Review: Until Midnight by Melissa Landers

Until Midnight (Alienated, # 1.5) by Melissa Landers
Published: December 23rd 2014 by Disney Hyperion
Pages: 112

Don't miss the *free* romantic holiday story that connects Alienated and Invaded!

Cara and Aelyx only have one day to spend together before he returns to earth and she travels to Aelyx's home planet, L'eihr. Homesick and worried about the upcoming year apart, Cara is desperate to make these final hours count. Worst of all, Cara is missing Christmas, stuck on board an alien spaceship. When Aelyx learns that Cara is forgoing her favorite holiday, he tries to recreate Christmas in space by researching traditional earth customs…but a few things get lost in translation.

Faith.
That was her Christmas gift to him--to both of them, really.

Warning: slight spoilers for Alienated.

In the anticipation of Invaded, the sequel to Melissa Landers's Alienated, I quickly decided to pick up this short and lovely novella. Until Midnight takes place between the two novels during the Christmas holidays. I had come to a point where the need of reading something Christmas-related was too high, and was therefore the main reason as to why I read it. I just felt like reading something which would bring along a warm and cosy feeling, and I wasn't let down.

Until Midnight was exactly the kind of story I pictured it to be, and the one I needed. It contained the adorable scenes, filled with the romance between Cara and Aelyx I loved in Alienated, and thus something I always appreciate. Aelyx's lovely gesture made me grin and swoon for a boyfriend like him. Even though he failed miserably at first sight, I do believe this is the case when instead of saying "You tried", along with a pat on the back, this guy deserves something much more than that. His attempts at making Cara happy made me happy and laugh through the whole book.

This is the kind of novella everyone must crave for during the winter, but Landers also never fails to keep us with our feet on the ground. There was a constant tension between the human race and the L'eihrs in Alienated, however now more than ever. In my opinion, it was nicely placed between all the cuteness and the romance. It does set the tone for Invaded, where the stakes will be higher than ever and not a single fault will be left unseen, but for now it felt not that necessary. For now I'm just going to leave it here. If you're up for a bunch of romance, this is the type of book you'll need to read in this chilly winter.