This is a alien abduction/unlikely attraction story that is equal parts awkward and cute. There is stereotype that made me cringe, but also a refreshing charm. I don't know that I loved it but I am willing to give the next book a chance. Maybe this will grow on me.

As the main character, I really like Annaliese. The author did her homework in developing this character and it shows. She felt very real and admirable.

I liked Nex and Anneliese’s story. He may have helped her escape, but she never forgot him. What will she do when he returns to Earth for her? This is a fast-paced read with plenty of drama and an intriguing relationship between Nex and Anneliese. Can two people worlds apart find a way to make a relationship work? I really liked the story as well as the characters. A good read.

After escaping her alien captors, Anneliese Thompson has reclaimed her life on Earth, but she never forgot the Risnarish man who set her free. Now he’s back with an ominous message—the Monsuda are coming for her again. To survive, she must return to his planet and let his people help her. But this former soldier is done sitting on the sidelines—this time, Anneliese wants in on the fight.

Risnar warrior and scientist Nex Clauhahz searches for the former captives he freed from the Monsudan hive. Anneliese’s fire and strength instantly draw him to her. He vows to do whatever it takes to protect her, even if he has to save her from herself.

As alliances are threatened and new enemies are uncovered, Nex and Anneliese search for a way to defeat their common foe. With everything she cares for teetering on the verge of destruction, including her own warrior strength, Anneliese must prove her loyalty and worth—and embrace a second chance at love and a life worth living.

Review:

This is a new Author to me, though I have seen her name and books around this is my first time getting the chance to read one of her works.

First thoughts, very inventive. Though I have not read the first book, I caught on quickly to this world she has built and to the story. Her research and writing for Anneliese made her an intriguing and interesting character. I really liked that she is a warrior and of a minority group, which I like since romance really needs to be more diverse. She can be super stubborn and on the defense, but you understand where she is coming from. Nex, is just an all-around good guy, well alien. He has lots of great abilities, especially in those intimate scenes. Speaking of intimate scenes, they are very sexy and inventive. Action packed and sexy romance.

3.5Stars
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*

A delightfully different alien romance with a strong female lead and an adorably dorky male alien scientist. Readers will love the chemistry between these two leads as they traverse the dangers of space. While part of a series, it can be enjoyed as a standalone. Filled with as much action and romance as it does sci-fi, Worlds Aparts is an entertaining alien romance.

Anneliese is a fierce, independent woman fighting for her freedom. Nex saved her from the Monsuda who are still after her. Theirs was an instant attraction full of difficulties. An interesting and engaging alien scifi romance.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am leaving a review.

A fun and engaging alien romance. Loved the chemistry between Nex and Anneliese. A entertaining plot that is filled with drama, action, and danger, grabs and keeps your interest. Nex is smart, geeky, protective, and sexy. Anneliese is smart, independent, capable, and a real fighter. Together they make an formidable team. A entertaining and enjoyable read.

Who would’ve thought I’d enjoy a instalove alien abduction romance? When I first saw this book pop up for review, I waffled back and forth quite a bit before I requested it, just because those are two tropes I don’t usually enjoy. I’m glad I decided to go for it, though, as I really enjoyed this one. This is the second in a series, and I’d definitely recommend reading the previous book first.

Anneliese, an army veteran who was injured in combat, has been spending the time since her discharge helping out her cousins on the reservation, protesting government encroachment on their lands, and, well, generally being a loner. Anneliese is Native American – a member of the Mohawk tribe – and while Ms. St. John is clear that this is not own voices, she’s married to a member of the tribe and had a female family member check over the book. Oh, and also, Anneliese was rescued from being experimented on in an alien laboratory by a race of muscular cat-like tiger-striped aliens named Risnarish. The bad-guy aliens are called Monsudans and resemble praying mantises, and they control the robotic drones that resemble the typical big-headed space alien thing. Anneliese can’t get the kiss she shared with one of the Risnarish men out of her head. When an alien saucer appears overhead while she’s finishing up some shopping, she immediately fears the bad aliens are going to kidnap her again, but it’s Dex, the alien she kissed, that emerges. Turns out, while they wiped out the particular hive of aliens that conducted experiments on her, there are countless other hives all over their home planet (that they “share” with the Monsudans), and they’ve found out that the other hives are attempting to retrieve the previously freed captives. The solution is to bring her back to Risnar and surgically remove the tracker, and Anneliese is secretly overjoyed at the chance to spend more time with Dex. Once she arrives back on the alien planet, of course, things quickly go south, and Anneliese must use her talents against an unexpected and unwelcome enemy. With both Dex’s and Anneliese’s worldview shaken, does their relationship stand a chance?

While I liked the first book, I enjoyed this one much better. For one thing, I think that since it is the second book, it doesn’t have to do as much basic world building. I also liked that it addressed one of the issues I had with the previous book. In Risnarish society, men and women live very different lives. Women are considered the more spiritual gender and tend to be scientists and such, and are generally calm and serene. Men are much more “human-like,” more likely to show emotion, and are generally the farmers and protectors. So, part of the appeal of human women to the Risnarish men is that they’re not like their own women. The first heroine definitely had a “not like other women!!!” feel to her, and really the female Risnarish were treated as very other and standoffish in the first book. In this book, Dex works closely with one of the women, Salno, and Anneliese eventually befriends her as well.

“Perhaps a teaching that I once received when I went through a phase of correcting others far too often. My guardian reminded me that a good cause is not so good if it’s the only thing making you think you’re worthwhile.”


Anneliese is strong, prickly, and argumentative – basically everything I like in a heroine! Since she was a kid, she’s always stood up for those weaker than her, so it was a no-brainer for her to go into the armed forces. When it’s made clear that the Monsudans are intending to invade Earth, Anneliese insists on joining the fight, though she’s stymied by her injuries and Risnarish custom. As she and Dex grow closer, she starts to realize that while her willingness to fight for herself and others for a worthy cause is noble, it shouldn’t be the end-all be-all of her life. She’s also used to relying only on herself and pretty much actively rejects help, something that puts her at odds with Dex over the course of their relationship. I thought the balance they achieved between them by the end of the book was well done.

OK, since this is an alien romance, I do have to comment on some of the alien-ness. Risnarish can grow appendages (like tails and extra fingers) and they don’t exhibit sexual organs unless they’re actually, well, getting it on. With the very different social structures for men and women, it did make me wonder if there are any transgender Risnarish, or if a female or male Risnarish could grow the opposite sex organ if they chose. I had plenty of time to wonder about things like this while reading the books because, for whatever reason, I didn’t much care for the sex scenes. There’s a bit of a d/s vibe and the heroes seem to have a habit of putting off full intercourse until the very end of the book – unless we’re counting growing a tail and then using that? I don’t think this is the author’s fault, as I also didn’t particularly care for the sex scenes in another alien romance I read recently.

Overall, I enjoyed this book much more than I was expecting. If you like strong heroines but are unsure of alien romances, I think this would be a great book to test out. I’ll definitely be picking up the next in the series!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This is the second book in the Risnar series. Nex fell instantly for Annaliese when he helped rescue her from the Monsuda. When he comes to find her again, the feeling only strengthens. Annaliese also returns these feelings. Unfortunately their relationship isn’t smooth sailing. Annaliese is fiercely independent and has a combative nature. She has fought all her life and finds it hard to stop. Nex wants to care for her and have her lean on him. Her inability to do so nearly causes them to lose each other. When Nex is captured by the Monsuda, he is able to put things in to perspective and realize he was trying to change his he person she is.

I won't lie I struggled with the first book in this new series as I'd loved the authors Clan books so much but I really enjoyed getting into this book with its have a go Native American heroine and of course the Risnarian scientific hero who even wanted to be a warrior too !
This book had a different type of pace to the first book Not of This World and I enjoyed seeing Anneliese surprise the Risnarians with her experience in combat. She’s definitely a stubborn survivor but what really kind of took me aback was Nex as I’d previously seen him as well kind of nerdy and gentle but he stood up to Anneliese and actually was a challenge to her. I also thought that Anneliese had a lot to learn about herself and Nex was just perfect for her. There is some danger and angst in the story but it’s not particularly action packed although I’m curious how the Monsudans will react as the ending had a reveal about their allies that was horrifying. Plus come on Ms St. John it’s obvious that Jape needs a book of his own.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Not quite as good as the first one but still a fun read with lots of heat, very different from her other series.

This must be the second book in the series. The world was built sufficiently, but the talk of the other Earthling woman made me think it was book two. The hardest part for me was I didn't understand the whole alien abduction thing - it seemed like all that happened in the first book.

a good solid blend of sci fi and romance. I really liked Anneliese and Nex. I found the story be both fascinating and hot.

Worlds Apart brings us a love story between a human woman and a sexy, striped alien, set amidst sexism, racism, and war. It's an action-packed look at the cost of fighting for and against everything. Is winning worth the price or is love the ultimate prize?
The story opens with Anneliese reunited with Nex as she needs to be taken back to Risnar to have a tracking device embedded into her by the Monsudans taken out so they can't track, capture, and experiment on her again. Anneliese is a fighter. She has fought all her life against prejudice, sexism, and racism. She's fought for the rights of others, for those weaker than herself, for her country. There's no denying her strength and her willingness to jump in feet first to defend whoever needs defending. The problem is, Anneliese doesn't know how to do anything but fight, even when she doesn't need to. She's constantly combative, railing against those who care about her, and picking fights when none are needed. It's a huge character flaw because she eventually pushes away the one person who cares and loves her the most, Nex, with her need to fight and always win. It made her very difficult to like as a character. Fortunately, she is aware of her flaws, but it takes her a long time to come to terms with it, and to make an effort to change. It was so hard for her to even bend a little, to accept help. She even damages herself with her stubbornness and resistance towards the care she needs. She can't be trusted to take care of herself. It's almost like on top of her need to fight everyone and everything, she also seems to need to be self-sabotaging. She does redeem herself towards the end of the book, but by then I had kind of gotten tired of her. I almost didn't finish the book because of Anneliese but I persevered because I loved Nex and I like the world of Risnar.
Nex, on the other hand, is a delight. He's sweet, charming, funny, and protective. He's desperately attracted to Anneliese and wants to build a life with her. He's patient as he seduces her with the Risnarian rituals of intimacy, and as he cares for her. One of his failings though was he wanted Anneliese to bend which she is incapable of doing. He wanted her to allow him to care for her and protect her, but her independent and combative spirit did not allow that to happen. This, unfortunately, caused a lot of tension between them, especially with Anneliese constantly pushing Nex away while he's trying to get closer to her. I did like that he eventually decided he loved her for who she is and didn't want her to change (okay, maybe a little!), accepting her for who she was. Personally, if I had a guy who wanted to protect and care for me, I'm all in. I wouldn't be battling him every step of the way.
I posted in my reading group recently I was tired of seeing so much social, ethical, social justice and political issues being shoved down my throat with a lot of the romances I am reading. What happened to telling a good story for readers to escape into a fantasy world? What happened to just being able to enjoy a story for what it is? A good romance? Instead, it seems like every other new book I am reading now has the authors banging on about some issue or other. It's not like I don't care. I do. But I read enough about it on the news. Hear enough about it on social media. Watch enough of it on TV. I don't want it in my romance novels. This novel is no different. I understand Ms St John meant to highlight the Native American culture and all that entails, but she put so much sexism, racism, prejudice, and women's rights into the story, I felt like I was drowning in it. I get authors have a platform in their books and they want to use it to highlight issues that are near and dear to their hearts, but maybe do it a bit more subtly?
I like the world that Ms St John has created on Risnar. I love the Risnarians and their culture, their respect for their women, their acceptance of everyone as equals, and their care of their environment. I'm also very invested in how the war between the Monsudans and Risnarians will turn out, so I want more stories revolving around that. But I don't want more overt social and political issues being shoved down my throat. I'll definitely read the next book in the series if there is one, but I hope Ms St John tones it down a bit on those topics.

ARC received for review

DNF

Oops, didn't realize I got the first one, and didn't finish it. I gave this one a try since it was partially on Earth, but still can't get into it.

I am really enjoying this series by Ms St John, I have read the first and now this second book - hope she continues to provide interesting characters and plot!

After escaping her alien captors, Anneliese Thompson has reclaimed her life on Earth, but she never forgot the Risnarish man who set her free. Now he’s back with an ominous message the Monsuda are coming for her again. To survive, she must return to his planet and let his people help her. But this former soldier is done sitting on the sidelines—this time, Anneliese wants in on the fight.Risnar warrior and scientist Nex Clauhahz searches for the former captives he freed from the Monsudan hive. Anneliese’s fire and strength instantly draw him to her. He vows to do whatever it takes to protect her, even if he has to save her from herself.When I started reading I couldn't put it down I read the book in one day.Tracy is magnifysent writer.I cannot wait to read more of her books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.