I Punched an Alien and Now We're in Couples Therapy by Kimberly Lemming [Review]

I Punched an Alien and Now We're in Couples Therapy (Cosmic Chaos #2) by Kimberly Lemming
Format: ebook
Source: provided through NetGalley
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: July 11, 2026

Cosmic Chaos
1. I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com
2. I Punched and Alien and Now We're in Couples Therapy - Paperback | Kindle

Kimberly Lemming
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

It’s not in Blair’s nature to just give up. Not when she’s beamed up to a spaceship and then dropped on an alien planet. Not even when she’s in the middle of a forest fire surrounded by dinosaurs. And definitely not when she’s captured by an arrogant alien king. If King Osid thinks he can break her, he’s in for a shock. Blair lives by one motto: If you stay ready, you never have to get ready.

But absolutely nothing could have prepared her for finding out that she’s that arrogant King Osid’s mate.

Despite recent hiccups, the alien researchers are determined to get their breeding program back on track. With that in mind, Blair and Osid are bundled off to the research center for what they’re told is couples counseling. As they face a series of increasingly dangerous challenges, it soon becomes clear the research aliens may have confused an episode of The Bachelor with Survivor. Bonding over their common enemy, and shall we say...encouraged by love darts, Blair and Osid let down their walls (and take off their clothes). When they discover that there are—somehow—even more secret plans in the works, another hilarious, steamy, over-the-top adventure is in store.

Thoughts on I Punched an Alien and Now We're in Couples Therapy: Another couple are being gently guided toward matedom by bird aliens who are WOEFULLY unprepared for the reality of human ladies who ARE NOT going to sit back and take things gracefully. Nope, Earth girls hit hard and go for the soft spots.

They also destroy enclosures, make friends with dinosaurs, and burn down (with a little help) buildings. Because YEAH THEY DO.

Anywho. We met Blair in Dory's book and Blair is a lot. I want to say that I don't mean that in a bad way, but that lady is terrifying. Just straight up chaos with a side of gleeful destruction. BUT...Osid is kinda the same. He's a good leader overall (as in he really does want his people to thrive), but he rules through fear and he's a little bloodthirsty. I'm laughing because I understated that. He's a lot bloodthirsty. He's the guy who lops off heads and asks questions later.

He's also really into Blair and her chaos demon vibe. The two of them together are gale force winds that leave a path of destruction in their wake. Which might be exactly what the survivors from Osid's planet and the abducted Earth ladies need. Throw in Dory and her men and the combined can-do attitude of the other human abductees and THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN.

Probably good things. Maybe slightly chaotic things. In fact, there might be a straight up uprising against the aliens facilitating all these unhinged meet-cutes. (Also, to be fair to those aliens, Dory and Blair did mess up all their plans by escaping, but what do you expect when you put a bunch of Earthers in an unknown situation. THINGS HAPPEN.)

Dinosaurs, a whole lot of plotting and planning, a little backstabbing, a lady who is very protective of her hair, and a couple who just might have been made for one another. *thumbs up*

Cottonmouth by Naomi Lucas [Review]

Cottonmouth (Naga Brides #6) by Naomi Lucas
Format: paperback
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: April 4, 2026

Naga Brides
1. Viper
2. King Cobra
3. Blue Coral
4. Death Adder
5. Boomslang
6. Cottonmouth - Paperback | Kindle
7. Titanoboa
8. Copperhead
9. Black Mamba

Naomi Lucas
|Website | Amazon|

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Ever since humans arrived, my world has changed. Tensions are high as we quarrel over territory, reforming our fractured clans.

I will have none of it. I did not capture a bride.

But then my world goes dark—and she appears.

A female so lovely she possesses my mind, a bride who blushes every time she catches my eye.

She is sweet.

She is young.

She is everything I am not.

Except nothing is as it seems. I’m no longer in the forest; I’m in a cage. I’m on a ship, far from my nest, wrapped in chains.

And the female?

She is my enemy.

Only… I’m the devious naga who does not care.

Thoughts on Cottonmouth: I really like this series and I absolutely ADORE how feral these naga are when it comes to their special someones. BUT, WOW, was I stressed about all the information being amassed by the scientist in charge of Syasku's imprisonment and "testing". And then there was the whole thing with Asera. Like, bro, no mate is worth the price you're paying to get a little V.

But that's down the road. First up, Syasku and Vivian. He was the naga captured in the previous book. She's on the medical (and I use that term loosely because A LOT of what was done to him was medical in name only) team assigned to manage him. She's also one of the children of the Dreadnaut's commander (who is NOT a good person in any way, shape, or form) and she's almost as trapped as Syasku is. Her dad's desperate to hang onto the power he has and her boss is just plain power-mad. She's caught in a place where her best bet is to remain unnoticed.

Frankly, being unnoticed gets throw out the window when Syasku speaks to her. She's the only one he'll communicate with which puts her in a tough position. A serious of events has her ending up imprisoned in his cell with him and, well, things escalate from there. Soon the two are enjoying their alone time A LOT.

But they're both still prisoners and the people in charge aren't about to let a valuable asset slip through their fingers. Let's just say things get messy and Vivian and Syasku have to fight their way to freedom.

(Also, Asera, no. Just no.)

A whole lot of danger (at pretty much every turn), a rebellion, a very bad woman using every drop of her power to take what she thinks she deserves, a naga who will carve a path through a ship to keep his mate safe (once he heals, that is), and a lady who has found someone worth burning down her world for. *thumbs up*

RtP's Week in Review (08/16/26)

Reading the Paranormal's Week in Review

• Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe [Review] - Serious Mulder/Scully vibes!
• World's Okayest Oracle (Reluctantly) Seeks Demon by Olivia Dade [Review] - Demon/Oracle ROMANCE!!
• Chosen by the Hunter by Lynnea Lee [Review] - Alien love!
• Marc by Anna Hackett [Review] - Next generation love!
• Never Text a Minotaur by Honey Phillips [Review] - Minotaur love!
• Caught by the Drider Stepbrother by Zoe Krave [Review] - Monster love!

Bookish Delights

• Books added to the pile
• None!
• Currently reading
• Trapped with a River God by Sable Rowan

Caught by the Drider Stepbrother by Zoe Krave [Review]

Caught by the Drider Stepbrother (Green World Monster Stepbrothers #5) by Zoe Krave
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: April 5, 2026

Green World Monster Stepbrothers
1. Claimed by the Orc Stepbrother
2. Knotted by the Werewolf Stepbrother
3. Taken by the Minotaur Stepbrother
4. Stuffed by the Dryad Stepbrother
5. Caught by the Drider Stepbrother - Kindle

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
Primal Monster Stepbrothers
1. Stepbrothers of the Green World

Zoe Krave
| Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

As we escaped the dying Earth through the portal, my mother married a Spider Lord to secure our place in the high canopy of the Green World.

That left me living in the shadow of my stepbrother. Arans is a terrifying masterpiece of bronze skin and black obsidian armor, a lethal predator who has spent five years keeping his distance. But when he finds me helpless and trembling in his trap, his restraint shatters. He doesn't want to release me. He wants to claim his prize.

Thoughts on Caught by the Drider Stepbrother: I do enjoy a good non-human hero in a romance and this one gave me that. Arans is half-man, half-spider and he has it baaaaaddddd for Hallie. To be fair, Hallie also had it bad for Arans. They've both been kind of (sort of) keeping this under wraps, but the intense looks can't be contained.

So when Hallie follows Arans one night and gets caught in his sticky web (not a euphemism, mind you, a literal web that is sticky), the two of them can't help but act on these repressed feelings. They both want it. They both have feelings for one another. Hallie is caught and unable to escape (not that she wants to) and THINGS HAPPEN.

Non-human heroes, my friends. They make sure their special someone is having a good time from beginning to end. *thumbs up*

Never Text a Minotaur by Honey Phillips [Review]

Never Text a Minotaur (Wrong Move, Right Monster #2) by Honey Phillips
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: March 31, 2026

Wrong Move, Right Monster
1. Never Kiss a Krampus
2. Never Text a Minotaur - Paperback | Kindle
3. Never Dance with a Demon
4. Never Invite a Vampire to Dinner

Honey Phillips
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

She wanted a ladder. She got a minotaur.

Clara Bellweather’s professional life is a meticulously organized system of color-coded calendars, perfectly cataloged books, and emergency backup bookmarks. Unfortunately, her personal life is a chaotic mess of tripping over air and failed online dates.

In desperate need of a ladder for a reading event, Clara does what any socially awkward librarian would do—she texts her handsome new neighbor. Or, at least, she thinks she texts him.

A series of awkward texts leads to an even more awkward meeting where she discovers that she’s actually been exchanging messages with a massive, horned minotaur. Rion is gruff, reclusive, and intimidating but he's also unexpectedly kind and ridiculously handsome.

After recruiting Rion to help with her event, she starts to realize that the grumpy minotaur might be the only male in town who isn't completely and utterly wrong for her.

The library needs a ladder. The town needs an event. And Clara needs to stop having feelings for a minotaur who's probably allergic to sunshine.

Thoughts on Never Text a Minotaur: Clara's a little bit accident-prone, has a tendency to overthink things, and just accidentally texted the wrong number when trying to ask her neighbor to borrow a ladder. Her texting buddy is a little terse, but a lot knowledgeable about how to fix things like precarious ladders. So, you know, I guess it all worked out for the library display Clara was trying to put together.

To be fair, it also worked out for her. Rion might be guarded and private, but Clara's sweet enthusiasm soon had him agreeing to a meeting. And when she finds out he's a minotaur, she doesn't run screaming in the opposite direction. In fact, she's a little fascinated by the idea of non-human individuals living their lives right under her nose.

And Rion's horns? She REALLY likes those.

Soon Clara's ladder emergency turns into the two cautiously dating and learning everything there is to learn about the other. Frankly, Clara likes everything about Rion except that he has to hide who he is. She thinks he's amazing and she just knows if everyday humans got to know him they'd say the same.

A whole lot of texting, a labyrinthine house, steamy kisses, a withering teacherly put-down, a talented minotaur who is careful in everything he does, and a lady who isn't afraid to embrace life and all it's oddities. *thumbs up*

Marc by Anna Hackett [Review]

Marc (Hunter Squad #3) by Anna Hackett
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: March 29, 2026

Hunter Squad
1. Jameson
2. North
3. Marc - Paperback | Kindle
4. Zeke

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
Hell Squad
1. Marcus

Anna Hackett
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

We survived the invasion and beat the aliens. But they left something behind…

Killing monsters is what I do. Like my father before me, I fight side by side with my twin brother and my squad to protect our people.

Since the invasion, life is dangerous. I know how short it can be, so I live it to the fullest. I work hard on Hunter Squad, I party harder, I love a joke and a good time, and I never get tangled up in relationships. I watched my father’s grief at losing his brother. I almost lost my own twin. I’ll never let myself get in too deep.

Then our squad’s pilot crashes alone in monster-infested mountains.

Tiny, opinionated Colbie who’s the best pilot I know. A fierce redhead who never hesitates to stand up to me.

Everything changes. Every protective instinct I have is in overdrive. I have to find her and bring her home.

I’ll risk it all—monsters, raging rivers, dangerous terrain—but when the two of us are alone and fighting for survival, I realize that what’s most at risk is the one thing I’ve always guarded—my heart.

Thoughts on Marc: We're back with the HS crew as they work on making this alien ravaged Earth a little safer for the humans who've survived. This time around we have Marc and Colbie. He's convinced himself that caring for someone is outside his wheelhouse (because the world is a dangerous place and people inevitably get lost) and he pushes any and all inconvenient feelings he might have for Colbie down. She likes the big guy, but she's not willing to be just a notch on Marc's headboard.

Then Colbie's copter is brought down in monster-infested territory and suddenly they're both facing the idea that they might have missed out on something good by not acting on their feelings. Also, Colbie's alone, afraid, and fighting to stay alive long enough for Hunter Squad to find her. Which, you know, is rough.

But find her they do! Then, she and Marc end up separated from the rest of the group and have to seek shelter in the abandoned Blue Mountain base. Which is downright awesome because I LOVE revisiting decaying settings like that. On the downside, the base has its fair share of monsters that have taken up residence in it and Colbie and Marc have their hands full keeping themselves alive.

A little danger, some freaky new alien hybrids, familiar faces, a man who has to confront his fears before he loses the only woman he's ever had feelings for, and a lady who isn't willing to sit back if it means leaving her loved ones unprotected. *thumbs up*

Chosen by the Hunter by Lynnea Lee [Review]

Chosen by the Hunter (Xarc'n Warriors #14) by Lynnea Lee
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: March 21, 2026

Xarc'n Warriors
0.5. Pursued by the Hunter
1. Claimed by the Hunter
2. Wanted by the Hunter
3. Taken by the Hunter
4. Cherished by the Hunter
5. Rescued by the Hunter
6. Stolen by the Hunter
7. Captured by the Hunter
8. Protected by the Hunter
8.5. Hunter's Valentine
9. Desired by the Hunter
10. Coveted by the Hunter
11. Craved by the Hunter
12. Treasured by the Hunter
13. Fated to the Hunter
13.5. Holly and the Hunter
14. Chosen by the Hunter - Kindle

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
Xarc'n Warriors: Mountains
1. Hunter's Quest

Lynnea Lee
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

I blame the moonshine. AKA, I kissed a Xarc’n warrior and I liked it.
One moment, I’m strolling home, midnight snack in hand, and the next I’m smooshed against a broad, purple chest, tongue tangled with a Xarc’n warrior. “Drunkenly Taste-test an Alien” achievement unlocked!

What follows is a flirty game of cat and mouse that makes me feel young and ready to make questionable life choices again. Ror’k wakes up a part of me I thought I buried right next to my divorce papers. Wanting the horned and fanged silver fox is easy. Trusting again? Not so much.

But New Franklin has bigger problems than my accidental alien make-out session. Supplies are disappearing, people are getting jumpy, and someone in our cozy little settlement is up to no good. We need to get to the bottom of this before the summer swarms or New Franklin’s in serious trouble.

Thoughts on Chosen by the Hunter: Oh-ho! A silver fox warrior finds his special someone and YESSS! I am here for it!

Ror'k is in a weird headspace when we first meet him. He's one of the older warriors who spent most of his time aboard one of the Xarc'n motherships after being injured. While he was overseer (which is both important and fancy!) of his ship, he sees himself as less than the warriors out there fighting the scourge since he's, you know, not fighting beside them. Just to make this a double whammy for the poor guy, his mothership was the one that was lost previously so now he's also an overseer without a ship.

Yeah, he's dealing with a few things.

BUT...then Dottie runs into him (literally) after sampling some homemade hooch and plants a big ole kiss on the big guy and now he has something besides his "failures" to occupy his mind. Yep, one sassy librarian who always seems to be one step ahead is all he can think about.

On Dottie's end, she's not looking for romance. Or so she thinks. I mean, whenever these two get close to one another they seem to find themselves kissing so there mayyyyybe there could be a little romance. For all she keeps telling herself she isn't looking for anything long term (been there, done that, she says), Ror'k makes her feel safe and seen. Yup, she likes the big guy with his rippling muscles and silvered hair and determined focus.

A little thievery, a slight case of kidnapping (adultnapping?), KITTENS!, a little danger, a warrior who doesn't see in himself what others see, and a lady who can hold her own against the sexy male who keeps chasing her. *thumbs up*