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A mysterious alien planet celebrates their own version of merry holidays. Their wonderful gift-giving idea? Earth ladies as stocking stuffers.

Alyssa: As one of the few female Earthians who works in space, I’m not about to give up my career for marriage and babies. I scorn the idiots who created the podcast “Earth Girls Are Horny.” Unfortunately, they’ve gone viral in a whole new way, calling unwanted attention from galaxies far, far away.
The planet Thropian is one secretive and unknown planet who are paying big money to have a bride shipped in a pod to drop down in time for their holiday gift-giving games. And our horny Earth girls? The volunteers are a mile long, even when it’s unknown what the mysterious Thropians look like.
But not me. No, my job is to test the pod before the actual prize is sent. I’ll earn a boatload of money for not being a bride.

Zearn: A mate is the last thing on my mind, especially those from a dismal planet who offer themselves to complete strangers as prizes. The utter arrogance is astounding. But when a female lands in the danger zone of our competitive Twelve Days of Cheneca, I’m dispatched as the lead hunter to track her down and to keep her safe. I do not expect a female who is as much a warrior as me.
A female who is worthy of me. A prize who marries me in the traditional way during the celebrations of our holidays.

It does not matter that she does not know.

* This book is part of the Stranded With an Alien shared world. It contains a guaranteed HEA and no cliffhanger.

104 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 11, 2022

213 people are currently reading
174 people want to read

About the author

Rena Marks

91 books263 followers
Join my fantasies! Get lost in worlds that twist and turn with plot and give you a feel-good, happy ending. Grow lovestruck by the heroes, each one unique. Find them perfectly matched by their heroine, strong women like you and I who know exactly what they want and how they want it—searing, sexy, and passionate.

Remember, true love is out there--beyond the mundane. Life is magical, come read about my mine!

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5 stars
417 (45%)
4 stars
292 (31%)
3 stars
153 (16%)
2 stars
36 (3%)
1 star
15 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
Profile Image for Fey Flowers (enbytweenthepages).
292 reviews66 followers
December 5, 2023
"He's hot as hell ... A sexy, magnificent, muscular demon. The Earth Women Are Horny Podcast will move the whole damn planet here."

Alyssa is a banger, I laughed so much...

I think the story would have benefited from a few more pages; it seemed a bit rushed because quite a lot happened in just a few pages.
Profile Image for I'm Fine, Just Tired.
1,221 reviews19 followers
December 10, 2022
There were some inconsistencies. Like, sometimes the story didn't pick up correctly where POVs left off. Conversations didn't flow well. Book wasn't very detailed on things that I wanted it to be detailed with. I wanted this to be longer. flesh out the story.

Basically, Alyssa ends up stranded on a planet and when she meets Zearn she figures she has the wrong language implant. But in fact, it's the right one. Zearn just doesn't tell her. So she goes on and on, talking, flirting out loud and what not. Which just doesn't make sense because she had a problem with other Earth women signing up to becomes this planet's alien's mates. She thought it was dumb. But now that she sees a hot alien, she becomes one of the "Earth Girls Are Horny" that she was talking shit about.

There were plenty of times it was obvious Zearn could understand her. and I thought Alyssa was smart. We get an entire scene in the beginning of how she played on an enemy aliens emotions and ended up killing him and stealing his tools for survival. She came alive on the page and was badass. Except that changed when she met Zearn and became completely airheaded.

Sex happens, they end up mated. Zearn 1000% knows about what is happening, and knows Alyssa doesn't know jack about mating on his planet but he's like, "She'll come around."

wtf NO.

When she does find out that he was lying about being able to communicate with her and basically married her for life without her consent, she gives him the silent treatment for an evening and then confesses her love? She talked so much about trust in men and how the only man she trusted was her work partner Jonah. But now that's changed?

Idk man, it seems so wishy washy and out of character for the Alyssa we meet, before she meets Zearn.

The story could have gone somewhere, given if it had more time for their relationship to develop. I would have loved to see her catch one of his calls to his sister and realize he was playing her a bit to get her to comply, and knock him out and steal his hoverboard or some shit. Just like, some well deserved payback.
Profile Image for TaylorReads.
204 reviews12 followers
January 18, 2023
3.5⭐️ This was cute. She could’ve made this a full-length book, but it was fine. I like to read the little novellas from alien authors first to see if I like their writing style enough to read their books. Not too sure about this one yet.
Profile Image for ❀ Crystal ✿ -  PEACE ☮ LOVE ♥ BOOKS .
2,533 reviews310 followers
December 22, 2022
This was a decent enough sci-fi read but it didn’t exactly give me the holiday vibes I was going for. The plot was almost too planned out for the length of the book, I’d certainly love to see it longer because both the characters and setting were interesting. The book has some stereotypical vibes and concepts of other generic sci-fi romance tropes but works with what it has in a limited amount of time. Everything is fast from the crash landing to wham bam three days later they’re mated and in love 😘🤯
Profile Image for Angie.
1,405 reviews235 followers
December 18, 2023
It is then and there that I make a decision. Despite what we learn about Earth, despite what I learn about my mate, I'm going to keep her. And I'm going to woo her.

4.5 stars!

This holiday novella was packed with so much action, sexiness, and humor that had me laughing out loud. I loved how obsessed and turned on Zearn was by Alyssa's badassery when they first meet; he can't seem to take his eyes off her as she single-handedly takes down an alien twice her size. Alyssa is equally impressed by Zearn's survival skills and his other...spicier skills as they struggle to survive. Both Zearn and Alyssa fall for each other pretty quickly, but I felt their feelings for each other were genuine as they complimented and supported one another beautifully. I definitely look forward to reading more by this author🖤

Tropes: fated mates, instalust, charming hero, badass heroine, language barrier, hunted through the jungle, monster romance, holiday vibes, tail kink, STEAMY🔥
Profile Image for Jd.
665 reviews3 followers
January 16, 2023
Cute

This was a cute novella. The FMC was strong and funny. The MMC was sexy.
Zearn pretending that he didn't understand what Alyssa was saying made their circumstances enjoyable. She had absolutely no filter and it was hysterical. It was all Zearn could do not to react.
If you are looking for character development, Zearn learned he was wrong about his assumption about humans. He realized they were a lot strong than he gave them credit for. Alyssa was tough, slitting throats and throwing knives.
It was cool how everything worked out in the end.
Don't look too critically, just enjoy. It is only 100 pages.
Profile Image for Alien Peen Fiend.
60 reviews22 followers
February 1, 2023
The plot of this one was really unique and interesting! Alyssa is testing out “bride pods” for the human woman that have eagerly volunteered to become mates to a notoriously mysterious and guarded race of aliens on their home planet. She isn’t even suppose to really see or interact with these aliens, but of course, something goes wrong and she ends up on the wrong side of the planet. Zearn is sent to retrieve her and keep this weak human female safe, only to discover she is by no means as helpless as she looks.

Read if you like:
🏋️‍♀️Badass soldier MFC
💂‍♂️Elite Alien Solidier MMC
🫂 Forced proximity vibes
🤐Language Barrier
🙇‍♂️MMC falls first
🌶️Medium spice


This is my favorite kind of MFC: Xena warrior princess personified. Alyssa is one bad ass bitch, and can take care of herself and then some! I love the way she matches Zearn in his capabilities. I also loved watching this elite royal soldier be in awe of her badass-ness.

Overall I really enjoyed this one! The humor was on point, the adventure was fun, and the MC’s were awesome. The steamy scenes were ok, I would have liked them a bit beefier, more to them, but what we did get was oof 🥵. The ending did feel a bit rushed, Alyssa’s actions and quick acceptance didn’t line up with the character she was in the rest of the book for me. I would have like more there, as I seriously doubt Xena warrior princess Alyssa would have let anyone get off that easy. But over all for a quick read I really enjoyed it!
Profile Image for Kelly.
5,699 reviews228 followers
January 15, 2023
A planet looking for brides (but who put some pretty stringent rules in place for those visiting) and a human female just trying to do her job. Too bad things go sideways and doing her job turns into trekking across a (somewhat) dangerous planet with an alien she can't quite communicate with.

Well, wait. They do SOME communicating. Mostly of the physical variety. They communicate very well that way. That said, Zearn keeps a few things hidden from his new travel companion that results in a blowup down the line.

BUT...he's also a good match for Alyssa. He's not intimidated by her fighting skills and he likes her warrior spirit. Which is a big plus for a human lady who tends to scare human males off.

An explosive encounter, a BFF who jumps into action when things go south, a journey across a dangerous world, a few mistruths, and a lady who goes after what she wants. *thumbs up*

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
Profile Image for Jannie Cv.
1,082 reviews29 followers
November 11, 2022
This is delightful!
Earth ladies as stocking stuffers? Fun, funny, misunderstandings, love, rescue, happily ever after - it’s got it all!
Lucky Alyssa, she landed in the wrong place at the wrong time, but, boy, did she hit the jackpot. Zearn is quite a hottie, in my opinion. Some of the language problems they have are downright hilarious! Excellent reading, a delightful love story!
Profile Image for Courtney.
374 reviews8 followers
May 21, 2023
The Stranded with an Alien: A Sci-Fi Holiday Tail Series is absolute perfection! These 7 books are sweet, spicy, and full of holiday fun! They get ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me!

Each book features a FMC who gets stranded with a hunk of an alien on either her planet or his. Being stranded together only helps to push them together until they can’t help but give in to their desires. Each book also takes place around Christmas (or their equivalent of the holidays) so they spend it together. The magic of the holidays helps to solidify their love! Each book has a HEA and tons of buildup and spice.

I love reading collections like this because, like anthologies, it introduces me to new authors! Each of these books takes place in a universe that the author already has stories in. So now I’m picking up new series just from these! There’s no particular order you need to read these. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

🎄 Frost by Ava Ross
❄️ Sinta by Honey Phillips
🎁 Baki by Ella Maven
☃️ Taliz by Alana Khan
🎄 Zearn by Rena Marks
🎁 Sakar by Ella Blake
❄️ Vixin by Tana Stone
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Preston and Michelle.
372 reviews8 followers
November 13, 2022
I found this series after Ella Maven’s newsletter clued me in to Baki’s story.

Written in 1st person, Zearn is a book about a human female being stranded on a new and unfamiliar alien planet. Alyssa was supposed to be testing bride pods for a treaty when it crashed at the wrong coordinates. She was found by the Brenign species, but she assumed it was the Thropian because she had no idea what they looked like. When Zearn found her, she assumed he couldn’t understand her and she had the wrong language downloaded. He never corrected her because she was openly telling him how attractive he was and how much she wanted to fuck him. You know, because that’s realistic. Zearn looks like a devil, complete with red skin, horns and a pointed tail. They became officially mated after she gave him a blowjob. Because everyone knows how Earth women like to go down on an alien devil that we can’t communicate with enough for consent. 🙄🤦‍��️

I finished this book, even though it never really grasped my attention completely. Some things weren’t explained enough, some things were over explained, the plot was confusing, and I just couldn’t relate to any of the characters. I’m not familiar with Rena Marks or her work. This book wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible either. It was just “meh.” 🤷‍♀️
Profile Image for Book Snob Sue.
1,415 reviews136 followers
November 13, 2022
Alyssa is a cadet that is a live tester for the Earth and Thropian alliance, but her pod lands in a different area than it was supposed to. And it also landed in the middle of a “hunt”. Zearn is sent there to assist her and make sure she is protected. Alyssa is tough, and can fend for herself. Their attraction is immediate, but she doesn’t realize that Zearn is one of the good aliens…and that he can understand every word she says. This was so funny, because she is always calling him sexy or handsome, and literally just saying whatever she thinks about him, she was such a handful. So funny. She is there for a little bit with Zearn before her partner gets there to try and save her.

Safe read, with naughty mates. Good storyline, with some action, and very amusing. My person favorite was the Earth Girls Are Horny podcast concept, so funny. An epilogue and a hea.
Profile Image for Emily Lindsey.
Author 4 books21 followers
November 8, 2023
An exciting, fast-paced, and action-filled story! I was so glad to read about Alyssa’s character! She's a fighter, hardcore, a survivor. In a fight, she's more like Xena the Warrior Princess than a Princess Buttercup kind of girl. It's a tightly written story with witty dialogue and misunderstandings that are both literal as well as figurative. Zearn was immediately smitten with her, but he made some bad judgment calls, and I guess it's true that the path to true love is never paved. I haven't read this author’s work in a while, and I'll do better in the future. This story is witty, engaging, and hard to put down, I'd definitely recommend it!
1,464 reviews3 followers
December 17, 2023
Alyssa is a strong woman who loves her job in space. Her new mission is to test the pods to ensure they land in the correct place on Thropia. Well, the pod doesn't land where it's supposed to and she immediately has to fight and kill a frightening alien creature who she thinks is a Thropian. Then Zearn comes into the picture as his mission is to track her down. He thinks all humans are weak and is surprised to find that she killed that creature. He pretends that he can't understand her and Alyssa thinks that he is stuck on Thropia also. This is where the fun begins. The story is hilarious, has non stop action and really steamy romance. I absolutely loved the ending!
Profile Image for JML.
1,300 reviews24 followers
November 13, 2022
4&1\2 fabulous holiday stars!💖💖🔥🔥💖🔥💖🔥

Christmas is my favorite time of year and Rena Marks has started it off with a bang🔥🔥💖💖 this was such a fun Christmas treat was th a feisty human woman who knows how to take care of herself and a very sexy demon alien who knows what he wants when he sees it. Alyssa and Zearn go from mishap, misadventure to helpless passion admiration and love. It's a fast paced slice of holiday cheer that will leave you smiling from ear to ear! Totally recommend💖🔥💖🔥🔥💖🔥💖💖🔥💖🔥💖💖🔥💖🔥💖💖💖🔥🔥💖💖🔥🔥💖🔥💖🔥
182 reviews1 follower
November 16, 2022
I love how these two complimented each other . Zearn changed his mind quickly about human females and she fell for him almost immediately. By Zearn pretending not to understand her, she felt comfortable being fully honest about everything, which made him fall for her even faster. The mating ritual was such a big cultural difference that she wouldn’t have known she was mating him (never in a million years). I love that it worked out and that when her bff Jonah came to the rescue things got heated but then turned into a hea for him too.
Profile Image for Stephanie Blatz.
477 reviews1 follower
December 13, 2022
loved it!

Loved this one! Great details about the alien planet, the sexy alien warrior and the cultural differences that Alyssa discovers when she gives Zearn, her hot alien rescuer, some pleasure and finds out later that his culture now considers them married! Which he does not divulge to her right away because she thinks she got the wrong language download and doesn’t realize he understands everything she says. The perceived language barrier causes her to babble and over share a whole lot which is quite entertaining!
829 reviews
December 29, 2022
Alyssa- a human engineer - is building transportation to send Earth brides to the secretive alien planet Thropia. She uses herself as a test subject to confirm it’s safe. Of course things go awry and her ship lands in the middle of a deadly competition held on Thropia. Zearn has a dim view of humans but goes to save her. He’s impressed that she’s more than able to defend himself. They’re attracted to each other and through a misunderstanding of her part and omission on his part, end up mated. She forgives him a little too quickly in my opinion but overall this is a quick, fun and sexy read.
Profile Image for Nancy Reads Romance.
1,106 reviews34 followers
November 15, 2022
Alyssa is in for a surprise! I would call her a warrior who finds herself on an unusual assignment. She's testing a pod for a program that involves earth women and the planet Thropia. Zearn is assigned to hunt Alyssa down and keep her safe. Language barriers, a major attraction, and some harrowing adventures await you in this fun holiday tale. I mean, Zearn can hunt me down any day. I loved how Alyssa was a strong female character. We definitely need more of those. This book was one kick-ass, humorous, and spicy holiday adventure. Grab yourself your own royal Thropian for Christmas this year! 4 stars!
3,323 reviews30 followers
November 15, 2022
Zearn

Alyssa is only supposed to check out the special pod in a quick transport but she ends up stranded in the territory of a tribe of inbred and very intellectually challenged nasties. She is very Xena warrior and kills the first nasty. Zearn confronts a group of three and with assistance of Alyssa takes them out. Zearn does let Alyssa know he understands her and romance ensues.
308 reviews3 followers
November 30, 2022
Saucy heroine

Great fun! She's a warrior who entrances the hero by killing a brutal male and then helping him kill 3 more. They then travel together to an underground paradise and enjoy themselves mightily. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more-except of course in these books, all is said.
The world is fascinating. The dueling viewpoints about the situations fun to read. I am really enjoying this series and will read more by this author.
1,889 reviews5 followers
November 30, 2022
Wanted less of much of book

I struggled over rating. Think without ending would have given it less.
Besides the alien, etc story, the characters relationship was all about sex for a few days equal love. Even though she did not know he understood what she said.
I did like the concept of storyline. Bit they needed longer timeline, less sex scenes, 50%. More getting to know each other after found.
90 reviews
February 15, 2023
Good read but rushed ending

I really enjoyed this story and the buildup but I was unhappy with the ending resolution. It was rushed and didn't live up to the of the story. I wanted to give three stars but I gave four as there was an epilogue that kind of made up a bit for the rushed ending. Great author and she can do amazing long and short stories so I'll just call this a miss and continue to read her works. It happens sometimes.
65 reviews1 follower
January 6, 2025
Beware of assumptions.

Oh yeah! The old saying/ definition of the word "assume" means making an ass out of you and me is so active in this story. The play on courting/dating/ marriage customs between the two cultures leads to so much frustration. The misunderstanding and lack of simple questions that could smooth out the relationship seem totally not off everyone's mind. Highly enjoyable story. Well worth reading.
1,033 reviews
December 2, 2022
When First Impressions Matter!

If you’re a fan of a strong, intelligent woman and first contact type stories you’ll enjoy the problems Alyssa encounters with her first aliens. The fascinated Zearn rescues her and cleverly keeps her safe. But is he too clever? Enjoy their adventures!!!
1 review
December 23, 2022
Girl gets guy

Ms. Marks writes a fast paced holiday tale that grabbed my attention from the first paragraph, and kept it right up to the end. Strong female characters that are respected by the males in the story. Sweet love story and a bond of friendship that proves that the feeling of family goes beyond just blood ties.
Profile Image for La'Jacinth.
1,921 reviews
January 15, 2023
LOL

This book was hilarious from page one. Alyssa was perfect for Zearn. I have to say I was looking for a little more interactions with the Brenigns because Allysa's descritions of them had me cringing and gasping,especially when he is trying to get her put the pod...🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.

The imagination of Ms. Marks is out of this world...🤣🤣🤣🤣
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