REVIEW! Holiday Abduction by Eve Langlais

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Synopsis

Vhyl is determined to acquire a certain lost artifact, but when he lands on the forbidden barbarian planet known as Earth, he finds more than expected. An attractive human female is in possession of the priceless object, and she’s agreed to hand it over—for a price.

Apparently she doesn’t know of his reputation…or doesn’t care.

Intrigued by her fearless nature—and her luscious cocoa skin—this acquisition expert can’t resist stealing a kiss. But before he can take more, his enemy arrives to stake a claim.

It seems Vhyl isn’t the only one interested in Jilly’s treasure—and Jilly herself. On the run not only from Earth forces but his enemies too, they must fight to survive and evade capture.

However, he can’t escape the effect the human has on him.

In the end, Vhyl has to make a choice—Jilly or the priceless treasure he came for?

Review

Another purple mercenary story by Eve Langlais!! Yippee!
In Holiday Abduction, Vhyl is an acquisitions specialist. Not a thief.
Jilly is the human who is in possession of an artifact Vhyl wants. And, like all good acquisition specialists from Aressotle, what he wants, he gets.
This is a fabulously funny novella for the Christmas season with another one of Eve's hunky purple dudes. I love these guys! Ever since meeting Tren in Accidental Abduction, I haven't been able to get enough of these aliens' sense of humour, as dry as it is, and the cultural differences between the characters. There's even a bonus bit at the end as an extra bit of back story which will have you happily chuckling too.
Each chapter is headed with a piece of wisdom from Jilly's Grandma or Vhyl's Acquisition guide or a piece of his wisdom. I bugged the hell out of my non-book-loving partner with these headers (and other parts of the book) and even made him laugh (that's no mean feat, let me tell you)
A must for lovers of Eve's work.
A definitely must-try for people new to her writing style.

Obsession by Jennifer Armentrout

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Synopsis
He’s arrogant, domineering, and... To. Die. For.

Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.

Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something... unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.

Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life… or is it Hunter?

Review
Just so you're all aware, this is a spin-off of Jennifer Armentrout's Lux series, and while I was initially led to believe this was a stand-alone, I was deceived. Hence my below letter of outrage to the author... no, I never mailed it.  I can't afford to risk being banned from her website.  And, no, for the record you DO NOT need to read Lux to read this series, but it would help with the backstory.

Dear Jennifer Armentrout,
Why have you messed with my neat, perfect little world?  All I have ever asked for is a good book, maybe a series here and there, something fun and interesting with cool characters and a dash of action.  I found that in the Lux series and oh how I loved my Daemon and Katy.  But now?  Now?  Well now you've gone and fucked up my head.  And then to discover this is another series?  Oh Jennifer, I thought we were friends.  I felt a love thing brewing between us and now, well... now I don't know how I feel about "us" anymore.  Part of me wants to snuggle you and pet your head while we sip hot chocolate and watch The Walking Dead reruns together (yes, I know you love that show, see how much I respect our relationship?).  Another part of me - my fist, to be exact - wants to punch you.  I mean, since I have no doubt you will be weaving the Lux and Arum stories together, how long will I have to wait to get all the answers I need?  Is it really fair for you to put so much pressure on our relationship while still in its infancy?  I don't even have a solid commitment from you, there's no ring, nothing on your blog about a sequel.  What kind of girl do you take me for?

And now, to top it all off, I have no idea what to do anymore.  Am I team Arum?  Am I team Luxen?  Do I want Hunter and Daemon to battle epically or have a love-fest?  Can these new developments be overcome without a war?  And why do I now have feels for an Arum in the first place?  Weren't they supposed to be the badies?  Where does that leave me when Daemon comes back in Origin?  How can I face him with the knowledge that I've betrayed our love?  And why the fuck do I feel like I'm spinning in circles?
 
Just for the record, Jen (I can call you that, right?), I hate love triangles.  I really, truly do.  And now I'm in one, up to my neck almost submerged in one.  Until today, I had one alien love.  Sure, he was an ass sometimes and kind of a bossypants, but he was sexy and funny and... well, sexy.  Plus he could do all kinds of crazy-cool stuff like bend time, move faster than light and heal people, and when he was super mad he'd glow like the sun.  Now I'm feeling a pull to the dark side.  There's a new alien in town and he's all smokey and dark, he's cool to the touch and kills without conscience but he's also a dirty, dirty boy who likes to take charge *wink wink*  How am I supposed to choose?

At least you didn't try to make me choose between Serena and Katy.  Phew!  Katy still wins hands down and if given the opportunity, I'm certain would kick Serena's ass.  Kitten's got claws and will not be replaced.  It's not that you've made Serena unlikeable per se, but I'm not sure I really got to know her as this book was sort of on the short side for you.  Add to that the dual POV's and only half the book was Serena's.  So why do I feel I know Hunter better?  I'm not entirely sure I know the answer.  It almost seemed like he had more to say and farther to go.  Whatever the reason, Katy still wins, hands down.

So, in closing Ms. Armentrout, I am drowning in feels.  I am a squishy, gooey, bundle of smushiness and I blame you.  Worse still, I am now committed to ANOTHER series, which I do not need at present - I mean, have you seen my TBR pile?  I'm already committed to reading for the next 300 years and that's only if I never add another book!  I need answers.  Who the hell is running this damn Eagle Project?  Are there really 80 billion aliens ready to descend on this planet?  Why is the DOD holding Katy?  Why are the Arum working for them?  Why is Luc tied up in all of this and what's his plan?  Why was Daemon facing off with Hunter?  What's with the damn chocolate?  Is Kitten okay?  My brains hurt. And if loving Hunter and Daemon feels so wrong, why am I prepared to go all ninja on someone's ass if they mess with them?

Please help me sort this all out by quickly releasing the balance of both series so that I don't wind up on a 72 hour hold.  I promise, if you do that, all will be forgiven.

Your still adoring fan,
Elizabeth

The Complete People Stories of Zenna Henderson

I love this series - re-read it regularly! Most of the stories [but not the thread connecting them] have appeared independently in various science fiction and fantasy magazines and some short story collections. The two books have been collected in the omnibus edition Ingathering: The Complete People Stories of Zenna Henderson but are also available singly as Pilgrimage and No Different Flesh.

Although she was not as well known [or as prolific] as Heinlein and Asimov and Norton, Zenna Henderson is truly one of the Golden Age masters. Like most great authors she uses her stories to ask - and answer - important questions. In the case of the People stories that question might be - what if alien people crash land on earth, and what if they are different - perhaps even better than us?

The People are a race from another planet who become marooned on earth, many injured and killed, most of them separated from each other and not knowing if they are the only survivors. The People have the very best of human qualities: love, gentleness, spirituality; and also special powers of healing, levitation and other frequently miraculous abilities.

Pilgrimage

Before talking about the story I want to give credit to her skills as a writer. Her setting simply glows with the color and heat of the American Southwest. Her people are fully visualized, their emotions vividly portrayed. The plots of the different stories are intense and page turning.

There is a thread which binds the short stories together - the story of Lea who is suicidal but is dragged back from the brink [literally] by a chance-met member of the people. The stories she listens to about their past, their Home, and the landing which scattered and shattered them slowly bring her back to feeling hope...

No Different Flesh

This book tells the story of a couple, Mark and Meris, who, one stormy night, find a young girl who has fallen in a capsule from the sky, and who has special abilities. Maris and Mark, still grieving the loss of their own baby, must come to terms with the emotional issues that caring for the young girl, Lala, creates in both of them. What follows is a plot that will involve the reader in the magic, compassion and sense of rightness that the People evoke.

In Pilgrimage, as in The People: No Different Flesh, the plot shifts between the present day story, and stories about the People from their past, which comprise the People's race memory. Included as one of these memories told to Mark and Meris is a short story, "Deluge", which has appeared in some short story collections. "Deluge" gives the reader a taste of the magical and deeply fulfilling way of life on the People's home planet and tells how the People came to leave it. Other memories tell us what happened to various individuals of the People as they arrived on earth. These add texture and interest to the present-day story, and include events of terrible persecution of the People as well as stories of personal tragedy and joy.

One of the continuing themes in these stories are teachers and teaching and just how much difference they can make in others lives. As a teacher myself, I reread these books to remind me why I was teaching and to refill the well of compassion which sometimes gets drained pretty dry in all of us.

If you're looking for Lara Croft or Indiana Jones - these books are not for you. They will never be made into summer blockbuster movies. These stories frequently require access to the kleenex box but still manage to provide an overall feeling of uplift and hope. And that's something we could all use a lot more of.