The Ripped Bodice Bookstore in SoCal and NYC is conducting their ninth annual Summer Romance Bingo. As in other years, I thought it would be fun to take their bingo card of categories, which you can view on their website and identify scifi romance titles that would satisfy the requirements for readers. I asked the members of The SciFi Romance Brigade on Facebook to recommend books and definitely allowed authors to recommend their own titles, although SFR Brigadiers are avid readers and also provided books from other authors. As always some categories were hard to fulfill and others were wayyy popular!

A few monster romance, orc romance and paranormal romance are included as some of this year’s categories were really hard to fit to SFR.

Anything in parenthesis indicates how we expanded the category to fit SFR.

I put my own selection of Happy Ever After titles for the category in the center “square” .

As the Ripped Bodice notes on their rules, “You can interpret the categories however you want” so we did take a bit of license on a few to fit scifi romance.

To be clear, we’re NOT playing bingo here, merely providing a list of suggestions! (We’re not affiliated with the Ripped Bodice stores either.) Hop over to the Ripped Bodice Bingo site if you want to enter their contest, which runs through August 31.

And I certainly included a few of my own titles!

Many of the books were suggested for more than one category; however I only listed each title in one category to keep the list as unique as possible. This post takes two full days to collate and create so I only looked up the Amazon buy links (and their audiobook link if there was one). I have to have enough time to write my own books too!. (And yes I included all the buy links for my own books because I could quickly cut and paste them from the blog series pages.)

Quotes listed are from the authors or from me unless otherwise noted.

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Character Smells Like Fresh Cut Grass (or any distinctive scent)

MY ORC NEXT DOOR (EASTSHORE ORCS BOOK ONE) by Veronika Kane “…my orcs have cinnamon scented/flavored uh spend”    AmazonKU     AB

VS: And a few from a previous year when special scent was also a category:

THE CARTEL: THE APPRENTICE VOLUME ONE (THE TWELVE SYSTEMS CHRONICLES) by E G Manetti: “Lucius the MMC smells like the sea.”     Amazon

MY BIG SWEET WAFFLE MONSTER (STARLIGHT MONSTERS) buy Skye MacKinnon: “Qong is an alien who smells like his mate’s favorite food – waffles!”     Amazon

THE FINDING PART ONE (THE MENDOVAN ALLIANCE CHRONICLES) by Angelica Grymm: “He smells like freshly buttered raisin toast.”     AmazonKU

RENNYR (BADARI GLADIATORS SERIES BOOK TWO): The MMC has a scent (to the FMC) like “spice and oddly enough, the hint of a green forest”     Amazon     Apple Books     Kobo     Nook     Google Play

Song Lyrics (any book with songs as a key element or a singer)

STAR CRUISE SONGBIRD by Veronica Scott: The FMC is an interstellar rock rock star and song is a key element of the plot.    Amazon   Apple Books     Kobo     B&N     Google Play

HOMEWORLD FOR THE HOLIDAYS (DEPARTMENT OF HOMEWORLD SECURITY BOOK 12) by Cassandra Chandler: “Christmas carols save the galaxy!”       Amazon

STAR CRUISE STAR SONG by Veronica Scott: The FMC is an interstellar rock star but additionally the FMC has a secret ability to ‘hear’ the star songs.

Amazon      Apple Books      Kobo      NOOK      GooglePlay

HER ALIEN ROCK STAR EX-BOYFRIEND by Elle Ryan       Amazon

VACATION WITH THE ALIEN DEVIL by Kate Sinner: VS Note: The devil in questiom is an alien rockstar.    AmazonKU

VACATION WITH THE ALIEN ROCKSTAR by Holly Hanzo    AmazonKU

BUNNY OMEGA ON THE RUN: MM MPREG SHIFTER POPSTAR ROMANCE (SHIFTER TOWERS BOOK ONE) by Jessica E Subject        AmazonKU

“I hate everyone but you”

ALIEN’S TEMPTATION (EARTH BRIDES AND ALIEN WARRIORS BOOK THREE) by Tina Moss: “grumpy MMC”     AmazonKU      AB

KYELE’S PASSION ( A WORLD BEYOND BOOK FOUR) by Michelle Howard      Amazon

DURATION OF STAY (DEPARTMENT OF HOMEWORLD SECURITY BOOK SIX) by Cassandra Chandler      Amazon

JAXAR (WARRIORS OF SANGRIN BOOK EIGHT) by Nancey Cummings and Starr Huntress       Amazon       AB

MY BIG GRUMPY ALIEN DRAGON (STARLIGHT MONSTERS BOOK FOUR) by Skye MacKinnon: “alien cyborg dragon goes on a rampage until he finds his fated mate and has to turn from a killing machine to a loving, protective partner”       Amazon

RELEASING RAGE (CYBORG SIZZLE BOOK ONE) by Cynthia Sax       Amazon

DARK PLANET WARRIORS by Anna Carven       AmazonKU

GRUMPY ALIEN BOSS (GAL FRIDAY BOOK ONE) by Cara Bristol     AmazonKU

THE NIGHTMARE by Regine Abel: ” The Nightmare (The Mist 2). He’s a psychopath from another dimension and literally hates everyone and wants to harm them. But for her, he’d do anything, even become a hero to save humanity from another being like him who is more evil and has greater power.”    AmazonKU     AB

Orcs

MY BIG GREEN ALIEN ORC (STARLIGHT MONSTERS BOOK ONE) by Skye MacKinnon: “Think Hunger Games with aliens, spicy romance and a huge alpha orc.”      Amazon

THE ORC’S AUCTIONED MATE (BLOODFIRE ORCS BOOK ONE) by Veronika Kane    AmazonKU    AB

THE ORC’S STOLEN BRIDE (THE FIVE KINGDOMS BOOK ONE) by Honey Phillips      AmazonKU

ORC’S CRAVING (MONSTER MATE HUNT BOOK ONE) by Ava Ross    AmazonKU       AB

CHARMED BY THE ORC by Tina Moss: “My first novella with orcs!”      AmazonKU

MISTLETOE (MONSTERS OF THE NEXUS BOOK THREE) by Nancey Cummings    Amazon     AB

EMBERS ORIGIN (ORCFIRE BOOK ONE) by Alana Khan and Aria Vale     AmazonKU

CLAIM: WIFE MATES FOR THE ORCS (INTERGALACTIC DATING AGENCY) (BIG SKY ALIEN MAIL ORDER BRIDES BOOK 21) by Elsa Jade      Amazon

National Park (or any park or nature preserve)

STAR CRUISE MAROONED by Veronica Scott: They went down to a nature preserve planet for what was supposed to be an afternoon of fun and relaxation but the ranger station was abandoned and they end up…marooned.       Amazon     Apple Books    Kobo     Barnes & Noble     Google Play      Audiobook:     Amazon     Apple Books

GRAY CARD (DEPARTMENT OF HOMEWORLD SECURITY BOOK ONE) by Cassandra Chandler: “features a park heavily”    Amazon

JUPITER (TAXYON SPACE BOOK THREE) by Aurora Springer: “The story begins in the Pallavian Preserve, a marine nature reserve on the alien planet of Rishalt.”        Amazon

THE FINDING PART ONE (THE MENDOVAN ALLIANCE CHRONICLES) by Angelica Grymm:  “…the shuttle crashes over a national park and she has to escape the bad guys.”       AmazonKU

STAR CRUISE IDOL’S CURSE by Veronica Scott: The FMC has to return a portion of a stolen idol to an alien beach which is part of a national park. I had fun researching how people take rocks from Earthly parks and then try to return them later after a run of bad luck! Amazon     Apple Books    Kobo    Nook    Google Play

TANGLED IN TIME: PROJECT ENTERPRISE BOOK THREE by Pauline Baird Jones: “Set around Big Bend National Park.”       Amazon       AB

Heatwave (or on a desert planet)

SERPENTS OF THE ABYSS: THE DARVEL EXPLORATORY SYSTEMS by S J Sanders: “takes place on a dessert planet.”      AmazonKU       AB

TRAPPED ON VKANI (ATRAPAKO ON EDEN BOOK THREE) by Aurora Springer: “set on a desert planet”       Amazon      AB

TRAPPED ON TLANQUE by Veronica Scott: The planet is very hot and the MMC has constant headaches in the beginning from the sun beating down.    Amazon     Apple Books     Kobo     Nook     GooglePlay

BOUNTY (BARBARIANS OF THE SAND PLANET BOOK ONE) by Tana Stone      AmazonKU      AB

DESERT RAINS: SCIFI WESTERN ROMANCE (DESERT ROMANCE SAGA BOOK ONE) by Jadelynn Asher     Amazon

ROK’S CAPTIVE (BARBARIANS OF THE DUST BOOK ONE) by A G Wilde     Amazon

DRAGON’S BABY (RED PLANET DRAGONS OF TAJSS BOOK ONE) by Miranda Martin     AmazonKU

Dual Timeline (time travel)

RESCUED BY THE ALIEN VHAR’KHYNG  (MY ALIEN CAVEMAN) by Bella Blair:  VS Note: There are 3 other books in the series also by other authors, with the time travel trope.     AmazonKU

SHELTERED BY THE ORC by Sandra R Neeley: “Archeologist exploring ancient site accidentally goes back in time to ancient Ireland when site is inhabited, meets Orc, accidentally falls back into her Time, desperately tries to get back to him. Fae magic is involved.”      AmazonKU

CURSE OF THE ALIEN RING by Veronica Scott: Interstellar archaeologist finds an alien ring and when she puts it on she’s thrown into the planet’s turbulent past and the arms of a doomed king. Amazon     Apple Books     Kobo     Nook     GooglePlay

THE RETURNING (THE MENDOVAN ALLIANCE CHRONCLES BOOK TWO) by Angelica Grymm: “reincarnation. Both timelines are in the book.”       AmazonKU

KICKING ASHE: PROJECT ENTERPRISE BOOK FIVE by Pauline Baird Jones: “Ashe is a time traveler, time fixer…”            Amazon      AB

STAR CRUISE TIME LOOP by Veronica Scott: “Groundhog Day in space”  Amazon     Apple Books    Kobo    Nook    Google Play

ALIEN WARLORD’S MIRACLE (WARLORD BRIDE INDEX BOOK THREE) by Nancey Cummings and Starr Huntress      Amazon       AB

THAWED GLADIATOR VARRO (AWAKENED FROM THE ICE BOOK ONE) by Alana Khan: VS NOTE: I think this is time travel in a way, since the gladiators awaken in the future.     AmazonKU

TIME TRAITORS (THE TIME TRAITORS SERIES BOOK ONE) by Eli Donovan: “Romancing the Stone meets Jurassic Park”.      Amazon

Canoe (or any boat that goes on the water)

I MARRIED KAYOG (PRIME MATING AGENCY) by Regine Abel: “The hero is training for a canoe race. He shows off for the heroine who happens to stroll by the lake, giving them the opportunity to have their first conversation.”     AmazonKU      AB

MAKLR: KLAGAN WARRIORS by Holly Hanzo: “There’s a super spicy boat scene in it which finally helps Nell work through some things.”   AmazonKU

RISHALT (TAXYON SPACE BOOK TWO) by Aurora Springer: “main characters ride on jetski-like boat.”

SIREIN (ALIEN FAIRYTALE ROMANCES) by S J Sanders: “takes place on a water world.”    AmazonKU

CRISIS AT VALIFOR (PTORIX EMPIRE BOOK FOUR) by Greta van der Rol: “There are a few scenes where the couple have to escape by water and they’re stalked by predators.”      Amazon      AB

ESCAPE FROM ZULAIRE by Veronica Scott: Early in the book the characters escape a terrorist attack by stealing a rowboat and crossing a lake. At one point later the characters have to go white water rafting on a huge river in tiny boats.    AMAZON     Apple Books    Nook  Kobo   Google Play   Audiobook: Amazon  Apple Books

WITCHWOOD (MONSTERS OF THE NEXUS BOOK FOUR) by Nancey Cummings    Amazon

Florist (any book with flowers or plants as a theme or plot point)

KYT (DARVERIUS, HOUSE OF DAR BOOK 20) by Jennifer Julie Miller: VS NOTE: Looking at the MMC on the cover I’d say this book sure belongs in the category as we defined it for SFR!     AmazonKU

MY (ORC) SECRET BOSS (EASTSHORE ISLE BOOK EIGHT) by Veronika Kane   AmazonKU     AB

THE NASCENT BLOOM: CAUGHT Book One by Evie Kelley: “FMC uses her knowledge of plants and flowers/gardening as a way to meet up with the MMC and plot their escape.”    Amazon

BOTANICAL MISCHIEF (THE COSMIC DRYAD SERIES BOOK ONE) by T A White    AmazonKU

DANGER IN THE STARS by Veronica Scott: An alien empath requires contact with the living things of a planet to survive. She enables an old tree caught in a fire to sprout seeds and reproduce, among other things.  Amazon     Apple Books   Kobo     Barnes & Noble     Google

TWISTED VINES by E K Darnell: VS Note: FMC studies rare plants on an alien planet.   AmazonKU

Middle Child (MMC or an FMC with a big family)

LAR: CYGNIAN 7 BOOK THREE by Cassandra Chandler: “Sophie is the middle sister in the Myers family.”     Amazon

DRAKKAR (SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN ALIEN BROTHERS BOOK FOUR) by Honey Phillips: VS NOTE: OK, as the blurb explains these aren’t actually biological brothers: “Seven alien warriors, their bond of brotherhood formed in a useless war, choose to make a new start on a backwater planet. ” But hey, it’s a found family and someone has to be in the middle, right? Book four it is!      AmazonKU

MOONDANCE: A ROMANTASY RETELLING OF THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES FAIRYTALE (TALES OF THE LATTERKINGDOMS BOOK SIX) by Christine Pope: VS NOTE: The twelve princesses in this one are actually the FMC’s cousins but it meets the large family criteria. And including one romantasy with the SFR and PNR is fine!       Amazon

Cover had an old house on it (or a building of any type)

AYDARR: A BADARI WARRIORS SF ROMANCE NOVEL (SECTORS NEW ALLIES SERIES BOOK ONE) by Veronica Scott: The alien lab seen in the corner behind Aydarr appears on most Badari Warriors books and it is the place where they were created and lived most of their lives before the events of the books.  Also the lab has been there for hundreds of years.    Amazon

BRON (CYGNIAN 7 BOOK FIVE) by Cassandra Chandler: “underwater city/space station on the cover”      Amazon

MY ORC PACKAGE DEAL (EASTSHORE ISLE BOOK 16) by Veronika Kane: “1800’s lighthouse on cover”   VS Note: Releases AUG 28 so you’d have to read it fast to get it in before the Ripped Bodice deadline  of AUG 31.   Amazon

VACATION WITH THE ALIEN GLADIATOR by Lara Roth        AmazonKU

THE MOON HOTEL by Ella Blake    AmazonKU

ECHOES OF CHAOS (EVE OF DESTRUCTION BOOK SIX) by Benjamin Medrano: VS note: FF SFR.  Amazon

ALIEN IN THE BARN: FOUR SHORT STORIES OF MECH ALIEN ROMANCE AND MISADVENTURE by Kyndra Hatch: VS Note: The cover has an old barn on it.     Amazon

OCEAN LIGHT (PSY-CHANGELING TRINITY BOOK TWO) by Nalini Singh       Amazon      AB

CAPTAIN OVERBOARD (BLACK FLAG BOOK FOUR) by Rachel Ford: VS Note: Cover has a futuristic city. FF SFR.     AmazonKU

Happily Ever After

COTTONMOUTH (NAGA BRIDES BOOK SIX) by Naomi Lucas: VS Note: This is one of my favorites of hers.      AmazonKU      AB

ARCHANGEL’S ETERNITY (GUILD HUNTER BOOK 18) by Nalini Singh      Amazon      AB

WHEN SHE WISHES: RISDAVERSE by Ruby Dixon     AmazonKU      AB

RESOLUTION: PLANET OF LAST RESORT by Veronica Scott    Amazon     Apple Books      Kobo      NOOK       GooglePlay

TREASURED BY THE DRAGON WARLORD (FATED MATES OF THE SARKANII WARLORDS BOOK FIVE) by Hattie Jacks     AmazonKU

BREAKING THE RULES (DRAGONLINGS OF VALDIER) by S E Smith       Amazon

YNNA by Linda Mooney    Amazon

RETURN OF THE ALIEN WARRIOR (TREASURED BY THE ALIEN WARRIOR BOOK 15) by Honey Phillips    AmazonKU

MARC (HUNTER SQUAD BOOK THREE) by Anna Hackett    AmazonKU

THE WEAVER (THE VRIX BOOK ONE) by Tiffany Roberts       AmazonKU      AB

Soccer/World Cup (sports as a theme or a plot point)

TRANSPORTED by Elana Brooks: “The MMC Tristan was a soccer player in college. When a transporter accident creates two duplicate versions of him, one of them eventually chooses to go by the nickname his teammates gave him, Beckham. There’s also a chapter where the two Tristans compete in a series of sports (not soccer, though).”      AmazonKU

HACKLES AND A HONEYMOON (CURSED BY KOSMOS) by Poppy Rhys: Reader sez “…about a pro athlete alien.”     AmazonKU

DEATHBALL: MM POST APOCALYPTIC DARK SPORTS ROMANCE by TJ Rose and W H Lockwood    AmazonKU

VS: And a few suggestions from a previous year where sports was a category:

ALIEN WARRIOR UNLEASHED (GALAXY GAMES BOOK ONE) by Ava Ross   From the blurb: “Now we’ve been entered into the Galaxy Games. Each landscape contains a series of deadly pitfalls, shifting goalposts, and an elusive final destination. It’s my chance to break free.”   AmazonKU

KERAN’S DAWN (BRAXIANS BOOK FOUR) by Regine Abel   “Two clans compete in their national sport beikor at the beginning of the book”     AmazonKU

KYDEN (BADARI GLADIATORS SERIES BOOK ONE) by Veronica Scott   Genetically engineered soldier is forced to fight in an alien arena.   Amazon    Apple Books      Kobo      Nook      GooglePlay

GLADIATOR (GALACTIC GLADIATORS BOOK ONE) by Anna Hackett   Gladiator games in an interstellar arena     AmazonKU

ZAR (GALAXY GLADIATORS BOOK ONE) by Alana Khan   AmazonKU

RENEGADE (THE SURVIVAL RACE BOOK THREE) by K M Fawcett   “…they compete in the Survival Games.”     Amazon

FIGHT CLUB ON THE PLEASURE PLANET: MM MPREG ALIEN ROMANCE by Chris Storm and Kinkaid Knight     AmazonKU

GLADIATOR’S DOWNFALL (AGE OF THE ANDINNA BOOK ONE) by K N Banet   Reader sez “The heroine has to fight for her life and to gain points to make her life a little better in the pits.”    AmazonKU

ALIEN MOST WANTED CAGED BEAST (FOLSOM PLANET BLUES BOOK ONE) by Honey Phillips   “gladiator match”   AmazonKU

Rodeo ( SFR cowboys!)

MARRIED TO THE ALIEN COWBOY (COWBOY COLONY MAIL ORDER BRIDES BOOK ONE) by Ursa Dax     AmazonKU      AB

SIXSHOOTER (HORIZON CROSSOVER) by Lyndi Alexander: Reader sez “a cowboy from old Terra flies through a wormhole and meets up with a mercenary captain and her gender-shifting alien lover”   Amazon

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE CYBORG (CYBORGS ON MARS) by Honey Phillips      AmazonKU

WRANGLING THE ORC COWBOY (BRIDES OF THE LONESOME CREEK ORCS BOOK ONE) by Ava Ross       AmazonKU

MACH ONE: INTERGALACTIC DATING AGENCY (CYBORG COWBOYS OF CARBON COUNTY #1 (BIG SKY ALIEN MAIL ORDER BRIDES BOOK NINE) by Elsa Jade: VS Note: A personal favorite!     Amazon

HOME, HOME ON THE STRANGE: A PLANET WLN269 NEEDS WOMEN STORY by May Fuhrst      AmazonKU

Berry picking (harvesting of any kind)

I MARRIED A LIZARDMAN (PRIME MATING AGENCY) by Regine Abel: “The heroine is a farmer. She grows and harvests a crop of rare berries for a wealthy race of new alien settlers. Her clan also forages various roots and mushrooms in the forest, leading to the discovery of the dastardly plans of a galactic conglomerate.”       AmazonKU       AB

CAMRON: A BADARI WARRIORS SCIFI ROMANCE NOVEL (SECTORS NEW ALLIES BOOK SEVEN): At one point Camron goes berry picking because he wants a special pie. At another point he and the FMC pick berries while on the run through the wilderness.  Amazon     Apple Books     Nook     Kobo     Google

Podcaster (reporter)

STAR SURVIVOR (NEBULA DREAM TRILOGY BOOK TWO) by Veronica Scott: I describe the FMC as an interstellar influencer, which I think goes hand in hand with an active social media presence so maybe she doesn’t podcast specifically but I think she meets the criteria. Amazon     Apple Books    Kobo       Barnes & Noble     Google Play

BERSERKR: STARLIGHT VIKINGS #3 (INTERGALACTIC DATING AGENCY) (STARLIGHT ALIEN MAIL ORDER BRIDES BOOK SIX) by Skye Mackinnon: FMC is an investigative journalist.     Amazon

THE LADY IS BLUE (ATRAPAKO ON EDEN BOOK ONE) by Aurora Springer: “the MFC sends regular reports to the Terran Space Agency.”        Amazon      AB

BELOW THE CURRENT (FATED STARS BOOK ONE) by Candice Gilmer: VS NOTE: FMC is a reporter.    Amazon 

Try a New-to-you trope (what new trope has an author written recently?)

ROM (CYGNIAN 7) by Cassandra Chandler: “my first amnesia trope story.”      Amazon

LATHAM: SOLDIERS OF THE ARDANNAN BOOK TWO (INTERGALACTIC DATING AGENCY) by Veronica Scott: I never specifically wrote a grumpy sunshine story before!

Amazon     Apple Books      Kobo

VACATION WITH THE ORC by Tina Moss: “first time with a quest style trope and cozy fantasy.” VS NOTE: This releases July 14 but you can preorder it and have time to read it before the AUG 31 deadline.       Amazon

ALIEN MINOTAUR’S BRIDE: ALIEN OMEGAVERSE ROMANCE by Skye Mackinnon: “I’d always wanted to write omegaverse, and combined it with lactation and breeding kinks for this book because… minotaurs…”  VS NOTE: Also a preorder, releasing July 3.     Amazon

ESCAPE TO NOWHERE: A PLANET OF LAST RESORT NOVELLA by Veronica Scott: I always wanted to write my own zombie apocalypse story and finally did (the Planet of Last Resort series is 5 books). This novella focuses on characters running from the zombies toward a refuge they hope will be a safe place.     Amazon       Apple Books      Kobo

WICKED PUCKING ORC by Veronika Kane: “new to me trope and sports”      AmazonKU

Wedding Party

ALOTL LOVE TO SHARE: PLANET WLN269 NEEDS WOMEN by Holly Hanzo: “shes a mafia princess and escapes to marry an Axolotl-Gecko like alien on a new planet. Theres a wedding ceremony in it.”       AmazonKU

MISSION TO MAHJUNDAR by Veronica Scott: The MMC is a Sectors Special Forces operator who has to escort an alien empress’s daughter to her arranged marriage to a warlord. Guess who falls in love?    Amazon      Apple Books     Kobo     Nook     Google Play   AB:     Amazon      Apple Books

THE ALIEN GENERAL’S WEDDING (IN THE STARS ROMANCE) by Luna Hunter     AmazonKU

TAMED (TRIBUTE BRIDES OF THE DREXIAN WARRIORS BOOK ONE) by Tana Stone   AmazonKU     AB

MY BIG FAT ALIEN WEDDING (BRIDES OF THE VAKUTAN BOOk ONE) by Athena Storm   Amazon

LANDON: A BADARI WARRIORS SCIFI ROMANCE NOVEL (SECTORS NEW ALLIES BOOK 11) by Veronica Scott: The Badari scramble to put together a human wedding ceremony. Amazon      Apple Books      Kobo     Nook       GooglePlay

Royal title in the title

CONQUERING THE ALIEN EMPEROR (PANDRAXIANS BOOK THREE) by Bella Blair    AmazonKU

TAKEN BY THE ALIEN KRAKEN KING by Holly Hanzo     AmazonKU

TAKEN BY THE ALIEN MERKING by Celia Kyle       AmazonKU

STRANDED WITH THE ALIEN KING by Lindsay R Loucks     Amazon     AB

QUEEN’S MOVE (LILITH’S SHADOW BOOK THREE) by Benjamin Medrano: VS Note: FF SFR.     Amazon     AB

“Don’t fall in love with me”

AN ALIEN NOBLE FOR NOVEMBER (ALIEN ABDUCTION OF THE MONTH) by Lindy Moonhill    AmazonKU

TIED TO THE LYKAN (MONSTRUM KINDRED BOOK 11) by Evangeline Anderson    Amazon

DARK THOUGHTS (REFUGE BOOK ONE) by Cynthia Sax      Amazon

DECOMMISSIONED (BROKEN ARROW UNIVERSE BOOK TWO) by Marianne Chappell: VS NOTE: MM SFR.       AmazonKU      AB

End of summer deadline (or any deadline)

BREAKING THE ALIEN LOVE CURSE by Veronica Scott: The characters have one night to gather the ingredients for a spell to break the alien love curse the MMC’s ex-fiancee put on them. Amazon     Apple Books     Kobo     Nook     GooglePlay

HEART OF STONE (KHARGALS OF DURAS) by Regine Abel: “The hero is an alien gargoyle stranded on Earth for 1000 years with the other members of his crew. A rescue party is finally coming. They must reach the rally point on a specific date for extraction while being hunted down by a shadow organization.   AmazonKU

DESTINED TO THE LYCAN (THE SHADOW REALMS) by Regine Abel: “A poison is slowly killing the heroine. She must figure out the clues given to her by the Weaver to find the cure before the next full moon, or she will die.”      AmazonKU

Single Parent

MAMA AND THE ALIEN WARRIOR (TREASURED BY THE ALIEN BOOK ONE) by Honey Phillips and Bex McLynn   AmazonKU

GRIM (TORNIANS BOOK ONE) by M K Eidem: VS Note: the FMC is a single mother.    Amazon    AB

COLVIN: SOLDIERS OF THE ARDANNAN BOOK THREE (INTERGALACTIC DATING AGENCY) by Veronica Scott: The FMC is a single mom.   Amazon     Apple Books     Kobo

HIRED BY THE ALIEN DAD (DADS IN SPACE) by Holly Hanzo     AmazonKU

Version 1.0.0

Bonnet (description of headgear in book)

KISS OF STEEL (LONDON STEAMPUNK BOOK ONE) by Bec McMaster: VS NOTE: It’s not exactly a bonnet but it’s sure a classy hat!        AmazonKU     AB

ESCAPING FATE (VEREDIAN CHRONICLES BOOK ONE) by Regine Abel: “The female Tuurean Warriors (believed to be a cyborg species) hide their faces behind the dark visor of their helmets. Those helmets also deploy metal scales all over their single, ankle-length braids, tipped by a vicious blade to turn them into lethal weapons.”      AmazonKU

STAR CRUISE CHEF’S KISS by Veronica Scott: The FMC wears a chef’s hat.  Amazon     Apple Books     Kobo     NOOK     GooglePlay

STAR CRUISE MYSTERY DANCER by Veronica Scott: The FMC wears a fancy headdress as part of the interstellar’s cruise liner’s dance troup, the Comettes.  Amazon     Apple Books    Kobo    Nook     Google Play

Y2K (any problem with computers or AI)

ORC SIZED LOVE AND THE NEON GLITCH by Sabrina Wilde and A R Grayson    AmazonKU

STRELS & ISIR: KLAGAN WARRIORS BOOK THREE by Holly Hanzo: “Their fated mate is a computer whiz and the three worl together to help shield Earth.”    AmazonKU

HEART & CHROME MM CYBERPUNK ROMANCE (NOVA CITY STORIES) by Atlas Knight     AmazonKU

HOT ALIEN HACKER (FATED MATES BAR BOOK FOUR) by Gwen Jody       AmazonKU

STAR CRUISE CAPTAIN’S PREQUEL by Veronica Scott: The captain of an interstellar starship and his AI fall in love but the ship is about to be scrapped.  Amazon     Kobo      NOOK     GooglePlay    Apple Books

STAR CRUISE CAPTAIN’S STORY by Veronica Scott: When the captain of the interstellar cruise liner goes missing the Ship’s AI who loves him figures out a way to take on human form. Amazon     Apple Books     Kobo      NOOK     GooglePlay

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VS Note: The Ripped Bodice Bookstore Bingo Card for 2026 has the category “Author the Ripped Bodice is hosting.” Obviously we couldn’t do a scifi romance twist on that so I’ve omitted it here.

Portions of this post first appeared in the Roswell Daily Record…

What better topic for June than brides in scifi, fantasy and paranormal romance?

I’ll lead off with Bride by Ali Hazelwood, which has nearly 65K reviews on one major ebook seller’s platform and takes the situation of a Vampyre princess (aptly named Misery) and a werewolf Alpha, entering into a marriage of convenience. Of course the political alliance turns into true love but there are obstacles between the couple and the Happy Ever After. Readers praised the world building, the banter, the spice, the romance…in short pretty much everything about the book. Because Ms. Hazelwood is a well known writer of contemporary romcoms, her venture into the paranormal enticed many of her regular readers to try a new-to-them genre. I was a big fan of the book myself.   Amazon     AB

Entered in the Alien Bride Lottery: A SciFi Alien Romance (Khanavai Warrior Bride Games Book 1) by Margo Bond Collins takes us into interstellar bride territory. Once a year every eligible human woman gets entered into the lottery. Despite the astronomical odds against it, hundreds of women get selected each year and sent off to the bride games, where the goal of the FMC in this book is to do well enough to survive but not so well that one of the aliens falls for her. The plot has aspects of a reality dating show, which some readers found offputting but overall the world building and the relationship between the two main characters drew praise. This is book one of a series.      AmazonKU      AB

I could have written an entire column about the topic of mail order brides in genre fiction because it’s a very popular trope (maybe next June). Since Ruby Dixon is such a well known name in the SFR world, I’ll mention her book The Alien’s Mail-Order Bride: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance Novella (Risdaverse). An alien farmer needs help and thinks a mail order bride from his home world would be the perfect partner. Unfortunately for him what he gets is a human who’s hiding from big trouble. Fortunately for her, the farmer is an ex soldier and he falls for her so there’s an HEA. It’s a short read but readers praised the character development and overall felt it was more romance-y than steamy but gave it high marks.      AmazonKU

The Escape (Alien Bride Race Book 1) by Sybur Phyre takes a reader into another world where the human women can enter a competition to win a million dollars by avoiding capture during the obstacle race. If they do get caught, however, they become a bride. The FMC comes from a terrible family and is very determined to win the race.  She wants the money to start her own business which will be, as the blurb says: “…teaching women alien self-defense, like how to use their extra arms, tentacles, and horns to our advantage.” The alien general who’s intrigued by her is equally determined to capture her for his own. Readers thought the book was a good series starter and liked the FMC and her relationship with the general.   AmazonKU

The Monsters’ Bride Market might not sound too appealing at first glance since the women are bought but rest assured there is always an HEA in this sixteen book series by four different authors. The books are generally “quick, fun, steamy…a dash of trauma…” as one reviewer said and the variety of monsters in the market for a bride is wide. Ranging from revenant to void walkers, the list includes some I’d never heard of before like the jotunn and the bogatyr. The series started last October and will continue with planned releases through July. The first book in the series (which can be read in any order as standalones) is Bought by the Revenant by Cara Wylde.   AmazonKU      AB

There’s a different Monster Brides series that is focused on orc romances. Four authors came together to write this set of books and Sheltered by the Orc: Monster Brides by Sandra R. Neeley is the first. Her human FMC has this misfortune, as described in the blurb: “Fall through an ancient Fae portal to a time when Orcs ruled the Irish countryside. Stumble into an arranged marriage with an Orc who wants you less than you want him. And when it’s all said and done? Frantically search for a way to travel through time back to his side.” True love rules and there’s always an HEA. Readers cited the strong characters and almost fairy tale like air of the book. The other authors in the series have their own unique ways for the orc and the woman to meet.       AmazonKU

For a scifi romance series featuring brides, look no further than Naomi Lucas’s Naga Brides series, which pairs human women with giant half-reptile alien Male Main Characters. As the blurb for book one says: “With the charm of a snake, and the wiles of a devil, these males will do anything, and I mean anything, for their females.” Lots of spice in the books but also great worldbuilding and strong FMC’s. Book one in the eight book series (so far – the author has a hotly anticipated new title coming soon) is Viper.      AmazonKU      AB

If you prefer your alien MMC’s to be more human-looking, there’s Vanquished: A Sci-Fi Alien Warrior Romance (War Brides of the Vandar Book 1) by Tana Stone.  In this three book series the marriages are arranged but the spice is steamy and the romances are satisfying. Readers did express a desire for the books to be longer but that’s a good thing for an author to hear as feedback. The series does tie in to her previous Raider Warlords of the Vandar SFR series but can be read as standalones. Ms. Stone has an entire galaxy out there to be explored.      AmazonKU

There’s also Evangeline Anderson’s 35 book (and counting) Brides of the Kindred series, which has a high spice level and a devoted readership. The FMC’s are curvy, the aliens are hot  but have challenges to be overcome while they protect Earth from evil aliens in return for their pick of human brides. As one reviewer said, “Where do I sign up to be a Kindred bride?”  Claimed: Brides of the Kindred is book one.     Amazon      AB

So many more brides I don’t have time to discuss today – happy reading!

VS Note: Here are a few more I didn’t have room for in the column, since the RDR is an actual newspaper.

One of my older books is MISSION TO MAHJUNDAR, in which a Sectors Special Forces officer has to escort a bride to her arranged marriage…

MISSION TO MAHJUNDAR

This one was partially inspired by The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye and the poignant situation of a man escorting the woman he loves to her arranged marriage. I was also inspired by a dear friend I had in college who was blind.

An attempted assassination left Princess Shalira blind as a child and, now that she’s of marriageable age, her prospects are not good because of her disability. She’s resigned herself to an arranged marriage rather than face life under the thumb of her cold stepmother. But then she meets Mike Varone, a Sectors Special Forces officer sent to Mahjundar by the intergalactic government to retrieve a ship lost in her planet’s mountains. After Mike saves Shalira from another assassination attempt, she arranges for him to escort her across the planet to her future husband. She’s already falling hard for the deadly offworlder and knows she should deny herself the temptation he represents, but taking Mike along to protect her is the only way she’ll live long enough to escape her ruthless stepmother.

Mike, for his part, resists his growing attraction to the princess; he has a mission on this planet and rescuing the vulnerable but brave princess isn’t it. No matter how much he wishes it could be.

But what should have been an easy trek through Mahjundar’s peaceful lands swiftly turns into an ambush with danger around every turn. Shalira’s marriage begins to seem less like an arranged union and more like yet another planned assassination. The more they work together to survive, the harder it becomes to stop themselves from falling in love. Caught in a race against time, can they escape the hostile forces hunting them and make it off the planet?

Amazon      Apple Books     Kobo     Nook     Google Play    AB:     Amazon      Apple Books

One of my favorite books in my entire backlist is the tale of an unusual honeymoon (because that’s what comes after being a bride, or in this case a mate, right?)

HONEYMOON FOR THE ALPHA

Thrown together as helpless prisoners in the punishing conditions of a Khagrish lab, Jill and Aydarr fell in love. Claiming each other as mates despite only having one night alone in a cell, they formed a deep, loving mate bond. Now, a planetary year later, after escaping the lab and leading the ongoing rebellion against the enemy together, Aydarr longs for more. He wants a chance to show Jill how much she means to him.

He decides to risk everything to take his mate away from it all for a few days. But will the Khagrish, the threats lurking in the planet’s unexplored wilderness and the Badari goddess allow them to complete A Honeymoon for the Alpha?

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A few others:

PENAL PLANET BRIDE (ALIEN INMATES BOOK ONE) by Lizzy Bequin

This planet is a prison. A dumping ground for the worst criminals in the galaxy. Aliens who take what they want and kill to keep it. Most of them haven’t seen a female in years. None of them have ever seen a human at all. I am both, and that makes me valuable. A prize on a planet built for monsters. Something to be hunted. Something to be claimed. I try to hide, but they find me. Three of them. The cunning thief. The horned giant. The ruthless warrior with conquest in his eyes. They belong different factions. They are not supposed to share. But in my case, they just might make an exception. They might decide I’m theirs.       AmazonKU

TAURUS (THE ZODIAC BRIDE SERIES BOOK ONE) by Laetitia Aldin

Earth has never been kind to Melanie. After struggling to survive and take care of her sick grandmother for years, she’s taken away to an unknown location to serve her sentence. After all, she owes a lot of money to a lot of people…But it seems that the place she’s taken to isn’t your usual run-of-the-mill prison. They offer to reduce her life-sentence to a single year. But there’s a catch…In order to be free, she has to take part in the Zodiac Repopulation program, marry a strange Alien she’s never met and give him a child. Ghauro is green, horned, and way too hot to be true. Will Melanie even want to leave once she gets to know him better?      AmazonKU

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TAMING THE ALIEN OVERLORD (NOVA BRIDES BOOK ONE) by Thea Dane

One minute I had a cushy job as an assistant to one of Earth’s intergalactic ambassadors. Now I’m stuck on Planet Xaxos with a seven-foot alien overlord. I don’t know what’s bigger, his muscles, his retractable horns or…his ego. Rone Azulim is used to being in charge. He lords over a whole planet and fleet of soldiers. My planet wants to form an alliance. He will only do so if I stay with him. As his mate. If Rone thinks I’m going to give up my independence to become his earthly arm candy, he’s out of his mind. I don’t care if his powerful voice and talented golden hands send thrills down my spine. It’ll take more than his dominant ways to make me submit. But we have more problems besides seeing whose will is strongest. Another alien species is planning an attack on Xaxos’ capital. If they’re not stopped, Earth will be next. Can I find a way to get out of this mission? Or will I trust Rone enough to want to stay with him…forever?       AmazonKU

WARBRIDE by Sylvia Mercedes

Ruthless. Bloodthirsty. Killer. And now? Her husband. Ilsevel knows exactly how brutal the fae raiders are. She watched them attack the holy shrine of her god, slaughter the priests, and drag her sister away screaming into darkness. So when she’s forced up onto the auction block to be sold off as a warbride to the highest bidder—and when the chilling warlord, Taarthalor, pushes his way to the front of the crowd and lays down an outrageous bid—Ilsevel fears her nightmare is only just beginning. Taar took one look at the fiery little human, and something in him sparked. He cannot explain it. He knows only that he will not see her sold off to one of the soulless monsters trying to outbid each other for a chance to use and discard her soft, womanly flesh. If that means binding himself to her by marriage, so be it. Can this dark king convince his bride not to murder him in his sleep before he can decide what to do with her? Or do the gods have other plans in store for the captive princess and her terrifying new husband?      AmazonKU     AB

And I’ll end with this one but it isn’t out until November 22.  I love this cover! You can preorder it:

BRIDE OF THE ALIEN WARRIOR: TREASURED BY THE ALIEN (BOOK 16) by Honey Phillips

Amazon Preorder

This post first appeared in the Roswell Daily Record…

I’ve been binge watching a few of my favorite reality TV shows again, which put me in a mood to discuss the use of reality show backdrops in romance. Of course when there’s a phenomenon as fraught with drama and excitement as a reality show can be (not to mention the possibilities for romance) authors are going to be inspired to place their characters in that environment and let the plot unfold.

I’ve done it myself with Star Cruise Dream Dancer, which drew on my love for the show “Dancing with the Stars.” I placed the action aboard my luxury space cruise liner the Nebula Dream and made the Female Main Character (FMC) one of the ship’s professional dancers. She knows her days of dancing are coming to a close and has hopes of transitioning into choreography. This contest represents her golden opportunity to shine since she’ll be coming up with routines she and her arrogant billionaire partner will dance. (The contest is for charity.) I had so much fun envisioning futuristic dance routines and telling backstage stories while also nurturing the inevitable romance between the FMC and her dashing dance partner. Of course there were wrinkles along the way. Did the judges and the galaxy vote my couple the winners? Well it is a romance and they do always come with a guaranteed Happy Ever After.

Amazon     Apple Books     Kobo     NOOK     GooglePlay

One which has stayed in my memory for years is Mars Ho! (Mars Adventure Romance Series Book 1) by Jennifer Willis. Her concept is a reality show broadcast 24/7 globally, in which the contestants are competing to earn a spot on the first colony ship to Mars. The FMC genuinely wants to travel to Mars but as the blurb says: “…when she entered the corporate-sponsored Mars Ho competition, she didn’t anticipate the chaotic, meat-market atmosphere that has candidates vying with each other on everything from creative seduction to life-and-death in the airlock.” She also didn’t expect her attraction to one of the strongest, most popular competitors. I enjoyed the way the competition played out as well as the relationship between all the characters. There are three books in the series, each revolving around a different couple with a variety of connections to the reality show.    Amazon

Once Upon a Rose Ceremony: MM Fantasy Romance (Wings & Whispers) by Callie Colby also occurs in the context of a dating show. As the MMC puts it: “I signed up for a cheesy dating show to fake a romance and score enough money to fix my life. But I never expected the lead to be an actual fairy prince…”  Reviewers wished it were a longer book but praised the sweetness and heat level.   AmazonKU

Stranded With the Alien King: A Sci Fi Alien Warrior Romance (Alien Love Island Book 1) by Lindsay R. Loucks kicks off a five book series. In the initial book, the FMC is a courier trying to deliver a secret package but an alien warrior king is determined to take the package for his own reasons…and they get kidnapped together and dumped on a deserted planet. They’ve been drafted into an alien dating show and have no choice but to participate. Now they’re a team, pretending to play along with the game when the cameras are on but working hard to find out the truth about the whole situation. When they aren’t distracted by their deep, steamy attraction to each other of course. Reviewers loved the suspense, the romance, the spice…the cliffhanger ending not so much but the entire series is now available.       Amazon      AB

So You Think You Can Marry an Alien: Stargazer Alien Reality Show Brides #1 (Intergalactic Dating Agency) by Tasha Black has the alien Main Male Character (MMC) coming to Earth with his brothers, in search of brides. He decides his best option is to be the star of a reality dating show. The FMC is a famous actress on the run who hides on the set of the alien dating show. Of course complications ensue and she and the alien bachelor have chemistry. Reviewers found the book to be high energy, enjoyed the sweet alien and thought highly of the feisty take charge FMC. This is a three book series.     AmazonKU      AB

Love Galaxy (The Intergalactic Dating Show Book 1) by Carlotta Page follows the alien dating show trope but the program takes place in another galaxy. Here the FMC also makes the assumption she can compete, have free room and board, lose, cry prettily and return home.  Then she’s paired with a 7’ alien whose plan to woo her is simple: “Convince me to stay beyond the twenty-day trial. Convince me to fall in love with him. And he’s prepared to use any tactic he can. Including studying human dating rituals. Including “practicing” kissing.”  It’s a three book series, each book about a different couple. I think the final book has a great premise – the show is cancelled and the producers run off, leaving the FMC stranded. Not to worry though, the HEA ending is always guaranteed.      AmazonKU

I Accidentally Joined a Demon Dating Show: A Reality TV Monster Dating Show (Rated M for Monster Book 1) by Sage Clark is a recently released paranormal romance which kicks off a six book series. It’s on my To Be Read list since I enjoyed the sample. The FMC is a software developer working on a dating app for werewolves and vampires when there’s a glitch and she gets abducted into a demon dating game. She has thirty days to play the game or be erased from existence and the handsome demon host announces he’s going to play too. Guess who the sparks and spice will be with? But then someone is murdered and she and the host have to solve the crime along the way. This is so new there aren’t any reviews as yet but I’m willing to take a chance on it. Book two features an alien/human match and the other books in the series feature an assortment of paranormal partners for the FMC’s.      AmazonKU

There are a number of other reality show trope romances out there (including in the non-SFR, non-PNR romance genres too of course). Happy reading!

VS NOTE: Two more that didn’t fit into my space limitation for the newspaper column:

ENTERED IN THE ALIEN BRIDE LOTTERY (KHANAVAI WARRIOR BRIDE GAMES BOOK ONE) by Margo Bond Collins

VS Note: The Games are broadcast…

Every unmarried female human over the age of twenty-one gets entered once a year. They can also pay legal fines by accepting extra entries instead, which many women do, considering the chances are astronomical their name will get chosen to be one of the hundred or so women who get shipped off to space every year. And even if their name is drawn, the odds are slim that they’ll match up with an alien who’s looking for a mate. Most of the lottery-drawn women come back to Earth every year and resume their lives as if nothing changed. But some don’t….And no matter what, getting drawn in the Lottery means you have to compete in the Bride Games. Which is where I’m heading now, with every hope and prayer that I’ll avoid catching the eye of one of the giant, rainbow-hued aliens who mission it is to protect Earth…in exchange for human brides. Here on earth, these aliens are considered our intergalactic protecters; but rumors have it that, when it comes to their behavior on their own home planet, they’re brutes in bed. Somehow, I need to do just well enough in the games to survive…but poorly enough to not seem appealing as a mate. And if I fail, I may just discover the consequences of being an Alien’s Bride are far worse than I ever imagined.       AmazonKU      AB

GUARDIAN (PRISON PLANET BOOK ONE) by Emmy Chandler

VS NOTE: Underlying the concept of this prison planet is an interstellar reality show where the top fighters battle it out. It’s a very gritty but good series.

“Choose wisely. Then keep your head down and do what you’re told. Time will pass, and we’ll be back for you.” Audra Copeland is among dozens of newly convicted felons dropped off on the prison planet Rhodon, where she discovers that the women of zone four have a long-standing arrangement with the men. If they hand over six of the new arrivals, the men won’t raid. And Audra has just been drafted.
She can take her chances on her own, or select a guardian. The deal is simple, if barbaric: sex, in exchange for food and safety from the other two hundred men in zone four. It’s a terrifying proposal. The men are violent, filthy degenerates. Then Audra sees Tyson at the edge of the crowd. A hulking, scarred figure, the other men call him a savage, but his clothes are clean, and he’s holding a freshly caught rabbit. He can clearly protect what’s his. As compassionate as he is powerful, Tyson ignites something fierce in Audra, and their connection is white-hot. The problem? Every thirty days, she’ll have to pick a new guardian. Now that he’s found Audra, Ty has every intention of keeping her for himself. Even if he has to destroy the fragile zone four peace treaty to do it.     AmazonKU      AB