One OCD neat freak alien.One human woman.Both are abducted and held captive in a very unsterile environment.What more could go wrong?~Simmi: I’ve broken free and I’ve also freed the human who was held captive with me. But I don’t know where we are, and I don’t know where my home is. The local wildlife may be smaller than I am, and maybe they don’t have fangs near as large as mine, but I’m still … near as large as mine, but I’m still terrified. My issues with germs–and my uncompromising avoidance of all the things that I’m afraid of coming into contact with–is going to get me killed in this wilderness.
Thankfully, Aurora lets me follow her.
Thankfully, she seems to know the way out of this endless and inhospitable woodland and desert biome.
But by the end of our journey, she’ll suspect she’s harboring a contagion. I have no way to know it, but she’s afraid to tell me. Afraid of how I’ll react once I find out what she’s carrying.
***Note: This 40K, Standalone story is intended for readers 18+ due to romantic elements and adult themes. There is no cheating. There is one really germphobic alien. Thankfully, there’s also a really understanding woman who is starting to fall for him. Spoiler: They’re totally gonna have a Happily Ever After… just as soon as they can get off this planet that’s trying to kill them.
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TONE OF THE BOOK
Contagion is definitely written as a light-hearted novel, yet it has an thorough underlying tone of a serious topic.
SENSITIVE TOPICS
Contagion is written for mature audiences. It’s got several sexual scenes.
A huge part of this novel is dedicated to exploring the world through the eyes of someone experiencing OCD about germophobia.
SERIES SYNOPSIS
Contagion is a stand alone novel set in Amanda Milo’s extensive world. It loosely connects to the Stolen By An Alien series referencing alien species that also appear in said series.
Contagion is a very short novel at 129 pages (where an average romance novel is approximately 300 pages). I would have loved this novel to be longer, extending upon the interaction of Simmi with humans once they reach civilisation.
REVIEW
Contagion is a thoroughly amusing and humorous novel written almost exclusively from the male’s perspective which tends to be a bit rare with romance novels. The world being seen through Simmi’s eyes is a purposeful choice in this regards; and underlying theme of Contagion is to explore the impact that OCD has on individuals. Amanda Milo’s writing is unique within the romance genre for her portrayal of individuals with disabilities such as depression (in Won By An Alien), blindness (in Blind Fall) and even missing limbs (in The Quarry Master).
In the case of Contagion, Amanda’s writing was incredibly successful. I could very much relate to his OCD needs about cleanliness. His anxiety was clear and pressing, and gave a very good impression of what it would be like to live with germophobia. I understood his often unrealistic desire to control his environment to reduce exposure, often detrimentally effecting themselves and others.
I loved the slow reveal and growing attachment between the main characters. This is not an instant-love story which is common in novellas. Rather it’s a slow burn that allows the characters to learn each other’s flaws, and to compliment their companion’s faults with their own strengths.
My favourite aspect of this novel, and a lot of Amanda’s other novels, is the miscommunication and misunderstandings that form between cultures. Contagion has many, many instances when characters stumble around the situation, leading to overly hilarious moments. You will be chuckling and giggling at you read.
FINAL WORD
Contagion is a fun read that allows the reader to explore in safety an underlying serious mental condition. The characters flavour the text with loveable interactions and hilarious moments.
So the cover got me started on this book the characters of this book made me laugh, smile and fall in love with an “alien” what a fantastic book I read it in a couple of days and didn’t want to put it down but you know life interrupts, who knew there would be neurotic aliens that are so lovable when they find the one. Amanda Milo I love you! now I have to read “contaminated” because I just don’t want to put Simmi away yet.
I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much when reading a book. I LOVED Simmi! His germophobic zaniness kept me smiling all the way through. Aurora was the calm to his crazy with the slow development of the romance making it so much sweeter. I recommend this book!
I love it!
Simmi is such a germophobe! The situation he’s dumped into is so not where he wants to be. The girl in the cage is kind of cute, though! Aurora is not nearly as picky about what she touches as he is. Trust me, it’s a good thing. Aurora is good for him. She is able to lead them to civilization. When Simmi begins to panic about some of the nasty things they encounter along the way, Aurora has a unique way of calming him. He may seem a bit of a lightweight, but he’s a big, imposing, ‘scary’ dude and take care of business when it’s necessary. I love the story, and enjoyed many a laugh along the way! So very entertaining!
Absolutely hilarious! Wish there were more books like this.
Greatest book ever