Celenk by Honey Phillips [Review]

Celenk (How the Aliens Were Won #5) by Honey Phillips
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: April 14, 2024

How the Aliens Were Won
1. Borgaz
2. Temel
3. Naffon
4. S'kal
5. Celenk - Paperback | Kindle
6. Kalpar
7. H'zim
8. Tomlin

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
Seven Brides for Seven Alien Brothers
1. Artek

Honey Phillips
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

A cynical alien, a weary woman, and a secret mission…

Disillusioned by the war, Celenk now uses the skills he learned for profit. He takes whatever jobs are offered, no questions asked. Infiltrate a remote farming community to gather information? No problem. Finding someone to act as his mate is a little more difficult - until a quiet little waitress catches his eye.

Lottie is tired of low pay, long hours, and the drudgery of her life in the city. When one of her customers offers her a chance to escape, she doesn’t hesitate - even if means pretending to be madly in love with a huge reptilian alien.

They know very little about each other, but the more time that they spend together, the less their relationship feels like an act. But Celenk still has a job to complete, one that means betraying the female, and the community, he’s beginning to love…

Thoughts on Celenk: Things are getting interesting for the aliens on the farm when an unscrupulous man in the city hires Celenk to do some secret surveying of their land. What does said unscrupulous man want with this information? Well, that remains to be seen. But he does want it and he's willing to do what needs to be done to get it. And by that I mean he's willing to hire men and aliens and send them out to the farm on the sly for (probably) nefarious reasons.

Celenk is one of those aliens. He doesn't know what his current boss wants and he isn't planning on finding out. He's going to go in, get the info, and get out. Then Lottie happens. She's sweet. She trusts him. And he likes her. A lot. More than a lot. Playing pretend mates isn't a hardship until it is. Because, you know Celenk might want more than just playing pretend.

On Lottie's end, she's hanging on by a thread and Celenk's offer to act as his pretend wife is a better offer than she's had in a long time. So she says yes and soon they're sharing space as they travel to their new (albeit temporary) home. It doesn't take long before sharing space leads to sharing other things. And along the way Lottie falls hard and fast for the big alien. Once they get to the farm, things just get more intense.

A little bending of the truth, a big-city man who wants the aliens' land (I think), a little danger, a, honorable ex-soldier who doesn't think he deserves the woman with him, and a woman who is smart enough to grab onto her future with both hands when it gets within reach. *thumbs up*