Flame: Inferno Force of the Drexian Warriors, Book 5 by Tana Stone

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The only thing worse than always being upstaged by your perfect sister? Falling for her alien fiancé.

I wasn’t supposed to end up on the Drexian space station or be matched to one of their gorgeous warriors as a tribute bride. My perfect twin sister is the one they wanted. Instead, I stole her spot. The trouble is, I’m not tribute bride “material”, whatever that means, and I’m on the first transport back to Earth in disgrace.

Before I can be shipped off, my sister’s transport to the station is hijacked. Feeling that her abduction is all my fault, I stow away on one of the rescue ships but am quickly discovered. When we’re also attacked by the Kronock, we end up crashing on an alien planet.

The Drexian I’m stranded with is gorgeous, brave, and a giant pain in my ass. From what I can tell, he finds me just as aggravating. What I don’t yet know? The pilot is also the Drexian my sister was supposed to marry—and we’re stuck together on an alien world with no sign of rescue.

Flame

The Wrong Twin, the Right Warrior

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚💜💙
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: 😋🙂🤨🤣
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Duet Narration

🛡️ Audiobook Review: Flame by Tana Stone

Genre: Science Fiction Romance | Narrators: Aubrey Vincent, Conner Goff, Jodie Bentley
Series: Inferno Force of the Drexian Warriors

🦸🏼‍♀️ Heroine Spotlight: Leila

Leila’s always been the shadow twin—overshadowed by Nora’s perfection, dismissed by family, and left clinging to her keyboard for control. When she discovers Nora has volunteered as a tribute bride to leave Earth and start anew on a Drexian-run space station, it feels like the final betrayal. So Leila does what she does best: she hacks the system, swaps identities, and boards the shuttle to The Island herself. If abandonment is inevitable, she’ll beat it to the punch. Her journey begins not with hope, but with defiance.

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🧑🏻‍🚒 Hero Spotlight: Talvin

Talvin is a decorated pilot and comms officer for the Inferno Force, a warrior elite among warriors. Stationed on The Island to help defend against a rising alien threat, he’s long admired the tribute brides from afar. As the second son in his clan, he assumed he’d wait years for his match. So when he overhears that he’s been assigned a bride—only to learn she’s the wrong twin, a system reject—his hopes are dashed. Leila is slated for return to Earth, and Nora, the “acceptable” twin, is en route. But fate, and a little chaos, have other plans.

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🔥 Plot Pulse

Talvin’s curiosity about Leila’s rejection sparks a quiet rebellion against the system’s judgment. He finds her drunk and flirted with in a station bar, and instead of walking away, he helps her home. The next morning, news breaks: Nora’s ship has been attacked. Talvin volunteers for the rescue mission, and Leila—wracked with guilt and determined to fix her mistake—stows away on his shuttle. What follows is a crash landing, a survival trek across an alien planet, and a slow-burning connection forged in fire and vulnerability.

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💘 Things That Hit Home

• The “Journey” trope shines here—Talvin and Leila’s crash-landing and survival arc adds grit and intimacy.
• Emotional stakes rise when Talvin’s family pressures him to choose Nora, the twin with accolades and approval, over the woman he’s come to understand.
• Knowing Nora’s story gets its own book (and HEA!) adds satisfying depth to the twin dynamic and softens the tension.

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😬 Room to Grow

• Leila’s prickly exterior—her snark, her defensiveness—made her hard to root for at times. Her hacking stunt felt more selfish than brave.
• Talvin’s lingering thought of Nora as his intended mate, even after bonding with Leila, dulled the romance arc. I wanted him to choose Leila with more conviction.

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🎧 Narration Vibes

The trio of narrators—Aubrey Vincent, Conner Goff, and Jodie Bentley—bring solid energy to the story. Vincent’s delivery is crisp and emotionally resonant. Bentley adds sparkle to side characters. Goff, while technically sound, feels mismatched for Talvin’s role; his voice skews older and lacks the commanding presence I associate with Drexian warriors.

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📝 Final Thoughts

A sci-fi romance with emotional undercurrents, sibling rivalry, and a crash-course in redemption. While Leila’s arc tested my patience, the journey trope and Talvin’s evolving loyalty kept me invested. Bonus points for knowing Nora’s story gets its own spotlight—because every twin deserves a chance to shine.

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