Note: This post first appeared in the Roswell Daily Record.
In the past few years babies have become more common as characters in scifi romance novels. At least one author has been writing in this trope for quite a while and comes to my mind first when I link the concept of babies to SFR: Tasha Black. Her Stargazer Alien Brides series in 2019 had a breezy, adventurous tone, with space piracy, treasure hunting, romance and…babies, and the covers are adorable. The first book in the series, Tolstoy, really caught my imagination, but any book by Tasha is a fun read. In Cosmic Mate, book two of the Stargazer Alien Space Cruise Brides, the next series of the author’s to features a baby, the heroine finds herself pregnant after a wild night with an alien bodyguard. Complicating matters for the romance are the facts she’s an ambassador, she leaves the next morning and he doesn’t have the funds to go find her for a while. Readers enthused in their reviews about the strong female main character and how effectively she handles the book’s challenging moments.
The Alien Adoption Agency series was a logical next development for this author who seems to enjoy including babies in the plot mix. Noxx, the first book, sets the tone with a human woman accepting a contract to go into space to raise an alien baby. Many things aren’t as she expected, including the fact the baby has a dragon warrior bodyguard. There are twelve books in this series (so far anyway) and as one reviewer explains: “Generations before [the Invicta warriors] had annihilated the planet of peaceful people and now they are bringing them back through birthing pods and DNA they had, thankfully. Now these warriors were to guard these children and their new mothers.” Each book starts from the same point but of course goes in different directions on its way to a Happy Ever After ending. Tasha is skillful at introducing new plot developments in her various long running series.
The next two series with babies that she’s given us are the Alien Nanny Agency, which allows the author to bring in various alien occupations like architect, pilot, ‘ruler’ and CEO, and the associated romance tropes, and the Alien Surrogate Agency, of which the author says in a note: “This Science Fiction Romance contains fictional alien solutions to infertility and depictions of gestational carrying for aliens that are in no way based on human gestational carrier practices. Resolve, The National Infertility Association, is a non-profit resource for information, advocacy, and support and may be a helpful resource for anyone seeking support in their fertility journey.” The Midsummer Fertility Center in the series is run by an Artificial Intelligence named Oberon and readers seem to enjoy that aspect of the books very much, judging by the reviews. This is a difficult subject even when placed in an SFR environment and for the most part the reviews and reactions to the five books are extremely favorable.
Of course other SFR authors do write plots with babies, if not as prolifically. Honey Philipps’ Treasured by the Alien series features babies and somewhat older children as well, and the covers are absolutely endearing. The first book Mama and the Alien Warrior, written with co-author Bex McLynn, has led to eight books total in the series so far. Women and children are being kidnapped from Earth, then found and rescued by good hearted and hunky alien warriors who of course become captivated by the humans they’ve rescued. There are complications and adventures galore before the HEA is accomplished but the books are fun, satisfying reads.
One of the foundational classics in SFR is M. K. Eidem’s Grim, which is a personal favorite of mine and features an indomitable, widowed human woman Lisa and her children first being abducted by aliens and then of course being saved by Grim, the title character. Many events occur in the book and in the subsequent novels of the series but in 2022 the author released A Grim Baby (Tornians Book 8), in which Grim and Lisa have a child together. The book was on the short side, with a cliffhanger-y ending and supplied many unresolved plot developments that could lead to future novels but it was great to see Grim with his own baby. I hope there will be more stories set in the Tornian universe.
Cynthia Sax, who writes sizzling cyborgs, provided readers with The Cyborg’s Secret Baby, which has all sorts of angst and adventure before the fated mate lovers and their child are reunited for the HEA. Another favorite of mine.
Other authors with babies-on-board books include Luna Hunter, whose most popular book at the moment I’m writing this column is Baby for the Alien Warrior (Dohan Warriors Book One). She also has the Zoran Warriors series, in which a baby is important in every book. Ruby Dixon has written several “slice of life short stories” about Ice Planet Barbarian babies, as well as When She’s Pregnant (A Risdaverse Novella) and Angie’s Gladiator (IceHome Book 5), which is a favorite of mine, and several others. Aurelia Skye and Juno Wells have the Alien Baby Pact series ongoing, Celeste King has an upcoming Secret Babies for Dark Elves of Protheka series featuring triplets, Athena Storm released Twins for the Alien Warrior and has done a number of nanny-themed SFR books…in short, babies can be found in many SFR novels if the reader is in the mood for themes relating to them. There were many others I had to leave out for lack of time and space.
I’ve even written one book with a baby, Badari Warrior’s Baby, in which the powerful enforcer of the pack and the human doctor Megan have their child, although not without challenges, as she’s kidnapped. This fated mates couple met in the second book of the series, Mateer, and a surprise pregnancy ensued. The Badari were genetically engineered by alien scientists and thought to be incapable of having children but when fated mates (and alien goddesses) are involved, all bets are off. I enjoyed writing this tale and my readers thought it was high time poor Megan had the baby. I did write six books in the series between the couple meeting and my circling back to them for the happy event.
