Rudi by Honey Phillips [Review]

Rudi (Rescued by the Alien #7) by Honey Phillips
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: November 12, 2024

Rescued by the Alien
1. Lashe
2. Pyne
3. Khol
4. Gyft
5. Klaz
6. Kringl
7. Rudi - Paperback | Kindle

Honey Phillips
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Can an alien misfit and a lonely woman save the holidays?

Clarice is grateful for the chance to have left a dying Earth - she just wishes she hadn’t ended up somewhere quite so cold. But then she gets thrown into a rescue mission with a huge, muscular alien with glowing skin - and antlers! - and suddenly things on NorPol are heating up!

Rudi has long since accepted that he is… different from the rest of his tribe. He’s even convinced himself he likes it that way. But when a curvy little human convinces him to help save the holidays, can he be the hero she deserves?

Could this frosty planet be hiding a bit of holiday magic for both of them?

Thoughts on Rudi: An outcast alien male and a refugee human lady are learning what it means to find their person. Oh, and they're fighting back against the total jerk face who is determined to ruin the holidays for everyone in the village.

So Rudi and Clarice. He's a loner who is acutely aware of his differences from others in his village. His glowing skin and antlers have made him a target for the town bully and he's put up walls around himself thanks to said bullying. He doesn't want to take in the human lady dropped on his doorstep, but he can't turn away from the loneliness he sees in her. So he ends up sharing space with the lady.

On Clarice's end, she's on an alien world and the people in town aren't thrilled to have her there. This is mostly due to their limited power reserves which, in itself, is due to the jerkface up the mountain who controls the power crystals. She gets pushed off on Rudi and finds herself liking the quiet, scowly alien male more than she expected.

When the bad guy on the mountain makes an ultimatum to the village, Clarice convinces Rudi to try to help. It isn't long before it becomes clear that Rudi's differences might end up helping everyone and solve the power issues.

A winter journey, a little danger, a few steamy kisses, a male who needs to embrace his differences in order to make things happen, and a lady who likes the male sheltering her whether he's an outcast or a hero. *thumbs up*

Kringl by Tana Stone [Review]

Kringl (Rescued by the Alien #6) by Tana Stone
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: December 10, 2024

Rescued by the Alien
1. Lashe
2. Pyne
3. Khol
4. Gyft
5. Klaz
6. Kringl - Paperwork | Kindle
7. Rudi

Tana Stone
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

What’s worse than crash landing on an ice planet? Discovering that it’s controlled by a group of angry elves who escaped from the North Pole!

Kringl wants nothing more than to return to his home world, but first he’ll have to escape from the frozen world that’s kept in a state of perpetual, joyless celebration. Even worse, it’s always Christmas Eve, but never Christmas Day.

Joy is determined to escape the ice planet she and her fellow humans were marooned on years ago. She can’t stand the constant fake celebration or disgruntled elves who ensure they're never rescued.

When the handsome, blue alien and his crew arrive, Joy knows this is her chance. But when Kringl is captured, Joy must rescue him before they can both escape. That is, if the angry elves don’t stop them both.

Thoughts on Kringl: The holidays are fun and everything, but being caught in a town that celebrates perpetual Christmas (at least that's what it looks like at first glance) would be a real drag after a while. Especially if you were being held prisoner there by a group of kinda evil elves.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. It all starts when an alien prince is forced to make an emergency landing on an icy planet. Unfortunately for Kringl (but probably fortunately for the poor folk being held against their will there), the town near where they crashed is...not as friendly as it looks on the surface. As in, a group of elves (who aren't nearly as kind and cuddly as the stories tell us) are determined to keep the town in a perpetual state of Christmas. By that, I mean it's always the day before Christmas so Christmas never comes and they can celebrate into perpetuity.

Which is REALLY not fun for the poor people trapped there.

One of those people? Joy. When she sees Kringl's ship crash, she figures it's her chance to escape and find a way to help the others. As you might imagine, things don't go quite as smoothly as she planned. Soon she's breaking an alien prince out of solitary, hiding him out in her cabin, planning a little rebellion, and falling hard for the big, honorable alien.

Some kissing, some sneaking around, some thrilling heroics all around. *thumbs up*

RtP's Week in Review (12/07/25)

Reading the Paranormal's Week in Review

• Lashe by Ella Blake [Review] - Holiday alien love!
• Pyne by Alana Khan [Review] - Holiday alien cooking love!
• Khol by Ava Ross [Review] - More holiday alien love!
• Gyft by Rena Marks [Review] - Mail order bride shenanigans on a distant planet!
• Klaz by Ava York [Review] - A bounty hunter and a conwoman!
• Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood [Review] - Holiday romance!

Bookish Delights

• Books added to the pile
• Burn the World Down (Unsanctioned #1) by Anna Hackett
• Currently reading 
• Holly and the Hunter by Lynnea Lee

Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood [Review]

Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe #1) by Ali Hazelwood
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: December 23, 2024

Under the Mistletoe
1. Cruel Winter with You - Kindle
2. Merry Ever After
3. All By My Elf
4. Merriment and Mayhem
5. Only Santas in the Building

Ali Hazelwood
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

All newly minted pediatrician Jamie Malek wants is to borrow a roasting pan for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, that requires her to interact with Marc—her best friend’s troublemaking brother, who’s now a tech billionaire. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who broke his heart. Outside, a howling blizzard. Inside, a crackling fire. Suddenly, being snowbound with the man she never expected to see again might not be such a bad way to spend a winter’s night.

Thoughts on Cruel Winter with You: A journey to her childhood neighbor's home for a copper roasting pan gives Jamie...well, I want to say it gives her the chance to set things right, but Jamie's deep enough in her own head that she doesn't think things CAN be put right. So she grudgingly heads over to Marc's house to get the pan with absolutely zero plans for anything more than that.

Unfortunately for her plans, a wicked storm keeps her at Marc's house and gives them a chance to hash things out. Let's just say that Marc has feelings he's not afraid to share and Jamie is practically drowning in feelings of inadequacy. It takes some time and a little straight shooting before these two are in the same place mentally.

A wintery night, a blackout, a little game of Truth or Drink, a man who is very sure of what he wants, and a lady who needs a little nudge to get herself out of her head. Good stuff!

Klaz by Ava York [Review]

Klaz (Rescued by the Alien #5) by Ava York
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: December 7, 2024

Rescued by the Alien
1. Lashe
2. Pyne
3. Khol
4. Gyft
5. Klaz - Kindle
6. Kringl
7. Rudi

Ava York
| Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Luxury cruise turned nightmare? Check. Crash landing on a frozen planet? Double check. Being rescued by a smoking hot, older Vinduthi who thinks he's too old for romance? Triple check.

Klaz might be a former Vinduthi bounty hunter, but the way he saved me from those pirates was anything but retired. Now, as he shields me from ice storms and criminal gangs, his possessive touch sets my body ablaze. We're forced to work together on a dangerous heist, and with every heart-pounding moment, I'm falling harder. If only I can make this overprotective alien see that he's exactly the hero I need.

Thoughts on Klaz: A high-end cruise with a conwoman and a former bounty hunter is definitely an exciting way to spend some time. And when the cruise ship gets boarded by pirates who VERY BADLY want to do some damage to the hunky former bounty hunter (I guess it's a peril in that line of work that you just might run into folks you helped put away), what's a lady to do except dive in and do her best to save the big guy.

So Cinta dives. Straight into a malfunctioning escape pod and now she and Klaz are on a snowy planet with only their wits and some sizzling chemistry to work with. The good news? Sizzling chemistry goes a long way. The even better news? These two are good together. VERY good.

On Klaz's end, the biggest roadblock he can see is that he's older and doesn't feel like he's worthy of Cinta. Which is ridiculous in Cinta's eyes, because his age doesn't bother her and he's pretty much a hero when it comes to how he steps in to save people. Her included.

Sure, sure, they might have been strong-armed into committing some crime along the way, but SO IT GOES.

A snowy planet, an almost impossible heist, several dangerous situations, a male who won't back down when situations turn bad, and a lady who knows a good guy when she jumps into a malfunctioning escape pod with him. *thumbs up*

Gyft by Rena Marks [Review]

Gyft (Rescued by the Alien #4) by Rena Marks
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: December 4, 2024

Rescued by the Alien
1. Lashe
2. Pyne
3. Khol
4. Gyft - Paperback | Kindle
5. Klaz
6. Kringl
7. Rudi

Rena Marks
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Olivia: Some call me shallow. Some call me privileged. Some call me entitled. In reality, they want to be me, one of the privileged.
As the only daughter of Alexander Nash, the richest man on Earth, that all changed when daddy told me I’d become a mail order bride for the Kashians, a species he himself contacted using his marvelous inventions.
The Kashians believe they rescued Earth when our first alien contact went astray and another species nearly invaded. They convinced those monsters they had an alliance with us.
But then the others demanded proof.

Gyft: A bride is the last thing on my mind, especially one from a dismal planet who offers nothing. Nothing except an absolute marvelous creation that defies logic—a simple shuttle capable of traveling through wormholes and coming out the other side whole.
It should be enough joy for us to save their perplexing species from destruction—one they created by reaching out for a first contact without caring about what risk they put their people in. But no, my planet wants the technology of that shuttle.
And once I get to know her? I want that bride. An absolute marvelous creature that also defies logic.

Thoughts on Gyft: An unwilling participant in a bridal exchange with a distant planet, Olivia is...maybe not the best person to send as an ambassador (of sorts) for the human people. She's shallow, flighty, and more interested in her brand aesthetic than anything else. But she was the one Gyft chose, so she's heading out to do her part and be his bride.

Sort of. I mean, she messes with the controls prior to take off, ends up landing on a dangerous part of the planet, and has some vague plans to disappear and live her life without her husband. Which doesn't work AT ALL like she plans. Fortunately.

As for Gyft, he's also an unwilling participant in this whole marriage thing. In fact, he plans on doing his duty long enough to figure out the secrets to the their wormhole travel and then quietly divorce his new bride and send her on her way. Except Olivia's amateur sabotage of her pod has the two of them spending more time than he anticipated during the rescue. And it turns out he kind of likes the lady he's married to.

A not-so-well-thought-out plan to escape an unwanted marriage, a journey through some rough land, a little communication issue, some steamy kisses, a little danger, a male who almost loses the thing he wants most in the world before he realizes what he has, and a lady who is not nearly as shallow as she seems at first glance. *thumbs up*

Khol by Ava Ross [Review]

Khol (Rescued by the Alien #3) by Ava Ross
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: December 2, 2024

Rescued by the Alien
1. Lashe
2. Pyne
3. Khol - Paperback | Kindle
4. Gyft
5. Klaz
6. Kringl
7. Rudi

Ava Ross
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Nancy: One moment, I’m a single mom picking up my four-year-old daughter from daycare, the next, we’re shooting toward an alien planet in a space pod, crashing far from Earth. So much for giving my little girl the Christmas she’s been dreaming of. At this rate, we’ll be lucky to survive the next twenty-four hours.

Then a big, blue-skinned alien scoops us up in his arms and takes us to a lush, tropical paradise where he settles us into his home. If I didn’t keep catching him gazing at me with longing, I’d think this stoic guy was a confirmed loner. When he helps us bring Christmas to this strange new world, all to please me and my daughter, I begin to wonder if life here might not be so bad after all. But I was burned in the past. Do I dare trust my heart to someone new?

Khol: My clan didn’t need to banish me. I did it myself, settling on an uninhabited island where I resigned myself to being alone for the rest of my days. But then a ship crashes near my home. I rush there to salvage what I can, only to rescue a woman and her child. As I help them settle into my home, I start wondering if a male such as me is deserving of a life full of love.

I’m falling for Nancy, but I must atone for my past. If I give her and her daughter the holiday they crave, will I be worthy of a new chance at joy?

Thoughts on Khol: A human lady and her daughter get abducted from Earth and dropped on a distant planet. Fortunately for them, the tropical island they get dumped on has a protective (and lonely) alien making his home there. While Khol doesn't feel he deserves a mate thanks to some not-so-great events in his past, he's more than willing to do anything he needs to do to make Nancy and Flora feel safe and cared for while on his island.

Oh, that whole "doesn't deserve a mate thing"? Khol has it in his head that Nancy would be better off with the other humans on the planet and is making plans to take her and Flora to them even though a big part of him REALLY doesn't want to let them go.

So, yeah. Holidays in the tropics with a protective alien male who is trying to shove his own wants down because he doesn't feel he's worthy. Nancy might have built a wall or two around her heart, but Khol's kindness and willingness to always put her and Flora first start to chip away at said wall pretty quickly.

A glorious tropical island, a helpful water spirit, a holiday to remember, a male who has to face his past, and a lady who will do whatever she needs to do to keep her daughter safe. As it turns out, Khol can do just that. *thumbs up*