• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Gini Koch’s Website
• List Price: $7.99 US/$9.99 CDN
• Publisher: DAW; Original edition (April 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756406005
• ISBN-13: 978-0756406004

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How can a sexy marketing manager join forces with an Alpha Centauri male in Armani to save the planet-using hairspray, a Mont Blanc pen, and rock n’ roll?
Easy…

She’s “Touched by an Alien”

Marketing manager Katherine “Kitty” Katt steps into the middle of what appears to be a domestic dispute turned ugly. And it only gets uglier when the man turns into a winged monster, straight out of a grade-Z horror movie, and goes on a killing spree. Though Kitty should probably run away, she springs into action to take the monster down.

In the middle of the chaos a handsome hunk named Jeff Martini appears, sent by the “agency” to perform crowd control. He’s Kitty’s kind of guy, no matter what planet he’s from. And from now on, for Kitty, things are going to be sexy, dangerous, wild, and out of this world.

What a nice little surprise this book is!

I picked up Touched By An Alien after hearing a lot of positive chatter on Twitter from my very trusted sources, and I am glad I did. It is unlike anything I have ever read, and was a nice light read after coming off from a very intense Urban Fantasy series. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the humor and wit were just what I needed, and believe me when I say there are a lot of laugh-out-loud moments.

Touched By An Alien is the first book in Gini Koch’s new Katherine “Kitty” Katt series and is also my first introduction to the Science Fiction Romance genre. The action starts out right from the first page as Kitty is leaving the courthouse for jury duty. She quickly discovers she has some major skillz with a Montblanc pen as she instinctively grabs it and stabs a seemingly human male who is actually mutating in to a “superbeing” by an alien parasite, as he is attacking a woman. As soon as the superbeing is killed and the woman is saved, she is joined by a team of agents who are aliens themselves, visitors from Alpha Centauri. These agents want to recruit her to help them track a particularly powerful and dangerous superbeing who has taken over the mind of a terrorist leader. All of the Alpha Centaurian agents are drop dead gorgeous males, and one in particular named Jeff Martini is instantly smitten with Kitty.

I was a tough crowd at first because Ms. Koch sets up the romance right from the get-go, which I wasn’t sure would work for me. One of the first statements out of Martini’s mouth upon meeting Kitty is “will you marry me?” and he came on so strong right after meeting her. This won a giant Spaz Eye Roll from me, but you quickly learn it is part of his completely endearing personality. Once I realized I was supposed to roll my eyes at him, I was won over not long after this first meeting. The other Alpha Centaurians Kitty works with to hunt down this powerful superbeing are awesome, especially the team of model-esque women who are the scientists and work in the Alpha Centaurian Headquarters. I love that the scientists are all women, and they are not interested in other Alpha Centaurian men, but in very smart human men and could care less about looks. Love it! In addition, Ms. Koch did not hold back with the smex scenes and they were really, really steamy. Love In An Elevator steamy. I have to have sexy action in my books, people, and it was exactly the right amount.

I also wanted to point out how much I love this cover art by Daniel Dos Santos. If the artwork seems familiar, it is because he has also done the cover art for Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson books, among many others. In looking at his collection, he has also done the cover for the upcoming Alien Tango, the second Katherine “Kitty” Katt book estimated to release in December 2010.

Since this book was the first of its kind that I’d ever read, I needed some time to let it sink in before I wanted to write up a review on it. After reflecting on it, this is a solid 4 stars for me. If you are looking for something completely different than what is out there right now, and you need your romance in addition to humor, this book is definitely for you. I am looking forward to Alien Tango in December to find out what happens next!