Tek

by Michele Bardsley

Tek, Crown Prince of Kratania, has traveled through a magical portal to find his soul mate, the woman foretold to become his queen. Social worker Mary Wolmack refuses to believe he’s an alien—until he takes her to his world and shows her truth. Now he wants to marry her. Can an earth girl give up her fears to fall in love with an alien prince?

78 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 25, 2017

About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Michele Bardsley writes humorous paranormal romances and funny paranormal mysteries. Michele likes to write, read, crochet hats, drink wine, and eat chocolate!

Visit her website!

Reviews

[Melanie S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to teach. And in my classroom experience, there was always one student who looked at the assignment requirements, then promptly took a left and did something completely off-track. I mention this because the Intergalactic Dating Agency is a multi-author mega-series with a unifying premise: Earth women meet the alien mates of their dreams via mail-order bride type matching agencies. Each author in the IDA invents her own franchise, as it were, and the 30+ novels released so far have run a delightfully quirky and individualized course while holding to the main premise. Until Tek: Intergalactic Dating Agency (How to Marry an Alien). Author Michele Bardsley is the one who veered left. This one isn't up to the franchise standards. The IDA in the title? Not even mentioned in the book. No mail order interplanetary nada. Just a random alien, Tek, who is on Earth as a solo to pursue Mary, a social worker at a women's shelter. Tek is hunky, pushy, impatient, controlling - his version of love looks more like stage one of an abusive relationship. Mary is the BBW who can't buy his over-the-top advances, the implied reason being her weight-damaged self esteem. I think it's more like her innate good sense compounded with her work experience saying HELL NO! Tek justifies his aggressive (up to and including kidnapping) courting style because his Oracle told him their god, Geru, selected Mary for him. News to Mary! But she has to believe the evidence... The novel progresses, in an oddly detached tone, through Mary's adventures on Tek's planet, where the wise oracle treats her with crude disrespect, she's confronted with de facto slavery as well as a personal harem in the royal household, and then challenged to an MMA-type fight of the fat girls for the right to marry Tek. In the process, numerous opportunities for dramatic tension and character development are created and then left unfulfilled. And the icing on the romantic cake? Her marriage is consummated in a command public performance before the royal council! (In this absolute monarchy, Prince Tek can't order them to take a hike?) The best of this novel is Mary, a fairly well written character who shines next to the lackluster hero and supporting cast, but it isn't enough to elevate this book from mediocrity.