Have I mentioned yet how much I love this series? Science fiction, romance, a healthy dose of intrigue, and some very fun time-travel-twistiness--it's like it was written just for me.

Parallel Seduction features the romance between diabetic, nearly-blind FBI linguist Hope Harper and alien hybrid and second-in-command Scott Dillon that was begun in the previous book.

The war is between the Refarians and Antousians, with humanity in the middle. The Refarians are on our side. Scott, however, is half-Antousian, which makes him feel like an ugly outsider despite being king Jared's trusted second-in-command, and being known for his good looks. As a result, he tends to date humans. A lot.

Hope and Scott are barely acquaintances, but she's been having vivid dreams about him and their life together, and as they get to know each other better, it gets harder to separate the dream Scott from the waking one.

Then Jake Tierney arrives, saying he's from the future, bringing warnings about Marco and events that have already been prevented in Parallel Attraction and Parallel Heat. Scott can sense that the man is an Antousian, and questions his motives, but the dream Scott urges Hope to trust Jake, and since she's already drawn to Jake, she does.

Hope was a wonderful heroine. I already liked her in Parallel Heat, and she continued that wonderful blend of intelligence, strength, and vulnerability here. She had some pretty serious physical limitations, but she never let it stop her. She didn't go too far in the opposite direction, either--she acknowledged her limitations and worked around them. I sympathized with her, but never pitied her.

And with a hero like Scott, who would? He was vulnerable, too, in a typically masculine way (and no, I don't mean it's a macho vulnerability--just that it seemed a typically male mindset). He's confident of his abilities, but doubts his intrinsic self-worth. He's very self-conscious and ashamed of his Antousian side, and because of a previous disastrous romantic overture, he believes his peers share his disgust.

The two of them are well-matched, and it's lovely to see the chemistry and synergy between them.

There's lots of action and intrigue, and the time travel effects can give you a headache until you get them straight--it's like looking at those hidden-picture paintings. As in the previous books, the other characters don't just disappear--their stories continue. For example, king Jared is under increasing pressure to provide an heir, a matter that's complicated by the fact that his mating cycle never developed normally, and that it's unknown whether he can father a child with his human queen, Kelsey.

There are also some futuristic moral dilemmas concerning gene therapy and the origins of the Antousians.

I think there's enough information provided for Parallel Seduction to stand on its own, but this is such a complex series that I'd highly recommend reading them in order: Parallel Attraction, Parallel Heat, then Parallel Seduction. And Parallel Desire in December. I can't wait. ( )