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Can two broken people release their demons, open their hearts, and find lasting love?


Petra's strong, take-no-prisoners attitude is severely challenged when she's abducted by aliens, destined to be sold as a sex slave. To escape she needs the help of the most irritating, hunky alien this side of the Milky Way. Their chemistry is off the charts despite the fact that Shadow seems to provoke her on purpose.

Sold into the gladiator arena by his own parents, the only emotion this alien knows is anger. Until he meets Petra, whose grit, as well as her delightful body, sets him on fire. She isn't interested in anything more than a physical relationship, but beneath his cocky exterior she realizes there might be something worth fighting for.

If you like angsty alien alphas ripe for redemption and the kick-ass heroines who can tame them, then join Petra and Shadow in this standalone second book of the alien abduction paranormal romance Galaxy Gladiators Series.

Contains steamy sex scenes, hot muscular aliens who've been damaged and patched back together, and badass heroines. Guaranteed happily ever after.

Buy Shadow today to step into this world of darkness, humor, and romance!

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2019

845 people are currently reading
214 people want to read

About the author

Alana Khan

180 books621 followers
Sexy Alien Heroes, Sassy Human Heroines, Stories That Satisfy

Alana Khan is a USA TODAY Bestselling author whose pen traverses galaxies and explores the extraordinary.

In a life as diverse as her stories, Alana boasts IMDB film credits, thrilling Harley adventures on open roads, and a stint as a professional spoon player—because, why not?

With a background as a psychotherapist, she delves into the human psyche, enriching her storytelling.

Join her on fantastical journeys through her novels, where cosmic romance and monstrous love merge with spice as hot as a Carolina Reeper chili pepper.

Sign up for Alana's free newsletter at https://alanakhan.com/

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5 stars
630 (43%)
4 stars
480 (33%)
3 stars
245 (17%)
2 stars
62 (4%)
1 star
17 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
Profile Image for  Rosebud.
1,052 reviews194 followers
July 9, 2019
Shadow's a dick. Everyone knows it but he's still one of the recently freed slaves who have joined together as they search for their futures post slavery.

Petra was abducted, tagged, and caged by aliens who intend to sell her at auction to the highest bidder. Awaiting her fate, Petra sights a human female/alien on steroids male couple, calling out to them to save her. As the only way that can happen is for the couple to buy her, she makes a deal to repay the money they pay to purchase her, with conditions. Conditions that include having a grumpy antisocial cyborg bodyguard until Petra is able to repay her debt.

* * * *

Second installment in the "Galaxy Gladiators" series that features closed off emotionless egotistic Shadow. I do feel this can be read as a stand alone though going this route will result in a loss of understanding as to why Shadow is the way he is.

Petra & Shadow. Chemistry works as the two spark off each other though there are road blocks, baggage issues, and PTSD issues to resolve before this couple can even look at a possible HEA. While I appreciated the adult content scenes between the two, the quality of those scenes weren't five alarm scorcher content material. More of a sensual self limiting gratifying sort of thing.

Secondary characters. The cast of characters remain unchanged from the first installment. I do appreciate that the author included the build up for the next installment Tyree which will be released July 29, 2019. Interesting tease for it anyway.

This is the type of alien abduction/romance story that readers of low angst positive outcome action adventure stories will enjoy and appreciate. There really isn't any complex twists and turns to sleuth through so readers can enjoy the straightforward story line as intended. Additionally, there is a pathway for redemption for readers who look for that sort of thing. I don't mean this as a negative when I say it's a low brain matter intellectual story that is intended to be enjoyed as a fanciful hero/heroine finding love in the most unusual of circumstances.

My takeaway for this book is that the author has filled in some of the confusing aspects I noted in the previous story but failed to give me .... the rest of the story. Vague comment but without spoilers I can't really expound except to say that while character back stories and possible explanations for certain character personalities are provided, I am still in the dark as to the core of those same things. I did appreciate the strong female lead character who had a vulnerable side that required someone like Shadow to be there for her. In the reverse, Shadow needed someone like Petra to give him what he needed. Win/win.

Personally, I felt this was a 3.5 solid read but leaned more to 4 for the positive addition to the series. I do like the way the author is developing her writing style as I see a definite improvement from the previous story and am crossing my fingers this continues.
Profile Image for ❤️Emma Book Lover ❤️.
572 reviews305 followers
November 9, 2019
3.5 stars

This was slightly better than the first book, but the push-pull in this book was over the charts.
Petra is suffering from PTSD since she was a kid and her cooping mechanism is to stay away from everyone and any intimacy. Shadow doesn't want to be angry and alone all the time anymore and he wants Petra with all his heart, but she needs a lot of conviction for this to happen.
The sex scenes are good here, the action moderate .
What really annoyed me was everyone else behavior towards Shadow. Such a group of haters . I know he was a dick most of the time but he really didn't disturbed anyone in the first book (mostly), he just wanted to be ignored.
Anyways...I'm not sure I'll read the next one...its about Tyree and Grace...Tyree who was a girl in the first book and now became a full grown up muscular sexy man sporting 7 erections / day .
LOL
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews129 followers
Want to read
May 2, 2020
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/2/2020)! 🎁
Profile Image for Catherine.
99 reviews29 followers
August 6, 2019
⭐4,5 BEM melhor do que o primeiro! Amei o fato da mocinha não ser dos Estados Unidos (Sérvia!!!!), isso é extremamente difícil de encontrar nesses tipos de livros... Ainda no primeiro livro eu não detestava o Shadow como os outros personagens ou a autora previu, apesar de ele também não ter sido do tipo "likeable", então fiquei contente desde o começo com sua história. A dinâmica do casal, sua sinceridade um com o outro... Sério, acho que até invejei um pouco, sonho de consumo um relacionamento assim, mas não é fácil, então deu um significado extra essa abertura deles, principalmente quando são tão obviamente orgulhosos, reservados, traumatizados... Por fim, eu acho que nunca vou esquecer ou encontrar um primeiro capítulo mais histericamente hilário do que o desse livro, tanto que não recomendo a ler perto de outras pessoas ou em lugares que seriam inapropriados uma gargalhada (só o primeiro capítulo mesmo).
Profile Image for Kristiej.
1,534 reviews101 followers
May 4, 2020
After being charmed by the first book in this series, I was expecting the same thing with this book but was disappointed. It wasn’t bad and I’m glad I read it to continue the series, but I felt that plotline and character development was short shifted and sex amped up. I love sex in a romance novel as much as the next romance reader – as long as it serves the plot and I just didn’t feel that happened in this book.

Petra is a new character. If you’ve read the first book, you know the slaves were successful in rescuing themselves and now they are organizing and trying to earn money for supplies and keep under cover so they aren’t found by the powerful corporation trying to find them. In order to do this they have stopped at a lesser known planet to do what they do best, gladiate. It’s while there that they discover Petra, another earth woman who was scooped up and headed for a life of slavery. She begs them to save her which they do and she resolves to pay them back somehow. Her “protector” is Shadow, one of the former slaves from book 1. He’s part cyborg and is as cold as ice and not very popular with the rest of the crew. Despite this Petra sees something human deep within and as she persists, he slowly begins to thaw and we see that he hasn’t always been a slave like some of the others but instead was betrayed by family. He’s had to harden himself in order to survive what has happened to him, going from a pampered, somewhat useless young man into a hardened and hardware gladiator.

Petra also has her own issues with intimacy. She was raised in a war torn country and has seen those closest to her killed in front of her eyes. So while she’s more than willing to give into her attraction to Shadow, sex is all that she wants. But as Shadow slowly thaws, he wants more.

I’ll be honest, the sex is so ramped up in this book that I ended up just skipping pages of it in order to get back to the story of Petra and Shadow and the rest of the crew. I would have much preferred less sex and more story. But as this is an ongoing series and available free on KU, I’m glad I read it even it I didn’t find it as good as the first book.
Profile Image for Lula Pantoofle.
1,025 reviews40 followers
November 7, 2019
So Petra wakes up to find herself in the slave auction on Numa where the escapee ship is headed to earn money in the fighting arena. Petra sights another human and begs for release. She has to earn her cost back by doing some exotic dancing. Shadow, the grumpy cyborg that everyone disliked in the first book, has to save her from her success and the two start to hook up.

Petra earns her place on the ship and learns how disliked Shadow is, but his growing feelings for her make him want to be better. Her growing feelings for him make her want to be better.

This is a redemption story. I love a transformation. I love character development. I was all in. Shadow was hot. Petra was kickass. This book was light, fluffy and low angst. Just my thing.
Profile Image for Chappy.
2,218 reviews113 followers
September 21, 2020
Very good action adventure with 2 prickly MCs that have quite a few walls to tear down.

Petra was not part of the original batch of humans rescued during the slave overthrow and escape. This brings a new dynamic to the group of survivors. Shadow claims to be a dick and he kinda was at first. But after being thrown together on a few adventures, Petra and Shadow start to trust each other.
610 reviews2 followers
June 18, 2020
Woonderful feel good story.
3 reviews
December 10, 2020
Loved it 😍

Great series!! Such an amazing love story 💗 Full of action, hot sex, romance, character growth, humor. Absolutely perfect 😊
22 reviews
July 21, 2019
Good alien romance!

Petra has been kidnapped by a race that resembles a walking boar has an implant inserted so she can communicate. She, along with other “females ” are waiting to be sold when she see another earth woman and begs her to help. What follows is humorous, with plenty of action and adventure. Finding love was never for her but a muscular gladiator named Shadow changes her mind. Great story
75 reviews
July 21, 2019
Arrested Development

Alana Khan is now a go to author for me. Zar was a strong story for me na d encouraged the reading of Shadow. Shadow's story explained some of how the humans were taken but it was a fantastic story telling of how four characters came into their own. If one has a crushing experience in their lives would they overcome it or give up to it?
Profile Image for Ginger Holzscheiter-Fischer.
66 reviews
July 26, 2019
Petra’s no nonsense attitude is refreshing and just what Shadow needs. Loved that she got to save his ass. Great story and happy ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jennifer Miller.
Author 51 books194 followers
July 13, 2019
Am

What an amazing and heartwarming story. Two lost Souls in an alien world finding love when all hope is lost. I have real enjoyed this series so far can’t wait for the next books.
1,112 reviews
July 13, 2019
Shadow

I thought book one was just ok and not sure I was going to read more. I am so glad I picked up book two. It is one of the best books I have read. Amazing and complex characters.
50 reviews8 followers
July 7, 2019
Shadow is the hero you want to read!

I loved this book! Once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. If you have read the first book, you know all about who Shadow “was” at the end of it. This book introduces a tough and adventurous heroine who is just what Shadow needs to help him transform into the hero you will fall in love with by the end of the book. It’s not a cliffhanger, but it definitely leaves you ready for the next book in the series. I highly recommend that you check it out!
Profile Image for Barbara.
19.2k reviews8 followers
July 9, 2019
Book two in the Galaxy Gladiators Alien Abduction Romance Series a well written story that once I started I was not putting down so shall we say a very late night/early morning read. Shadow and Petra will have so much to overcome before they get their happy ending. I want to read the next book. I recommend this book. I read this book through KU and I am voluntarily reviewing it.
Profile Image for Cynthia Jackson.
1,169 reviews1 follower
July 11, 2019
Really intriguing story

The characters are both emotionally distant & damaged. Over time & circumstances changes begin. The world opens up & new joy, heartache & friendship comes to them. Completely romantic storyline.
Profile Image for Julie Sherman.
1,465 reviews23 followers
July 9, 2019
2nd book

Second book and just as good as the first. This is a really good book of redemption and finding yourself in the end and then showing all that your not what you or they think.
Profile Image for Meleeta.
786 reviews10 followers
July 8, 2019
Emotional story that pulled in my heart strings.

He's been angry ever since his parents sold him in t o as slavery. He built walls against others and buried his emotions. She survived a Wharton area on her world and now has to escape from aliens that kidnap her and force her into as slavery. Together they allow themselves to change and live.
Profile Image for Sofia.
458 reviews7 followers
July 8, 2019
4,2 stars

Great story
When a new reality gives us the chance for a rebirth
Love how ms. Khan writes about strong women willing to make the best in a situation and for men to
give a chance to a dream
Profile Image for LuDena .
2,415 reviews4 followers
July 9, 2019
Transformation Tuesday

This is a story about personal growth and transformation . It is totally awesome . Our escapees find and help another human and shadow gets his forever .
Profile Image for Ähmsry.
623 reviews12 followers
February 3, 2020
They are more than you can see, especially at first sight - what does the outer shell say about the inner core of a living being! Who can tell where you wear your scars?

Petra and Shadow - so obviously different and yet so similar, rarely two characters complement each other so perfectly. Where one weakens, the other finds his strength and unexpectedly grows beyond himself and vice versa.

Exciting, stirring and emotional with a kick and unexpected depth, spiced with a crackling hot interlude - no aspect is lost and in the end you are left with the desire for more of the starship "Beautiful Deliverence" and its passengers.

The interaction with the others and the group dynamics provide an incentive to change one's point of view and to look outside one's own box.

Wonderfully written and highly recommended!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

PS. Order "Galaxy Gladiators."
#1 Zar #1.5 Terminus #2 Shadow ...
You know, there are more to come 👍
Profile Image for Davette Spencer.
178 reviews1 follower
July 8, 2019
Yay!!

I'm really enjoying this series!. It's very well written with wonderful character development.. you really are rooting for them!. Oh.. and the heroines aren't weak and whiny!!
162 reviews1 follower
July 8, 2019
Enjoyable new series!

Now is a terrific time to snag this new series. This is the second book and the premise is a stolen ship with 20 slaves who who freed themselves. Each book is about the slaves finding their true love. Fall in love with the series.
Profile Image for JML.
1,302 reviews24 followers
August 1, 2020
4&1\2solid 🌟's for book 2

Shadow is a gladiator we met in the first book his reputation as an asshat proceeds him. He's cold,angry and doesn't let anyone in. In the first book he couldn't even be decent to Grace his cell mate. In the opening chapters Shadow is his same dickhead self until he truly meets Petra. I don't mean when he first sees her but when he really meets her. They crew are on Numa to fight in the gladiator games to earn enough money to buy supplies, fix the ship and disappear from the cartel they escaped from. This is where they meet Petra. Petra was stolen from her bed by Aliens and sold into slavery. She's had a very hard life she grew up in war torn eastern Europe immigrated to the U.S. And has made a good life for herself as a hair stylist. The biggest obstacle is the panic attacks that leave her almost crippled. She just can't or won't let anyone in because if you love someone they can be taken or did and she just can't seem to get past that. Until she meets Shadow a gladiator with an attitude that she seems to connect with and understand. This book really explores two people let down by life and often times the people in it so much that they put huge barriers up to protect themselves.It explores how when you let someone in who truly understands you and can love you just as you are anything is possible. It's a story of acceptance and redemption. I really enjoyed it.💖💖💖💖
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
2,376 reviews28 followers
August 14, 2019
Petra and Shadow

We were introduced to Shadow in the previous book and he wasn't well liked by the others. He was angry and agressive though we can understand somewhat the reasons behind it. After been sold by his own parents he wears the scars of the brutality he has endured. Petea is a human ,kidnapped by aliens. She is found in a cage waiting to be sold to the highest bidder. With her strong attitude, having gone through hardship herself, she is the perfect mate to take on the grumpy and angry Shadow. We are taken in their journey on how to move on and trying to be better and let the pass go. I loved Shadow so much. We see him evolve in front of our eyes and with him, the crew's perception of him until they accepted him fully. Fast paced with a fantastic world build, packed with action, adventure, heartwarming and heartbreaking moments that will pull your heart strings. Highly recommended
Profile Image for Carmen.
2,084 reviews11 followers
January 5, 2020
Unlikely Pair

I thought Shadow would probably star in his own book later in the series but the joke was on me. I thought a sad, tragic guy in the first book and knew he would gave a riveting story. This book did not disappoint at all. Shadow and Petra were a most unlikely pair
; she was all light and laughter and he was dark and full of anger. Their coming together and healing each other was magical and perfect for them. Good story.
Profile Image for warywolf3.
222 reviews5 followers
August 16, 2019
Well written

This story was well written well planned and very well thought out. I really like learning the back story of the characters so we better understand what drives them. The way they treated him was frustrating. Just because he didn't for the same pattern as some of the others. But I really liked how he ended up finding champions as well. Especially grace.
Profile Image for Kim.
1,688 reviews9 followers
August 7, 2019
Shadow's story

This story was better than the first book. Shadow was a dick but he became a new man with freedom. He also meets an extraordinary woman who sees him and likes him anyway. The chemistry is scorching. Unfortunately Petra has problems of her own to overcome. Well worth reading.
Profile Image for Muffie.
30 reviews1 follower
August 8, 2019
Worth the read

I liked the first book in the series but i loved Shadow's book! I laughed and i teared up a little but i read it in 2 days, at work and at home. Thank you for writing this book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews

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