This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Genres: Sci-Fi Romance
Published by Indie/Self Published
Released on September 16, 2020
Pages: 178
Format: eARC
Source: Author
The Delight
An endangered ship of alien refugees is forced to land on an earth and all are looking for a second chance. None so much as Chameleon who bears so much guilt. Cara Bristol knows how to write an effervescent alien romance full of fascinating aliens and their situations and the engaging humans who fall for them. I couldn’t wait to dive into this first in series.
Review
Chameleon starts with a damaged ship attempting to escape the powerful Xenos and the devastation that was wrought to their world, Tophia. One is from the dreaded race that attacked and decimated the planet. Chameleon knows he has a lot to answer for if only he can convince the others that he is on their side and was trying to help them against what his people had done. He leads them to the less developed planet, Earth, which is the closest inhabitable world where they can set down and maybe get their ship repaired so they can go help rescue other Topian refugees from getting caught by the Xenos. If he can see to more being rescued maybe it will take away some of the guilt and failure pressing down on him.
First contact is with a suspicious yet kind human woman who needs all sorts of help with her rundown lavender farm. An unlikely friendship and attraction forms. He has to leave and he has secrets he can never share with her. But, he would like to stay and he would like to know her better.
Kevanne is off men after her abuser husband passes away and she is finally free. She chucks her old life and, on a whim, buys a second rate lavender farm because she has always loved lavender and the products made from it. The place needs so many repairs and she needs help farming. She needs a man- erm, a handyman. The odd male who pops up isn’t exactly handy, but she can’t turn him away after making a strong empathetic connection when he admits he didn’t like his old self and is starting fresh. His secrets turn out to be doozies and they might just be too much for her to handle.
Chameleon has the job of introducing a new series and starting the first pairing up for a band of alien castaways. I thought the author did great launching an exciting opening sequence, a funny and memorable first meeting of the romance pair, and then a well-paced development of the series world, the cast of characters, the main characters, and the sizzling romance.
While creating a strong alien world, the author also creates a strong personal story. Kevanne is an abuse survivor and Chameleon struggles with the guilt of not doing enough to save another race. It’s poignant and draws the reader in. I can’t wait to get the stories of the other castaway aliens who are all ethnically diverse though from the same world.
Great start and I can’t recommend it enough. Chameleon is loosely connected to the Intergalactic Dating Agency world but is its own independent series. Must-read for sci-fi romance lovers.
My thanks to the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Challenges Met
New Release #136
Chameleon by Cara Bristol
When you wish upon a falling star, er, UFO…
Young widow Kevanne Girardi catches sight of a meteorite streaking across the sky and wishes for a good handyman to help make her rundown lavender farm a big success. Instead, she gets a shapeshifting alien who apparently has never seen a leaky faucet before. But his loving and noble spirit make him just the man to fix her wounded heart. He hasn’t promised her forever, but a girl can hope, can’t she? Maybe she’ll make another wish…
When his ship tumbles out of the sky and lands on Earth, Chameleon never expects to fall for a human woman. Unfortunately, he can’t stay. He made a mistake that led to the devastation of an entire planet, and now the survivors are depending on him to get them to safety. He must repair his ship and leave before the Xeno Consortium finds him and Earth becomes endangered, too. But oh, he wishes he could stay with Kevanne forever…
Can a twist of fate make their wishes come true?
About Cara Bristol
Cara Bristol continues to evolve, adding new subgenres of erotic romance to her repertoire. She has written spanking romance, contemporary romance, paranormal, and science fiction romance. No matter what the genre, one thing remains constant: her emphasis on character-driven seriously hot erotic stories with sizzling chemistry between the hero and heroine. Cara has lived many places in the United States, but currently calls Missouri home. She has a husband and two grown stepkids. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading and traveling the world.
Cara loves to hear from readers. You may post a comment on her Web site/blog, http://carabristol.com, email her at carabristol50 (at) yahoo (dot) com, or friend her on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/cara.bristol.3.
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