Review: Vividly Depicted Sci-Fi Romance With Likable Characters
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 6, 2013
As a fan of the sci-fi genre I was immediately drawn to this story and its premise.  Alien, Mine nicely combines fast-paced action with a hot romance and vivid worldbuilding in a story of a fish out of water who's forced into making a new life for herself after she's stolen from her old one.  Luckily she has the support of a domineering man who's immediately attracted to her and a group of aliens enamored of her uniqueness and emotional fortitude in standing beside them in battle.Sandrea wakes up with virtually no memory of her past but knows she must save the aliens being tortured alongside her.  This immediately earns their respect and her a new home as her past slowly returns and she discovers that the world she once knew is gone.  Her emotional strength helps her accept her fate quickly and she soon takes up arms in support of the people she now considers friends.  With no military past she easily acquaints herself with warfare and dives head-on into the bloodshed as she realizes she's a pawn in an enemy race's battle for supremacy.  With her life in jeopardy it's the serious and commanding Mhartak keeping her safe as he takes her under his wing and claims her as his own.  She's immediately drawn to his caring and compassionate nature and struggles to make him understand that two very different people can come together as one and create something meaningful and long-lasting.Mhartak is used to giving commands that are immediately heeded.  The outspoken and strong-willed Sandrea therefore confuses him as he's the one doing her bidding.  He's never felt such a strong attraction as he does for her ever before as they embark on a battle of the species in the realm of romance.  He's an unexpected kind of hero in that his looks are somewhat reptilian which fits in nicely with the sci-fi theme.  Most authors have their alien species look somewhat similar to humans but I applaud Ms. Harris being true to the genre.  Mhartak is charming, sweet, and constantly worried that his strength will hurt her.  He also worries that she's clinging to him out of fear of the unknown which means it's up to her to start their romantic relationship as she takes the lead in their encounters.  Their journey to a HEA goes through a few emotional upheavals as she discovers other humans and he fears he can't compare but ultimately ends in an uplifting and immensely satisfying way.The story starts off a bit slow with a few action sequences coming out of nowhere to bring out the GI Jane in Sandrea.  The remainder of the story is intriguing but I never felt completely immersed in the story as it seemed to go on too long.  The worldbuilding is vividly depicted though with the different alien species adding an exotic element to the story.  The secondary characters have distinct and colorful personalities and it's easy to see why Sandrea could immediately befriend them.  The romance is hot with sexual tension that builds from the very moment the hero and heroine meet amidst action sequences that are exciting with heart-pounding life and death situations.  Fans of sci-fi will find this a worthy addition to the genre and I look forward to Ms. Harris' future works.