Touched by an Alien

Katherine "Kitty" Katt #1

by Gini Koch

Marketing manager Katherine "Kitty" Katt had just finished a day on jury duty. When she stepped out of the Pueblo Caliente courthouse, all she was thinking about was the work she had to get caught up on. Then her attention was caught by a fight between a couple that looked like it was about to turn ugly. But ugly didn't even begin to cover it when the "man" suddenly transformed into a huge, winged monster right out of a grade Z science fiction movie and went on a deadly killing spree. In hindsight, Kitty realized she probably should have panicked and run screaming the way everyone around her was doing. Instead she sprinted into action to take down the alien.

In the middle of all the screeching and the ensuing chaos, a hunk in an Armani suit suddenly appeared beside her, introduced himself as Jeff Martini with "the agency," and then insisted on leading her to a nearby limo to talk to his "boss." And that was how Kitty's new life among the aliens began...Touched by an Alien is the thrilling first installment of the Alien novels.
 

Genres: Science Fiction, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Aliens, Fantasy, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance

389 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 6, 2010

About the author

Gini Koch lives in Phoenix, Arizona and writes the bestselling fast, fresh and funny Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Katt series for DAW Books, the Necropolis Enforcement Files series, and the Martian Alliance Chronicles series. Alien in the House, Book 7 in her long-running Alien series, won the RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Award as the Best Futuristic Romance of 2013. Book 14, Alien Nation, won the Preditors and Editors Reader's Choice Award for Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Novel of 2016. Alien Education releases May 2, 2017, and DAW Books has just contracted through Book 20 in the Alien series.

As G.J. Koch she writes the Alexander Outland series and she’s made the most of multiple personality disorder by writing under a variety of other pen names as well, including Anita Ensal, Jemma Chase, A.E. Stanton, and J.C. Koch.

In addition to her upcoming Alien Series releases, she has stories featured in a variety of anthologies available now and coming soon, writing as Gini Koch, Anita Ensal, J.C. Koch, and Jemma Chase. Writing as A.E. Stanton she will have an audiobook release in 2017, Natural Born Outlaws (The Legend of Belladonna Part 1) coming from Graphic Audio.

For full details on all releases, all the news about Gini's books, signings, events, excerpts, and more, visit her website: http://www.ginikoch.com.

Reviews

[Anzû · Rating 1 out of 5]

Touched by an Alien, eh? What was I thinking?

I mean yeah, the cover artist – I’m talking about the whole series of books- is great, and call me a douche, but that’s the main reason I wanted to get my hands on this book so much. But Touched by an Alien??

…

And then the summary, which states a bunch of important words “sexy marketing manager”, emphasis, as you see, on “sexy”, “Alpha Centauri male in Armani”, emphasis on “Alpha” and “Armani”, and “handsome hunk”, emphasis on “hunk”. After analyzing these keywords one gets the following results:

1. sexy – stands for an incredibly arrogant and annoying female lead. She will have a herd of men chasing after her ass, and she will choose the hottest one (see number 2);

2. Alpha – main male character who is better than any other male in the book (or Universe), and will do everything better, faster, stronger than anyone else. He will be mostly topless and oily most of the time, and will melt a female’s panties off with one look;

3. Armani – suggests personal wealth and lack of clothing brand knowledge;

4. hunk – a cheap way of saying that the Alpha is hot. Expect lots of idiotic jokes throughout the book.

So yes, after all this I still went on and tried to read Touched by an Alien. I deserve everything I’ve got.


What is Touched by an Alien REALLY about?

- A bunch of hunky agents



- A male MC who’s behaving like an overly attached dog



- Loads of shitty humor



- Aliens



- Shitty Creepy romance






I shite you not, the guy was actually acting like this

- Loads of ass kissing for the female MC



- And a female MC who’s full of shit


if it only was one week and not two days..

Sexual harassment anyone?

Review also posted on

[Samrat · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a public service announcement for the skeptics:

I picked up this book from the library because the author is coming to Tucson Festival of Books in a few weeks and the reviews were overall good. I thought it might be just silly enough to be awesome. My bad.

Everything people loved about this book I hated. I thought the dialogue was horrible and clunky. Kitty was super sarcastic all the time (think: Gilmore Girls without the "charm") and a really big fucking flirt who kept giggling that she was losing her feminist credentials. (Girlfriend, I don't think you had any to lose.)

Don't get me started on Jeff Martini the flirty wise-cracking empathic model-gorgeous genius alien secret agent from a planet of wise-cracking model-gorgeous genius alien secret agents with magic talents?!?!? And the poor beleaguered model-gorgeous genius alien secret agent men are constantly belittled by the model-gorgeous even-more-genius alien secret scientist women who would rather date hot thangs like Stephen Hawking.

I should have known when the main character was named Katherine Katt a.k.a. Kitty - as in seriously, her parents hated her so much they made her whole name a fucking joke. Pardon my language, but I find profanity a lot less offensive than this claptrap. I was hoping the sex would redeem it, but after the fourth or fifth mention of "erotic kisses" even Jeff Martini's otherworldly stamina couldn't hold my interest. Erotic kisses? As opposed to grandmotherly kisses? Bah! And I'm not a prude, but you just had to fall into bed with the first alien you met?

And I quit reading before the big reveal, but the why-does-this-character-instantly-hate-me-what-did-I-ever-do-to-deserve-it-oh-really-he's-in-love-with-me-I-had-no-idea-even-though-every-single-character-I-talked-to-hinted-at-it obliviousness gets real old fast.

As someone who does read quite a lot of slightly-more-serious sci-fi and fantasy, I guess I'm just not prepared for a book so shallow. And for all that other reviewers praised the fast-pace of this book, I thought it was bogged down with a lot of unnecessary explanation. In my opinion, you do not have to put "he said blahda blahda blahda" after each line of dialogue. You do not have to describe stepping through a door every time you walk through it. But if that door is going to transport you anywhere on the planet almost instantly, you should put a little effort into coherent world-building and explain how the damn thing works.

Deep breath.

Okay, read it if you want. This book is just really not for me. If you like strong female protagonists like Sookie Stackhouse and well-rounded characters which act in a logical fashion like those Twilight kids, have at it. But if you have your doubts starting it and anything in my review resonates with you, just stop. It's not for you. I quit in the first half.

[Literary Ames · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mash-up of "Men In Black" and "Ghostbusters" with a central "McGyver" character. Intriguing premise. The sex scenes were steamy and the humour sometimes funny but the writing, in general, needed serious tweaking.

Fugly. That word has been (possibly temporarily) removed from my personal dictionary. "Baby" and "girlfriend" as terms of endearments should be banned. My lovely Kindle can illustrate why:

fugly = 39 mentions (mostly in the second half of the book) -used by Kitty.
baby = 22 mentions (as a term of endearment) - used by Martini (love interest) when referring to Kitty.
girlfriend = 21 mentions (as a term of endearment) - used by the only gay character when referring to Kitty. Ugh.

Thesaurus. It's there for a reason. Be imaginative when referring to a loved one or, you know, call them by their actual name.

The first 25% was a nightmare to get through as Kitty asked a torrent of questions to establish the world-building and get to know the aliens. It was difficult to keep up, especially since Kitty would make huge "intuitive leaps" when I couldn't figure out where she got the information to make such assumptions. She was also unbelievably arrogant in the way she told the professionals they were doing everything wrong:

"Feel free to tell us what you, having less than two days of this kind of experience, would like the rest of us do. You know, those of us who have spent years, or merely our entire lives in this line of work."

Kitty doesn't know the meaning of "tact" and "diplomatic". She had a different perspective on things but she wasn't willing to be even a little polite about it. When she wasn't putting them down she was ogling and drooling over how naturally attractive all of the A-Cs are. I didn't see why she was the only one to come up with all of the brilliant ideas since most of the A-Cs had either lived on this planet for over 40 years or were born on it. You'd think a few of them would've learned what kills slugs or would've heard of Earth's history with religion.

Religion. The A-C's religion changed to reflect Judaism right after Kitty compared it to that when explaining to her parents. And perhaps I'm being oversensitive to these next two issues but Martini says they're all circumcised to appear more human -like being uncircumcised is somehow unnatural. Men are born that way, that's human/natural enough for me.

Martini, the love interest, was hugely annoying to begin with. From the get-go he's overly flirty verging on overbearing with the sexual harassment and proposes to Kitty within minutes, possibly an hour of meeting her. Some of his attraction to Kitty is later explained but Christopher's interest was hard to fathom unless it was due to brotherly rivalry, only it didn't come across that way.

I'm also unhappy with the dog-on-human violence. Duchess, the pitbull, followed Kitty's actions by attacking an unarmed and physically non-threatening male. The dog teared into the guy's groin. He made rape threats but was unable to carry them out as the women surrounding him had confiscated his guns. This upset me. If the dog saw her owner being attacked and it responded on it's own or Kitty called for help then I would've felt differently. Instead Kitty instructed the dog to attack someone who wasn't in a position to hurt anyone. This is a hot topic in the UK and pitbulls are subject to the Dangerous Dogs Act because they're so aggressive, tend to be mishandled and have been responsible for a number of, sometimes fatal, maulings.

Okay, negativity over. The sex scenes were superb. Kitty's upside-down Mission-Impossible pole-dancing move on the rope suspended in mid-air while shooting at the ground was very cool. I liked the A-C male/female dynamic when it came to mating choices. The females were super intelligent scientists interested in high IQs who thought human men like Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates were and I quote "dreamy". They considered their male A-C stock to be morons in comparison. Physical appearance didn't matter to any of the A-Cs, perhaps because they were all 100% gorgeous.

I think this book would make an exciting movie but I'm not sure I would read the sequel unless my local library acquires it.

[Mitticus · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 slimy parasites stars

Kitty Katt our average MarySue woman just exited a building when a man suffer a nasty transformation , sprout deadly wings and starting killing people. As everybody normal reaction will be (not) she jump on the guy and kill a slimy blob on him. Well, welcome to Men in Black Meet True Lies Meet Get Smart.. Then , of course, some really georgeous men dressed in Armany arrive to control the situation, and Jeff Martini (and can't you take srly a name like that!) is insta-smitten with Kitty.

“What’s wrong with him?”
“Other than the fact that he’s known you less than a day and wants to marry you? And is, from what they’ve said, an alien? Oh, gee, nothing.”

But wait, the Armani guys are aliens too?

“Alpha Centaurions,” Christopher corrected in a snippy tone.
“We call ourselves A-Cs,” Gower said quickly. “Trust me, it’s easier. And, there are several thousand of us. Not all are working as agents, of course.”

All the good-alien-guys are georgeous, but wait all the good-alien- girls are georgeous too and are the scientist, and looove smart guys and think her fellow countryman are dumb.

The kind of humor feels to me like the tv 60s. Really over the top situations with simple solutions.


The bad guy is called Mephistopheles and is a terrorist hoping to bring chaos.


So, comedy style with sex, of course, with tons of orgarms. And that she feels atracted to all those yummy men, the slut (roll eyes). Though I prefer Cristopher and not Jeff.

The religion thing feels kind of forced and trying for simpathetic.
Not sure I read the next book, despite some loose ends.

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence) · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a name like "Touched by an alien", it's no doubt that this book would be hilarious and unconventional, not taking itself seriously. Even the blurb was funny, I mean handsome aliens dressed in Armani suits? The book delivered lots of laughs, action, romance, and more.

Nothing could prepare me for the entertainment that ensued upon reading the book. The witty banter alone was incredibly fun, between the Alpha-Centaurions (or A-C's) which are all incredibly good looking, smart aliens who are great in bed and who hold superpowers like "extreme empathy". When you look at the book as a whole, it's really funny but it definitely doesn't try too hard to be that.

Kitty is a great heroine with an excellent sense of humour. She could win battles just on her quick wit and taste in hard rock music alone. Her parents are also an interesting pair, one of which is even more kick ass than her daughter.

This book wasn't perfect however, with a political and religious agenda explaining why the aliens came to Earth. It did confuse me in some parts, but carried on at a fast pace. There was heaps of action moving the book at a fast pace, although I was disappointed that the Montblac pen didn't make a reappearance later in the book.

*minor spoiler*The contrived love triangle was probably something I could have done without, I felt like I was watching another episode of Vampire Diaries again, with the heroine caught between two hunks!

I definitely enjoyed this title, and will be continuing with the rest of the series. This series is definitely underrated, if you want a good, entertaining sci-fi romance then pick this up!

Check out Happy Indulgence for more reviews!

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars?

It's February, the month that includes Valentine's Day, so I'm going to try to clear some of the paranormal romances off my bookshelves. Every now and then, I'm tempted by a PNR that hits my particular interests. This one includes aliens (although they are conveniently human in appearance) and there‘s a fight to save the world. It's not all about the bedroom.

This book quickly reminded me of Darynda Jones' Charley Davidson series, which stars a smart-talking private investigator who can see ghosts and has supernatural connections. I often feel like Jones tries just a bit too hard with the humour in that series and I experienced a similar thing here. Kitty is just a bit too snarky for my taste, but there's a market for it. (The first Jones book and this one were published within a year of each other).

The title is maybe referencing the old TV show “Touched by an Angel," based on the whole concept of a guardian angel who can influence human lives. Humanity is definitely being influenced by the Alpha Centurians, but hardly in the neutral or chaste way that angels are usually envisioned. That seems to be part of the humour. (FYI, for a more carnal version of angels, see Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series).

What really hooked me was the cover art, so I was unsurprised to realize that the artist is Daniel Dos Santos. He has illustrated for both the Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega series by Patricia Briggs. He has a talent for depicting urban fantasy heroines to show both strength and attractiveness. He also has a penchant for exposed midriffs, but doesn't exaggerate breasts or show nearly naked women. His covers are pretty good in the genre.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are three categories of books:
1) Some books one reads to improve themselves. This is like eating broccoli; you may or may not like it, but you know it's good for you.
2) Some books one reads because they like them and they happen to be really good books. This is like eating strawberries; you know you like them and you're pleased it also happens to be good for you.
3) Some books one reads specifically because they are trash. This is like eating circus peanuts; you know you like them and you know they have no redeeming qualities to them other than your appreciation of them.

Touched by an Alien is definitely falls in the circus peanuts category.

[Stella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to confess I'm not a sci-fi fan. Not because I don't like the genre, but simply because I have never read any sci-fi novel or watched any sci-fi movie. So when I saw the gorgeous cover of this book at first, I never thought this would be something I would pick up, but then I kept stumbling upon praising reviews of Touched by an Alien and since all the reviews were so unanimous in praising Gini Koch's writing and the novel itself to the skies, I thought I'd give sci-fi a try and see what Touched by an Alien is really about. And I have to say I proudly join the ranks of Gini Koch fans and Alien Lovers! WOW! I was completely blown away by Touched by an Alien! I loved it so much that after I have finished it I wanted to pick it up right away and start re-reading it, that's how fantastic Touched by an Alien is! But let me slow down in my gushing and tell you why you MUST read Touched by an Alien.

Where to start... Hm..

Of course when you read the above blurb you are expecting Kitty to be a somewhat unconventional young woman and you are expecting the novel to be funny, but nothing prepares you to how it will be! Touched by an Alien had me chuckling and then laughing out loud from page 3(!). The dialogues are sharp and incredibly witty, I just started typing that Kitty, Martini and Christopher's one liners and sharp comebacks are hilarious and dead on, but then I started adding to the list Kitty's mom, Mr. White, James and I realized I could go on and on because all the characters are hilarious.

Kitty is an extraordinary heroine: she combats alien monsters with blaring Aerosmith and Tears from Heaven from the stereo, she attacks the biggest monster, Leader of all Evils with hair spray cans and when a huge stinking 12 feet tall scary monster charges towards her, she runs to it at full speed!! Just a few to demonstrate you that Kitty is a unique heroine, one that the characters in the novel can't decide whether she's crazy or incredibly brave and a genius.

Then let me tell you about the heroes: there are two leading men: Christopher and Jeff Martini (how cool a name is that?). And one of the first things Gini Koch establishes early on is that all A-Cs (the good aliens) are incredibly gorgeous: the men are total hunks, swoonworthy-droolworthy and the women are more-than-model beautiful. So no surprise that both Christopher and Jeff are drop-dead gorgeous men specimen and Gini Koch sure made them unique characters.

Jeff is the charmer: easygoing and funny, constantly smiling and hitting on Kitty from sentence #3, professing his love for her on page 9 and within 30 mins of meeting her he already asks her to marry him and keeps repeating it at regular intervals through the novel. But Jeff's pushiness is endearing and funny, not creepy or bullying at all.

Christopher is the snarky one: he is incredible handsome too, but somehow he and Kitty are like cats and dogs: they are always at each other's throats and it takes Kitty's mom or Christopher's dad to make the children behave.

So let me tell you, to choose between the two men is hard not only for Kitty but for the reader too, if the romantic in us could get their way we would definitely want a ménage! ;-) *wink*

What is amazing is that the supporting characters are also well developed and original: Kitty's mom and dad, Christopher's dad, Claudia and Lorraine and the human pilots, oh and don't let me start on James! Fantastic character development!

The story is fast-paced, action packed, there's never a dull moment in Touched by an Alien.

The love/sex scenes are done tastefully while still remaining scorchingly hot!

But let me tell you my absolutely favourite thing in this novel (besides the totally hot and passionate love scenes of course!): it was the humour! The incredibly unique, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes dry and biting, but always laugh out loud humour! You can't believe the things that come out of Kitty's mouth and what she does to combat the monsters! Gini Koch is brilliant because in the midst of a terribly scary scene, when stinking huge jelly-snake looking monsters are about to trample/kill/strangle the characters she simply makes Kitty do or say something, and bam! you are laughing instead of/while biting your nails.

Verdict: I fell in love with this novel. Love Kitty, Martini, Chris and the whole package, love the hilarious interactions, all the passion and humour. I could go on and on and tell you about everything I loved in Touched by an Alien but I guess that would be just as long as the novel itself, so trust me, pick up this book and read it, you'll gain a new favourite series and a brilliant new author to definitely watch! Alien Tango cannot come out soon enough, I want more!

(ps. Sorry, I can imagine that in my enthusiasm I was quite rambling and gushing but you will understand it once you read Touched by an Alien.)

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Writing: 10/10
Cover: 10/10

[Ren Puspita · Rating 4 out of 5]

UPDATE :First read, borrow from my friend, and then I win a signed copy of Touched by an Alien, from the author herself. Thanks, Ms Gini Koch! You're rock, like Kitty too!! =)


Actually, I'm torn to give this book between 4 and 5 stars

Let me see...
My reason why I want to give it 5 stars :

- Katherine Katt, a.k.a Kitty is my kind of heroine ===> She can kick her enemy ass and maybe yours as well! And she has a weird kind of humor. Oh, don't forget her sarcasm

- Jeff Martini -an Alpha Centaurion alien and agent too, wearing Armani suit (imagine agent in Men in Black, if you want) - is sexy, hot, alpha man, an empath that understand people's emotion. He's falling in love head over toe to Kitty. Want to marry her, want to have kids with her, care about her, get possessive over her.. ===> my new boyfriend *wink2*

- The story is full of action, fast-paced and humorous ===> I love it and laugh a lot

- Kitty's parent have a secret. And that's really-really make Kitty shock when she know it. But Kitty still love them. ===> Family theme is always the best

- May I introduce you to Christopher White. Jeff's cousin, an Alpha Centaurion alien with good looking. He seems to hate Kitty for the first time (call her princess, mock her). But be patient, after some part, you will know, Christoper's feeling to Kitty is different from what it seen, and it make Jeff-Kitty relationship got rocky! ===> The story will lack appeal, when the hero and heroine's relationship seems fine. And, oh be careful with Christoper's Glare. He has various "glare". From Glare #1 until Glare #5...

- Kitty has many way to defeat the alien. Kill the alien with ballpoint? Check! Sprout the alien with hairspray? Check! Confused the enemy with rock n roll music (especially Aerosmith)? Check, check, check! ===> forget gun, grenade, tank, jet. You can defeat Alien with simple things...

Now...
My reason, why I reduce the stars :

- The political and religious aspect, make me confused! *_* Especially from Alpha Centaurion, but maybe its the way the author used to describe the world in this book.

- There are some event when Kitty looks weak. When she supposed to be strong, and sometimes she looks annoying too. But I think that's fine.

- Some action scenes in this book make me lost when read it. Too fast maybe. And sometimes the conversation make me confused too, because there are no explanation, who is talking and who is reply..

- Lack of Martini scene!! Yes, I want more Martini, I don't care if the story just about Martini and Kitty *just kidding, lol*


So, I decided to give this book 4 stars. But don't worry, this book is good. If you agree with my reason to give this book 5 stars and you love science fiction genre and some romance too, you will enjoy this ^^

Looking forward for the second book

And please, let this book have more Martini's scene....

[Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was straight-up stupid.

There was a massive info dump in the beginning, and in the midst of said dump (and afterwards as well), there were numerous references to the sexy alien men as "hunks" and even "dreamy to the max" on one occasion.

Dreamy . . . to the max . . .

YEP. That happened.

There was also slut shaming, and a cartload of other ridiculousness, and just, NO.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5
Quick take: I had a love/hate relationship with this book. Most was love, but there were aspects that had the Scoff-O-Meter turned up high. But overall it was an amusing sci-fi romp!

I'd like to start by saying that this book has a gorgeous cover. Artist Daniel dos Santos--who is known for his work on the Mercy Thompson series's US covers--is freaking brilliant. I must say that I absolutely judged a book by its cover in this instance; it drew me in immediately. Gini Koch is one lucky author to have scored his talent for her debut novel.

The cover is pretty encompassing of the book's contents, as well: Armani-suited aliens, monsters, big explosions and romantic drama! All starting from the first page, when protagonist Katherine Katt is abruptly and accidentally introduced to the secret existence of aliens on earth. Whatever "normal" life she's lived up to that point quickly becomes quite irrelevant.

It's no surprise that author Gini Koch pokes fun at the Men in Black franchise in this series starter; she was probably preempting the inevitable comparisons. But this book feels most like something of a cross between MiB-like shenanigans and a superheros/supervillians story. One should expect a lot of action, comedy and wildly dramatic intrigue.

There were some aspects of this book that rankled a bit, though quite frankly I'm surprised they didn't put me off considerably more, as is usually the case. For one, there's a fair bit of information overload ("info dump" if you will). By and large, the wealth of details introduced were relevant to the story--making for a very complex plot--but in a handful of instances, the info really could've been introduced in future books. Numerous characters were introduced by name and implied as important in Kitty's life, only no never come up again. Critical revelations were piled upon each other, so complex as to border on confusing. I tried to take notes for a while, but eventually just gave up. ^_^

Other things that chafed a bit (but again, not as much as I would've expected) were the pop culture references and the frequent smart-alec banter. Think of any episode of the show Gilmore Girls. Funny dialogue, but occasionally just a bit TOO wry; do people really talk like that all of the time? ^_^ Though really, I suppose it was just a matter of excessive wit at unlikely, unnecessary moments that bugged the most.

Funnily enough, though...the easy, lively banter was also one of the things I really enjoyed. So was Kitty's witty inner voice. There were a few laugh-out-loud moments, and many instances where I had a big smile on my face as I read. A lot of it had to do with the interactions between characters.

Ultimately, I found the book to be just plain fun, more than anything else. The action scenes were highly visual and engaging, and the characters were supremely amusing. There were plot twists a-plenty, with some sizzling romantic intrigue to top it all off! The foundation has been well-laid here, and I'm most assuredly looking forward to the next book.

[Lisa Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katherine “Kitty” Katt’s Montblanc pen.

★★★★✩ (This is a review of the audiobook.) Nicely narrated by Romy Nordlinger. She is had great pacing and inflection on her voices. My only hesitancy, although I love her voice, is it is not how I pictured Kitty’s. Her voice sounds roughened by whisky poured over jagged rocks, then slowly infused with bar lounge smoke. (I sped it up to 1.5 speed.) Good job, though, with the witty dialogue, so I went with it and quite enjoyed her delivery.

What a fun book! Campy, but fun. Suspending belief goes hand-in-hand when one picks up a book like this one, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea; I loved it, though. I suspect this author gets better and better with each book in this series, so I’m definitely going to go forward with it. Not wild about the love triangle attempt... and I really wished Kitty had used her “Weapon of Choice” again - her Montblanc pen! LOL! Hopefully, in a future book?

Thanks, Sandra, for the rec!

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should've loved this book. I WANTED to love this book but, sadly, I just didn't. This book is basically in the same vein as the movie, Men In Black, in terms of how over the top it is. And that's fine because that's what the author is going for. The heroine even makes several MIB jokes so it's clear that the book doesn't take itself seriously. Which is yet another reason why I should've loved this book. I loved the first MIB movie so this book was supposed to be a slam dunk for me and yet...I had issues, a few in fact.

- The heroine, Katherine 'Kitty' Katt (yes, her name is Kitty Katt) is a total Mary Sue. Apparently there are these beings from a much more evolved culture that have been addressing the problems posed by some big bad aliens for decades but Kitty comes along and, in two days flat, she's solving things that no one else has ever been able to.
- Jeff Martini, the love interest who never quits. Jeff meets Kitty early on and at first his flirty comments and sexual innuendos were fun and charming. By chapter three I was wondering if he had an off switch. He didn't.
- No one had an off switch. Every single character in this book had the exact same, snarky attitude and it. Never. Stopped. In a shorter book maybe this wouldn't have mattered so much but since I felt that this book meandered about a 100 pages too long, it mattered.
- No more girlfriends, please. There is a former male-model-turned-secret-agent who happens to be gay. I don't think he had one line in the whole book that didn't incorporate the word "girlfriend" into it.
- Romance, schmomance. I love a nice, slow burn with my fictional couples. Jeff and Kitty? They're not familiar with the concept. They know each other for a whopping two days before they're angsting over their relationship and are declaring love just a couple of days later (the whole book spans a week). It's not terrible, I just didn't buy into it and nor did I care. Oh, and they start calling each other "baby", which is just a personal pet peeve of mine.

I'd give this about two and a half stars overall. I was primed to love it and am sad that I didn't. At this point, I have no plans to read further into the series.

[Summer · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Touched by an Alien, Katherine, known as 'Kitty', is walking out of the courthouse where she did jury duty to find her life flipped upside down. What starts out as a fender bender ends with Katherine being pulled out of a war zone after one of the victims turns into some kind of superhuman. Turns out aliens have been on this planet for some time, trying to stop an alien parasitic race from overtaking planet Earth. Katherine is invited to join them and a certain member of their alien organization takes a certain interest in her too.

Sounds like a lot of fun right? In the writing... not so much. I thought the beginning was interesting but right from the get-go after the alien men take Kitty away it's ONE BIG INFO DUMP. I was on page 50 and they finally sort of ended the big info dump about themselves but then it launched into yet another big info dump. And not only that, Jeff Martini, whom I'm assuming to be her love interest, from the beginning is non stop asking to sleep with Katherine or to marry him. And not even in a big male alpha kind of way, more like he just interjects it into the conversation every 5 seconds like a broken record. Perhaps it gets better later but once I put it down I had no desire to pick it back up again.
Bummer.

[Angela Myers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch gets off to a running start when the protagonist, armed only with an expensive pen, attacks--and kills--a monster. Then it slows down to a walk for the next 150 pages while we learn about who the aliens are, why they're here, how they travel and where they live, but during which I did not learn to like the protagonist and learned to actually dislike the love interest. (This is probably just me--I don't like cocky men, or aliens, who call their significant others "baby." A baby is an infant, not a grown woman.) About half-way through the 400-page novel, I started to get interested again. Still had trouble with some details, though, like why protagonist would need to use both hands to release the safety on a Glock (If you wonder why this bothers me, google it.) and how anyone can hang on a cable off a Harrier jet, even while it hovers. Truthfully, I think this just isn't my kind of book. But I also think the editor failed the author, because it should have had most of 100 pages edited out, including at least half the times the love interest got amorous and "growled," and that error about the Glock. Several of the wilder scenes, including the one with the jet, should have been toned down.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 5 out of 5]

First in the Katherine "Kitty" Katt urban fantasy series about a human who falls in with crusading aliens out to save the world.

My Take
Oh. My. God. This is too hysterically funny for words!! I absolutely love this start to the series, and Martini's flirting just cracks me up. And I love their fear of Kitty's purse! Then there's her dad and his worry. As well as his very protective instincts when it comes to any guy around Kitty.

On first seeing Jeff, Dad's first reaction is: "Who's the octopus?"

Every two hours someone from the family will call to ensure she doesn't disappear to Guantanamo or...elsewhere. The men's room scene at JFK where they rescue Kitty's mom.

Kitty is too composed for all that's hitting her, then again, she's really smart and what has she got to lose if she already thinks she's doomed. I do like her snark and the backup plans she keeps making.

It's interesting powers and modes of transportation combined with honor, loyalty, and compassion. Koch has given her characters weaknesses as well. Koch's interpretation of the Bible with the Ancients' text was interesting. And why not? All sorts of possibilities exist. Maybe there really are MIB...bwah-hah-hah… Of course, all the alien women are absolutely gorgeous...and brilliant. Really smart with a preference for really smart men. The alien men are also absolutely gorgeous, just not as brilliant, so that makes for a fun twist. Okay, okay, to be fair, they're smart, just more inclined to wrangle and posture.

It's definitely the comics in novel format what with the style of action and the superhero/villain vibe. Combined with the sarcastic wit that kept flashing back and forth, I adored this.


It's rather confusing as to the background information, but persevere, it all comes out in the end, although with all the twists and turns in this as well as how it is resolved, it seems as though Koch must have used up all the possibilities. So, I am looking forward to reading Alien Tango and discovering how Koch manages to complicate it up.

Koch does need to learn the difference between Ravage and Ravish and Affect and Effect. At least...her editors do.

The Story
Stepping up to protect is not what was in Kitty's mind when the man/bird was attacking, but it certainly seemed like the right thing to do. At worst, well, at worst, Kitty's about to learn about a whole lot of deception that has surrounded her all her life.

The Characters
Katherine Katt is a very smart young lady who works for an advertising agency and has just finished a stint on jury duty. Chuckie is her best male friend and a conspiracy theorist. Mom, a.k.a., Mrs. Rambo, a.k.a., Angela Katt, actually is a consultant, for counterterrorism. Dad, a.k.a., Sol Katt, is a professor of history at Arizona State University. Well, actually he's a cryptologist for NASA. Dudley is their Great Dane, Dotty is the Dalmation, Duke is their black Lab, and Duchess is their very useful pit bull. Sugarfoot, Candy, and Kane are the cats. Uncle Mort is a very protective U.S. Marine. Turns out Grandpa Roger was a senator whose daughter, Aunt Emily, Mom saved when she was in high school.

Mr. Nareema and his wife are Kitty's landlords and very paranoid about safety.

Jeff Martini is an empath, a very powerful one from another planet. Christopher White is an imageer and Jeff's cousin and work partner. Richard White is their Sovereign Pontifex with a mostly symbolic role; Theresa was his wife and a powerful empath. Paul Gower is the Head of Recruitment and involved with James Reader, a human who was a male model for Calvin Klein. Tim is still on the sidelines.

The women from Alpha Centauri are the big thinkers: scientists, doctors, etc. Claudia and Lorraine are good examples (Kitty refers to them as the Dazzlers). And they're attracted to geeks; they fall in love with men with minds. Ooh, baby…! Emily and Melanie are Claudia and Lorraine's mothers. Beverly was in charge of translating the text from the Ancients.

Lieutenant William Cox, Captain Jerry Tucker, Lieutenant Chip Walker, and Captain Matt Hughes are all pilots involved in the attack.

Al Dejahl is a different sort of terrorist organization---it's not based on religion or race---headed up by Ronaldo Al Dehal, a.k.a., Ronald Yates.

The Superbugs include:
Mephistopheles looks like the Devil and can range from 12- to 20-feet tall. He has been terrorizing earth for 20 years and is nigh on invincible. The big-bads at the end are Killer, who shoots poison from every limb; Slug; Earwig; the pinkish-purple Pachyderm; and the Serpent. Reading as Kitty comes up with some innovative methods of taking these guys out is a hoot.

The Cover
The cover is incredibly ugly. The models on it do not match up with what Koch says between the covers. The background, however, does match. It's all monsters and battle, weapons and bombs while Jeff Martini and Kitty Katt make love.

The title is too right. Kitty is Touched by an Alien. Several of 'em to be exact.

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so first off based on the cover and the back description I wasn't expecting much.

I was wrong.

This book was not only surprisingly funny and fast-paced, it was semi-plausible and steamy.

I thought Kitty was going to be TSTL and that the romance was going to be by-the-numbers and blah blah blah blah I'd fall asleep in the middle. Nope. Kitty is smart, realistic, brave and flawed. A marketing manager who happens to be in the wrong place at the right time (depending on how you look at it), Katherine 'Kitty' Katt witnesses a man kill his wife but here's the kicker, he's not a man. He's a thing with wings. Using her fancy pen, she stabs it in the right place (which is not as crazy hand of the author as you'd think) and the next thing she knows all these great looking men in custom tailored suits show up out of thin air and whisk her away to a secret area.

Being that she's quick, she grasps all the information that they are part of the government and that there are things called super-beings and she's just killed one and 'hey, would you like to be recruited'? On top of that, Jeff Martini, the one who does the whisking, is already telling her he wants to marry her. Is he kidding? Kitty decides that yes, he's gorgeous but there are more important things to worry about right now. Namely, how did she get in this mess and wait, what do you mean super-beings and aliens?

As a comic-book geek (something I do happen to have in common with Kitty besides also working in marketing), Kitty can't help but make a few analogies which will help those that are fans and possibly confuse those that aren't but the point will get across because this book will dumb it down for you as the information gets disseminated by different characters.

Speaking of, we find out that the secondary characters (while not as fully-fleshed out) are very interesting in their own rights. There are some surprising secrets about Kitty's parents, Jeff & Christopher's (Jeff's surly cousin and partner who has a few surprises of his own) origins and as the plot and the mystery unrolls we get to see what these characters are made of.

While the villain is exactly that, a villain, you get the sense that though he's sort of like a typical comic book villain, it's not about him. It's about the damage he's caused and how it effects the characters and less about trying to humanize him.

Fast-paced and funny, this book borrows from several genres but in the end manages to still end up unique. It never takes itself too seriously, which is maybe why it doesn't fail. It's refreshing and a good read.

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Warning: rage monster ahead.
1) Timeline
All that shit could not possibly happen in less than a week.

2) Get real
- You've known each other for less than a week. You show no serious outward signs of love. And you want to get married asap. EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLEASE!
- The alien's religious leader is called the Sovereign Pontifex. This one amused me to no end.
- Don't ever name a SF/UF heroine Kitty.

3) Kitty
Generally I expect intelligent people to be have logic backing their stunning intellect. But Kitty is at one moment an childish 8 year old trapped in a 20+ year old's body, and in the next, she's Encyclopaedia Brittanica, an all-knowing sage of extreme insight and intelligence. It's not cute, it's not quirky, it gives me nasty whiplash and I don't buy any of your "intelligence", Kitty. She just deciphered things without any logical basis. There wasn't any reason to alert her to the discovery of anything. It was just a constant stream of epiphanies, and it was just too perfect that she was able to figure everything out correctly with no flaws or mistakes.

Kitty is also supreme master of amazing physical feats and fighting power which sprouts out conveniently when she needs it.

She is also a person of IMMENSE self-assurance and egotism. It's not endearing, nor is it particularly #girlboss. There is a point where your sarcasm and arrogance becomes annoying, rude and tangential. You've hit that point, Kitty, and gone way beyond it.

5)Pace
What did you just say/do/decipher?! I like fast action, but slow down!

There is a lot more I would gripe on, like the infodumps on the alien religion which were really out-of-place, irrelevant and complicating, how all the AC Girls were lacking in depth, and just a lot of what?! moment, and seriously, I need a flowchart to organize everything, which is NOT NICE when you are trying to enjoy a story and not obsess over things like this.

Other than that it does have some redeeming qualities that were just you know, overshadowed by the dark malodorous ball of I'm Confused and Annoyed, like how she has a great relationship with her parents. She's pretty cool with her parents, and I like her rents! Everything in the novel was also pretty cool IN THE BEGINNING too but as it progressed I just went from interested to incredulous.

It wasn't as bad as to warrant a one star, but it's no three star.

[Joshua · Rating 2 out of 5]

They say a sucker is born every minute. Well I was born many minutes ago and it appears that I'm still an overall general sucker. I mean really, I should have known from the title, but then again, I'm a sucker.

Touched by an Alien is a mix of Twilight meets MIB. I'm a big fan of the MIB movies and well, I'm a guy so I don't really get the whole Twilight craze. However if anything this book has brought me closer to an understanding. This is the Twilight series for adults. Since this is for older readers, there are somewhat explicit sexual situations, lots of action and a heroine who is actually quite interesting instead of a shell like how Bella is written. There are also numerous references to how good-looking the alien guys are, I mean really good-looking and I mean a lot of references. I get it, this book isn't for me, it's not for anyone with a Y chromosome. I get it. But that's no excuse for repetitive and overall poorly structured pacing.

I have no problem when a novel wears its influences on it's sleeves, as in this case with classic B-movies and sci-fi cold war hysteria, but that's no excuse to literally repeat lines nearly every page. There must have been over 300 references to how good looking the guys are, 250 references to how the heroine Kitty is fighting the temptation to jump their bones, 200 references to swooning and 150 references to how Kitty is a modern independent and strong woman who is embarrassed by how cute she thinks everyone is. Again, I get it. This book is really not for me. It should have been shelved in the romance section of the bookstore and frankly that's also my fault since I shouldn't have just picked it up based on how nice I thought the cover looked.

Click here to read the rest of the review: Full Review

[Yodamom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never have thought of aliens as sexy till now, Martini, is one hot green little man. LOL This book was a surprise in every way, it was fresh, original and filled with quirky characters. The mother, oh my wait till you meet her mother, what a hoot. Nothing is what it seems, poor Katt has been lied to all her life, well to be fair most of the world has. This is a funny book, light somewhat predictable towards the end still and enjoyable ride.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine "Kitty" Katt has just finished jury service and is about to head back to work when she gets caught up in a domestic dispute. When the husband suddenly mutates into a creature from Kitty's worst nightmares and goes on a killing spree she takes action without even thinking and manages to kill the creature using just her pen. What started as a normal day goes downhill rapidly from there and she soon finds herself whisked away by a group of Armani clad hunks who want her to come and work for their secret organisation. Kitty soon discovers that there are aliens walking amongst us. You have the good guys from AC who are all drop dead gorgeous and the bad guys who are parasites that infect humans and turn them into evil superbeings. The good guys want Kitty on their team but is she brave enough to face the bad guys again? Does she even have a choice in the matter?

I'd seen a lot of rave reviews for this series and it's one that I've been meaning to start for a long time now but for some reason had never got around to. The only reason I don't regret waiting is that the next 2 books are already available so I can spend more time in Kitty's world without having to wait! I'll admit now that I haven't read a lot of science fiction but Touched by an Alien had me hooked from the very first page and I literally couldn't put it down. Yes, there were a few things that bugged me - an entire race of aliens and they all looked like supermodels and Kitty was a tiny bit too perfect - but I absolutely loved the snarky sense of humor that runs through the story and I can't remember the last time a book make me laugh out loud as much as this one did.

Kitty is a likable heroine, although she is thrown in at the deep end when she discovers that aliens exist she keeps a level head and takes things surprisingly well. She is smart, witty, speaks her mind and won't let anyone push her around which I appreciate in a main character. Although she doesn't have superhuman strength she can hold her own and isn't afraid to fight back. From the moment Jeff Martini walked onto the page he stole the show for me, I absolutely loved him and couldn't wait for more scenes with him and Kitty. Being from AC of course he is gorgeous but he isn't just a pretty face, although he makes his feelings for Kitty known from very early on it soon becomes clear that he genuinely does care for her.

Aside from two fabulous main characters we are introduced to a whole host of wonderful side characters who just made me love the book even more. It was a little confusing trying to keep the different characters straight in my head at first but this is often a problem at the beginning of a series and I soon got to know who was who. The whole secret organisation reminded me a lot of Men In Black (even Kitty makes a reference to the film so I think it's supposed to) but each member of the team stood out as an individual and I'm looking forward to getting to know them all better. It was probably Kitty's parents that I loved the most though, they certainly had some surprises up their sleeves for Kitty to uncover!

Touched by an Alien is a hilarious book and if you're looking for something light hearted and fun to read then you can't go far wrong. Don't be put off by the science fiction label even if that's something you wouldn't normally read - if you like a fun story with snarky banter, melting hot smexy scenes and a fast paced plot then look no further. I loved Gini Koch's writing style and absolutely can not wait to see where she takes this series next. If Alien Tango is half as good as this was then Gini Koch will definitely be added to my list of must buy authors.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, get ready to suspend belief. If you can't, you'll probably hate this book. I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for this very reason, some of the action in this book is just eye-rollingly unbelieveable. The heroine goes from marketing manager in a suit to know-it-all special agent in Aerosmith t-shirt in about 2 days. I mean it, she goes from desk worker to flying jets and sharp-shooting, and solving mysteries that these Alpha-Centaurians haven't been able to figure out in generations. That being said, if was a fun read. Most of the characters were charasmatic, the action was pretty much non-stop, and the sex was sizzling. I thought the author struck a good balance between world-building, action, and romance in this book. I finally decided to give it 4 stars because I really liked Jeff and Christopher (especially Jeff), and if I had the next book in hand I would start reading it today.

A few things that kept this from being a 5 star read for me:

The inclusion of Kitty's parents throughout the book. That annoyed me. I don't usually like the whole family tagging along on my urban-fantasy adventure and this book was no exception. Parents: stay home!

The fact that the heroine finds out about aliens and superbeings and in 2 days is pretty much running things, solving mysteries, killing baddies, flying jets...no, just no. I would have liked the heroine to be a little less know-it-all...but in this book if you told her you owned a German Shepherd named Sally she could use that information to figure out all your family secrets and the skeletons in the closet and predict what's going to happen to your oldest son next Tuesday. It caused a lot of eye-rolling, for sure.

But don't let that turn you off from reading. Despite the eye-rolls, I kept turning pages wondering what was going to happen next. I'm looking foward to the next installment and hope Koch is able to keep up the pace of the first.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was super hesitant diving into this book mostly because of the title. I know, I know.. don't judge a book by it cover or title. I did though and..




Touched by an Alien was a funny kind of book. It was also a cute, quick, and easy read. The characters were witty enough to make me smile and turn the page. The Aliens being good in bed was no surprise to me, mostly because I'm never read an alien book and kind of just went with the flow. The powers though are what really got me going. The extreme empathy??! I laughed so hard. Yes, this book is hilarious and I loved that.

Kitty is a pretty awesome MC. She has a great sense of humor and was highly likable. It could've been the wine but I honestly really enjoyed this book. Now I'm not a huge fan of rock and roll.. but I can't mark that has her fault. Besides her, her parents were probably more interesting and a favorite of mine. Maybe the next book is about them?!? If it is, I will totally continue. If it isn't, I will probably still continue... sometime this month. I'm sorry I have so many books that I want to read!!

Overall, this book is funny. It's not perfect, but what book is? I really enjoyed it and the characters and that's all that matters to me.

[Snarktastic Sonja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: This book has been on my TBR list for quite a while. I haven’t read it sooner for the simple reason that my daughter refuses to read books about aliens. (They are too real, go figure.) I did, however, manage to get the gals (and guys) over at the GoodReads group Girls, Guns, & Grimoires to make this Book of the Month, so reading along was kinda obligational. And, I am glad I did. I enjoyed it. Probably not quite as much as I wanted to, but I did enjoy it.

I loved the “Men in Armani” set up for the story. It definitely brought along vibes of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones and the accompanying grins and giggles. There is definitely snark to be found between the pages. Our heroine’s family has 4 (big) dogs. And, ya just gotta love Kitty.

But, somehow, somewhere along the way it became just a bit too contrived with too many beautiful people for me. All the Alpha Centauris, or A-Cs as they are more often called, are gorgeous. I mean heart-stoppingly good looking. Now, push out your bottom lip. Really, really, REALLY ridiculously good looking. Yet, the gorgeous women (scientists) want nothing to do with the A-C men because - wait for it - they are not smart enough. They prefer less attractive earth men. Yep. It is a geek paradise buried down in Area 51 – all sorts of gorgeous females looking for nothing beyond intelligence in their men. This, of course, leaves all these hunks looking beyond their race for their love interests. Enter one Katherine, Kitty, Katt.

Mr. Armani immediately falls for Kitty. I mean immediately. This goes beyond love at first sight. Mr. Armani’s cousin also has a ‘thing’ for her. Let the eye rolling commence.

These guys immediately take Kitty under their wing. They also immediately take her parents under their wing. And their menagerie of pets. Which, did I mention, includes 4 large dogs? These dogs include a pit bull named Duchess. Ok, I must make mention that I am a sucker for dogs. Especially pit bulls. So, I really appreciated this view of this misunderstood breed: “I thought pit bulls were deadly killers,” he said as he put her down.” “Only if they’re trained to it. Otherwise, you’re in greater danger of being licked to death.” Yep. That fits the ones I’ve known.

Back to the story – There is a lot of action as we chase after the supreme bad guy, auspiciously named Mephistopheles. There really isn’t a lot of mystery or suspense, just kick assery. And, our Ms. Kitty is quickly elevated to the leader of our expedition to take out the villain. With hair spray. Extra hold hair spray. I must admit to enjoying the ride – there is much snark to be found.

However, the amount of belief that must be suspended to ‘buy’ that all these guys are ridiculously good looking yet want intelligence in their ‘significant others’ was more than I could easily do. Added to that, the speed with which these advanced beings with talents and experience beyond our years throws out their game plan and starts listening to Kitty was mind-boggling. Yes. I can believe in aliens. And parasites. Just don’t give me gorgeousness and leadership. Those I cannot swallow.

In addition to being gorgeous, these dudes are apparently the best lovers ever to have graced the planet. And, with two hearts, they have lots of stamina. Sigh. Moreover, we are shown all this in glowing detail. I much prefer the sex to go on behind closed doors. A private moment for people to share. Furthermore, it really felt like the sex was thrown in not to advance the story, but just for the sake of putting sex in. While I can tolerate it if there is purpose, without purpose it just annoys me.

I really, REALLY wanted to love this book. In fact, it may well have suffered because I anticipated loving it more than I did. There are already six more nice sized novels in the series, amply providing me a refuge from life. I’m not entirely convinced I care enough to seek said refuge here.

I would rate it 3.5 stars – but I am rounding down due to extraneous sex.

Funny thing about this book . . . Even though I did an immense amount of eye rolling while reading it, it did make me smile. And, here a week after I finished it, I still think about it with a smile on my face. So, feel free to roll your eyes, but prepare yourself for a wild ride.

[Nikyta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been putting this review off for a while because I wasn't sure how to rate or review it.

I loved the beginning of this. It was so fascinating seeing Kitty attack some thing and then get recruited into a secret organization for it. She was so snarky and fun with her smartass comments and her easily flippant remarks towards Martini and the rest of the Alpha Centauri. I couldn't stop laughing for the first half of the book because of the banter between Kitty, Martini and Christopher. I was really enjoying it.

With that said, there were a few things that bugged me. For one, there were a couple inconsistencies that were blatantly obvious and resulted in unanswered questions like for instance, what the hell did the robot that looked like Kitty have to do with anything? It's mentioned early on in the book but after that, nothing about what the robot would be used for or anything. The word used for the bad guy, Meta-something, was extremely hard to say or read and every time it's mentioned I felt like it pulled me out of the story because I tried for a few seconds to pronounce the name of him and just couldn't do it. There were actual a couple of words that were too complicated to pronounce, in my opinion, and each time I came across one it'd pull me out of the story. Especially since there were no hints on how to pronounce them like some books give.

About half way through the book, it started to drag. I think this was mostly because Kitty was no longer the snarky, fun gal I was growing to love but turned into a depressing, lady that cried for almost the rest of the book in response to almost everything. With that, Martini, who I didn't really like at all anyway, got more and more needy as the book progressed which put me off trying to like him. Then there's also the fact that as much as Kitty kept saying she's not a slut, she still ended up sleeping with Martini that first day. Without a condom. And they continued to sleep together without any condoms for the rest of the book. How the hell she is not pregnant remains a mystery to me. I did, however, love Christopher and a part of me wished that Kitty would ditch the needy dude and go with the one that glowers.

I felt like everything was too easily convenient. One moment they were trying to do something and needed this one tiny thing to do something and wouldn't you know, Kitty has that one thing they need in her bottomless purse. I also felt like the A/C who was aiding the Meta-guy was too easily blamed. And then I questioned why these A/Cs who have these seriously awesome powers (like running at lightening speed) didn't escape from the mere humans when their compound was taken hostage. I just could not understand that.

With that said, I did enjoy this book. It starts with a very snarky humor and Kitty has this awesome comic obsession and out of nowhere she'd just compare a bad guy to some random comic book character. It was very funny. The book is also very suspenseful with lots of action and enjoyable once you get passed the fact that Kitty turns from a very strong woman to one that seems emotionally weak. I will be continuing this series one day, though, because I do like the world that was created by these aliens.

[Larissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this cover! I a huge Daniel dos Santos fan after he did all the Mercy Thompson series covers and this is an awesome one. I’m glad to say that the content is just as good as the cover.

It’s just another ordinary day in Kitty’s life when out of nowhere a man comes out of his car in the middle of the street and transforms into a Fugly creature and starts attacking people.

Without no thought or reason Kitty just springs into action and kills the monster with nothing less than a Mont Blanc pen. From that moment on our heroine’s life is changed forever.

A group of extremely good looking men show up and introduce her to a world that she never new existed. They are from the “Agency”, a group of Humans and Alpha Centauri Aliens that work together to protect our planet.

Touched by an Alien is none stop action and some awesome funny moments that got me laughing out loud like crazy. Some very funny and silly moments, I might add =)

"Relax, we're not taking you out here to kill you and bury your body off the beaten track."
"It's just stop two on the UFO tour," Martini added. Most women want to marry the first alien they've met after seeing the crash site."
"I killed the first alien I met," I reminde d him.
"Nope, that was a superbeing," Martini corrected cheerfully. |None of us A-C are superbeings, other than in the sack."

I also loved the romance in this book. Right from the second Jeff Martini meets our heroine, Kitty, he decided she is the woman for him. That might sound weird but he is an alien and they do tend to be a bit different hehe. Their interactions are some of the best in the book and I can’t wait for more Martini and Kitty.

"As an example, I can make love fore twelve hours straight," Martini offered. "However, I've never tried to make it go faster, so maybe that's not a good examble."
"But, so far, your most winning argument."

The secondary characters are just as amusing as well, all the “Agency” mebers and Kitty’s family as well, just got me cracking up.

He Grinned. "I'd like lots of kids," he said to Mom. "But we're still discussing it."
She sighed. "Ask her how often she has to get new fish before you make a final decision."

Touched by an Alien is fun from start to finish and definitely my list of the Top Reads of 2010. The first person narration is very well written and the action is gripping and the most fun I’ve had with a book in a while!

If you’ve got a funny bone and likes a great Sci-Fi read with a lot of action and a great romance, you need to check out Touched by an Alien!

[Gawelleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai beaucoup beaucoup aimé ! C'est fun, pleins de références que j'aime (et comprends). C'est très graphique, très blockbuster....Seulement à la manière d'un Man of steel, un peu longuet. J'aurais coupé la bataille qui pour moi se traîne (comme Man of steel) . J'aime beaucoup le personnage de Kitty, badass sans se prendre la tête ! Les filles AC aussi!!! Et Martini ... Et Jerry aussi !!! Bref à peu près tout le monde! J'ai commandé la suite (1ct en occas, je ne pouvais passer à côté ! ), quand je la reçois, je lis l suite!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katherine "Kitty" Kat is leaving the courthouse after jury duty when she sees something amazing and horrifying: a domestic dispute turned worse than ugly as the enraged man mutates into a winged monster and shoots blade from its wings, killing the man's wife before turning on the other people exiting the courthouse. Instead of fleeing or hiding behind her car, trying not to scream, Kitty goes into action and manages to take out the monster - with a ball-point pen.

Next thing she knows, several extremely handsome men in Armani suits turn up and whisk her off. Kitty's no idiot, and every detail they share with her only leads her to more probing and, soon enough, the truth: they're aliens from the planet we know as Alpha Centauri, come to Earth to help protect it from the parasite invasion - the things that attach to humans, turning them into murderous monsters (which they call "superbeings"). The Amani-aliens aren't just drop-dead gorgeous (all of them, including the women), they're also super fast and stronger than humans, and many of them possess certain gifts to varying strengths.

Kitty's world is turned completely upside-down as she realises that not only are there aliens and parasites on her planet, but her parents have been lying to her about what they do, and somehow she is instrumental in a master-parasite plot. Armed with her quick-thinking and a bold human perspective, the aliens don't know what's hit them - but the parasites do: extra-hold hairspray turns out to be a key weapon against them.

If you're in the mood for silly and fun and funny, this is your meal ticket. It's ridiculous, but in the best possible way. There are some great lines, snappy retorts and funny banter, and a heroine you can really cheer for.

The one thing you do have to be prepared for, though, is A LOT of exposition: this is the first book in the series, and a whole new world opens up for Kitty. Also, the vast majority of the book takes place over the course of just two days. There's a lot to cram in, and Koch did a good job considering. But I did find myself having trouble keeping up at times, either because of information overload or because of the endless distractions in my life, or a combination of both. I had trouble keeping track of where they were, or of past explanations for things. I can't even say if I found any plot-holes, because I'm not even completely sure I get it all. It moves fast, and yet slow at the same time.

But I didn't waste much time worrying about it. The pacing and the action is such that it makes up for any befuddlement along the way, and the story is written with such confidence (Kitty's first-person narration is sure and steady and written very well), that I didn't get annoyed at the little confusions, and I didn't let my brain intrude much at all really. It was too much fun, and didn't take itself seriously. I mean, it's such an unlikely story, but the more over-the-top it gets, the more fun it becomes.

Back to the positives, and there are plenty of 'em. Let's start with Kitty. I can use all the usual words to describe her - strong, intelligent, quick-thinking, sassy, "kick-ass" etc. - and you'll think "Oh yeah, I've read that character before." But somehow Kitty is different. She approaches the situation from the same point of ignorance as us, the reader, but her mind clearly moves more quickly than mine does and sees things I don't, which gives her an edge (I hate narrators who let the reader get too far ahead of them, making them infuriatingly dense; I get so impatient with them). She doesn't take shit, yet she also has her vulnerable moments. It was Kitty who made reading through the complicated or slow bits worthwhile.

Kitty and Jeff and Christopher too. Yeah there's sort-of a love triangle but Kitty's not stringing Christopher along. I'm hoping we really get to know Jeff better, or more, in the next book because I feel like we barely scraped the surface. I wouldn't have thought that anything genuine could come out of their knowing each other for just two days, but it works. They're two very long days, they're constantly in each other's company, and Jeff's jokes about wanting to marry her from the moment he met her start to sound less like jokes the more you get to know him - and it's not creepy, I think because Jeff, being an empath, is incredibly vulnerable without being weak.

The "superbeing" plot is complicated, and I'm glad I don't have to try to explain it all, but Kitty's questions often mirror your own and there's a neat balance between ridiculous and realism. That said, it is very far-fetched and hard to follow at times, and the alien technology Jeff's people brought with them is hugely convenient - an aspect of science fiction I generally dislike. Kitty made connections that I wasn't even aware were there to be made, so in that respect the knowledge-dump moved fast, but the chunks of filling-in-Kitty helped break the story up and gave you time to catch your breath, nicely balanced with some cool action.

Action-wise, there're some great scenes. I loved the face-down in the desert between Kitty and her new friends, and the big bad superbeing, Mephistopheles, and the hideous superbeing monsters he brings with him. You won't be surprised to learn the Kitty makes several Men in Black jokes at the beginning, but wisely she stops before it gets old.

If you're looking for something fun and with a heart of gold, well written and flirty, and you're in the mood to suspend your disbelief, then I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this. Meanwhile, I immediately ordered the next three books and can't wait to get back to Kitty's madhouse world.

[Maria Dimitrova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myths & Monsters for the 2018 Madcap MacHalo Fantabulous Bookish Challenge Extravaganza aka MMFBCE™

Mythology

Monsters

Despite the title Touched by an Alien is a pretty decent read. It was hilarious, it was kickass and totally not what I expected. The beginning didn't inspire much confidence, I actually got an Aisling Grey feel for a while. Thankfully it was misleading. Kitty isn't a dumb bimbo and while things were so OTT (especially after the midway point) that it was ridiculous it was entertaining and didn't make me want to slap Kitty every few seconds. Actually I never wanted to slap her, just her male co-lead and his cousin. But both of them grew on me and now I kind of consider them to be part of the family - you know like the moronic cousin you can't help but love. Sure it's not a book that requires brain cells, in fact thinking on the pot for more than a few seconds would probably ruin the book but hey we all have to relax and have fun every now and then. And that's what this was - fun action flick style.

At first I was going to use this for another challenge but after a particular part of the book I realised that it fits both criteria of this theme. The monsters are easy to spot. They show up from the very beginning but it wa sthe mythology part that surprised me. Usually when one says myths one assumes Greek/Celtic/Roman/Old Religion stuff. Or maybe it's just me. Anyway when I think of myths I rarely if ever connect myths with Christianity. But all of the Bible is essentially that - another mythology. Well in this book we had a couple of extraterrestrial religions and an interesting interpretation of the Bible and some of the events in it. So I decided that this is too good a fit to miss the opportunity to use it and it gave me something to think about.

[Maraya21 (The Reading Dragon) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't let the rating fool you, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would when I started reading it.

~ Review to come ~

Chosen book for the 2018 MacHalo Reading Challenge (aka MMFBCE™) ~~ 9. Bloody Mayhem ~~

Also, my fellow MacHalos decided to join me into reading this one therefore this was turned into a Buddy Read