"I Got Abducted By Aliens, and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com."
by Kimberly Lemming
A fantasy rom-com that promises laughs, adventure, and sexy alien men.
Music Pairing 🎵
- "Close to You"(E) – Dreezy ft. T-Pain
- "Baby" – Evil Needle, Sivey
Spoiler-Free Thoughts
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: it was giving me major sitcom vibes with a dash of "isekai" adventure. I couldn’t help but notice the not-so-subtle nod to "The Wizard of Oz, with the lead heroine being named 'Dorothy, ' her lion companion is even named 'Toto', too. But unlike the Wizard of Oz, instead of going off on a journey to meet the wizard to get home, she's trying to find the little avian-like aliens responsible for her abduction to "sternly" ask them to take her back to Earth, even if that request involves her fist against their face. And instead of being accompanied on this journey by a "brainless" Scarecrow and a Tin-Man in need of a heart, she is accompanied by two very handsome, very attractive alien men. Granted, they both have horns and hooves, but who's concerned about that?!
But I digress... this rom-com definitely doesn't skip on the absurdity.
The story kinda plays out like a zany, comedic shojo anime, at least from my perspective.And in some cases, within a shojo anime, the lead heroine is caught up in choosing between two boys she is equally attracted to; a love triangle, essentially.
In Dorothy's er...uh, Dory's case, she's dealing with two alien guys vying for her attention. And from the looks of it, she will eventually have to choose one over the other... or maybe not?
Okay, so now that you have a bit of an idea of what this story is about and where it might be going, what about the characters? What are they like? Well...as far as characters go, they're pretty surface-level.
Let's start with our leading lady, Dory, for example. From the beginning, we learn that she's smart, a wildlife biologist, free-spirited, and a bit of a goofball at times. And after running into Sol and Lok, you can also add "horny" to that list of descriptions, too. But beyond that, she didn't strike me as very interesting.
She was kind of annoying at times, which is unfortunate, because I really wanted to like her character. And this is not me saying I completely hate her character, no, she's okay... It's just that I didn't really vibe with it. Now, moving on to Sol and Lok, the two alien "zaddies" who get Dory all hot and bothered.
Pretty much what I said about Dory can be said about Sol and Lok; both characters are pretty surface-level. What do I mean when I say this? Well, 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, even 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.
And that's basically it. There was very little else that I found interesting about these two male characters, outside of the fact that they are described as being very good-looking and that they're both hot for Dory. However, as the story progressed, I found myself really disliking one of these characters (as you read along, I'm sure you can guess who), and by the story's end, I wasn't really satisfied with the outcome they received.
Wrapping up our main topic... With two handsome alien men vying for Dory's attention, it feels like a dream come true for her. What more could a girl want? However, her primary goal was to find a way back home to Earth... well, at least, initially. (*Spoilers ahead)
Overall, you can tell Kimberly Lemming had a lot of fun creating these characters and the wild scenarios they get themselves 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.
So if you enjoy sitcoms, comedies, fantasy, and a little romance with some spice, give this book a shot. Just keep in mind that this book is not for younger readers. I recommend it for folks +18 and up.
Okay, so here's the part of the book that made me question myself. And look, I don't mind a little intimacy and a well-built-up sex scene in romance, but smut, however, that's a whole different story.
So, discover my shock when, at least several chapters in, our trio eventually find themselves in a very "heated fellowship" together...some threesome action, if you will, and we're still nowhere near the end of the story, let alone the middle when this occurs. I won’t lie, the scene was pretty steamy, and if you’re the type that enjoys this kind of spice in your romance, more power to you.
But me, after reading it, I found myself clutching my invisible pearls.
I guess this goes to show I'm more of a "slow-burn," "fluff" type of reader. I like my romances to simmer and take their time. For me, there needs to be more tenderness expressed between the characters, not just primal lust and, in Lok's case, possessiveness. Plus, the whole threesome thing kind of caught me off guard, but honestly, I should've seen it coming.
Final Thoughts
So, after wrapping up this book, my take on it is that it was just... okay. Not terrible, but definitely not a masterpiece either, just a fun read, y'know? Unfortunately, my feelings about the main characters haven’t really changed much.
We do get a couple of new insights about them, but even with that, neither of the characters in this trio really grabbed my attention afterwards.
For me, there wasn't much character growth happening amongst them, so in the end their personalities still remained pretty shallow. But let’s be real, no one’s ever really diving into these types of stories simply for the characters' personalities; you're just here for the spice!
In conclusion, I wasn't entirely happy with how this story wrapped up, but I'm definitely a little more curious to look into the other fantasy/romance stories Kimberly Lemming has written. Honestly, I really wish the narrative had focused a little more on the romance between Dory and Sol, as I found their connection way more enjoyable than her moments with Lok. (Spoilers Below)
As the story continues to unfold, we find out that Sol was actually a lawyer back on his home planet. This revelation is interesting because, funnily enough, before Dory was abducted, her mother was actually trying to introduce her to a man who shared Sol's personality and profession.
We also get to understand why Lok acts the way he does and why it seems like he’s hiding something at first. Honestly, I wasn’t a fan of Lok; he was my least favorite of the three. But I digress. The thing is, his carefree, flirtatious, and self-assured attitude turns out to be a facade. Before arriving on this strange planet, we learn that Lok was actually an infamous war criminal back on his home planet, who committed acts of terror and even murder.
This revelation leads me to my main issue with his character. Even though Lok is trying to turn a new leaf and has adopted a whole new life and alias as a herder, I honestly would've preferred it if Lok had leaned into his villainous side a bit more. He could've made a really compelling anti-villain, which would have added some depth and stakes to his relationship with Dory, making her question his motives a little more and decide whether or not she wanted to continue being involved with him.
And to expand on my thoughts a little further... I really think that instead of having these characters end up in a throuple, a straightforward love triangle would’ve worked just fine, especially since Dory’s choice was pretty obvious.
And if I haven't made it clear already, I really don't like Lok...and I think what my real beef is with this character is that he is written in a way to make him seem more sympathetic than he actually is.
And keep in mind, this is just my own opinion, but think about it, he had so much more potential to be a more significant threat, and a much more compelling villain compared to what we got with Osid or the dim-witted avian aliens that abducted him and his people, and who were responsible for destroying their planet. The way he would always assert himself and how aggressive his advances and possessiveness towards Dory raised all sorts of red flags for me. But look at it this way...if Lok had fulfilled the role of the villain, then Dory would've had the added conflict of choosing between the typical, but all-around great guy and an absolute baddie (figuratively and literally), along with that choice could've come the thought of her questioning her own morals and what would be the best and healthiest outcome for her end. But no, we didn't get that; instead, he's relegated to being a rival for Sol in the first few chapters of the book.
In the end, Lok not only receives Dory's affection but also ends up becoming the 'third' in their relationship. Which made no sense to me, because it was pretty clear from the beginning that Dory liked Sol way more than Lok.
I mean, Dory’s first admission of love was for Sol. Yet, at the last moment in the story, she confesses that she loves both of them. And upon reading that, I thought, "c'mon on, girl!" You might have some feelings for Lok, but let’s be real, you obviously have a favorite.
With Sol, she just melted whenever he threw his arms around her. She even described how he smells (apparently like tonka beans) and how intoxicating she finds it. But Lok? He always came on way too strong for my taste. I get that he was supposed to be laid-back and more flirtatious compared to Sol, but there were times I was like, “Damn, dude, give the woman some space!”
There’s a moment in the story where Dory literally wants some time alone by herself because she’s tired. And here goes Lok, just pushing up against her; like, dude was doin' way too much, and honestly, Dory always seemed to be fighting for her life when she was with him.
Now, the moments between Dory and Sol felt so much sweeter and more genuine. They actually joked around and had fun together, which clearly showed that Dory enjoyed Sol's company way more than Lok’s.
And before I close out my thoughts, I will say there was one character in the story that I found myself taking a shine to, and her name was Blair. Blair stood out to me because of her whole reaction to the situation they were in; from being kidnapped and dropped off on a strange alien planet, to being inoculated with a serum and having said serum affect her on a biological and hormonal level, to where she is expected to pair up with and reproduce with a male of a totally different species to save said species...Yeah, I would've crashed out too if I were in her shoes. And on that note, she quickly became my favorite character! But unfortunately, just as fast as she was introduced, she soon faded into the background.
Fortunately, though, that’s about to change since there’s a sequel set to come out later this year that will dive into her character a bit more and her crazy new relationship with her "mate," Osid. And I'm curious to see how that's all going to play out!