Judy McCoy
Wanted: One Perfect Man (2004)
Author: Judy McCoy
Genre: Romance/Science Fiction/Suspense
Plot Summary:
All is well in the tiny, isolate town of Bottom Creek until a new waitress starts working at Coombe’s Luncheonette. Daniel and his son, Will, are fans of astronomy. Daniel is a Ph.D. on the run with his son who’s mother has died and who’s parents want custody of the child. The new waitress is Zara, and she’s a knock-out. What in the hell is she doing working as a waitress in a po-dunk town in Texas? That’s what the town is wondering, and that’s what Daniel is wondering. Well, she’s an alien sent to Earth to find “one perfect man” with whom to procreate. It seems that the men on Zara’s home planet are only capable of fathering female children as a result of genetic engineering, and a group of women, of which Zara is one, have been sent to Earth to procreate and add some fresh blood to the planet’s gene pool. Daniel is Zara’s target, and when they get close, sparks fly!...and clothes fall off, too! There’re problems, though. Federal agents are looking for an alien after spotting UFOs in the area, there’s a nosy photographer interested in breaking the story first, and Zara needs to maintain her cover. Will she conceive? Will she fall in love with Daniel and make a life with him…on Earth or elsewhere? Will the authorities catch up with Zara before it’s too late? SPOILER: Daniel and Will join Zara for the trip back to Zara’s home planet. Awww.
Geographical Setting: rural Texas
Time Period: modern day (2004)
Appeal Characteristics:
The novel is briskly paced, and the action is moved along by the Suspense aspects of the story, i.e., will the agents catch Zara, when will Daniel figure out Zara’s secret. The characters are interesting, if not stereotypical, and I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if a drop-dead redhead started working at Wee Willie’s. But the plausibility of the plot is not an issue as McCoy is taking the reader along for a ride, and suspension of belief is helped along by some pseudo-scientific explanation for events. The level of sensuality is rather high, but it focuses mostly on getting to the sexual act and then ends with some cliché statement like: “he took her over the edge a second time, finally letting the flames consume them both”; or: “he swallowed her scream with a shout of his own, until the universe stopped spinning and the stars died in the sky”. There are also numerous humorous situations, and an amusing cast of secondary characters. I’ve read worse, and McCoy, while no master of the pen, is an able enough writer. I enjoyed this book.
Red Flags: no foul language until the last five pages; no violence, but there’s steamy sex and a lot of references to Zara’s breasts and Daniel's recurring erections.
Wanted: One Sexy Night (2005)
Author: Judi McCoy
Genre: Romance (Paranormal/Thriller)
Plot Summary:
Nine UFOs have been tracked over the U.S. by the Division of Interstellar Activity (DIA), a highly secretive government operation under the direction of Lucas Diamond, brainy hunk and UFO enthusiast. One of these has landed in D.C. Who would have guessed that the drop-dead gorgeous lady who cornered Diamond that night at his hotel room was the alien who had piloted the pod that landed in D.C.? Well, Diamond doesn't, but he's definitely open to her sexual advances. The alien, Mira, has one mission, find Lucas Diamond and become impregnated...no matter how many tries it takes. Then she's to rendezvous with the mothership and return to her world. It's all for the greater good, of course. But things are never as simple as they sound. Lucas is unsure of Mira's advances at first, but, the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that he's falling in love with her--and the more he begins to suspect that she is the alien he's trying to track down. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Lucas Diamond and the DIA are not the only one's looking for Mira. There's a rogue military squad trying to bring her in. A captured alien, after all, is worth quite a bit to certain private interests. Will Mira conceive in time? Will she and Lucas declare their love for each other? Will they be able to thwart the plans of the rogue military squad? Hmmmm. SPOILER: What was it the Beatles said about getting by with a little help from friends? Well, Mira and Lucas do fall in love. Mira does conceive. Not only that, but the President gets involved and the story concludes with open relations between the United States and the leaders of this alien world.
Geographical Setting: Washington, D.C. and surrounding area
Time Period: Contemporary (2005)
Series: third book in the Starlight Trilogy; the first is Wanted: One Perfect Man
Appeal Characteristics:
Judi McCoy's novels are first and foremost a lot of fun. They are quick-paced, full of action, and stick to the Romance formula. Sure, you know that Mira and Lucas will end up together, but finding out how is where the fun lies. McCoy creates very likeable characters. There's something charming about the way both Lucas and Mira struggle with their doubts and attractions to puzzle out love in an equation that begins with something beyond lust: the simple need to procreate and spice up the gene pool. I worried at first that the sex would simply be thrown in for good measure, but McCoy is able to work plausible passion into a story that is action-driven at its heart. Good fun!
Read-alikes: If you picked this up first, you'll want to go back and read the first two books in this trilogy: Wanted: One Perfect Man (2004) and Wanted: One Special Kiss (2005). If you really like McCoy's humorous style, check out some of her other books, which also fall in the paranormal subgenre. Heaven Sent (2003) is about an angel who has been demoted to the earthly duty of kintergarden teacher...who then finds true love, I Dream of You (2001) is about a Florida woman who finds a magic lamp that contains a hunk of a genie, and You're the One (2001) is another humorous tale about a ghost and the man whose family she cursed...and the love that brings them together. If you like lots of humor, try Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie, or titles by Leanne Banks (e.g. Feet First), Darlene Gardner (e.g. Snoops in the City), and Sally MacKenzie (e.g. The Naked Duke). If you like an alien twist to your romance, try Dara Joy's Knight of a Trillion Stars (1995). For some SF Romance that's a little bit more highbrow (and less "Planet Playboy Bunny"), try titles by Susan Squires (e.g. Danegeld) and Susan Grant (her book Contact, 2002, is highly regarded, and the 2004 release, The Legend of Banzai Maguire is the first in the 2176 series, which looks to be quite promising).
Red Flags: moderately steamy sex, minor gun play
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