Stranded with the Alien King: Alien Love Island, Book 1 by Lindsey R. Loucks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On Alien Love Island, the days are hot, but the nights are scorching….

It’s not every day I tie up an alien warrior king. It’s because, in part, he put his hands down my pants to retrieve a top-secret package. Hey, where else was I going to put it? For reasons he’s not telling me, he wants this mysterious package. My orders are to deliver it, and not to him.

But when we’re both kidnapped and dropped onto a deserted island, my plans for ringing his neck and then day-drinking shoot out the window.

Only the island’s not so deserted. The alien king and I have just stumbled onto the set of the first season of Alien Love Island, an intergalactic reality TV dating show.

Big, sarcastic yay.

One of the many, many problems with this? We never agreed to appear on the show. The producer makes it clear that we have no choice though.

To stay alive, we play our parts. But when the cameras aren’t rolling, the alien king and I must work together to find out what’s really going on.

Is this mysterious package the reason we’re here? What’s the alien king hiding? Who invented sizzling-hot alien kings I can’t take my mind—or my hands—off of anyway?

The answers just might change us both forever.

Stranded with the Alien King

Reality TV Meets Alien Romance in the Best Way

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💛💚❤️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋😀🤯😎😍
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration

Main Characters and Plot Overview

I had a great time with Stranded with the Alien King because it felt like a mashup of military sci fi, romance, and a completely over the top reality TV premise that somehow worked. Nera is a capable Earth Space Fleet captain on a mission to deliver a mysterious package that everyone seems determined to steal. The opening confrontation with Maxx immediately caught my attention. Watching an alien warrior king literally reach into her clothes trying to retrieve the package is an unforgettable way to introduce two characters who absolutely do not trust each other.

Things get even crazier when Nera and Maxx are kidnapped, wake up on a tropical island, and discover they have supposedly “volunteered” to compete on an intergalactic dating show. I liked that neither of them simply accepted the situation. They spend much of the story looking for a way out while also dealing with assassination attempts, hidden agendas, and the growing realization that the package and Maxx’s secrets are connected. The slow reveal of both Nera’s painful past and Maxx’s hidden motives kept me invested because every answer seemed to raise two more questions.

Highlights and Limitations

The chemistry between Nera and Maxx was easily my favorite part of the book. Their relationship grows through reluctant teamwork instead of instant attraction. One moment they are arguing over whether they can trust each other, and the next they are protecting one another when danger strikes on the island. Those quieter conversations between the action scenes made their romance believable.

I also appreciated that the reality show setting was more than just a gimmick. The producers constantly manipulating events and forcing contestants into uncomfortable situations added another layer of tension beyond the romance. It gave the story an unpredictable energy because I never knew whether the next obstacle would come from an assassin or from the show’s twisted rules.

My biggest frustration was the ending. I knew this was the start of a series, but I still wasn’t fully prepared for how many major questions were left unanswered. Maxx’s final revelations completely changed how I looked at earlier events, but instead of providing closure they made me want to start the next book immediately. I also would have liked a little more time exploring some of the supporting contestants since a few of them seemed interesting before the focus shifted elsewhere.

Narration

Jenna Rose and B.J. Hunter both delivered engaging performances. Jenna Rose captured Nera’s sarcastic humor, determination, and emotional vulnerability, especially during the scenes where Nera reflects on the tragedy from her past. B.J. Hunter gave Maxx the calm, commanding presence I expected from an alien king while still letting the quieter emotional moments come through.

The audiobook uses dual narration by point of view rather than duet narration, so each narrator performs all of the voices within their chapters. It took me a little while to adjust to hearing the same character voiced differently depending on whose perspective I was following, but both narrators stayed consistent enough that it never pulled me out of the story for long.

Final Thoughts

This ended up being much more of a mystery than I expected. I came for the fun concept of an alien romance on a reality dating show, but I stayed for the conspiracy surrounding the package, Maxx’s carefully guarded secrets, and the gradual trust that develops between him and Nera. I especially enjoyed that neither character felt helpless. They both had moments where they saved each other, which made the partnership feel balanced.

If you enjoy slow burn alien romance with plenty of action, political intrigue, and a healthy dose of humor, this is an entertaining start to a series. Just be prepared for a significant cliffhanger because I finished the audiobook wanting answers almost as badly as Nera.

Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Pinterest|BookBub



View all my reviews