Understanding the Intergalactic Dating Agency Universe
If you have ever wanted to escape Earth's dating woes for a cosmic matchmaking service, the Intergalactic Dating Agency (IDA) is your ticket to the stars. But before you start downloading books, it is crucial to understand how this massive project is structured. The Intergalactic Dating Agency is not a single, continuous series written by a single author. Instead, it is a collaborative, multi-author marketing and branding initiative where romance authors write their own independent, self-contained alien romance series under a shared banner.
Each author's contribution follows a central premise: lonely human women finding love with hunky alien suitors through a matchmaking agency. Beyond that, the series do not cross over. Michelle M. Pillow's Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides series, for instance, takes place in her proprietary Qurilixen World and does not intersect with the characters of other IDA authors. For readers, this is fantastic news—it means you can pick an author, dive into their specific subseries, and read it from start to finish without needing to track down 150+ books by other writers.
At the center of this collaborative universe is USA Today bestselling author Tasha Black, who helped popularize the concept with her hit Stargazer Alien Mail Order Brides series and its various spin-offs. This guide focuses on how to read Tasha Black's Stargazer Alien series and navigate the wider Intergalactic Dating Agency world.
How to Read Tasha Black's Stargazer Alien Series
Tasha Black's core contribution to the Intergalactic Dating Agency is the Stargazer Alien Mail Order Brides series. Set in the quirky town of Stargazer, Pennsylvania, these books feature alien suitors who have learned about human culture entirely through 1980s movies. This leads to hilarious pop-culture misunderstandings, sweet domesticity, and steamy romance.
While the books are designed to be enjoyed as standalones, they share a setting and a recurring cast of townspeople and matchmaking agency representatives. Reading them in order allows you to watch the small town adapt to its growing alien population. Here is the recommended publication and reading order for the core series:
- Bond (2016) - The story of Posey Quinn and Bond, a noble alien warrior who is the first to arrive in Stargazer. While some lists swap the order of the first two books, Bond is the thematic starting point that introduces the Stargazer setting and the matchmaking setup.
- Rocky (2016) - Focuses on Georgia Taylor and Rocky. Rocky is an alien gladiator who answers a matchmaking ad, while Georgia is a local police trainee. Note that in some digital box sets and retailer collections, Rocky is listed first, but reading Bond first provides the best introduction.
- Magnum (2017) - Features Magnum, an alien bodyguard who is assigned to protect a human designer, leading to a fiery forced-proximity romance.
- Kitt (2017) - Follows Honey McCarthy and Kitt, a dreamy alien fugitive hiding out in Stargazer.
- Remington (2017) - The story of a rugged alien warrior and a human woman who must fake a relationship to protect the town.
- Indiana (2017) - Features a treasure hunter alien and a human librarian team up for an adventure.
- Lobo (2017) - A romance focusing on a gruff alien sheriff who finds his fated mate in a local baker.
- Conan (2017) - Follows a barbarian-style alien warrior who must adapt to suburban life to win his bride.
- Hawkeye (2017) - Features a silent, observant alien sniper who falls for a bubbly Stargazer local.
- Kirk (2018) - A sci-fi twist on the classic starship captain trope, pairing a commanding alien with an independent human woman.
- Buck (2018) - The story of an alien pilot who crashes on Earth and is rescued by a local veterinarian.
- Solo (2018) - Features a rogue alien smuggler who meets his match in a straight-laced Stargazer resident.
- Drago (2018) - Focuses on Arden and Drago, an alien scientist who helps Arden save a local peach farm while investigating a mysterious anomaly.
- Burton (2018) - The romance of a charismatic alien adventurer and a local reporter trying to uncover the town's alien secrets.
- Riggs (2018) - The final core Stargazer Mail Order Brides book, concluding the main town arcs with a heartwarming fated-mates story.
Tasha Black's Stargazer Spin-Offs
Once you finish the core 15 books set in Stargazer, PA, Tasha Black has expanded her Stargazer universe into several spin-off trilogies. These series shift the location and theme but maintain the same fun blend of sci-fi romance and fated-mate tropes. They can be read after the main series or enjoyed as standalone entries.
Stargazer Alien Barbarian Brides
This spin-off moves the action away from the small-town setting of Stargazer and introduces more rugged, untamed alien heroes. These books are named after historical figures and scientists:
- Tolstoy
- Tesla
- Tchaikovsky
Stargazer Alien Reality Show Brides
If you love reality television tropes mixed with sci-fi romance, this trilogy is a perfect fit. It follows human contestants competing in intergalactic matchmaking shows:
- So You Think You Can Marry an Alien
- My Big Fat Alien Wedding
- Haunted Alien Honeymoon
Stargazer Alien Mystery Brides
This series injects a dose of detective fiction and mystery solving into the fated-mates romance formula. The books are named after famous fictional detectives:
- Hannibal
- Fletcher
- Spenser
Stargazer Alien Space Cruise Brides
This series takes the matchmaking concept into deep space aboard a luxury cruise liner, featuring a new set of alien suitors and human passengers looking for love among the stars:
- Crowned Mate
- Cosmic Mate
- Conquered Mate
- Promised Mate
- Counterfeit Mate
Practical Reading Guidance: Where to Start
Because the Intergalactic Dating Agency is a shared marketing project, the absolute best starting point depends on your author preference. If you want to dive into Tasha Black's portion of the universe, you should start with Bond or the Stargazer Aliens Collection 1 (which bundles Bond, Rocky, and Magnum). Starting here gives you the perfect introduction to the Stargazer setting and the humorous, lighthearted tone that defines Black's sci-fi romance.
If you prefer a slightly different flavor of sci-fi romance, you could start with Michelle M. Pillow's Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides, beginning with the book Spark. Pillow's books have a stronger connection to her overarching space opera world of Qurilixen, which offers a more established, high-stakes sci-fi backdrop.
Regardless of which author you choose, remember that the individual books are written as standalones with complete romantic resolutions (Happily Ever Afters). You do not need to worry about cliffhangers between books, making this universe incredibly reader-friendly and easy to read at your own pace.