4 Stars.
My rating guide: 1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, not for me; 3= Yes, it was Okay/Sweet; 4= I LIKED IT A LOT; 5= A favorite, it was great!
ENTERED IN THE ALIEN BRIDE LOTTERY by Margo Bond Collins is bk #1 in the KAHNAVAI WARRIOR BRIDE GAMES series, a series featuring earth women who reluctantly (or not) end up on a televised Bride Games reality show broadcast between earth and the Kahnavai population.
For the past 50 years, Kahnavaian space warriors have been protecting planet earth from a common alien enemy known as the Alveron Horde who would otherwise rape and pillage earth. The Alveron previously attacked the Kahanavai’s with chemical warfare causing their adults to bare only male children. The Kahnavaian population would have eventually died out but they discovered earth, the human female’s compatibility with their own male population, and the earthlings desperate need for protection from the oppressive Horde which was now attacking them. A treaty between Earth and Kahnavai was proposed, accepted and called the Bride Treaty. The treaty allows an annual Bride Lottery where all single earth women 21 yrs and older submit their names to a lottery. “Winners” enter the Bride Games competition which is a televised reality show matching the preselected earth women to a number of prospective single Kahnavai warriors/civilians. An earth woman can return home if none of the preselected Kahnavaian are a good match for her; and her name never re-enters future drawings. Women who receive one or more possible Kahnavai matches participate in the elimination portion of the Games with the goal of selecting the best possible warrior and future mate for each earth bride.
Natalie Ferguson/FMC, just turned 21 yrs and a college student, hears her name announced for the upcoming ALIEN BRIDE LOTTERY while in the company of partying friends one evening. She is resigned as she reports to the assigned “Bride” shuttle, but hopeful that she will be rejected as a match. Lt. Cav Adredoni/MMC is a pilot and a warrior. During his service he has been actively fighting the Horde, helping to protect planet earth from annihilation. He resents being pulled out of duty for the Games but submits after being reminded that finding a human mate and creating a family is another duty all Kahnavains should be honored to perform.
ENTERED IN THE ALIEN BRIDE LOTTERY is a light-hearted, fast reading story which shows how individuals are affected by an agreement created for the “greater good” of 2 very different worlds. I enjoyed seeing how both characters learned to appreciate another perspective than their own. Lt. Adredoni was an honorable man; Natalie was very young yet not of drama-queen mentality (Yay!) and strong in her own right. ENTERED IN THE ALIEN BRIDE LOTTERY would be most enjoyed by readers looking for a quick reading, fun, sexy, light-hearted Space Opera with low angst, likable characters in an Opposites Attract trope setting, and a sweet HEA. I enjoyed EITABL enough that I picked up bks#2 & #3 in the KAHNAVAI WARRIOR BRIDE GAMES series. For me, it was a perfect COVID-escape read.
READER CAUTIONS* -
VIOLENCE - Sci-Fi type; think Orig Star Trek planetary warrior games.
PROFANITY - Yes. Strong language is used.
SEXUAL SITUATIONS - Yes. During the Bride Games rather sexy times occur and on-scene intimacy follows.
* NOT RECOMMENDED for YA readers or those who prefer CLEAN fiction.