Mindlink by Kat Cantrell

Grade: D-
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Sci-Fi
Reviewed by Kate

Aliens (who look like humans) have invited 10 of earth's top scientists to a sit down, a meeting of the minds if you will. Ashley, a former child star (I kept thinking Lindsey Lohan), poses as a scientist in a publicity stunt to jump start her career again. When they land on the alien planet a probe is inserted into each of their brains, allowing the aliens complete access to the humans' thoughts and knowledge. Ashley is sent to be executed when the aliens discover her deception. While awaiting execution, her probe links with the probe of ZXQ (all aliens have probes implanted at birth). Now Ashley and ZXQ, or Sam as she names him, can share thoughts and he agrees to help Ashley escape.

Sounds exciting, right? I thought so too. I really looked forward to reading this one.  Then I read it. In my opinion Ashley would have been better off sticking to the path other have-been actors take to start a comeback...Dancing With the Stars or any of Fox's celebrity reality shows.

Unfortunately, she chooses aliens and we embark on the slowest 200+ pages I've come across lately. Her character has a sense of entitlement that put a sour taste in my mouth. The entitlement switched to a need to prove herself back on earth. It wasn't until the last fifth of the book that she showed and character growth at all. On the opposite side of things, Sam goes from alien to full blown human in the blink of an eye. Very little struggle for him to adapt to a new program.

The romance between Ashley and Sam isn't worth writing home about. Ashley had been there, done that. And probably for all the wrong reasons. Sam is experiencing his first taste of sex. And, of course, he's magically wonderful at it (eye roll).

The ending that took forever to get to sort of fizzled.  A huge build up, then... nothing.  Like a lit bottle rocket that never launches.  A disappointing ending to a disappointing book.