Miranda Owen | A Very Merry Shifter Alien Vampire Christmas

As I was browsing Amazon searching for alien romance, I stumbled upon the multi-author holiday-themed “Stranded With an Alien” series. It’s amazing! I started out only getting the Ella Maven book, because I’m familiar with her sci-fi romance, but I soon had to binge-read the others in the series as well. My favorite stories in the series are by Ella Maven, Alana Khan, Honey Phillips, and Tana Stone. While each book has some winter, stranded, or Christmas element, each book has a different tone. In BAKI by Ella Maven, Baki is a beautiful blue Drixonian. He has some PTSD from when his people were terrorized and forced from their home territory. To soothe himself, he smokes a locally grown dried plant and lives life as a farmer rather than be the warrior he’s capable of being. While on a crop run, he stumbles upon a human woman who is injured and on the run from a vicious group of aliens. Baki gradually gains Thea’s trust and it’s a short but emotionally powerful love story.

I think of TALIZ by Alana Khan as a cross between a Hallmark Christmas movie and a really hot barbarian romance. Taliz is a fanged and fabulous Khal-rah with hooves rather than human feet, but he is also an artisan living in a picture-perfect small town preparing for a major holiday. Zaydie Mellior is a reporter looking to write a profile of Taliz. What Zaydie ends up finding is love with a complex hottie. This was one of my favorite stories. It’s such a great mix of sweet, charming, and wow-sizzle. Taliz worries that he might be too brutal based on his biology for Zaydie to handle. There is plenty of longing as these two characters fall in love and give in to passion. The cute pet in the story, and Taliz’s fashioning little costumes for him is adorable too.

SINTA by Honey Phillips is what I’d call the most traditional science fiction romance of this series that I’ve read so far. Sinta is sent to study humans while maintaining a distance and not directly interacting with them. His people, the Kringlar, have no sinister motives. He’s just observing and reporting. Holly is taking some downtime after a breakup. It’s not so much that he’s brokenhearted, as it makes her re-evaluate some things. She startles Sinta as she’s near her late uncle’s cabin. The weather is snowy, and she struggles to get herself and her belongings to the front door after her car breaks down. Sinta is intrigued yet cautious. Holly first encounters the well-meaning Sinta while he’s in his “abominable snowman” form. This is an unlikely romance, but the author slowly builds the attraction as the characters get to know each other, making the sexiness that follows more satisfying.

VIXIN by Tana Stone is a wonderful bit of storytelling. I never knew where the story would lead me next, but I was completely captivated. Vixin is a Neebix and a sexy bartender women like to flirt with and tell their troubles to. Although Neebix are not known for monogamy, Vixin is feeling a little lonely lately and like maybe he’d be open to finding someone special. Human female Noelle is a historian and usually avoids going home to Scotland. Home hasn’t been the same since her father passed away. Vixin and Noelle might never have crossed paths or been thought of as possible romantic partners, but all that changes when they wind up on the same flight and end up crashing on an ice planet. (I admit that as a Ruby Dixon fan, I thought “Ice planet?! Maybe Not-Hoth?”, but that was not the case). What happens is that this couple has an adventure involving a fertility ceremony, some Christmas carols, and an unexpected romance. The ordeal bonds them together and makes them realize they want things they didn’t even know they needed. Tana Stone does a superb job of telling a character-driven action story with spot-on chemistry between the main characters.

I love Ruby Dixon’s alien romances, but I wasn’t sure what to think when I started reading WHEN SHE’S MERRY. Risda III is a remote farm planet with aliens helping humans adjust to their new way of life. At the opening of this holiday tale, it’s revealed that Sinath is perplexed and occasionally frustrated by the human female Devin. I kind of see his point. The fact that she has a pet rodent named Jerry would have me running the other way, but Devin has a big heart. Her neighbor is super depressed, and Devin hopes that if she brings a little manufactured Christmas cheer, it will cheer her friend up. She enlists Sinath in her mission. This evolving love story has an inauspicious beginning, but as they get to know each other, their feelings change. As usual, Ruby Dixon blends an enticing mix of humor, romance, and emotional punch to her world-building and storytelling.

THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS includes the stories The Gift by Lynsay Sands set in the author’s “Argeneau” world, and Home for the Holidays by Jeaniene Frost set in Frost’s “Night Huntress” world. Both focus on beloved characters and provide a little holiday spice. The Gift focuses on recurring secondary character cop Teddy Brunswick. Teddy’s human, aging and, unbeknownst to him, about to discover he’s the lifemate to beautiful, capable, and immortal Katricia “Tricia” Argeneau. Initially, when Teddy is introduced to Tricia, he thinks she’s a young human woman and therefore off-limits to a man of his age. This leads to some cute romcom moments as they get to know each other. There is no villain in this story. It’s all about getting to know someone and dealing with a sudden yet strong attraction. In Home for the Holidays, Cat is thrown off center when the people she cares most about – including her honey Bones – are behaving in bizarre and hurtful ways. Instead of the relaxing holiday she had envisioned, she is tested psychologically and fights for her man’s body and soul. There were so many great things about this little tale of vampires at Christmas, but one of my favorite things was Cat being forced to work with her – at that time – frenemy Ian.

Two of my favorite authors are Terry Spear and Marie Harte. Terry Spear writes stories about various types of shifters with stories ranging from suspenseful and action-packed to sweet and sexy, but I love her Christmas stories. One of my favorites is A SILVER WOLF CHRISTMAS. Set in the shifter-run small town of Silver Town, Colorado, this book is the first of three books centering on the MacTire sisters. This is a re-read for me for several reasons. This book has a cold case murder mystery, ghosts, meddlesome ghost hunters, and a super sweet hero. I love CJ Silver. He’s a sheriff’s deputy, strong, protective, but also vulnerable and so caring and earnest. He’s so eager to do anything that will make Laurel MacTire smile and look on him in a favorable light. Even when doing what’s right might be uncomfortable for him, he does it. Swoon. I love when this works together to solve the assorted mysteries, as well as all the holiday and winter-themed activities they do together as they flirt and fall in love.

WINTER’S THAW is set in Marie Harte’s town of Cougar Falls, Montana. It’s one of many stories in the paranormal romance anthology that just came out called SHIFTER CHRISTMAS HOWLIDAYS. The action starts from the first page. Deputy Laura Novak, bear shifter, is driving fox shifter and lawyer hottie Gerald Winter out of Dodge to get away from the bird shifters who are trying to take him out. This is a good story for readers who enjoy a romance in which the hero and heroine have a prickly beginning. Underneath the picking at each other lurks a hidden and surprising attraction. While they hide out at a cabin for a few days, Gerald decides to make his move. Personally, I’d prefer Laura make Gerald work for it a little longer but given the circumstances in the story and sense of urgency, I’m ultimately ok with how quickly mild snarling turns to purring and smooching. I like how Laura is a strong woman and doesn’t hide from trouble, or her feelings. Like me, you can enjoy this story without having read other books in the series. However, also like me, you’ll probably want to hunt down more of them to explore this world.

Miranda Owen is the Editorial Manager, as well as a senior reviewer for Fresh Fiction. You can find more of her articles and reviews here.