Possessed by the Alien King

Fated Mates of the Varool #1

by Krista Luna

My fated mate is my enemy. Yet nothing will stop me from claiming her.

DEIRDRE

I made a horrible mistake. Under orders, I created a virus to drive the Varool from humanity’s new planet. It mutated, killing all of the alien women and our men.

Now, the fate of both our species rests on my shoulders—and between my thighs. To ease my guilt and broker peace, I’ll marry one of the fierce alien warriors and bear his children. All while hiding who I really am.

Their brute of a king claims me, his gigantic body inflaming my desire. Storr’s piercing gaze makes me shiver. If he ever finds out the part I played in all of this, crash landing on the planet will be the least of my worries.

STORR

Humans seized the planet I need for my people. As negotiations deteriorated, varoolian women died. I long for retribution. If I ever find the person responsible—

No. I must set aside my fury to secure my people’s future. Survival demands we reproduce with the enemy.

Although I have no plans to be first, a sweet, musky scent ensnares my senses. Deirdre is my fated mate. I must claim her. She is mine.

Yet consummation does not equal trust. As we battle our way across the untamed planet, suspicions mount. All humans are liars, but Deirdre’s lies may end us both.


Possessed by the Alien King is a steamy enemies-to-lovers romance featuring a growly alien hero, a smart heroine, and plenty of adventure with a guaranteed HEA.

Genres: Aliens, Science Fiction, Enemies To Lovers, Romance, Science Fiction Romance, Forced Proximity, Fantasy

284 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 2021

About the author

Krista Luna writes spicy fantasy and paranormal romance featuring otherworldly men and the strong women they can’t live without. She loves combining sizzling romance with thrilling adventure, laugh-out-loud humor, and cozy found families full of best friends and talking animals.

When she’s not writing, you can find Krista reading or watching her latest fantasy or scifi favorite, all while eating chocolate. Because there’s always chocolate.

Reviews

[Shruti (Hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Changing my rating to 2.5 ⭐

The writing is good but there is a serious lack of conversation between the two MCs. I've noticed that a lot of times when 2 POVs are present, it's almost as though the authors seem to substitute actual exchange of dialogues with internal monologues entirely and let me tell you what you already know - that's 👏 never 👏 enough 👏
Makes for a very shallow fated mate relationship, and the "I love yous" just don't carry weight.

Enemies to lovers, fated mates, hot sex, but no depth to them or their conversations. No banter.
Felt pretty empty. I don't care enough to continue the series.
I've seriously gotta learn how to DNF books.

Definitely better than Tana Stone's books though, but meh.

[Viragos Reading Odyssey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possessed by the Alien King
Fated Mates Of the Varool
By Krista Luna

I received an arc of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This is an alien + human romance with a dystopian bent as earth has been destroyed and our future humans live on spaceships searching for a new home.

Trigger warning - there is a virus theme in the plot.

Tropes include fated mates, arranged marriage, forced proximity, huge growly warrior + smaller mostly upbeat and reasonable female. The world building and characteristics of the aliens (and their anatomy) and alien animals were unique and intriguing. Steam factor is high. ❤️‍🔥

The description notes this is book one and this is an excellent set up for a series where future books peek back in on our first couple. Great debut work from the author. 5/5

[Luna ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

»You must not drop behind or I will be too distant if a predator attacks.«

★ ★ ★ ★

❥ 𝑫𝒆𝒊𝒓𝒅𝒓𝒆
Loved that she is intelligent, confident and kinda funny. She‘s likeable and I could relate to her.

❥ 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒓
He is big, distrustful and strong af. Really liked him.

✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
This was a very good science fiction romance with thrilling plot and likeable characters. I read a lot of alien romance and this one was very entertaining.
The plot is thrilling with some secrets and mysteries.
Deirdre and Storr are like ice and fire. Both have big trust issues and need to learn to live with each other. As they crashland on the planet they have to survive without contact to their people - so their relationship improves. This was entertaining and quick to read.
Of course there are some things that could be improved considering the writing style and lack of plot driven dialogue but I enjoyed reading.
Overall a good romance with new plot and not the typical alien book.

𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?
Yes, if you like alien romance with a strong man and an intelligent woman.

𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓
plot: 4/5
spice: 2/5
humor: 4/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 5/5
happy end?: yes

𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
possessive and protective hero, science fiction alien romance, arranged marriage, forced proximity, instant attraction, touch her and die, mates, shipwrecked on a planet, enemies to lovers, secrets and lies, scientist x alien

𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: Deirdre (24) and Storr (around 30)
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: no

𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
#1 Possessed by the Alien King ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Possessed by the Alien Prince ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#3 Possessed by the Alien Warlord ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: enemies to lovers/forced proximity
Angst: 😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥
Triggers: none

What a fantastic read by this first time author! As part of a peace treaty, Deirdre is being forced to marry Skorr, king of the Varool. The more time she spends with him, the more she begins to care about the grumpy alien. But their budding relationship will surely suffer if he learns she was the virologist mistakenly responsible for the virus that killed their people.

This was seriously a fantastic read! I would never have guessed this was Kris it's first novel. It was well written and paced really well. The story kept my interest with lots of action and had wonderful characters. There's nothing I love more than a grumpy hero who is resistant to his feelings for the heroine paired with a smart heroine who gets things done. I liked how the story was an emotional slow burn despite their obvious chemistry and attraction - it makes it more realistic to me despite being a fated mates story. Overall, a fantastic read and I can't wait to read more from this author!!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a fun alien romance. Humans and aliens fought and somehow killed off the male humans and the female aliens (funny how that worked).

Normally, I don’t enjoy when one of the couple lies to the other… but it was important to the plot. So, suck it up! It was worth it at the end.

This sets up an interesting adventure with lots of possible new couples.

No OW/OM drama.

Fun cat sidekick. And some enjoyable spicy alien parts. I appreciate that they were both into it the whole way and there wasn’t a feeling of skeeviness in the whole arranged marriage thing.

I’ll definitely check out more of this series.

[Lindsey (30Something_Reads)]

DNF @ 17%

I cannot power through another meh alien romance and this one had me cringing far too many times already. I did not need reminding 4-5 times at this point that "he'd get revenge on any of these living humans that may be involved" or that "she hoped her secret would never get out." I get it. Also, the fated mates thing was literally INSTANT and sometimes I just can't.

They did make a shmex tape though and I'm sure that's going to come up later 🤷🏻‍♀️

On to find something better.

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lmfao honestly it wasn’t terrible, it had more plot than ice planet barbarians.

[Cat H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4 stars.
This was really interesting and cool.
There’s sort of a bigger plot line that is gonna continue into the next books, I’m sure, but this was sort of the beginning.
There’s a lot of trekking through forest/jungle ish wilderness. There’s a cute felineesque pet. There’s fared mates, though they’re enemies when they marry, and Deirdre is keeping a huge, important secret from Storr.

It’s pretty cool.
And the sex is pretty hot.
I’d call it a win.
I enjoyed seeing them gradually grow to trust each other. Plus all the little bits of humor and the cuteness with Johnny.
Not sure if I’ll read the next book, but I’m thinkin about it.

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enemies to lovers - arranged marriage style

Deirdre was just the right mix of fierce and compassionate and Storr had all the grouchiness that she needed to balance. They had chemistry galore and what turned into a tender relationship. They had every reason to hate each other, but the survival scenario they were pushed into forced them to work through stuff. Both characters had moving backstories. I quite liked the world building as well.

Spice: 5/5

Triggers: grief, parent loss, severe illness, pandemic (off page), violence, gore, war (off page), near drowning, injury

[Karen Nastasio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good and the main characters had to learn how to work together and how to trust each other and bring Alien and human together as one. Deirdre Hutchins is a biologist and is task to make a virus that will make the Varool Aliens sick by her father the Admiral because they wanted the planet Sagittarian One they found before the aliens arrived but something went wrong and the virus killed there females and our males and her father tried to make her feel better by telling her it’s not her fault because he ordered her to make it and so when he died the guilt stayed with her but her mother never blame not once and now the Varool want justice because the humans are responsible for the death of there love ones and they take the planet as there own but they also want females so there race doesn’t die out. The now King Storr has come to take a high ranking female for his brother Prince Lun to marry and seal the treaty between them but when he see’s Deirdre and his second heart starts beating he knows she is his mate and takes his brothers place. Deirdre is the highest ranking member of the group because her father was the Admiral and her mother the vice admiral so to bring peace between them she agrees to the marriage and because of the guilt she feels about the virus but when the hot Grumpy King wants he instead of his brother she has no choice but to agree and when the King wants to consummate the deal in front of everyone Deirdre tells him no and another plan is made that she is ok with sort of it’s a recording of they mating. Now they are leaving to live on Sagittarian one as the first couple in the city of Jelva but nothing goes to plan and they are shot down and they crash to the ground and they survive and the King blames the humans again because he doesn’t trust them but Deirdre tells him he is wrong, they try to make contact with others but they cannot get through so there only option is to travel to the base and send a message to say they are alive and well. But on the way they learn more about each other and after saving each other a few times and the start to bond with each other and the desire and passion is intense and cannot be denied. Do they find the answers to what happened with the virus and who shot them down and will the truth about the virus that Deirdre made pull them apart forever. Read this book for the answers you won’t be disappointed.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought-Provoking Story Line . . .

Deirdre Hutchins is wracked with guilt over a mistake she made that mutated and destroyed the alien females and human males. Out of remorse for what she did, even though she was following orders, she decides to marry one of the aliens and have his children.

Storr, King of the Varool aliens, is rightfully angry over the females who were killed by the humans. Although the humans are willing to work with the Varool to repopulate, Storr wants vengeance. But when he goes on board the human ship, the scent identifies his mate! Will she tell him that she is the one responsible for the destruction of his people? Will she remain silent and do her part to provide him with offspring? Or worse, will he find out on his own that she was responsible?

I thought this story offered the reader a bit more to think about, a sort of ethical dilemma for Deirdre to face. She is trying to make up for her unintended mistake. But will she tell Storr the truth or keep it hidden? Grab your copy and see what she will choose. With her being Storr’s fated mate, it puts him in an awkward position as well. Very interesting story line.

[Laurel Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got to read an advance copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

After a disagreement over inhabiting a new planet the humans sent out a virus to scare off their alien counter parts-only something goes wrong. Now the fate of both species rests on the mating of human brides to the Varool-but a marriage does not equal trust nor does it equal safety on this strange unruly planet.

I loved this take on fated mates-this is a forced proximity, enemies to lovers style book which was done really well. The fated mates aspect really worked for me as to how their emotions changed over the course of their time together. The story was paced really well and was full of key emotional moments as well as funny ones-like customs misunderstandings between species and language mishaps.

[Sara Munoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book 1 in The Fated Mates of the Varool Book Series has an interesting story with intriguing characters. This well written book has strong characters with unique histories in an intriguing world. It had some very well-thought out scenes and story plots. These characters have very strong wills and personalities and their interactions are believable. This story is a steamy enemies-to-lovers romance featuring a growly alien hero, a smart heroine, and plenty of adventure with a guaranteed HEA This wonderful story has the following: intrigue, twists and turns, adventure, action, variety of races, humans, danger, love, steam and a HEA.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book in the Fated Mates of the Varool series a well written story that kept me turning pages. I had to know what was going to happen next. Human Deirdre and varoolian king Storr are enemies who marry to broker peace between their peoples, but she is keeping something from him. This story has suspense,drama, danger, villains, and romance. This is a new Author to me and it looks like this is her debut book. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept me on the edge of my seat as I read it. The plight of Storr and Deirdre struggling to survive after the shuttle was shot down and the guilt in which Deidre felt for creating a virus that killed so many and not telling her now husband. Then there's the common enemy that they didn't;t know that existed. I loved the characters and the story line.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (9/20/2022)! 🎁

[Goddess of Chaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

..."the new chapter of their lives, one that rewove a thread of hope through our tapestry of despair

Deirdre has regrets, and things she wishes had turned out differently, but more importantly, right now, she has a chance to lay a foundation for a better future, and she'll bite her tongue, and sacrifice to create that future for everyone.

Storr has a lot of pent up anger, with good reason, and there is no small part of him that wishes the ones who wronged his people were still alive, so he could make them pay... but he's trying to press forward.

When events conspire to halt their progress towards a mutual better future, Storr and Deirdre begin to discover just how much common ground they do or do not have, and the roadblocks in their way begin to feel almost like a whodunit all their own as questions arise, is this alliance even shakier than at first believed? Are the humans telling the truth? Are the Varool tired of the games these humans play?

This done in one Kindle Unlimited quick read creates an interesting Universe I look forward to revisiting, as trust becomes a central issue on personal and political levels.

[Betteroffwithbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by the book. It’s different from a lot of the other sci-fi/alien based books that’s I have read in the past. Due to some tragic circumstances the Humans and the Varool have created a treaty that will insure both species survive. However, neither Storr or Deirdre are particularly happy about the arrangement. Both want to do what’s best for their people so they proceed with an arranged marriage. Their relationship was uneasy at first due to Deidre’s guilt and Storr’s mistrust. Krista Luna did an amazing job at showing each character’s growth throughout the book, although it wasn’t always easy and there was some heartbreak during the journey. The world building is vivid and draws you right in. I’m curious to see how the series continues and what else happens on Sagitarian One.

[GingerOrange · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Romance:3
Steaminess:3.5
Action/suspense:2
Overall:3.5

Okay. I’m on board with this.

I can’t say anything was all that unique about this story. It was a pretty cookie cutter alien romance (mars need mates style). But I still enjoyed the predictability of the story. At the very least, the main couple, Storr and Deirdre actually had character and substance to them. They were both smart people either good head on their shoulders. The romance was okay, if a little rushed. The book was nicely steamy. The world building was better than most sci-fi romances but still underdeveloped. The action was well written.

Overall, a nice comforting alien romance.

[Anniken]

So I did like this more than the other alien book I read last year (Ice Plante Barbarians). These aliens were a lot more human in appearance, according to descriptions, so that made things a little easier.

Still a bit weird for me, but I enjoyed some of the aspects a lot more this time around and it was fun and fast. I did notice a few similarities between Ice Planet Barbarians and this, but the premise was very different - which I like more in this book. As with the other I'm not going to give this a rating. But it was more fun this time.

//

I'm I trying another alien romance? Yes - Kindle unlimited is a great place and I have 12 days left.

Also these alien supposedly look like humans, they just have some extra markings and are super tall which makes it a little less weird for me. Hope this weirds me out less than the pervious one I read, because the hype on booktook was real.

[TT Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story! At first I was a bit annoyed at Deirdre for being so mad at Storr although it should have been him who had every right to be furious with her and the humans.
He’s still justified in my opinion🤣 and I’ll tell you why…instead of hammering out agreements with the Varool people, the first thing that came to mind for the humans was to cause harm, doesn’t matter how innocent they thought it would be. Didn’t the destruction of earth teach them nothing? See, I’m so invested in this amazing story😄

Storr and Deirdre’s love story was beautifully told and I love that they had to go through the rough to find their way to each other and I can’t wait to see what baby Varool is🤩

Onto the next book I go! I thorough enjoyed this one.👏🏽

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE!!

Enemies to lovers done so right. Storr is a grumpy and angry dreamboat out for vengeance. Deidre is his enemy but he doesn't realize how bad of an enemy she really is to him! She knows and she still falls for him.

[Marian Pattechat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book by this author and it got me hooked! I love the enemies to lovers trope, and here it was done so, so well. The story gave me the feels, it was an emotional ride and I loved that! Now, excuse me as I go get possessed by the alien prince ;)

[Sandra Singleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deirdre and Storr are fantastic and can't wait for the next book. I volunteered to read an advance copy for an honest review.

[Caroline Doig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic sci-fi romance with Storr and Deirdre. Deirdre and her father made a virus that accidentally killed all of the human men and the Varool females so a marriage treaty was put into place so Deirdre had to marry a Varool prince but instead the king claimed her, but what Storr didn’t know was that Deirdre had a secret and it might just end her life. Fantastic story I loved it, the descriptions and the characters and I highly recommend this book it’s well worth the read.

[m. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS

I quite enjoyed this one!!

[Paranormal Kiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this sci-fi romance. Enemies forced together become lovers and more. Likeable characters and an interesting plot.

[Hannah Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow to get into but once you keep going it’s good.

Steam- 3/5

[Marisa BG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this, but it did drag a bit. I will stick with the series and see if it picks up the pace.

[Avid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enemies or fated mates. Deride is hiding a major secret when she agrees to marry the alien king. Storr must do what he has to in order to ensure the survival of his people but wants revenge on those responsible for their deaths. An exciting read filled with tension and plenty of steamy scenes.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.