Mates of Planet 25XA Series by Merry Ravenell

Welcome to the Gestalt, where Humans are forbidden and mates are sacred. Hauling scrap to feed his family and pay for his sick brother's plague treatments, The Twilight Scion of a Lost House finds himself in possession of a Human that somehow managed to escape the Grays.Humans, and Earth, are strictly Off-Limits, and being caught with Chess--no matter the circumstances or reasons--will be the final destruction of his House and family... moreWelcome to the Gestalt, where Humans are forbidden and mates are sacred. Hauling scrap to feed his family and pay for his sick brother's plague treatments, The Twilight Scion of a Lost House finds himself in possession of a Human that somehow managed to escape the Grays.Humans, and Earth, are strictly Off-Limits, and being caught with Chess--no matter the circumstances or reasons--will be the final destruction of his House and family. But he also can't shove her out an airlock or abandon her at a shipyard. She's an innocent victim, and the Grays will be looking for her. Her fate in the hands of the Gestalt authorities will be just as bad.She's delicate, soft, and luscious. Clearly, he's been alone for too long if he's attracted to a Human. And this particular Human is already spoken for, with a mate of her own waiting for her back on Earth. But Chess shines as bright as a star, and resisting her pull is nearly impossible.There's only one way to buy the time to keep her safe until he can figure out how to get rid of her. He'll have to spend his family's meager savings on the trinket that will awaken his awareness of his true mate, and present her as that mate. She's brave enough to go along with the plan, and kinder to him than he deserves.His brothers will be furious, the Gestalt will mock him, and she'll need to be gone before his true mate arrives.The little Human's secrets are astonishing, and her courage undeniable, and when the moment comes, the Twilight Scion isn't sure he will be able to give her up... even if it's impossible that she stay with him.Spared By The Monster is a standalone sci-fi monster romance. No cliffhanger, of course! less

The Greys are actually good cooks. A honeymoon isn't in Keiron and Chess' future--Keiron has to return to hauling scrap, leaving Chess to figure out how to survive daily life on 25XA as the Lady-Scion of the impoverished House 8. Keiron orders his brothers to make sure she doesn't toddle off and fall into a worm vat (again), but they're not especially enthused about it. Going to the Ward to donate plasma to Ohade is making her sick, but she doesn't dare tell anyone just how sick... moreThe Greys are actually good cooks. A honeymoon isn't in Keiron and Chess' future--Keiron has to return to hauling scrap, leaving Chess to figure out how to survive daily life on 25XA as the Lady-Scion of the impoverished House 8. Keiron orders his brothers to make sure she doesn't toddle off and fall into a worm vat (again), but they're not especially enthused about it. Going to the Ward to donate plasma to Ohade is making her sick, but she doesn't dare tell anyone just how sick. They might make her stop, and the Plague treatment in her blood is the only thing the family has to change its fortunes.Other than all that... everything's going great. Public transport on 25XA is pretty decent, her pet cat walks nicely on its leash, and as long as she stays far away from whatever those awful jelly cubes are at the Ward, she can handle the weird looks.Until she's abducted off the street in broad double-sun daylight.Now she's at a dark, off-beacon Grey facility on an uncharted asteroid with half a dozen other Human women. The Greys do have a killer collection of VHS tapes and the best food this side of Earth. If you don't mind the invasive medical procedures.The Gestalt considers abductions "private matters," and that means a private war waged between private parties with private fleets and personal wealth. Nobody likes an old-fashioned Earth-style public war, and the Gestalt authorities aren't getting involved. Especially not if it means having to actually confront the Greys head-on.Keiron has no allies, no fleet, no funds. He's on his own to find Chess, and he has to find her before the Greys do the unspeakable to his mate.It's a hopeless task... until someone from his military past surfaces. With an army. And a Deal. Chess & Keiron's next installment kicks open the doors to the rest of the Gestalt and the future of House 8. less

Alien griddles get very hot...When the alien facility that's been holding you captive goes boom, you get out by any means necessary. Even if it means following along behind the big grumpy alien-dragon guy that looks like he's been carved out of an overly large ruby. Or stealing a shuttle. Or blasting off to who-knows-where. Anywhere but here is good.The fact that the grouchy alien tells me we can never go back to Gestalt space doesn't bother me either... moreAlien griddles get very hot...When the alien facility that's been holding you captive goes boom, you get out by any means necessary. Even if it means following along behind the big grumpy alien-dragon guy that looks like he's been carved out of an overly large ruby. Or stealing a shuttle. Or blasting off to who-knows-where. Anywhere but here is good.The fact that the grouchy alien tells me we can never go back to Gestalt space doesn't bother me either. When I said I'd rather be anywhere than that facility being a Grey lab rat, I meant it. I tell him to drop me off at the nearest port, which he does--and then he refuses to leave. Instead, he decides to set up an intergalactic dive diner and I get to be the waitstaff.He could just leave me here. He doesn't owe me anything. He doesn't even ask me a lot of questions about my time with the Greys, and he's such a gentleman about everything I'm sure he's up to something. Why else would he want to stay on this crappy moon, playing house with me?Third brother Ahane meets his match in the Human Thalia. less