The Coalition Series by Ann Aguirre, P.T. Maylee

A first-contact alien romanceHe's heroic. He's selfless. He's trying to save everyone. E'nosience has spent a lifetime trying (and failing) to please his progenitor, who is a high-ranking admiral in the Coalition. When they made first-contact on a planet called Earth, he didn't expect to fall for the ambassador assigned to his delegation. And he never expected to lose her, either. But thanks to a rag-tag group of humans who can play the long odds, he has a second chance with Maddy... moreA first-contact alien romanceHe's heroic. He's selfless. He's trying to save everyone. E'nosience has spent a lifetime trying (and failing) to please his progenitor, who is a high-ranking admiral in the Coalition. When they made first-contact on a planet called Earth, he didn't expect to fall for the ambassador assigned to his delegation. And he never expected to lose her, either. But thanks to a rag-tag group of humans who can play the long odds, he has a second chance with Maddy. And to break free from the admiral's influence.She's smart. She's loyal. She's trying not to lose everything. Maddy has forgotten more about xeno-studies than others will ever know. She loved being an ambassador, but the diplomatic corp crashed and burned, leaving her jobless. When E'no vowed eternal devotion, then disappeared, she cursed his name. She can fire a weapon or pilot a shuttle, at least in theory, but suddenly, her life is a lot more edge-of-your-seat action than theoretical knowledge.But maybe there's more to the story. There's certainly a whole lot of danger in the form of the flagship in low orbit. When very civilized aliens try to enlist a crew of con artists to destroy the world, it's bound to be a stellar adventure... less