Planet WLN269 Needs Women is a new shared world series that imagines what it would be like if human women decided to leave behind one male loneliness epidemic to solve another on a planet in the Andromeda Galaxy. All stories feature low-stakes alien-human romance stories, lots of steam, and a guaranteed Happily Ever After.
A California native, Latrexa has always seen the weird in the world and seeks to share their outright lust for the strange and unusual. Their hobbies include sculpting unnatural horrors and running from their inner demons. Latrexa writes for the weirdos, heavily featuring darkness and off-beat humor.
ARC review Xeric was such a precious consent king and must be protected. He definitely didn’t pick up on teasing and metaphors because of the cultural divide, but his genuine nature pulled in Bea. Bea was all sorts of jaded from working as a spy with a lot of misogynists. She was bold and brash, and struggled in her own way to be disingenuous. It was a cute novella with a fun Mars needs women world.
Spice: 3/5
Triggers: frank discussions about the insidiousness of the patriarchy, misogyny, fatphobia, and sexual harassment in the workplace (Earth), ineffective HR (Earth), FMC is apathetic about having a dead mom, past references of societally-accepted sexual assault and rape (MMC on his home planet), references to being teased for being ginger (FMC), references to the sexualization of redheads (FMC), references to being sexualized as a kid (FMC), the FMC lies to the MMC for most of the book (she’s a honeypot, a spy, it’s her job)
Bea joins the H.E.L.P. program as an assignment to infiltrate what her employer believes to be human trafficking disguised as a dating app. After all, this many human women couldn't possibly be seeking to flee Earth and human men, right? Xeric is looking for companionship. And while Bea is confusing, forward and occassionally off putting she is also fascinating and makes him feel things he never has before. Together they will navigate her bumbling deception, his inconvenient excretions (not what you think and yet simultaneously exactly what you think) and find themselves the owners of a tardigrade of unusual size. Come for the Water Bear. Stay for the bee-utiful love story, bee puns galore and a proboscis put to good use.
Human spies, bee aliens & jizz jars - oh my! Or however that song goes 😂
Latrexa did NOT disappoint 💕 I learned so much bee anatomy and thoroughly enjoyed all of the puns 🐝
Human spy Bea is tasked with infiltrating the alien planter to gather intell but ends up falling for her mark - a nerdy, sweet & hot alien Xeric. Bea comes on STRONG at first and Xerics lack of human knowledge cracks me the f*ck up. Probably the only time I enjoy a miscommunication trope 😂
Amazing, short and sweetly spicy novella!! I love a misunderstanding alien, Xeric reminds me of the alien played by Alan Tudyk in the show Resident Alien (like I literally could not stop imagining Alan Tudyk). The plot of Bea going to Planet WLN269 to investigate possible human trafficking is so fun because she is definitely not expecting what happens with Xeric!! I loved both of them so much (even if Bea’s undercover persona was so annoying lol) 🌶️🌶️🌶️
🐝 human female spy 🐝 alien male with some similarities to a bee 🐝 she’s on a mission to find proof of nefariousness 🐝 he works on the CUNT systems for HELP 🐝 she’s a redhead whose been body shamed 🐝 blue balls could literally kill him 🐝 he’s got a probiscus, he uses it on his tentacle like-member, he produces a honey like substance 🐝 tardigrade!
Thanks so much to Latrexa Nova for the eARC!
Bea, curvy red headed human spy, takes a mission to Planet WLN269 mostly because her male colleagues seem to not be able to comprehend that other male identifying creatures could want the company of females without it being part of a sex trafficking ring. She wants to get away from that.
Xeric is a hymunoptric, a male from a species that is sometimes bee-like physically and culturally. As a male, he’s never been allowed to withhold consent from his queen. In fact, he’s been required to provide her with one night of “service” without knowing if it produced offspring. He doesn’t want kids - he needs a companion.
Packed with the hilarious misunderstandings that we’ve seen in earlier installments in the shared universe series, this one packs a deep emotional punch as well. Bea has never experienced a male so earnest and true. Xeric has never been allowed to discover his own pleasure and revel in it with a partner.
It’s my last visit to Planet WLN269, and I’m honestly not okay about it. I’m surprisingly emotional about saying goodbye to these characters and this world and the credit for that goes to the amazing authors who showed us what consent, caring and love can look like in a world where women are treasured. It’s thoughtful, patient, and intentional.
This book hooked me right at the beginning with the content notes and chapter titles so I already started with a big grin on my face. Xeric and Bea are perfect for each other despite some initial misunderstandings and spy shenanigans. The puns in this are so much fun!
**I received an eARC as part of the ARC team for Planet WLN269 but am voluntarily leaving an honest review. **
omg, guys. I just love the surprise Latrexa Nova ARCs. This was so fun. Xeric's planet is in desperate need of women. With males making up much more of the population than women theyre at a level of emergency and where better to get women than earth where 90% of the human males suck?? In fact, these earth women are more than eager to help out the cause. well except Bea. You see she hates the earth males too especially the ones at her job. The problem is her job is being a spy and the shitty males she works with are convinced the aliens must be trafficking humans so they've put Bea as a spy with Xeric, totally not a bee alien, as her mark. It's her job to uncover all the horrible things these aliens must be doing but as time goes on she's realizing things might not be all they seemed to bee. Will Xeric turn out to bee good or will Bea bee stuck with a human trafficking alien as her mate? Y'all forgive me for the bee puns because this book has put me in a chokehold. It was just so enjoyable. I loved how effortlessly funny it was. Like I'm sorry C.U.N.T.S., H.E.L.P., and S.L.I.T? so perfect. Bee-donkadonk?? yes please. And the translators making Exist, Cackle, and Obsess rather than Live, Laugh, Love?? too good. Xeric was just too cute and I loved how he just wanted to do right by his human always. Bea was beeyond perfection as well. I just love me a strong independent woman who doesn't fall into the trap of the male gaze🥰 they were so good together and oh my their intimacy was scrumptious. I'm a slut for a breeding kink especially when no babies are involved. I just wanted more of them.. getting to know each other🤭they are truly meant to bee. I never wanted this to end. For side notes, she is Hot Stuff, I want air kisses, screaming earth cat sculpture that is totally not an opossum, I'm also allergic to the color pink, make sure to resist the lure of the toilet so you don't get hemorrhoids!!, we love golden hickies and glowing cunts, I want a water bear pet. I want more. 125 pages were not enough 😭
I had a lot of fun with this one — it’s a cute, playful story with an interesting premise and some very memorable characters.
The setup is great. Bea is working for the CIA and sent to WLN269 as a honey trap to investigate whether the HELP system is actually trafficking women rather than matching them with alien partners. Her experience with misogynistic colleagues back on Earth contrasts sharply with the kindness and respect she receives from her alien match, Xeric, which makes their growing connection especially satisfying.
The romance itself is adorable. Bea’s overly flirtatious approach completely confuses her sweet alien match, and watching him try to understand her behaviour while still being supportive and respectful creates some genuinely cute moments.
The world-building continues to be fun in this installment. I loved discovering that the HELP system team resemble little garden creatures — almost like tiny garden fairies tending relationships and helping the planet grow. That imaginative detail added a lot of charm.
I also really appreciated Bea as a heroine. She’s a confident, curvy woman who genuinely loves herself, and even when her awful colleagues try to embarrass her with Judy-Jetson-style outfits, she still owns the look like a queen. Little touches like the pet names throughout the story and the mysterious apisucum element added extra fun as well.
This is for readers who enjoy playful sci-fi romance, confident heroines, sweet alien heroes, and quirky world-building. While it wasn’t quite my personal favourite in the series, it was still an entertaining and charming read with plenty of cute moments.
Ok So basically FMC is a spy who has to be a honeypot for Mr. Alien Man just to investigate and make sure the H.E.L.P. program (dating app) isn't trafficking women.
She is not pleased about being used in this manner but she does it because she in fact cares for all the women #girlsgirl
Starts talking to alien boy.......things happen
MMC is so freaking precious. He's such a sweetheart with some definite trauma in his past from their matriarchal society. I love how his culture and FMC's human/earth culture were mirrors of each other, and how it affected their assumptions and interactions with each other. There was definitely depth, but it was also freaking HYSTERICAL.
Honestly this whole thing was pretty dang funny. The misunderstandings! The assumptions! The accidental hijinks! This whole thing was just good fun.
I keep going back to it but fr MMC is just a PRECIOUS BABY so nervous. Trying to hide the contents in that car? Boy -
I love how it wrapped up easily because they trust each other; no big arguments or discussion. Just trust and love.
AND THEN AN EPILOGUE FULL OF WARM FUZZIES
(Also makes me want to research bees because some of his biology was craaaaaazy I gotta compare it -)
February 2026 Small Business BookTok ARC Reviews (BookTome Edition): “The Spy Who Stung Me” by Latrexa Nova
Note: This ARC was given to me for free by the author and I am reviewing this book voluntarily.
Is going on an undercover mission all that's cracked up to “bee”? You best “bee-lieve” it!
From the author that brought you “Jacked-Up”, “13 Kinks of Halloween”, and “Cirrus About You” comes the sixth installment in the author-collaborated series “Planet WLN269” by Latrexa Nova! This entry to this out-of-this-world universe promises a wholesome, intergalactic romance and comedic secret mission hijinx! The narrative pulls no punches in discussing serious subject matter such as Sexism & Misogyny in the Workplace, Body Shaming, and Past Abusive Relationships. This book also has a powerful message about knowing your own self worth, not being afraid to surround yourself with people who support and love you as you are, and reclaiming your intimate expression. Wanna know what all the “buzz” is about? Best “bee-lieve” you can check out this book in online stores available now!
Rating: 5/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice Meter: 5/5🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
- Tropes: Monster Romance, Sci-Fi, Plus-Size Representation, Intergalactic Dating App, Secret Mission, Undercover Spy FMC x Alien Bee Man MMC, Giant Tardigrade/Water Bear, Mistaken Identity, and Demi Representation.
- Trigger Warnings: (Full Descriptions Can Be Found in the Book).
I started this book with mixed feelings. It was wrong of Bea to run a sting on Xeric. It may of been an order and as humans we always see new or different things in a bad light. But he is just the cutest 🐝 alien. Xeric comes with very mixed feelings about the sexual aspects of relationships. His species set that in bad light. Using the males isn’t right. But what he finds with Bea is spectacular. His umm 🍆 is a work of art. It is so different from other aliens but lol so close to 🐝 like it’s hot. I have to say I hate insects in the real world but in the book alien world they are a work of genius.
Bea wants to do more than just be a "honey pot". Yet as the lone female amongst her male dominant co-workers, she does not really get an option to do more. Xeric is kind of in the same boat as Bea. He is surrounded by female co-workers.
I loved the miscommunication trope. Not really sure if this is a trope but I am saying it is one. The conversations between Xeric and Bea are hilarious. Not to mention Bea mistaking certain anatomy of Xeric. Bea giving Xeric a lesson on what to call the female anatomy is funny.
This book is the bee's knees! If you are looking for your next monster romance, then, you will have read this book. A laughing good time to be had with this book.
This was another fun read from the series but Bea was a little hard for me to like until about halfway through the book. I just didn’t like the fact that she had ulterior motives for going to WLN269 and Xeric was a perfect, sweet bee man and none of the aliens on WLN269 had ever shown nefarious motivations for wanting a woman from Earth. The spice, however, was fantastic and it really was funny how many characteristics Xeric had in common with Earth bees. I also love how the aliens take everything so literally, like the Hot Stuff miscommunication was hilarious and there’s a scene involving the bathroom at Xeric’s job, not in a gross way, that had me CACKLING.
Went into this one completely blind so imagine my surprise when the "bee-like" MMC wasn't the spy but the FMC was.
Bea was a hoot. She is unapologetically herself and doesn't let any of her chauvinistic coworkers walk all over her. Though not sure she is that good of a spy 🫣.
Xeric is pushed into the program by his coworkers. And Bea is the exact opposite of the type of people he prefers. So why can't he walk away....?
These two were absolutely ridiculous in their language barriers and customs. But I loved every moment of it. And the things that man can do with his tongue 🥵 and also....slightly weird but hot. And I'm ok with that 😆
Xeric and Bea. I read this One on One sitting, it was very compelling. Bea is a human that works in an Office with terrible men that treat her very badly and She is assined to BE a spy and find out if this new alien dating APP is just a cover for human Traffic. The thing is, her alien doesn't sound like a bad guy and when She gets there and meets him She trully sees that She is mutch better with Xeric Then She was at Earth with all those terrible man. I also found funny the whole necter thing and the water bear! Hillarious.
This was another fun addition to this multi-author series and I giggled away in this one. Of course, Xeric, a nerdy but sweet alien, is fascinated by human gal and spy, Bea, with her chaos and outspokenness. With how little he knew of humans, things were a challenge...and hilarious ;P) These two end up working so well together and she definitely enjoyed his unique, um, physique ;P Expect to get caught up in this entertaining read that shows that these alien men really are well worth leaving Earth for. Good fun!
A fun, fast, and delightfully quirky paranormal romance with just the right mix of humor, heat, and supernatural chaos. The pacing stays tight, the characters are charming in their own messy ways, and the spy meets monster vibe keeps things entertaining from start to finish. It’s the kind of book that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s exactly what makes it work. It’s a sweet love story even if it’s built on partly deception, and lies
A solid, cute enjoyable read with personality definitely one of the more fun paranormal romps I’ve picked up lately.
I devoured this book! I loved the spicy take on an almost spy/sci-fi style book. Bea starts out as the honeypot (pun may or may not be intentional), and ends up falling for the MMC by just being herself. I really loved how both sides were unsure about the relationship and opened up to each other. This was also a fun look into more of the operational side of Planet WLN269!
Xeric and Bea, the irony of her name has me chuckling LOL Bea is sent to spy on the Planet WLN269 and has to strike up conversation to get there and she gets Xeric, she wasn't thrilled but the more she got to know Xeric she started to change her mind. Xeric was the cutest! His mishaps of not knowing about humans was amusing! There was alot of well timed bee jokes which again was funny because he didn't get it LOL This was another easy, fun addition to the Planet WLN269 series!
This story was buzzing with chemistry! Bea is working to investigate the validity of the H.E.L.P. program, so she goes undercover as a spy to make sure women aren’t being trafficked and actually want to be with their alien matches. She pairs with Xeric, an alien with a bee-like resemblance, who has some secrets of his own. Their language misunderstandings are funny and the book is also sweet as Xeric teaches her not all males are misogynistic.
Bea is a formidable woman who holds her own in a male dominated world, she joins a dating programme, under the guise of her boss believing its a trafficking ring, as why would so many human women what other worldly men! Xeric wants company and is instantly drawn to Bea, but will her undercover op show her boss is right or will they find something more than company between them. Well written engaging, fun, loving, harsh themes desires, and more
I think I liked the change of tone, the whole spy sent to make sure the program wasn’t harmful to human women.
However, I think it maybe leaned too heavily into “I don’t fit in anywhere” trope. Besides the steam between the two beings, I don’t really care for their personalities…well Xeric was an angel of a being more so and Bea was meh.
A PET WATER BEAR??!?? We already had squibbles and opossums what more could a girl want? Oh yeah a huge bee-man (sorry Xeric I know you’re not really a bee) with a sucker tongue, honey fluids, and a whole lot of feminist energy!!!
It was a funky but fun alien romance. It has a decent plot line for the short length. Some steamy moments. Lots of giggles and chuckles. It’s a fun time.
I really did enjoy this. I received an ARC for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review.
This was a fun quick spy book, with a nice bit of spice! The spy drama goes quick, which is nice since I am used to books where they draw out the drama for wayyyyy long
Yet another fab alien romance! This one, along with all the others in the series is amazing. It is a quick read, low drama and leaves you with that happy ending!