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kathydavie's review against another edition
3.0
Fifth in the Katherine "Kitty" Katt science-fiction romance revolving around Kitty Katt, one of several new ambassadors in Washington, D.C.
My Take
I think Kitty's right. It's safer out on the frontlines battling aliens and horrible monsters than navigating Washington politics! This one is klutzy compared to the earlier ones. Sure, all the previous stories have been about some evil being/organization wanting to take over the world, but Koch has given the previous stories interesting twists. This one? Not so much.
Although, I suppose one could consider politicians evil beings who want to take over the world…?
It feels more as if Koch is getting a bit tired and just couldn't think of a good twist or she was in a hurry. There were also all the little oddities that kept adding up, that didn't make sense. Kitty just trusts anyone who wants to be friends with her. She's clueless about the limo. Has no sense of security. She's supposed to so handy to have around because she thinks like the bad guys, and yet she helps her enemy set her up. Even I could see all the clues clanging away! Kitty's so tuned in to Jamie-Kat's likes and dislikes, and she just ignores her in this incident? C'mon… You'd think she was just an average human wife when you look at all the things she misses. The security screw-ups that you'd think a group of guys practically brought up in security wouldn't be making.
And what's with the taxi drivers? If they're legit, why not come out with it? Talk about a dumb approach to people who are already feeling skittish. I did like the bus chase.
It took awhile before the primary conflict was introduced, although, when I think about it, all the small annoyances, glitches, bombs, and attacks did spring from the main bad guys. It just takes so long that I forgot about the connection. Whoops.
You know, I just don't get the prohibitions about leaving the Poofies behind. They're so useful.
I'm torn between rolling my eyeballs at Kitty's almost-purposeful diplomatic blunders and the irritating instructor. A nice touch, giving Kitty her mom's support in this; and I did enjoy that bit of "revenge" Kitty got in the end. A minor touch, but, oh so satisfying. Of course, Kitty, Jeff, and Christopher are going nuts with their "promotions" to the diplomatic corps; all three are sorely missing the action. Then Papa Sol pops the news that he and Mom are moving to D.C. So much for Kitty easing the Martinis out.
Don't get me wrong, it's still a really funny story, just too full of stupid mistakes on the part of the A-Cs.
The Story
Kitty is failing diplomacy class and it seems as if everyone is out to get her, her hubby, Jamie-Kat, and everyone else in the embassy. God knows they keep finding more and more bugs every time they turn around!
The politics and the backstabbing that goes on...well...all I can say is, I can't wait to tuck into Alien vs Alien.
The Characters
Missus Ambassador Kitty Katt Martini is a mommy! An enhanced mommy right along with daddy. She and the Alpha-Centurion (A-C) Ambassador Jeff Martini, the new head of the A-C Diplomatic Corps, are the very proud parents of the very powerful Jamie Katherine, their new baby girl—Kitty named her for Reader. Daddy is still very jealous and possessive—times two now. The Poofs still adore Kitty and have expanded their circle of love to include Jamie Kat; Poofikins is Kitty's and Harlie is Jeff's Poof. Richard White was the Supreme Pontifex and still Christopher's dad; now he's enjoying the retired life with occasional forays into action with his new partner, Kitty.
Commander Christopher White is Jeff's cousin, an Imageer. Toby is his Poof. Through some, um, misadventures, he's enhanced too. He's also hooked up with Amy Gaultier (Alien Proliferation, 4), one of Kitty's best friends from high school, a lawyer. Amy breezed through diplomacy class...bitch. Paul Gower is a half-A-C/half-human and can read dreams and memories; he's ACE's habitat and the new Supreme Pontifex. Commander James Reader is a gorgeous former supermodel, who is in a relationship with Paul and promoted to Head of the Field for Centaurion Division; Kitty considers him one of her best guy friends. Gatita is Reader's Poof. ACE is an alien entity, who thinks Kitty walks on water, and lives inside Paul.
Embassy support includes (they all showed up in Alien in the Family, 3):
Kitty gets new drivers in this: Len and Kyle from the Trojan football team are now CIA agents. Walter is a surviving brother with no A-C powers who is now in charge of security at the embassy; his brother William has imageering powers and is the assigned liaison between Imageering and the embassy. Dr. Tito Hernandez is Kitty and Jamie-Kat's doctor and has moved to the embassy with the Martinis. Pierre, a.k.a., MC Peterman, is a fabulous hairdresser and a friend of James' who will be joining the embassy team as their Majordomo Concierge. Thank god! Kitty needs all the help she can get.
The various human government types include:
Charles "Chuckie" Reynolds, a.k.a., Conspiracy Chuck, has been Kitty's best guy friend since high school when he was a geeky brainiac. He's the head of the CIA's ET Division, working to keep the A-Cs from being forcibly turned into a War Division and starting to accept that Kitty loves Jeff. The poof, Fluffy, has adopted Chuck.
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, Kitty's dad, is taking a sabbatical and working on their move to D.C. Kevin Lewis is Angela's second-in-command and has been reassigned to the embassy with his family; Denise Lewis is his very hot wife with their equally gorgeous young son. Aunt Emily is Angela's best friend and willing to come out of retirement to "train the entire A-C Diplomatic Corps" in etiquette.
Alpha Team members include:
Reader; the pregnant Serene (Ronald Yates' daughter and a full-A-C), the new head of Imageering, married to Brian Dwyer (Kitty's old boyfriend); Captain Tim Crawford, who has been promoted to Kitty's old position as head of Airborne; Paul; and, Kitty.
Airborne members include:
All five of the Top Gun Navy pilots—Captain Jerry Tucker, Hughes, Walker, Joe Billings (married to the very-pregnant Captain Lorraine), and Randy Muir (married to the about-to-pop Captain Claudia). Both girls got promoted into Reader and Tim's old positions.
Michael Gower is Paul's younger—player—brother with no A-C powers and is a NASA astronaut (we met him, Brian, and Serene in Alien Tango, 2). Fuzzball is Michael's Poof. Their sisters are Abigail and Naomi with expanded powers too. Melanie and Emily are Lorraine and Claudia's Dazzling moms who keep popping in to help on the medical end of things. Gladys Gower—she's Richard's half-sister married to Stanley's brother, Harold—is Head of Security with a high level of sarcasm. Doreen (she's not concerned about her parents' disappearance at all) and Irving Weisman attend the President's Ball as well.
Alpha Centaurions from A-C include:
Alexander, the king of Alpha Four and Jeff's cousin, and Leyton Leonidas, his chief councillor, are leery of some very odd humans they believe Chuck has sent over. Victoria is Alexander's mother, the Queen Mother.
Other humans who are involved include:
Nurse Magdalena Rijos-Carter is very curious as to what is going on. Especially when she recognizes Peter Keller the would-be assassin as the Dingo, who usually hangs with his cousin, Vic Keller. Antony Marling is the head of Titan Security which has pretty much sealed up the contract to take over policing from the Washington, D.C. police department. Typical politicians.
Amy's father's second wife, LaRue Demorte Gaultier, was the brains behind it all Alien Proliferation, 4; she's fled Earth orbit. Mister Joel Oliver is their pet paparrazo from World Weekly News with some useful contacts whom we met in Alien in the Family. Darcy Lockwood is the instructor for the Washington Wife class.
Olga Dalca is the MS-suffering wife of the Romanian ambassador, Andrei. Adriana is her granddaughter. Caroline Chase is Kitty's sorority roommate who works for Arizona's senior senator, McMillan; his wife Kelly is a sorority sister. The McMillans attend the President's Ball as does Caro with Michael.
Fellow students (and their significant others in the Cabal of Evil) at the Washington Wives' class include:
Eugene is the only other classmate not doing well; he's the husband of the new Senator Lydia Montgomery. The snotty classmates who seem to be stuck in the bullying phase from high school include: Abner (married to Lillian Culver, a "top lobbyist for some major defense contractors"); Marcia Kramer (a bimbo married to Illinois Senator Zachary Kramer); Jack Ryan who even looks like a car salesman but thinks he's the prototype for Tom Clancy's political thriller character is married to Pia, a CIA agent; Vance Beaumont is in a secret relationship with Guy Gadoire, a tobacco lobbyist; Nathalie Gagnon-Brewer is a model too absorbed in playing Angry Birds, but still managed to marry a rich vintner, Edmund Brewster, the newly elected California representative; Malcolm Buchanan is a bit standoffish, but always seems to be around; and, Leslie Manning pretends to be in a relationship with Bryce Taylor—in truth, she's in the closet with Marion Villanova, the Chief Aide for the Secretary of State and he's "supposedly only the personal assistant to Langston Whitemore, secretary of transportation. Vincent Armstrong is the senior senator from Florida. Madeline Cartwright is the Pentagon liaison. Esteban Cantu is the head of Antiterrorism.
Bernie is bringing Jordan to the Mommy and Me class where she befriends Kitty. Raul is her husband. Moe (just call me Ishmael, a.k.a., Officer "Melville") and his dog Prince, Larry, and Curly keep showing up everywhere.
Ronaldo Al Dejahl is Yates' son and bent on revenge. The Pontifex, Gladys, Alfred, and Serene are all Ronaldo's siblings.
Dazzlers are how Kitty collectively refers to the A-C females because that's what they do, they dazzle everyone with their beauty, intelligence, and compassion. Imageers manipulate images electronically and in front of you and can learn all about a person simply by touching an image. Empaths feel emotions. Poofs look like "tiny, fluffy kittens with no ears or tails, but with shiny black button eyes", who can morph into Jeff-sized, very, very protective critters. Once you name one, they're yours for life. Since Jamie-Kat's birth and Christopher hooking up with Amy, there's been a lot of procreating going on—the Poofs only reproduce during royal events.
The Cover
The cover is consistent with earlier covers in that it's a collage of the disasters that Kitty and Jeff meet throughout the story in our nation's capital. It's interesting that such an over-the-top comics-type story has such subdued covers...
The title is straightforward. The team has been "promoted" and expected to practice Alien Diplomacy in Washington, D.C., a concept that is alien to all of 'em, LOL.
My Take
I think Kitty's right. It's safer out on the frontlines battling aliens and horrible monsters than navigating Washington politics! This one is klutzy compared to the earlier ones. Sure, all the previous stories have been about some evil being/organization wanting to take over the world, but Koch has given the previous stories interesting twists. This one? Not so much.
Although, I suppose one could consider politicians evil beings who want to take over the world…?
It feels more as if Koch is getting a bit tired and just couldn't think of a good twist or she was in a hurry. There were also all the little oddities that kept adding up, that didn't make sense. Kitty just trusts anyone who wants to be friends with her. She's clueless about the limo. Has no sense of security. She's supposed to so handy to have around because she thinks like the bad guys, and yet she helps her enemy set her up. Even I could see all the clues clanging away! Kitty's so tuned in to Jamie-Kat's likes and dislikes, and she just ignores her in this incident? C'mon… You'd think she was just an average human wife when you look at all the things she misses. The security screw-ups that you'd think a group of guys practically brought up in security wouldn't be making.
And what's with the taxi drivers? If they're legit, why not come out with it? Talk about a dumb approach to people who are already feeling skittish. I did like the bus chase.
It took awhile before the primary conflict was introduced, although, when I think about it, all the small annoyances, glitches, bombs, and attacks did spring from the main bad guys. It just takes so long that I forgot about the connection. Whoops.
"I did like Senator McMillan's assessment as to why he's serving in government:
'I know my own mind, my own heart. I know that what I'm doing, I'm doing for the right reasons, to protect and serve my constituents, this country, the world at large. But I don't know and can't know my opponents' hearts and minds...haven't yet found someone I trust with the job more than I trust myself.'
That as long as he's needed where he is and there is no one to step up, he'll continue to serve."
You know, I just don't get the prohibitions about leaving the Poofies behind. They're so useful.
I'm torn between rolling my eyeballs at Kitty's almost-purposeful diplomatic blunders and the irritating instructor. A nice touch, giving Kitty her mom's support in this; and I did enjoy that bit of "revenge" Kitty got in the end. A minor touch, but, oh so satisfying. Of course, Kitty, Jeff, and Christopher are going nuts with their "promotions" to the diplomatic corps; all three are sorely missing the action. Then Papa Sol pops the news that he and Mom are moving to D.C. So much for Kitty easing the Martinis out.
Don't get me wrong, it's still a really funny story, just too full of stupid mistakes on the part of the A-Cs.
The Story
Kitty is failing diplomacy class and it seems as if everyone is out to get her, her hubby, Jamie-Kat, and everyone else in the embassy. God knows they keep finding more and more bugs every time they turn around!
The politics and the backstabbing that goes on...well...all I can say is, I can't wait to tuck into Alien vs Alien.
The Characters
Missus Ambassador Kitty Katt Martini is a mommy! An enhanced mommy right along with daddy. She and the Alpha-Centurion (A-C) Ambassador Jeff Martini, the new head of the A-C Diplomatic Corps, are the very proud parents of the very powerful Jamie Katherine, their new baby girl—Kitty named her for Reader. Daddy is still very jealous and possessive—times two now. The Poofs still adore Kitty and have expanded their circle of love to include Jamie Kat; Poofikins is Kitty's and Harlie is Jeff's Poof. Richard White was the Supreme Pontifex and still Christopher's dad; now he's enjoying the retired life with occasional forays into action with his new partner, Kitty.
Commander Christopher White is Jeff's cousin, an Imageer. Toby is his Poof. Through some, um, misadventures, he's enhanced too. He's also hooked up with Amy Gaultier (Alien Proliferation, 4), one of Kitty's best friends from high school, a lawyer. Amy breezed through diplomacy class...bitch. Paul Gower is a half-A-C/half-human and can read dreams and memories; he's ACE's habitat and the new Supreme Pontifex. Commander James Reader is a gorgeous former supermodel, who is in a relationship with Paul and promoted to Head of the Field for Centaurion Division; Kitty considers him one of her best guy friends. Gatita is Reader's Poof. ACE is an alien entity, who thinks Kitty walks on water, and lives inside Paul.
Embassy support includes (they all showed up in Alien in the Family, 3):
Kitty gets new drivers in this: Len and Kyle from the Trojan football team are now CIA agents. Walter is a surviving brother with no A-C powers who is now in charge of security at the embassy; his brother William has imageering powers and is the assigned liaison between Imageering and the embassy. Dr. Tito Hernandez is Kitty and Jamie-Kat's doctor and has moved to the embassy with the Martinis. Pierre, a.k.a., MC Peterman, is a fabulous hairdresser and a friend of James' who will be joining the embassy team as their Majordomo Concierge. Thank god! Kitty needs all the help she can get.
The various human government types include:
Charles "Chuckie" Reynolds, a.k.a., Conspiracy Chuck, has been Kitty's best guy friend since high school when he was a geeky brainiac. He's the head of the CIA's ET Division, working to keep the A-Cs from being forcibly turned into a War Division and starting to accept that Kitty loves Jeff. The poof, Fluffy, has adopted Chuck.
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, Kitty's dad, is taking a sabbatical and working on their move to D.C. Kevin Lewis is Angela's second-in-command and has been reassigned to the embassy with his family; Denise Lewis is his very hot wife with their equally gorgeous young son. Aunt Emily is Angela's best friend and willing to come out of retirement to "train the entire A-C Diplomatic Corps" in etiquette.
Alpha Team members include:
Reader; the pregnant Serene (Ronald Yates' daughter and a full-A-C), the new head of Imageering, married to Brian Dwyer (Kitty's old boyfriend); Captain Tim Crawford, who has been promoted to Kitty's old position as head of Airborne; Paul; and, Kitty.
Airborne members include:
All five of the Top Gun Navy pilots—Captain Jerry Tucker, Hughes, Walker, Joe Billings (married to the very-pregnant Captain Lorraine), and Randy Muir (married to the about-to-pop Captain Claudia). Both girls got promoted into Reader and Tim's old positions.
Michael Gower is Paul's younger—player—brother with no A-C powers and is a NASA astronaut (we met him, Brian, and Serene in Alien Tango, 2). Fuzzball is Michael's Poof. Their sisters are Abigail and Naomi with expanded powers too. Melanie and Emily are Lorraine and Claudia's Dazzling moms who keep popping in to help on the medical end of things. Gladys Gower—she's Richard's half-sister married to Stanley's brother, Harold—is Head of Security with a high level of sarcasm. Doreen (she's not concerned about her parents' disappearance at all) and Irving Weisman attend the President's Ball as well.
Alpha Centaurions from A-C include:
Alexander, the king of Alpha Four and Jeff's cousin, and Leyton Leonidas, his chief councillor, are leery of some very odd humans they believe Chuck has sent over. Victoria is Alexander's mother, the Queen Mother.
Other humans who are involved include:
Nurse Magdalena Rijos-Carter is very curious as to what is going on. Especially when she recognizes Peter Keller the would-be assassin as the Dingo, who usually hangs with his cousin, Vic Keller. Antony Marling is the head of Titan Security which has pretty much sealed up the contract to take over policing from the Washington, D.C. police department. Typical politicians.
Amy's father's second wife, LaRue Demorte Gaultier, was the brains behind it all Alien Proliferation, 4; she's fled Earth orbit. Mister Joel Oliver is their pet paparrazo from World Weekly News with some useful contacts whom we met in Alien in the Family. Darcy Lockwood is the instructor for the Washington Wife class.
Olga Dalca is the MS-suffering wife of the Romanian ambassador, Andrei. Adriana is her granddaughter. Caroline Chase is Kitty's sorority roommate who works for Arizona's senior senator, McMillan; his wife Kelly is a sorority sister. The McMillans attend the President's Ball as does Caro with Michael.
Fellow students (and their significant others in the Cabal of Evil) at the Washington Wives' class include:
Eugene is the only other classmate not doing well; he's the husband of the new Senator Lydia Montgomery. The snotty classmates who seem to be stuck in the bullying phase from high school include: Abner (married to Lillian Culver, a "top lobbyist for some major defense contractors"); Marcia Kramer (a bimbo married to Illinois Senator Zachary Kramer); Jack Ryan who even looks like a car salesman but thinks he's the prototype for Tom Clancy's political thriller character is married to Pia, a CIA agent; Vance Beaumont is in a secret relationship with Guy Gadoire, a tobacco lobbyist; Nathalie Gagnon-Brewer is a model too absorbed in playing Angry Birds, but still managed to marry a rich vintner, Edmund Brewster, the newly elected California representative; Malcolm Buchanan is a bit standoffish, but always seems to be around; and, Leslie Manning pretends to be in a relationship with Bryce Taylor—in truth, she's in the closet with Marion Villanova, the Chief Aide for the Secretary of State and he's "supposedly only the personal assistant to Langston Whitemore, secretary of transportation. Vincent Armstrong is the senior senator from Florida. Madeline Cartwright is the Pentagon liaison. Esteban Cantu is the head of Antiterrorism.
Bernie is bringing Jordan to the Mommy and Me class where she befriends Kitty. Raul is her husband. Moe (just call me Ishmael, a.k.a., Officer "Melville") and his dog Prince, Larry, and Curly keep showing up everywhere.
Ronaldo Al Dejahl is Yates' son and bent on revenge. The Pontifex, Gladys, Alfred, and Serene are all Ronaldo's siblings.
Dazzlers are how Kitty collectively refers to the A-C females because that's what they do, they dazzle everyone with their beauty, intelligence, and compassion. Imageers manipulate images electronically and in front of you and can learn all about a person simply by touching an image. Empaths feel emotions. Poofs look like "tiny, fluffy kittens with no ears or tails, but with shiny black button eyes", who can morph into Jeff-sized, very, very protective critters. Once you name one, they're yours for life. Since Jamie-Kat's birth and Christopher hooking up with Amy, there's been a lot of procreating going on—the Poofs only reproduce during royal events.
The Cover
The cover is consistent with earlier covers in that it's a collage of the disasters that Kitty and Jeff meet throughout the story in our nation's capital. It's interesting that such an over-the-top comics-type story has such subdued covers...
The title is straightforward. The team has been "promoted" and expected to practice Alien Diplomacy in Washington, D.C., a concept that is alien to all of 'em, LOL.
katyanaish's review
3.0
Well. I liked this book least out of the series so far. To the point where ... honestly, even giving it 3 stars feels like a stretch to me.
My main problems.
1. Jeff. I honestly hate him now.
The jealousy and over-protective crap are just too much. There has been no progression in their relationship, and it's a problem. Furthermore, the plotline of him constantly trying to sideline Kitty "for her protection" is so stupid, at this point, that it makes him TSTL. Look. Kitty is ALWAYS the ONLY one to figure out what is going on. Keeping her in the dark about stuff has ALWAYS put her in more danger, because at best it means she has to swoop in to save everyone (putting her in serious danger because she's left handling a threat that has already taken down the entire rest of the team), while at worst it leaves her open to an attack she couldn't anticipate.
2. The job changes.
I have a couple problems with this. Firstly, I was alright with the transition as it was presented in the last book - that Kitty, Jeff and Christopher would be fighting the same fight, but attacking it from the political arena... which seems to be the source of most of their issues now anyway.
However, it just didn't work. Alpha team treated them as if they were now... I don't know, some of the tone of their encounters made it sound like "run along now children and let the adults handle things." Reader was even condescending, at more than one point.
At the end of the day, none of this makes sense. They've succeed because they ARE a team. The way this book played out, it was as if they'd taken their power pieces and demoted them, and now expected them to run around using only half their brains, because gods-forbid they deal with a problem they figured out before Alpha. It makes no sense for Jeff, Kitty and Christopher to have taken a step backwards in authority. Literally zero sense. This should have been an expansion of their roles, and a delegation of some things to Reader, Tim and Serene. Not a surrender of all leadership to them. Frankly, Alpha was such assholes in this book that I would be okay with the three of them offing the whole lot and taking both jobs over again.
It also makes no sense in terms of how the world has been set up. In previous books - where the Diplomatic Corps WAS the problem - Alpha team was powerless to stop them, because we were told that they were essentially a separate branch of A-C government, serving as checks and balances. So WHY does Alpha act as though they have primary authority? Jeff and Christopher didn't get to do that in earlier books. Why don't the three of them - Jeff, Christopher and Kitty - tell them to fuck straight off? And if they are going to get hassled about trying to use a team when they are in a critical situation - dude, at one point in this book, they are told by Gladys that she won't even give them a gate unless Reader approves it - then why doesn't the Diplomatic Corp have their own full team?
Why is it structured this way? This division of power and assets and resources seems like a mess designed to cause problems, rather than something set up to help them survive the dangerous atmosphere they are trying to work through.
There is a lot that I like about this series. But these things that were annoyances previously - Jeff's douchey behavior and the constant sidelining of Kitty - have become dominant plot threads. And now it isn't just Kitty being sidelined, it is also Christopher and Jeff. This makes no sense, and is utterly stupid.
My main problems.
1. Jeff. I honestly hate him now.
The jealousy and over-protective crap are just too much. There has been no progression in their relationship, and it's a problem. Furthermore, the plotline of him constantly trying to sideline Kitty "for her protection" is so stupid, at this point, that it makes him TSTL. Look. Kitty is ALWAYS the ONLY one to figure out what is going on. Keeping her in the dark about stuff has ALWAYS put her in more danger, because at best it means she has to swoop in to save everyone (putting her in serious danger because she's left handling a threat that has already taken down the entire rest of the team), while at worst it leaves her open to an attack she couldn't anticipate.
2. The job changes.
I have a couple problems with this. Firstly, I was alright with the transition as it was presented in the last book - that Kitty, Jeff and Christopher would be fighting the same fight, but attacking it from the political arena... which seems to be the source of most of their issues now anyway.
However, it just didn't work. Alpha team treated them as if they were now... I don't know, some of the tone of their encounters made it sound like "run along now children and let the adults handle things." Reader was even condescending, at more than one point.
At the end of the day, none of this makes sense. They've succeed because they ARE a team. The way this book played out, it was as if they'd taken their power pieces and demoted them, and now expected them to run around using only half their brains, because gods-forbid they deal with a problem they figured out before Alpha. It makes no sense for Jeff, Kitty and Christopher to have taken a step backwards in authority. Literally zero sense. This should have been an expansion of their roles, and a delegation of some things to Reader, Tim and Serene. Not a surrender of all leadership to them. Frankly, Alpha was such assholes in this book that I would be okay with the three of them offing the whole lot and taking both jobs over again.
It also makes no sense in terms of how the world has been set up. In previous books - where the Diplomatic Corps WAS the problem - Alpha team was powerless to stop them, because we were told that they were essentially a separate branch of A-C government, serving as checks and balances. So WHY does Alpha act as though they have primary authority? Jeff and Christopher didn't get to do that in earlier books. Why don't the three of them - Jeff, Christopher and Kitty - tell them to fuck straight off? And if they are going to get hassled about trying to use a team when they are in a critical situation - dude, at one point in this book, they are told by Gladys that she won't even give them a gate unless Reader approves it - then why doesn't the Diplomatic Corp have their own full team?
Why is it structured this way? This division of power and assets and resources seems like a mess designed to cause problems, rather than something set up to help them survive the dangerous atmosphere they are trying to work through.
There is a lot that I like about this series. But these things that were annoyances previously - Jeff's douchey behavior and the constant sidelining of Kitty - have become dominant plot threads. And now it isn't just Kitty being sidelined, it is also Christopher and Jeff. This makes no sense, and is utterly stupid.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
4.0
The book is as crazy as ever. What more can you expect from this series. There are conspiracies, strange taxi drivers, and all while trying to find a nice dress for the President's Ball.
The last review I did I made a bit differently and honestly after 5 books it's hard to say something new. I mean Kitty is cool, though I did feel at one time that she should have know better. I mean I knew better and all thanks to my Kitty schooling. But other than that she was on top of things.
Martini was actually a bit less jealous than usual, made me a bit sad, I like jealous Martini, cos I am weird like that. Mr White, aww, hihi, I do love him. I fear Christopher's dad is taking spot 2 of my fav Kitty men. Then comes Reader and sadly Christopher is now on spot 4 cos he found a girl.
The poofs are adorable as ever, honestly, please get me one!
How Koch makes these plots are beyond me. Things are coming at me from every corner, I can't figure out the baddies (well one), or who to trust, and what on earth is going on.
And last, there is an excerpt from book 6 at the back and let me tell you, it is pure evil! The way it ends in the middle of something juicy makes me want to get book 6 at once. I think it will be a amazing one.
Conclusion:
I do recommend this fun series. READ BOOK 1!
The last review I did I made a bit differently and honestly after 5 books it's hard to say something new. I mean Kitty is cool, though I did feel at one time that she should have know better. I mean I knew better and all thanks to my Kitty schooling. But other than that she was on top of things.
Martini was actually a bit less jealous than usual, made me a bit sad, I like jealous Martini, cos I am weird like that. Mr White, aww, hihi, I do love him. I fear Christopher's dad is taking spot 2 of my fav Kitty men. Then comes Reader and sadly Christopher is now on spot 4 cos he found a girl.
The poofs are adorable as ever, honestly, please get me one!
How Koch makes these plots are beyond me. Things are coming at me from every corner, I can't figure out the baddies (well one), or who to trust, and what on earth is going on.
And last, there is an excerpt from book 6 at the back and let me tell you, it is pure evil! The way it ends in the middle of something juicy makes me want to get book 6 at once. I think it will be a amazing one.
Conclusion:
I do recommend this fun series. READ BOOK 1!
snarkymotherreader's review against another edition
5.0
The members of Centaurion’s former Diplomatic Corp who weren’t eaten alive are still M.I.A. Shadowy forces in the government still hope to turn the A-Cs into the War Division. And somewhere, in a country far, far away, people are creating superbeings, aka Big Fuglies, to wreak havoc upon the world. Instead of running headlong into battle, Kitty is stuck doing the most despicable, horrendous, pity-inspiring aspect of her new job yet – attending the Washington Wife class. As co-ambassador of Alpha Centauri, Kitty must learn to be diplomatic and couth, two words totally not synonymous with our beloved heroine.
Alien Diplomacy is more a sequel to Alien Proliferation than book five in the Alien Collective series by Gini Koch. A new story arc has been developed, surrounding politics more than just kicking ass and taking names. Don’t get me wrong – there’s plenty of ass kicking and name taking – but they aren’t the prime points of the series anymore. We’re past the simple character development and worldbuilding and smack dab in the middle of the craziness Kitty and clan live in.
Watching Kitty, Martini, Christopher, even James and Chuckie, adapt to their new roles was one of the best parts of Alien Diplomacy. They struggled at first, and battling the various and sundry bad guys was made even more difficult by their new, less hands-on positions. New friends and Kitty’s own brand of self-reflection proved there’s a reason they’re part of the Diplomatic Corp, and seeing each of those characters come to terms with it made me all warm and fuzzy inside.
The Alien Collective, or Kitty “Katt” Martini, series never fails to amaze me. Each book is unique, but builds on that quirky-girl-meets-alien-hunk-while-battling-big-bad-aliens-to-a-killer-soundtrack foundation. This series is more than a romance and more than a sexy version of Men in Black – it’s a glimpse into the world of the girl next door who just so happened to find her Prince Charming in a double-hearted alien body while fighting the good fight. I love it!
Alien Diplomacy is more a sequel to Alien Proliferation than book five in the Alien Collective series by Gini Koch. A new story arc has been developed, surrounding politics more than just kicking ass and taking names. Don’t get me wrong – there’s plenty of ass kicking and name taking – but they aren’t the prime points of the series anymore. We’re past the simple character development and worldbuilding and smack dab in the middle of the craziness Kitty and clan live in.
Watching Kitty, Martini, Christopher, even James and Chuckie, adapt to their new roles was one of the best parts of Alien Diplomacy. They struggled at first, and battling the various and sundry bad guys was made even more difficult by their new, less hands-on positions. New friends and Kitty’s own brand of self-reflection proved there’s a reason they’re part of the Diplomatic Corp, and seeing each of those characters come to terms with it made me all warm and fuzzy inside.
The Alien Collective, or Kitty “Katt” Martini, series never fails to amaze me. Each book is unique, but builds on that quirky-girl-meets-alien-hunk-while-battling-big-bad-aliens-to-a-killer-soundtrack foundation. This series is more than a romance and more than a sexy version of Men in Black – it’s a glimpse into the world of the girl next door who just so happened to find her Prince Charming in a double-hearted alien body while fighting the good fight. I love it!
vikcs's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
brunettewithbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This is the book where Kitty goes to DC to be a diplomat. Yeah, I"m just going to leave that there because if you've been paying attention so far, you know how that's going to go. Needless to say, Koch continues to deliver silly, kickass books that are a pleasure to read and I don't even mind all of the side eye I get when I'm laughing out loud to myself in public.
Kitty -- or should I say, Wolverine with Boobs--is struggling to adjust to Washington and life as diplomat (seriously, LOL at Kitty in Washington Wife class!), but lo and behold... she stumbles into a plot! Car chases, bombings, sexy times ensue.
Honestly had a blast. Will continue to read because, hey! It's fun and I can. Plus, you really gotta love the kittyisms.
4.5/5 stars
“Welcome to My Super Secret Life, where people try to kill us on a regular basis, and we thwart bad-guy schemes for breakfast. We’re almost like a reality show, only without the alcohol and hot tubs.”
Kitty -- or should I say, Wolverine with Boobs--is struggling to adjust to Washington and life as diplomat (seriously, LOL at Kitty in Washington Wife class!), but lo and behold... she stumbles into a plot! Car chases, bombings, sexy times ensue.
"My dress options were handed back to me. I had one white, one black, and one two-toned option. “Can I just say no to the all-white one right now?”
“No, darling. Let’s at least have a look.”
“Pierre, white and I don’t mix well.”
“You look lovely in white.”
“No argument. However, I will stain it in under an hour. An hour might be a generous estimate.”
“She’s not making that up,” Caroline said.
“I’d give it about thirty minutes,” Amy added.
“Less if there’s a punch bowl nearby,” Doreen shared.
My friends, there for me when I needed them."
Honestly had a blast. Will continue to read because, hey! It's fun and I can. Plus, you really gotta love the kittyisms.
4.5/5 stars
nitzanschwarz's review against another edition
4.0
The Alien series has always been a fun, action-packed, romantic read filled with crazy adventures and villains, and this one is no different.
There are a few things that are different, though.
A) Kitty is no longer a 'field agent'. In other words, she's pretty miserable.
B) It took Kitty the entire book to figure out the plot, for once in her life. I really liked that it took her so much time because she was always a tad too perfect in that area. However, what I found a bit weird was that in this book the villains were the most obvious, especially near the end.
A) Kitty is no longer a 'field agent'. In other words, she's pretty miserable.
B) It took Kitty the entire book to figure out the plot, for once in her life. I really liked that it took her so much time because she was always a tad too perfect in that area. However, what I found a bit weird was that in this book the villains were the most obvious, especially near the end.
C) One of the bad guys made me feel sad that he/she is the bad guy because I really wanted him/her to be good.
Aside from that, I loved seeing MJO have a more active part in the story. I was wondering when that'll happen since we met him. loved finally meeting Carolyn as that means we've finally met all of Kitty's friends. And loved seeing Kyle and Len again! These two are awesome! <3
Aside from that, I loved seeing MJO have a more active part in the story. I was wondering when that'll happen since we met him. loved finally meeting Carolyn as that means we've finally met all of Kitty's friends. And loved seeing Kyle and Len again! These two are awesome! <3
I think from the entire series (so far), this book contains my favorite hilarious bits. I won't tell you what it is, just that it involves Kitty, a threesome... and the entire AC division?! LOL. I was laughing my head off that entire conversation. Gini Koch, how do you come up with these things?
As for the cast, they're awesome as always. Jamie is the most adorable baby on the planet (and probably the galaxy), but that's not really that important
As for the cast, they're awesome as always. Jamie is the most adorable baby on the planet (and probably the galaxy), but that's not really that important
bewoelkt_aber_heiter's review against another edition
3.0
Bisher der schlechteste Band der Reihe. Kitty hat mir auf ihrem neuen Posten als Botschafterin in D. C. nicht mehr ganz so gut gefallen, wie als aktive Agentin. Noch immer ist der Ton der Figuren und des Schreibstils wunderbar sarkastisch und humorvoll, aber es fehlten mir die Momente, in denen ich wirklich lachen musste. Auch die Handlung ist noch immer spannend und temporeich, aber die Ermittlungen machen diesmal nur spärlich Fortschritte, es gibt keine Teilauflösungen, die Zwischenetappen abgrenzen, sodass es sich an einigen Stellen zog. Außerdem wurden zum Teil so viele (mögliche) Antagonisten auf einmal eingeführt, dass ich stellenweise nicht mehr mitkam und den Faden verloren habe. Noch immer ein typisch witzig-abgedrehter Roman, aber diesmal mit deutlichen Schwächen. Ich hoffe, der nächste Band wird wieder besser.
lalabristow's review against another edition
5.0
From My Blog: Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life
YES! Gini does it again!
I have been such an avid fan of the Katherine “Kitty” Katt series from the get-go. Hilariously sweet, kick-ass, problem prone and sarcastic leading lady Kitty had me from her first right on the money comment and it has been a love affair ever since.
Of course, all the outrageously gorgeous Armani or non-Armani clad men in the series help a great deal, but it is definitely the combination an incredibly fast-paced storyline, interestingly appealing characters and Kick-ass action from different worlds that make this a must-read series.
Alien Diplomacy is the 5th installment in the series and I have to give cuddos to Gini Koch for not dropping the ball once in the series so far. I might get a bit lost sometimes with the addition of more and more characters with each and every single book, but Gini does a suberb job in helping me keep it all up.
In Alien Diplomacy, Kitty is back and even thought she is now married with a baby to take of and has just changed careers, she is far from getting complacent and forgoing all the action, or should I say that the action is not forgoing her? Hard to keep track, though Kitty is definitely a problem magnet to the n-th degree and being a Diplomat in DC will not change any of that one iota.
Alien Diplomacy gives us all of old and beloved characters like Christopher, who is now just as smitten as Martini once was, Amy, Reader, Gower, Ace, Richard (who has fallen into his new job quite awesomely) and so many more. We also get introduced to a host of new characters that will make all the Washington intrigue all that more, well... intriguing hehe.
If you are a fan of this amazing series, Alien Diplomacy is not only a must but essential to your reading health. However, if you have not read the series yet, that is just simply dangerous to your health in general, because I will kick your ass!
YES! Gini does it again!
I have been such an avid fan of the Katherine “Kitty” Katt series from the get-go. Hilariously sweet, kick-ass, problem prone and sarcastic leading lady Kitty had me from her first right on the money comment and it has been a love affair ever since.
Of course, all the outrageously gorgeous Armani or non-Armani clad men in the series help a great deal, but it is definitely the combination an incredibly fast-paced storyline, interestingly appealing characters and Kick-ass action from different worlds that make this a must-read series.
Alien Diplomacy is the 5th installment in the series and I have to give cuddos to Gini Koch for not dropping the ball once in the series so far. I might get a bit lost sometimes with the addition of more and more characters with each and every single book, but Gini does a suberb job in helping me keep it all up.
In Alien Diplomacy, Kitty is back and even thought she is now married with a baby to take of and has just changed careers, she is far from getting complacent and forgoing all the action, or should I say that the action is not forgoing her? Hard to keep track, though Kitty is definitely a problem magnet to the n-th degree and being a Diplomat in DC will not change any of that one iota.
Alien Diplomacy gives us all of old and beloved characters like Christopher, who is now just as smitten as Martini once was, Amy, Reader, Gower, Ace, Richard (who has fallen into his new job quite awesomely) and so many more. We also get introduced to a host of new characters that will make all the Washington intrigue all that more, well... intriguing hehe.
If you are a fan of this amazing series, Alien Diplomacy is not only a must but essential to your reading health. However, if you have not read the series yet, that is just simply dangerous to your health in general, because I will kick your ass!