Book picks similar to
A Matter of Trust by Greta van der Rol


science-fiction-romance
shorter-100-pgs-or-so
love-star-crossed
heroine-saves-herself

Written In The Stars


Juno Wells - 2015
    She copes by finding strength and support among the friends she’s made on an online forum for those afflicted by the disease. When her friends start to go missing, she knows someone is taking them. Her investigation draws the attention of a handsome alien inquisitor sent by his home world to investigate the disappearances. As they unravel the reason for the abductions, she finds it almost impossible to disbelieve Ryland Breese’s claim that she’s his mate. She might not believe in soulmates, but she can’t deny she’s attracted to the sexy golden alien. One of his kind is stealing Earth women, but he’s stealing her heart.

Anticopernicus


Adam Roberts - 2011
    4-chapters in total; only available for e-purchase.First contact: despite our cosmic littleness, the aliens have come to visit. But they have parked their interstellar craft on the outskirts of the solar system, and despite friendly interaction (their English if fluent and idiomatic) they will come no closer. So an Earth ship, the "Leibniz", crewed by the best and the brightest, begins the slow haul towards the Oort cloud, in the hopes that meeting these alien creatures will answer the most profound questions humanity can ask. “Anticopernicus” is not their story, though. It is the story of Ange Mlinko, an ordinary individual working the Earth-Mars trade routes, largely uninterested in the arrival of alien intelligences. And because the focus is on her, it remains to be seen whether this short novel can answer the following questions: why have the aliens come? Why won't they come any closer than the furthest edges of the solar system? What does this have to do with the nature of the mysterious ‘dark energy’ pervading the cosmos? What about the celebrated Fermi Paradox? And most pressingly: could Copernicus have been wrong all along?

Polaris Rising


Jessie Mihalik - 2019
    As the fifth of six children, Ada von Hasenberg has no authority; her only value to her High House is as a pawn in a political marriage. When her father arranges for her to wed a noble from House Rockhurst, a man she neither wants nor loves, Ada seizes control of her own destiny. The spirited princess flees before the betrothal ceremony and disappears among the stars.Ada eluded her father’s forces for two years, but now her luck has run out. To ensure she cannot escape again, the fiery princess is thrown into a prison cell with Marcus Loch. Known as the Devil of Fornax Zero, Loch is rumored to have killed his entire chain of command during the Fornax Rebellion, and the Consortium wants his head.When the ship returning them to Earth is attacked by a battle cruiser from rival House Rockhurst, Ada realizes that if her jilted fiancé captures her, she’ll become a political prisoner and a liability to her House. Her only hope is to strike a deal with the dangerous fugitive: a fortune if he helps her escape.But when you make a deal with an irresistibly attractive Devil, you may lose more than you bargained for . . .

Saving Adike (Space Ordered Brides #1)


Rebecca Lorino Pond - 2015
    Another few years and she was be considered uninhabitable. Help comes in the form of an alien race known as the Atblorians. The Atblorians need males and females of a different race to mate with because of a virus that has left their kind unable to reproduce with each other. The aliens offer to help heal Earth in exchange for volunteers to be mates. Matilda doesn't have much to lose and volunteers to be a "Space-Ordered-Bride". When she arrives on Atblora, she meets her mate for the first time and is shocked to find out he doesn't want her! What is she going to do? There's nothing back on Earth for her and her new life is already a disaster. Unfortunately, she is forced to go with the man named Adike and must live with him until other arrangements can be made. But, and invading enemy known as the Wealhex have set their targets on Atblora and the one man she wants to get to know so desperately. Adike is a retired Atblorian soldier. Retired only because he was forced by the council after his near death on a small planet that cost the lives of many of his men. Summoned to pick up a package, Adike realizes he has been fooled into taking an unwanted mate. He does his best to let her know he doesn't want her and that she wouldn't be staying for long at his home. His plans go wrong when the Wealhex attack his planet, sending him and Matilda on a run for their lives. They have to get to the Docking Bay so Adike can join in the fight to rid Atblora of the enemy. Adike lives with the guilt of his soldiers' deaths and blames himself for surviving. Can Matilda help him see the error of his ways and heal him? Along the way, the pair will fight to survive and get to know each other better. Feelings will change as they depend on each other more and more. WARNING: This book contains words, phrases, and sexual situations some may find offensive. Please do not purchase this book if such things are offensive to you.

The Pirate Captain's Daughter


Ruby Lionsdrake - 2015
    Alas, she turns out to be more than she appears and does not appreciate his interference. In an attempt to redeem himself—and perhaps win her regard—he concocts a plot that even his grenade-flinging colleague Striker deems unwise. Soon, he’s blowing up androids, being shot at by pirates, and earning the wrath of his own boss, and he’s not even sure if the woman likes him. Some days, it doesn’t pay to be a mercenary.

Star Puppy


Susan Grant - 2018
    Being third in line for the throne definitely has its advantages - it allowed him to join the Space Forces as a top-gun starfighter pilot. What he doesn't expect is to find a woman there who not only competes with him - she completes him. They're already best friends, so why can't he convince her that they'd be even better as more? Trysh joined the Space Forces with the secret hope that her absentee father might notice her accomplishments and acknowledge her. At the top of her game as a starfighter pilot, the last thing she needs is a way too charming prince to get in her way. Trysh learned at a young age what happened when a person lost their heart to someone above their social class - it led to heartbreak. But lately Rornn has her wondering if she wouldn't mind being proved wrong.Then they rescue a tiny, starving yipwag pup from an alien world. It turns out that Puppy is as good at sniffing out terrorists as she is at helping her two clueless humans figure out that they need each other as much as they do her. Now all Rornn's got to do is convince Trysh that he's nothing like her father and that she's just the right woman for him...before the terrorists discover their furry little companion.

Alien Mate Experiment


Zenobia Renquist - 2017
    That doesn't mean they can't have some fun with their differences. Semeera needs a plan for starting her life over. After divorcing a controlling husband, she’s ready to enjoy freedom at last. Too bad she gets abducted by aliens before she can decide her next move. Captain Kader is an alien warrior trapped in a dead-end assignment where he will never see battle again. There are no more challenges to his life, no chances for glory. And then a dangerous experiment brings him an unexpected visitor who changes everything. They are as different from each other as night and day, but those differences only entice Semeera and Kader into finding out just how physically compatible they are. What should have been a little fun causes the resurgence of a disease long thought extinguished. If Semeera triggered it in Kader, will others succumb? And will the scientists be able to get past Kader to find out? Most importantly, can a beautiful black woman really love an alien male with scales, claws, and a tail? Title is 69,000 words with an HEA. No cliffhangers. No cheating.

Hunter Bound


Nola Robertson
    To Earth. Too bad the cosmic universe has other plans. It turns out fighting off the unwanted advances of a Klorthon warrior is a bad idea, especially when he is intent on selling her to a renegade band of slavers. When Synge Varlik, a Tarron hunter, intervenes and prevents her abduction, Ricka believes she is safe. She soon discovers the extremely hot and totally ripped alien’s idea of a rescue is trapping her aboard his ship and taking her to his home planet. Synge is sworn to protect the inhabitants in his quadrant, including the human female whose mere presence taunts the animalistic side of his nature. In order to protect Ricka, he invokes an ancient rite—a warrior’s challenge to the death. He will protect her with his life and do anything necessary to keep the spirited woman alive, even if he has to kidnap her and claim her as his own to do it.

Xzion


Charmaine Ross - 2021
    In fact, we’ve crashed on an alien planet and now we’re trapped in a cave from which there’s no escape. He’s all I’ve got.I should be afraid of him, but I can’t take my eyes off his washboard abs and irresistible lips. The longer we’re trapped down here, the harder it will be for me to resist him. I’m barely hanging in there. Xzion will claim my body but if he claims my heart, I’ll never be able to return to Earth.But when we find a way out and discover a treacherous plot intended for mankind, I know my life will never be the same. I’ll be trapped between two worlds and the fate of mankind rests in my hands.If you like hot aliens, sweeping adventure, and steamy romance, you’ll love this series. No cliffhanger, an ongoing battle between good and evil, and a happily ever after guaranteed!

Brion Brides: Books 1-4


Vi Voxley - 2016
     Do you love your men hard, possessive and willing to do anything for their fated? Then these Brion warriors are exactly who you need. This anthology includes two full novels (100 k and 70 k) and two novellas from the bestselling Brion Brides series, in suggested reading order. Each book has a happily ever after ending, no cheating and can and should be read as a standalone! The boxed set includes: Alien General's Bride Thrust into intrigue, war and hunted by enemies hiding behind veils, Diego must prove himself not only to his new bride, but to the galaxy at large. It is no easy feat, but he is, after all, undefeated... Alien General's Chosen Faren will have her, the right way, even if it kills him and everyone around him. Nothing could stop the Monster of Briolina. Alien Warrior's Mate When death lurks behind every stone and in the hands of every enemy they encounter, can Darien and Deliya find their love, or will death claim them first? Alien Warrior's Wife Will Narath and Urenya realize what fate has in store for them at the right time, or will war tear them apart before they can ever really taste happiness?