"I Got Abducted By Aliens, and now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com." By Kimberly Lemming
Current Music:Close to You (E)- Dreezy, T-Pain & Baby- Evil Needle, Sivey
Created:12/24/2025 Published:12/28/2025
***May contain spoilers & some adult content is discussed***
Kicking off my reading list is a fantasy rom-com that promises both laughs and adventure! The story centers around a young woman who, as the title boldly states, finds herself abducted by aliens. But don’t worry; her journey is anything but grim! Along the way, she forms an unlikely friendship with a talking lion...yes, a lion who initially tried to kill her. And if that wasn’t enough, she also encounters not one, but two handsome alien guys. "Get ready for a wild ride filled with unexpected friendships and cosmic romance!"
Okay, now that I got the introduction out of the way, here is my impression of the story so far; it’s giving me major sitcom vibes with a dash of "isekai" adventure. I couldn’t help but notice the nod to "The Wizard of Oz, with the lead heroine being named 'Dorothy,' she even names the lion 'Toto' too for good measure (cute). But what’s a rom-com without a sprinkle of absurdity, right? From my perspective, this story really brings to mind those zany, comedic shojo anime where the main girl is not just conventionally attractive but also bright, charming, and a bit impulsive...think playful with a spark of attitude! They're usually paired with a talking animal sidekick (the lion, in this case), and they are often caught up in shenanigans and thorughout it all become entranced with a handsome, aloof guy, or the classic "brooding bad-boy" type who, beneath that tough exterior, has a heart of gold. And, well, you know how it goes. In Dorothy's or Dory's case, she's dealing with not just one, but two alien guys vying for her attention. And eventually, she will have to choose one over the other... or maybe not? Sit tight, I'll explain more in a bit.
As I mentioned before, the vibe I got from this story leans heavily on common tropes found in sitcoms or shojo romances with comedy and some isekai thrown in. Its a romantic comedy, I get it. But honestly, based on the first few chapters I read, I wouldn't really categorize this story as a romance, but more like an erotic fantasy/sci-fi, with comedy and some romance sprinkled in. And yes, I understand that when you usually read a 'romance novel,' it's to be expected that when the two main characters fall in love, they eventually become "physically intimate." But most of the time, there's a buildup to that moment, y'know...getting to know the characters, their personalities, and what makes them tick.
In this story, however, the characters are pretty surface level; and you're not just following two main characters, but three. From the beginning, we learn that the protagonist, Dory (Dorothy), is smart; she's a wildlife biologist, free-spirited, and sometimes a bit of a goofball. You can also add "horny" to that list, especially after she meets Sol and Lok. But beyond that, she doesn’t strike me as very interesting. In fact, she can be kind of annoying at times, but maybe my opinion will change about her as I continue reading. Now, about Sol and Lok, the two alien "zaddies" who get Dory all hot and bothered. Let's see... Sol is tall, handsome, a bit leaner but muscular, with dark grey skin, orange hair, horns, and he can yield fire. He's the stoic, more reserved type. His rival Lok, on the other hand, is tall, more muscular, with bluish purple skin, dark curly hair, and horns. He's strong, good with animals, and more open about his, uh, "feelings" toward Dory. Like Dory, I don't find much interesting about these two besides the fact that they are described as "hot," and that they're both hot for Dory. With two fine (alien) dudes at her side and fight for her attention, its a dream come true for Dory (what more could a girl want), but her number one goal is to find a way back home to Earth...at least, it is initially.
Alright, that's enough of that, let me go ahead and get to the part in which made me question myself. And look, I don't mind intimacy in romance, but smut, however, that's a whole different story. So, discover my shock when at least several chapters in,spoiler alert,our trio eventually find themselves in a very "heated fellowship" together; and we're still no where near the end of the story, let alone the middle. I won’t lie, the scene was pretty steamy, and if you’re of an appropriate age and you enjoy "spice" in your stories, then more power to you. But honestly, after reading it, I found myself clutching my invisible pearls like:
I guess this shows I'm more of a "slow-burn," fluff, type of reader. I like my romances to simmer and take their time; there needs to be some tenderness expressed amongst the characters, not just primal lust. Plus, the whole threesome thing kind of caught me off guard, but honestly, I should've seen it coming. There are still quite a few chapters left for me to finish, so please don't take this as me saying that I dislike the story overall. You can tell Kimberly Lemming had a lot of fun creating these characters and the wild scenarios they get into. Plus, it’s always great to see a story with a Black girl as the lead, especially in a fantasy or sci-fi setting. But I’ll say this: if the smut starts to overshadow the romance and gets too gratuitous, I might have to put the book down(or skip those pages).
It's clear this book is meant to be a fun, light-hearted read that’ll make you laugh and maybe even need a cold shower afterward. If you enjoy sitcoms, comedies, fantasy, and a little romance with some spice, give this book a shot. Just keep in mind that some content might not be suitable for younger readers. I recommend it for folks 18 and up.
UPDATE:1/1/2026 (final thoughts)
Okay, so I finished the book earlier this morning, and my overall impression is that it was just okay. It wasn't bad or an absolute masterpiece; it was simply a fun little read. Unfortunately, my perspective on the main character(s) hasn't really changed, but it was nice to learn a few new tidbits about some of them. For example, We learn later on that Sol was actually a lawyer on his home planet. Also, there was another character introduced later in the story, whom I wish had more scenes, and that character was a woman named Blair. In the brief moments she is introduced, she has the most relatable and comical reaction to the whole situation and is a bit of a badass. She instantly became my favorite character, but as quickly as she was introduced, she slipped into the background.
But my main critique about the story involves our lead trio: Dory, Sol, and Lok. Remember, this is just going to be my opinion, and while expressing it, I am not doing so to bash or attack the author or anyone else. Okay?Alright...so, if it wasn't already blatantly obvious, the whole throuple arrangement and "romance" turned me off. Why? Because it was very obvious that Dory liked Sol more and had better chemistry with him. The scenes featuring just Dory and Sol were more interesting compared to those with Dory and Lok or all three together. Therefore, the romance should have focused on Dory and Sol alone.
Hell, there were moments when even the book made it blatantly obvious she liked Sol more than Lok. Dory not only had a big ol' crush on Sol, but he was even her type;she admits this to herself! Also, remember that I mentioned that he was a lawyer? Before Dory was abducted, her mother actually wanted to set her up with a man of the same caliber as Sol. Initially, Dory bucked against the idea altogether. Only for her to be abducted by aliens, dropped onto a strange planet, and ultimately fall in love with an alien who is essentially the same type of man her mother wanted her to marry 😄. Also, when it comes to Lok, Dory wasn't too sure about him at first. Even though she thought he was handsome, she actually was scared of him, and rightfully so; early on, it's clear that he was hiding something. And after their first intimate encounter, he becomes possessive, a trope I really dislike in male characters in romance. While Dory eventually began to like Lok a little more and even began to care about him, she privately admitted she didn't feel the same way about him as she did with Sol. And this may be a stretch, but I believe the author's original intent for the character Lok was for him to be one of the main antagonists or the primary villain of the story. All the groundwork for this was laid out, but it felt as though, at the last minute, his character changed. His more villainous intentions and actions were removed and transformed into a completely new character named Osid.
In my opinion, instead of turning these characters into a throuple, a simple love triangle would have sufficed. I would've preferred the added tension of Dory having to choose which of the two would be best for her, even though her choice was obvious. But I digress... It seems like Lok was introduced solely to add more "spice" to the story. He could have played a more significant role, not just as a rival to Sol, but also as a more compelling villain than the one we ended up with. His assertiveness and covert behavior, combined with his possessive nature, were all major red flags for me. It didn't make sense that, in the end, he received not only Dory's affection but also a place in their throuple. Even then, he felt like an afterthought in their relationship. As a matter of fact, the first man Dory actually falls in love with and admits to falling in with, IS SOL. Then, at the last moment, she thinks about Lok and has the audacity to say, "I love them both." Girl, bye! Lol! You might like Lok, but you don’t like him THAT much.
Shoo, whenever Sol simply put his arm around her, she would melt. She even went as far as to describe how that man smelled (apparently like tonka beans) and how intoxicating she found it. Lok always came on way to strong to me; Like, I get that part of his character was to be a little more laid back and flirtatious compared to Sol's character, but there were times where I was like, "damn dude, give the woman some space!" For real...at one point in the story, Dory literally just wanted some time alone to herself; girl was "tired." Lok not only came on very strongly, but he was also kinda "aggressive"; Dory always seemed like she was fighting for her life when she was with him. And while Dory would enjoy it, he didn’t leave her feeling 'giddy' afterward like Sol did, just sore. Now, when it came to the interactions between Dory and Sol, they just felt sweeter, more genuine, and at times even a bit more comical compared to her interactions with Lok. From what I "skimmed," they often joked with each other during their "times" together. It was clear that Dory and Sol not only enjoyed each other's company but also had a lot of fun together. So...uh, Lol, Lok...you good?!😄 You sure you wanna keep fightin' this fight? Cause its pretty obivious where you stand in this relationship.
So yeah, I would've preferred it if the overall romance element of the story mainly centered around Dory and Sol, and that's it; no throuples or threesomes needed.
Anyways, tl;dr, those are my thoughts. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. I hope you all have a good evening! Lol.