Samhain Publishing, $4.50, ISBN 1-60504-206-4
Sci-fi Romance, 2008
I think I am missing something here. Taken Unaware refers to this alien invasion that took place 25 years before this story took place. The heroine Leah Parisi is convinced that the aliens, Dar, are back because she overheard some government people talking about it in a bar. This happened before the story begins. Is this book some kind of sequel?
Shortly after the story opens, Leah is startled by our hero, Gabriel, when he happens to be hiding in the bushes from sinister men from who knows what and she accidentally stumbles upon him. What happens next is that Leah learns that there is some kind of plot afoot involving the Dars, who are trying to get back at Earth for their previous defeat, only in a more subtle manner this time around, and that Gabriel may be the only person who can thwart the Dars. Leah naturally goes along for the ride.
This one will feel pretty familiar if you have read anything about all these paranormal alien hunks that go all the way back to the boom of such romances in the 1990’s, especially that part where instantaneous lust is passed off as some kind of emotional bond. The hero and the heroine are fun to follow but they are also on the underdeveloped side. However, a reader familiar with the tropes they represent can easily use what they know about clichés to fill in the blanks where these characters are concerned.
The alien invasion plot unfolds in a pretty interesting manner, but still, I can’t help feeling that I am missing some crucial information that will help me understand the story or the characters better. This is a readable story that has its moments, but I also feel as if I’ve arrived during the middle of the party.
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