Review: Proximity by M.A. George

Title: Proximity
Author: M.A. George
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Self-published
Publish Date: October 3, 2012
Source: I received a copy from the author; however, this did not affect my review.

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You're a fiction fan.
• You're a sci-fi fan.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "She has found her calling in this world as a physician. It’s an ideal outlet for her compassionate spirit...and unearthly healing powers.

Palta may spend her nights rereading Jane Austen novels, but she deliberately avoids pursuing her own love story. Human men — attractive as they may be — inevitably grow old and wither, leaving her to grieve in solitude. Frankly, no one has seemed worth the torment.

Enter Eric Moran, the intensely attractive and enigmatic new coworker on the scene. With his quiet confidence and warm smile, he manages to draw Palta’s attention. Little does she know that he, too, holds a secret…one that will propel them both into an escalating collision of two worlds."

My Two Cents:

Proximity is the first book in a planned series about Dr. Palta, a female alien, who just wants to live a normal life on earth. When she finds out that her life and the lives of some of the other aliens of her race may be in danger, she must decide whether or not she is ready to leave her fairly comfortable life behind for the unknown. It would be a really hard choice for anyone to make! I felt for Palta while she was trying to make this choice.

This book started out a little slowly for me. The book is narrated by Palta and the first part of the book focuses heavily on Palta, her life, her family, and how she feels about being an alien surrounded by humans. It also focuses on a crush that she has on one of her fellow scientists who is hiding secrets of his own. It was a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. I thought some of the description could have been cut down. It's a lot of Palta speaking directly to the reader. Some of that might have been better as more action in the story. I wish there had been a little more action in the beginning of the book. It seemed to take a really long time to get to where there was some action in the story. Once the action starts happening, the momentum of the book really picks up and this kept me wanting to read to find out what happened to Palta and her family and her new friends.

After the first half of the book, the book really picks up with a whole lot of action as Palta and the aliens decide how to proceed with their escape back to their planet. There is also a little bit of romance between Palta and her handsome scientist, which I really liked. I wonder if that won't be explored more in future books! The book ends with a soft cliffhanger, which makes me wonder what else is in store for the merry band.

Bottom line: A fairly promising start!