Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Terran Alliance Marine pilot, Ben Magnys, spends half his days getting shot at by the Ssaanth. Occasionally those shots hit their mark. Injured in a dog fight, Ben gets patched up by Marine medic, Caden Roth. Caden’s never met a Gaddite before. Gaddo IV is remote, and has such extreme environmental conditions that the colonists there were forced to alter their genome in order to survive and to ensure a healthy gene pool.

After the kind of bad day that only emergency medical people can have, Caden and Ben meet again for a drink. One thing leads to another and they end up in bed together, which eventually evolves into a fledgling relationship. However, antibiotics and altered genetics throw the new lovers a definite twist. Danger isn’t done with them yet. Can they survive a Ssaanth raid on the space station too?

First edition published by MLR Press, September 2016.

 

Book Review

There are quite a few mpreg (male pregnancy) books out there, and I enjoy reading them a lot, but they usually involve aliens, paranormal creatures, or some sort of magic. ‘In the Months That Follow’ takes a different approach – set in the far future, here it is genetic manipulation on a human colony planet that had a 90 percent male population, and was therefore in need of more people being able to carry babies. This was all before translight drive was invented, so isolation drove the decision. But since the ability is hereditary, even in the story’s present, some men from Gaddo can get pregnant.

I found this version of the future intriguing. While there is some galactic war against a reptile species raging in the background, which is not all that unusual in science fiction, the main characters are both Terran Alliance Marines and the last thing you’d expect is for one of them to get pregnant – what with all the hormones he takes to avoid it. But it seems that birth control isn’t infallible even in the far future – and voilà, there is a baby on the way.

Ben, the Marines pilot who finds himself “with child”, is shocked when he finds out. Birth control failed him due to antibiotics, and while he knew there might be a baby in his future at some point, once he settled down, right in the middle of a war and enjoying his job as a fighter pilot is NOT the time to procreate. He knows Caden must be the father, since they have been exclusive for a while, but while he feels there might be potential for a relationship with Caden, they haven’t even talked about the longer term yet.

Caden is a Marines medic and while he likes Ben and is beginning to think they might have more than a fling, the last thing he expects is to be a father. It takes him quite a while to adapt to the idea, but he is never unsupportive, which was great to see. Their families have very different reactions, but once Caden and Ben decide to stick together, everything becomes a lot more manageable – except the war and that throws them a curveball neither of them expected.

If you like mpreg stories, if you want to see how two tough Marines deal with unexpected fatherhood, and if you’re looking for a read with intriguing characters, a few surprises, and some very loving interactions, then you will probably like this novella.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The first edition of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 94 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	07-March-2019
Price	$3.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Months-That-Follow-R-Moler-ebook/dp/B07P5W457K