Aliens on Earth by Mandy Melanson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Aliens on Earth is a collection of short stories written by numerous authors. Each sci-fi adventure tells a different story and has different characters, some are human, and some are alien. The underlying theme is navigating love with someone from not only a different background but also from a different planet. With 36 different stories to choose from this collection has something for all lovers of sci-fi romance stories.

There were so many good stories that it would be hard to review all of them but there are two that stuck out and really grabbed my attention. The first one was The Alien and The Crime Boss by author Naomi Valkyrie. I have read many of this author’s work and love her writing style. This short story of a MM alien romance did not disappoint.

Leilphun has been exiled and now finds himself on the run to a strange new world where he hopes that he will be safe. He hopes to find a safe haven on Earth but gets “rescued” by someone that he may not be able to trust. Instead, he has been captured by a mafia crime boss whose family is battling another mafia family in a war to take over.

Kasper wants to take over but is choosing to bide his time and watch the war rage on between the families. Danger abounds when Kasper tries to merge the two families together. When he saves Leilphun he does not expect him to change his life or become attached to him. Leilphun is set on protecting and defending Kasper. The two are fated mates who now have found a reason to live and want more from life.

The second story that really drew me in was called Alice’s Illusions by Maya Black. This new author is one whose writing I immediately felt drawn to and I will be keeping an eye out for more of her stories.

Alice is a teenage girl who has recently lost her older sister. She is still grieving and unsure how to cope with the loss. Nobody in her home really talks about her sister and Alice feels that they do not care enough to honor her sister’s memory. Her parents bicker when the topic of her sister comes up and her younger brother still has nightmares every night. Alice feels alone and as though she has nobody to talk to about her sister’s death. Until the new boy, Hal, starts school and Alice learns that he lost his younger brother. Alice feels as though she has a kindred spirit in Hal and the two form an instant connection.

Hal helps Alice “speak” with her deceased sister a number of times through a Ouija board where she begins to learn the truth surrounding her sister’s death. Alice is horrified at what she discovers and starts to spiral out of control, lashing out at her parents, and spending even more time with Hal. As the two begin to spend more time together Alice senses that there is something not quite right about Hal. His moods swing drastically, and Alice begins to become frightened of him. She tries to push him away but feels a connection with him that is undeniable and cannot stay away from him. As the two bond, Alice’s behavior begins to worry her parents and they want her to seek help. Then Hal disappears and as the search for him begins the question rises as to who this elusive stranger is and where did he come from?

Each story may be different, but all are beautifully written, the storylines are interesting, and the characters are well developed. The authors did an amazing job in their writing, and I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. I read works from some authors whose writing I had previously read and was introduced to some new authors whose work I will be looking for in the future. These stories contained action, suspense, drama, danger, intrigue, and of course romance. A great compilation of short stories that does not disappoint.

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