Blair didn’t expect her life on Earth to end face to face with a venomous snake—and she certainly couldn’t have predicted that the Biwbans, a race of penguinlike creatures, would swoop her up onto their spaceship just before tragedy struck. Now she’s stranded on a faraway planet with Osid, a king who’s just as alien there as she is. Despite their language barrier, he claims her as his mate. Blair is fiercely independent, though, and she’s unwilling to rely on a man for anything, even one as commanding and handsome as Osid. When the Biwbans find that the two intended mates are at nigh-insurmountable odds, the couples therapy of the title commences. Using their advanced technology, the Biwbans place Blair and Osid—who are now able to communicate with one another—in a series of trials designed around popular human romance tropes. We get to see the Biwbans’ idea of a first date, a Christmas caper, and the “Airport Chase,” in which Osid must find Blair’s plane and reunite with her before a bomb detonates. Lemming’s work here is clever and loads of fun. Readers will identify with Blair’s steadfast independence and unwillingness to pair up on anything except her own terms. Osid proves to be a charming leading man, and his unwavering devotion to his mate—even when she wants nothing to do with him—is admirable. Intimate scenes are steamy and surprising, though some readers may want less sexual tension and more action between the two leads.
