Cover Image: Aliens, Smith And Jones

Aliens, Smith And Jones

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Member Reviews

Set in the UK, Agent Connor Smith works for an organization that deal with aliens and alien artifacts. When he starts feeling paralyzed randomly, it is revealed that Noah, an alien, is making contact with him because he believes Connor is his soulmate. There is also an underground crime syndicate selling artifacts and aliens on the black market.

Despite the interesting premise, this book is sadly disjointed, unfocused, and stilted. I just didn't feel much emotion from the writing and that made it hard to care once the plot really got going. I wanted to like this so badly but it just felt so dry. There's some real untapped potential here but I didn't enjoy this as much as I'd hoped. 2.9 out of 5.

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This book reads like a fun Sc-Fi Aliens novel the likes of Mini IN Black.
The characters are fun enough to follow. It is a great afternoon by the pool read.

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Shorty's Review:  4 Hearts

Connor works for an organization that keeps track of aliens and artifacts and tries to prevent attacks. His best friend Isa is constantly setting him up though nothing pans out until Jason. On the surface Jason seems perfect. But nobody is perfect in my opinion. Then there was the mind attacks on Connor and the culprit found in Noah an alien.

Now I found Connor to be, I don't know the word to use here, clueless, ignorant He should have known something was off about Jason. I could not believe he was that clueless consiering what his job was. it felt unrealistic to me. Noah was interesting and I liked his character. His backstory was fascinating especially his reasoning for doing what he did to Connor.

I think I would have enjoyed the story more if not for Connor's character. I don't think his character quite fit his job description and he left me feeling stunned at times that he could not see what was right in front of him. Never the less, I still enjoyed the story.

Great read.

Pixie's Review:  4 1/2 Hearts

Connor works for a company that secretly investigates anything alien, making sure alien artifacts don’t fall into the wrong hands. But, just recently somebody is getting to the artifacts before they can. On top of that worry, Connor seems to have gained a stalker who he has a very strange connection with, is it friend or foe? Noah has managed to stay under Primrose’s radar since the company came into being, but now he has inadvertently connected to one of its workers, Connor.  Noah tries to keep clear, but it’s not long before Primrose comes for him. Will the connection between Noah and Connor work for them or against them?

This is a great alien story that has a wealth of detail, great characters and an intriguing plot. Noah has been stranded on Earth for hundreds of years, living a quite unassuming life and not drawing attention to himself.  Inadvertently he makes a connection that he hasn’t felt in 270 years, he has high hopes, but then finds out Connor has a boyfriend. And that isn’t the least of his problems when he receives a visit from Primrose. Connor is shocked when something strange happens to him, but he tries to push it to the back of his mind as he starts dating a new man. Unfortunately, things become confusing for him when he discovers he has a connection to an alien and then he comes under suspicion when alien artifacts disappear from his work place and then Noah disappears as well.

Aliens, Smith, and Jones is far from the typical alien story. Noah Jones might have been found by Primrose, but they never experimented on him, okay so he went through a lot of tests but he wasn’t treated badly. I really liked the way that Primrose is portrayed in this book, although they do hunt aliens and alien artifacts it is more for the safety of the world, but without the need to experiment. I really was puzzled by Connor’s boyfriends’ role at first, but it soon began to come clear and it added a really good twist. I liked how we were drawn into the workings of Primrose and what they actually do, so we didn’t see them as the enemy.

What happens between Noah and Connor because of their connection I won’t say much about, but let’s just say that it saves both of them on more than one occasion. The action is well written and I liked how the mystery was done. There is some betrayal and a really horrific time in store for Noah at the hands of unscrupulous characters.

The sex in this book is really hot and it is intense when Noah and Connor finally get it together.  Their connection is something that is quite beautiful. There are some times when anguish and fear shine through and the descriptions are impressive and you can imagine just how emotionally painful it is.

I am going to recommend this one to those who like clandestine agencies, aliens, secret agendas, alien loving, a great storyline and a happy ending.

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2.5
I suppose this was ok. It was just painfully predictable, with basic, unexciting writing. The characters were cute, but one of the main characters spent half the book in a relationship with someone else and I barely felt any spark between him and the second main character. Further, there was just too much assuming and non-communicating going on. In fact, a lot of the book is predicated on it and it didn't make any sense to me. All in all, I found the whole thing uninspiring, even if not quite bad.

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I found this to be a pleasant and enjoyable read. I hope to read more from this author. I found the characters to be enjoyable and reading about alien races is always an unique experience. The plot was different and unique. I liked the play on the main characters last names in the title as well as what one is and what the other finds and tracks down if necessary. The only issue I had with the story was the fact that it's stated that Jason stole Smith's work id badge and took an alien artifact from his office building if I read it correctly, yet they don't bring Jason in for questioning and Smith continues to date him. What? Who dates someone who is obviously a criminal you stole from them and yet he acts surprised when he realizes he's part of the reason why Jones got hurt. The entire Jason relationship didn't work well with the story because of this.

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3* An easy tale to get into, and one that's pretty well done other than the plot hole-y Jason thing. A bit Men in Black-ish.

When I started reading this, there wasn't an intro into the world the author has created, so I didn't know if it was the first/second/more book in the series, but in the end, she dropped enough info that it was easy to get into. I got that the tale is set on our Earth, but I don't know if it's meant to be contemp fantasy/PNR (there were PCs, mobile phones and shops were still around) or if it's set in a slightly futuristic time, or that alien tech has simply been harnessed and used (cloaking stuff), but again, it didn't matter as the tale worked: Connor works for an agency that's been set up to investigate, protect and/or rehome aliens that have found their way to Earth.

I would have liked more Noah and Connor time, but most of Connor's personal time in this tale was with Jason, whom I'd suspected was up to something from the start. I did like their connection and that for a while, it was unclear quite what was happening when Noah reached out to him.

The main gripe that I have with the tale is that Connor being the agent he was didn't clock about Jason when he discovered his clothes had been moved and he couldn't find a certain something where he'd left it, and then found it had been moved. I also didn't buy how Connor and his superiors didn't clock when said something was illegally used to gain access to Primrose premises and an image of Jonas was found on CCTV. All, and especially he, really should have been quicker to put two and two together, but the tale totally didn't go there. I don't understand how the author, her betas and publisher could have all missed this not-small plot hole, so the tale loses 2* from me for that.

As the tale ended, I could see these leads continuing as collaborators in future tales: one an alien and one an alien hunter of sorts, working together for the good of Earth, humans and aliens, though there's no indication at the end if/when another will be out...but it is *a* Primrose File novel, so who knows?

ARC courtesy of the author and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

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A different concept about aliens. A secret agency helping the aliens that be stranded here. A bunch of artifacts and misbehaving aliens. What a great story.
A little bit of love and romance.
Connor makes a connection with an alien, who turns out to be Noah. They have a hard time of it at the beginning.
The whole fumbling with something new stage. Eventually they work it out. I think the part about a first kiss is soooo
Cute. I was hoping the tale would be a bit longer. Found myself falling into their world. Want more of Connor and Noah. Maybe some more aliens too.
A damn decent read.

(Given a copy for an honest review) (Thanks). (NetGalley)

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I enjoyed this one. I only wished that Conner and Noah would have gotten together sooner in the story. What was happening to the aliens was inexcusable and I hope the ones responsible are severly punished. I am saddened that eventually Conner will pass and Noah will left alone again. But maybe with the transfer of energy, he might live a little longer then a normal human lifespan. I would love to see a squeal or two with them doing investigations. I feel sad about the little guy that they found towards the end of the story and hopefully find a way for him to get home.

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This was actually pretty fun! Love the setting, the atmosphere!
It was an engaging read with lovely characters. I'd totally read more about Smith & Jones :)

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Aliens, Smith and Jones is a riff on the fated one/mate theme popular in animal shifter stories. Noah is a Rei, a purple alien blob of energy whose species visit other planets to observe and record. He was stuck on earth for almost 400 years. Somewhere along the way, he transforms into a human. The Rei absorbs energy and they have one particular individual, their mate, with whom they have a special connection. Noah had found this long time ago with Daffyd and he didn’t expect to find it again in this modern age.

Connor, whom I found bland and forgettable, works for Primrose, a Men in Black type of organization that handles anything and everything alien. He usually ends up a victiim of his bestfriend, Isa’s matchmaking schemes. Isa introduced him to Jason and they hit it off. On the surface Jason seems to be the perfect boyfriend.

The trouble with this set-up is that it’s hard to care about Noah and Connor’s romance when they are so hung up on other people. Going in, I knew Jason was in the picture. I just didn’t expect Noah would have his Daffyd too. Also Connor spent more time with Jason, time that could have been spent establishing his relationship with Noah. Aliens, Smith and Jones would have worked better had the romance given more time to blossom.

I also don’t understand the point of killing off an important secondary character. It really didn’t do anything to the story except give a little bit of unnecessary drama to the proceedings.

There were a bunch of more interesting characters who would be great leads in their own books like Lieutenant Matthews, Isa’s boss, and Francis the shy, geeky tech. It would also be great if there were aliens working in the organization as oppose to just herding them off to some island. I hope Noah does well as a consulting adviser in Primrose.

This is a good example of a 2.5-star book. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t quite like it either.

P.S.

I received a copy of Aliens, Smith and Jones from Cayendi Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating:
2.5 Stars - far from hate but not quite a like

Soundtrack: Stars are Spaceships
Artist: Funeral Suits
Album: Lily of the Valley

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Connor Smith works for the elusive organisation ‘Primrose’ which is like the secret service equivalent of X files, where the agents search for aliens and their artefacts, protecting the public and the aliens too. They are currently on the trail of a number of missing objects, which seem to have been stolen to order. Things get stranger when Connor finds himself under some sort of mental attack and then feels as if he is constantly being watched. Things start to get more complicated when he starts seeing Jason, who appears to actually be his perfect man. Really entertaining, with a fast paced plot. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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If it were not for a particular plot issue I would be very happy with ALIENS, SMITH AND JONES. It balances a Men-in-Black type of plot with a gay romance where an agent and an alien in hiding have a special, near-magical reason to be together. But the situation and the agent’s new and suspiciously perfect boyfriend put a bit of a spoke in the works. There is a nice combination of humor and angst, and generally both the adventure and relationship move along nicely to a satisfying conclusion.

SPOILERS. SPOILERS. SPOILERS. SPOILERS.
Now, about that plot situation. It is not minor and given that this book is a second edition of a well-received title I can’t quite work out if it is as major as it seems to me or somehow I am reading it “wrong” (or there has been an editing snafu in the new edition). But here it is. In Chapter 13 Tallis and Connor clearly and explicitly discover that Jason is the only one who can have stolen the Ling Artifacts. That is, he stole Connor’s ID from his jeans, used them to gain access and steal the artifacts, and returned them to his desk drawer. This is all made very, very clear. Never the less for the next half a dozen chapters Connor, Tallis, and the entire agency act like Jason is a totally normal committed boyfriend of Connor that no-one suspects of anything. In Chapter 22 when other agents work out Jason is the bad guy who stole the Ling artifacts Connor is shocked and says “No. This can’t be.”

So… someone explain this to me?

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