As king of the ice giants, I must have heirs. But our customs do not satisfy me. I do not want a giantess who will bear me a child and then leave to be with another. I would much rather pursue a union the human way: find a partner who will share my bed, bear my children, and stay by my side. Until death do us part.

Penelope: One minute I'm conducting important research on a distant planet, and the next, I've fallen through a crack in the surface and am transported to an underground world with terrifying fanged creatures who want to eat me, an army of feathered warriors who rescue me, and a massive horned demon leader who gains power through pain . . . except he's only giving me pleasure.

When there's no safe place to hide you on Earth, witness protection sends you to another planet. That's how divorcing a crime boss landed me across the galaxy. Unlike the other women here, I don't want to marry one of the . . . okay, fine—gorgeous—Mitran males. After I'm called to testify at my ex's trial, I'm getting back my life on Earth. But Ruzak, the aloof warlord who holds himself apart from the throng of males hoping for a bride, needs my help identifying a spy who may not be as human as she appears. One wrinkle: Ruzak is much more interesting than he appears.

When space pirates attack the exploratory spaceship I work on and I'm forced to evacuate in an escape pod, I never expected to crash land on an alien planet. I have no idea where any of my fellow crew members are or if they even got away. I'm entirely alone. Or so I think. Instead, I'm rescued from a fierce predator by a towering purple alien with a tail and color-changing tattoos who ignites strange feelings inside me.

One minute, I'm working as a cook, the next, I've been abducted by robocops and sent to a distant planet where I'm attacked by a ferocious beast. Then a seven-foot-tall, blue-skinned alien rescues me with crystal spears slashing. He cuddles me in his arms, and I feel safe for the first time since fleeing my stalker ex. Until he tosses me over his shoulder and takes me back to his clan where he announces I'm his new bride. I'm determined to return home, but there's something about Aizor I can't resist. Am I falling for this musclebound alien with a killer smile?