The Rec League: Sci Fi Romances When Aliens Are Your Jam

The Rec League - a tattered book with a heart on it I received an email from Lela, who is looking for a specific type of romance: 

In a nutshell: can you recommend, or solicit recommendations of, some awesome sci fi romances?

Longer version: I was trolling the Amazon daily deals and came across a 99cent novella billing itself as “science fiction romance” (it was “Kidnapping Keela“, in case you're wondering).

Hold the phone! Is that a real thing?

I'm the nerdiest sci fi nerd you could think of from when I was yea high on a short thing, and I've gotten into romance in the past few years, so why my god have I not heard of this? The daily deal book didn't look all that great but if it's part of a legit subgenre, I need to know.

So if anyone's got a minute – do you know of any awesome sci fi romances? Cause aliens are my jam. 

Well, alas, aliens are not my jam, personally. I read the early Jaid Black novel The Empress' New Clothes and my brain had a very difficult time with the nipples causing repeated ovulation. Because alien kidnappings I can accept, but strange explanations of ovulation are apparently my brain's limit for suspension of reality. Go figure. 

Book The Last Hour of Gann But I can help! First, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention The Last Hour of Gann, ( A | BN | K) which many readers LOVED, though I know would not be for me (I've been warned, specifically. As in, someone said, “No, Sarah, DO NOT read that.” I listened. I get a cookie!) 

If aliens are you jam, that book should keep you very very happy. 

Also, you might like Song of Scarabaeus by Sara Creasy ( A | BN | K ), which takes place in an alien world (though the protagonists, I believe, are human). And the Grimspace series by Ann Aguirre might also work ( A | BN | K ). 

But I know the reviewing posse here would know more than I do. Here are their recommendations: 

Carrie: 

Shards of Honor - Bujold If she wants general sic fi romance  set in space, (not necessarily sex with aliens) I recommend Lois MacMaster Bujold ( A | BN | K ) – Cordelia's Honor, A Civil Campaign and Captain Vorpatril's Alliance

I recommend anything by Zoe Archer ( A | BN | K), who does great sci fi romance. (Carrie reviewed Skies of Gold [A-] and Chain Reaction [B+].

Best of Both Worlds by Karen Lord ( A | BN | K ) is romance/sci fi crossover with a delicate, underplayed romance between human and alien.  I hated Ghost Planet (Grade: D+) but every one else adored it (RITA® review from Linda: A), and it has a neat twist on human/alien romance. 

Book Saga If you're willing to try comics you should read Saga.

Of the stuff I'm recommending, the most straightforward in terms of keeping to romance novel structure are Susan Grant ( A | BN | K) and Zoe Archer ( A | BN | K). Grant writes great human alien romances – some are light and funny some more serious.

RHG: The only ones I've read were freebies on Kindle and they were TERRIBLE and I wouldn't wish them on anyone.

Elyse: Only one I ever read was Sunlight by Amanda Ashley ( A | BN | K ).

Book Beyond the Rain Amanda: Linnea Sinclair's Dock Five Universe series, starting with Gabriel's Ghost ( A | BN | K ), Jess Granger's Realms Beyond series, beginning with Beyond the Rain ( A | BN | K ), and Ann Aguire's Grimspace series.

Also, Gena Showalter has an alien huntress series, starting with Awaken Me Darkly ( A | BN | K ). 

Sarah: You might also find some excellent options in the “Space Opera” category at Carina Press. 

But I know we're missing some great options. What alien romances do you recommend, if aliens are also your jam?

(And I can't resist adding this.)

Dancing Star Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy

Comments are Closed

  1. laurie u says:

    Fortune’s Pawn (Paradox series) by Rachel Bach was an outstanding sci fi read. Though these books aren’t strictly a romance, there is a lovely romantic plot line the runs though all 3 books in the series.

  2. Celia Marsh says:

    @Daralynne— Oh, I’d forgotten how fantastic Wen Spencer’s stuff can be.  The Ukiah Oregon stuff is light SF/Alien-y, but without much of a romance in the first few at least—I kinda lost track of the series after book 2. 

    BUT, her absolute best bar-none SFish one—and I LOVED Tinker, so I don’t say this lightly—is A Brother’s Price ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/544240.A_Brother_s_Price )  is freaking FANTASTIC.  I’m pretty sure it’s catnip for at least a few of you all, even if you didn’t know it would be, because it’s set in a world where boys aren’t born very often, and so they basically end up with harems, and the men stay home and take care of the kids while the womens go out and kick ass, etc.  AWESOME. 

    Also, while I remember it, Jaran by Kate Elliott is what I call sociological SF—them being aliens is basically an excuse to set up an whole different world to play around with cultures and everything in.  There is a romance, of sorts—she ends up in a marriage against her will, but as it’s a matriarchal society, there are all sorts of rules around the society that prevent anything past the marriage being against her will. 

    And The Rebel Prince, by Sharon Green.  Like Jaran it’s older (but Jaran was recently released), but it’s good and worth looking up.

  3. Jen says:

    Tried not to squee when I saw this post.  🙂  Aliens are my jam too!  I’ve been feverishly noting all the titles I haven’t read mentioned above and have a few to add and comment on.

    Sarah is right on with the Grimspace recommendation by Ann Aguirre.  The main character is hard to like at the beginning – but she’s been through some rough shit and as you grow to understand her, you begin to like her.  She’s got a human love interest throughout the series but the best part is her relationship with an alien that is essentially a huge bug.  It’s not sexual, but it is surprisingly touching and was the relationship that stayed with me from that series.  Aguirre has started a spin-off series that is awesome too.  Perdition and Havoc are the first two books in that series and are book crack times a thousand for me.

    Ilona Andrews has a great book that started as a free serial on their website called Clean Sweep – leading lady runs an inn that is actually a sanctuary for aliens.  You can buy the first one now and the second in the series is currently being told in parts on their website; at the moment a galactic summit has started at the inn.  Can’t help but sigh with the alien goodness that is this story.  🙂

    There’s a stand alone called In the Flesh by Livia Dare.  I thoroughly enjoyed it but can’t find any other scifi by her.

    I second all the Gini Koch recommendations.  There’s not much space travel, most of the action is here on Earth, but it does have hot aliens and some great humor.

    I also second the Laurann Dohner Cyborg and Zorn series if you like extremely alpha heroes and your sci fi scorching hot.

    I’m a series slut so most of my faves are series.  Some close to my heart are Close Encounters and Close Contact by Katherine Allred, Evangeline Anderson’s Brides of the Kindred series, CJ Barry’s Unforgettable series (though in my opinion these don’t hold up as well today – but at the time they were about the only sci fi romance I could find except for Susan Grant), AM Griffin’s Loving Dangerously series, Dara Joy had some good ones back in the day, and Lolita Lopez’s Grabbed series.

    SE Smith’s stuff is hit and miss but also fits the bill.  And anything by Susan Grant or Linnea Sinclair rocks.

  4. Michelle y says:

    Fortune’s Pawn by Rachel Bach—not a romance but there’s a significant romantic element in this sf adventure.

    Seconding Enemy Within.

  5. Claire C says:

    Seconding the recommendations for Linnea Sinclair, especially Hope’s Folly and Rebels and Lovers. I also enjoyed the Scarabeaus duology by Sara Creasy and the Beyond pair by Jess Granger – expensive for an ebook, but so amazing.

    Tanith Lee has a couple of good ones as well. The Silver Metal Lover and Metallic Love feature an android hero/love interest, and Biting the Sun is set on an alien planet (or future Earth? I was never able to tell) with advanced technology and cities contained in giant domes. People can customize their bodies in almost any way they see fit (including gender) and can be endlessly “reborn.”

    Ilona Andrews’ Kinsman novellas are amazing and I wish they would write more of them!

    Anne McCaffrey also has the Tower and the Hive series, which starts with The Rowan. Humans have colonized other worlds and conquered space travel with the help of telekinetics and those with other psychic abilities. At the very end there is an attack by an insect-like alien species who play a larger role in the sequels. They may be a bit dated now, but I loved these books in high school.

  6. Jedi Kitty says:

    I just finished “Sky’s End” by Lesley Young. It was REALLY good. Totally satisfied the trashy reader within who wants the cliche of a virgin space cadet sent on a mission to a space ship full of amazingly hot, hard-up, 7 foot tall aliens… but then creeps up with some great complex characterization, world-building and physics(!!!) to satisfy both the feminist and grad student reader within too! The writing is a little “stream-of-concious”, and can make you think that it’s just another bad fantasy set in space, but you’ll get swept up by the plot really quickly and before you know it, you’ll be holding a great book in your hands. It totally snuck up on me.

    Definitely give it a shot. I read it for free using my free month trial of Kindle Unlimited…. and I bought it afterwards just to support the author.

  7. Lisa J says:

    Evangeline Anderson’s Brides of Kindred should also be mentioned.  Also, Mandy M. Roth has a couple of series, Project Exorcism and Cyber Sex.

    I would also second the Eve Langlais, Laurann Dohner, Bianca D’arc recs.

  8. Cathryn Cade says:

    Jessa Slade’s Sheerspace series is sci fi rom for smart girls.

    Love her work and her newest, ‘Assassin’s Hunger’ is my fave. A female cyborg assassin who longs to be a real girl? Take me there!

     

  9. Raela says:

    If you’re open to YA, the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer are AMAZING. Drop everything and read now. For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund was great.
    These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman is more space than sci-fi, but it was really good too.
    Tandem by Anna Jarzab was pretty good and Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci was okay.

    In adult, Fortune’s Pawn by Rachel Bach was good, but the rest of the series went downhill. I agree with The Best of Both Possible Worlds rec.

  10. Katie Lynn says:

    Another vote for the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. They’re really good, and each book has a (sweet) romance in it between an alien and an earthling.

    Anne McCaffrey’s Catteni series used to be a favorite of mine, starting with Freedom’s Landing. Sexytimes in a spaceship!

  11. flchen1 says:

    Another YES for Ann Aguirre’s Sirantha Jax and her spinoff Dred Chronicles—both of those are incredible.

    I also really enjoyed Moonlight on Water, by Kate Hill.

    Jambrea Jo Jones has the Alliance series (mostly m/m).  Also Lexxie Couper, NJ Walters, and quite a few others have good scifi romances.  Love all these recommendations!

  12. Kate Pearce says:

    I love Catherine Asaro and Susan Grant and Ann Aguirre
    I also write science fiction erotic romance because I love to read it and there just isn’t enough around so I’d respectfully recommend my The Power of Three Triad series and the Planet Valhalla series with EC (space vikings!)

  13. LAS says:

    For all of you who were mentioning Robin D. Owens – Heart Fire is free to pre-order on Amazon right now.

  14. Ducky says:

    GHOST IN THE MACHINE by Barbara J Hancock

  15. SHE HAS TO READ SHERRILYN KENYON!

    Specifically, her League books because it is the best science fiction romance series out there. They’ve got solid world building, unique tech and aliens, AND they’re hilarious and badass and gritty and adorable.

  16. Tam B. says:

    I love this thread – my book budget, not so much.

    I’m adding to the enthusiasm for Enemy Within (Marcella Burnard).  It is a fascinating book with an amazing heroine.

    Also adding to the support for:
    Ilona Andrews – Silver Shark is a go to read.
    Catherine Asaro – the Skolian Empire books are all entwined and overlap time-wise but I think you need to start with The Last Hawk. (Skolian prince lands on an unknown planet ruled by women who make decisions by playing a kind of chess and turns the place on end.)

    I’ve read and enjoyed The Last Hour of Gann but feel that someone should advise it is an EPIC (think Ben Hur).  The heroine is amazing but she does get to suffer along the way.  I thought of it as Old Skool romance meets SF (but that could just be me).

    MK Eidem I’ve not seen mentioned to far.  A new, I think self published, author. 
    I started with Grim.  It does have some grammar / continuity issues at times.  But overall the story is great.  It is followed by Wray which actually precedes it time wise.
    Cassandra’s Challenge is an epic with rescuing aliens, being rescued by aliens, regicide attempts, bringing traitors to justice – all on a far away planet.

    Back to trying to make my book budget s t r e t c h.

  17. Terrie says:

    Have to echo the love for the Vorkosigan series.

    Also, Elizabeth Lowell used to write sci-fi under the name Ann Maxwell. I haven’t read them all but I really enjoyed A Dead God Dancing and Name of a Shadow.

  18. FairyKat says:

    Seconding Kaufman and These Broken Stars—if space opera YA romance is your thing.

    But more importantly, Connie Willis. Hard scifi with charming love stories. My favourites are To Say Nothing of the Dog (time travel, Three Men in a Boat, the Blitz), Bellwether (chaos theory, fads, and a flock of sheep) and All Seated on the Ground (aliens, choir directors, Christmas). But everything she writes is amazing.

  19. cleo says:

    Don’t think Cathy Pegau’s been mentioned yet. She has a SFR series with Carina – a mix of ff and mf. Think CarrieS reviewed a couple of them.

  20. Diane Dooley says:

    For those who can’t find enough SFR I’d like to recommend Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly, which features new SFR releases, reviews, interviews, opinions, and original SFR short stories. I’m one of the editors and we’re currently putting together our fourth issue.

    The Quarterly is free and downloadable in several formats, as well as online and flipmag formats. Between issues we tweet new releases, giveaways, etc. @SciFiRomance

    http://www.scifiromancequarterly.org/ 

    Another excellent resource is Heather Massey’s The Galaxy Express blog.

    http://www.thegalaxyexpress.net/

  21. ML says:

    Fabulous recs, here, so I won’t repeat what’s above. I’d add CL Wilson to this. She writes fantasy romance, but I simply love her work. And she has a new book out, The Winter King, that’s first in a new series.

  22. Jenn Burke says:

    I’m going to give a shout out to some titles I haven’t seen mentioned yet:

    Paradox Lost by Libby Drew (m/m) – This was a great take on time travel/futuristic romance. I loved the rules of time travel in her world. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18760474-paradox-lost

    Line and Orbit by Sunny Moraine and Lisa Soem (m/m) – The main theme of this book is how the search for perfection is a bad idea. The romance takes a back seat to the sci-fi, but it’s still a good read. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16061679-line-and-orbit

    Gravitational Attraction by Angel Martinez (m/m) – This was a really fun space opera adventure. The alpha hero in this has a very clear soft and poetic side, which was awesome. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22575681-gravitational-attraction

    Less Than Perfect by Kelly Jensen – This is my writing partner’s first book, a post-apocalyptic novella set in a time after aliens have invaded and subjugated most of humanity. The heroine is a post-apocalyptic fiction geek, but she finds she has a lot to learn about actually surviving the apocalypse. The aliens are super creepy, too. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18464692-less-than-perfect

    I’m going to second the mentions of Lisa Henry’s Dark Space (I loved the voice of the POV character in that book) and Sharon Lynn Fisher’s Ghost Planet (the first few chapters in that one sucked me in HARD).

    Kelly Jensen and I also have a space opera m/m SFR series coming from Carina Press next year. The first book is called Chaos Station and should be out in March 2015!

  23. ReneeG says:

    I think I’m sevenths on recommending Linnea Sinclair, although I’d also add her “Downhome Zombie Blues” to the list of fabulousness – the Alien Kick-Ass team leader is female and falls for a human policeman.  Wonderful!!

    Fourth’s on the Vorkisagan books – fabulous series.  And Cordelia is just awesome.

    I love John Scalzi, his books just grab my heart.

    Also spreading the love to the Robin D. Owens series, the Ilona Andrews books, Marissa Meyer, Laurann Dohner, and Wen Spencer (reread all her series, but “A Brother’s Price” has a special place on my bookshelves”.

    Alien, Mine, by Sandra Harris is very good, although I found it a slow start it roared to the finish and left me wanting more!

    I also like the Honor Harrington series (the first five or six are the best) – strong female lead.  I think it is stronger for the love elements rather than the romance elements, though.  Some great space battles.

    Thanks for all the other recommendations!  This is super-nip, organic catnip for me!

  24. Llaph says:

    She is not for everyone and even when I read stuff that totally pisses me off, each book is crack. It starts as pnr/uf, goes to time travel, then sci fi/futuristic. The first book in a big list, including a YA series where they say “dude” a lot, is perma free. (Blood Wager) Connie Suttle

    R. Lee Smith (Gann)is also not for everyone. It’s epic, I think it is 5 books in one, very serious business and graphic. All of her books are. She has two more sci fi books with Cottonwood, though it is set on earth, and Heat, which is also set on earth. Her book are definitely different.

  25. Bee says:

    Robin Owen’s Heartmate Series is great reading.  I am looking forward to the new release in October, HeartFire. This will be the 14th book she has set in this world.

    I agree with all the love for Wen Spenser. 

    I really enjoyed Elizabeth Moon’s space opera, the five book Vatta’s War series. 

    Jayne Castle has a futuristic romance series out set on a planet far far away.  The latest release is Hot Zone.

  26. pamelia says:

    Last Hour of Gann was awesome (and epic, long, harsh, gorgeous, grueling,etc.) and I also love R Lee Smiths other two sic-fi books: “Heat” which is very shocking and violent with a flat out villainous alien anti hero on a murder spree on Earth,  and “Cottonwood” with insectoid aliens in an internment camp on Earth. 
    I really enjoyed Kiersten Fey’s “Shadow Quest” books starting with “Demon Possession”. And I will add my recommendation for Lauren Dane’s Federation series, Ilona Andrews’ “Clean Sweep” and the Vorkosigan prequels which I read bundled together as “Cordelia’s Honor”.
    I recently read “Ancillary Justice” which has a very nascent romance forming (I think), but it was a super well written book.
    While not really romance either some of my favorite sci if books of all time are the Gaian trilogy by John Varley (Titan, Wizard, and Demon) which are audacious with strong female characters, explorations of gender and do have a few love stories woven in.

  27. I’m currently reading the Ann Aguirre’s Dred Chronicles and loving them! I’m also a huge Rachel Bach fan – she’s planning a series on an all woman mercenary unit like the heroine of her Paradox Series, in the same universe, or so she told me in an interview I did with her for my SciFi Encounters column. Can’t wait for that! Sheryl Nantus has a good series going with her Carina Press Tales From the Edge – mysteries in space with a Firefly vibe. I always recommend hers.

    LOVED Anne McCaffrey’s many varied series. Her Restoree is always one of my favorite, older SF romances.

    I write science fiction romance novels as well (proud member of the SFR Brigade here). One of mine, Escape From Zulaire, was actually in DABWAHA this year (soundly trounced by Nalini Singh’s book in Round One but I love her so it was all good and all in fun) and the same book won the 2014 National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award in its category and an SFR Galaxy Award … Thanks for this thread! So many great recommendations! I’ve made copious notes and the TBR pile grows 🙂

  28. Susan says:

    I love SF, SFR, and space opera so I second many of the recs here.  Also think it wouldn’t hurt to take a spin thru Carina Press’s books since they’ve offered a lot of SFRs. Or even looking at the Ellora’s Cave backlist, although that’s something of a gamble. 

    Here are some that I don’t think have been mentioned yet:

    Janet Miller’s Gaian series.

    Mike Shepherd’s Kris Longknife space opera series has a romantic element (at last). As does Jean Johnson’s Theirs Not to Reason Why series (a tiny bit).

    Laura Baumbach’s Details of the Hunt (m/m, sorta).  Morgan Hawke’s Interstellar series (although these are def in the erotic range and not for the squeamish). Cheryl Brook’s Cat Star Chronicles (which got a mention on the sparkly jizz post, and, yes, they’re silly).

  29. Anything Linnea Sinclair. Anything. If you prefer the romance elements lighter in your SF and you want some feminist themes, go looking for Andre Norton’s SF. She was ahead of her time, I think, though like I said, the romance elements are subtle – that she had to take a male pseudonym might be enough said. I don’t know how many deep we are on recommending Ann Aguirre’s books, but pile me on that YES heap. 😀

  30. The 1st to come to mind were of course McCaffrey and JAK but everybody else has already suggested these… a newer favorite is Shona Husk’s Decadent Moon series – Lunar Exposure, Lunar Reunion and Lunar Dancer.  Have fun!

  31. LadyRhian says:

    I am going to go old skool here and mention Jacqueline Lichtenburg’s “Those of My Blood” and “Dreamspy”, the first of which is like Vampires in Space, and the second has a three-way romance between an Earth Human Male, a Vampire Male and an alien female.

    Robin D. Owens’ Celta series takes place in a society that evolved on a planet with psychic powers – but they were originally from Earth. Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover series has some romantic elements and is set on a Dark Ages/Medieval-ish world that was also the product of Colonization from Earth- later on in the series, there is a recontact.

    Deirdre Knight also wrote a series that used the word “Parallel”. I remember one being “Parallel Heat” that was pretty good.

    Vonda N. Macintyre had a series which began with the book “Starfarers”, of which the three of the main characters have a gender-blind plural marriage (by the end of the books, there are five people in the marriage. It’s also some damn good SF. “Against the Odds” is the first book in the series.

    I definitely approve of Lois McMaster Bujold’s Miles Vorkosigan series. He has several romances over the course of the series, including one with a woman named Taura, a created creature that looks rather like a Werewolf in half-man, half-beast form. Elizabeth Moon’s Vatta series has several romances in it (strong romantic elements rather than the stories being romances). Lisanne Norman is another, about a human woman who bonds with an ends up in a relationship with a cat-like alien. The first book in the series is called “Turning Point”.

  32. mochabean says:

    Many thanks to everyone who recommended the Rachel Bach series.  I’m in the middle of the third book and can barely put down my kindle to get off the train in the mornings.  Holy cats is it ever good!

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