And now it’s time for chaos, comedy, and a lot of alien anatomy:
I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming is as hilariously weird as the title promises. Still, I’ll confess, I’m not sure it’s a rom-com. It’s more of a spicy sci-fi comedy romance (scimantasy?) that’s as steamy as it is absurd. As a fan of Lemming’s Mead Mishaps series—with its witty banter, strong-willed heroines, and unhinged romantic chaos—this book could go either way. Nevertheless, it’s brimming with her signature style, just with an extraterrestrial twist. Think aliens, dinosaurs, and lots of multifunctional appendages.
I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com follows Dorothy Valentine, a wildlife biologist who’s unexpectedly abducted by aliens just as she’s about to become a lion’s chew toy. Her new alien planet is a pick-n-mix of Earth’s greatest hits: churches that seem like theme parks, a Jurassic Park theme with pink dinosaurs, and a race of culture-obsessed alien birds that are demented versions of Duo the mascot from Duolingo (before the Drake beef). Dorothy and the lion—now known as Toto because of The Wizard of Oz—are abducted and she gets thrown into a breeding program to save a species of refugees called the Sankado. Pretty much lizard-satyr hybrids (not sexy).
Of course, I immediately wondered if Lemming was inspired by Octavia Butler’s Dawn, which also explores alien-human interdependence in a forced breeding program. However, where Butler’s work is about introspective upheaval in the face of extinction, Lemming leans into the absurdity. Within the inherent humor of world-building based on bits and pieces of the internet, this book explores survival from the depths of intergalactic hilarity. And the depths of Dorothy and her alien lovers too.
It’s fast-paced and easy to read, featuring a cast of quirky characters including Sol, the soft but skilled Sankado hunter, Lok, the danger-boy warrior, Toto the Lion, who is basically the Tairn of this story, and the alien scientist called Intern. Each of them adds to the overall charm and humor of the story but they’re not characters who make me feel what they’re feeling; they play out more like avatars in a sexy video game. However, the found family dynamic between Dorothy and her ragtag group of misfits is endearing amidst all the madness. That unrelenting silliness makes it a solid pick for anyone who needs to escape from the real world. Just be ready to wander into “lol that’s random” territory.
Let’s talk about the romance. It has a heat rating of 8 million on the Scoville scale, but the swoon levels weren’t enough to feed my emotional Tamagotchi. Dorothy stumbles and falls headfirst into the “Why Choose?” trope, but I struggled to choose the Sankado. Lemming’s creativity is undeniable, but these horned MMCs are a bizarre cocktail of satyr, lizard, and pleasure toy, with tails that, um… suck things. There’s also a non-consensual aphrodisiac moment that sliced more swoon off the romance. While handled carefully, it might not sit well with every reader. And yet (for the adventurous) this book isn’t afraid to test readers’ comfort zones or create a spicy humanoid centipede. Forget your fave sandwich cookie, this is sandwich nookie.
There’s no denying the laughs or the world-building in a Kimberly Lemming book, but I didn’t come out of I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com feeling the love. I giggled a lot though. Despite not quite hitting the highs of the Mead Mishaps series, I’m interested in where the Cosmic Chaos series will go next. I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com is an entertaining and unapologetically wild start. Fans of Lemming will get the humor and chaos we crave and newcomers should prep for a spicy, wild adventure that is all gas, no brakes. This book isn’t as universal as the previous series, but it’s an out-of-this-world romp, that’s good for a joyride (and some double-stuffed sandwich nookie).
Releasing on Feb 18 from Berkley, I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com sets off the Cosmic Chaos series with a Scooby Gang and a big bang
