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Office Aliens #1

The E.T. Guy

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It's 2266, and Lois Kennedy is an Intake Officer for DETI, the Department of Extra-Terrestrial Immigration.

Zir is a refugee from the planet Teiss, working in DETI's I.T. department.

Lois and Zir just can't get along. As far as she's concerned, he's rude, abrasive, and condescending. She wants nothing to do with him. So why does he never leave her alone? He must be crazy if he thinks there could ever be anything between them... right?

239 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2016

116 people are currently reading
822 people want to read

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V.C. Lancaster

22 books511 followers

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5 stars
614 (29%)
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765 (36%)
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545 (26%)
2 stars
132 (6%)
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33 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews
Profile Image for Shruti (Hiatus).
214 reviews118 followers
September 14, 2022
I'm trying very hard not to be but a small pile of goo over here, but I am. I am goo.

This is an office romance (swoon) between an alien male and human female, with a sort of misunderstanding trope due to cultural differences.
I liked a lot about this book, but I want to refrain from giving away too many details as I would recommend reading it without knowing too much beforehand. You can click away right here if you want 😌🌈

If you're still here then I will say this:
I wish we had even more interactions between the MCs once they started seeing each other, I would have liked seeing more dialogues on page of the MMC especially. There was a little more telling than showing in that department.
'Twas hot though. Flamin' 🥵🔥 Very unfortunate that there's just one sex scene. Would have liked 5 more sex scenes.. but oh well. Time travellers would be doing me a huge favour by reading my reviews (my desperate pleas for more smut) and going back in time to convince authors to write many MANY more sex scenes. I will pay in cookies, sometimes cake. Thanks v much 😘🍪🎂
Read this book.
Profile Image for Danielle's.
Author 1 book169 followers
May 30, 2020
I met V.C. Lancaster at a book signings and bought The New Guy which is the second book in the Office Aliens series. After reading the reviews it suggested I read this before diving into book two. This is one of those hidden gems where you’ve sat it for a while to find it was so so good you’ve been missing out.


The E.T guy is a fun alien/human romance which shows culture differences. Lois thinks Zir hates her. He always acts different around her compared to others. When he call her into the office for an emergency ruining her date, Zir takes the opportunity to offer himself as a mate. When Lois begins to notice the signs that Zir has been displaying, she realises she misunderstood him.

I really liked this book. The story was fun, interesting, heated and offers more for the series.

KU read.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
3,695 reviews329 followers
November 30, 2021
3.5 stars. I love a grumpy hero who is secretly smitten. The setup was fun and cute. And the work they’re doing is serious and important. But... the moment the heroine learns that there’s interest, we don’t really have any more emotional growth. It feels like it goes from 0-60. The guy doesn’t really open up. The girl is all in and starts chasing the hero down. I liked it... but there was something missing.
Profile Image for Rachel.
753 reviews124 followers
December 23, 2018
5 Stars

This story was a delightful surprise. I was expecting something light and frothy, maybe a little silly and OTT; instead, it was intriguing, engaging, thoughtful, and original.

Another reviewer compared it to (an intergalactic version of) "The Hating Game," and in some respects, that is true. The MCs, who work together, do seem to be antagonistic toward each other, but a lot of that antagonism is pretty one-sided. It takes the heroine a little too long (for being so interested in alien cultures) to figure out that her alien IT specialist has feelings for her. Watching them connect and (finally) begin their courtship is a fantastic and romantic journey.

On a serious note, this story was released in 2016, but much of the alien/human politics are relevant (and hit a bit too close to home regarding current immigration policies in the US). The heroine is an intake officer at the Department of Extra-Terrestrial Immigration (DETI), and the hero is a refugee from the planet Teiss, working in DETI's I.T. department. Some of the story deals with immigration issues, and those aspects made me feel a bit pensive.

Seriousness aside, I have a huge soft spot for quiet, reserved MCs (who are actually just shy and awkward) and who pursue the other MC with a single-minded devotion. Zir, the alien MC, comes across at first as cold and stilted, but as the story develops, you realize he desperately wants to be able to love and care for the heroine. There were quite a few times when I wanted to nudge the heroine along, and make her see what she was missing. However, the ending/epilogue does a lovely job of bringing everything (and everyone) so sweetly together.

This story is available to read via KU, and I see that there are more in the "Office Aliens" series, so I will definitely be checking them out.

Highly Recommend
Profile Image for RLbooks (in and out).
999 reviews480 followers
September 13, 2022
The ET Guy is one of those everyday-ish feeling alien romance books that have a cozier feel to them. There are office interactions, co-workers who ship them, and adjustments that need to be made when your romantic interest is very different from you. The story is written in third person, focusing on Lois. No ow/om drama (but Zir is j/p), neither are virgins, and bc not necessary.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Lois (h) to start the book because she was kind and caring to everyone but Zir (H) and it didn't make sense to me. She works for basically alien immigration and has had hours of training on their culture, besides being known as considerate by those she's worked with. But she doesn't consider any of this when interacting with Zir and simply jumps to believing the worst of his personality/behaviors, which just made me feel bad for him. Yes he was grumpy and didn't communicate well, but natural reservedness could explain him, also, the cultural differences and he's on Earth because his planet was attacked.

But these two do get on the same page and are really sweet together once that happens. There's even an adorable child who brings out the H's soft side. There are also steamy times with different parts and adjustments needed again ;). No third act breakup (although there was a moment I was worried) and a sweet epilogue several months down the road showing them established in what will be their HEA. I'll definitely check out more in this series!
Profile Image for Becka .
575 reviews1 follower
February 10, 2017
This is one of the cutest romances I've ever read. One of my favourite things about stories where one person is pining for the other is that you get to see the oblivious person's perceptions slowly change through the course of the story, and V C Lancaster absolutely nails this. Lois starts off thinking Zir is rude and doesn't like her, and while it's fair to say that his social skills aren't exactly exemplary, she comes to realise that his attitude towards her is almost the exact opposite to how it appears. There are so many cute details - the teddy bear! baby aliens! - too many to list. Really excited to see where this series goes next as it ends on an event that will clearly have big ramifications for human-alien relations.
Profile Image for Treece.
521 reviews150 followers
June 13, 2018
Rating: 4 1/2 stars

A near-futuristic, sci-fiction-ish tale with a human MC, Lois Kennedy, a young social-services government employee whose job involves intake and processing the alien races from the planet Teiss upon arrival to earth. Lois is the first to greet them upon arrival and explain everything while seeing to their immediate needs. Teiss has been invaded by a vicious race of insects who are at war with another group of aliens who have allied themselves with Earth. I won't go into all the extra details but this author does a great job of world building. If at times I wanted less of an explanation and more action/show, I understood why it was not possible.

The H is an alien IT employee named Zir who works in Lois' building. Their interaction reminded me of Darcy and Elizabeth to a strong degree. Zir says very little and is quite abrasive though excellent at this job. He also has another side that is caring, compassionate, loyal, and protective. Lois hates whenever her computer requires his skills because she doesn't like interacting with him since she thinks he can't stand her. So in response to this rejection, she decides she can't stand him either. However, this is so far from the truth.

Lois is a young woman who is newly established and dedicated to her career. She actively dates but has issues with commitment. Zir is an alien male carrying the expectations and directives of his instincts and culture. They manage and grow to understand one another despite all of this. In the end, this author convinced me that what they had was love.

At times while reading this I was reminded of the television series Defiance that ran three seasons on the Sci-Fi channel. Defiance was set in the not too distant future and had various aliens. These aliens and their technology invaded earth when countless ships arrived from a dead galaxy and landed on earth. In the beginning, humans were welcoming to the new arrivals until things a series of events force officials to make hard decisions for the greater good-or so it is believed. To a degree, there is a load of foreshadowing by the author in this regard very much like Defiance because after welcoming the new arrivals and integrating them into human society things began to take an ugly turn.

The author is setting up a world where humans will be forced to make decisions based upon a shared tragedy. Lois and Zir eventually come together but it is obvious there will be problems later. There is a great deal of subtle and not so subtle commentary on immigration, interracial relationships, how children are affected by war, ageism, and social responsibility, just to name a few. All in all, this book was a pleasant surprise and I found myself captivated by the narrative, plot and characters.
Profile Image for  B.E.Love.
1,389 reviews132 followers
June 11, 2018
This was a pretty good book, I loved the world building and how unique the heroes species is and I loved how possessive he was. I do wish the heroine wouldn't have fought the mating so much but this is a nice fun read.
Profile Image for Mich Must Read.
204 reviews13 followers
April 15, 2018
3.5 rounding up. This reminded me a little bit of The Hating Game, but it did not have nearly as much tension between the characters and the male is an Alien. It focused on aliens immigrating to Earth for various reasons, but many were refugees. There is no back story about how earth just has a utopic feel now, so there is obvious suspension of belief on that area. Also, it seemed to just abruptly stop and didn't really explain anything to well at the end. I still liked it, mostly for the characters and the alien culture that she was painting.
Profile Image for Celestine.
952 reviews132 followers
July 8, 2017
This was an enjoyable human-alien story, where the love was not instant and the anatomy didn't match. Lancaster has some pretty unique characteristics attributed to the Teissian refugees who are making their way to a future Earth. I especially liked the description of the split pupils and the reason for them. Very cool. My only complaint is that I wanted a little more action in the story. But how much action could I expect when the hero was - legitimately - an IT guy? Regardless, the refugee / immigrant story line was well done and encompassed a lot of the narrative. I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book in the Office Aliens series.

Book source: Kindle Unlimited subscription.
Profile Image for Hollie.
1,680 reviews
January 30, 2017
This was a fun alien office romance. I really liked that the alien(s) in this read were truly unique both physically and emotionally. The one of a kind alien traits made this feel like a really original read which I very much appreciate. It made for a cute romance. Glad it was offered as a kindleunlimitied.



Profile Image for AvidReader.
1,476 reviews330 followers
November 27, 2017
The story was very interesting and sweet. It was a light book with believable concepts and plot. The concept and execution was very good. I loved how sweet and shy our hero Zir was. And heroine louis was very mature and lovable.
Their relationship developed steadily but beautifully. The aliens in this story was very different. They had only few similarities with humans. I loved this story wasn’t insta lust or something. And also there wasn’t any alien/ human baby instead they adopted a adorable one.
Recommended .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Leyla.
303 reviews41 followers
June 22, 2020
description
All the fuzzies. Happy feels. So sweet! Slow burner... Alien is very alien!*Sigh*
Review soon!
Meanwhile, I'll just enjoy my gushing moment in private for now XD
Profile Image for Chappy.
2,210 reviews112 followers
March 14, 2019
What a refreshing read...

Lois and Zir actually feel like real people going through some inter-species conflict resolution, miscommunication and mating rituals.

I loved it :D
Profile Image for Amanda.
804 reviews184 followers
March 16, 2023
Rereading some books from our move in 2019 so I can write up reviews. I've lost track of how many times I've actually read this story—it's at least 3, but I'm sure it's actually 4 or 5—even if I didn't remember to mark additional read dates during later 2019 and early 2020. The pandemic has been rough on us all, yeah?

Of the Office Aliens series, this one is my favorite, and I return to it every 4-6 months to reread.

It's a refreshing take on an alien romance, putting it in a mundane non-descript "future" setting, with refugees from a war-torn planet. No abductions. No rape non-con/dub-con sexual situations. Just an office romance—where one partner isn't human and just happens to be The Unpleasant IT Guy™.



And, of course, everyone in the IT department and the Intake Department totally ship them together and have an office pool betting on when they'll finally realize they lurve each other and finally get together.

Scifi is all about framing human social issues in narratives about Others, so it shouldn't be surprising this one covers a contemporary topic: immigration, refugees, and (later on in the series, especially) how fearful people react to Others/Outgroup Members. TETG is a very sweet story about making a new home, building a family, and working through cultural differences. It's a bit bland and drawn out, but enjoyable.

Now. Despite enjoying this one enough to repeatedly return to it, this is not rated higher for Issues I have with the author's choices in a couple areas.

One, non-sensical conflict. Lois is written as intellectually curious and educated, but never bothers to ask information that would take a 3 minute conversation with a friend/teacher she sees multiple times a week. Every time I read this one, I can not get over how Lois is supposed to have in-depth knowledge of all 4 of Teis' peoples, as her literal job is mitigating any possible conflicts that may arise while in-processing mixed groups of very stressed out and agitated refugees. So information like would be high on that list, one would think.

And because of her working closely with refugees and her interest in how they integrate, you'd think she'd be more curious about Zir's odd behavior's directed only at her. But, no. He doesn't make eye contact or small talk, so she chooses to punish him for not making her feel like a Very Good Person for Being Nice to Refugees. Out of spite. For two solid years.

She's a nearly-40 woman with the emotional maturity and awareness of a 20 year old.



Honestly, once her head is pulled out of her rear end, their working through things together is...fine. It's drawn out, but comfortable to read. And it's hard not to have a good laugh that Zir felt it was very important to

Two, the other minor ding on this one for me is the setting. The book never noticeably states what year it is, but the blurb says it takes place in 2266, which seems stuck indefinitely in 2015...but with self-driving taxis now. Really, one would hope by the 2200s that we've found a better way to date than smart phone apps. There's very minimal scifi in this SFR.

Those are obviously Me Things and subjective. Other people really enjoy this book, and honestly, I do too. It's kind of like a peanut butter cookie when you have an urge for a treat—nothing fancy, a bit plain, but it hits the spot.
Profile Image for Deanna.
584 reviews96 followers
May 14, 2021
3.75 stars! Okay I'm just a sucker for the cultural misunderstanding trope where the courting rituals are different, and this book delivered. Zir was such a gruff (but secretly super tender) hero, all my stars go to him!!

The reason I'm not ranking it higher is because I would've loved to see more of their relationship near the end. Instead, there was a lot of exposition about how things went without actually showing the reader. But overall, this was a sweet, fast alien romance!
Profile Image for Mari.
1,534 reviews10 followers
December 1, 2016
2.5 ****

I found the story blah and boring. Fell asleep twice then skimmed my way to the end.
Profile Image for Jessie.
263 reviews38 followers
October 31, 2019
Now this is my kind of extraterrestrial romance. The slow burning romance kind leading to HEA.
Profile Image for Under the Covers Book Blog.
2,840 reviews1,343 followers
May 24, 2018
Welcome to DETI, the Department of Extra Terrestrial Immigration in 2266. Earth is taking in refugees from the planet Teiss after they have been invaded and the planet overrun. Zir is a refugee from Teiss and working in the IT department in DETI. Lois is an Intake Officer who greets new arrivals and deals with all the paperwork. Her frequent computer problems means she’s constantly needing help from a surly alien IT guy, who can’t seem to stand the sight of her. Of course, she could be completely wrong…

After reading and loving V.C. Lancaster’s Ruth and Gron series, I immediately started looking up her back list. This brought my attention to her Office Aliens series, of which The E.T. Guy is the first book. I love the concept of this series, a series of office romances between humans and the alien refugees that are making a home on Earth. Misunderstanding from cultural differences are free to roam and pounce on the unsuspecting couple.

That is definitely the case between Lois and Zir. Lois is certain that Zir hates her due to his behaviour towards her. However, when the behaviour is seen through the lens of Zir’s culture…that isn’t quite the case. Although this book was basically based on a series of misunderstandings, something that normally drives me insane, I didn’t mind. It fit with the premise of the series and it quickly transformed in to a really adorable romance.

This is a great read, funny and romantic and gives a new spin on both office romances and alien romances.

Reviewed by Suzanne❤ ♡ Don't want to miss any of our posts? Subscribe to our blog by email! ♡ ❤
Profile Image for Verdelite.
420 reviews27 followers
May 1, 2021
Oof. I was expecting a light, slightly goofy office romance with a scifi/alien twist. What I got instead felt more like a contemporary romance about immigration politics (made slightly less real by making it about aliens instead - but still hitting too close to home to be an escapist read, while not being profound enough to really get you thinking).
I was also not a fan of the FMC at all. I agree with other reviewers that she read as rather self-absorbed and her "kindness" was only skin-deep. She felt hypocritical to me, giving me "holier-than-thou" vibes being so judgemental, while still portraying herself as oh-so-compassionate.

I appreciate the author broaching an important political issue, but sadly the execution didn't work for me. It felt rather shallow and pretentious. Then again, I might not be the intended target audience for this particular series.

also, I can't get over the book title pun. arghh it's so bad it's good but also not and it's killing me
Profile Image for Lauren.
1,091 reviews120 followers
February 6, 2017
Super cute read

Really enjoyable read, I'm glad to see a different kind of alien romance book where the alien isn't really ideal hot, or terribly romantic. To me this book made a hellva of a lot more sense. two alien individuals with different customs and completely different looks, who try to understand one another's ways at making a real relationship work. Just so Damn good. And I'd also like to give props to the author for making an alien who you might not find attractive by his description, but by the way his character presented himself...yummy
158 reviews24 followers
April 1, 2017
This was very enjoyable and I will read it again. I was pleasantly surprised at the world building. It was so easy to believe in yet futuristic with unique aliens.

I liked the very realistic relationship change that makes this a romance. I did get frustrated with the heroine's cautiousness, but look how long it took for Elizabeth Bennett to change her mind about Darcy!

Sexual content

Profile Image for Mary.
519 reviews46 followers
March 17, 2019
Boring. I had to force myself to get through it. Nothing happens! They work together; have cultural misunderstandings and each thinks the other hates them; misunderstandings are cleared up; they date; they live happily ever after. Yawn. I need an enemy or villain or something. Some conflict other than “he doesn’t look at me so I assume he dislikes me”.
Profile Image for Kelly.
5,690 reviews228 followers
November 24, 2019
Okay. I'm settling into DETI and the humans and aliens who work together. -Ish. Together-ish. For all Lois and her fellow Intake co-workers help transition the incoming aliens onto Earth, they're still a little clueless when it comes to melding the different cultures.

To be fair, however, it's not all the humans' fault. Zir and his people are a little tight lipped when it comes to explanations. So the aliens are trying to woo in the alien way and the humans aren't quite catching on to what their doing. Which leads to a few sticky situations and more than a few hurt feelings.

Buuuuuut...once they start talking and actually figure things out, they start moving their potential relationship in the right direction. It just takes time and a few fumbling starts and a lot of patience on both their ends to get it where it needs to go.

A few scowls, a few cultural missteps, a lot of steamy kisses, and a messy tangle that puts all of Earth on edge. I kinda dig these sweet, scowly, clueless aliens. Let's do this!

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
Profile Image for Rasa Ievkalne.
1,087 reviews15 followers
August 14, 2020
Very sweet romance with a bit rushed relationship. Entertaining and easy to read. This is no masterpiece that will leave you gulping or crying or leave impression for a long time,but it sure is a nice change in genre that you can breeze through without being disappointed by characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews

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