When an engineer working on a super-top-secret project for the US military is dragged through a space portal by a menacing, striped alien at the beginning of this book, the scene is set for a major culture clash, and the story doesn’t disappoint.
Jape is a warrior with a massive grudge against Earthlings. Getting stuck babysitting the one he accidentally kidnapped is the last thing he wants. Velia’s not what he expected, though, and he finds himself starting to believe in her innocence despite his convictions. Soon, they’ll discover they must work together to stop a threat Earth could never stand against alone.
This is a romance with a lot of steam in it, but honestly I just couldn’t get my head around it because my inner biologist was too busy staring in disbelief. A humanoid alien species with optionally armored skin, no visible genitalia except when aroused, and not one but two retractable tails… without orifices, no less? I genuinely could not compute the evolutionary path required to arrive at such a form.
While there was a tangible Big Bad in the book, it was literally off-screen for the entire book. Even the minor villain who was revealed, there was never an actual confrontation, and I was genuinely shocked by the ending, which had Velia and Jape deciding to basically save their own skins and abandon the entire population of Earth to a horrible fate. There was no follow-up plan, nothing. I couldn’t believe it.
The weird anatomy and failure to really show culture shock had this at about a three star for me, but that ending drops it down to a two.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.