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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Third in the Katherine "Kitty" Katt science fiction romance series that can't stop poking fun at everyone and everything as it revolves around Kitty Kat, the former marketing manager, now-Airborne Commander. The action in this one is primarily in Las Vegas.
If you enjoy lots of good laughs (including sex), you will absolutely adore this one. Heck the whole series!
My Take
I thought I knew what I was getting into when I started this story. I was wrong! Koch created something way beyond expectations and I spent the story laughing and quivering, as I wondered how they'd got out of this mess. Oh, that scene where Kitty captures their attention by lifting up her shirt…*I'm gonna pee my pants…*
For growing up on Earth, the A-Cs have a remarkably inefficient grasp of earth culture.
The Story
Chuckie has come out of the closet, so to speak, and now Jeff and Kitty know that he wants to marry Kitty himself. You thought Jeff hated him before...hah! Every move Chuckie makes now is suspect, and Jeff goes on at length.
For allies, there is no love lost, and those flashing lights the CIA is investigating raise all sorts of nasty questions about imminent invasion. When it comes, it's even more twisted and terrifying.
Planning the wedding is actually a worse worry when only your parents and Uncle Mort know that Jeff is an alien. It's more of a worry when Kitty suddenly discovers a short, tight deadline!
The Characters
Unusual for someone in marketing, Kitty Katt believes in saying what she's thinking at all times. Angela Katt is Kitty's mother, head of the Presidential Terrorism Control Unit (PTCU), and the first non-Jew, non-Israeli in the Mossad. Sol Katt, her dad, has a cover as a history professor at Arizona State University with his real work as a cryptologist for NASA's ET cryptology division. Major General Mortimer Katt is Kitty's very protective uncle. Aunts Karen, Carla, and Ruth; Nana Sadie and Papa Abe; and, Nona Maria and Nono Dom (thinks Kitty needs a tomcat to keep her in line) show up in Vegas, all vocally preferring Chuckie to this upstart. Brian, her old boyfriend (see Alien Tango, 2, for the scoop) shows up for the engagement party.
Jeff Martini is her empathic and incredibly possessive, jealous A-C fiancé and the Commander of all the A-Cs on Earth. Turns out he's also the last of the royal line. Christopher White is Jeff's cousin, an Imageer, and he wouldn't mind getting Kitty for himself. Alfred is Jeff's dad (we met him and the rest of the family in Alien Tango); Lucinda is his mom and very anti-Kitty. Kimmie is one of Jeff's nieces and the flower girl.
Chuckie Reynolds, a.k.a., Conspiracy Chuck, has been Kitty's best guy friend since high school when he was a geeky brainiac. Now he's a gorgeous multi-millionaire who is head of the CIA's ET Division, hoping to win Kitty back. Kevin Lewis is Angela's second-in-command, and since Alien Tango, has been permanently assigned to Alpha Team. Denise Lewis is his wife and just as hot as Kevin. Naturally, their son is equally gorgeous.
Paul Gower is an A-C, and after events in Alien Tango, he's now ACE's habitat. James Reader is a gorgeous former supermodel, who is in a relationship with Paul; Kitty considers him one of her best guy friends. You'll discover his super powers in this story, *cracking up yet again as I remember…* Michael Gower is Paul's younger manwhore of a brother and a NASA astronaut (we met him in Alien Tango, too). Ericka and Stanley are Paul and Michael's parents; Abigail and Naomi are their sisters. Tim Crawford is new to the team as Kitty's official driver, but man, this human has really picked up on the snarkfest. He's dating Alicia (see Alien Tango). Lorraine and Claudia are the only girl A-C agents besides Kitty. Nice odds. Kitty privately refers to them, well, all A-C women, as the Dazzlers and not just for their beauty. Melanie and Emily are their moms and just as dazzling. Serene is a new hire, so to speak, after they got her off the drugs; she's gifted with explosives and can see through the illusions created by imageers and shapeshifters. Gladys is overall security and seems to be a voice in a box.
ACE is an alien entity created to monitor the PPB force field surrounding earth and preventing its inhabitants from venturing too far out into space. Through the years, he absorbed many Earth values and now wants to protect earthlings. Specifically Kitty; he thinks she walks on water. He's pretty magical himself.
Richard White is the Supreme Pontifex and reigning religious leader of the A-Cs. He's also Christopher's dad. Theresa, "Terry", was his mom, and she left a part of herself behind to protect Christopher and Jeff.
The Airborne Command
Jerry Tucker is one of Kitty's Navy Top Gun pilots and a good teacher. The other four Top Guns include Hughes, Walker, Joe Billings, and Randy Muir. The first three are busy playing the Dazzler field; Joe and Randy are seeing Lorraine and Claudia. The boys only go into Supreme Military Mode when outsiders, ahem, the CIA, shows up.
Tito Hernandez is a maintenance guy in Vegas who is pre-med; another of his jobs is cage fighting. He's about to get yet another job.
Kitty's friends whom she wants in her wedding include:
Amy and Sheila are her best girlfriends from high school; Caroline is her sorority roommate; and, Lorraine and Claudia.
Hostile A-Cs on Earth include:
Barbara Coleman had fully intended that Jeff marry her daughter Doreen. Doreen, however, is happily in love with Irving. Robert Coleman is the Head Diplomat of the Corps. Moira and her mate Kyrellis are shapeshifters from The Free, a.k.a., the Planet of the Really Pissed Off Amazons, and hate and despise men. All men. A little legacy drummed into the women of the planet by their PPB net.
Alpha Centaurions from A-C
Poofs are able to increase their size massively, choose their owners, and are incredibly protective. I want one. Harlie has chosen Jeff; Poofikins has attached to Kitty; Fluffy is with Chuckie; I can't tell if Fuzzball is with Paul or Michael; Gatita has picked James; and, Toby is with Christopher. Tenley belongs to Alexander's mother, Princess Victoria.
An embassy from the not-too-legal Planetary Council from A-C arrives consisting of two "Iguanadons": Neeraj and Jareen; two Cat People, a.k.a., Feliniads, from Beta Fifteen: Arup and Felicia; three Major Doggies, a.k.a., Canus Majorians, from Beta Fourteen: Willem, Wrolph, and Wahoa; Queen Renata of the Free Women; Gregory and Alexander are part of the royal A-C line from Alpha Four; Lenore; and, the raving Uma, the head delegate from Alpha Six.
The chief councillor on A-C is Leyton Leonidas. Adolphus is king of A-C and Jeff and Christopher's grandfather.
Mister Joel Oliver is a photographer for World Weekly News and knows too much about aliens, the CIA, and Area 51. Len (an engineering student) and Kyle (pre-med) are part of the USC Trojan football team that comes to Kitty and Jeff's rescue. Pierre, a.k.a., MC Peterman, is a fabulous hairdresser, DJ, and a friend of James'.
Caliente Base is the new home base for refugees from the refugees. The A-C Diplomatic Corps has a great deal of power on Alpha Centauri.
The Cover
The cover is too perfect for this story---absolute chaos surrounding Kitty, who is wearing her blood-spattered wedding gown and the Unity Necklace. Gun in hand.
The title barely hints at yet more chaos when there's an Alien in the Family, LOL.
If you enjoy lots of good laughs (including sex), you will absolutely adore this one. Heck the whole series!
My Take
I thought I knew what I was getting into when I started this story. I was wrong! Koch created something way beyond expectations and I spent the story laughing and quivering, as I wondered how they'd got out of this mess. Oh, that scene where Kitty captures their attention by lifting up her shirt…*I'm gonna pee my pants…*
"Chuckie is thrilled at the idea that she might flash them again if they don't answer her. And Jerry is '…with Reynolds. Punish me for my disobedience.'"And it just keeps going...LOLPMP.
"'The United States Navy is proud to serve under those, Commander,' Jerry said finally. 'In fact, I'd like a picture, in case we ever need to remind the rest of the troops what it is we fight for.'"Well, you know how messy all the pre-wedding planning can be, and Kitty has more to deal with than the usual. When you have aliens for in-laws. Then, of course, there's that minor issue that she'd rather be reading Ms. than Modern Bride or taking down more fuglies than choosing her flowers. Then there's that minor matter of galaxy-wide rebellion. Oops… Oh, oh, oh, and Kitty just has no respect, none at all.
"With Kevin's addition, it meant there were three women and just an entire roomful of hunky men with us. I loved briefings."I do love that the Dazzlers fall in love with a man's mind and not his looks. Kitty had to pass a law forbidding them from going after Stephen Hawking---she figures the Earth still needs his brain and is worried that Dazzlers would overwhelm him with love.
For growing up on Earth, the A-Cs have a remarkably inefficient grasp of earth culture.
Poor Reader...they're replacing him with the maintenance guy...snicker...Reader makes a good point about the wedding. That all the rituals and the ceremony is really for everyone else, at least for someone like Kitty who's not into it all. I love how James sets Kitty up to give time to everyone the day before the wedding, to bond with her grandparents, her mom, her future mother-in-law...eek, and her not-to-traditional bridesmaids. And, LOL, Dad gives great advice.
The Story
Chuckie has come out of the closet, so to speak, and now Jeff and Kitty know that he wants to marry Kitty himself. You thought Jeff hated him before...hah! Every move Chuckie makes now is suspect, and Jeff goes on at length.
For allies, there is no love lost, and those flashing lights the CIA is investigating raise all sorts of nasty questions about imminent invasion. When it comes, it's even more twisted and terrifying.
Planning the wedding is actually a worse worry when only your parents and Uncle Mort know that Jeff is an alien. It's more of a worry when Kitty suddenly discovers a short, tight deadline!
The Characters
Unusual for someone in marketing, Kitty Katt believes in saying what she's thinking at all times. Angela Katt is Kitty's mother, head of the Presidential Terrorism Control Unit (PTCU), and the first non-Jew, non-Israeli in the Mossad. Sol Katt, her dad, has a cover as a history professor at Arizona State University with his real work as a cryptologist for NASA's ET cryptology division. Major General Mortimer Katt is Kitty's very protective uncle. Aunts Karen, Carla, and Ruth; Nana Sadie and Papa Abe; and, Nona Maria and Nono Dom (thinks Kitty needs a tomcat to keep her in line) show up in Vegas, all vocally preferring Chuckie to this upstart. Brian, her old boyfriend (see Alien Tango, 2, for the scoop) shows up for the engagement party.
Jeff Martini is her empathic and incredibly possessive, jealous A-C fiancé and the Commander of all the A-Cs on Earth. Turns out he's also the last of the royal line. Christopher White is Jeff's cousin, an Imageer, and he wouldn't mind getting Kitty for himself. Alfred is Jeff's dad (we met him and the rest of the family in Alien Tango); Lucinda is his mom and very anti-Kitty. Kimmie is one of Jeff's nieces and the flower girl.
Chuckie Reynolds, a.k.a., Conspiracy Chuck, has been Kitty's best guy friend since high school when he was a geeky brainiac. Now he's a gorgeous multi-millionaire who is head of the CIA's ET Division, hoping to win Kitty back. Kevin Lewis is Angela's second-in-command, and since Alien Tango, has been permanently assigned to Alpha Team. Denise Lewis is his wife and just as hot as Kevin. Naturally, their son is equally gorgeous.
Paul Gower is an A-C, and after events in Alien Tango, he's now ACE's habitat. James Reader is a gorgeous former supermodel, who is in a relationship with Paul; Kitty considers him one of her best guy friends. You'll discover his super powers in this story, *cracking up yet again as I remember…* Michael Gower is Paul's younger manwhore of a brother and a NASA astronaut (we met him in Alien Tango, too). Ericka and Stanley are Paul and Michael's parents; Abigail and Naomi are their sisters. Tim Crawford is new to the team as Kitty's official driver, but man, this human has really picked up on the snarkfest. He's dating Alicia (see Alien Tango). Lorraine and Claudia are the only girl A-C agents besides Kitty. Nice odds. Kitty privately refers to them, well, all A-C women, as the Dazzlers and not just for their beauty. Melanie and Emily are their moms and just as dazzling. Serene is a new hire, so to speak, after they got her off the drugs; she's gifted with explosives and can see through the illusions created by imageers and shapeshifters. Gladys is overall security and seems to be a voice in a box.
ACE is an alien entity created to monitor the PPB force field surrounding earth and preventing its inhabitants from venturing too far out into space. Through the years, he absorbed many Earth values and now wants to protect earthlings. Specifically Kitty; he thinks she walks on water. He's pretty magical himself.
Richard White is the Supreme Pontifex and reigning religious leader of the A-Cs. He's also Christopher's dad. Theresa, "Terry", was his mom, and she left a part of herself behind to protect Christopher and Jeff.
The Airborne Command
Jerry Tucker is one of Kitty's Navy Top Gun pilots and a good teacher. The other four Top Guns include Hughes, Walker, Joe Billings, and Randy Muir. The first three are busy playing the Dazzler field; Joe and Randy are seeing Lorraine and Claudia. The boys only go into Supreme Military Mode when outsiders, ahem, the CIA, shows up.
Tito Hernandez is a maintenance guy in Vegas who is pre-med; another of his jobs is cage fighting. He's about to get yet another job.
Kitty's friends whom she wants in her wedding include:
Amy and Sheila are her best girlfriends from high school; Caroline is her sorority roommate; and, Lorraine and Claudia.
Hostile A-Cs on Earth include:
Barbara Coleman had fully intended that Jeff marry her daughter Doreen. Doreen, however, is happily in love with Irving. Robert Coleman is the Head Diplomat of the Corps. Moira and her mate Kyrellis are shapeshifters from The Free, a.k.a., the Planet of the Really Pissed Off Amazons, and hate and despise men. All men. A little legacy drummed into the women of the planet by their PPB net.
Alpha Centaurions from A-C
Poofs are able to increase their size massively, choose their owners, and are incredibly protective. I want one. Harlie has chosen Jeff; Poofikins has attached to Kitty; Fluffy is with Chuckie; I can't tell if Fuzzball is with Paul or Michael; Gatita has picked James; and, Toby is with Christopher. Tenley belongs to Alexander's mother, Princess Victoria.
An embassy from the not-too-legal Planetary Council from A-C arrives consisting of two "Iguanadons": Neeraj and Jareen; two Cat People, a.k.a., Feliniads, from Beta Fifteen: Arup and Felicia; three Major Doggies, a.k.a., Canus Majorians, from Beta Fourteen: Willem, Wrolph, and Wahoa; Queen Renata of the Free Women; Gregory and Alexander are part of the royal A-C line from Alpha Four; Lenore; and, the raving Uma, the head delegate from Alpha Six.
The chief councillor on A-C is Leyton Leonidas. Adolphus is king of A-C and Jeff and Christopher's grandfather.
Mister Joel Oliver is a photographer for World Weekly News and knows too much about aliens, the CIA, and Area 51. Len (an engineering student) and Kyle (pre-med) are part of the USC Trojan football team that comes to Kitty and Jeff's rescue. Pierre, a.k.a., MC Peterman, is a fabulous hairdresser, DJ, and a friend of James'.
Caliente Base is the new home base for refugees from the refugees. The A-C Diplomatic Corps has a great deal of power on Alpha Centauri.
The Cover
The cover is too perfect for this story---absolute chaos surrounding Kitty, who is wearing her blood-spattered wedding gown and the Unity Necklace. Gun in hand.
The title barely hints at yet more chaos when there's an Alien in the Family, LOL.
katyanaish's review against another edition
4.0
This book felt like the pacing was odd. It's still break-neck - that's pretty much the signature of this series - but it felt like this was 2 books stuck together. The primary plot lines all wrapped up around the 50 or 60% mark, and then we transitioned into a different story - the Kitty/Martini wedding story. I kept waiting for something big to happen in the wedding story... like, something from the plot that we thought was wrapped up, but they discover another layer or something.
But no.
I don't know if ... we could have integrated these two halves better, having things more overlapped. Or if we could have just literally had them be two books. But it felt a bit disjointed.
That said, still love the characters and the story. Still got annoyed at Jeff's jealousy, though. And I have to say, that little nugget dropped, about him probably wanting her to stop working as an agent ... that kind of paternalistic bullshit would be a complete dealbreaker for me, so I REALLY hope it doesn't go there.
But no.
I don't know if ... we could have integrated these two halves better, having things more overlapped. Or if we could have just literally had them be two books. But it felt a bit disjointed.
That said, still love the characters and the story. Still got annoyed at Jeff's jealousy, though. And I have to say, that little nugget dropped, about him probably wanting her to stop working as an agent ... that kind of paternalistic bullshit would be a complete dealbreaker for me, so I REALLY hope it doesn't go there.
suzetteam's review against another edition
4.0
I picked up Alien in the Family on Sunday afternoon at Borders and finished it that night at about 12:35 am. The only breaks I took were drink refills and, subsequently, bathroom breaks. I loved everything about this book- the romance, the action, Kitty's dealings with friends and family, and, most especially, James Reader. He has now surpassed everyone as my favorite character in the Kitty Katt novels. His storyline had me in stiches and in tears for most of the book. While I love James & Kitty together, the scenes with her and Reader really stole the show. Other favorite things include
* the ferocity of the poofs
* souls sisters
* Tito Fernandez (me likey)
Not so favororite thing- the use of the threat of gang rape twice in the book. I found it tasteless and unnecessarily cruel.
All in all, it's a great read.
Suzette
Spoiler
* the ferocity of the poofs
* souls sisters
* Tito Fernandez (me likey)
Not so favororite thing- the use of the threat of gang rape twice in the book. I found it tasteless and unnecessarily cruel.
All in all, it's a great read.
Suzette
nuttkayc's review against another edition
4.0
Good book, as usual. But really, wedding too too long. Just wanted it to end!
blodeuedd's review against another edition
4.0
I adore this funny series. Everything about it is utterly silly and amazing. Maybe I should just write a review why I like the series instead of going in to "analyse." You know what, that sounds like an excellent idea.
Reason why you should read Alien in the Family.
1. Jeff Martini.
He is just so so, awww hug attack! Yes he is really jealous and he really wants her. But I love him even when he thinks she flirts with someone else. The poor guy has some emotional trauma since he is an empathy and can feel everything.
2. Kitty
She is funny, sassy and just everything. She says the strangest things, she does the strangest things. She became a commander of the airborne just cos she is so freaking cool. The aliens love her and I would love to have her as my bff.
3. Reader
Kitty would totally run away with him if he was straight. Sadly he is not and therefore they are best friends and he is lovely and funny.
4. Poofs
In this book you meet poofs. What they are, well on the cover you can see something scary. One of the scary things are the poofs I think. So adorable and scary pets.
5. Funny!
I have mentioned it before but this series is just so funny. There is one scene that had my giggling. I will not tell you what happened but it was hysterical. Kitty is the best.
6. Christopher
I have to mention him too. Jeff's cousin and sometimes I am a tiny bit team Christopher too. If she only could get them both. I think the only one I did not like was Chuckie, back off Chuckie. Kitty is only for aliens.
There you have it. This series is funny, cute, there is romance, danger, freaky aliens and you will never sit there and say "I have seen that". Nope it is fresh and weird.
I recommend it. So read it.
Reason why you should read Alien in the Family.
1. Jeff Martini.
He is just so so, awww hug attack! Yes he is really jealous and he really wants her. But I love him even when he thinks she flirts with someone else. The poor guy has some emotional trauma since he is an empathy and can feel everything.
2. Kitty
She is funny, sassy and just everything. She says the strangest things, she does the strangest things. She became a commander of the airborne just cos she is so freaking cool. The aliens love her and I would love to have her as my bff.
3. Reader
Kitty would totally run away with him if he was straight. Sadly he is not and therefore they are best friends and he is lovely and funny.
4. Poofs
In this book you meet poofs. What they are, well on the cover you can see something scary. One of the scary things are the poofs I think. So adorable and scary pets.
5. Funny!
I have mentioned it before but this series is just so funny. There is one scene that had my giggling. I will not tell you what happened but it was hysterical. Kitty is the best.
6. Christopher
I have to mention him too. Jeff's cousin and sometimes I am a tiny bit team Christopher too. If she only could get them both. I think the only one I did not like was Chuckie, back off Chuckie. Kitty is only for aliens.
There you have it. This series is funny, cute, there is romance, danger, freaky aliens and you will never sit there and say "I have seen that". Nope it is fresh and weird.
I recommend it. So read it.
avid_reader_sf_and_f's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
diaryofthebookdragon's review
3.0
Katherine "Kitty" Katt series keeps to pleasantly surprise me each time. Behind weird-looking cliched covers (that actually illustrate the plot correctly) hides an enjoyable and fun read. And in all that yummy action and humor it also manages to glance over themes like racism and religion...
Why the rating is not higher?
- Because I was very annoyed how sex-obsessed Kitty was in this book, as a teenage boy. "What good was a suite if we weren't going to get to have sex on every available surface?"
- The last third of the book is not the main plot events but something personally related to Kitty and Martini. Although important I thought it was described in too much detail.
Why the rating is not higher?
- Because I was very annoyed how sex-obsessed Kitty was in this book, as a teenage boy. "What good was a suite if we weren't going to get to have sex on every available surface?"
- The last third of the book is not the main plot events but something personally related to Kitty and Martini. Although important I thought it was described in too much detail.
sandyfrancesca's review against another edition
3.0
I love Jeff. But Kitty is annoying and disrespectful to Jeff in this i am not in the mood to rant so i won't. This was disappointing to read.
rosetyper9's review against another edition
5.0
This book was just as amazing as the first book. I enjoyed Alien Tango but not as much as I had enjoyed Touched by an Alien or this book. I thought it was so wonderful. It gave us a few new characters and allowed us to get in deep with a few relationships we hadn't glimpse from the up-front point of view. I love learning things about old best friends so...this book is definitely the one for that.
Ok, I think the way Ms. Koch laid everything out in a manageable format (with the chess board as a touchstone) really helped me understand what was going on, so I didn't get lost in all the drama and lose characters. Without that though, oh yeah, there would have been no way I would have been able to keep up with everything happening in this book.
I loved the wedding! Come on, you know it was going to happen in this book. It was perfectly Kitty style and I am glad that Ms. Koch kept it true to her characters. I loved learning more about Reader and Kitty's relationship and found myself half wishing they would get together, just as they do ;) I also started to hate Chucky. He is snobbish and just annoys me many times through out the book. He needs to get over his stuff, leave my poor Martini alone, and move on. I was so annoyed with him most of this whole thing. I hope he is not in the next book *ducks stones from Chucky fans*
There is so much packed into this pretty sizeable book and I will continue to read and read this series until Ms Koch stops writing. I adore Kitty and her men and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us!
Ok, I think the way Ms. Koch laid everything out in a manageable format (with the chess board as a touchstone) really helped me understand what was going on, so I didn't get lost in all the drama and lose characters. Without that though, oh yeah, there would have been no way I would have been able to keep up with everything happening in this book.
I loved the wedding! Come on, you know it was going to happen in this book. It was perfectly Kitty style and I am glad that Ms. Koch kept it true to her characters. I loved learning more about Reader and Kitty's relationship and found myself half wishing they would get together, just as they do ;) I also started to hate Chucky. He is snobbish and just annoys me many times through out the book. He needs to get over his stuff, leave my poor Martini alone, and move on. I was so annoyed with him most of this whole thing. I hope he is not in the next book *ducks stones from Chucky fans*
There is so much packed into this pretty sizeable book and I will continue to read and read this series until Ms Koch stops writing. I adore Kitty and her men and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us!
vikcs's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25