Earth girls are never easy. But they're worth it.
Bakery owner Annabelle Sparks' business is booming ever since she won reality TV's Cupcake Wars. The one thing deflating her happy soufflé? The extremely sexy Kaden Chance only sees her as a best friend-and Annabelle wants so much more. After waiting a year for him recognize their chemistry, she's giving up and dating other people.
What she doesn't know is Kaden's heart doesn't actually beat. He's not human. Heck, he's not even from Earth. To retain his intergalactic immunity, no one can ever know he is an extraterrestrial. But when Annabelle starts dating, something strange happens to Kaden's unmoved heart: it begins to beat. Now he faces an impossible choice-tell Annabelle the truth and be deported-or lose his last chance at love.
Stacey O'Neale
Stacey O'Neale lives in Annapolis, Maryland. When she's not writing, she spends her time fangirling over books, blogging, watching fantasy television shows, cheering for the Baltimore Ravens, and hanging out with her husband and daughter. Her career in publishing started as a blogger-turned-publicist for two successful small publishers. Stacey writes young adult paranormal romance and adult science fiction romance. Her books always include swoon-worthy heroes, snarky heroines, and lots of kissing. Stacey loves hearing from readers. Follow her on Twitter @StaceyONeale, look for her on Facebook, Pinterest, and GoodReads. You can also visit her blog at http://staceyoneale.com/.
*****
My Thoughts:
Short answer? Yes. Yes it did.
Long answer? Let's hash this out.
When Kaden and his brother's home planet is destroyed, they come to Earth, unsure of what they will find. The government welcomes them with extreme restrictions and they're forced to live out their existence as quietly as possible. With an ever suspecting government agent on their case, Kaden and his brother's must hide their more human exploits from those keeping watch. Among the many things off limits? Human girls. Explicitly forbidden from mating with a human, what can Kaden do when he falls for his one true love, Annabelle? The exploits that ensure are both touching and suspenseful. I can assure you've never read an alien novel quite like this one. It was fast paced and a relatively quick read that will leave you wanting more!
When Kaden and his brother's home planet is destroyed, they come to Earth, unsure of what they will find. The government welcomes them with extreme restrictions and they're forced to live out their existence as quietly as possible. With an ever suspecting government agent on their case, Kaden and his brother's must hide their more human exploits from those keeping watch. Among the many things off limits? Human girls. Explicitly forbidden from mating with a human, what can Kaden do when he falls for his one true love, Annabelle? The exploits that ensure are both touching and suspenseful. I can assure you've never read an alien novel quite like this one. It was fast paced and a relatively quick read that will leave you wanting more!
Like I mentioned before, I don't really care for alien characters. That being said, I really enjoyed the character development and the paranormal aspects that O'Neil threw together in this read. Not only were her aliens captivating, they showed more HUMAN emotion than most characters I read in any book these days. It was a refreshing find where I wasn't expecting! I also really loved Annabelle's character. She was sweet and more down to earth than I figured she would be. I believe that her introduction to the paranormal setting was both enjoyable and believable! The only character I didn't care too much for was that of Annabelle's friend who will be feature more prominently in future Alien Encounters novels. She was a fun character, but entirely too in-your-face and nosy for me to really enjoy. I really can't wait to see more from Stacey regarding the other two brothers!
So this novel was published through Covet who is known for their more heavily romanced-paranormal romance series. As you guys know, I love the paranormal, but could oftentimes take or leave the romance. In most of these cases there really isn't story enough to keep me interested. I'm so glad that Stacey was able to really take a stand in Under His Skin and provide me with a read that had a full and gripping plot with just the perfect amount of steam to keep it from being too much. I'm sure there are readers out there who were hoping for more in the romance department, but I loved how it was kept sweet, realistic, and to the point. While Annabelle and Kaden's romance plays a large part into the plot, the paranormal plot is the true beacon here!
So while I'll be honest and say that this wasn't my favorite read of Stacey's (I'm a huge fan of her Mortal Enchantment series, it's one of my all time favorites), I still really found it enjoyable and to be way more than I was ever expecting. While there was plenty of romance, the paranormal element was written to perfection in true Stacey-form. A quick, fast-paced, steamy-paranormal adventure, Under His Skin is a breath of fresh air to the paranormal romance genre!
This being said, I am granting Under His Skin a well-earned 4-star review. I hear that book two is in the works so this isn't the last of this world that we will be seeing. Be on the lookout for more from Stacey and this series!
*****
Alright readers, that's all I have for you on the topic of Under His Skin by Stacey O'Neale. For those of you who may have missed it, last week I hosted a stop on the official blog tour for this one and got the chance to land an exclusive interview with Stacey. Go check out that post and enter to win the $100 grand prize giveaway here. Thanks so much for stopping by and to the author and publisher for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Until next time, Happy Reading!
-Ethan
