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Meteors and Menorahs
Knar has been studying the physiology of humans for years in preparation to introduce Earth to the rest of the galaxy and present them as a species that can adapt to change well. Although he believes in his mission, he’s also had his eye on his coworker Leah, and her invitation to come home with her for the holidays is just the opportunity he’s been looking for.
Going home for Hanukkah is normally the least of Leah’s worries until her mom lets it slip that her dad invited her ex-boyfriend. Desperate to keep him at arm’s length, Leah invites her handsome coworker Kenneth Knar to be a buffer against her family. Having to pretend he’s her new boyfriend doesn’t hurt, and if it annoys her parents, all the better.
He just has to find some way to tell her that he’s more than just a gentile. He’s not even from this planet. And Leah hates liars.
The menorah isn’t the only thing getting hot this holiday season…
Going home for Hanukkah is normally the least of Leah’s worries until her mom lets it slip that her dad invited her ex-boyfriend. Desperate to keep him at arm’s length, Leah invites her handsome coworker Kenneth Knar to be a buffer against her family. Having to pretend he’s her new boyfriend doesn’t hurt, and if it annoys her parents, all the better.
He just has to find some way to tell her that he’s more than just a gentile. He’s not even from this planet. And Leah hates liars.
The menorah isn’t the only thing getting hot this holiday season…
180 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 15, 2021
1 person is currently reading
168 people want to read
About the author
Nessa Claugh
34 books115 followersNessa grew up thriving on trips to natural history museums and Jurassic Park. Once adulthood was upon her, it was only a matter of time before she discovered monster sex, shifter erotica, and dominant aliens. She enjoys titillating the Triassic and stargazing.
Visit her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NessaClaugh/
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Visit her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NessaClaugh/
Sign up for her email list at http://eepurl.com/hhqAJD
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 12, 2021
The absolutely adorable cover caught my eye, and when I found out it was a fake relationship romance with an alien set during a just-one-bed family visit for Hanukkah? Heck yeah! There seems to be an endless amount of alien Santa books, but not much for other cultures.
Leah, an anesthesiologist, and Knar, a physical therapist, work at the same hospital, but mostly only interact during their breaks, bonding over their love of kosher shawarma. Still, they’ve become good friends, so when Leah’s mom ambushes her by inviting her ex, David, for Hanukkah, Leah impulsively says she’s bring her new boyfriend.. and then convinces Knar to pretend to be that boyfriend, promising him lots more delicious food. But spending time together outside of work makes her realize just how much she’s interested in him. Knar can’t stop thinking about Leah, either, and how this might finally be the opportunity to change their relationship. Just one problem, though: Knar’s actually an alien, one of many on a long-term mission to evaluate humanity’s suitability for inclusion in the galactic community.
The first half of the book was everything I wanted: the pining, the “I can’t let this go too far or else I’ll lose their friendship!”, the obvious admiration they have for each other. Ever since her breakup with David, her parents have started inviting him to more and more holidays, leaving Hanukkah the only “safe” one. At least, until this year. It was painfully obvious how much Leah missed spending the holidays with her family and how hurt she was about her family’s inability to even realize that they were hurting her. The progression of Leah and Knar’s relationship, the gradual dawning that maybe their attraction is returned, was sweet and so enjoyable. And then we got to the alien reveal.
Nearly all of the relationship problems are on Leah’s side. She has a ton of baggage from her relationship with David even ten years later and is particularly sensitive to people lying to her. Her initial reaction to finding out Knar’s an alien isn’t so much “holy crap you’re an ALIEN!” as “you LIED to me” which, ok, I can forgive her for, even if I think she’s focusing on entirely the wrong thing. They resolve that, slowly, with a lot of communication and time for thought. But then Knarr does something else that sets Leah off, and it’s the exact same thing all over again. Meanwhile, Knarr’s entire dilemma is worrying about her baggage and whether a relationship with him would widen the rift between her and her family, since he (obviously) isn’t Jewish. There’s no real growth for him, other than learning about humans, and it felt very uneven. Part of what I love about romance novels is that you start with two characters, both with some sort of misconception or problem, and their love helps them overcome those obstacles together. This is more they have an argument, Knar thinks about how he’s right and Leah has a ton of baggage, and then Leah is righteously furious for a few paragraphs before realizing that she is, in fact, wrong. Not quite the same thing.
Frankly, by the end of the book, I honestly didn’t like any of the characters. Leah’s, well, Leah’s overreacting to everything. Knar’s idea of helping Leah is leaving her to figure things out on her own. And then there’s Leah’s parents. They, especially her father, were absolutely oblivious to how hard it was for Leah to have her ex over for every holiday, and didn’t defend her against his snide remarks and advances until it got frankly egregious. It takes a no-holds-barred conversation from Leah for the light to dawn. Basically, all the growth is either something Leah has to do herself or to push for herself, with little help from the other people in her life. Wait, I just remembered Leah’s cousin Rebecca, who seemed to actually have her head on straight and tried to help Leah with her baggage. I liked her and wish she’d had more page time.
I can’t speak to the Jewish rep, but this is ownvoices, and I could feel the love Leah had for the rituals and food of her childhood. Leah isn’t particularly observant, rarely going to Temple and not always keeping kosher, but the holidays still have a great deal of meaning for her, even if it’s just Hanukkah. Of course, there’s all the delicious food as well: latkes and sufganiyot, as well as bagels, brisket, kugel, and challah. I was drooling! Knar is also a huge fan of the food – the promise of things even better than shawarma was one of the lures Leah used to convince him to come – and it was adorable to see how much he appreciated it. It does get a bit preachy and info-dumpy at times, but certainly much less than you’d see in, say, the more “inspirational” Hallmark books. There was also a throwaway remark about Zionism (one of the concerns of the galactic community is a species’ tendency to resolve situations with violence) which struck me wrong.
Overall, while this had a great start, for me, it fumbled the character growth. I’d still recommend this, though, if you’re willing to overlook that and just enjoy the alien-does-Hanukkah shenanigans.
I received an advance review copy of this book from BookSprout. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Content notes:
Leah, an anesthesiologist, and Knar, a physical therapist, work at the same hospital, but mostly only interact during their breaks, bonding over their love of kosher shawarma. Still, they’ve become good friends, so when Leah’s mom ambushes her by inviting her ex, David, for Hanukkah, Leah impulsively says she’s bring her new boyfriend.. and then convinces Knar to pretend to be that boyfriend, promising him lots more delicious food. But spending time together outside of work makes her realize just how much she’s interested in him. Knar can’t stop thinking about Leah, either, and how this might finally be the opportunity to change their relationship. Just one problem, though: Knar’s actually an alien, one of many on a long-term mission to evaluate humanity’s suitability for inclusion in the galactic community.
“Just remember I am here with you. I will be a good fake boyfriend.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of[.]”
The first half of the book was everything I wanted: the pining, the “I can’t let this go too far or else I’ll lose their friendship!”, the obvious admiration they have for each other. Ever since her breakup with David, her parents have started inviting him to more and more holidays, leaving Hanukkah the only “safe” one. At least, until this year. It was painfully obvious how much Leah missed spending the holidays with her family and how hurt she was about her family’s inability to even realize that they were hurting her. The progression of Leah and Knar’s relationship, the gradual dawning that maybe their attraction is returned, was sweet and so enjoyable. And then we got to the alien reveal.
“Because the rest of this isn’t a huge lie?” I said. “You brought home a fake boyfriend so your parents ease up on you and you can piss off your ex.”
Nearly all of the relationship problems are on Leah’s side. She has a ton of baggage from her relationship with David even ten years later and is particularly sensitive to people lying to her. Her initial reaction to finding out Knar’s an alien isn’t so much “holy crap you’re an ALIEN!” as “you LIED to me” which, ok, I can forgive her for, even if I think she’s focusing on entirely the wrong thing. They resolve that, slowly, with a lot of communication and time for thought. But then Knarr does something else that sets Leah off, and it’s the exact same thing all over again. Meanwhile, Knarr’s entire dilemma is worrying about her baggage and whether a relationship with him would widen the rift between her and her family, since he (obviously) isn’t Jewish. There’s no real growth for him, other than learning about humans, and it felt very uneven. Part of what I love about romance novels is that you start with two characters, both with some sort of misconception or problem, and their love helps them overcome those obstacles together. This is more they have an argument, Knar thinks about how he’s right and Leah has a ton of baggage, and then Leah is righteously furious for a few paragraphs before realizing that she is, in fact, wrong. Not quite the same thing.
Frankly, by the end of the book, I honestly didn’t like any of the characters. Leah’s, well, Leah’s overreacting to everything. Knar’s idea of helping Leah is leaving her to figure things out on her own. And then there’s Leah’s parents. They, especially her father, were absolutely oblivious to how hard it was for Leah to have her ex over for every holiday, and didn’t defend her against his snide remarks and advances until it got frankly egregious. It takes a no-holds-barred conversation from Leah for the light to dawn. Basically, all the growth is either something Leah has to do herself or to push for herself, with little help from the other people in her life. Wait, I just remembered Leah’s cousin Rebecca, who seemed to actually have her head on straight and tried to help Leah with her baggage. I liked her and wish she’d had more page time.
“There was something genuinely charming about watching a historic tradition that had been passed down through generations as a display of faith and gratitude.”
I can’t speak to the Jewish rep, but this is ownvoices, and I could feel the love Leah had for the rituals and food of her childhood. Leah isn’t particularly observant, rarely going to Temple and not always keeping kosher, but the holidays still have a great deal of meaning for her, even if it’s just Hanukkah. Of course, there’s all the delicious food as well: latkes and sufganiyot, as well as bagels, brisket, kugel, and challah. I was drooling! Knar is also a huge fan of the food – the promise of things even better than shawarma was one of the lures Leah used to convince him to come – and it was adorable to see how much he appreciated it. It does get a bit preachy and info-dumpy at times, but certainly much less than you’d see in, say, the more “inspirational” Hallmark books. There was also a throwaway remark about Zionism (one of the concerns of the galactic community is a species’ tendency to resolve situations with violence) which struck me wrong.
Overall, while this had a great start, for me, it fumbled the character growth. I’d still recommend this, though, if you’re willing to overlook that and just enjoy the alien-does-Hanukkah shenanigans.
I received an advance review copy of this book from BookSprout. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Content notes:
December 11, 2021
Let’s be honest, the first paragraph of the blurb is definitely catching!
So, despite that I read romantic comedy quite rarely, thinking at the promises that came with it I was like:
“'Your dad invited your ex-boyfriend.' […] Leah panics at her mother’s text and invites her crush. to come with her. The catch? They aren’t dating. The other catch? He isn’t Jewish. He isn’t even human.. ”
The scene is prepared without delay, the characters are introduced, and the story starts quickly which is good for this genre. But that's about it. What could have been a great story is blocked as the issue that prevents our heroes to become a real couple is an “unrealistic” behavior for an alien even if he’s in love and the unreasoned enough sequelae of the heroine.
There were a lot of details about Jewish traditions, and I enjoyed learning about them, but at one point they started to become irrelevant to the story. I would have liked a deeper and developed relation between “Meteors and Menorahs” to justify what is in fact an inspired title.
Still, the story had some good moments, funny lines which determined me to read the book to its last page.
So, despite that I read romantic comedy quite rarely, thinking at the promises that came with it I was like:
“'Your dad invited your ex-boyfriend.' […] Leah panics at her mother’s text and invites her crush. to come with her. The catch? They aren’t dating. The other catch? He isn’t Jewish. He isn’t even human.. ”
The scene is prepared without delay, the characters are introduced, and the story starts quickly which is good for this genre. But that's about it. What could have been a great story is blocked as the issue that prevents our heroes to become a real couple is an “unrealistic” behavior for an alien even if he’s in love and the unreasoned enough sequelae of the heroine.
There were a lot of details about Jewish traditions, and I enjoyed learning about them, but at one point they started to become irrelevant to the story. I would have liked a deeper and developed relation between “Meteors and Menorahs” to justify what is in fact an inspired title.
Still, the story had some good moments, funny lines which determined me to read the book to its last page.
Read
November 18, 2025I enjoyed the first half of the book; however, the second half was not it for me. And the transphobic dialogue between two of characters made me cringe and feel icky.
January 30, 2022
This one was very cool to find actually, it was interesting a rom com with aliens usually you see more erotica than anything in this subgenre of romance, but I liked this one a lot.
As any rom com they where issues and drama everywhere, but we all love that, then the twist that this love interest it’s out of this world, literally, and our protagonist it’s huge with lies so that doesn’t bode that well.
The characters where likable, specially Kenneth he was so cute and adorable, we did had David totally hated him but he was kind of our villain so.
What i did like about it was that it explained very effortlessly some Jewish traditions and the importance of family that was nice and wholesome.
A pretty cool ride actually.
As any rom com they where issues and drama everywhere, but we all love that, then the twist that this love interest it’s out of this world, literally, and our protagonist it’s huge with lies so that doesn’t bode that well.
The characters where likable, specially Kenneth he was so cute and adorable, we did had David totally hated him but he was kind of our villain so.
What i did like about it was that it explained very effortlessly some Jewish traditions and the importance of family that was nice and wholesome.
A pretty cool ride actually.
December 5, 2021
I’m going to preface this review by saying that I grew up in Dallas and the Jewish culture was everywhere. My brother’s best friend was Jewish and some of my best girlfriends were Jewish. During the high holy days, our high school was half gone. So I went into the book was a basic knowledge of the holiday and traditions.
What I really liked about the book was getting back to your roots, your family. The memories, the traditions, and then finding out that some of those traditions are gone. But that can be a good thing, too. Making new memories with Kenneth is just what Leah needs, even if she doesn’t know it.
I really liked Kenneth and Leah. They were in their 30’s and established in their careers. I appreciated the fact that they were co-workers/friends before the trip to Florida. The tension had been building up to the trip. Kenneth is such a great character. Even though he was an alien. He was human enough and when the stuff hit the fan, he really put Leah in her place, even gently, but in the end, he really did understand humans and our emotions.
Leah is hilarious to me. I can’t even imagine having to deal with an ex-boyfriend much less that her dad decided that David was more of a son than she was a daughter. Trust me, this family had a lot of healing to do because of the damage that was done with David and Leah breaking up all those years ago. Leah had so much growing up to do and with Kenneth by her side, she did.
When the truth finally came out to Leah, I could understand her being upset but I felt like she didn’t need to overreact the way she did with Kenneth. He was being honest with her, unlike David all those years ago. In the end, I really liked the romance in the book. It was subtle, to a fault, but endearing.
This book brings the heat in places but I feel like anyone can read it. Keep in mind that Kenneth is an alien and he does show himself to Leah at some point. (I will leave it at that. *wink* I know that there isn’t going to be a follow-up but I sure what like to know what happened to them in the end. Did the aliens come? Are they still together? Inquiring minds want to know.
What I really liked about the book was getting back to your roots, your family. The memories, the traditions, and then finding out that some of those traditions are gone. But that can be a good thing, too. Making new memories with Kenneth is just what Leah needs, even if she doesn’t know it.
I really liked Kenneth and Leah. They were in their 30’s and established in their careers. I appreciated the fact that they were co-workers/friends before the trip to Florida. The tension had been building up to the trip. Kenneth is such a great character. Even though he was an alien. He was human enough and when the stuff hit the fan, he really put Leah in her place, even gently, but in the end, he really did understand humans and our emotions.
Leah is hilarious to me. I can’t even imagine having to deal with an ex-boyfriend much less that her dad decided that David was more of a son than she was a daughter. Trust me, this family had a lot of healing to do because of the damage that was done with David and Leah breaking up all those years ago. Leah had so much growing up to do and with Kenneth by her side, she did.
When the truth finally came out to Leah, I could understand her being upset but I felt like she didn’t need to overreact the way she did with Kenneth. He was being honest with her, unlike David all those years ago. In the end, I really liked the romance in the book. It was subtle, to a fault, but endearing.
This book brings the heat in places but I feel like anyone can read it. Keep in mind that Kenneth is an alien and he does show himself to Leah at some point. (I will leave it at that. *wink* I know that there isn’t going to be a follow-up but I sure what like to know what happened to them in the end. Did the aliens come? Are they still together? Inquiring minds want to know.
Read
December 1, 2021This review first appeared on my blog
Everyone knows I’m a sucker for sci fi and a recently converted romance devotee, so it felt right to kick off my Hanukkah posts with Nessa Claugh’s alien fake dating Hannukah romance Meteors and Menorahs. Yes your read that correctly. Alien. Fake dating. Hannukah romance. Forget interfaith, we’re going full on inter species in this holiday romcom
This trope-tastic story follows Leah, a thirty something anesthesiologist as she convinces her colleague and secret crush Kenneth to be her fake date for Hanukkah so she can get her family, and her ex-boyfriend, off her back. It also contains about a million and one fun romance tropes. Alien romance? That’s kind of the premise. Fake dating? Check. Evil ex boyfriend? His name is David and he’s the literal worst. Only one bed? Most definitely. There’s even a bonus sexy sunscreen application scene.
My one criticism comes when the book leans too heavily into one of the many fun tropes it uses: aliens failing to understand human behavior. In his job as a physical therapist working with disabled humans Kenneth swings a bit ableist. It’s a minor point, covered in a few paragraphs, but I wish our alien friend was given the chance to grow and more fully understand this human experience. Similarly there are a couple of lines that disappointed me as both a queer and religious person. They can easily be deleted without affecting plot or character development and the story would be more friendly to diverse readers from all backgrounds.
This is a high heat book with some fun alien anatomy thrown in too (is that a trope? If it's not, it should be.) Definitely not safe for work, but I would have been disappointed if it was.
Overall, this was a quick read full of good food and fun. Easily devoured in one sitting much the same way Kenneth inhales
Note: I received a free e-copy of the book through BookSprout in exchange for an honest review.
Everyone knows I’m a sucker for sci fi and a recently converted romance devotee, so it felt right to kick off my Hanukkah posts with Nessa Claugh’s alien fake dating Hannukah romance Meteors and Menorahs. Yes your read that correctly. Alien. Fake dating. Hannukah romance. Forget interfaith, we’re going full on inter species in this holiday romcom
This trope-tastic story follows Leah, a thirty something anesthesiologist as she convinces her colleague and secret crush Kenneth to be her fake date for Hanukkah so she can get her family, and her ex-boyfriend, off her back. It also contains about a million and one fun romance tropes. Alien romance? That’s kind of the premise. Fake dating? Check. Evil ex boyfriend? His name is David and he’s the literal worst. Only one bed? Most definitely. There’s even a bonus sexy sunscreen application scene.
My one criticism comes when the book leans too heavily into one of the many fun tropes it uses: aliens failing to understand human behavior. In his job as a physical therapist working with disabled humans Kenneth swings a bit ableist. It’s a minor point, covered in a few paragraphs, but I wish our alien friend was given the chance to grow and more fully understand this human experience. Similarly there are a couple of lines that disappointed me as both a queer and religious person. They can easily be deleted without affecting plot or character development and the story would be more friendly to diverse readers from all backgrounds.
This is a high heat book with some fun alien anatomy thrown in too (is that a trope? If it's not, it should be.) Definitely not safe for work, but I would have been disappointed if it was.
Overall, this was a quick read full of good food and fun. Easily devoured in one sitting much the same way Kenneth inhales
Note: I received a free e-copy of the book through BookSprout in exchange for an honest review.
December 29, 2021
Nessa Claugh writes a sweet holiday romance that just happens to include an alien. The alien heritage, to me, is really the sub-story. The main story is about family and how everyone has to move on when one relationship does not work out.
I received a free copy of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.
Check out the rest of my review at Phoebe's Randoms. Link in bio.
I received a free copy of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.
Check out the rest of my review at Phoebe's Randoms. Link in bio.
January 25, 2022
This was cute, definitely a different take on alien romance. Much sweeter.
It’s a friends to lovers, fake relationship story.
I like this author and will read her again.
It’s a friends to lovers, fake relationship story.
I like this author and will read her again.
September 18, 2022
I loved this cute little will-they, wont-they book!
November 11, 2021
*Full Review on Book Blog, Enjoy!* (2.5 Stars)
I'm going to jump right in with this one, I didn't love it but I didn't dislike it. Its like the stars on Goodreads, I didn’t rate it a 'I loved it' five star but not a 'I don't like it' one star either. I loved the concept of the storyline. Alien researcher falls for unsuspecting human during Hanukkah in her family home. I adored that his out-this-worldness was brought to light in the beginning of the middle portion of the novel. The maturity of Kenneth when he dealt with insecurity David. LOL. The cute interactions between Kenneth and Leah were adorable and hot at time. By the way, I want to applaud Nessa. There is a scene within the book that is hot but it’s hot from intimacy. No sex, tits, d*cks, sultry eyes, nothing! For those of you that don’t understand it can be extremely difficult to create sexy moments in writings that don’t evolve the key sexual stimuli. A. K. A. the erogenous areas. But Nessa wrote scenes about mundane intimacy that made you swell with excitement. For a scenes that didn’t lead to anything, it was suspicious libidinous (my word of the day ;)
But as we know no matter the highs there are always some lows :(. Leah and me had an interest relationship while reading. I adored her in the beginning but as the story went the chick got on my nerves. The lessons of the past are here to guid us toward better decisions in the future. Not completely halt your from growing at all!! Now I understand that she has to have faults. I told myself dozens of times that a MC with no issues don’t creat good books. But god, why was she like that? She really needs a female supporting character to slap her shit out her body. LOL, the excersiem of Leah’s revolting habits.
This book is not action packed. There are no new characters help spice it up, so after a while my interest deteriorated as I continued. Things became dull only to have what I call a pick up scene to keep me engaged.
*Pick up scene:
An attention grabbing a scene after a stint of dullness to help prolong a reader‘s interest
I also want to remind you that although there are moments of lackluster, overall the novel was funny, cute, and dramatic. I enjoyed Kenneth and Leah‘s family. David was the epitome of a jealous, arrogeant ex. Leah was fun to be around when it didn’t pertain to her issues with David and Kenneth. Meteors and Menorah was an interesting story. It may not be my cup of of tea but this new flavor wasn‘t bad.
I'm going to jump right in with this one, I didn't love it but I didn't dislike it. Its like the stars on Goodreads, I didn’t rate it a 'I loved it' five star but not a 'I don't like it' one star either. I loved the concept of the storyline. Alien researcher falls for unsuspecting human during Hanukkah in her family home. I adored that his out-this-worldness was brought to light in the beginning of the middle portion of the novel. The maturity of Kenneth when he dealt with insecurity David. LOL. The cute interactions between Kenneth and Leah were adorable and hot at time. By the way, I want to applaud Nessa. There is a scene within the book that is hot but it’s hot from intimacy. No sex, tits, d*cks, sultry eyes, nothing! For those of you that don’t understand it can be extremely difficult to create sexy moments in writings that don’t evolve the key sexual stimuli. A. K. A. the erogenous areas. But Nessa wrote scenes about mundane intimacy that made you swell with excitement. For a scenes that didn’t lead to anything, it was suspicious libidinous (my word of the day ;)
But as we know no matter the highs there are always some lows :(. Leah and me had an interest relationship while reading. I adored her in the beginning but as the story went the chick got on my nerves. The lessons of the past are here to guid us toward better decisions in the future. Not completely halt your from growing at all!! Now I understand that she has to have faults. I told myself dozens of times that a MC with no issues don’t creat good books. But god, why was she like that? She really needs a female supporting character to slap her shit out her body. LOL, the excersiem of Leah’s revolting habits.
This book is not action packed. There are no new characters help spice it up, so after a while my interest deteriorated as I continued. Things became dull only to have what I call a pick up scene to keep me engaged.
*Pick up scene:
An attention grabbing a scene after a stint of dullness to help prolong a reader‘s interest
I also want to remind you that although there are moments of lackluster, overall the novel was funny, cute, and dramatic. I enjoyed Kenneth and Leah‘s family. David was the epitome of a jealous, arrogeant ex. Leah was fun to be around when it didn’t pertain to her issues with David and Kenneth. Meteors and Menorah was an interesting story. It may not be my cup of of tea but this new flavor wasn‘t bad.
November 13, 2021
I loved the idea of this book- getting a fake boyfriend to come home for a holiday with heroine's parents to avoid an ex-boyfriend plus an alien? I was excited! I enjoyed the first half of the book. My dislike started when he decided to be honorable and reveal to her that he was an alien before they became intimate. It was the honest and honorable thing to do. It was Leah's reaction that threw me off. Because he hadn't revealed this to her earlier, she considered it- and pretty much "everything" in her opinion- to have been a lie. She was more angry about that than him being an actual alien. I found it kind of ridiculous. They'd been friends and coworkers for almost two years and she was attracted to him and yet all she seemed to focus on is that he hadn't told her at some point before then. She wasn't angry enough for him to leave and lose the buffer between her family and ex-boyfriend, but her attitude towards him was unnecessary. Her excuse was that her ex had lied all the time about little things- the ex that she broke up with ten years ago. It just seemed like overkill. And yet Kenneth was so patient with her and mature and calmly answered all her accusations and questions, and that only made me like him more. I never liked her after that and her behavior later. She didn't like being lied to, but was fine when she was the one lying about their whole relationship to her parents just so she wouldn't have to face her ex.
I also found it very irritating that her parents still adore her ex that she clearly doesn't like or want anything to do with, giving him a key to their house, inviting him to all the holidays when she asks them not to, and- in her father's case initially- even says nothing when the ex bad mouths her in front of him and Kenneth. I couldn't tell if they were just selfish, passive-aggressive, or obscenely dense. I'd say a mix of all three. Luckily- and expectedly- things finally changed. But after ten years it's too long.
Decent read but the second half after the reveal brought down my enjoyment. 3 stars
I also found it very irritating that her parents still adore her ex that she clearly doesn't like or want anything to do with, giving him a key to their house, inviting him to all the holidays when she asks them not to, and- in her father's case initially- even says nothing when the ex bad mouths her in front of him and Kenneth. I couldn't tell if they were just selfish, passive-aggressive, or obscenely dense. I'd say a mix of all three. Luckily- and expectedly- things finally changed. But after ten years it's too long.
Decent read but the second half after the reveal brought down my enjoyment. 3 stars
December 6, 2024
A Jewish book written for gentiles. It's way too info-dumpy. Even for explanations to an alien goy.
Nessa, I promise you that anyone who picks this book up already knows that Jews are an ethno-religion and knows what matzoh, challah, latkes, etc. are.
Also, I cannot believe Claugh claimed that falafels and shawarma are Jewish foods 💀 that is such a brazen lie.
For someone who likes to info-dump so much, you'd think her spiels would be factually correct. I know this seems like a small nitpick, but having false information like this will make people skeptical of all the other knowledge you share.
The scenes and dialogue range from cute to cheesy to cringe to exasperating.
Someone inviting their daughter's ex-boyfriend (David) to all family events for a DECADE when they don't share kids, and especially when she openly hates him, is more unbelievable than all the alien stuff. Every time it popped up, I thought "Why the fuck are they letting him come over?" I assumed that maybe he was an orphan and they felt bad - but no! That's not it! Leah says he has a family.
David is just way too over-the-top scummy for any of this to make a modicum of sense.
Nessa, I promise you that anyone who picks this book up already knows that Jews are an ethno-religion and knows what matzoh, challah, latkes, etc. are.
Also, I cannot believe Claugh claimed that falafels and shawarma are Jewish foods 💀 that is such a brazen lie.
"I..have a huge favor to ask," I said. "How much do you like shawarma?"
...
"Would you be interested in trying some more Jewish food?"
"Shawarma," I said. "Falafel. Brisket." They were the only things I could remember that were distinctly Jewish-"
For someone who likes to info-dump so much, you'd think her spiels would be factually correct. I know this seems like a small nitpick, but having false information like this will make people skeptical of all the other knowledge you share.
The scenes and dialogue range from cute to cheesy to cringe to exasperating.
Someone inviting their daughter's ex-boyfriend (David) to all family events for a DECADE when they don't share kids, and especially when she openly hates him, is more unbelievable than all the alien stuff. Every time it popped up, I thought "Why the fuck are they letting him come over?" I assumed that maybe he was an orphan and they felt bad - but no! That's not it! Leah says he has a family.
David is just way too over-the-top scummy for any of this to make a modicum of sense.
December 27, 2025
The FMC drove me absolutely nuts! She was either too blind to see her faults or she just didn't care. The MMC was too good for her. There's "I'm scared of getting hurt because of past experiences", and there is "I will actively sabotage every relationship I have because I have a list of things that set me off when other people do them. It's fine if I do them, though, that's different." Girl, you don't need a relationship, you need THERAPY!!!!!
October 21, 2021
This was a sci-fi holiday romance.
Leah is an anesthesiologist at the hospital. She is going back home to Boca to visit her parents for the Hanukkah holiday. Her father invited her ex boyfriend David. She decides to ask Kenneth to come with her to act as a buffer between her family and David.
Kenneth Knar is an alien of the Tranoolian species studying the physiology of humans in preparation to introducing Earth to the rest of the galaxy. He works as a physical therapist at the hospital.
As Leah and Kenneth celebrate the holiday, they also fall in love. Their relationship is almost detailed by Leah's baggage, but they manage to reconcile and save their relationship.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Leah is an anesthesiologist at the hospital. She is going back home to Boca to visit her parents for the Hanukkah holiday. Her father invited her ex boyfriend David. She decides to ask Kenneth to come with her to act as a buffer between her family and David.
Kenneth Knar is an alien of the Tranoolian species studying the physiology of humans in preparation to introducing Earth to the rest of the galaxy. He works as a physical therapist at the hospital.
As Leah and Kenneth celebrate the holiday, they also fall in love. Their relationship is almost detailed by Leah's baggage, but they manage to reconcile and save their relationship.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 17, 2021
There aren't that many holiday romcoms out there revolving around Hanukah so when crosses your path, you read it. Leah and Ken are in for an out-of-this-world experience in this surely to become a holiday go-to. Much like a good homemade latke, Claugh will leave the reader like they landed on gimel every time. The only rough patch is Leah's stubbornness to let things go, she tends to be a bit of a dog with a bone and a note to the reader to keep in mind that yes, there are aliens involved. Thankfully Ken provides the balance. Would give this read about a 4.5/5 and recommend for the avid holiday romcom reader who will enjoy this read over eight crazy nights.
December 27, 2024
This was very fun! The pacing was very well done for such a short book to still pack in a week's worth of communication and growth. Leah could have stood to be a little bit less ready to jump to conclusions, especially when the toxic ex is a decade in her past, but I can see where having him interfere with her family all that time could definitely do a number on her trust. I liked the little bits of world-building from Knar and his mission, and would love to read more about that, if Claugh ever decides to show us what some of the other aliens on earth are up to.
December 11, 2025
I saw this book on someone's list of favorites online so I had some high hopes, I will admit. But I was really let down. The FMC was annoying and so childish with how hung up on her ex she was, and I just could not stop rolling my eyes at all the misunderstandings. The FMC's parents were obnoxious and the only normal one was the alien, FFS!
January 13, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. It was short and fun. Almost a slice of life sci-fi, a romcom and a steamy book mixed together. If you are looking for a quick sci-fi romcom with in depth sex scenes (or just two of the three) I'd recommend it.
April 18, 2022
Sci-fi, fake boyfriend romance. I liked this, but found the last half or so kind of frustrating. Still, if you like an alien/human romance (on Earth!), this is worth the read. I listened to the audio, which was well done.
I received the audiobook for free with nothing asked of me.
I received the audiobook for free with nothing asked of me.
December 9, 2022
Another fun holiday romance
An alien fake boyfriend, a jerk of an ex boyfriend and family not grasping the problems. The plot is the same but the details make this an enjoyable read.
An alien fake boyfriend, a jerk of an ex boyfriend and family not grasping the problems. The plot is the same but the details make this an enjoyable read.
October 2, 2022
Interesting. Wonder what aliens would think about us especially with all our global issues. On a personal level, that's an even greater challenge. Review to follow on Gotta Write Network blog.
January 5, 2026
Quite clever
February 2, 2022
I was so excited for this book. A Hanukkah book with a fake romance, sign me up. Throw an undercover alien in the mix and I cannot read it fast enough. The book even started out pretty well. With Leah inviting Knar home as her fake boyfriend to be an ex-boyfriend buffer. Their initial nervous interactions were pretty cute. And I had good hope for a cute little romance with them and some family time with a side of showing off the awful ex.
Unfortunately, it felt like I was reading a YA book. As it got more into the family stuff I realized that they had been broken up for 10 years. During which time neither Leah, her ex or her family appear to have grown at least a tiny bit emotionally. They are all stuck at 28 when Leah finished her residency. Leah's reactions to everything were way over the top with Knar and yet with her parents she acted like a petulant teen. At some point she ditches him with her parents for the day and then gets mad at him for spending time with her father. No idea what he was supposed to do, ignore them all day? And by their second argument of her comparing Knar with her ex, because he lied about being an alien, I was over it. It was pretty convenient of her to forget how she ASKED HIM TO LIE to her parents for eight days. Also he made a point to tell her the truth before they got intimate or really discussed a real relationship. But she never managed to acknowledge his efforts to be as honest as possible.
I really wanted to like this story but it just fell apart for me. I really disliked Leah (despite her awesome name). I barely made it through the book. And the end (their HEA) felt like I was reading a whole other book. Out of nowhere the tone changed and without even a conversation I have no idea how or what happened.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Unfortunately, it felt like I was reading a YA book. As it got more into the family stuff I realized that they had been broken up for 10 years. During which time neither Leah, her ex or her family appear to have grown at least a tiny bit emotionally. They are all stuck at 28 when Leah finished her residency. Leah's reactions to everything were way over the top with Knar and yet with her parents she acted like a petulant teen. At some point she ditches him with her parents for the day and then gets mad at him for spending time with her father. No idea what he was supposed to do, ignore them all day? And by their second argument of her comparing Knar with her ex, because he lied about being an alien, I was over it. It was pretty convenient of her to forget how she ASKED HIM TO LIE to her parents for eight days. Also he made a point to tell her the truth before they got intimate or really discussed a real relationship. But she never managed to acknowledge his efforts to be as honest as possible.
I really wanted to like this story but it just fell apart for me. I really disliked Leah (despite her awesome name). I barely made it through the book. And the end (their HEA) felt like I was reading a whole other book. Out of nowhere the tone changed and without even a conversation I have no idea how or what happened.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 4, 2023
I love the idea, it’s so interesting! Hannukah and fake relationship, what could go wrong? However, I hated every single character and this whole annoying story of her ex boyfriend that her family loves.
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