It’s not in Blair’s nature to just give up. Not when she’s beamed up to a spaceship and then dropped on an alien planet. Not even when she’s in the middle of a forest fire surrounded by dinosaurs. And definitely not when she’s captured by an arrogant alien king. If King Osid thinks he can break her, he’s in for a shock. Blair lives by one motto: If you stay ready, you never have to get ready.
But absolutely nothing could have prepared her for finding out that she’s that arrogant King Osid’s mate.
Despite recent hiccups, the alien researchers are determined to get their breeding program back on track. With that in mind, Blair and Osid are bundled off to the research center for what they’re told is couples counseling. As they face a series of increasingly dangerous challenges, it soon becomes clear the research aliens may have confused an episode of The Bachelor with Survivor. Bonding over their common enemy, and shall we say…encouraged by love darts, Blair and Osid let down their walls (and take off their clothes). When they discover that there are—somehow—even more secret plans in the works, another hilarious, steamy, over-the-top adventure is in store.
Release Date: Aug 18, 2026
Heat Level: Hot
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $10.99
Lemming consistently creates fantastical worlds, with plenty of heart, heat, and chaotic action. Honestly, all things I love.
I finally got my hands on a new Kimberly Lemming book. I was even more excited that Lemming had moved into the sci-fi romance category and anxious to see what type of world/story she would create. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to read the first book in this series, and it did not work out in my favor. That being said, this story can be read as a standalone, but I don’t think it works as well as one since I was pretty confused for the first half of the story. There were elements from book one woven into the pages, and story points from book one involving the main characters of this book that were completely left out.
As for the rest. The worldbuilding is perfection, wide-ranging with outrageous elements that are classic to the author’s style. We have alien species, we have dinosaurs, and human females running amok. There are crazy weapons, alien features that are both pleasurable and purposeful. Not to mention who wouldn’t like to encounter some animals that talk. The setting is filled with various dangers and interesting technology, which we get plenty of exposure to and explanations that don’t overwhelm. I love sci-fi where I’m told not how the sausage is made, but how the sausage will impact the characters (take that however you will).
Speaking of characters, I enjoyed both Blair and Osid. Though both characters are rough around the edges with a severe case of distrusting others, for very valid reasons. I had a hard time connecting with Blair as her emotional past was kept pretty vague for the first two-thirds of the book. She came off as a chaos muppet who purposefully disagreed with everyone and everything and if her internal feelings had been explored a bit more, I feel like I would’ve enjoyed the character sooner. I didn’t really find common ground with Blair until those elements of her past finally came forward.
Other elements that impacted me included the pacing. It’s action-packed with high-stakes—life & death ones. Though there were some issues with the order of the details, chronological jumps without clear explanations of where we were in the timeline, which might confuse some readers. The fated mates mixed with some enemies-to-lovers worked well, and I enjoyed the clashes instead of insta-love that typically comes with fated mates. Osid had to work hard to woo his queen; bonus, I loved both characters and how they grew to realize they could depend on each other.
Overall, this won’t stop me from picking up another Lemming book, but I definitely need to go back to book one to make sure I’ve had the full experience. If you enjoy Ruby Dixon, it’s worth picking this one up.
~ Landra
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