Touched by an Alien {book review} * * * * 1/2

Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch

- sci-fi, romance -

reviewed by Tara SG

purchased eBook via Amazon.com

Book Order (Katherine “Kitty” Katt)

1. Touched by an Alien * * * * 1/2
2. Alien Tango (Dec 7, 2010)
3. Alien in the Family (April 5, 2011)

Links

Author’s Website : www.ginikoch.com

Amazon : paperback / eBook

Add To Your GoodReads TBR List (161 review : 3.86 avg)

This book in 6 words:

swooned with non-stop laughs and action

Why did I read this? And am I glad I did?

I saw this on multiple blogs before I decided to not judge the book by it’s title and give it a try. I LOVED THIS BOOK! I’m buying a copy for my aunt for Hanukkah (I hope she doesn’t read this because she’s my only Jewish aunt and it will ruin the surprise) and probably for my sister and at least one friend. I honestly don’t remember the last time I laughed so much. I stayed up until 4am the night after I had slept 3 hours (thanks to the HP premier) because I was wide awake laughing my ass while they were fighting off deadly, gross aliens.

The only reason I won’t be reading the next book the day it comes out is because the final VA book is released the same day and I cannot possibly wait for that one (so this will have to wait until that Wednesday). I also delayed writing this because I was going to reread the book before reviewing it, but then decided to wait to reread it when the next book comes out.

Brief Summary

How can a sexy marketing manager join forces with an Alpha Centauri male in Armani to save the planet-using hairspray, a Mont Blanc pen, and rock n’ roll?

Easy…

She’s Touched by an Alien

Marketing manager Katherine “Kitty” Katt steps into the middle of what appears to be a domestic dispute turned ugly. And it only gets uglier when the man turns into a winged monster, straight out of a grade-Z horror movie, and goes on a killing spree. Though Kitty should probably run away, she springs into action to take the monster down.

In the middle of the chaos a handsome hunk named Jeff Martini appears, sent by the “agency” to perform crowd control. He’s Kitty’s kind of guy, no matter what planet he’s from. And from now on, for Kitty, things are going to be sexy, dangerous, wild, and out of this world.

- via GoodReads.com

Plot/Pacing/Writing Style

I don’t read a lot of sci-fi which is odd because I kinda love sci-fi. I really want to find out if there are other good funny/romantic/action-packed books in this genre or if Gini Koch is just a genius. The plot was really well developed and carried out. I found the world she built had believable cultures and intelligent twists. I was a little torn on the love interest, but I’ll explain in the Characters section. The action was perfectly balanced with humor, romance, and world-building.

As I mentioned above, I could not put this down. I felt that the pacing was very well-done.

Characters

Aside from her name, Kat is one of my favorite female leads of all time. She is so witty and brave that I want to be her. She also is extremely observant and smart (although I’m still a little lost on what she figured out on her own and what she had help with). Kat seemed to take everything in stride (almost a little too easily), but considering her parents it could just run in the family. Her parents jobs seemed overly convenient for the story until you think about it and realize that it is exactly why she was targeted not just a bonus afterwards.

Seems like not everyone is a fan of her love interest and even I had a hard time deciding between Jeff and Chris. I thought Jeff was hilarious, arogant, sweet, smart, and pushy. I also think he worked very well with her personality. Chris was a surprise and while I would really like him for myself, I’m not sure he’s the one for Kat.

The side characters were pretty fabulous too. Reader is probably my favorite and I really hope to see more of him. One of the few issues I had with the book was the going back and forth between using the last and first name. I would sometimes get confused, but some of that could have been due to my lack of sleep.

Favorite Quotes

I had a ton so here are a few…

I’ll marry you before any tree on Earth.

We think a person should do right because it’s right, not because their soul will be in eternal jeopardy if they don’t toe the line.

“It’s a snake, then.”

“Rattler?”

“Most likely.”

I was taking this extremely well. “We have to kill it. By we, of course, I mean you. I’ll stand here and scream.”

Recommendations

If you are an adult who likes humor, fighting, and romance… PLEASE give this a try!!

Going Deeper – CONTAINS SPOILERS!

I was extremely impressed with how well the AC culture was developed and I’m thinking we’ll get to see even more of this in the future. They are an extremely tolerant group that doesn’t judge based on sexual orientation, race, or gender. However, they do have one issue… religion. As usual I was instantly worried (I hate “religious” books that get preachy) and it was for nothing. The religion issue was handled insanely well and I loved what it added to the story. Do you worry about reading a book pertaining to a religion different from your own?