Exposed by Tana Stone

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Suspected of kidnapping. Broke. Dumped. Katie thought things couldn’t get any worse. 

Then, she was abducted by aliens.

Sure, they were hot warrior aliens, and the space station she was taken to was the coolest place she’d ever seen. Holographic fantasy suites? Over-the-top weddings complete with over-the-top alien wedding planners? Katie knew the tabloids back home would pay a boatload for a scoop like the one she was sitting on. If only she could find a way off the station and tell everyone on Earth. 

But first, there was a problem of the Drexian warrior she was supposed to marry. The one whose scars and nightmares scared her. The one she couldn’t fall for. 

Zayn knew he didn’t deserve a tribute bride. Those were for heroic warriors, not for soldiers who’d been captured and tortured. 

The human with fiery-red hair may stir something within him, but he knows she can’t be his. Not when he’s sure she’s been sent to spy on him. He needs to prove that he hasn’t been turned by the enemy and keep his distance from the human. No matter how much he wants to claim her. 

This standalone action romance novel features steamy scenes on a holographic fantasy space station, a high-strung alien wedding planner with a penchant for platform shoes, deadly aliens hell-bent on invading Earth, and smoking-hot Drexian warriors with extra erogenous zones who are equally determined to protect Earth.

Exposed

Haunted by Battle, He Found Her

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚💜💙🤎
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋🙂☺️😘🥰
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Solo Narration

🛡️ Hero Spotlight: Zayn

Zayn is a battle-scarred Drexian warrior, once the proud leader of a doomed mission into Kronock territory. Thirty years ago, the Drexians were the galaxy’s apex predators—until the Kronock returned with tech upgrades that turned the tide. Zayn’s entire team was slaughtered, and he was captured and tortured, left with nothing but guilt and the weight of survival. His escape brings vital intel, but also a gnawing sense of failure. Haunted by PTSD and a thirst for redemption, Zayn isn’t interested in rewards—especially not the human bride he’s been gifted.

📸 Heroine Spotlight: Katie

Katie’s life in Hollywood is already a mess before aliens enter the picture. A freelance paparazzi raised by a con-artist dad, she’s got hustle and grit—but not much luck. After snapping the last known photos of a missing producer’s daughter (from book 1), Katie becomes a scapegoat and a target. Her boyfriend bails, her stuff’s stolen, and just when things couldn’t get worse… she’s abducted. Cue the intergalactic chaos.

🚀 Plot Pulse

Katie wakes up in a luxe alien apartment, complete with holographic African vistas and zero answers. She’s been drafted into the tribute bride program—Earth’s hush-hush arrangement with the Drexians. Her assigned alien? Zayn. Gorgeous, brooding, and emotionally unavailable. Katie sees a career-defining exposé in the making if she can gather intel and hitch a ride back to Earth. But Zayn’s trauma runs deep, and his mission mindset clashes with the domestic fantasy he’s been handed. As tension builds, so does the question: is Zayn a danger to Katie… or her unexpected protector?

💘 What Hit Home

• Zayn’s emotional detachment and survivor’s guilt are compelling. His PTSD isn’t just a plot point—it shapes his every interaction.
• The looming Kronock threat adds real stakes, even if their tech leap feels a bit plot-convenient.
• The psychological tension—Zayn questioning whether he’s safe to be around—is a standout thread.

🧐 What Fell Flat

• Katie’s ambition to turn her alien experience into a tell-all felt opportunistic. It undercut some of her vulnerability and made her harder to root for.
• The tribute bride premise skirts ethical gray zones that could’ve been explored more deeply.

🎧 Narration Notes

Jodie Bentley delivers a strong solo performance in dual POV. Her voice is expressive without veering into melodrama—a rare balance. While I usually prefer dual narrators for romance, Bentley holds her own and makes the bundle worth it. Tana Stone’s storytelling continues to shine in the alien romance genre, and Bentley’s narration elevates the emotional beats.

📝 Final Takeaway

A suspense-laced sci-fi romance with emotional scars, reluctant attraction, and a heroine who’s more survivor than sweetheart. Zayn’s inner turmoil and Katie’s outsider grit make for a volatile pairing, but one that sparks in unexpected ways. Not perfect, but definitely compelling.

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