I know it is terribly low brow of me, but I have been a fan of the Survivor reality TV series for years. I love the survival aspect, the emotional turmoil, and the mix of personalities. It’s just plain fun. A while back I tweeted looking for a book that would be something like Survivor set in space—to no avail. But then I picked up the first two books in the Melisse Aires Diaspora Worlds series. I didn’t actually pay much attention to the plot description for book two, Alien Blood, because I was already hooked on the series by then. It was an exciting surprise to find out that Alien Blood starts with the hero and heroine landing on the uninhabited wilderness planet that will be the setting for a Survivor type reality show. Jackpot!

Through no real wrong doing, Kellac and Gema both ended up in prison far from home. They’ve agreed to participate in the show to get credit toward an early release. Kellac is Puregen, tall, handsome, athletic. Gema is of mixed heritage and lame to boot, but she’s smart and determined. The two work together well and quickly come to respect each other. Not long into the competition something goes terribly wrong with the show, and the spaceship carrying the show’s production team crashes onto the planet. That’s when the fight for survival really begins!

I loved this story. The love story is solid and the way the reality show elements were handed simply thrilled my little Survivor loving heart. Plus, there is a character with wings and a stinger tail! Not the hero, thank goodness. I think everyone knows how much that stuff thrills me, but even I can’t quite see that working. To give the author credit, she did make stinger dude seem pretty sexy. Talented author!

The real take away in this story is an optimistic love between to honorable people. Their decency and heroism shines through, even as they struggle with their own preconceptions and cultural stereotypes—and, of course, fight for their very survival.

Another highly recommended read from the talented Melissa Aires for SciFi Romance fans!

Length: Novella

Primary format: E-book

Publication date: July 2012