Charleston, South Carolina – Present Day

Serenity Woodson has come back to South Carolina to visit her Aunt Tildy. Her aunt has always been a bit strange because of her “Irish Gift.” Tildy owns a store called the Second Sun Crystal and Tarot Salon. When Tildy calls Seri, very upset because someone has stolen her precious necklace, Seri has a feeling that something isn’t right. That necklace hasn’t left her aunt’s neck for over forty years and is a keepsake from the love of her life who left her and returned to his home planet. Yup, that’s right; Aunt Tildy’s lost love is some prince from another galaxy. Seri has accepted Tildy’s stories because she has quite a bit of an imagination, but when Tildy says she has a new friend who will help her find her necklace, Seri decides to pay her a visit and check out this so-called friend.

When Seri goes to her aunt’s store, Tildy is nowhere to be seen. Instead, there is a handsome man waiting. He owns the bookstore next door and is the new friend Tildy mentioned. Carch Sunstryker sure does have an interesting name and may be easy on the eyes, but there is something off about him, and Seri can’t figure out what it is. He seems to care for Tildy and is all too willing to help look for the necklace. Seri is right to be cautious because Carch is not human at all; he is the royal prince of Galifax and an intergalactic explorer. Carch is on a top-secret mission to locate the Imperial Star of the House of Sunstryker (the necklace his grandfather gave to Tildy all those years ago when he visited Earth) and must return it home before anyone finds out it is missing. If he fails his mission, his family will be accused of treason and could be executed.

Carch tries hard to keep his attraction for this human woman under control, but every time they touch, there is a special spark between them. Carch enjoys sex, and when it comes to Seri, he wants to show her how his “glamour” can make this physical act even more wonderful. Seri gives in very easily and even when she finds out what Carch is, she willingly helps him and enjoys her limited time with him.

I am not a big fan of aliens coming down from space and invading earth, but THE REBEL PRINCE is one alien story I enjoyed. Carch is one sexy alien male who falls for a human woman, much like his grandfather did over half a century ago. And if I were Seri, I would have fallen for Carch also. Carch is a well written character who has some interesting traits, especially when he shows his expertise in the bedroom. And Nina Bruhns can sure write some steamy sex scenes! Most category romances skimp on the page length and the love scenes are cut way too short, but here they are just the perfect amount. I was a true believer in this inter-species romance and wanted Seri to hop on Carch’s spaceship to be his queen of Galifax.

The suspense and mystery of the missing necklace keeps the action going, and I had no clue who was responsible for the theft. There are some interesting suspects, such as the sketchy next door neighbor, Madame Clarissa who owns the palmistry shop; nosey newspaper reporter John Grodin who has a small crush on Tildy; and Seton Williams, who is a police detective investigating a string of robberies in the area. All these people seem to be working against Carch and Seri, except for Tildy, who still pines after Carch’s grandfather. Talk about undying love!

THE REBEL PRINCE is a well rounded story with great characters and a nice romance. I do believe I had a small crush on Carch. He can beam me up to his spaceship anytime!

Kate Garrabrant