Smitten by the Alien Saloon Owner by Ursa Dax [Review]

Smitten by the Alien Saloon Owner (Cowboy Colony Mail-Order Brides #7) by Ursa Dax
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: November 28, 2025

Cowboy Colony Mail-Order Brides
1. Married to the Alien Cowboy
2. Wrangled by the Alien Rancher
3. Resisting the Alien Rider
4. Wanted by the Alien Warden
5. Married to the Alien Mountain Man
6. Rescued by the Alien Bull Rider
7. Smitten by the Alien Saloon Owner - Paperback | Kindle
8. Longing for the Alien Lawman
9. Bound by the Alien Buckaroo

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
Holiday Romances of Elora Station
1. Chimera for Christmas

Ursa Dax
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

A gentle alien saloon owner. An artist searching for a softer life. And the love that neither of them ever dared to hope for…

Capitalism and chronic illness are not a good mix. When my debilitating migraines get me fired from my factory job, I’m desperate. For a change. A chance. The space to think, rest, and paint like I’ve always wanted. I’ve never managed to make money from my art or secure a patron. So this new mail-order bride program on Zabria Prinar One now feels like the best (and only) way to escape my imploding life.

I sign up as a participant even though marriage is the last thing on my mind.

But then I meet Rivven, the quiet, lonely alien saloon owner who takes care of me when yet another migraine strikes. He’s sweet, strong, and generous beyond belief – offering me his bed to sleep in and his best bucket to barf in.

There are other men, too. Xennet and Dorn. Record snowfall has delayed their arrival at the saloon, but they should be here within a week.

In just a few days, I’ll have to choose which alien cowboy I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. I need to give each of them a fair chance.

Even though I think I might already be smitten by one…

Thoughts on Smitten by the Alien Saloon Owner: These Zabrians are all total sweethearts and Rivven is no exception. He's sweet, caring, hardworking, and absolutely WORSHIPS Shiloh pretty much as soon as he meets her. No lie, I'm super excited that we're getting to spend more time with the different cowboys on Zabria Prinar.

So. Shiloh and Rivven. She's a human lady who's enraptured with the sky and landscape of the planet the first time she sees a picture of Zabria Prinar. Applying for the bride program seems like a no-brainer since she's currently out of a job (thanks to the gross foreman) and this planet offers opportunities she wouldn't otherwise have. That said, the fact she'd be marrying one of the men on the planet doesn't really hit Shiloh until she's met Rivven and realizes he's all in on this idea of marriage.

As for Rivven, he's trying not to get his hopes up with the first human woman coming to their zone, but Shiloh calls to him from the moment he sees her. She's suffering from a migraine, is barely aware of what's going on, and he wants nothing more than to comfort and protect her. His constant, gentle presence has her looking at him in a way she didn't expect to and it isn't long before she starts to realize this kind, incredible male might be the best thing that's ever happened to her.

A few adorably awkward moments, a couple of familiar faces (Tenn and Tasha!), a male who wants nothing more than to cherish the incredible woman who lights up his life, and a lady who finds more than a little creative inspiration on this wide-open planet! MAN, I like these sweet, awkward aliens!

RtP's Week in Review (03/29/26)

Reading the Paranormal's Week in Review

• Baby for the Alien Warrior by Honey Phillips [Review] - Alien love!
• Pillow Talk Killer by London Lovett [Review] - Back on Frostfall!
• Tentacles and Truffles by Aly Tatum [Review] - Alien loving x 3!
• Tentacles and Troubles by Aly Tatum [Review] - Alien loving and beauracracy!
• Bleed for Cupid by Aiden Pierce [Review] - Monster love!
• RtP's 2026 Series Tracking - January-March - Let's track some series!

Bookish Delights

• Books added to the pile
• World's Okayest Oracle (Reluctantly) Seeks Demon (Supernatural Entanglements #2) by Olivia Dade - For review!
• I Punched an Alien and Now We're in Couples Therapy (Cosmic Chaos #2) by Kimberly Lemming - For review!
• Welcome to Murder Week by Karen Dukess
• Sky Daddy by Kate Folk
• Currently reading
• Marc by Anna Hackett

RtP's 2026 Series Tracking - January-March

While I'm not hosting an official Seriously Series Challenge this year, I liked being able to track series I've completed. So... here we are. Tracking some series.

By category:
Series started in 2026: 10/3
Series started before 2026: 21/9
Series rereads: 1/1

By month:
January

• Started in 2026:
• Completed: 6
• The Bastion (Chained, Ravished)
• Falling for the Monster (Curses and Cornstalks)
• Halloween Heat (Heat with the Hellhound, Hellhound's Obsession, Submitting to the Hellhound)
• Improbable Meet-Cute (The Exception to the Rule, Worst Wingman Ever, Rosie and the Dreamboat, Drop, Cover, and Hold On, With Any Luck, Royal Valentine)
• Protector to Predator (The Gargoyle's Prey Thing, The Werewolf's Prey Thing, The Vampire's Prey Thing, The Monster's Prey Thing, The Demon's Prey Thing)
• Unholy Holidays (Knot Today Satan, Knot Again Satan)
• In progress: -none-
• Started before 2026:
• Completed: 11
• Beneath the Wild Sky (Take a Hike)
• Daddy Issues (Kissed and Missed)
• Firefly Junction (Shock at the Sweetheart Ball)
• Harmony (Enter the Nightmare)
• Harvest Moon (The Fog, Aspen)
• Holiday Horrors (Bend for Balor)
• The Honey Badger Chronicles (To Kill a Badger)
• Hot Wolf (Hot Wolf in the Country)
• Knotty Fairytales (Knotted by the Beast)
• Lunar Station Eros (Tentacles and Troubles)
• Nightmare Acres (Nightmare Acres)
• In progress: 2
• Alien Wolf Tales (Alien Song)
• Monster Security Agency (Guarded by the Snake, Guarded by the Spider, Guarded by the Kraken, Guarded by the Leshy, Guarded by the Vodnik)
• Rereads:
• Completed: -none-
• In progress: -none-

February

• Started in 2026:
• Completed: 2
• Improbable Meet-Cute: Second Chances (Accidentally Yours, Time Will Tell, Second Act Romance, A Play for Love, Death to Valentine's Day, Valentine's Slay)
• Witches Love Monsters (Oops! I Summoned a Liderc, Oops! I Summoned a Metamorphic Monster, Oops! I Summoned a Demonic Merman, Oops! I Summoned a Night Demon)
• In progress: 2
• Hook Trilogy (Hook, Line, and Tentacles)
• Hot Under the Collar (Downward Wolf, Alpha-Bet Soup, How to Housebreak Your Werewolf, Emotional Support Alpha, Bite My Wiener)
• Started before 2026:
• Completed: 5
• Groom & Doom (The Mermaid in the Shot Glass)
• Hidden Legacy (Beast Business)
• Mate Hunted (The Artsy Girl's Guide to Mating with a Werewolf, The Independent Girl's Guide to Mating with a Werewolf, The Friendly Girl's Guide to Mating with a Werewolf, The Logical Girl's Guide to Mating with a Werewolf, The Hungry Girl's Guide to Mating with a Werewolf)
• Seasons of the Pack (Peppermint Pines Pack)
• Tallean Mercenaries (A Hope for Ranek)
• In progress: 2
• Alien Wolf Tales (Alien's Bargain)
• Monster Security Agency (Guarded by the Nightmare, Guarded by the Reaper, Guarded by the Phantom, Guarded by the Krampus, Guarded by the Yeti, Guarded by the AI)
• Rereads:
• Completed: 1
• Breach Wars (The Inheritance)
• In progress: -none-

March

• Started in 2026:
• Completed: 2
• Hot Under the Collar (Bite Me Twice)
• Taken by the Stars (Heart of the Deep, Starbound, Breach Protocol, The Queen's Shadow, The Captain's Claim)
• In progress: 1
• Hook Trilogy (Sucker for Love)
• Started before 2026:
• Completed: 5
• Aspect and Anchor (Vowed to the Vulture God)
• Cowboy Colony Mail-Order Brides (Longing for the Alien Lawman)
• Masked Men (Puck Me Dead)
• Supernatural Entanglements (World's Okayest Oracle (Reluctantly) Seeks Demon)
• Xarc'n Warriors (Chosen by the Hunter)
• In progress: -none-
• Rereads:
• Completed: -none-
• In progress: -none-

Series Rereads (Annual Roundup)

• Completed: 1
• Breach Wars by Ilona Andrews

Bleed for Cupid by Aiden Pierce [Review]

Bleed for Cupid (Holiday Horrors #2) by Aiden Pierce
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: November 19, 2025

Holiday Horrors
1. Burn for Jack
2. Bleed for Cupid - Paperback | Kindle
3. Prey for Rabbit
4. Cry for Krampus
5. Bend for Balor

Aiden Pierce
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Roses are red, violets are blue. Hide your heart, little bird. Cupid’s Arrow is coming for you.

Callum is more than the CEO of Cupid Inc., the company that manufactures “love” potions and sells them to mateless supernaturals who want to take “fate” into their own hands. He’s an angel. Literally.

But even the devil came from Heaven.

So it’s just my luck that he also happens to be my boss… Until he discovers that I’m a mole for the organization protesting his company. Suddenly, I find myself as the test bunny for his most potent product yet: Cupid’s Arrow. And my mate-to-be? Callum himself.

Call it vengeance. Call it an insane marketing stunt. Call it fate. Whatever it is…

There’s no escaping Cupid Inc.’s dark angel and his terrifying brand of love.

Thoughts on Bleed for Cupid: Robin is in a tricky situation. She's feeding information about Cupid's Arrow to human protestors and she's both a little afraid and a lot in love with her boss. She doesn't think Callum is the heartless individual the protestors are painting him as, but the idea of this formula being created that basically roofies humans to fall for a supernatural doesn't sit well with her.

Callum is aloof, intimidating, and keeps his distance as best he can. Then he finds out Robin's the mole and now he has to deal with this egregious betrayal while also not wanting to completely destroy her. Because, yeah, he kind of has a thing for his assistant. A kind of big thing. So he doses her with the very drug she's trying to stop his company from making and, umm, things don't go quite as he expected.

Mostly because artificially trying to create something that is already present is maybe a little pointless. Yup, Robin doesn't need to be roofied because she's already into Callum. Really into him. Now they just have to set some boundaries, figure out what they're going to do with this info, and make things happen.

An angel with a little darkness, a lady who matches him, and a very eventful encounter that gives everybody all the things they didn't know they were looking for. *thumbs up*

Tentacles and Troubles by Aly Tatum [Review]

Tentacles and Troubles (Lunar Station Eros #2) by Aly Tatum
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: January 2, 2026

Lunar Station Eros
1. Tentacles and Truffles
2. Tentacles and Troubles - Kindle

Aly Tatum
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

When an Emperor demands his son choose between love and legacy, a café owner armed with coffee and conviction proves that the fiercest revolutions start at home.
Hailey Calloway never meant to fall in love with three extraordinary beings. She definitely never meant to become the center of an interstellar incident. But when Imperial forces arrive to "reclaim" Prince Kael'ith from what they call contamination, she discovers that protecting her pack requires more than passion—it requires paperwork, courage, and an unshakeable belief that chosen bonds matter more than bloodlines.

Between rescuing her kidnapped bot from black market dealers, facing down an Emperor in her own café, and navigating the beautiful complexity of a four-person relationship that includes tentacle collection protocols and cyborg anxiety, Hailey learns that building a family isn't about perfection. It's about showing up. Choosing each other. And sometimes, weaponizing hospitality until even Emperors back down.

Because when you're bonded to:

- A Cephaloid scientist who expresses love through meticulous documentation
- A cyborg learning that emotions aren't weaknesses
- A prince willing to trade a throne for truth

...surrender isn't an option. Not when home is worth fighting for.

Thoughts on Tentacles and Troubles: The foursome that managed to shed their inhibitions and reservations thanks to a very helpful bot and some aphrodisiac-laced chocolates now has to fight for this thing blossoming between them. They also need to figure out how to rescue Hailey's bot from unscrupulous dealers. There's might also be a little matter of an insurance investigator and the damage done to her cafe when the Imperial forces tried to forcibly take Prince Kael'ith back.

Let's just say that a four-person relationship is complicated on every level.

Fortunately, Hailey and her men are more than willing to face those complications head-on. Facing those complications, as it turns out, involves aggressive kindness and a thorough understanding of the rules and regulations of the station they live on. Also, making a good cup of coffee.

While all this is going on, the group is also developing clear channels of communication with one another, a willingness to embrace their quirks in all shapes and forms, and accepting that their sassy, meticulously organized helper bot is going to offer suggestions and schedules for all things involving their relationship. Because they're ALL a big messy family now and this family likes to optimize cuddling and other varied relationship markers to ensure all members are happy and healthy. *thumbs up*

Tentacles and Truffles by Aly Tatum [Review]

Tentacles and Truffles (Lunar Station Eros #1) by Aly Tatum
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: November 14, 2025

Lunar Station Eros
1. Tentacles and Truffles - Kindle
2. Tentacles and Troubles

Aly Tatum
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

When a chocolatier’s cosmic confections unleash an irresistible brew of tangled tentacles, glitchy cybernetics, and royal pheromones, love on Lunar Station Eros becomes anything but ordinary.

Hailey Calloway thought running Sweet Nebula—the coziest café on Lunar Station Eros—was wild enough. But one Valentine’s Day, a mischievous PA’s botched recipe accidentally turns her signature truffles into dangerously potent aphrodisiacs. Now, Hailey can’t stop blushing under the combined affections of three utterly different men:

• Xy’lan, the brilliant alien scholar whose tentacles betray his hidden feelings.
• Ronan Garret, a stoic bio-mechanical assassin struggling with emotions he’s never dared to embrace.
• Prince Kael’ith, a glamorous rogue royal whose pheromones mask a surprising vulnerability.

Locked inside her café until she finds a cure, Hailey realizes she’s not the only target of this chocolate-fueled fiasco—Xy’lan, Ronan, and Kael’ith have equal (and sometimes highly flammable) interest in each other, too. When the antidote finally materializes, they all face a choice: sacrifice these edgy, life-altering desires or let a Valentine’s accident become the sweetest discovery of their lives.

Thoughts on Tentacles and Truffles: A helpful bot's ingredient substitution has Hailey and the three alien men she's attracted to buzzing. Actually, it's more than just the fur of them. There are multiple individuals on the station looking for alone time with their chosen special someone as Hailey's Valentine truffles work their magic.

But Hailey? She has three wildly different men looking at her and each other like there's a whole lot they want to explore. So these four do what any group would do when dosed with an aphrodisiac. They enjoy it while it lasts.

Xy'lan, Ronan, and Kael'ith are adventurous, creative, and willing to explore this thing brewing between them. Hailey gets to not only enjoy them individually, but watch them enjoying each other, as well. Which she is VERY into. BUT...they're also a group trying to navigate a new dynamic and they're careful with one another as they learn what boundaries to push and lines to cross.

Some potent honey, more than a few longing looks, a cafe that will likely need to be sanitized DEEPLY before Hailey can reopen, and four individuals who are willing to throw caution to the wind and see where this attraction takes them. *thumbs up*

Pillow Talk Killer by London Lovett [Review]

Pillow Talk Killer (Frostfall Island #8) by London Lovett
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: November 18, 2025

Frostfall Island
1. Murder at North Pond
2. Death by Rocky Road
3. Ice Cold Killer
4. Bakery Bump Off
5. Harvest Moon Misfortune
6. Candlelit Calamity
7. Killing at the Kite Fair
8. Pillow Talk Killer - Paperback | Kindle

London Lovett
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

The PTK strikes again!

The notorious Pillow Talk Killer has been terrorizing the city for years. They’ve struck again, and now, the monster has come to Frostfall Island. Anna St. James never hesitates to jump into an island murder case, but this is different—a cunning, vicious serial killer who has evaded the police for years leaves no room for error.

Anna’s seen it all in her quest to bring killers to justice, but even Anna isn’t prepared for the shocking twist that awaits her this time.

Thoughts on Pillow Talk Killer: Full disclosure, I have a very difficult time talking myself into picking up the final book in a series. Not because I think it won't live up to the rest of the series or anything, but because I don't want to let series I've enjoyed go. So I'm patting myself on the back for convincing my unruly brain to dive in and watch it all play out.

And BOY did Anna have a lot to deal with. I mean, the PTK case has stumped the police and driven a dedicated homicide detective out of the force because not being able to catch the killer ate at him until he couldn't handle it. Nate's healed since those early days, but every time the PTK claims another victim his failure in stopping them hits him all over again.

Now PTK has come to the island and Anna is absolutely not going to sit idly by when she's 100% sure the police have arrested the wrong person. She starts following clues and her gut and puts herself in danger to find the truth.

No lie, this was a solid ending to Anna's series. She got closure on more than one front, saved the day (again!), and helped keep someone who matters to her out of prison. GOOD STUFF all around.