"Great futuristic romance"

Melanie Ross is in shock unable to accept that that someone murdered her husband, an undercover law enforcement official. Not long afterward, the flu is killing Irena, a planetary visitor from Amaryllis on the other side of the universe. Irena knows she must be left behind to die, as the clock is running out on her people. Irena's sensory powers bring her to a cemetery in Sydney, Australia where she telepathically observes a lonely figure mourn even as her husband's killer threatens her life. Irena offers a deal that if Melanie delivers her craft to her planet, she will insure Reve returns to punish her husband's murderers. Melanie agrees so Irena prepares her for the trek before she herself dies.

However Commander Reve of Starship Victus is unhappy that this inferior being has replaced his mate Irena. He reads her mind and finds her passionate nature quite thrilling, which bewilders him. Melanie is also confused as Reve could have been Chris' identical twin and the Amaryllisans look like doppelganger of famous earthlings. As Reve and Melanie become better acquainted, they fall in love, but neither trusts the other though Reve can read her mind, which he has no ethical qualms in doing even as Melanie wonders what the Amaryllisans are hiding behind their masks.

AMARYLLIS is a strong outer space romance starring two delightful star-crossed lovers (literal and figurative). The story line is loaded with earthly and solar action. The support cast enables the audience to understand decisions made especially those by Melanie. Tricia McGill provides readers with a cogent romantic science fiction that is sure to gain her fans from both genres.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted November 25, 2002

Summary

Chosen by a dying alien to take her spacecraft back to the planet Amaryllis, Melanie Ross must conquer her fears amid a superior race. Her husband, an undercover cop, has been killed, and she fears for her life. Escorting the craft gives her a means of escape. Ahead of her are shocks and surprises. Reve, commander of the planet's Starship bears an inexplicable resemblance to her dead husband. Melanie feels a strong attraction for the alien, and the passion that flares between them transports her far beyond what she has ever known. Reve literally transports her to the stars and beyond