Down to Earth

Galaxy Games #4

by Alana Khan

Without A’Dar’s help, Maya won’t last an hour.

Without access to her blood, neither will he.

Pitted against hundreds of competitors whose only mission is to viciously kill their opponents, Maya must strike a deal with the scariest male she could ever imagine.

What starts as an unholy bargain results in a deliciously erotic soul-connection deeper than either of them dared to dream.

How will they survive when everything is rigged against them?

Are you brave enough to join Maya and A’Dar on their harrowing journey as they dodge death and discover their profound attraction?

Award-winning author Alana Khan departs from her usual style in this gritty standalone novel that combines the romance and heat you love with a savage struggle unlike anything you’ve read from Alana before.

This book contains explicit violence and sensuous scenes throughout. For readers 18+.

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Romance, Romance, Fantasy, Aliens, Space

397 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 7, 2022

About the author

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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Reviews

[Viv “BookVixen” Gutierrez · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this because someone said there’s no details of the heroine sliming around with other men and she could be a possible virgin. So I decided to give it a try. Then ran across this oozing putrid hot mess from the heroine’s POV:

“ His hands are on the back of my head. It’s something I usually hate. I don’t like to be controlled when there’s a dick in my mouth.”

Annnnndddddddd I’m out!

[Alana Khan]

I love this book. Of course I do. I wrote it. But let me tell you why I'm so proud of Down to Earth.

I wanted an ugly hero, like super ugly, like terrifyingly ugly. One look at the cover will tell you I succeeded.

Then I needed to make him the sexiest and most loving male I've ever written. I'll let you be the judge of whether I succeeded at that or not.

This is book 4 in the Galaxy Games series. They are all standalones with the theme that a galaxy-wide network has created the most heinous game you could imagine. It's like The Most Dangerous Game meets Running Man meets Hunger Games. This book, rather than being on another planet, is set on Earth on Antarctica.

Add in amazing romance, non-stop action, and spicy love scenes and voila! You have Down to Earth.

There is a LOT of violence and a LOT of sex in this book. Please don't read it if those things will offend you.
Hugs,
Alana

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A'Dar and Maya find each other during The Galaxy Games. She is one of four human women abducted and transported to the new arena- aboard a 2000 year old spaceship that crashed on earth. A'Dar is the captain and the computer has awoken him from stasis as the hull is about to be breached by the women in this game. Jahzara Zedd is the awful emcee for The Galaxy Games and enjoys every kill. All she wants it to move higher up in the company to belter utilize her skills. I wish for something different for such an evil being, as well as her gelatinous boss. Machta- that was a great twist. This book is darker, steamier, with heavy action- in and out of the bedroom, and a HEA. Great world building and character development that you won't want to end. Alana builds her story and you feel what the earthers feel during the terrifying scenes as well as the fan your face steamy scenes. I agree with Alana- in A'Dar she has created the ugliest male to look at but is the most most loving, protective and sexy man a woman could want. And Maya may have started out as a puny earther but she found so much more within herself. This was the best in the series and I'm glad to hear of the upcoming spinoff series to come.

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read almost all of Alana Khan’s books at this point, and I think this is my least favorite. None of it really worked for me—not the female leads, not the protective aliens, not the fated mates, not the cartoonishly evil villain (who was already cartoonishly evil in previous installments of the series, and I was hoping/wondering if she might become more interesting before the end; she did not), not the action or the steam or the plot or the pacing or the romance. I’ve loved a lot of her books, but this one was just a dud for me.

Basically all of the danger and tension flies out the window as soon as the three women are rescued by the three warriors, which happens at about 17%. MMC and FMC become mates. OK. They have sex and exchange various fluids. OK. They decide they probably like each other. OK. The other female leads are also mated. OK. There are dangerous female aliens who all (mostly) kill each other. OK. There are dangerous pirates who get released and (mostly) kill each other. OK. The FMCs start mutating a bit. OK. Some of the weapons don’t work but some of them do. OK. A thousand more women get abducted and all the other warriors are awoken. OK. Some of them find mates and others don’t. OK. The villain is located and dispatched. OK. They get the ship to work and find out that their home planet can’t be their home anymore. OK. None of it really feels very hard or suspenseful or emotional. The conflicts don’t really cause much conflict.

Alana Khan has written books that made me cry buckets. She’s written books that I’ve found funny and touching and exciting and tense and romantic and steamy and angsty and compelling. This one was none of those things.

[Cheryl_cajun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC read, I voluntarily give this book an honest review. Well Bright side
Maya's not the lone human, dark side none know what the heck is going on.  Earth girl United that is who ever remains alive.  Ugh, that sinister Jahzara! But props to her she is an evil genius on her demented planes for fame. A'Dar mission was as simple as they come, have earth female come to Xenon to help keep his people from dieing out. Only waking up to an intergalactic game playing out, it turns in to more of rescue mission. Okay A'Dar has a wick sense of naughtiness, will Maya comply with linking up? Maya's has some hilarious  suggestions of her own, lets take this to earthers social media?  Because really!?! How many have we answered..Yes beam me up!  A’Dar’s may look scary, but Maya is strong enough to love him. 

[Wanda Mayhue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome and a fantastic end to the series. This is an absolute must read and I highly recommend it to everyone who loves syfy romance.

This book has it all action, humor, danger, hot sensual moments and best of all an amazing HEA.

Maya and A'Dor join up to stay alive and find romance along the way. These two really were made for each other and the author brings these two together so masterfully the story is all the better for her amazing writing.

The world building is amazing as well, even though it is on Earth she manages to build a world that brings the reader to this cold cruel landscape and shows a frozen world that is totally unforgiving. Yet even cold and inhospitable Maya and A"Dor manage to build a beautiful relationship and save themselves and others along the way.

I highly recommend this book this series and this amazing author to everyone who loves syfy romance. Be sure to pick up a copy of this book and all the others in this series. You will be so very glad that you did.

[Lisa Bing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an exciting edition of the Galaxy Games ;P In this story, no one is matched up ahead and they are all fighting to survive on a downed spaceship in Antarctica. I loved the Earth flavour for this one. Now our abducted gal, Maya, ends up being A'Dar's fated mate, an alien that had been in cryo storage for almost two thousand years. You can see how things would be difficult for both of them. So much action, danger and suspense was pitted against sizzling chemistry, steamy romance and love. That was a fab contradiction that really had me glued to my reader :D Well done!

[Vedece Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

First.Trigger warning! Some scenes may offend.
Second. GET THIS STORY!
Maya woke and prayed she was having a nightmare but soon found it was all terrifyingly real. Herself and a few earth women and alien female prisoners are told they are to play "The Game" on a crashed Xenon ship in Antarctica. The goal? Reach and touch the flag on the bridge of the ship but, only forty can survive, it will be elimination by death. One more thing. The Xenon have prisoners in stasis pods and when the women are down to forty, forty male prisoners will be released. Maya and her friends don't expect to get far.
When the Xenon A'Dar, is awakened from stasis he knows right away something isn't right.The trip to find Earth females was supposed to take two weeks. How long did the ship's AI say he'd been asleep? He's informed intruders are on the ship and wakes his two friends to investigate. When he sees the little human, he knows "machta" is upon him. The little human is his true mate! Maya's aware of a few things. He's big. She's terrified. She won't survive without him so she's going to stay with him. Little do both of them know, things are about to change and not a moment too soon. The male prisoners have been released and all hell is about to break loose!
There's SO much I wanted to say in this review but I can't fit it all in. Maya and her friends are scared but strong women! They saw their reality and adapted. A battle came and they faced it. The unspoken needed to be said and she called the whole galaxy on their BS!
A'Dar is a scary teddy bear and only shows her gentle kindness and affection.
Did I enjoy Zed's reality check? Sheet yea!
I loved that it's a sad and happy ending! New series coming up? PLEASE!

[JML · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous just fabulous 💖💖🔥🔥

This has been one of my favorite series to date. Alana Khan knows how to world build and write characters that are compelling, with amazing personalities and terrific chemistry. The male and female leads are well matched and just work, they a!so b!end well with all of the amazing secondary characters. This book took place on Earth and the Evil Zedd finally gets what's coming to her in this book. The action, violence and passion is once again off the charts and will keep you swiping the pages as fast as you can. A'Dar is a Xenon ,he and 2000more like him traveled to Earth almost two thousand years ago not to abduct but to ask and persuade human women to come live with them for better lives, find a life mate and help to save their species. Something goes horribly wrong and all of Xenon end up in cryo sleep for 2000years. When Zedd chooses their ship to host the new Galaxy Games she has I idea what she is about to unleash on herself. 😘😘 Maya is one of four human females abducted to participate in the games one doesn't make it but she and the other two band together to try and survive what ever they can knowing their lives are changed forever. When Maya and the others meet the only 3 Xenon out of cryo they don't realize that the mating instinct has taking over their bodies. They must all learn to accept their new reality save themselves from the death games and all the while fall in love with their mates . It's an awesome thrill ride you so t be able to put it down and in the end you'll be thrilled that there is more to come 💖🔥💖🔥🔥💖🔥💖🔥🔥💖💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥🔥💖🔥💖🔥🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥💖🔥🔥💖💖🔥🔥🔥💖🔥💖🔥🔥💖💖😘😘

[Nina Diab · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It ended up being my favorite in the series. It was exciting and terrifying right from the start as you see through the eyes of these women who find themselves in a horrifying situation- being thrown into a deadly game for entertainment where there will be only one survivor- along with aliens far more dangerous than they could ever hope to match. Of course I immediately wanted them to survive. My heart also broke for A'Dar, who awoke from stasis to find 1,873 years had passed since he joined a mission to find viable females for his species lest they all die out- a mission that was supposed to take weeks, and now his family and everyone he ever knew was long dead. Females are sacred to his kind, and when he finds three human females on his ship, he and two of his comrades save them. I loved that this Game takes place on Earth, and the dynamic between Maya and A'Dar. This story was exciting and fast-paced. I couldn't put it down. It felt like I was right there alongside them and I enjoyed how realistic the decisions they made were in their determination to survive. A fantastic read! I highly recommend it. 5 stars.

[Emmi ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 78%.

An alien hunger games with a "harrowing journey"? Right up my alley, and I had so much hope that I would enjoy this. In the beginning, I really did. The first couple of chapters managed to catch and hold my attention better than most books so I promised myself that I would see it through to the end no matter how it developed. But that obviously didn't happen... It just dragged on and on and onnn. I think my biggest problem with this was that I expected much more action and higher stakes after all of the build-up. 'Twas another case of overcoming all adversaries basically immediately, and I felt there was an unnecessary amount of focus on rooms and walls and whatnot. I may be outing myself as a vile little creature right now but Down to Earth was pretty light and not at all harrowing. I don't have much to say about the romance or smut because I was skimming quite a lot and also it's 1:30 am but if you're reading just for that, it's worth it.

Overall very disappointing and I'm probably in the wrong genre. That being said though, I do plan on checking out the first book in this series and maybe the second and third hehe.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blew Me Away!

Totally not what I was expecting for the next book in The Galaxy Games! I didn’t think Alana could top book three, but boy was I wrong!

Four earth women are abducted by aliens and wake up on earth - wait what?? Yes they are at the polar ice cap where a two thousand year old Xenon space ship has been discovered with two thousand cryo pods inside. What better place to hold the galaxy games. Two hundred alien females have been brought there. They must fight each other until there are 40 left and then they will release the 40 males they have reanimated. But did they pick any of the Xenon male to reanimate? No way, they picked 40 of the pirates that were being held to be sent to the galactic prison.

How can four puny female humans hope to survive long enough to get a male to protect them and than fight their way to the flag in the middle of the ship? Hold on to your hats! It’s a wild ride!

[DemetraP · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book 1 in this series was great. I didn't like book 4.

First, we are shown scenes with the villain / announcer sexually touching herself. Why would I want to read that? It was gross.

Second, there are chapters and chapters of the heroine and hero hiding in the hero's room during the games. They just decide to wait it out. Which is a smart strategy. But not very interesting.

spoiler soiler spoiler spoiler

Third, they kidnap over 1,000 humans to make the games more interesting. Those humans can't go home. but they ask their wives and kids to join them. They do.

The hero and heroine and their friends kill the villain / announcer by stabbing her.

Then they find out that 1,800 years ago they went into stasis. Their planet is not what they knew. There are no women and the clones have taken over. The men look "wrong" and they order the ship to land and they refuse. Their home is now the ship. The planet is a lost cause.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bringing the competition to earth was a very interesting twist to the series. I must say, the game show host was particularly twisted and bloodthirsty. Yes, there was a lot of violence and descriptive sex… but it fit very well with the plot on the added sci-fi aspect of human women partnering with Zenon warriors and experiencing “machta”. I particularly liked how Maya, Emily and Anna started out together, and then proceeded to tackle this situation as a group. I also really liked A’Dar and his officers. Hearing some of A’Dar’s background thoughts about what was going on just made me like him more. The way things ended, I am curious how this will perhaps spin into another novel or series?

I received an ARC and am voluntarily sharing my honest review.

[Linda Parrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Season 4 of The Game takes place on earth at the south pole where a Xenon spaceship has been frozen in place for two thousand years. One thousand females (4 earthers and 996 assorted hard-core, alien prisoners) are brought to the spaceship and given the directive to reach and touch a flagpole located on the bridge of the ship if they wish to win.. No rules other than only one contestant is to remain alive at the end of the game. Throw in Jahzara Zedd (the sociopathic master of ceremonies) pirates, Xenon warriors and mating frenzy what could go wrong? Twists, turns, wonderful characters and a compelling storyline make this book a must read.

[Wanda Jewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Alana Khan's stories. As usual, each story is better than the last and this is the best one yet! She has insight into her characters that make their reactions so realistic and what you yourself might do in those same circumstances. I do need to tell you that this book might trigger those who are triggered by violence as there is a lot of it. There are also adult scenes so it should be read by a mature audience. A'dar and Maya are definitely a pair. I like the twist in this story very much. There is a lot of action and the ending is a surprising one. There is also a HEA. I would highly recommend this story.

[Sue Philips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 4 in the Galaxy Games series is Alana Khan's latest and boy - does she deliver. Maya and A'dar are pitted against other competitors in the Games. This couple need each other as no other competitor in previous books has. Maya needs A'Dar for his strength and A'Dar needs Maya for her blood. Without it he dies.
As usual Jahzara Zedd makes and changes the rules quicker and more often than we change our socks. She's ruthless and cares about nothing and no one except herself and how much money she can make. But in this book maybe she has bitten off more than she can chew???
Highly recommended read.

[Awesome Sauce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this series!

This was another great read from this author and can not wait for the spin off series from this book! I will say i do hope that somewhere down the line we get a story for the four armed Mordite that was held as a slave for the female that shall not be named! That female had no redeeming qualities. Loved that these MMC were scary looking on the outside but total marshmellows on the inside. The MFC was great in the sense that she made the best of a bad situation and learned to grow and still have a positive outlook with the chaos around her.

[Shenzi]

This had copious amounts of smut in it. So much so that i kind of gave up at the 30-40% mark. There is a plot too, a high octane intergalactic Hunger Games taking place on Earth (in the south pole? North pole? I forget). The h and H are kind of forced into a situation where they need to get down n dirty to survive. Which I'm ok with... But I was expecting a slower burn with more plot. To be fair, the author does have a disclaimer up front about there being a ton of sex and violence. I thought i could handle it. But apparently i could not. So this is on me. Hence no rating and dnf.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 4 of the Galaxy Games series. In my opinion it was the best one yet. It focused more on the main characters and time with them instead of the normal run/hunt from prior books. It felt like they had a little more control based on the setting and I really enjoyed that. As always, lots of spicy scenes that were hot! I also liked the introduction of the new species that the main male character is from. Can't wait for some stories from this spin-off. Great read!!

[Trixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

They brought the game to Earth but it doesn't mean that the task of the contestants is much lighter. There are scenes where you are held in suspense and wonder how our MCs will survive. Most ended up dead and one death brings a relief but danger does not stop. Our alien hero may not look that good but he is certainly way much better than our villain.

I am glad that there are a lot more survivors at the end with their own hea.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book four in the Galaxy Games Hostile Planet Alien Romance Series, and if you have been following this series you do not want to miss this story. A’Dar and Maya's story is one I would say do not start at bedtime. Once I started I was not putting the book down until I was finished. The suspense, drama, danger, a villain, surprises and romance. I would recommend. I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jacqueline Chappell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent installment in the Galaxy Games series with a great ending that sets the stage for a whole new series. I really enjoyed the biological imperative that bonds the makes and females. I also loved how the villain got hers in the end.
Plenty of action and drama plus super steamy and romantic. Can’t wait to read what comes next. Can’t go wrong with this author. Definitely recommend.

[Esmeralda Silva Tenazinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, loved it, loved it! Wow, I dos not expect that book this book would be like this! I think I have to watch the "Predator" saga again! Wow, I loved how Maya dealt with the whole situation, I mean, when live gives you lemons... But wow what a FMC. A'Dar is a great combination of deathly Predator with a heart of good and so much honour! I loved it and I really want more of this warriors!

[Trudy Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This latest book by Ms. Khan had me glued from the bringing. A'Dar is a strong, protective alien male coming out of statis. And one of the first things he scents is his mate. His understanding and patience with Maya were incredible. As much as I loved Valeris and it's romance, I absolutely loved the romance of this story. I can't wait for more!

[Kaza · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm still looking for a really good alien fantasy. I had high hopes for this one. The fated mates, fighting for survival idea sounded interesting. However, I really believe the aliens would have mated to any human female they saw. There were 3 aliens and 3 women. They all matched up with who they grabbed randomly. That really ruined it for me. Beyond pheromones I really didn't see a connection.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite Khan Book so Far

I liked soooo much about this book. I Hope there are more in either this series or a spinoff series and very very soon. I loved the attitudes of many of the women and I just really want to see where they go and see what happens with sickbay girl and cryo boy.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meh. Has potential but didn’t hold my interest

Not a bad book. I didn’t finish the whole book. -The chapters were crazy short
- A final proof reading is kind of needed
- Not enough world building for my liking
- Characters seemed hurried and no one stood out

Not a bad read and all in all I feel pretty neutral about it. Give it read though! You might find that you love it :)

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maya and A’Dar

This is a very good, well written, SciFi, Alien/Human romance. The characters are interesting, well developed, and likable. This story continues ‘The Galaxy games’. Each book can be read alone but better when read in order. There is plenty of heat mixed with the romance. Read and enjoy.

[Amber Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This hero is the freaking predator!!! Seriously! That’s all I could think about when he was described! I will admit to kinda being grossed out. She’s going to fall in love with and get it on with the predator?!? But Alana Khan deftly maneuvers things to make him less sci-fi scary and more sexy alpha hero. It’s another must read!