Rescuing Prince Charming

Alien Contact for Idiots #4

by Edward Hoornaert

Dusty Johnson, a self-styled ordinary, everyday woman, responds with extraordinary heroism to saboteurs trying to bomb the prototype of Earth's first starship. She wants to return to anonymity, but her moment of courage propels her ever deeper into danger that tears the scabs off her dark past—and thrusts her into the arms of the unattainable man of her dreams.


Reese Eaglesbrood, an alien prince, yearns to restore his tattered reputation by guiding the starship project to completion, but his fascination with the unassuming heroine threatens to undermine his fragile authority. Shunning Dusty is necessary, yet unthinkable—and when the saboteurs strike again, she may be his only ally against Earth's darkest enemies.

Genres: Romance, Science Fiction

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 4, 2017

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A female tech writer has a meet cute with an alien prince when they dispose of a bomb meant to sabotage a spaceship. From there, it's a fairly average romance, with more sex than some genre novels, as they fall in love and find out who is trying to sabotage the ship.

[Lisabet Sarai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desdemona Johnson, or Dusty as she prefers, is no heroine. She’s a mere tech writer, just one of the hundreds of humans and Kwadrans laboring in the caverns of the Wiki, with the dream of creating Earth’s first interstellar spacecraft. So what’s she doing searching the evacuated underground corridors for a saboteur’s bomb? And who is the mysterious, gorgeous Kwadran who turns up to help? The rush of emotion from their near-fatal adventure pushes them into one another’s arms, a very uncharacteristic move for the introverted, highly rational Desdemona—one she hopes she won’t regret. That hope is quickly dashed when she learns that her companion in saving the ship from destruction is Prince Reese Eaglesbrood, disgraced younger brother of the Kwadran king and new leader of the spaceship endeavor.

Reese Eaglesbrood has led a life of scandal since his people plucked their island from an alternative universe, whisked it through the void and landed it off the west coast of twentieth century America. His appointment to oversee the development of the Fraidy Cat prototype offers him the chance to redeem himself in his brother’s eyes. He’s determined to root out the saboteurs plaguing the project and bring the effort to a successful completion. However, his intense attraction to Dusty seriously complicates that mission.

Rescuing Prince Charming is a science fiction romance that solidly satisfies the criteria of both genres. The Kwadrans are descended from Pacific Northwest Native Americans. Mr. Hoornaert does a fabulous job bringing their culture to life, complete with language, art, architecture, technology and oceanic metaphors (e.g. “splashing the orca’s tail” is a euphemism for casual sex). The Kwadrans are friendly aliens, for the most part, but that doesn’t stop both humans and Kwadrans from holding prejudices, which significantly complicate their relationships. I’ve always preferred scifi that focuses on the social implications of future changes; this book definitely falls into that category.

Meanwhile, Dusty and Reese are obviously made for one another, despite the barriers of race and social status. Though the book does not contain any explicit scenes, the powerful connection between them is both emotional and physical. I loved both characters, especially Dusty, whose intellectual curiosity and quick wits make her a true heroine despite her beliefs that she’s ordinary.

The novel kicks off with a literal bang, and the fast pace continues throughout. Mr. Hoornaert’s writing is dynamic, crisp and clever. For instance:

----------------

Where was Reese? Where?

Footsteps thumped. A fist smacked flesh. Another gunshot, followed by the tinkling
of broken glass.

She wobbled to hands and knees, determined to rescue Reese even if it cost her her
life.

“Dinna shoot!” whined Sir George. The sir title must be a lie, she thought groggily.
Surely no real Scottish peer would say dinna.

She struggled to her feet. Hair blocked her vision. When she pushed it aside, her
hand came away drenched in blood. She hated blood, especially her own—but she
ignored it. No time. She tried to assume a martial arts crouch, but her head whirled, and she slumped weakly onto a bench, instead.

It took a while to realize there were no more shouts or gunshots. The battle was over.

And the good guys had won.

-----------

Finally, of course, there’s the Siamese cat. I would have adored this book even without Priscilla, but she’s the icing on the cake—as well as being central to the plot.

Rescuing Prince Charming is hugely entertaining and highly recommended. I haven’t read a romance I enjoyed so much in a long time.

Note: I received an ARC of this book from the author.

[Matilda (booksinwildplaces) · Rating 1 out of 5]

⭐/5

Overall impression: started off promising but went downhill towards the end. Action scenes were thrown together and none of the characters were developed enough for me to care.

✅ Alien Prince / Tech Writer
✅ Sci-fi romance
⚖️ Insta-love romance
⚖️ Simple plot
❌ Miscommunication trope
❌ Weakly developed characters
❌ Ex-girlfriend as one of the main side characters
❌ Teen-speak
❌ Cliche ending
❌ Poor world-building

[Bry · Rating 1 out of 5]

I must admit, I did not finish this book. I got about 56% through, but that's it for me. These characters are supposed to be the smartest of the smart, working on a top-secret, underground, highly professional project, but instead they talk and act like damned high schoolers. The gossip, bullying, and unprofessional behavior is ridiculous.

The science part of the book is wonky, hole filled, and not well thought through. The "alien race", which are actually humans from a parallel dimension, are supposedly from 200 years in the future. Apparently this gives the author carte blanche to introduce new technologies whenever the need arises without any hint prior to their race having these capabilities.

The romance felt very insta-lovey, although the hero does make 1 attempt at actually talking to the heroine prior to ditching her.

All in all, this was just not for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Sadie Forsythe]

DNF 20%

I just got tired of the info-dumps and hand-wavy science. Plus, the actual writing style grated on my nerves. Despite the fact that I generally enjoy sci-fi romances, even cheesy ones (though I love them for entirely different reasons), this isn't the book for me.

[Diane Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cinderella Meets the Prince. Dusty is an ordinary girl with an ordinary job in a super-secret facility. While she's hunting for a bomb (ticking clock), a guy tells her to pull off his pants. Now if that isn't a cute meet, I don't know what is. Seems he crawled into a tunnel and his pants are hooked on a jagged piece of metal. BTW, he's found the bomb. She has no idea who this guy is but, whew, he is hot. And, btw, he's a prince.

Reese is the second son, the playboy, who's put in charge of getting the super-secret mission back on track. Oh, and finding the saboteur. Dusty is the only person he really trusts. She's not so sure she trusts him.

A good mystery, lots of suspense, great humor, and a solid romance. All this in a science fiction romance. I expected a good story from Mr. Hoornaert. I wasn't disappointed. I've enjoyed the other books in this series. Looking for more.

[Donna (BookDragonGirl) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a pleasant surprise for me!! It was a lot of fun! It covers a number of genres. It is action packed, full of adventure, suspense, mystery, romance, sci-fi, humor and so much more! Like I said, it was a lot of fun!

The beginning starts out with a bang, I couldn’t put it down! And even though there were times that the book wasn’t as adventurous or action packed, it kept my interest throughout. I’m telling you...I COULDN’T PUT IT DOWN!!!

The characters were really well written. I loved seeing Dusty and Reese’s relationship develop. The romance in this book was so good! I WANT MORE OF DUSTY AND REESE!!!!

Also, I enjoyed the alien part of it too, reading about their backgrounds and how they came to be on earth was really good.

Though this is the 4th book in a series, it can be read as a standalone (as I did). But after reading it, I now want to know more about the other characters that had their own stories. I definitely recommend this, and I plan on reading more books from this series. Edward Hoornaert has won me over as a fan!!!

[Anthonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully well written story that i enjoyed reading. Talk about not your typical meeting and this. is so Cinderella meets her Prince. The story was action packed, clever, funny, nice romance, and issues. A must read for any and all book lovers everywhere.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desdemona Johnson or Dusty is trying to find a bomb when she encounters Reese who is also doing the same. It turns out Reese is the new person in charge and a prince as well. They fight their attraction for each other. Reese is from an alternate earth that brought a whole island with them. Together they are working to build a spaceship to explore the universe. There are some that are trying to stop them and Dusty and Reese try to figure it all out before one of them gets killed.


Even though I had not read the prior books in this series I had no problem keeping up with the action and characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the world.

I was given the book free from the publisher for an honest review.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the beginning I was like "whoa", then it dropped off a bit. Dusty was a great character and I enjoyed her techie thinking. Reese was a good character but I didn't get as much from him. The relationship between the two of them put me off. Too much sex without any other interactions before the love word was thrown about not to mention a weird timed sex romp near the end. The concept was very interesting and the plot was steady. I will pick up more by this author even though this one lost some of the initial steam. I received an ebook at no charge for which I voluntarily provided an honest review.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read! I love reading certain types of books and when I started this particular book I wasn't sure if it was up my alley or not but it was amazing! This book spans a plethora of reading genres. It is packed full of action, adventure, suspense, romance, murder and so much more. It's an absolute must read! Don't discount the book just because it is a little different than what you normally read. It is so worth it!

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5.0

The world-building in “Rescuing Prince Charming” is phenomenal, and the science-fiction aspect works very well.

Read full review in the 2018 March issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What fun! Loved it!!

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. Mr. Hoornaert brings his great writing, humorous writing style to both characters and storyline. If you like sci-fi romance, this is a book for you! Recommended!!

[Tena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a kindle version #GoodreadsGiveaway

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so good

I really didn't like it very much, just didn't seem like much of a story to me and it was boring.

[Mary Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this book can’t wait to read more of the series.

[C.J. Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been curious about a trend in current publishing that I read about - romantic sci-fi. I knew the author Edward Hoornaert has had a successful career writing romance so I wanted to see what he would do in the sci-fi genre. The book is easy to read, and Hoornaert writes great action scenes. It’s easy to like the characters, too. Dusty is an Arizona girl who doesn’t think of herself as a hero, but she’s a stand-up gal who steps up when she sees a problem that needs solving. The charming prince, Reese, has his own past with a reputation as a screw-up to live down. Dusty and Reese work together to prevent a catastrophic explosion which naturally leads to an intense (but not all that graphic) sexual encounter. True love blossoms. Although the science part of science-fiction is fairly light, there is the intriguing idea of an alien species, which Dusty calls shape-shifters, who have involuntarily hitchhiked onto the human space ship. Figuring out how to send shapeshifters back to their own world becomes the central problem for Dusty and Reese to solve. The word "fun" is over used in reviews, but it applies here quite well.

[Cassey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tricky book to review.

On the surface of it this story should have everything going for it, but it didn't quite hit the sweet spot to get four stars. I liked Dusty, especially the ways in which she battled with being a heroine...yet there were parts of her characterisation that rung hollow. No way did she not pick up on some of the things she missed.

Another reason why this didn't get to four stars - the overplayed trope of younger sibling needing to atone for something, with the atonement meaning he must ignore who he truly is.

I did enjoy the manipulations of the "bad guys". And am intrigued by the backstories of the guard pair.

Worth the read? Yes. Would I read the rest of the series? Depends on which characters story it is.

*I'm a lucky fish, and I got given a copy to read*

[Frances Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as an arc reader. I hadn’t read any of Ed Hoornaert’s books before and I was very pleasantly impressed. Dusty Johnson is working on the first inter dimensional space ship as an engineer. Prince Eaglesbrood has been sent in to replace his aunt who is falling down on the job of getting it completed by the date decided upon.
Dusty can’t understand why the work she does has no faults but others are obviously falling down on the job. She starts to get suspicious and determines to speak to Prince Eaglesbrood.
From the beginning there is a zany sense of humour in this book but with a good strong storyline. You find out that there are aliens and then there are ALIENS!
I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has one of the best opening scenes every. What a way for two people to meet. The rest of the book had to work very hard to live up to the opening. Prince Charming has not been successful in life, in fact he just kept messing up. This time he wants to succeed but events and things are working against him. Dusty Johnson just wants to be left alone to work on humans first space ship. She does not trust and he is afraid he will mess up again. The two are on an interesting course that kept the story line moving. A unexpected plot and an interesting romance. All in all a fun book.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this free from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
One little thing that really bothered me is that the "alien" is really a human from an alternate universe. Other than that really enjoyable read. Interesting storyline. In fact, so interesting that I am going to read the first in the series.

[Janet Stead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would normally not even pick up a book that had anything to do with other planets and aliens. But I'm glad I did - this was an EXCELLENT book. I found myself, when I had to put it down, looking forward to seeing what was coming next. I would gladly try more of Edward Hoornaert's books - and I highly recommend this one.

[Zuzana899 · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF at 39 %.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. It was not bad, but there was no tension or chemistry between main characters. They jumped right to the intimate level so there was really no room for a relationship developmend or sexual tension, what is a pity, otherwise I would like the book a bit more, I guess.

Thanks to Netgalley for this arc.

[Books In Brogan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll start by saying I haven't read the previous 3 books and maybe I would have like this one more if I had but the hero was a little to annoying and the formulaic plot of the book was easy to predict so no surprises or anything to set this book apart from many others.This review was originally posted on Books In Brogan

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so excited about this book, I actually read and reviewed the first 2 of the series on my blog and I was so surprised when I saw Rescuing Prince Charming as I did not expect it at all!

Makes me wonder if there are to be more books in this series because it is truly wonderfully entertaining and I think that Edward did a fantastic job.

I have read the series in order, so reading Rescuing Prince Charming, was easy. I do believe that it can be read as a standalone but I would really recommend having read the books in order as a lot of what is happening in Rescuing Prince Charming are consequences of what happened mostly in book 2.

It was really lovely seeing everyone again, and I am looking forward to Edward's next project. I am going to tell you that I HIGHLY recommend the series as a whole and encourage you to read all 3 books. I promise you will not regret it at all!

Will there be a book 4? I wonder...