Ember and Tyler live on the same planet, but their settlements are enemies. As Encroachment officers, each of them was separately sent on a mission to investigate a skylight. Soon they find themselves locked together in a cave with a human cupid, whose mission is to convince the two of them that they are a perfect match. But when Tyler and Ember find that they have to spend time together, will they be able to overcome their rivalry and act as a team? will they appreciate each others company?

Characters:
Ember and Tyler are not very different from each other. Both of them suffer from PTSD, which made them a bit insecure and looking forward for a suitable chance to make up for what they had to go through. They wanted to prove themselves, and this mission was a great chance.

what I loved about the book:
I loved the way love started to blossom between these two characters. The fact that they supported each other and were ready to overcome their differences was just great.
Dealing with a traumatic past was the strongest point of the novel.

what I didn't love about the book:
Some of the technologies that were part of the stories were not explained properly.
A great part of the book focused on chasing and running away from the animal that Tyler and Ember discovered instead of focusing on the romance.

Overall, this was a light and easy read about two persons who find love in a most unexpected place.

This ARC was kindly provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful science fiction romance! I have liked the characters, the setting and the world building. Looking forward to read more stories from Passion Island.

This is a traditional, light-hearted romance novel (boy cute-meets girl) set on a partially terraformed planet. The two protagonists each work as a type of forest ranger. But instead of protecting the forest being overrun by humans like the forest rangers do on earth, their job is to protect the colonists from any native dangers.. The two are from rival settlements and meet “accidentally on purpose” while investigating a potential geological disaster.

It’s a very sweet story, a bit corny, a bit cute, a bit predictable. I had three favorite parts: The first is the mysterious seven-foot cupid. Who or what is it? Human? Animal? Alien? Native? Cyborg? I loved how the author kept up suspense and didn’t spell it out immediately. My second favorite part was the fluffy predator the couple unintentionally camps out with. Definitely an omnivore...and alway hungry! Yikes! I liked the animal himself, and I liked the way the interaction was depicted, And most importantly, I liked the redeeming, soul-mending quality of the romance as explained in the last chapter. It managed to prevent the insta love from being completely nonsensical or just hormones, etc. And in general, I liked how everything was not spelled out. I realize this book is the first in a series, and I imagine each of Embers sisters will take a turn at being a protagonist.

There were some eyebrow raising moments. Just what is going on with this genetic match making? Is this a technological homage to the truism that everyone has a love match? If so...ooh, icky. Magical thinking. And genetic meddling makes me think of eugenics, which is not a well-loved topic. And in terms of that, I had to frown at Cupid’s genome being characterized as “perfect.” What is considered “perfect” and who defines it? Uh oh.... I’m really curious how the future books will address this and everything else pertaining to Cupid’s “mission.“ I’m lining up now for book number two.

Thanks for the NetGalley ARC. Note that that ISBN doesn’t have a match on goodreads.

I had trouble getting into this book. I think because it felt like it started part the way into the story. It really needs a prologue to explain how the sides came to be separate, and her accident and recovery. Rather than after the accident and a kind of explanation after you meet the other character.....then we throw in Cupid. This story felt like 2 stories in one and a little lack luster.