Alien Vampire's Captive : Blood Brides Book 1

by Willow Kepler

346 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 17, 2026

Reviews

[Tima · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is mostly female lead POV, and a detailed, enemies to lovers, fated mates, sci fi romance between Aurora, the female human paediatrician lead acting as chief medic on a human scientific space expedition, and Zadriel, the male suspected alien lead who is the subject of their testing as they go into space intending to send information back to Earth for all to see and use. I empathised with Aurora’s grief and determination to ensure that the expeditionary work did not result in more damage to the earth. I empathised with Zadriel’s determination to destroy humans (except his newly discovered mate and her family). I struggled with the level of detail and sense of repetition in the emotions that Aurora experienced; I felt the story could have been tightened up and more engaging to read. I enjoyed Aurora’s devotion to her sister and the work she put into keeping her safe. I enjoyed Zadriel’s care with his capacity. I appreciated the careful ending.

I received a complimentary copy from the author and this is my voluntary honest review.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy fun

What happens when you mix aliens and vampires, add a dash of Omegaverse and a sprinkling of Ancient Greece? Sounds crazy, right? You’ll have to read Alien Vampire’s Captive to find out!

Paediatrician Aurora is about to leave Earth on a mission - but it’s not the one everyone thinks she’s going on. As the medic of the spaceship Theseus, her job is officially to care for the crew and their cryo-pods. Her true plan is to destroy the alien they are taking with them.

The arrival of Zadriel, the 8 foot purple alien, on Earth sent everything into chaos. After years of peace, wars have erupted. The only solution Aurora can see is to remove the cause completely. She just has to work out how to do that.

But Zadriel has secrets of his own - including an ability to invade the cryo-dreams of Aurora. After centuries of loneliness, could she be the one he has searched for? Amidst the mounting chaos of the space mission, it becomes harder to know what to believe, and who to trust…could the alien be the only one she can rely on?

This debut was an absolute riot. It is jam-packed with genre-crossing themes - Aurora is the eldest daughter, likely neurospicy, who is wracked with guilt and a sense of duty. Instead of nobly sacrificing herself to save the world, she falls for her enemy. It’s a common tale…but this is just so much more.

So, yes, this is a PNR with a big purple alien on the cover. I’m going to give you reasons to not judge it based on that (unless that’s your thing in which case, ignore me!).

Firstly, our baby indie author has a Masters in Bioengineering. So the science/medical stuff is about as good as alien PNR is going to get and I really enjoyed that.

Secondly - the writing was fun to read. Aurora has a very dry and witty intelligence, and it’s a treat being in her brain.

Thirdly, the build up of tension between Aurora and Zadriel is classic enemies to lovers with the Omegaverse fated mates thrown in. There is threatened body betrayal, but when they finally come together it is with very enthusiastic consent. The book is sloooooow burn, with very open door spice. There’s heats, nesting and *ahem* alternate physiology involved.

There’s some scenes where medical/scientific procedures are performed deliberately to harm. Aurora’s mother is neglectful, resulting in her parentification. There’s trauma, toxic behaviour, and the horror of being in space.

If you like your men literally out of this world, and your women smart and educated, check out Alien Vampire’s Captive today.

[Denise Talavera · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was so good. All the ups and downs, everything that happened and the dreams. So good. But oh my goodness she irritated the heck out of me I wanted to jump in the book and knock the crap out of her. He literally shows her who he is and that he was never the bad guy in everything, she said she knew he wasn't but wanted to believe he was anyways and then she starts to accept him one minute the next she hates him again and then she knows exactly what he needs to survive but ignores everything he tells/shows her. And then acts like he never told her what she is to him and what will happen in the future. He tells her shes in danger and needs to rest in her room and she ignores him AGAIN. She fights him way to much and it irritates me, he says he loves her and she says no and ignores him and goes back to hating him. Like make up ur damn mind, she doesn't deserve him And im writing all this at barely 68% in. Once I got through this and all the events after, so freaking crazy I was at the edge of my seat getting excited again, when she finally accepted her new reality and moved forward it was freaking amazing I loved the book and can't wait to read more of the series in the future. And the spicy scenes? Amazing. I am here for the special peen and stomach bulges and seal lol thank you for that.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aurora had a mission when she signed up for the mission. And it’s not the same mission as everyone on the ship. She wants the alien killed because everyone seems too keen to make the alien they found when obviously he is the biggest threat the Earth should not keep. But the alien had been infesting her dreams every time she was asleep. And the only reason for that is she had the unexplainable attraction that called out Zadriel to her dreams.

Aurora had set her mind to kill Zadriel but I couldn’t see what her plan actually is other than depending her whole plan to her friend. Even when she was awake she didn’t do much other than her task and nothing on her secret mission. As a person who needs a plan and routine to live she doesn’t have a concrete plan herself.
The things going on between their relationship is only circling and playing push and pull around her decision to accept Zadriel or not which became quite tiring to read as it was dragging a lot. Ending up things that should be romantic or climatic became the release stress of ‘finallyyy’. I have to give extra credit for Zadriel to have that amount of patience.

Despite all that, I quite like how the whole world building of the sci-fi and post apocalypse setting and how it’s related to Greek mythology. The scientific research, the whole idea of the spaceship is well thought and well designed.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Cloud · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️| 3🌶️

This book checked every single box for me: enemies-to-lovers, fated mates, mythological elements, a slow-burn romance, and an intriguing mystery to unravel. The setting was incredibly unique, a spaceship in a future where humanity has overcome massive hurdles, only to have peace disrupted by the discovery of "alien" life. The pacing was excellent, spanning decades due to a deep-space suspended animation plot line that added a perfectly creepy atmosphere to the story.

Both main characters have rich backstories that flesh them out beautifully. My only real criticisms lie with the pacing at the very end and the FMC herself. The conclusion felt a bit abrupt given how everything turned out. Additionally, the FMC was incredibly stubborn and possessed a bit of a martyr complex. While it was frustrating to read at times, it did serve as the foundation for her character development, which steadily improved throughout the book.

Overall, the spicy payoff was absolutely worth the wait! I would highly recommend The Alien Vampire's Captive to anyone who loved the Brides of the Kylorr series, Project Hail Mary, or the Mass Effect games.

[RattieBrat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first ever ARC read so I want to thank the author for gifting me a copy of this book so I could review it!

We’ve got deep space drama, enemies to lovers, mystery, Greek mythology, emotional growth, surreal dream spaces, spice, and a huge purple alien vampire who is OBSESSED with our FMC. What more could you want?!

I really enjoyed this book, it was a super fun read and you can tell a lot of time and love was put into the story. Aurora and Zadriel’s dynamic had me stressed out and giggling like love sick teenager. I loved actually looking up and learning some of the scientific terms and theories that were mentioned in this book!!

The only reason it wasn’t a five star for me is some parts were a little repetitive (mostly the use of nicknames, but I do think that was more of a character quirk than anything.) All in all, this was a great time! I can’t wait to follow Willow Kepler’s writing career!!

[Becky L Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

So talk about enemy’s to lovers, both in denial but her the longest, minus or plus the cryosleep. So the story of Zadriel and Aurora, shall we say deep space meets kinda Ancient Greek gods or titans, haven’t ruled either option out yet, from the instant/distant slow burn to the deep emotional denial and torment aurora puts herself through emotional and mental is ridiculous-even to me but understandable she’s a doc! Zadriel the ancient being made of everything Gaia could give that was hard (pun not intended-but do what you will with it) the story is juicy, dirty more than just spice and the hidden killings no one but th killer or killers know who done it, so will these two fated mates fight the bond and destroy one or the other or will fate and bonds push til they break and you get the very steamy and spicy results? With threats in the form of enemy ships what will happen? Read and find out.

[Kelly Spurlock (house by the cemetery) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, it was smart, funny in places, it had suspense and it was hot as hell!

You could tell the author has a background in STEM from the way the book was written, it was really engaging and entertaining and gave me something that other sci-fi romantasy has been unable to provide.

That being said it wasn't overly complicated and could be enjoyed without having an advanced degree.

The story was part thriller, part space exploration, dreamscape adventures, the character development was solid, I really felt the trauma Aurora had from her past lives.

There were certain things I would have liked more explanation for - for example, how did they know the alien was dreaming of Aurora? And parts felt very fast paced, this is not necessarily a bad thing I just like a lot of detail.

Overall a really solid book that I enjoyed and left me wanting to know more about the characters.

Thanks for letting me be an ARC xxx

[Jen Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aurora and Zadriel are enemies; she wants him dead, he wants humans dead. This is truly enemies to lovers, more than just bickering or hiding attraction. The moment he tastes Aurora’s blood, his entire world shifts. I enjoyed their journey from true enemies to devoted mates.

The chemistry between them is intense and very slow-burning. Zadriel becomes her protector who is willing to wait decades to earn her trust. The patience he has with her boundaries and learning to trust him was heart warming.

A good read for anyone looking for a sci-fi romance with a protective, powerful MMC and a strong but broken FMC who will fight for those they care about. It was a fascinating start to a new series and I'm curious to see where the story goes.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Stefania · Rating 3 out of 5]

You have to suspend disbelief for a lot of the plot, but it was a very fun ride nonetheless.

I love a good alien romance. And when you add in some enemies to lovers and some good banter you know it’s going to be alright. The chapters of Alien Vampire’s Captive go by very quick and it was an entertaining read.

It’s full of science but not too much so that the average reader can’t comprehend what is going on. Willow Kepler did an excellent job keeping the reader hooked. I loved the attention to detail in dream sequences and the stasis sleeping time jumps.

Tropes: forced proximity, enemies to lovers, reluctant fated mates, he falls first, omegaverse (kind of), lots of yearning

I’ll be continuing with the series when they are released.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Spade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of Advanced Copy received by author

This was a ride that I'd gladly go on again.
Aurora as a character quickly grew on me, with how well her upbringing and resulting trauma was described and just made sense.
There were times where I had to stop for a moment and just stare at the book thinking "this hit a bit too close to home"
Then having Zadriel as a character, who shows her how she should be treated, felt so rewarding and made me almost giddy.
Overall I really loved this story and Willows writing style. It's incredibly smooth and easy to follow, which makes reading this book an experience and it took me only three days to read, because I just didn't want to put it down.
I am absolutely going to read this authors books in the future and cannot wait for more. ♡

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this very much. At first glance it seems like a light-hearted space romance, but the mythology and backstories woven in are beautiful, evocative, and surprisingly deep. The spice is spicy without being gratuitous and the MMC is most definitely book boyfriend material. The heroine is flawed, relatable, and interesting. I was kicking my feet and giggling.

If you are looking for something grown-up, with real obstacles instead of teenage toxicity, this is a great bet!! I can't wait for the next one :)

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Esmeralda Silva Tenazinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very detailed book, it happens durinho a long period of time because out MMC is an imortal being and out FMC is a medic and enrols in a mission to find more about this new being that was diacovered by humanity in space. She goes for long periods of time on stasis to prolong the time off the mission. She drama durinho that time and that's where She meets the creature and he is not what humanity thinks. I enjoyed it very much and would love to read more books about his brothers.

[Carolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story did not develop as I was expecting. But in the end I absolutely loved it. I am curious about the brothers.