Shannon C.’s review of Taken Unaware by Summer Devon
Futuristic romance eBook released by Samhain Publishing 7 Oct 08
I like aliens-come-to-Earth stories. I think it’s interesting to speculate about what people would actually do if that happened, and what changes would take place. In Summer Devon’s latest, she explores these themes in a story that starts out really well but wraps up a bit too neatly.
I liked Leah, our plucky heroine. She has predictable reactions when she spots Gabriel, a half-Dar who has joined the infiltration of Leah’s hometown. at first, the two mistrust each other, but gradually, hormones kick in and they find themselves dealing with some intense lust. But not all of the Dar arrivals are good people, and not all of them have humanity’s best interests at heart, so Leah and Gabriel must journey to find allies who will believe them about the aliens and fix things.
The first half of the story was entertaining. It was a little bit campy, but I liked both Leah and Gabriel, and I loved the chemistry between them. But then Devon throws in a plot twist that I thought wrapped things up a little too neatly. A paranormal woo-wioo element is also present that irritated me, and after the characters wstarted relying on this element a lot, they started to lose me.
I do think this is a fun story, with a couple of nice characters and a pleasant romance. The cheesy campiness of the setting was well-done, and this stands alone quite well, though I think Ms. Devon could write more in this universe easily. I hope her next effort keeps the pace going throughout the book instead of petering out at the end. I know I’ll definitely be reading other things she’s written, though.
Grade: C+
Summary:
Resisting alien invaders is easy. Protecting her heart is another story…
Leah’s plans for the weekend didn’t include dealing with an alien invasion in her kitchen. But there’s something about the wary, vulnerable, refugee half-breed Gabriel that compels her to hide him when the authorities come knocking on her door.
Gabriel has good reason to be suspicious of both humans and his own kind alike. He’s a halfling—half human, half Dar—the product of a breeding program undertaken for one purpose. To use the offspring’s inbred powers to influence humans on a deeply emotional level. So deep, they won’t know until too late that the Dar have gained more than a toehold on Earth.
Raised in subhuman conditions, all Gabriel knows of life is how to endure it. Then Leah opens his eyes to a life richer than any he’s ever known. Suddenly he’s not so sure he wants to be a pawn in the Dar’s non-violent, but no less insidious, plans.
Leah and Gabriel go on the run to seek help from the government, only to discover the invasion’s tentacles have gotten there ahead of them. In the final confrontation, the bond Leah and Gabriel have forged may be more than an emotional haven. It could save her world.
Warning: contains explicit sex, alien encounters.
Read an excerpt.
