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Office Aliens #3
The Security Guy
Anna has been sent to the San Diego branch of the Department of Extra-Terrestrial Immigration from her London PR company to negotiate a contract. Her job is to help improve the public image of the local Teissian refugee community after it has come under attack from a local politician.
On her first day there, she is invited to the office Christmas party. The next morning, she wakes up beside a tall scaled alien named Khy. Anna just wants to forget it ever happened - not that either of them can actually remember what happened - but Khy is insistent. In his culture, he is now honour-bound to stay by her side, at least until she can prove she's not pregnant. Anna knows it's impossible, but she can't get rid of him, and what's worse is that she's due at her brother's for Christmas in a matter of days.
With no other choice, she and Khy have to pretend to be in love for real so he can join her in New Hampshire for the holidays. When their relationship is suddenly exposed in the worst possible way, and Anna becomes a target for anti-Teissian protesters, Khy has to be her bodyguard as well as her boyfriend.
With everything spiralling out of Anna's normally tight control, Khy is the only one she can rely on. But what does that mean when the inevitable happens, and they're forced to admit she's not pregnant? With nothing keeping them together, they have to make a choice. Was any of it real? Or were they just a drunken mistake from the start?
On her first day there, she is invited to the office Christmas party. The next morning, she wakes up beside a tall scaled alien named Khy. Anna just wants to forget it ever happened - not that either of them can actually remember what happened - but Khy is insistent. In his culture, he is now honour-bound to stay by her side, at least until she can prove she's not pregnant. Anna knows it's impossible, but she can't get rid of him, and what's worse is that she's due at her brother's for Christmas in a matter of days.
With no other choice, she and Khy have to pretend to be in love for real so he can join her in New Hampshire for the holidays. When their relationship is suddenly exposed in the worst possible way, and Anna becomes a target for anti-Teissian protesters, Khy has to be her bodyguard as well as her boyfriend.
With everything spiralling out of Anna's normally tight control, Khy is the only one she can rely on. But what does that mean when the inevitable happens, and they're forced to admit she's not pregnant? With nothing keeping them together, they have to make a choice. Was any of it real? Or were they just a drunken mistake from the start?
443 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 25, 2018
79 people are currently reading
202 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
June 9, 2018
My favorite thing about this series is how mundane it is. Khy is an alien but he works a regular job and is a refugee.
The culture adjustments are engaging. The pretend dating is always a favorite.
The romance is mellow.
I like this series and look forward to the next one.
The culture adjustments are engaging. The pretend dating is always a favorite.
The romance is mellow.
I like this series and look forward to the next one.
September 17, 2022
3.5 stars for the flaws that I'll mention below, 4 stars for my emotionally wrung out heart and body.
This one's good - more along the lines of the first book in terms of MCs you can like.
It's very slow burn, despite how they got started. I do wish they had more dialogues exchanged, it's quite surface level despite their constant proximity to each other, though considering the circumstances under which they were forced together, it's understandable why the MCs would have chosen to keep things to themselves. Even then, throw reality to the wind, converse more!
Great chemistry though in some scenes, the smut scenes were incredible, truly delicious. If they had had more conversation, there would have been chance for great chemistry overall.
I think their dialogues were a bit weird and disconnected towards 90-95% - it didn't have a flow to it that made sense, and I couldn't feel the depth they're supposed to have in their conversation during the major conflict resolution scene especially from the MMC's side. I deeply felt the FMC's pain.
I'm curious about the Christmas shorts that are supposed to be read after the 4th book in this series, no idea if I'll try to read the 4th book.
Book 1 and 3 are the only ones I recommend at this point.
This one's good - more along the lines of the first book in terms of MCs you can like.
It's very slow burn, despite how they got started. I do wish they had more dialogues exchanged, it's quite surface level despite their constant proximity to each other, though considering the circumstances under which they were forced together, it's understandable why the MCs would have chosen to keep things to themselves. Even then, throw reality to the wind, converse more!
Great chemistry though in some scenes, the smut scenes were incredible, truly delicious. If they had had more conversation, there would have been chance for great chemistry overall.
I think their dialogues were a bit weird and disconnected towards 90-95% - it didn't have a flow to it that made sense, and I couldn't feel the depth they're supposed to have in their conversation during the major conflict resolution scene especially from the MMC's side. I deeply felt the FMC's pain.
I'm curious about the Christmas shorts that are supposed to be read after the 4th book in this series, no idea if I'll try to read the 4th book.
Book 1 and 3 are the only ones I recommend at this point.
October 15, 2022
3.5 stars
Like the first book in the series, The Security Guy has alien culture clashing with human culture, sometimes in funny ways and other times emotional. Anna (h) and Khy (H) have a one night stand the day they meet and because of Khy's culture, he must now keep her in sight and protect her til they confirm if she is or isn't pregnant. Anna is not on board with this at.all. and much of the first part of the book is her fighting with him and trying to foil his plan so very antagonistic. Anna wasn't very likable for me for most of the book. I understood her stance and I absolutely supported her not being forced into the situation she was in, but she was hard to root for at times too with her chosen approaches. Throw in some personal hang-ups and racist protestors and there were quite a bit of ups and downs with their slow building relationship. The story is written in third person, single POV of Anna. No ow/om drama (although H is very j/p because of his culture), neither were virgins (H has been celibate for years and unsure about h), reproductive compatibility is unlikely but potential pregnancy is a big plot line.
One area where this book fell short for me was Khy's feelings for Anna. Since we don't see inside his head and communication is not either of these character's strength, I wasn't sure about his feelings til close to the end and it frustrated me. Despite the cultural differences, I knew throughout book 1 that that H was crazy about his h and I didn't get that sense with Khy. I really enjoyed their slow build relationship and opening up to each other, but this was also more in their actions than with their words. Khy was protective and could be really caring, but he also enjoyed when they sparked off each other because of his culture and I wasn't clear when he genuinely began feeling deeper emotions for Anna. There's also a third act separation that was pretty painful, even if I understood it.
I did like that this book is steamier than book 1. I also really enjoyed the hints of vulnerability each character had at different parts of the book, which also rounded out their personalities, whether it was Khy's people struggling with how their cultural norms clashed with humans or Anna feeling closed off but also loving reconnecting with her family. By the end, I did believe in these two's HEA and I loved the epilogue especially with the hope it was giving Khy's people.
Like the first book in the series, The Security Guy has alien culture clashing with human culture, sometimes in funny ways and other times emotional. Anna (h) and Khy (H) have a one night stand the day they meet and because of Khy's culture, he must now keep her in sight and protect her til they confirm if she is or isn't pregnant. Anna is not on board with this at.all. and much of the first part of the book is her fighting with him and trying to foil his plan so very antagonistic. Anna wasn't very likable for me for most of the book. I understood her stance and I absolutely supported her not being forced into the situation she was in, but she was hard to root for at times too with her chosen approaches. Throw in some personal hang-ups and racist protestors and there were quite a bit of ups and downs with their slow building relationship. The story is written in third person, single POV of Anna. No ow/om drama (although H is very j/p because of his culture), neither were virgins (H has been celibate for years and unsure about h), reproductive compatibility is unlikely but potential pregnancy is a big plot line.
One area where this book fell short for me was Khy's feelings for Anna. Since we don't see inside his head and communication is not either of these character's strength, I wasn't sure about his feelings til close to the end and it frustrated me. Despite the cultural differences, I knew throughout book 1 that that H was crazy about his h and I didn't get that sense with Khy. I really enjoyed their slow build relationship and opening up to each other, but this was also more in their actions than with their words. Khy was protective and could be really caring, but he also enjoyed when they sparked off each other because of his culture and I wasn't clear when he genuinely began feeling deeper emotions for Anna. There's also a third act separation that was pretty painful, even if I understood it.
I did like that this book is steamier than book 1. I also really enjoyed the hints of vulnerability each character had at different parts of the book, which also rounded out their personalities, whether it was Khy's people struggling with how their cultural norms clashed with humans or Anna feeling closed off but also loving reconnecting with her family. By the end, I did believe in these two's HEA and I loved the epilogue especially with the hope it was giving Khy's people.
September 4, 2018
Lovely sci fi romance. The guys are not real alien here but enough to hold the story together. A little bit of angst some good chemistry a bit of cultural misunderstanding. It's all good.
December 28, 2021
This was the best one of the series so far. I bawled. This is lovers to friends to mates story. One thing I love about alien romances is the exploration of navigating a different culture. Pretty much any relationship includes this and we think we understand each other when we don’t. We are never the same people or brought up in the same way. Alien romances acknowledge that and force the couple to work it out. And sometimes, like in this book, a character realizes they have found the person whose culture fits them now rather than the culture they grew up in.
This story touched me.
Also, it has a lot in common with the arranged marriage trope. They are forced into proximity through their bad choices and they get to see the other’s true self and appreciate and love that self.
There’s a breakup in here that made me tear up but it was an essential part of the story.
Such a good book.
I do have to add that there is some dubious consent stuff here that usually bothers me but I just let slide in this book. Couldn’t tell you why cause I’m not all about “it’s just cultural” since the author is imagining the culture. Maybe because I (she) never felt threatened by the male character? He didn’t push any physicality on her. He just wouldn’t let her out of his sight. Wait. That still sounds creepy! But i loved it. Sigh. My rules were broken by this book. I laughed and cried and was touched by this book.
This story touched me.
Also, it has a lot in common with the arranged marriage trope. They are forced into proximity through their bad choices and they get to see the other’s true self and appreciate and love that self.
There’s a breakup in here that made me tear up but it was an essential part of the story.
Such a good book.
I do have to add that there is some dubious consent stuff here that usually bothers me but I just let slide in this book. Couldn’t tell you why cause I’m not all about “it’s just cultural” since the author is imagining the culture. Maybe because I (she) never felt threatened by the male character? He didn’t push any physicality on her. He just wouldn’t let her out of his sight. Wait. That still sounds creepy! But i loved it. Sigh. My rules were broken by this book. I laughed and cried and was touched by this book.
May 28, 2018
Bailed at 32%. The hero was just a bit too full on. I couldn't deal with him effectively stalking the heroine and not leaving when she said she wanted him to leave her alone. He'd been on earth for 4 years by that point so he knew that kind behaviour was not acceptable. I certainly didn't find it romantic or amusing. It didn't make me like the hero so I stopped reading this book. The other two books in the series were ok but I couldn't deal with this one.
June 16, 2018
Welcome to DETI, the Department of Extra Terrestrial Immigration in 2260's. Earth is taking in refugees from the planet Teiss after they have been invaded and the planet overrun. Anna has been sent to the San Diego office by her PR company. The Teissian's have an image problem and she is there to show the world that they aren't invaders, but welcome new citizens. However, she didn't envision causing a PR disaster herself. Anna wakes up naked in a stranger...an alien's bed with no memory of the night before, but with the certainty that alcohol was definitely involved. Only now, Khy, insists that he must follow her around and protect her, as per his people's customs, just in case she's pregnant. She can't shake him...and after a while she isn't sure she wants to.I've been so excited for this book to release! There's just something about the combination of an office romance with an alien romance that I love; the mundane next to the extraterrestrial! In The Security Guy we have Brit Anna coming over to San Diego to help them out. Only to get really drunk at an office Christmas party and sleep with the nice Teissian security guard, who, hours before showed her around the building. We've all been there. Of course, the more she tries to get away or show the sharp edge of her temper, the more Khy wants her. In his culture a male must be strong and prove to the female that he is worthy of her by being able to withstand and subdue her attacks.
I think this one may be my favourite so far in the series, it didn't rely so much on miscommunication and ignorance of the other person's culture. But, at the same time it did go into more fascinating detail about the Volon (which is Khy's particular race) culture. This highlighted how alien he was, which is something I enjoy, why have an alien who is basically human? And also lent the story a little bit of depth as you realise how much and why the Volon are struggling, even years after landing on Earth.
This is another great book in the series, Anna and Khy's romance was funny, sexy and touching. I can't wait to see what Lancaster will bring out next as I know I will be reading it as soon as I can.
*Reviewed by Suzanne❤ ♡ Don't want to miss any of our posts? Subscribe to our blog by email! ♡ ❤
August 14, 2020
Its good and gives emotions that previous books didn't. Love that author sticks to alien natures and differences in thinking and don't try to humanise alien characters.
not-interested-anymore
August 17, 2018I'm on the fence about this book. I loved the first two in the series but I've already tired out the "I was so wasted so we had sex but I cannot remember anything now" trope. Maybe the next book!
June 29, 2018
Welcome to DETI, the Department of Extra Terrestrial Immigration in 2260’s. Earth is taking in refugees from the planet Teiss after they have been invaded and the planet overrun. Anna has been sent to the San Diego office by her PR company. The Teissian’s have an image problem and she is there to show the world that they aren’t invaders, but welcome new citizens. However, she didn’t envision causing a PR disaster herself. Anna wakes up naked in a stranger…an alien’s bed with no memory of the night before, but with the certainty that alcohol was definitely involved. Only now, Khy, insists that he must follow her around and protect her, as per his people’s customs, just in case she’s pregnant. She can’t shake him…and after a while she isn’t sure she wants to.
I’ve been so excited for this book to release! There’s just something about the combination of an office romance with an alien romance that I love; the mundane next to the extraterrestrial! In The Security Guy we have Brit Anna coming over to San Diego to help them out. Only to get really drunk at an office Christmas party and sleep with the nice Teissian security guard, who, hours before showed her around the building. We’ve all been there. Of course, the more she tries to get away or show the sharp edge of her temper, the more Khy wants her. In his culture a male must be strong and prove to the female that he is worthy of her by being able to withstand and subdue her attacks.
I think this one may be my favourite so far in the series, it didn’t rely so much on miscommunication and ignorance of the other person’s culture. But, at the same time it did go into more fascinating detail about the Volon (which is Khy’s particular race) culture. This highlighted how alien he was, which is something I enjoy, why have an alien who is basically human? And also lent the story a little bit of depth as you realise how much and why the Volon are struggling, even years after landing on Earth.
This is another great book in the series, Anna and Khy’s romance was funny, sexy and touching. I can’t wait to see what Lancaster will bring out next as I know I will be reading it as soon as I can.
I’ve been so excited for this book to release! There’s just something about the combination of an office romance with an alien romance that I love; the mundane next to the extraterrestrial! In The Security Guy we have Brit Anna coming over to San Diego to help them out. Only to get really drunk at an office Christmas party and sleep with the nice Teissian security guard, who, hours before showed her around the building. We’ve all been there. Of course, the more she tries to get away or show the sharp edge of her temper, the more Khy wants her. In his culture a male must be strong and prove to the female that he is worthy of her by being able to withstand and subdue her attacks.
I think this one may be my favourite so far in the series, it didn’t rely so much on miscommunication and ignorance of the other person’s culture. But, at the same time it did go into more fascinating detail about the Volon (which is Khy’s particular race) culture. This highlighted how alien he was, which is something I enjoy, why have an alien who is basically human? And also lent the story a little bit of depth as you realise how much and why the Volon are struggling, even years after landing on Earth.
This is another great book in the series, Anna and Khy’s romance was funny, sexy and touching. I can’t wait to see what Lancaster will bring out next as I know I will be reading it as soon as I can.
May 25, 2018
Khy is a Volon. Anna is human.
This book touches on many issues with refugees - leaving behind all that they knew, learning a new society and culture and language, making a relationship work when the cultures are extremely different.
Anna and Khy were drunk when they became intimate but neither one really remembers it. Culturally, they have very different ways of dealing with the repercussions of their one-night stand.
I appreciate how much depth of emotion V.C. Lancaster shows us in the couple, both together and separately. You can see how the relationship builds and how each culture contributes to both the good and bad in the development of the couple.
I very much enjoyed the holiday at Anna's brother's house.
This book touches on many issues with refugees - leaving behind all that they knew, learning a new society and culture and language, making a relationship work when the cultures are extremely different.
Anna and Khy were drunk when they became intimate but neither one really remembers it. Culturally, they have very different ways of dealing with the repercussions of their one-night stand.
I appreciate how much depth of emotion V.C. Lancaster shows us in the couple, both together and separately. You can see how the relationship builds and how each culture contributes to both the good and bad in the development of the couple.
I very much enjoyed the holiday at Anna's brother's house.
June 10, 2018
V. Lancaster, could I love you more?
Loved this! They just keep getting better. No book is like the one before in this series! AMAZINGGGGGG!
Review coming soon!
Loved this! They just keep getting better. No book is like the one before in this series! AMAZINGGGGGG!
Review coming soon!
November 28, 2019
Heh. Poor Anna. She comes to San Diego to help polish up the public image of DETI and the aliens and has a ROLLICKING good time her first day there. And by rollicking, I mean she gets a teeny bit drunk, hooks up with a hot alien security guy, and ends up having to deal with him 24/7 while he makes sure she's not pregnant.
Hawt alien bodyguards, man. LOVE 'EM!
The thing I like about these aliens is how sweetly clueless they are. They're trying to do things their way (as one would expect them to do, since it's what they know) and their wooing attempts never seem to go quite as they expect. Because, you know, their lady friends are human.
Alien mating cultures are AWESOME just because they're so different from the human way of dating and getting to know one another. (Maybe that's just me, but I really do dig these aliens. Hard.)
Khy and Anna do pretty much everything backwards. They hook up first and then have to get to know one another. During the holiday season. Among family. While dealing with a PR campaign that hits a hiccup or two. Add in that they're both kind of stubborn and hard-headed (Anna more than Khy, imo) and you have the recipe for GOOD STUFF.
Yep, still enjoying the heck out of these office aliens and all the craziness they have to wade through as they work on melding their alien cultures with the human one.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
Hawt alien bodyguards, man. LOVE 'EM!
The thing I like about these aliens is how sweetly clueless they are. They're trying to do things their way (as one would expect them to do, since it's what they know) and their wooing attempts never seem to go quite as they expect. Because, you know, their lady friends are human.
Alien mating cultures are AWESOME just because they're so different from the human way of dating and getting to know one another. (Maybe that's just me, but I really do dig these aliens. Hard.)
Khy and Anna do pretty much everything backwards. They hook up first and then have to get to know one another. During the holiday season. Among family. While dealing with a PR campaign that hits a hiccup or two. Add in that they're both kind of stubborn and hard-headed (Anna more than Khy, imo) and you have the recipe for GOOD STUFF.
Yep, still enjoying the heck out of these office aliens and all the craziness they have to wade through as they work on melding their alien cultures with the human one.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
July 4, 2018
I am against the trend here judging by the number of stars this book received. However for me the first book was the best and they've gone down hill from there. Anna is hands down one of the most unlikeable characters I've read in awhile. She pushes Khy away from page one and then 2/3 of the way is definitely pushing the crazy button. Khy is bland and we never really see too much from him so he has a hard time balancing Anna. Anna's family are great and the best part of the book. Not an easy read and won't be re-reading.
May 30, 2018
Great book
Could have been a 5 star for me H did more of the chasing at the end of the story.
Could have been a 5 star for me H did more of the chasing at the end of the story.
January 29, 2021
Anne, freshly imported from England to apply for a job in San Diego, gets drunk on her first evening in office. And nails a security officer who is an alien refugee. Now, in his culture he now has to protect the woman he possibly impregnated, thus making himself a nuisance for Anne.
While in some way this pushed all my “Me Tarzan, you Jane”-buttons, it also had those moments when you just scrunch up your face and ask “WHY???”. It became quite boring during the middle part of the story, and ended up being exceptionally annoying toward the end. The last 35% of the book were either sex or childish miscommunication.
It would have helped the story a lot if the reader had a better insight in Khy’s point of view. Did he actually care for Anne in a way we humans would understand, or was it just a matter of instinct to be with her?
Humor: 2 stars
General writing style: 2 stars
Story line idea: 4 stars
Story line execution: 2 stars
Plot: 1 star (it kept getting worse)
Annoy factors: high=2 stars.
Plenty of descriptive sex.
Narration: 3rd person female protagonist POV
Main Location: future San Diego
Main protagonists ages: end twenties
While in some way this pushed all my “Me Tarzan, you Jane”-buttons, it also had those moments when you just scrunch up your face and ask “WHY???”. It became quite boring during the middle part of the story, and ended up being exceptionally annoying toward the end. The last 35% of the book were either sex or childish miscommunication.
It would have helped the story a lot if the reader had a better insight in Khy’s point of view. Did he actually care for Anne in a way we humans would understand, or was it just a matter of instinct to be with her?
Humor: 2 stars
General writing style: 2 stars
Story line idea: 4 stars
Story line execution: 2 stars
Plot: 1 star (it kept getting worse)
Annoy factors: high=2 stars.
Plenty of descriptive sex.
Narration: 3rd person female protagonist POV
Main Location: future San Diego
Main protagonists ages: end twenties
June 30, 2018
2.5-3 stars
So many problematic things in this story
Red flags:
- In the beginning, the hero blatantly refused to leave the heroine alone, stating that she might be pregnant with his baby after their drunken one night stand, and according to his culture he was bound by his honour to 'protect' her
- Which resulted in some extremely possessive behaviour/tendencies
- It cooled off some as the story went but still (!!!!)
but I still enjoyed the story????? hmmmm
So many problematic things in this story
Red flags:
- In the beginning, the hero blatantly refused to leave the heroine alone, stating that she might be pregnant with his baby after their drunken one night stand, and according to his culture he was bound by his honour to 'protect' her
- Which resulted in some extremely possessive behaviour/tendencies
- It cooled off some as the story went but still (!!!!)
but I still enjoyed the story????? hmmmm
March 25, 2019
More like 3.5 stars and not my favorite of the series.
For me, Anna was hard to like and her constant back and forth with Khy grew tiresome after a while. I also had problems connecting with Khy. Maybe it's because the relationship started backwards with the sex coming first...I think this just threw me off.
For me, Anna was hard to like and her constant back and forth with Khy grew tiresome after a while. I also had problems connecting with Khy. Maybe it's because the relationship started backwards with the sex coming first...I think this just threw me off.
June 21, 2018
I didn't have the same reaction as most to this book. I was bored and skimmed the whole way through.
May 31, 2018
I enjoyed the first 2 books in this series, but for some reason I just couldn't connect to the characters in this one. After struggling for the first half of the book I had to put it down.
August 7, 2023
4.5 stars
The best one so far. It was funny and entertaining. If not for the 3rd act breakup it would have been perfect.
The best one so far. It was funny and entertaining. If not for the 3rd act breakup it would have been perfect.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2019
Okay. How many times does Ms Lancaster mention that Anna is professional? About a billion times. Does this convince me that a professional gets black-out drunk at a party on the first day of the job? No. So that's a fail right away.
The hero. He's been on Earth a whopping 4 years, and has human friends! But he.... can't understand that stalking a woman is illegal? While working as a security guard? Okay. Another fail.
The biggest fail, for me, was that it felt like we got 3 heroes. There was the Khy obsessed with his own cultural sense of responsibility, there was the Khy that was friends with humans and totally functioning in human society and not hung up on Anna at all, and there was the Khy that was romancing Anna at her brother's house who made a brief reappearance at the end to tie it all back together somehow. I'm supposed to believe this was all one person? Not even once did I understand why he liked HER - and choosing to mate her in the end, he supposedly does?? I still don't understand to this day why they hooked up, either?? So many freaking questions???
I also didn't like how flaky Anna was. And I almost feel conflicted about it! I live in the UK, I feel like I need to support British authors... but Anna was such a stereotypical British flaky single party girl, the epitome of the kind of British tourist that Europeans complain about, and I'm somewhat disgusted. On that topic, at one point Khy said "or else you wouldn't be sat here" and it was so jarring to hear him say such a British sentence, which was definitely missed by the editor.
The hero. He's been on Earth a whopping 4 years, and has human friends! But he.... can't understand that stalking a woman is illegal? While working as a security guard? Okay. Another fail.
The biggest fail, for me, was that it felt like we got 3 heroes. There was the Khy obsessed with his own cultural sense of responsibility, there was the Khy that was friends with humans and totally functioning in human society and not hung up on Anna at all, and there was the Khy that was romancing Anna at her brother's house who made a brief reappearance at the end to tie it all back together somehow. I'm supposed to believe this was all one person? Not even once did I understand why he liked HER - and choosing to mate her in the end, he supposedly does?? I still don't understand to this day why they hooked up, either?? So many freaking questions???
I also didn't like how flaky Anna was. And I almost feel conflicted about it! I live in the UK, I feel like I need to support British authors... but Anna was such a stereotypical British flaky single party girl, the epitome of the kind of British tourist that Europeans complain about, and I'm somewhat disgusted. On that topic, at one point Khy said "or else you wouldn't be sat here" and it was so jarring to hear him say such a British sentence, which was definitely missed by the editor.
February 11, 2021
Oh No! Anna has just shagged the giant space dinosaur who works in Security, and now he’s STALKING her!
This is essentially a comedy, and at times it’s very funny, but it has a dual nature as a phychological thriller. Khy, the alien, has cultural reasons for behaving as he does, but if we strip out the allegory for a moment there’s something dark and quite disturbing going on. Here we have a woman being stalked by a large armed man who threatens and blackmails her. Her boss enables him and she can’t go to the police as she’s in a compromised situation. This really is edgy stuff, and very thought provoking.
The dual nature of of the genre is one of many contrasting pairs in the novel. Some of these are quite simple (man/woman/ human/alien), others more complex pairings like the contrast between Anna’s unconventional choice of family and her brother’s nuclear one. All very nicely done.
I get the impression that the novel is providing a safe space for women to fantasize about being stalked. Do women fantasize about this sort of thing? Unfortunately I don’t know any, but as soon as I meet one I’m going to ask if she wants to be stalked. I’ll let you know how that goes.
This is essentially a comedy, and at times it’s very funny, but it has a dual nature as a phychological thriller. Khy, the alien, has cultural reasons for behaving as he does, but if we strip out the allegory for a moment there’s something dark and quite disturbing going on. Here we have a woman being stalked by a large armed man who threatens and blackmails her. Her boss enables him and she can’t go to the police as she’s in a compromised situation. This really is edgy stuff, and very thought provoking.
The dual nature of of the genre is one of many contrasting pairs in the novel. Some of these are quite simple (man/woman/ human/alien), others more complex pairings like the contrast between Anna’s unconventional choice of family and her brother’s nuclear one. All very nicely done.
I get the impression that the novel is providing a safe space for women to fantasize about being stalked. Do women fantasize about this sort of thing? Unfortunately I don’t know any, but as soon as I meet one I’m going to ask if she wants to be stalked. I’ll let you know how that goes.
June 3, 2020
My favourite book of the entire series! As per usual it is incredibly well written, and the world building makes you actually believe that this could actually take place in real life.
Now I want to find my very own Khy...
Now I want to find my very own Khy...
November 9, 2018
Honourable Khy.
This one has become my favourite so far in the series. It starts off with Khy a Volon security guard and Anna a PR specialist from London. They meet on her first day at DETI and after Khy takes her to the Christmas office party they share a drunken night together. The following day they wake up in bed together with no recollection of how they ended up there. In Khy's culture they don't have one night stands, they choose the female they want to mate and have babies with and once they have sex with them they protect and guard their female above all else. Anna is devastated to learn this as she doesn't even know Khy and now she's going to have him shadowing her everywhere she goes until it's confirmed she's not pregnant and he is no longer honour bound to her. Khy was the closest to human anatomy both physically and sexually. As a Volon he could walk on his heels and his legs didn't appear as though he had a second knee. He was tall, covered in green scales and had a swimmers body with broad shoulders and back with a trim waist and strong legs. He had a crest of white feathers atop his head, mint green eyes with darker green root like flecks in them. He was strong, fast, cheeky, cocky, dominating with a bad boy air to him he definitely had the personality to match. He didn't have the issues with sex as the males in the other two books had. His ahem equiptment didn't have to mold to the female he was mating and he could have sex whenever he wanted as he didn't go into heat. Anna was a workaholic no doubt about it, placed it above all else in her life making her seem cold and unaffectionate. You don't really see her come alive until Khy enters her life. At the begining the story is quite slow paced as we fast forward to the morning after the party and we don't get to read about their night together. It mostly dealt with Anna having to deal with Khy's constant company and how she tried to get rid of him. Their were some intense moments like when Anna took Khy to a mall, when they went to talk to his boss and at the airport. She eventually accepted that he was going no where and she took him with her to visit her brother in New Hampshire. The story didn't pick up until their last night there over the half way mark in the book. That's when things started getting interesting and their cohabitation became less pretending and more real. A fire between them was ignited and sweet mother of mercy was it intense, their intimate scenes were insainly HOT and STEAMY!!! It was wonderful seeing Anna's personality change, becoming a warm, caring, lively and happy person developing feelings for someone else and even falling in love. Even though Khy was the strong, silent type never professing his feelings for Anna she was exactly the same in the begining so they were well matched. This story was so full of angst, misunderstandings, drama and passion I was riveted and just couldn't put it down until I was done. The epilogue provided was very sweet but what would have been the icing on the cake for me would have been them being able to have a baby. Come on mother nature, evolution, science there's gotta be a way for our alien guys to knock up their girls here's hoping anyway.
This one has become my favourite so far in the series. It starts off with Khy a Volon security guard and Anna a PR specialist from London. They meet on her first day at DETI and after Khy takes her to the Christmas office party they share a drunken night together. The following day they wake up in bed together with no recollection of how they ended up there. In Khy's culture they don't have one night stands, they choose the female they want to mate and have babies with and once they have sex with them they protect and guard their female above all else. Anna is devastated to learn this as she doesn't even know Khy and now she's going to have him shadowing her everywhere she goes until it's confirmed she's not pregnant and he is no longer honour bound to her. Khy was the closest to human anatomy both physically and sexually. As a Volon he could walk on his heels and his legs didn't appear as though he had a second knee. He was tall, covered in green scales and had a swimmers body with broad shoulders and back with a trim waist and strong legs. He had a crest of white feathers atop his head, mint green eyes with darker green root like flecks in them. He was strong, fast, cheeky, cocky, dominating with a bad boy air to him he definitely had the personality to match. He didn't have the issues with sex as the males in the other two books had. His ahem equiptment didn't have to mold to the female he was mating and he could have sex whenever he wanted as he didn't go into heat. Anna was a workaholic no doubt about it, placed it above all else in her life making her seem cold and unaffectionate. You don't really see her come alive until Khy enters her life. At the begining the story is quite slow paced as we fast forward to the morning after the party and we don't get to read about their night together. It mostly dealt with Anna having to deal with Khy's constant company and how she tried to get rid of him. Their were some intense moments like when Anna took Khy to a mall, when they went to talk to his boss and at the airport. She eventually accepted that he was going no where and she took him with her to visit her brother in New Hampshire. The story didn't pick up until their last night there over the half way mark in the book. That's when things started getting interesting and their cohabitation became less pretending and more real. A fire between them was ignited and sweet mother of mercy was it intense, their intimate scenes were insainly HOT and STEAMY!!! It was wonderful seeing Anna's personality change, becoming a warm, caring, lively and happy person developing feelings for someone else and even falling in love. Even though Khy was the strong, silent type never professing his feelings for Anna she was exactly the same in the begining so they were well matched. This story was so full of angst, misunderstandings, drama and passion I was riveted and just couldn't put it down until I was done. The epilogue provided was very sweet but what would have been the icing on the cake for me would have been them being able to have a baby. Come on mother nature, evolution, science there's gotta be a way for our alien guys to knock up their girls here's hoping anyway.
May 27, 2018
3rd in series
Anna works in PR, she has moved from London to the USA to work alongside and aid DETI ( department of extraterrestrial immigration ) in their ongoing fight to help and aid the Teissian Refugee Community, who after fleeing invaders from their home world and settling on earth, have been struggling following an ongoing hate and fear campaign by a local politician.
Its Anna’s job to spin the focus away from doubt and negativity and into something positive and get the focus back on helping the refugees rather than fighting them.
Unfortunately, after waking up in a bed that is not her own, unable to remember much of the night before except going to the DETI Christmas party with Khy, a Volon, an alien and the security guy... it appears that Anna has bitten of much more than she can chew.
What started as a one night stand quickly turns into a nightmare of epic proportions for Anna until she slowly realised that Khy isn’t as bad and there is so much more to him that just his alien- ness and his differences... if she wants to really help DETI..she needs to practice what she preaches and fast!!
I loved this book so hard!! The charachters are brilliantly constructed even down to their flaws and self doubts. I adored the interaction between Anna and Khy... Their chemistry was fantastic and oh so believable. 🔥🔥🔥
What follows is a fantastic story of two very opposite people, overcoming ones own pride and realising that as much as traditions are great to remember and respect... they aren’t always do able in a new world with out some adaptation. The old needs to meet the new and embrace.
I adore this series it is so unique and well written. Filled with so many themes that parallel ‘the real world’.
These books are so much more than just sci romance! They are about acceptance and respect and coming together to appreciate and respect everyone’s individuality and differences.
A true page turner and I couldnt put it down! ( not that I tried that hard 😂😂)
Anna works in PR, she has moved from London to the USA to work alongside and aid DETI ( department of extraterrestrial immigration ) in their ongoing fight to help and aid the Teissian Refugee Community, who after fleeing invaders from their home world and settling on earth, have been struggling following an ongoing hate and fear campaign by a local politician.
Its Anna’s job to spin the focus away from doubt and negativity and into something positive and get the focus back on helping the refugees rather than fighting them.
Unfortunately, after waking up in a bed that is not her own, unable to remember much of the night before except going to the DETI Christmas party with Khy, a Volon, an alien and the security guy... it appears that Anna has bitten of much more than she can chew.
What started as a one night stand quickly turns into a nightmare of epic proportions for Anna until she slowly realised that Khy isn’t as bad and there is so much more to him that just his alien- ness and his differences... if she wants to really help DETI..she needs to practice what she preaches and fast!!
I loved this book so hard!! The charachters are brilliantly constructed even down to their flaws and self doubts. I adored the interaction between Anna and Khy... Their chemistry was fantastic and oh so believable. 🔥🔥🔥
What follows is a fantastic story of two very opposite people, overcoming ones own pride and realising that as much as traditions are great to remember and respect... they aren’t always do able in a new world with out some adaptation. The old needs to meet the new and embrace.
I adore this series it is so unique and well written. Filled with so many themes that parallel ‘the real world’.
These books are so much more than just sci romance! They are about acceptance and respect and coming together to appreciate and respect everyone’s individuality and differences.
A true page turner and I couldnt put it down! ( not that I tried that hard 😂😂)
July 30, 2020
From Resentful to Hot to Sweet
*****Spoilers*****
Anna and Khy's story started off not looking good. A hookup then cultural responsibility kept them together just long enough for them to form an attachment. It was a good thing too because Anna was particularly prickly, unfriendly, uncooperative and stubborn for the first part of the book. Without his persistence and determination, Khy and Anna would be no more than a passing moment, especially since neither of them remembered their night together.
Seeing Anna around her family was a complete 180 from what we'd seen from her up to that point. Hidden layers but I was wondering what happened to the other Anna we were introduced to in the beginning of the book.
Throw in some hot intimate scenes and this one scorches, mostly after they accidentally start in with feelings developed in such close proximity over a couple of weeks. I was surprised at Anna's inability to appreciate Khy's cultural expectations. She was me and my but didn't really acknowledge that she had a hand in the situation they found themselves in.
I also turned my face up at the people at the job not really doing much for a woman who basically claimed to have a stalker. I kept wondering how Khy and Anna would be able to stay together given Khy's reaction but it's easy when he doesn't have a job. I like what Anna and Khy do with regard to the retreat idea for the Volon at the end. It's seems worthwhile and a way for Khy to help his people fit better into their lives on Earth.
*****Spoilers*****
Anna and Khy's story started off not looking good. A hookup then cultural responsibility kept them together just long enough for them to form an attachment. It was a good thing too because Anna was particularly prickly, unfriendly, uncooperative and stubborn for the first part of the book. Without his persistence and determination, Khy and Anna would be no more than a passing moment, especially since neither of them remembered their night together.
Seeing Anna around her family was a complete 180 from what we'd seen from her up to that point. Hidden layers but I was wondering what happened to the other Anna we were introduced to in the beginning of the book.
Throw in some hot intimate scenes and this one scorches, mostly after they accidentally start in with feelings developed in such close proximity over a couple of weeks. I was surprised at Anna's inability to appreciate Khy's cultural expectations. She was me and my but didn't really acknowledge that she had a hand in the situation they found themselves in.
I also turned my face up at the people at the job not really doing much for a woman who basically claimed to have a stalker. I kept wondering how Khy and Anna would be able to stay together given Khy's reaction but it's easy when he doesn't have a job. I like what Anna and Khy do with regard to the retreat idea for the Volon at the end. It's seems worthwhile and a way for Khy to help his people fit better into their lives on Earth.
January 1, 2023
I laughed, I cried, I smiled, I squealed "that's so cute!" out loud, I cried (no seriously - At one point I was sobbing). I loved it.
If I was mildly annoyed by Maggie's lack of professionalism and understanding of cultural differences in New Guy (book 2), Anna completely blows that out of the water in book 3. She literally has a blackout drunk one night stand in chapter 1, which she regrets and sets the stage for the rest of the book. The book could have been titled "I had a one night stand with an alien and now I have to live with the consequences."
Now, that in and of itself might not be an issue. Like, it's hella unprofessional but she's not even a DETI employee and the aftermath could be handled like adults. Right?
Unfortunately, Volon customs combine with Anna's COMPLETE refusal for any kind of cultural understanding is the source of friction and it gets really old, really fast. She's unreasonable and refuses to even consider or offer any kind of compromise. Once she starts to actually catch feels, there's on longer any real need for that but it was frustrating getting there. I couldn't help but feel like there had to be a better way that was a healthy balance between respectful of cultural differences and still offering some resistance in a healthy way that would sort of trigger the fighting response Volons praise in this scenario.
In spite of all of that, I did find Anna likable as a character. It helped that whether I liked or her not, she felt REAL. Like a genuine person whose life I just happened to be reading about. And to be fair, her lack of professionalism aside, she does get kind of shit on here and there in the book. Sorry, Anna.
I really liked Khy for most of the book. Less so during the parts where his actions made me sob (rude) but the sheer joy in the ending kind of made up for it. He was realistic similar to Anna - genuine, deeply unsettled both by the trauma of losing their homeworld and the reality of trying to make a living on this strange new world, the bone deep tiredness of dealing with that reality after four years and the weird looks and whispers and stares and being treated differently, but also the pieces of happiness and joy he managed to carve out in that time, friends he'd made, coworkers he got along, human customs he got used to, and so on. There was just SO MUCH.
Despite this book being almost 450 pages, I felt like there was less of that filler detail in this book than the last one. There was still some, and definitely some bits could have been cut out and a solid plot would remain, but I liked the whole of it as is.
Finally - Shout out to the amazonian Volon female Kona. She was such a minor character at the end there but I was immediately smitten. Very happy for her and her Volon which shall remain unnamed in this review. ;)
(On a sidenote, the whole book I kept wondering a few things about the Volon. If they're a plains based society, why aren't they being relocated to plains geographical areas? Wouldn't that make the most sense instead of building weird indoor campfires?
Also, would their mating customs not be possible as potentially some kind of skill-based competition? It might not have the same impromptu effect but if the skills and fighting stuff are the most important parts, surely having a scheduled competition or something could work right? I'm totally thinking of some combination of your typical mating runs in fiction and the gladiator style of rounds of competition from Strange Love by Anne Aguirre - but less deadly or severe and with the tests obviously catered to something that makes more sense for the Volon. Has seriously nobody thought of something like this or is this just not something that would work for them?
It's stuff like this that makes me wonder how much DETI is really doing to help the refugees long-term. It sounds like all of their focus is really on just getting them to Earth and the ensuring they have the basics, then they're SOL on everything else for the rest of their lives. This does eventually get addressed at the end of the book - in the epilogue - and it's about fucking finally! It means it's at least 5 years, possibly longer, that this was an issue, not even counting the 2 years it takes to travel to Earth from Teiss in the first place. Like nobody ever thought about this? It's kind of like in book 1 when Lois wasn't aware of orphans existing. It's a bit of a 'wtf' moment.
PS - If you feel like this is asking of too much for an alien romance, keep in mind this is nearly 450 page book, 3rd in a series, with a lot of detail about the alien races, culture, and their home planet. There's a lot of emphasis on the characters and story about remembering their culture, adjusting their customs, etc.)
If I was mildly annoyed by Maggie's lack of professionalism and understanding of cultural differences in New Guy (book 2), Anna completely blows that out of the water in book 3. She literally has a blackout drunk one night stand in chapter 1, which she regrets and sets the stage for the rest of the book. The book could have been titled "I had a one night stand with an alien and now I have to live with the consequences."
Now, that in and of itself might not be an issue. Like, it's hella unprofessional but she's not even a DETI employee and the aftermath could be handled like adults. Right?
Unfortunately, Volon customs combine with Anna's COMPLETE refusal for any kind of cultural understanding is the source of friction and it gets really old, really fast. She's unreasonable and refuses to even consider or offer any kind of compromise. Once she starts to actually catch feels, there's on longer any real need for that but it was frustrating getting there. I couldn't help but feel like there had to be a better way that was a healthy balance between respectful of cultural differences and still offering some resistance in a healthy way that would sort of trigger the fighting response Volons praise in this scenario.
In spite of all of that, I did find Anna likable as a character. It helped that whether I liked or her not, she felt REAL. Like a genuine person whose life I just happened to be reading about. And to be fair, her lack of professionalism aside, she does get kind of shit on here and there in the book. Sorry, Anna.
I really liked Khy for most of the book. Less so during the parts where his actions made me sob (rude) but the sheer joy in the ending kind of made up for it. He was realistic similar to Anna - genuine, deeply unsettled both by the trauma of losing their homeworld and the reality of trying to make a living on this strange new world, the bone deep tiredness of dealing with that reality after four years and the weird looks and whispers and stares and being treated differently, but also the pieces of happiness and joy he managed to carve out in that time, friends he'd made, coworkers he got along, human customs he got used to, and so on. There was just SO MUCH.
Despite this book being almost 450 pages, I felt like there was less of that filler detail in this book than the last one. There was still some, and definitely some bits could have been cut out and a solid plot would remain, but I liked the whole of it as is.
Finally - Shout out to the amazonian Volon female Kona. She was such a minor character at the end there but I was immediately smitten. Very happy for her and her Volon which shall remain unnamed in this review. ;)
(On a sidenote, the whole book I kept wondering a few things about the Volon. If they're a plains based society, why aren't they being relocated to plains geographical areas? Wouldn't that make the most sense instead of building weird indoor campfires?
Also, would their mating customs not be possible as potentially some kind of skill-based competition? It might not have the same impromptu effect but if the skills and fighting stuff are the most important parts, surely having a scheduled competition or something could work right? I'm totally thinking of some combination of your typical mating runs in fiction and the gladiator style of rounds of competition from Strange Love by Anne Aguirre - but less deadly or severe and with the tests obviously catered to something that makes more sense for the Volon. Has seriously nobody thought of something like this or is this just not something that would work for them?
It's stuff like this that makes me wonder how much DETI is really doing to help the refugees long-term. It sounds like all of their focus is really on just getting them to Earth and the ensuring they have the basics, then they're SOL on everything else for the rest of their lives. This does eventually get addressed at the end of the book - in the epilogue - and it's about fucking finally! It means it's at least 5 years, possibly longer, that this was an issue, not even counting the 2 years it takes to travel to Earth from Teiss in the first place. Like nobody ever thought about this? It's kind of like in book 1 when Lois wasn't aware of orphans existing. It's a bit of a 'wtf' moment.
PS - If you feel like this is asking of too much for an alien romance, keep in mind this is nearly 450 page book, 3rd in a series, with a lot of detail about the alien races, culture, and their home planet. There's a lot of emphasis on the characters and story about remembering their culture, adjusting their customs, etc.)
March 1, 2024
I liked this one (it was very different from the last book, thank goodness). I had some problems with it even though it's a cute story.
Anna feels like a stereotype of a british person, I didn't get the feeling she was british. She sounded like an american woman obsessed with tea.
Anna didn't do shit for her job until ~70% of the book. She's a PR and apparently wasn't very good at it.
I didn't like how Anna and Khy almost never talked about their feelings, and it doesn't seem like she opened up about her insecurities and fears.
I liked Khy a lot, I liked their culture (even though I think the names of the races are too similar, so I can't remember after a while which is which).
The sub plot progressed a bit, with protesters and stuff. The politician trying to damage the DETI's reputation didn't do anything worthy.
The story was very stretched in few days, it was good at some points but I felt the timeline had progressed more than it actually had.
Anyway, the book is good. Not as good as the first, but really awesome compared to the second. I have little hope for the next book.
Anna feels like a stereotype of a british person, I didn't get the feeling she was british. She sounded like an american woman obsessed with tea.
Anna didn't do shit for her job until ~70% of the book. She's a PR and apparently wasn't very good at it.
I didn't like how Anna and Khy almost never talked about their feelings, and it doesn't seem like she opened up about her insecurities and fears.
I liked Khy a lot, I liked their culture (even though I think the names of the races are too similar, so I can't remember after a while which is which).
The sub plot progressed a bit, with protesters and stuff. The politician trying to damage the DETI's reputation didn't do anything worthy.
The story was very stretched in few days, it was good at some points but I felt the timeline had progressed more than it actually had.
Anyway, the book is good. Not as good as the first, but really awesome compared to the second. I have little hope for the next book.
May 27, 2018
This was so good. I really, really appreciate how much culture and personal memories the author works into her aliens. I’m a sucker for world-building and aliens that are truly alien and these books satisfy that craving. Khy was super dreamy (imo) and I loved how the author dealt with the “stalker” aspect of the storyline by just calling it out for what it is. Like my brain acknowledges that “yes, he shouldn’t do that”, but my heart says “he’s hot, shut up and let me enjoy it”. I never claimed to be logical.
There were a few VERY minor threads I wished had been taken a little farther but this was such a fun and engaging story I couldn’t put it down. I literally binged it in less than a day. If you like alien romance I highly recommend this one. I’m off to go start my re-read.
There were a few VERY minor threads I wished had been taken a little farther but this was such a fun and engaging story I couldn’t put it down. I literally binged it in less than a day. If you like alien romance I highly recommend this one. I’m off to go start my re-read.
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