VS Note: This was a fun column I wrote for the Roswell Daily Record of July 7th to celebrate the annual UFO Festival happening that weekend.
I thought the best topic I could possibly cover for this year’s Festival would be scifi romances set in Roswell, Area 51 and nearby environs.
Of course the first one which must be mentioned is the Roswell High Series by Melinda Metz. Book one came out in 1998 and there were a total of 10 books (plus other related material) and a TV show set at the fictional Ulysses F. Olson High in the author’s version of Roswell. Technically the TV series, which ran for four seasons before cancellation, was inspired by the Young Adult book series, not a direct one-for-one adaptation of the plots. The book series followed three teenage aliens and their human friends through action, adventure and romance. I imagine for many people, rightly or wrongly, this series and especially the TV series defines what Roswell must be like although the show was actually filmed in Arizona and other locations. (Maybe the show fueled the fans’ hopes they too could meet an alien and fall in love if they visit the area.)
Other authors have chosen to use the Roswell area as the setting for their goings-on as well. The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis was a highly enjoyable romp about a woman going to Roswell to serve as a bridesmaid for her BFF’s alien-themed wedding, where she will wear a neon green dress and try not to criticize anyone’s beliefs about aliens. Only she’s kidnapped by one fairly early on and the hijinks expand from there. The alien in question somewhat resembles a tumbleweed and is collecting people as it goes. There’s a light romance (not with the alien) but this is primarily a fun adventure. Ms. Willis also writes ‘serious’ science fiction so she has the chops for this tale.
The Roswell Affair and its sequel His Human Bride by Anne Bordeaux were so-called “Dirty Bits” from Carina Press (a Harlequin imprint which also published two of my early paranormal romances), offering a quick read, not much plot, and a lot of spicy bedroom scenes. In short, erotica with a thin layer of romance. Featuring a human scientist and a seven foot tall blue-purple alien with tattoos, who arrived here in the famous 1947 incident, the connection is almost instant. Sadly the second book takes place on his home planet, not in Roswell, after she helps him escape.
Hanger 18: Legacy by Jennette Marie Powell starts in Roswell technically, but the story occurs years after the 1947 incident, with the aliens having been pronounced dead and placed in cryogenic storage at an Air Force Base near Dayton, OH (where the author lived at the time by the way). Many years later one of the aliens regains consciousness and connects with a telepathic AF officer, bombarding him with angry thoughts and demands for freedom. Fortunately our Male Main Character meets a software developer whose presence not only quiets his mind but her subliminal messaging software program is a key to solving the alien’s dilemma and freeing the MMC from its influence. Of course there are a lot of obstacles and challenges along the way. Reviewers were generally positive about the book.
I had to broaden my scope to include Area 51 romances as well as Roswell-specific. The first one I found was The Heart of Area 51 (interstellar Romance Book One) by Strawberry Chase. A waitress in rural Nevada in the 1950’s is rescued from a bad guy with evil intentions by a cowboy…who is hiding a lot of secrets. Turns out he’s a “shimmering alien whose job is keeping an eye on Area 51 a few miles away”. There’s a murder, mysterious government agents get involved and the Female Main Character has to decide whether to turn her alien lover in or to help him. Since it’s a romance and Happy Ever After endings are mandatory in the genre, I’ll let you guess what she decides. Reviewers generally enjoyed the book but felt it was too short.
Reviews are mixed for My Area 51 Alien Prize by Lucee Joie. Her premise was that the FMC joined the Facebook-inspired plan to “storm” Area 51 in 2019, got inside, found the aliens and fell in love with one. Because of course! Ms. Joie is a USA Today Best Selling author and usually a pretty safe choice for romance readers but this one was on the short side.
UFOs & Unpaid Taxes (Time Travelling Taxman Book 2) by Rachel Ford doesn’t contain any time travel but is set in a small Nevada town close to Area 51. The IRS agent of the title has traveled there to investigate the “Landing Site Earth” store, which he suspects may not be on the up and up when it comes to filing taxes. Instead he discovers there’s an alien ambassador who needs his help. There are nefarious government agents, romantic complications for him (he’s got a slow burn romance going with a co-worker) and other adventures. Reviewers enjoyed the book for the most part but did want the MMC to get back to time traveling in the next book.
Route 66 to the Milky Way by Janet Rendall sounds like quite a trip. As the book’s blurb states: “Described by readers as a cross between Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the X-Files meets ET. Two plant-based aliens crash to Earth during the attack on Pearl Harbor and infuse themselves into just deceased bodies to survive our atmosphere. The one coordinate from their home planet is “66” so they search the “Mother Road” for the dimensional conduit, their only way home.” The FBI and the CIA both become involved for different reasons. Set in the 1940’s this novel reminded some readers of the old science fiction “B” movies. There are romantic elements between the two alien main characters. It’s certainly a very different twist on the whole topic.
I’ll finish with New York Times and USA Today Best Selling Author S. E. Smith’s Magic, New Mexico series. Although not Roswell, it’s a small town in the state where magic actually happens and the occasional alien drops by. Hmmm, sounds familiar. Ms. Smith made this a shared world and a number of romance authors have weighed in with their own tales set in this enticing locale she created. Touch of Frost: Science Fiction Romance (Magic, New Mexico Book 1) by Ms. Smith is the first book set in this world. There are over 50 books in the series, written by different authors.
Happy reading! Watch the skies!
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