Review: When an Alien Scientist Gets Lost in the Oregon Wilderness And a Human Scientist Finds Her, Love Is Their Discovery
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 6, 2012
I really enjoyed how this story developed.  Its a well-written Sci-fi depicting what happens when an alien race quietly tries to study earth and one of the members of the scientific team gets away from the group and is discovered by a human.  The world-building of the alien race was easy to follow since explanations came steadily throughout the story instead of one long monologue at the beginning.The characters' personalities and situations were established for some time before they actually come in contact with each other and then their relationship developed at a believable rate as they first had the culture/language barrier and then that period of just exploring their differences and similarities before it grew into something of a romantic nature.Not to say physical attraction wasn't there pretty soon after they met though Kent is a bear about it because he's recently sworn off women and here at his campsite remote from civilization he is joined by a female.Kent is a biology professor and scientist who was very athletic and rugged liking to bike and camp out far off the beaten path.  He is startled by Povre's differences when he first sees them, but soon adjusts to appreciating her exotic beauty and her sweet curious spirit.  Povre is of a race that has some psychic ability and she senses many things in Kent's emotions.  At first his anger frightens her, but then he becomes protective and kind.After getting over their mutual surprise, the rest of the story's action is about dogging all the government and non-government groups interested in capturing Povre for their own obvious reasons.  And at the same time, they grow closer knowing that Povre's people will probably come for her and they will be separated and there is always the fear that she'll be discovered and captured.From time to time, the story shifts to a third character, Povre's mission leader and father who was forced to leave her behind when she wandered away from their exploration group.  He follows protocol and gets the others back to their ship and safety even while despairing over his daughter's absence.  He knows that if she is captured, she will not be treated well.The plot held no surprises for me and it was simplistic, but that was fine with me because it allowed me to focus on the developing romance between Kent and Povre.  They really were good together.  He was trustworthy and strong for her while at the same time he was tender and understanding of what she was going through.  Povre helped heal Kent's bruised heart, gave him someone to protect and love as well as showed him the delights of discovering something for the first time when he watched Povre enjoy nature.  What I really thought was interesting is that though both are humanoid and share enough characteristics to be compatible, this truly is an alien romance.  They really saw each other's souls under all the surface differences.It was a nice read and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a light Sci-Fi Romance.