Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Seeking absolution for his past in a fiery death, a young space force pilot crashes his ship on a desert planet.

Willing to take the ultimate risk, Jem’s plan to disappear undergoes a strange twist. He awakens on a mysterious planet where the people claim him as one of their own, but it’s downright laughable. Jem isn’t submissive, no matter what they say. He can’t give birth, no matter what they say. But he’ll play their game—for a while—because his life depends on it.

Willing to make the ultimate gesture, King Ellis agrees to marry the part-human Xolani, Jem. He is a lonely ruler, thrust into the role too young, but he knows destiny when he feels it. Something led him to Jem, and he won’t abandon him, no matter what or who comes for him. But duty is one thing—falling in love is another.

Jem knows he can’t hide his true identity forever. And when the brutal monster he’s running from finally finds him, he’ll be the only one who can stop him and save his family.

As long as he’s willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

 

 

First edition published under the title 'Pretty Human' at Pride Publishing, February 2016. It has been rewritten to align more closely with the author’s current brand and expanded by approximately 27,000 words.

Book Review

Not an easy or straightforward read, ‘The Alien's Pretty Vagabond’ is fascinating in its mystery and disquieting in what it says about human nature. Set on a faraway planet, in a distant future, what is going on was not clear initially and took some getting used to. The world building is good and intriguing, the characters are introduced gradually, and the background is revealed slowly enough to maintain a certain suspense while ensuring the flood of information does not overwhelm. The main characters are from very different backgrounds, yet feel drawn to each other, and the truth of what is going on isn’t revealed until the final third of the novel.

Jem is shrouded in secrets, things he is trying to forget, but that will catch up with him, sometimes at the most unexpected moments. At the beginning of the novel he intends to kill himself, but when he doesn’t succeed, forgetting who he is and what he has done is the next best thing. Jem will do anything for his new life, one where he is safe and loved. He discovers that he is part Xolan, a Xolani who is “made to obey”, and while he thinks he wants to be like a Xolani on the one hand, he struggles against it on the other. After all, he is three-quarters human, and I believe his willingness to obey Ellis is an act of desperation, and maybe hope for a new life. The fact that Ellis meets out corporal punishment, in line with the laws that he says he doesn’t believe in, did not sit easy with me. But – by the end of the book I could see why he did it and while I still did not like it, at least there was a certain logic to it.

Ellis is a man living his life out in the open, supposedly without secrets. He has become king at too young an age because his parents died in a car accident. He feels attracted to Jem despite an unwillingness to become tied to a Xolani. But even though he falls in love, he uses a belt on Jem when punishment is required – not something I understood until the very end of the book. Ellis does stand by Jem though, when his past comes to catch up with him, and I have to give him credit for that.

Jem and Ellis do not have an easy relationship. Ellis loves Jem, all of him, while Jem cannot believe or fully trust him. Based on what emerges about Jem’s past, I can’t say I blame him. Jem’s final “test” is as brutal as expected, but the way he reconciles himself with who and what he used to be, then stands up and fights that is well done. Please do heed the publisher’s warnings – abuse, rape, and torture are an integral part of this story and rather graphic at times.

If you like the grittier side of science fiction, if a human discovering he is part alien and born not only to be submissive but also to carry children, and if you’re looking for a read full of mystery, suspense, extremely cruel enemies, and a psychologically and physically challenging fight for freedom of a man who never wanted to be what his enemies made him, then you might like this novel.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The first edition of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 394 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	25-October-2023
Price	$5.99 ebook, $17.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Aliens-Pretty-Vagabond-Scifi-Romance-ebook/dp/B0CJZCF9BT