Alien Attachments

Alien Attachments #1

by Sabine Priestley

Will their love be strong enough to keep them alive and get them back to Earth?

Finding one’s psi-mate is something every Sandarian hopes for, but when Ian Cavacent accidentally starts the bonding process with the Earthling, Dani, he has to fight his desire with every ounce of his being. If the process is completed, it means both political and financial suicide for Ian and his family.

A natural klutz, Dani somehow always manages to land on her feet and win her mixed martial arts matches. At home on Cat Island, her balance is thrown when bazillionaire Ian takes notice. Unfortunately some Torog aliens also take notice, sending her life spiraling out of control and into Ian’s arms. But Dani isn’t the type of woman to let alien voodoo decide her future or her mate…no matter how gorgeous the man is or how much pleasure he gives her.

For centuries the Cavacents have mined Earth for a precious element, carnium, while protecting the planet from other alien species. Thanks to the Torogs, Dani and Ian must flee to Sandaria. As Dani learns to use her newfound psi powers, the empire crumbles around them.

73,000 Words

Genres: Aliens, Romance, Science Fiction, Amazon, Science Fiction Romance, Futuristic

218 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 18, 2014

About the author

A lifelong lover of books, Sabine grew up on Science Fiction, Fantasy and Romance novels.

As a child she wanted to be an astronaut and travel the stars looking for aliens. As an adult she’s seriously disappointed we’ve yet to establish so much as a moon base (although she gives a hearty nod to the ISS) and is pretty sure Humans aren’t ready to meet ET.

A Spiritual Catalyst, Electrical Engineer and Cultural Anthropologist by training, she's a geek with heart.

She’s lived in more states than she cares to admit and loves to travel. When not in far off lands, you can frequently find her walking the local beaches and plotting her next adventure.


Find her on FaceBook or check out her online home here. Sabine Priestley

Reviews

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alien Attachments is book one in the Alien Attachments series by Sabine Priestley. This book was the debut for Ms. Priestley and WOW, what an entry into the paranormal world she has made. It didn’t take me long to fall in love with the characters and this world she has created.



Dani feels like a klutz, always tripping, bumping into things, except when she is in one of her mixed martial arts matches. Even then, she’s never really sure how she does it, but she always wins. She has begun to notice a very sexy man at her matches but the night she is finally going to get to meet him, she gets injured. The next day, at the pool, when he attempts to heal her, both of their lives are changed forever.



Ian Cavacent is not human. He is from a planet called Sandaria. He and his people have a strong psi ability, but only people from his planet are supposed to have this power, not humans, never humans. He had been watching Dani for some time at her matches. He feels drawn to her. He knew after her injury she was in pain. He told her he was just going to use her pressure points to relieve some of her pain but in reality, he would use his psi. He never intended to heal her, but once the connection was made, he was shocked to discover that Dani possessed a strong psi of her own. She didn’t even realize she possessed it. It was raw, untapped power. How can this be? And once their psi touched, their futures were changed.

“I assure you my intentions are honorable.”
“Well, that was disappointing.”



Sandarians were on earth to mine an element they needed but to also protect humans. There are others in the universe not so kind. Ian’s family was royalty and he was expected to mate with someone of his own species of equal stature. Not a human. It could never be a human. But the process has already begun. He stopped it before it was complete so he must do everything in his power to stay away from Dani and discourage any further contact. But this is easier said than done.

“At times it seemed his desire for her was matched only by his anger at her. Completely irrational. It wasn’t her fault she was human and the perfect mate for him.”

Dani’s life has become something out of a sci-fi movie. She found out there was such a thing as alien’s and they were definitely a lot sexier than in the movies. She has unknowingly become partially bonded to one of them. And now they are being attacked by the ugliest creatures she has ever seen and are forced to flee. The best part of all of this is finding out she was special, that she possessed the same power they did. Now if she could just figure out what was going on with Ian.



This book really was fantastic. I couldn’t help but love Dani and all her klutziness. Ian I had a little trouble with for awhile. When he was trying to distance himself from Dani, he did it in the worst of ways. But he did redeem himself eventually. I loved his family and their gang of friends. The steamy scenes were perfect and to add the psi connections, well, I needed to turn up the fan.



The last 25% or so was completely intense and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough and the ending was perfect. I seriously did love this book and can’t wait to see what comes next in book two, Rebellion. Thank you to Sabine Priestley for generously providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Mindy (Book Snitch) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heat Level: 2 out of 4 flames
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Naughty Book Snitch: Mindy
See Mindy’s Blog Review Here

BUY THE BOOK

I loved this so much! I've been getting burnt out on my reading and I needed a good story to break me out of it. THIS is that story! Fantastic read!



So... here I am wanting to read something different and perfectly different is exactly what I got. I got to keep the allure of romance, picked up some action and adventure with a kickass story. If you can't tell by now, I absolutely loved this. I was super lucky to meet this author, Sabine Priestley, at the Multi-Genre Book Signing in Orlando Florida this past May. I chatted with her about sci-fi romance and how I wish I could find more books in that genre. Well, I picked up her Alien Attachments and I was NOT disappointed at all!



I love this and it was a hard one to put down. I couldn't stop thinking about when I was forced to put it down and adult for the day. I thought about it all day at work, all night while at home and just couldn't get it out of my head. Actually, I could read the book again, right now because I loved it that much. I'm sure I can find something new every time I read it.

The world building, character development and threading of the story are superb. I was rewarded with action and adventure and I never wanted it to end. I mentioned my book slump earlier... and I was really happy to discover that the sex was light but very meaningful. Also, it's not your typical sex either. In my opinion, it was on another level... deeper connection due to the their psi. It wasn't thrown in the story right off the bat either. I got to know the world and characters a bit before I jumped into bed with them.

"This gets more and more like a cheesy fantasy flick every day. We're on a quest to somehow mend a magic portal, and blocking our way are nasty, smelly, alien creatures. I assume we have a plan?"

Dani, the heroine is a total badass! She isn't a whinny baby! She is a smart, tough, doesn't take shit from anyone, she stands up for herself and she's a fighter. Literally (think Ronda Rouse). I also really love that just because she is fated to mate with someone, she doesn't just fall into the arms of her intended. Nope, she makes that guy work for it and he should. Dani isn't perfect and that makes her more relatable. Although she is a fighter, she is far from graceful. She is a klutz.



Ian is the alpha alien who is crushing on Dani pretty hard. BUT... she is human and on his planet, mating/bonding with a human is forbidden. So, to keep Dani away, he acts like a bag of dicks! He is so mean to her and pushes her so far away that she meets Balastar. I'm going to stop right there on that topic. You'll have to read to book to see what I'm talking about.

"At times it seemed his desire for her was matched only by his anger at her. Completely irrational."

I do have to quickly mention Marco. I can't wait to read more about him. His doesn't get a lot of page time in this book but he is funny. There is this one part that cracks me up! You'll know what I'm talking about when you hit that part.

"I'm growing it back, baby! You didn't think a little Torog laser treatment would stop me, did you?" He held the bulb up to her face.

There are only a couple things I can pick at... there are a few parts that made me cross eyed for a minute due to some of the lengthy conversations about portals and time travel. It's not so lengthy that it takes away from the story, but I did find my mind wandering a bit and had to reread a little bit. Then there is Armond... what he did was not okay and I don't understand how that was just glossed over. Now... I almost never comment on misspelled words or grammar. I have no room to talk... but there are a few words that are spelled correctly, but used in the wrong sentence. For example though should have been through and breath should have been breathe. Anyway, it only happened a few times and didn't take away from the story at all.

Overall, I fracking loved this book and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Alien Attachments had everything I needed right now. Great story, characters, romance, connection, action and adventure.

BUY THE BOOK



I received a copy of this book via the author in exchange for an honest review.

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[Lexie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's the thing about ALIEN ATTACHMENTS - I've read similar enough books to this premise that I expected something better. It wasn't bad, persay, but it was rushed and felt a bit slap dash at times, with Priestley relying a little too much on the "alienness" to float some bland world building.

There is a startling lack of consequences for instance - let's start with the guy who attempts to kill Dani (for everyone's safety--this is a trusted family friend) and continue on with the complete collapse of a civilization. Apparently the Empire - which sounds a bit fascist at times, but let's lay that aside because they're are so advanced - is up the creek without a paddle and has been for a long while. But that's okay, instead of worrying about his entire civilization devastating collapse let's angst over the fact he can't possibly have a future with Dani even though Ian can't stand to be more then a few feet from her at a time...unless he turns on his What a Dick mode, then he's just a Dick towards her but its secretly to protect her! They can have no future! Instead he'll send jealous possessive vibes whenever she's talking to someone SHE COULD have a future with so she'll come running to him to yell at him and then he'll mack on her and oh no there's no future we mustn't! Rinse. Lather. Repeat.

It got really tiresome. At first I thought it was dandy that Dani was up for a friends with benefits deal with Ian. That novelty wore off as she angsted about why he wasn't paying attention to her (amidst a life or death battle) and why he was so hot and cold towards her (in the middle of running for her life).

Really? Honestly? Truthfully? I kept reading mostly to see what the Hammer of God (aka the writer) smashed into the story to make it possible for Ian and Dani to be together without breaking every known Taboo in the (un)known universe.

I wasn't disappointed in THAT at least. Priestley gave us THREE deux ex machinas to make it so that they could be (happily, guilt free) together. The Empire that wanted to keep them apart--collapsed quite suddenly (ahead of schedule). Ian's parents--turns out Ian is half human! Ian and/or Dani's relationship hangups - gone in a blazing glow of green mating light.

Oh but there's still danger out there guys so I guess there might be another one. If only to tie up what happened since they all fled the Empire's crumbling remains.

[Jessica Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alien Attachments is the first book in a new series and it was a great introduction into a very interesting world Sabine has set up for her readers. I loved how strong Dani was, as well as her interactions with Jared. In fact I really enjoyed many of the secondary characters and while Ian did get on my nerves for some of this story, I was still cheering them on to get their happy ending. Great writing and action with a forbidden romance which makes this a must read for Sci-Fi romance fans! Well done Sabine!

[Sabine Priestley]

Greetings all. I hope you enjoyed my debut novel as much as I enjoyed writing it. I've learned a tremendous amount since the publication of this book. If I ever get the chance, I'll probably make some changes. In the meantime, there's two more in the series on the way. I hope you'll give them a shot as well!

[Sophie "Beware Of The Reader" · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, here I go: why 3 stars and not 4 or 5 stars?

My main problem was with Ian, the hot alien heir. He fell for Dani but kept giving her the cold shoulder as he did not want to make his family fall from grace. Really????? I can understand last century but in a modern world... Well, ok, I'm not an heiress and I hate politics.

I'm your romantic chick believing love conquers all etc.

So, I did not like Ian most of the time. Even if he was hot and drool worthy.

Dani, I loved her. She was strong, took everything in stride and did not want to be a doormat. Ian shuns her, it's his loss. She is bleeding inside but she is also determined to give him a piece of his own medicine. Enter another hot alien dude and lets the party roll. Way to go girl!

My other problem was the beginning of the book. I had to assimilate a lot of informations and actions in a short time. Usually, this is good but here, something was missing and I had to wait before really falling in the story.

After the first 30%, I got my groove as many interesting side characters appeared and I began to "feel" Dani and enjoy her kickass attitude.

What really was missing for me was a little more "alpha" attitude from Ian. As much as Dani was a strong character, Ian appeared too shallow if I can say. I love my male heroes determined and possessive and ... saving the day. Not undecided.

On the bright side, the alien world was imaginative and the side characters were really good.

So, if you like alien romance and don't absolutely need a alpha hero, you could give it a try.

[angelblue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aliens are living in secret on Earth, silently protecting while extracting a much needed element Carnium. Our hero Ian is a Sandarian prince. His race has special psi powers which they share with their psi bond mate. Dani is human but also possesses psi powers. When Ian accidentally starts the bonding process while trying to heal Dani he is appalled. Although he is attracted to Dani, he is a prince and believes that humans are beneath him.

I really enjoyed the premise of the story, and although there was a lot of world building the story it got confusing and dragged for me at times. And I have to say that I really disliked Ian. I understood that a human mate wouldn't be accepted on his planet but he was very cruel to Dani sometimes. In my opinion Dani let him off way too easy. Now I really enjoyed Dani's character, she is strong willed and smart but there was one thing that drove me nuts, she was an MMA fighter but whenever she talked about it she referred to it as mixed fighting. It just doesn't sound right to me, it should be mixed martial, or MMA. Yes, I realize that it has nothing to do with the quality of the plot but it bugged me enough to pull me out of the story.

The last half of the book did pick up for me and was full of action. All in all I believe it was a good intro into the series and I will definitely be checking out the next one.

* I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. It's very well written, with a great storyline. I enjoyed this book, and the imagination it took to write it.

[Jeanny · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 32%
The banter was stale as old bread

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 3 out of 5]

Space opera fans who enjoy protective alien lifeforms, this is the book for you. Ms. Priestley is a new to me author and I'm interested in reading more in this series. Dani is a photography by day and klutzy MMA cage fighter by night. She catches the eye of wealthy Ian Cavancent with her beauty, strength and photographic skills. I lied. Ian just wants to enjoy a night of horizontal dancing and move on. Still, there is something off about Dani which intrigues Ian. What Dani doesn't know is that Ian is more than just a billionaire. He is a leader in a security force to protect earth from other aliens.

Let's start with the world building. As far as world building goes, this is light. It is best for those who don’t enjoy the more sci-fi elements and prefer the romance. From a romance perspective, this story is a lukewarm for me. The reason why is because Ian is an immature idiot. For a decisive leader of an elite fighting force protecting Earth, he is surprisingly indecisive about his relationship with Dani. It is only when he can't fight the mating bond and another male threatens to take Dani's affection away that Ian finally makes a move. By that point, I'm wishing Dani could just chuck Ian out the window and go for the other sexier male.

The plot devices are fine for romance, not so good for those who read a lot of sci-fi/fantasy or urban fantasy. There were several times where a conflict is miraculous resolved too easily. I won't label it exactly deus ex machina only because it was sketchily built up to imply such an easy solution would materialize. For example, the predictable resolution between Ian and Dani felt both drawn out and resolved too quickly. The drawn out part is Ian lamenting how his love for Dani can never be no matter that she saved his life because she's human. It is forbidden to ever mate with a human and the reason is weak. Ian behaves in some asinine ways towards Dani because of this rule. Near the last 20 percent of the book, there is an answer which comes so quickly from Ian's mother it's predictable and a bit "magical" to resolve. Ian choosing to be with Dani because he wants to and doesn't care about what anyone else says would make Ian a stronger character. And it would help build more tension and ammunition for the enemies to fight want to defeat the Cavacents. Instead, this big secret reveal to condone Ian's bonding with Dani makes him look like a lily-livered pussy.

From a character building perspective, this is where I found it to be enjoyable. I liked Dani. She's sweet, loyal and tries her best. The human "caretakers" for the alien family, Cavacents are pretty nifty. Their names may be forgettable, but what they do for Dani and the other aliens is not. They are the Alfred to each of these aliens stationed on earth. Ian's uncle is also a character I'd like to learn more about. He's interesting and way more fun than Ian's arrogant and condescending father. As a first book written in a romantic sci-fi genre where readers prefer romance over plot development and world building, this book works. This space opera romance is recommended for romance readers who like handsome alien men sweeping women off their feet.

* Review copy provided via Reading Alley in exchange for an honest review.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alien Attachments is a debut novel from Sabine Priestley it has everything I look for in a Sci-Fi Romance. Aside from little things that I didn't like and quite frankly I don't even remember what they are thinking back on it, I enjoyed the story and its turn of events that happened. I liked the pokes at the sci-fi pop culture through out the book the humor infused in the story was just icing on top. The in depth background of the Aliens and the political complications add to the story without it getting to confusing or the other elements getting lost in it.

Dani loves living on the island she grew up on, having lost her parents to car crash and being raised by an aunt who is a cold person she distances herself from people never really letting them in. Dani works as a fashion photographer who does MMA fighting for a hobby, she is unbelievably klutzy and has uncanny luck inside the ring. Ian is an alien and his job to protect Earth from other aliens that mean harm to Earth and it's inhabitants. Ian wants no ties to hold him back knowing the elitist political views need him to keep his families blood pure. But the klutz in the ring who won just by dumb luck for some reason has piqued his interest there is something about her that draws his attention.

With a political uprising back at home with tempers rising protecting Earth is the Cavacent family's biggest concern. Due to dumb luck once again Dani gets sucked into the situation. Ian and his family unwillingly bring Dani along to save her life. Ian also discovered Dani has a form of psi energy, something of which Humans should not have but more Dani is Ian psi-mate. Ian fights tooth and nail with the forming bond not wanting to protect him family and not diluting his family line. Ian starts to push Dani away being an ass and rude, and he practically pushes Dani into the arms of another man. Dani with her unusually powerful psi power trains to figure out how to use it. Ian's attitude toward her hurts and the welcome attentions of another man. When the political rising finally happens the Cavacent family and the Earth Protectors must flee and in the rush of escape the truth finally comes out and it blows Ian away. Ian risks it all when Dani is captured by the new ruler and all round douche who is out to gain control over Earth and take out the Cavacent family.

I really look forward to the nest book in the series. It was an enjoyable read.

[Sometime · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This book started out great. I was instantly drawn in by the world building and the characters. The aliens have this weird power called psi. Cool! But after a while I started to feel disappointed. The H and h had NO communication. The H acted like a total jerk but never explained himself. The h had many wrongs done to her and it was never corrected to my satisfaction. After setting things up with so much angst and drama, things just wrapped up way to easily. And I hate it when relationship problems are resolved because one of the couple are injured or near death and afterwards all is forgiven because "I almost lost you and everything else doesn't matter anymore". Where is my closure?

Don't think I'll continue the series. Deleted from my kindle.

[Lyndi W. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Halfway through the h decides she wants to sleep with the enemy to spite the H who's trying to keep his distance.

*nods* k.

I hope she succeeds and is thrown out of an airlock.

I was going to DNF it, but instead I just skipped like 25% and read the rest. So it counts as 'read' now.

[Avery Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a story associated with this book so I'm going to write that first because I can't help myself from over sharing.

My father is an avid Starbucks tea drinker which makes him a regular at the closest Starbucks in my town, which makes me a regular because we have afternoon tea together every other day. I know, it's precious. He's also a social bee and talks to everyone. He told me about a lady he met who writes books while sitting in the back of our bucks location and he giggled as he told me the genre was "science fiction romance" so I'm thinking Ender's Game mixed with some Twilight or Nicolas Sparks (which its not like that). Then he said she would let me read a copy of her first book if I were to write an honest review about it afterward. After meeting her myself, we exchanged contact information and here we are!

I also took a while to write this because I didn't know how I wanted to approach this review. I'm winging it.

Now for the honest review.... Semi-spoilers ahead. Proceed with caution.

I can happily say that I enjoyed this book. It was a lot different than books I usually pick up to read but there were parts that were right up my alley. I loved that the main girl, Dani, was a fighter. I also just loved her. I was hoping for a lot more action scenes where she kicks butt but I guess some is better than none. I was curious about the main guy, Ian, but I found myself falling for the other guy who pops up later. Ian did have appeal especially after he got over being all "we can't be together for the sake of my family". I liked how Ian wasn't as big of a arse as most book guys are with "claiming" women. He let her go out and didn't lock her in any rooms so that's good. Trying to erase her mind after being intimate, not so good.

Also. To add on top of Dani being a fighter, she was klutzy. Can we for once have a main girl character who is not klutzy? Please? Maybe all girls are klutzy but a MMA fighter who wins all the time? Maybe I'm being too harsh. I feel like most girls IRL are klutzy or disaster prone.

My favorite character, who's name is escaping me right now and I don't feel like grabbing my iPad to look it up- Rita was it? The little short guard girl. Love her. I couldn't get enough of her! Solid best friend choice for Dani. And Jared. Big fan of Jared too.

Despite being super awkward reading the very, very detailed intimate scene, this was a good read. I'm considering reading on to book 2 because I am so so curious as to how this story ends. Why were they after her? Why does she have psi? What happens with their relationship? Though I'm unsure if I'll go around recommending this book to everyone I see.

So yeah. I hope that was review-y enough. I may add more later. 3.5/4 rating

[Carol Strickland · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review, which makes it even more painful to say that I can't recommend this book. Sorry, but I'll attempt to explain my reasons.

Novel basics were missing. Let's start with the most important: solid, layered characters. There are none here. Like too many supposed romances I've read, the hero is gorgeous, rich, and an heir to power. The heroine is gorgeous--and a classic Mary Sue. That's it. Do they have anything to offer deeper than their pretty surfaces?

There should be Goals, Motivation, Conflict (GMC). No one here has any goals. There are no stakes given any importance. There is no ticking clock except one at the end that really doesn't bother anyone much. The middle sags to a stop. Romance? Not here. "Love" is all handled mechanically, through one of those Instant Psi-Bonds. The h/h don't have to fall in love, nor do they have to work for their relationship. It just **is.** A sex scene brings it to its fullest level, yawn.

Our heroine throws an anger tantrum every other scene and seems to openly flaunt her immaturity, as if that makes her better than everyone else. The one positive emotion she displays--and does so consistently--is her love for her shoes. She leads a man to fall for her (how can he help it? She's the book's Mary Sue), and once he does, unceremoniously dumps him.

As for worldbuilding in this pseudo-scientific fantasy novel, the alien world it presents is little more than just funny-colored Earth with ray guns and leftover Star Trek material. Everyone there even eats Earth foods.

I would encourage the publisher to hire an editor. There didn't seem to be one in evidence here. Besides the missed important novel elements, the lack of attention to grammar rules, spelling, and knowledge of common English words made it seem like a high school sophomore had wielded the red pencil. One had to go back and reread quite a bit to make sense of some passages. Mondegreens abounded, as did awkward phraseology.

I urge the author to attend writing workshops, read books on novel construction, and develop her skills. Hire an independent editor who knows how to edit and guide an author, since her publisher doesn't seem to have one. Write more books; have fun doing so!

But no, I can't recommend this one. Sorry again.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Plot: A Fun, Romantic Sci-Fi Adventure

This is a revised review of Alien Attachments by Sabine Priestly based on a second read-through.

This most definitely fits the Sci-Fi genre, and it has some decent action involved as well. To be honest, in the beginning, I simply couldn't get into it. In some ways, there was too much detail too fast. It was difficult to care about the people and situations I didn't understand. The beginning made me feel like I was dumped straight into the middle of the book.

When I read it again, however, all of he pieces clicked into place, improving my opinion.

Both times, it's been my opinion that this is very well-written. Ms. Priestly is definitely a talented author, and I would look into other books she's written subsequently as a result.

Ian (alien) and Dani (human) have a partial bond for most of the book, but he seems to keep blowing his chances with her. Working with humans as much as he does, one would think he'd know human females want commitment and protection ... not ownership. Dense much?

The major romantic obstacle between Ian and Dani is the part that really irritates me. She possesses psi powers that Earth's alien protectors basically didn't think she should have. Ian recognized Dani as his mate, but acting on that would cause problems for his family politically (both because she shares their powers somehow and because she's human). Stereotypical prejudices keeping lovers apart isn my thing, but it is a popular theme, and I don't imagine many will be upset by this.

Their romantic interactions (overall) are to the steamy side rather than being blatantly crude, which I appreciated.

I did really like the psi-powers element. Mental "superpowers" are my favorite!

If you can handle the setup process for future books while keeping track of this one, appreciate a couple who "shouldn't" be together, but can't quite stay apart, enjoy otherworldly politics, and you have the patience to let the story just unfold, then I recommend this for you!

I received a copy of this book through Reading Alley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jody · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of the sci-fi genre I was instantly drawn to this book's premise but once the final page was turned I was left a bit disappointed. While there's much to enjoy about this book there's a few things that kept me from falling in love with it. The main theme of opposites attracting amidst war and the end of the world is an enticing one but the set-up early on is one long info-dump full of sci-fi names and worldbuilding that's a bit excessive. Sexy alien Ian is a Prince and Protector of Earth's resources and as such he's arrogant yet appealing. Healing a feisty human female changes his future irrevocably as well as that of his people and sets him on a path that leaves him conflicted and bringing out his bad side. Being royal makes him feel superior and being the mate of a human seems impossible and wrong. From his family to his people he tries to stay away from her by being nasty and pushing her towards another which brings out his jealous side and makes him even more annoying. If I were Dani I would've made him work harder to win her back. Dani unfortunately isn't as strong-willed as I'd hoped though she's an MMA fighter. She's funny, endearing, but also a klutz who wins fights by accident. She was unaware of her psi abilities until Ian kickstarted them which caught her up in a war where her life is constantly in danger. Her relationship with Ian sizzles and is full of sexual tension leading to super steamy encounters. Their relationship's also frustrating as it's a constant push and pull with Dani being walked on. There were numerous times I wished she'd just go for the other guy. Once their romance heats up, so too does the story. The middle section builds from the initial premise with exciting and action-packed scenes that unfortunately don't pay-off at the end as resolutions are too easy or forgotten all together. On a whole it's good sci-fi but I'm hoping for more in the next installment.

[Eva Millien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Sandarian hopes to find his psi-mate, but Ian Cavacent accidentally starts the process with an Earthling which would be political suicide for his family, no problem Dani’s not going to let alien voodoo decide her fate and then the empire comes crumbling down around them in this out of this world sci-fi romance.

This fast paced and smooth flowing plot keeps readers on their toes with lots of action, suspense, drama and romance. The author describes the story with well written scenes and details that capture the imagination and the well orchestrated suspense draws the reader deeper into the story. The characters are strong, compelling and grab the reader’s attention from the very beginning.

The attraction between Dani and Ian is off the charts hot add in their psi-bond and the heat explodes off the pages with some hot and steamy sex scenes, but their relationship is in no way going well as Ian has family obligations that means he can never mate with an Earthling which causes quite a bit of friction and drama and Dani is thrown into the deep end when she has not only learns about aliens, she learns that she has psi abilities and will need to be trained to keep from being detected by their enemies.

The author has created a fascinating world with some interesting elements that arouse curiosity and ensures that the reader will want to know more about it and the captivating characters. The story is full of thrills and excitement and surprising twists to keep the readers shivering in anticipation. I was completely caught up in this story from beginning to end and I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more books from this author.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you read the blurb from Goodreads you will recognize several familiar themes in Science Fiction Romance. Earth has something aliens want. The Cavacent family has the job of protecting earth. Sandarians have psi and some have a psi-mate. An Earth woman also has psi. There is another alien species that is the enemy. Priestly does a good job of mixing and matching all of this to come up with an interesting story line.

The character building, action and world building start from the very beginning and continue throughout Alien Attachments. Everything revolves around two important points. First is the fact that Dani and Ian are psi-mates. While that seems like a good thing, Ian knows that he is destined for a much better match than Dani. Second are the internal problems on Sandarian and how they impact the Cavacent family and Earth.

Dani and Ian are the two main characters and I have to say I did not like Ian. His actions around Dani were cruel. Small spoiler – the plot came up for a way for them to be together but it seemed to happen too quick. I felt that Ian needed to suffer at least into the next book. He got off way too easy. While I did not like Ian I did like the rest of the book. This is book one is a new series but it does not leave things hanging There is a solution to the two main issues in the book while the world building and character development leave plenty of room for more action and romance in future books.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sabine Priestley had me at the fact that the heroine, Dani is a mixed martial arts fighter. Throw in an irresistible attraction between her and the hero, Ian, and sparks are absolutely bound to fly in this wonderful SciFi Romance. Priestley did a great job showing us how it could be possible that aliens walk among us without ever being aware of it. She created believable and steamy hot alien beings and humanized them by showing the extent of the friendships between them. The alien world is plagued by the same kind of political machinations that exist here on earth and the empire is about to be toppled. It falls to Dani, Ian and their company of Earth Protectors to save Ian’s family before it happens.

Ian and Dani struggle to resist each other. Ian because of his fear for his family’s future should he finish the bond started between the two, and Dani because she finds Ian’s behavior offensive and incomprehensible, despite her physical and mental attraction to him. But their efforts are doomed to fail. Dani finds herself attracted to Balastar, a member of the governing council, but she is unable to forget about Ian. Throw in a couple of scary, smelly aliens and a secret kept from Ian and Dani’s unexpected link to the aliens, and the entire read is enjoyable. I found it very easy to get lost in this story and the world Priestley created. I’d highly recommend this story to any reader, not just those who love SciFi.

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to kill Ian during most of this story. When he wasn't keeping Dani safe, he was being a complete ass toward her. He ignored her, spoke harshly toward her, treated her horribly. On Earth, he treated her well enough. He didn't understand his attraction to her--he was an alien with psi powers and didn't think he'd find his psi-mate on Earth--but he was nice, you know? But back at his home, Sandaria, he was a completely different man. Maybe it was being home, maybe it was being around his strict dad. Whatever the reason, I didn't like that Ian at all and kept wishing Dani would just leave him. She deserved better.

Between the collapse of the Sandarian government, the multiple attempts on Dani's life (on Earth and on Sandaria), Ian's indecisiveness about his relationship with Dani, and Dani's attempt to move on even though she knows she can't, there was enough "stuff going on" to keep me interested and finish it.

I just can't get over Ian's treatment of Dani. It's a little thing in light of the happy ending they got, but still... His treatment of her shouldn't have gone on for so long.

A good story, one I may not read again though simply because of the hero's actions. However, it sounds like there should be more in this series, and I'm willing to give them a try.

3.5*
***Received from NetGalley for an honest review***

[Dusti Dasilva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book set up this series to a great start. I loved Dani’s character. She is so… “normal” but still not normal at the same time. She is a normal girl. Pretty but not fall from grace beautiful. She is a clumsy ditz and I love it. Ian I hated. He was a huge jerk over half the time all because aliens and humans can’t be together, even when he knew Dani was his mate. Even when he knew she had powers as well. He still gave her the cold shoulder. It was frustrating. We get to meet many characters that I think will be important for the other books. I loved the amount of love, action, and suspense that the author gives us. I don’t want to spoil to much by going into details but this is one book you will want to check out.

*This is one series you will want to check out. The author introduces us to so many vivid planets and different animals and ways of life that you feel like you are apart of it. It is a beautiful world and one I am thankful I got to be apart! Make sure you grab up a copy of this series! You won’t be disappointed.*

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spectacular job for a debut novel. I had the pleasure of reading an ARC of this story. It's a skillful balance of character development & plot. The expositions flow easily and give just enough details to draw-in your imagination to this alien world. The dialogue is genuine and smooth. Priestley does a thorough job of introducing appealing supporting characters that I hope to see grow in the next installment of this series.

The main character, Dani Standich, is from Earth and has psi abilities unknown to her. She's strong, smart and likeable. She gets caught up in an alien war, where she meets Ian Cavacent, an alien from Sandaria. Ian struggles between his duty as Protector of Earth and his growing desire for Dani. They cannot resist each other and their involvement could result in the downfall of an empire.

Looking forward to Book 2.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received an ARC copy from Netgalley for a honest review. First book for me by this author but I really enjoyed it. Storyline was intriguing, action packed and suspenseful. Ian is convinced that his mate will be another Sandarian but has an unexpected connection to a human named Dani. Loved their characters and interaction as they deal with friends and enemies. Would recommend. Can't wait for a book 2.

[Kyra Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember the last sci-fi romance I've read, as I don't read them often, but Alien Attachments left me wondering why I don't read more. This was a refreshing change from the usual romance story with all the other-worldly premises mixed in. Fun, fast-paced plot, sexy hero, spunky heroine...thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Can't wait for book 2!

[Rhenna Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, now...that was a fun-filled read. I don't read a whole lot of sci-fi romance, but this one was SO worth the investment. The best part, hands down, was the world building. Sabine's imagination is so rich and descriptive I constantly found myself thinking, "Well, damn. That's cool!" Seriously, if you want a fun romp with great romantic tension, pick this one up.

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this book. It was out of the normal for me, which was good. It shook things up. This book takes you on a crazy adventure between the good aliens and humans. I thought the plot was light hearted and funny at times. Even enjoyed the push and pull relation ship between Ian and Dani. Glad I read it. Can't wait to see where this series goes.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC received via NetGalley

2 stars -> Not for it being a terrible book but for the fact that I felt like I didn't really connect with the story.

[Carole Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - 4.0 Stars for world building. 2.5 - 3.0 Stars for romance.

[Georgia Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alien mind candy .... action packed

Of course there are only two kinds of aliens... gorgeous humanoid heroes or repulsive monsters of evil. Still, it's action packed and humorous. This lets you indulge in brain cable-- let your imagination build a future for yourself on the possibilities