Earth Husbands are Odd

Earth Fathers #2

by Lyn Gala

Max, the stranded Earth pilot, and Rick, his tentacled partner in love, are forced to return to a universe that dismisses Rick as an asymmetrical, loud outcast. But Rick hasn't told Max the whole story. Max wants to live in a universe where his children and his lover are respected and given a chance to shine. He doesn’t know the odds are stacked against them. Max is going to have to catch up fast if he wants to win a battle that is less about weapons than manipulating the rest of the universe into being fair.

To protect his sweet, belchy partner in love and their three offspring, Max will change the universe, one stubborn alien at a time, and he might have to start with the one he loves.

Genres: Science Fiction, Aliens, M M Romance, Romance, Audiobook, LGBT, Fantasy

193 pages, ebook

First published December 17, 2020

About the author

Lynsey "Lyn" Gala started writing in the back of her science notebook in third grade and hasn’t stopped since. Westerns starring men with shady pasts gave way to science fiction with questionable protagonists which eventually gave in to any story with a morally ambiguous character. Even the purest heroes have pain and loss and darkness in their hearts, and that’s where she likes to find her stories. Her characters seek to better themselves and find the happy ending (or happier anyway), but it’s writing the struggle that inspires her muse. When she isn’t writing, Lyn Gala teaches in New Mexico.

She first cut her teeth on fanfic: gen, slash, het, and femslash. She prefers to focus on plot: mysteries and monsters and disasters, oh my, but sex can and does happen. Some of her stories focus on power exchange, bondage or bdsm. In her worlds, tops and bottoms are all mature, consenting adults. In fact, stories where they aren't squick her badly, so don't expect to find abuse stories in her journal.

Reviews

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars*



I love, love, love this kooky little spicy alien romance series, and I don't want it to end!

I know there are only two books, but these tentacle-sex, tender, unexpected romance books have stolen my bruised, jaded 2021 heart. Thank you, Lyn Gala, for these books.

Oh, you must read Earth Fathers Are Weird prior to reading this one. It's a must.

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[Kaje Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the sequel to the fun Earth Fathers Are Weird and has to be read after it. I loved these characters in the first book, and it's entertaining to watch them navigating the worlds as a couple. This is more of an us-against-the-galaxy story, with Max taking on threats real and perceived and standing against anti-Ugly bigotry. The kids play their roles, and it remains to be seen if naming one after James T Kirk was all too prophetic.

The romance is warm, and a little sexier here, but the focus is on the society around them. Max shows off both his skills and his flaws, and there's suggestion of another book to come, when his human arrogance at rearranging the social universe may yet come back to bite him in the butt. Or not. One of the best things about Gala's SciFi is the imagination and lack of predictability. I'll reread this, and be looking for the next one.

[Lilly [Hiatus due to School] · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I couldn’t fall in love with Rick and Max more, but Earth Husbands are Weird was a perfect addition to this series. I loved that we see Rick and Max’s relationship develop more as they come to learn more about each other. I also love seeing how the offspring interact with one another and with their fathers. Seeing their different personalities and talents was cute. Lyn also covered very tough themes in this second book. We learn that Rick’s people are discriminated against in the universe. They are seen as bizarre due to their appearance and culture. When Max is reunited with Dee (a woman he served in the military who was the other human kidnapped), we also see how POCs can internalize racism. It is a process of unlearning as it is easy to fall for propaganda and stereotypes, especially regarding people (species) you have not met. Max wants to make the universe a safe place for his children and works towards that goal in this second book.

There were also many funny moments. I can’t get over Rick and the children quoting random commercial slang/jingles as they watch human TV shows and the translator mishaps. I love the romance and sex between Rick and Max, like I never thought I would be reading an Octopus shaped creature x human sex scenes. There isn’t a lot of sex scenes but the moments that do happen are quite spicy. But that is the beauty of reading; you learn something new and enter new territories.

On a side note, I ended up googling the sizes of octopus to better understand how big they could be in comparison to humans- and boy can they be huge!

I enjoyed this excellent addition to the series and hope for a third book one day. I would love to see the children grow up and maybe explore the universe on their own. Rick and Max have discussed having more children, so I would love to see Max go through pregnancy again, but this time not due to a misunderstanding and fear. Lyn Gala has a way with words, and I love their creative mind and the beautiful worlds they create.

[Trio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awww, Rick has become such a romantic. Some incredibly sweet bonding moments between Max and Rick which were wonderful, and lots of scenes with the kids which was great. A nice build up for future episodes of the series which I'm definitely looking forward to.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise and subject for this second book were based on interesting themes regarding prejudices and the necessity to fight them, with Max determined to find a way to make the universe more just toward his family’s species; I do appreciate how this author always strives to make alien species and their dynamic feel as realistic as such things can be, and she didn’t miss the mark here, but I can’t say the resulting plot made for a very compelling read. I didn’t read it at the best of times, I had a lot of distractions coming from real life, so that might’ve been a factor, although probably not a huge one, I doubt I would be rating it higher in any case.
That said, I did enjoy reading this and my favorite parts were once again Max’s relationship with the offspring and Rick and the whole family dynamic in general. I also liked the role Dee had in this book, she made a much better impression as a character than she did in the previous book, not surprising given she had a very little part there, and if the next book—I’m assuming one has at least been considered, going from the openings left at the end of this one—ever gets written, I’d be interested to see what the author has in store for these characters.

[S.J. Himes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

I absolutely loved this book! Beautiful emotional notes, a great mix of tentacle smexy times, and a highly original universe of aliens and cultures. Can't wait for the next book!

[Eugenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A MUST READ after “Earth Fathers...”!!

Funny!
Sexy tentacle fun!

More aliens...
More danger...
More love...

Attend the wedding of Max and Rick ❤️❤️

My rec? Not a standalone, sooooo fun 👏👏👏👏

[Cadiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like book one, this is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Is it sexy as hell, yes. Does it have tentacle sex, yes. Is it about love in all forms and the lengths you'd go to protect your asymmetrical octopod family, yes 😉😍

I loved book one but with this one, Lyn takes things further and explores more the prejudices inherent in the universe, which might just bite a little bit close to home (Earth!) when it comes to inbuilt assumptions about intelligence levels.

It's way more steamy than the first book too, which I very much appreciated, but it's also full of warmth, of determination to make life better for your offspring, about how to communicate when you don't even understand the basics of an alien culture.

I hope we do get a third book because I'd honestly read about Max, Rick and their squidy kids forever!

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

5 stars

Author Lyn Gala releases her sequel in the Earth Fathers series with the delightful reintroduction of Max, Rick, and their boys: James, Xander, and Kohei. Fans of the first book, Earth Fathers are Weird, will recall that Max, who began as a “nanny,” quickly realized that meant he would be a surrogate incubator for Rick’s eggs, which produced the three boys. If you haven’t read the first book, I would strongly suggest doing so. I so enjoyed the previous novel that I honesty squealed with delight to discover Gala has penned a second.

The flow into this book is quite natural and just a few months has passed since their first adventure together.

Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cuuuuute!!!!
Rick and the babies and Max and just all of it.

Loved!

[Chappy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so enjoying spending time with Max and his unconventional family. They are really happy, but like everyone, they have to restock their funds. Rick is brilliant but a lifetime of bigotry have made him timid. Max is determined to get recognition for Rick and the Hidden people.
So well done and linguistically rich. Can't wait for more.

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I was kinda bummed by this conclusion. I really liked book one and Rick and Max’s fun/funny relationship. There were moments where I enjoyed it and the whole “violent” streak the universe decided Max must have. I just wanted more.

Spice: 4/5

Triggers: mentions of abduction, confinement, xenophobia, mentions of homophobia, emotional isolation of side character, mention of past death of troop member in jet battle, mentions of past pregnancy, mention of past infant illness, court proceedings

[Kaity · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

there is something about this odd, tentacle and human family that just makes me smile haha i did not think i would be interest in tentacle play/sex but this book just worked.

the kids were adorable, rick was adorable, and max was his unstable/murderous human self (don't threaten his family unless you plan on dying) hahaha

i hope for another book in this series, but i would be happy for how this ended too.

[Princess under cover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one I liked less than book 1. I would have liked it better if we got Rick’s POV. Some of the newness wore off. But it was still interesting.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so short 😭😭. At least there will be another one coming out at some point. I've really warmed up to Max and Rick and the kids, they're such a cute family. Narration is still sublime!

[iam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s no secret that I adore Earth Fathers are Weird. I knew there would be a sequel coming eventually, but had no idea it would be this year, so when I got the email about it being available it was the BEST sort of surprise!

Read the full review on the blog!

Content warnings include: xenophobia, court proceedings, con around embargo, transmisia (trans people are acknowledged, but the in-depth discussion of gender is very cis-centric), sex on-page, mentions of isolation, surrogacy.

Earth Husbands are Odd plays a couple months after the end of Earth Fathers are Weird and continues the adventures of Max and Rick, and their offspring.

Instead of defending them against a hostile spaceship invasion, this time Max is fighting for his family by battling the xenophobia they face from other aliens. Which isn’t easy given that humans are still widely underestimated.

I enjoyed this different look on the galaxy, with more outside interactions. There’s still some family time, but I could have done with more on-page time for the offspring. They all got their time in the spotlight, and we got some sweet sibling squabbles, but I wanted even more!

Overall this definitely was a worthy sequel. There were good developments both on the external plot and internal romance and character levels. New information and intriguing twists occurred, several of which lay groundwork for more material for future sequels (I hope.) However, it could have benefited from a bit more substance. It felt a bit too short, though at the same time some parts in the middle dragged a bit. The previously mentioned offspring interactions and more details in some areas, more dialogue and character development could have helped here.

On the flip side of this, Rick and Max had suuuuper cute scenes together. There was (tentacle) sex, but I especially loved that time was spent on their non-sexual (but still very physical) bonding time and being intimate. I also liked that they spend a lot of time talking about their feelings and goals, despite the continued communication issues – that still remain, and are part of what makes this series intriguing. Rick and the offspring are not human, and their behaviour, thought processes and thus communication will always be fundamentally different.

I appreciated that the nagging question I’ve had since my first read was finally addressed: why is Rick (and the offspring) always addressed as male? The answer wasn’t quite as satisfactory as I hoped, though it goes quite in-depth about gender and sex – at least for humans. Ultimately there wasn’t a real conclusion to this, and some of Max’s explanations made me wince. He does acknowledge trans people, and corrects himself when he is excluding and too focussed on genitals, but at the same time this was definitely a very very cis-centric view of things. (He does however conclude that he is not able to define what it means to be male or female, or what gender is in general.)
I also wanted to know more about how aliens view sex and gender, and I would have liked more details about alien cultures in general. There was definitely expansion of the worldbuilding in this regard, but nowhere near as much as I was hoping for.

I wasn’t quite as enchanted as I was with the first book, but it was nevertheless enjoyable and I loved visiting these characters again. I can’t wait to reread the series again and again, and possibly get more of their shenanigans in the future.

[rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

reread (4/5).

Oddly romantic — just the way I like it.

“I love you. Sex or no sex, I love you. Other people like me or other people hate me, I love you. More offspring, no more offspring. I love you.”
“All your intestines turn symmetrical and digestive track rejects future offspring, I love you.”

“Husbands. They were actual husbands. Odd husbands, but Max had grown used to odd. He even kinda liked it. Max squeezed his husband’s tentacle.“

———


previous rating: 4.25/5.

Well, that was sugary sweet!

I absolutely adored Rick, Max and the kids. The feelings and loyalty in their family were fantastic.

I also enjoyed the plot. It was so great to read about equality in an alien world too.

The end was really nice as well. I enjoyed it!

[OneDayI'll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who's the moron now?

Max is of a species that is considered a moron. Rick is of a species deemed ugly due to their asymmetrical appearance. Now they are fathers and Max has decided that Rick's people's version of being Hidden doesn't work for his family. He doesn't want his kids to accept being called ugly and while he can accept being called a moron, that doesn't help support his family. Or his species, if they ever make it into space on their own. When Rick tells him they need compensation for supplies, and how Uglies are treated, Max starts planning. He's already made some fear him, now he needs to prove his intelligence. Because no one listens to a moron when he says his husband and kids- who the rest of the galaxy loathes- are handsome.

Spoilers ahead.
Max goes to bat for humanity and the Hidden. Each race calls themselves people, so Rick gives each species a qualifier- Hunter, Tribe, Chosen, ... Something based on their past or lifestyle. Rick's people hide, hence Hidden. They hide their planet, and control their space so warrior species can't take from them. This causes resentment for travel issues around them and has landed them with sanctions. They can't trade for themselves, they need an intermediary, which takes a hunk and leaves them little. Between them calling his family ugly and gouging them financially, Max decides to fight back. He'll sell Rick's work, and add his own so people quit calling humans morons. Of course, things don't go as planned, but what happens is pretty awesome and I refuse to spoil things that much. I love that the characters are growing and evolving. The kids have such distinct personalities. Rick's species doesn't pair bond until towards the end of their lives, but he loves Max. Max has overcome human aesthetics and seen Rick for the amazing being he is, and he loves his offspring...that he didn't realize he had agreed to surrogate for. Rick speaking in infomercials, Xander pulling the cart, James wanting to be involved in everything, Kieho the stoic trying to figure out who he is outside his brothers' mentor and mediator. This slice of life, while working to change a galaxy's opinion, is both funny and impactful. I was so happy to see a sequel in what will hopefully be a series. While I was happy with how 1 ended, this one leaves a lot of opportunities for continuation in multiple directions.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up because it made me happy

I could read about these two all day. I hope we get more! I need to know what happens to the kiddos!!!

[Dumbledore11214 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sequel to "Earth Fathers are weird". The first book contained male pregnancy, this one does not although at the end there is a possibility that Rick and Max will make more kiddos eventually.

I am not a fan of male pregnancy - I went in the first book with the opened eyes, but I certainly did it only because I don't usually miss this writer's books. I was certainly grateful to be spared the vision of little octopuses like beings popping out of Max's body parts. Having said that I certainly enjoyed the first book after we were done with pregnancy. I thought there was plenty of humor and I thought Rix and Max had good chemistry together and the kids were adorable. Oh and the sex was hot and mind you I am usually not seeking out tentacles sex either.

I was happy to pick up the sequel. I was kind off disappointed. I always enjoy when this writer explores the communicational issues the beings from the different worlds are bound to have when they are trying to find the common ground and this book was no exception. Although while in the first book Rick and Max were trying to understand each other, in this Max is trying to make sure Rick and his people are better understood and respected in the universe Max finds himself living for the foreseeable future and maybe forever.

All of this was nice and I loved that Rick has to abandon his stance of "let's hide" when he has to confront the people and issues in order to help Max, I liked that.

Overall though , I felt that story had an episodic feel. Whatever was happening, just was not enough for me where conflict is concerned. It is nice and all to have the stories with little to no conflict ( again, something certainly happened , but I never felt that our heroes were truly in danger from the outside universe or that they were in serious conflict with each other ), but it also becomes a little boring.

Rick and kids were funny and their personalities were nicely drawn, but I won't lie I was sort of bored .

Grade: C/C+

[QuietlyKat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing a review for Earth Husbands are Odd is going to be a challenge. While I still love Max and Rick and their family and was so happy with having more time with all of them, I was somewhat disappointed in Max’s character development. Once again, Lyn Gala takes on alien racism and discrimination and makes thoughtful and important social and political statements that I thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately I am conflicted about some of the ways Max went about challenging the economic sanctions imposed on Rick’s people.

For the sake of brevity, I won’t go into detail about why the economic sanctions exist. I’ll just say that Rick accepts that it’s just the way things are and Max thinks the sanctions are unfair and discriminatory. Max endeavors to fight what he sees as injustice which I find admirable in theory, but I struggled with the method he uses.

To avoid the economic sanctions/restrictions, Max decides to run a con on the system. Rick is not comfortable with the con and lightly pushes back. While attempting to con potential buyers of Rick’s navigation program, Max purposely acts threatening and aggressive, condescending and rude. It’s the kind of behavior that gives USians the bad reputation they have with foreigners around the world and reminded me of Ijeoma Oluo’s Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America. I guess it felt realistic but it changed my perception of Max, I didn’t find him as likable anymore. It also felt like his behavior endangered his family which seems antithetical to his intense desire to protect them.

Max comes across as a bully but here’s where my feelings get really muddled: he directly says he didn’t want to teach Xander to use fear to get his way. Max hated bullies, and he wasn’t going to raise one. But he IS modeling that behavior and IS using fear to get his way. Both Xander and Rick call him out for it. I’m not sure if Gala intends for Max to gaslight Xander about the bullying or if she really believes his actions were not bullying, but no matter how Max tried to spin it, it came across as bullying, condescension and entitlement to me. I loved that Xander and Rick pushed back on Max’s intimidation of the potential clients but at the same time, I kind of felt like I was being gaslit! Was I supposed to give Max a pass? Was I supposed to think his behavior was ok because he was defending his family? Was I supposed to think Max was complex and conflicted and flawed and gaslighting himself? I don’t know.

I genuinely appreciated that Max wanted to advocate for his family and for the Hidden People and in some ways his methods were admirable. Yet it seems to me if he wanted to truly change the system, just running a con to circumvent the embargo/sanctions wouldn’t affect actual and meaningful change for the Hidden People in general. And I know I’m going deep here on a sci-fi romance, but advocating for social, political and systemic equality and equity is something I think about a lot so when the stories I read, take these things on in a meaningful way, I notice it, I love it, I’m here for it! I just want it to be done right. In this case, while some elements of the fight against the discrimination and racism were handled in ways that I applauded and cheered, other elements fell a little flat for me.

I am happy to have read Earth Husbands are Odd and can see myself reading it again in the future but I didn’t love it like I LOVED Earth Fathers are Weird and there’s a little part of me that feels a bit disappointed that Max lost some of his shine for me. At the moment, I think I’m feeling 3 stars but if Gala intended Max to be a complex, flawed, polonium-headed poopy face that wasn’t being entirely honest with himself, rather than an entitled, arrogant American, I might rate it higher.

[Diane Dannenfeldt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes place a few months after the ending of the first book & you really need to read that one first. Max is settling in to the day to day life aboard their ship & keeping an eye on the kids. When Rick tells him that he needs to sell the navigation problem as they are very low on funds, Rick has to admit that his "people" are not treated fairly. He can either try to sell it through an intermediary for a loss or through his homeworld. When Max finds out how much he would be ripped-off, he hatches a plan to get a better deal. Of course things don't always go as planned. A surprise pops up that I didn't see coming & we get our wedding between Rick & Max. The ending also leads you to believe that there is going to be another book & I can't wait.

[Trip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! I adore Max & Rick so much, it was lovely getting to see more of their adventures together. Also the kids were wonderful too, getting to see their growth and personalities - Xander, James & Kohei. They have a great role in the story too and I enjoyed every moment.

Max & Rick's relationship is sweet as ever, with all their chemistry and plenty of heated scenes too. The communication aspect is so fascinating and done so well within the world building, the slow development and recognising differences.

I do love seeing Max in his protective mode and he is just so fun to follow, his pov is so fitting and captures me every time. Honestly I could read the tales of Max & Rick, their offspring forever. They have a hold on my heart and I was enchanted from start to finish.

Overall an entertaining read and perfect for me! ♥️

[Audiobook S1ut · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. I loved this just as much as the first book, for all the same reasons.

These books are marketed as MM, but I really appreciated the discussion about genders. It definitely made me think long and hard (no pun intended) about gender in humans.

I also really liked Max's interactions with the translation matrix, as with the previous book. It made me ponder how I would describe simple concepts we gloss over everyday. Anyone who is a language enthusiast should get a kick out of their discussions.

The narrator, John Solo, does an excellent job in the audiobooks. I've heard this man read some really weird shit at this point, not sure if he's the go-to man for monster/alien/Omegaverse books but it sure seems like it!

Good for you, John Solo. Thanks for bringing all my freakiest dreams to life.

[Barrie Farris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sequel.

[Danielle Gypsy Soul · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say these books are just fun! Definitely not a stand alone but a wonderful sequel to the first book in the series. You can't help but love Ric and Max and of course the kids. We get more aliens, some danger, tentacle sex and a wedding. If you haven't read the first one - start there and then pick this one up. It will leave you smiling!

[Akame · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+
Ok, to zdecydowanie było dziwne :D Dziwne w zachwycająco bajkowy sposób. Cały czas miałam przed oczami film w połączeniu z rysunkową animacją i trudno się było nie uśmiechać czytając tę historię :)

Tutaj zdecydowanie można mówić, że miłość pokona wszystko! Nawet kiedy jedna połówka to człowiek, a druga... ośmiornica? Za każdym razem, jak o tym pomyślę, włącza mi się alert "Rany, czytałam o mackach!! I mi się podobało!! To nie jest normalne!!" Tylko tak na dobrą sprawę czym jest normalność? Myślę, że to zależy od naszej tolerancji i granicy, którą sami sobie postawimy. Okazuje się, że u mnie przejdą nawet macki :D Jeżeli mam do czynienia z dwoma inteligentnymi postaciami, które są dorosłe, odpowiadają za siebie i swoje czyny, nikomu nie robią krzywdy a bycie razem sprawia, że są szczęśliwi, to kim ja jestem aby to negować i się krzywić? Max i Rick na pewno byli dla siebie idealni. Rewelacyjnie się dogadywali i uzupełniali. Max był wojownikiem i przywódcą, pomimo sytuacji jedynego człowieka w kosmosie nigdy nie stracił pewności siebie. Rick był łagodny, trochę zastraszony, niepewny siebie, wyobcowany, jednak bardzo inteligentny i opiekuńczy. Więc cóż, troskliwy uścisk macek nabrał nowego znaczenia :D Pasowali do siebie doskonale, jak cóż... macka do macki, bo wg Ricka, człowiek też ma macki tylko ze strukturą kostną ;)
Było słodko, kolorowo i tak! to była naprawdę świetna bajka dla dorosłych. Dzięki Plumpka :*

[Lois - Who Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still adore this odd little family. Rick and Max are working together to sell Max’s weapons and Rick’s navigation system, but have to skirt around some embargo rules against Rick’s planet. The con they pull has some very funny moments, even when things don’t go quite as planned. My favorite parts of this series is Max trying to explain human mores, families, sitcoms, and after school specials. Kind of sorry to see this one end.

[Jax · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was worried that this was getting too bogged down with trade negotiations and less focused on shipboard life with the kids, but this brought all the feels by the end.

[Jacquie Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

More please

I love that it's left open enough to return to Max and Rick later on. I want to see how they get on with the other Hidden people and see Rick and the kids visit earth