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Mated Fates #1
No Strings Attached
Violet:
What’s worse than being accidentally stuck in a conscious state during a month-long trip in a stasis pod aboard your abductors’ spaceship? Ending up in a cage room with nine other captives—bizarre and dangerous aliens who are not looking at you in ways that suggest your best interests. And why are you feeling a strange connection with that furry, amber-eyed, and charmingly naïve guard outside your cage?
Bahbi:
Standing in the cage room, I don’t know which creature terrifies me more, although I’m leaning heavily in the direction of the human female after hearing about how she went berserk during the offloading process and chopped one of her abductors to bits. Then she includes me in the escape plans of the caged alien group and gently runs her hand over my fur where I am injured, and I am lost forever to her.
Chorus:
And then there’s the taking over of the asteroid (oh, didn’t we mention they’re on an asteroid?), the plan to drive slavery from the galaxy, that whole “Queen of Oz” bit, and parading around naked on galactic TV with a royal party of giant snakes. Oh, yeah, and the unpleasantness at the brothel.
Maizy:
Nothing in life is guaranteed, but how bitter and jaded would one have to be to not love HEAs? That said, my books are full of triggers of every variety—too many to list in a content warning; if this is troubling to you, please skip my books altogether. Also, sexually explicit content for readers 18+ only and meant to be read as a series.
What’s worse than being accidentally stuck in a conscious state during a month-long trip in a stasis pod aboard your abductors’ spaceship? Ending up in a cage room with nine other captives—bizarre and dangerous aliens who are not looking at you in ways that suggest your best interests. And why are you feeling a strange connection with that furry, amber-eyed, and charmingly naïve guard outside your cage?
Bahbi:
Standing in the cage room, I don’t know which creature terrifies me more, although I’m leaning heavily in the direction of the human female after hearing about how she went berserk during the offloading process and chopped one of her abductors to bits. Then she includes me in the escape plans of the caged alien group and gently runs her hand over my fur where I am injured, and I am lost forever to her.
Chorus:
And then there’s the taking over of the asteroid (oh, didn’t we mention they’re on an asteroid?), the plan to drive slavery from the galaxy, that whole “Queen of Oz” bit, and parading around naked on galactic TV with a royal party of giant snakes. Oh, yeah, and the unpleasantness at the brothel.
Maizy:
Nothing in life is guaranteed, but how bitter and jaded would one have to be to not love HEAs? That said, my books are full of triggers of every variety—too many to list in a content warning; if this is troubling to you, please skip my books altogether. Also, sexually explicit content for readers 18+ only and meant to be read as a series.
313 pages, ebook
Published December 17, 2023
22 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
Maizy Fell
9 books14 followersBook links: https://books2read.com/ap/nmjdqX/Maiz...
Ream stories: https://reamstories.com/maizyfell
Ream stories: https://reamstories.com/maizyfell
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 20, 2023
Loved this book! Vi is outrageous, courageous and sometimes flat out crazy! So refreshing to read an abduction trope story with an intelligent woman as the mfc.
August 16, 2025
It's fine! Really interesting ideas for the world and various galactic inhabitants, but Mary Sue FMC, deus machina solutions, and kind of offensive sexual politics. Out of place nonconsensual somnophilia that adds nothing but a bad taste in the mouth. Also as much as it's nice to have an anti-slavery plotline (that's good! We don't want slavery, I'm on board), it's a bit much that this FMC is running around telling people they could be not-enslaved and they're like "oh my god i never even imagined that idea".
The whole thing felt like a cheap but satisfying, romp through a particularly unimaginative liberal's fantasies
Editing after a cover change: rounding back up after the AI was removed! Hooray new covers with ethically produced art. Maybe I'll loop back around to read future books.
Old review text for posterity:
Rounding down for the douchey "there's every trigger don't read it if you want to avoid anything specific" note and the AI cover, I'm not going to risk any more books by this author since I'm worried this much of a value difference between us will mean what didn't work well here for me will worsen into being actively upsetting
The whole thing felt like a cheap but satisfying, romp through a particularly unimaginative liberal's fantasies
Editing after a cover change: rounding back up after the AI was removed! Hooray new covers with ethically produced art. Maybe I'll loop back around to read future books.
Old review text for posterity:
Rounding down for the douchey "there's every trigger don't read it if you want to avoid anything specific" note and the AI cover, I'm not going to risk any more books by this author since I'm worried this much of a value difference between us will mean what didn't work well here for me will worsen into being actively upsetting
June 16, 2024
Unexpectedly excellent. Highly recommended. I look forward to the rest of this series.
October 19, 2024
This was a phenomenal and refreshing sci-fi romance that had me grinning like an idiot and desperately wanting more.
Minor spoilers below.
Characters:
I absolutely adored Violet and Bahbi/Bobby and was so surprised at how much I came to love all the side characters as well.
Violet is a truly competent FMC, and she earns the respect, love, and loyalty of everyone she comes into contact with. I loved how the story went into such depth about her consistently rational decisions and how thoroughly she considered the logistics of the situation and used everyone's strengths to solve problems and give agency and purpose to the people around her.
Bahbi/Bobby is just incredibly perfect. Destined from birth to be a slave and overlooked and disrespected by his own people for being the runt of the litter, he is completely devoid of the typical overbearing performative masculinity traits of sci-fi romance MMCs.
Relationship:
Violet and Bahbi's relationship is exactly what I crave out of a story like this. A relationship based on mutual respect and genuine adoration of each other's traits and personality. It's so nurturing, wholesome, and lip-bitingly adorable.
Story/Plot
It is very obvious that this book is setting up a bigger story and world and left me eager and excited to return to this universe. The plot kept me interested and I was repeatedly satisfied at how the entire main cast of characters just continued to grow their friendships and and Violet led them into making sensible and rational decisions. I kept thinking "that makes so much sense" and looking forward to seeing what happened next.
There's also a delightful overtone of humor and ridiculousness woven into this heartwarming story, and while the themes being dealt with are serious (primarily slavery, abduction, sex trafficking), the message is such a positive one, and the ongoing absurdity and over-the-top hijinks keep things from feeling too dark.
Setting/World
I enjoyed what we got to see of the world so far in this series, and again, it's clear that this book is setting up a bigger universe.
Spice:
While it's not necessarily the best-of-the-best (for me, anyway), there was so much to appreciate about the spice in this book. I liked the frank, up-front discussion they have beforehand about the differences in their species (seriously, why doesn't this come up more before humans just start banging an alien!), and the creative anatomy elements were interesting without being over-the-top. I also really appreciated that there were absolutely no mentions of "it's too big!" or "we'll never fit." I also really liked that Bahbi wasn't an enormous hulking alien beast. He's described as being 6ft tall with a swimmer's body.
Writing:
I was a little skeptical in the first few chapters. In some places the writing does feel a little awkward and could definitely benefit from an editing pass to clean up some of the sentence structures. That said, I only noticed one actual typo. I was quickly so charmed by the characters and story that any initial frustration with the writing just disappeared into the background.
As someone who lives in a place where heavy swearing is a culturally acceptable seasoning for any conversation, I really loved how much casual excessive swearing this book had. The execution was just so... charming? I liked that there weren't any 'made-up' alien swears - it's just a given that the translators would have the reader experiencing all the vulgarity in English. Also, if it bothers you, just note that at the beginning of the book Violet is filled with intense rage (for a very good reason) and the swearing does slow down to a more reasonable pace after the first few chapters.
Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend this book and I really hope more people discover this author.
Minor spoilers below.
Characters:
I absolutely adored Violet and Bahbi/Bobby and was so surprised at how much I came to love all the side characters as well.
Violet is a truly competent FMC, and she earns the respect, love, and loyalty of everyone she comes into contact with. I loved how the story went into such depth about her consistently rational decisions and how thoroughly she considered the logistics of the situation and used everyone's strengths to solve problems and give agency and purpose to the people around her.
Bahbi/Bobby is just incredibly perfect. Destined from birth to be a slave and overlooked and disrespected by his own people for being the runt of the litter, he is completely devoid of the typical overbearing performative masculinity traits of sci-fi romance MMCs.
"In fact, she thought that might be part of Bobby’s biggest appeal to her, his lack of any stereotypical human male traits like possessiveness, exaggerated masculinity, aggressiveness."
Relationship:
Violet and Bahbi's relationship is exactly what I crave out of a story like this. A relationship based on mutual respect and genuine adoration of each other's traits and personality. It's so nurturing, wholesome, and lip-bitingly adorable.
"She thought she could sense the faint outline of the larger person he could become if given the chance, an intriguing and attractive personality built on the foundation of his innate honesty and unguardedness."
"Vi was a perfect, independent, and fearsome force of nature. He didn’t so much want to own her as he wanted to be swept up by and a part of her, carried along at her side for as long as she blazed through the galaxy."
Story/Plot
It is very obvious that this book is setting up a bigger story and world and left me eager and excited to return to this universe. The plot kept me interested and I was repeatedly satisfied at how the entire main cast of characters just continued to grow their friendships and and Violet led them into making sensible and rational decisions. I kept thinking "that makes so much sense" and looking forward to seeing what happened next.
There's also a delightful overtone of humor and ridiculousness woven into this heartwarming story, and while the themes being dealt with are serious (primarily slavery, abduction, sex trafficking), the message is such a positive one, and the ongoing absurdity and over-the-top hijinks keep things from feeling too dark.
"She and her crew looked fucking ridiculous, and she couldn’t be happier. She basked in the feel of having a bra and panties again, then gathered her thoughts."
Setting/World
I enjoyed what we got to see of the world so far in this series, and again, it's clear that this book is setting up a bigger universe.
Spice:
While it's not necessarily the best-of-the-best (for me, anyway), there was so much to appreciate about the spice in this book. I liked the frank, up-front discussion they have beforehand about the differences in their species (seriously, why doesn't this come up more before humans just start banging an alien!), and the creative anatomy elements were interesting without being over-the-top. I also really appreciated that there were absolutely no mentions of "it's too big!" or "we'll never fit." I also really liked that Bahbi wasn't an enormous hulking alien beast. He's described as being 6ft tall with a swimmer's body.
Writing:
I was a little skeptical in the first few chapters. In some places the writing does feel a little awkward and could definitely benefit from an editing pass to clean up some of the sentence structures. That said, I only noticed one actual typo. I was quickly so charmed by the characters and story that any initial frustration with the writing just disappeared into the background.
As someone who lives in a place where heavy swearing is a culturally acceptable seasoning for any conversation, I really loved how much casual excessive swearing this book had. The execution was just so... charming? I liked that there weren't any 'made-up' alien swears - it's just a given that the translators would have the reader experiencing all the vulgarity in English. Also, if it bothers you, just note that at the beginning of the book Violet is filled with intense rage (for a very good reason) and the swearing does slow down to a more reasonable pace after the first few chapters.
Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend this book and I really hope more people discover this author.
December 2, 2024
This is not my normal jam, but I did enjoy it.
Bahbi and Vi were adorable together, and I loved how hard she worked to make sure everyone had a say. I don't know that I'll continue the series, since aliens aren't my normal thing, but if you like aliens then you will enjoy this!
PS - she wasn't lying about the creative anatomy.
Bahbi and Vi were adorable together, and I loved how hard she worked to make sure everyone had a say. I don't know that I'll continue the series, since aliens aren't my normal thing, but if you like aliens then you will enjoy this!
PS - she wasn't lying about the creative anatomy.
January 26, 2024
Not A Typical Sci-fi Alien Romance....thankfully!
This book kept me entertained from beginning to end. It really struck me as being different from a lot of books in this genre, not that I don't read and enjoy a lot of those. It had action (some of it violent and bloody against bad guys), suspense, twists and turns, humor, romance and sexy times! The human heroine, Violet, was not happy about being abducted from earth by the Greys. She decided to "kick ass" and possibly die rather than be a slave, fighting Greys, slavers and bullies. At the same time, she reached out to anyone she encountered who was also a prisoner or in a "slave like" position with kindness. That attitude led to forming a group of newly freed beings from different species who are friends and allies, determined to survive and work against slavery in the galaxy. The author's words painted vivid pictures of in my mind of the appearance of each species Violet met and of scenes occurring in the book. It was well written and edited with no typos or other obvious errors. I am looking forward to the next visit to the "Kingdom of Oz" and the beings who live in it!
This book kept me entertained from beginning to end. It really struck me as being different from a lot of books in this genre, not that I don't read and enjoy a lot of those. It had action (some of it violent and bloody against bad guys), suspense, twists and turns, humor, romance and sexy times! The human heroine, Violet, was not happy about being abducted from earth by the Greys. She decided to "kick ass" and possibly die rather than be a slave, fighting Greys, slavers and bullies. At the same time, she reached out to anyone she encountered who was also a prisoner or in a "slave like" position with kindness. That attitude led to forming a group of newly freed beings from different species who are friends and allies, determined to survive and work against slavery in the galaxy. The author's words painted vivid pictures of in my mind of the appearance of each species Violet met and of scenes occurring in the book. It was well written and edited with no typos or other obvious errors. I am looking forward to the next visit to the "Kingdom of Oz" and the beings who live in it!
February 4, 2024
Excellent sci fi adventure with romance
Yes, there's bad stuff, including some graphic violence, abduction, and slavery. There's also graphic sex (duh). More importantly, there's an awesome story with a female main character who probably went a little insane locked awake in a box for 3 weeks and is looking for some payback from a galaxy of beings who allow slavery. The supporting cast of non-humans is equally awesome and inventively varied. And the romance isn't insta-love, which is refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed NSA, and I'm looking forward to more books from Maizy Fell.
Yes, there's bad stuff, including some graphic violence, abduction, and slavery. There's also graphic sex (duh). More importantly, there's an awesome story with a female main character who probably went a little insane locked awake in a box for 3 weeks and is looking for some payback from a galaxy of beings who allow slavery. The supporting cast of non-humans is equally awesome and inventively varied. And the romance isn't insta-love, which is refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed NSA, and I'm looking forward to more books from Maizy Fell.
May 31, 2024
YES!!!
New to me author. Amazing world building and character development!! Loved the progression and the spice. 🌶🌶🌶. Human to be sold at auction fights so they label her as vicious. Meets up with some aliens who are also captives/slaves. Loved the wealth of diverse aliens and societies introduced. Can’t wait to read the next in the series. This is a standalone and a great new series.
New to me author. Amazing world building and character development!! Loved the progression and the spice. 🌶🌶🌶. Human to be sold at auction fights so they label her as vicious. Meets up with some aliens who are also captives/slaves. Loved the wealth of diverse aliens and societies introduced. Can’t wait to read the next in the series. This is a standalone and a great new series.
May 27, 2024
So much fun
Once this story starts, it never stops! This is a go-go-go adventure with plenty of supporting characters, steam, and intrigue. So much fun!
Once this story starts, it never stops! This is a go-go-go adventure with plenty of supporting characters, steam, and intrigue. So much fun!
July 12, 2025
3ish stars.
There are some good things about this book, including a variety of characters and a non-typical MMC. I loved that Bahbi was not the strong, warrior, masculine type we always see.
However, ultimately this book just didn’t build up the romance effectively enough between Bahbi and Vi.
I did not love Vi’s reaction to the human girl Ella. She was jealous? Really? I thought she would have been SO relieved to see another human. I really would have liked some stronger camaraderie between Vi and Ella, and we unfortunately just didn’t get that. Vi was really giving ‘I only get along with men’ energy that was not appreciated. She had very little sympathy for what Ella had been through - which was confusing. The overwhelming amount of male characters didn’t help. Vi also did not react in feasible ways to the situations she was placed in. At no point is she shown to truly struggle with the fact that she’s been kidnapped by ALIENS.
Also Acken threatening to rape Vi did not align with the rest of his characterisation. That was a strange choice to include.
Bahbi had some character development but Vi didn’t really. Her whole character was just badasss, morally superior girl that every male falls in love with. It’s giving Mary Sue.
Also not every detail about hierarchies etc. needed to be included. Some of the ‘political’ (if it could be considered that) parts of the book were BORING. A lot of telling instead of showing.
Whilst this book offered some sweet found-family moments, ultimately the plot is paper thin and the characters are one dimensional. It also needed a proofread and a few more drafts prior to publication.
Having said all of this, I think the author has heart and genuinely loves these characters.
There are some good things about this book, including a variety of characters and a non-typical MMC. I loved that Bahbi was not the strong, warrior, masculine type we always see.
However, ultimately this book just didn’t build up the romance effectively enough between Bahbi and Vi.
I did not love Vi’s reaction to the human girl Ella. She was jealous? Really? I thought she would have been SO relieved to see another human. I really would have liked some stronger camaraderie between Vi and Ella, and we unfortunately just didn’t get that. Vi was really giving ‘I only get along with men’ energy that was not appreciated. She had very little sympathy for what Ella had been through - which was confusing. The overwhelming amount of male characters didn’t help. Vi also did not react in feasible ways to the situations she was placed in. At no point is she shown to truly struggle with the fact that she’s been kidnapped by ALIENS.
Also Acken threatening to rape Vi did not align with the rest of his characterisation. That was a strange choice to include.
Bahbi had some character development but Vi didn’t really. Her whole character was just badasss, morally superior girl that every male falls in love with. It’s giving Mary Sue.
Also not every detail about hierarchies etc. needed to be included. Some of the ‘political’ (if it could be considered that) parts of the book were BORING. A lot of telling instead of showing.
Whilst this book offered some sweet found-family moments, ultimately the plot is paper thin and the characters are one dimensional. It also needed a proofread and a few more drafts prior to publication.
Having said all of this, I think the author has heart and genuinely loves these characters.
March 27, 2025
Vi: "I really hate human men because they're possessive, aggressive, and excessively masculine."
Bahbi: Hirsute and tightly muscled like a swimmer (excessively masculine), jealous of other men and literally ties strings to her (possessive), fights off people for and because of her and also takes charge in bed (aggressive).
So non-self-aware of the author, as I'm sure that's exactly where this misanthropic attitude stems from. "I hate human men, but hey, let me create an alien who's exactly like the average human man, including whiskers and fur."
Sheesh.
This one was meandering and nearly plotless. It missed some of the key moments necessary for a successful Romance, let alone a successful SciFi. Vi might have been modeled after a Viking warrioress, but she was not a leader. At all. The more she tried to be, the worse things got story craft wise. Like, buy a fucking clue already and let the plot align with her natural abilities as a character instead of forcing things to fit your messaging.
Oh, wait. I'm not the editor on this one. Whew. 'Cause it's a hot mess.
Bahbi: Hirsute and tightly muscled like a swimmer (excessively masculine), jealous of other men and literally ties strings to her (possessive), fights off people for and because of her and also takes charge in bed (aggressive).
So non-self-aware of the author, as I'm sure that's exactly where this misanthropic attitude stems from. "I hate human men, but hey, let me create an alien who's exactly like the average human man, including whiskers and fur."
Sheesh.
This one was meandering and nearly plotless. It missed some of the key moments necessary for a successful Romance, let alone a successful SciFi. Vi might have been modeled after a Viking warrioress, but she was not a leader. At all. The more she tried to be, the worse things got story craft wise. Like, buy a fucking clue already and let the plot align with her natural abilities as a character instead of forcing things to fit your messaging.
Oh, wait. I'm not the editor on this one. Whew. 'Cause it's a hot mess.
October 27, 2024
This would have been a 5⭐ read for me if not for the excruciating detail on every single aspect of their organizational structure. Also, I had a hard time believing that a random human would be that savvy in a completely foreign environment.
That being said, it was such a treat to read a slow burn. Sci-fi romance is rife with insta-love/lust and fated mates. It gets tiresome after a while. Vi and Bahbi were such a palate cleanser. A bit of a gender swap. Bahbi was so submissive and gentle. I loved him to death and would cut a bitch to protect him.
Vi was so freaking fun to watch. She was one pissed off abductee who wasn't taking any 💩 from anyone.
The best part, though, was watching all the main side characters grow as people...especially Acken. He went from di@k swinging scumbag to loyal friend and I was 100% here for it.
So glad I read this.
That being said, it was such a treat to read a slow burn. Sci-fi romance is rife with insta-love/lust and fated mates. It gets tiresome after a while. Vi and Bahbi were such a palate cleanser. A bit of a gender swap. Bahbi was so submissive and gentle. I loved him to death and would cut a bitch to protect him.
Vi was so freaking fun to watch. She was one pissed off abductee who wasn't taking any 💩 from anyone.
The best part, though, was watching all the main side characters grow as people...especially Acken. He went from di@k swinging scumbag to loyal friend and I was 100% here for it.
So glad I read this.
October 27, 2024
No Strings Attached is a low angst sci-fi story. I didn't expect the low angst part when it opens with Violet having been not only kidnapped by aliens, but also stuck in a pod completely awake and aware for a whole month without being able to move. But just like this opening, Violet has grit and determination and keeps herself sane through the transport. So it's no wonder what almost immediately after waking and caged near the other aliens meant for auction, she recruits them all and they work together to freedom.
This isn't a hardcore sci-fi, everything does have a way of working out. But I enjoyed the more lighthearted approach. If anyone deserves for things to work out, it's Violet and her guys. Even though almost all the other characters are men, this isn't a reverse harem. Violet sets her eyes on one supportive alien and makes him hers.
This isn't a hardcore sci-fi, everything does have a way of working out. But I enjoyed the more lighthearted approach. If anyone deserves for things to work out, it's Violet and her guys. Even though almost all the other characters are men, this isn't a reverse harem. Violet sets her eyes on one supportive alien and makes him hers.
May 26, 2024
Gleeful Goblin Review: This series came out of left field for me and totally blew me away. It hits ALL the Found Family buttons which is my top fave trope in fiction. Vi is a perfect mix of strong, vulnerable, empathetic, driven, and vulnerable by turns so she comes across as relatable and admirable all at once. Bahbi is an incredible example of wholesome masculinity and I adore the way that the author explores concepts of autonomy and self-actualizing for a male who's never even considered those concepts a possibility before. This series stole my heart and I can't wait to read more! 5/5 Stars
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October 28, 2024DNFed after the FMC and the MMC hooked up. It felt rushed and anticlimactic, tension wasn't given the chance to build, and felt like it totally petered out after they had sex. Enjoyed the variety of fellow captives and the descriptions, I think the worldbuilding had promise just wasn't my cup of tea relationship and development wise.
February 17, 2025
In the same way that Ruby Dixon always keeps me on the edge of my seat, this author also delivers on all fronts: exciting plot (but never too scary), lovable human/alien characters, fascinating worldbuilding, and delightfully steamy scenes that are refreshingly unique. I love Bahbi!!!!!! I am probably going to re-read this (which I rarely do) after reading the rest of Maizy's books/novellas. I can't wait for more.
April 19, 2024
Oh how I love Bahbi! This was funny, hot and sweet. Perfect.
January 1, 2025
I enjoyed reading aspects of this book, just couldn't connect to the characters in a deep way.
May 14, 2025
Muzzles don’t do it for me…but the writing was so good I kept going! I loved all of the characters and the FMC was AMAZING. This was my first book of Fell’s…but I want more!
November 15, 2024
Refreshing and fun! Interesting world building, a great cast of characters, powerhouse FMC, and a cinnamon roll FMC who I want to pet.
April 18, 2025
The kind of irreverent competence porn about improbably altruistic beings cooperating as a group that we could probably all use this year. So much is accomplished when profit isn't the motive. Such fantasy. And a talking effing dog? Snakes with optional arm attachments? COVERALL-WEARING SPACE OTTERS?!? Kyahhh there are holes for their tails how adorable 😭😭😭
Also, that's my favorite Beatles album, so you got me there.
Fair warning, though: this is a romance novel with a side of wacky adventures, not the other way around. The focus is on Vi and our sweet fluffy floof, Bahbi.
Ahahahahahaha Steev ahahaha 👌
That was fun. it seems like a lot of your viewers were surprised by how much they liked it. me too, dudes.
I don't see why anyone likes those ice barbarian books, but this one actually worked.
Also, that's my favorite Beatles album, so you got me there.
Fair warning, though: this is a romance novel with a side of wacky adventures, not the other way around. The focus is on Vi and our sweet fluffy floof, Bahbi.
Ahahahahahaha Steev ahahaha 👌
That was fun. it seems like a lot of your viewers were surprised by how much they liked it. me too, dudes.
I don't see why anyone likes those ice barbarian books, but this one actually worked.
January 9, 2025
I liked all of the different aliens we met. Their grand plan to somehow end slavery in the galaxy was inspiring
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews