It screams 'ridiculous, plotless alien porn'.

The sample is good enough to get a feel for his voice, but honestly, it's much better than that short clip. As for the narrator, I wasn't too sure at first, but after about 20 minutes I was pretty impressed with Daryl's voice acting and approach to the narration. I can say the silly virginity part was handled better than most other stories and the menstruation was mentioned in passing, but really expected more modern approaches to both. Both of these things I find so very silly and disappointing in sci-fi books. My only complaints are the virgin bleeding trope (of a 25yr old free woman who has at least passed a few bases on her own) and the lack of modern/environmental menstrual products like cups and disks.

The story was engaging and I like the world and universe that was built and could easily take more stories from it. There is some sex, but it is well balanced and healthy interactions (major kudos for Regine making them couples who communicate). By making these characters all very reasonable it felt more authentic and actually more sci-fi futuristic. I loved how honest, open, and communicative the couple was with each other. I listened to this book on a whim and it was a very pleasant surprise. With his ancestral lands on the line and the future of the clans threatened, could this wisp of a woman turn their fate around? How can such a tiny thing be their salvation? And yet, his Susan’s softness is disturbingly addictive while it hides a surprising resilience. The Seer must have been mistaken when she insisted that, for the sake of the people, he take a mate from the stars. With everything going on, the last thing Olix needs is a mate, especially a squishy, scaleless, off-worlder with strange ways and an obsession with farming. She just never expected to be paired with a grumpy, massive lizardman, and above all not to grow so fond of his scales and quirky ways. Her only way out is to settle for an arranged marriage through the PMA - the Prime Mating Agency. With her 25th birthday approaching, and no suitors even remotely sniffing in her general direction, Susan will be forced to leave the family lands to work as an indentured servant in the capital city. A pretty face, top-notch skills, and hard work mean nothing if your dowry doesn’t include fertile lands. As a third daughter on the farming colony of Meterion, Susan’s future prospects aren’t too promising.

I Married a Birdman by Regine Abel