Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Review: Alpha Star by Elsa Jade

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Title: Alpha Star
Series: Intergalactic Dating Agency, Big Sky Alien Mail Order Brides
Author: Elsa Jade
Read copy: eBook (Kindle)
Published: September 28, 2016
Publisher: Red Circle Ink
ASIN: B01LXWGJB1

He will be lord of his own solar system, but he can’t claim the homeworld until he takes a bride. He needs the right mate to win his mating rings, but choosing one female from among the neighboring systems while slighting the others could start an interstellar incident—and this ex-mercenary starship captain has finally had enough of war. Where in the universe can a runaway cyborg prince find a naïve female willing to risk her life on the dangerous frontiers of space?

My rating:

The matriarch of the clan has bequeathed Sin, the fifth son of a fourth son of an eighth son, a solar system. The only condition to claim said solar system is that he gets a bride. And the easiest way to get a bride is to ask the Intergalactic Dating Agency for help.

Even before they reach Earth, Sin gets the good news. They found his match. And she's perfect for him...But when he goes to meet her, and take her with him onto his spaceship, he realizes Zoe has no idea what he's talking about. And she has no intention of being his bride. She has no intention of even dating him, least of all mating him.

So Sin does the gentleman-y thing (probably for the first time in his life) and leaves. But there's one peculiar thing about a fated match: you don't mess with Fate.


I loved this story. Loved it to bits. It had it all. Sexy hunk of a hero, a spunky heroine, sweet and hot romance, alien tech, fraternal rivalry and a little bit of suspense-driven damsel-in-distress-ing.

There weren't as many faux pas due to cultural differences and language barriers as in the previous two stories, and I must say it worked very well without that (unnecessary) repetition. The two leads were awesome, their first encounter funny, and their budding romance cute and sweet as heck, until it went hot. Really hot. Sin was a sweetheart with a merc mentality, but a heart of gold and a code of honor that knocked that merc-mentality out cold when the moment called for it. Zoe was your typical non-believer Earthling, but with a solid head on her shoulders and a sharp mind that didn't let her be blind or in denial for too long. She had her issues (thanks to the brick to the head incident) that held her back for the duration of the story, but it didn't make her whiny or idiotic. She actually came through as pragmatic and a realist, which is a breath of fresh air in a romance. Especially one involving drop-dead gorgeous aliens. 😉
The supporting cast didn't have much of a role, except to propel the story forward with nicely-timed explanations or expository scenes; I still loved Sin's two crew mates, Honey and Ivan, though. I hope their stories are the two remaining ones in this mini series, because I'd love to see more of them.

I loved the narrative style and voice, the pacing was spot-on (maybe the whole thing dragged a little in the second half, during the "suspense" part, but I didn't mind, since I knew the ending was near), the characters were rather well fleshed-out, and the premise worked well. Overall, a great story.

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