Wesley in Declared. In Submitted, the final book (😭) in Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes’ utterly fascinating, completely addictive Star Marked Warriors series, we finally get Vorian and Beau’s story, and everything about it is absolutely irresistible.
Before I go any further, note that you need to read the first two books before reading Submitted. The events in Submitted run concurrently with the first two books’ events- a fascinating and fulfilling structure. It completes the picture for us, answering the questions left open at the end of Captured and Declared by showing everything from Vorian and Beau’s viewpoints.
As you know by now, “Vorian the Bastard” is the son of the despicable Crux and the Queen, the product of a non-consensual encounter. He lives a life bereft of love. His mother rejects him because of what he represents. The King hates him for the same reason. All revile him for no reason other than his perceived alliance to his controlling father, Crux the monster.
In Submitted, we discover that all is not as it seems. Vorian is actually a kind person who is exceptionally lonely, desperate for love and family. But he’s trapped under the thumb of Crux, where the only thing doled out is cruelty and abuse. All largely ignore Vorian, and those who do acknowledge him do so with disgust and vitriol.
As a result, Vorian grasps any scraps of kindness given, so Beau’s unexpected attention, affection, and acceptance are beyond his wildest dreams. There are so many moments where I found myself rubbing over my sternum, heartsick for Vorian. But of all of the slights, rejection, and cruelty, five-year-old Vorian’s rejection and rebuke by King Xyren was the most agonizing to bear:
“[T]he last time I tried to speak to the king, at all of five cycles of age, to ask him if I could see my new little brother, he snarled at me, told me that I had no brother. That I was no one in his eyes ….”
Beau lived a similarly empty life on Earth before his abduction to Thorzan. After being thrown out by his family because of his sexuality, he became homeless, barely surviving. Like Vorian, Beau suffered abuse at the hands of a horrible father and was left feeling worthless. Like he’s nothing.
The parallels between Vorian and Beau’s plights are apparent, as is how perfectly they complement each other’s needs and desires. Their romance is truly a thing of beauty. Everything about the two of them together is simply breathtaking. If you think my description is hyperbole, read the book, and you’ll see what I mean. Submitted overflows with big emotions, and it is near impossible not to be swept up in it.
Like Captured and Declared, Submitted contains excellent character development in an immersive story that is expertly written. Ms. Burns and Ms. Fawkes wield a true gift, deftly weaving complex plots together with multi-dimensional characters while balancing emotionally impactful content with humor and heat. They produce one winning story after another in multiple MM romance genres (SciFi, paranormal, fantasy, etc.). Their books are one-click purchases for me. I don’t even need to read the blurb to know it’s going to be fantastic.
I submit that Submitted is the best of the Star Marked Warriors series. But as the last book in that series, I am compelled to submit a request/plea to Ms. Burns and Ms. Fawkes: Please, pleeeease give us some bonus content (maybe a novella? 😉) that provides us with a peek into Vorian and Beau’s life after the HEA. So much is beginning for them at the end. So on behalf of readers everywhere, we implore you: Don’t let the end of Submitted be the end.
Hey, a girl can dream. 👽💙
RATING: 
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