How To Lose An Extraterrestrial In 10 Days
Otherworldly Men Series - Book 3
(Also referred to as Earthling Series)
By Susan Grant
HQN - August 2007
Science Fiction Romance
While reading Your Planet Or Mine? (or YPOM) I fell in love with the REEF assassin who had tracked Cavin of Far Star to Earth to kill him. Sure, he was an assassin, but it was obvious that he was just as much a victim. Luckily, since I have no patience, I only read YPOM a few months ago, and was thrilled to learn that REEF was to have a story, and boy, what a story it is. The review that follows assumes that you have read YPOM, for it contains spoilers from that story.
As a child, Eriff lived happily with his family on the Planet Sandreem. Then visitors arrived, and Eriff, being a slightly mischievous child, ended up under the scrutiny of those travelers, and taken far from home. His memory was wiped, he was surgically changed, and he became a REEF - Robotically Engineered Enemy Fighter.
Having survived his botched attempt to kill himself in order to save Cavin, Reef was rescued, healed, and slowly forced to accept that he was not going to die, and must learn how to live as a human on Earth. He also needed someplace to hide out, and Jana Jasper had just the perfect place, with her sister Evie. Yes, the same Evie whose home he had invaded while hunting Cavin.
One thing Evie Holloway was certain about was that she did not like Reef. He had entered her sanctuary, her home, the place that she cherished raising her children. Learning that her sister wanted her to harbor Reef, Evie decided she would not comply. Unfortunately, Evie always had a soft spot for strays, and an even more difficult time saying "no".
Evie is the Jasper that the public would consider the Jasper failure. She didn't work, was divorced, and typically avoided any limelight. She absolutely adored her family, but sometimes wished she could say "no" to them, and have them listen. Nobody listened to her, until Reef.
How To Lose an Extraterrestrial in 10 Days (or ET) takes place just after Your Planet Or Mine? and during the same time as My Favorite Earthling. It was fun seeing how events were unfolding on Earth with interspersed news articles detailing events in the Coalition, where we were reminded of Jared (the third Jasper sibling) and Keira's story. My heart went out to Reef as he struggled to keep the REEF connections from reforming, fought the KILL orders, and tried to realize that he was human, capable of being, and receiving love. I feel that in ET, Susan Grant surpassed the previous 2 stories in making the readers identify with the characters; not only with Evie and Reef, but also with Evie's children, in particular, her daughter Ellen. I simply adored this story, and highly recommend the entire Otherworldly Men Series. I simply can't stand having to wait for what Susan Grant has next in the series.
Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com