This is fifth in a sci-fi romance series and doesn't have a lot of overlap with the others. I'd recommend reading the space-infection ones in order beThis is fifth in a sci-fi romance series and doesn't have a lot of overlap with the others. I'd recommend reading the space-infection ones in order because there's a progression to them, but you don't have to. So books three through five (so far?) have a shared plot device that permeates their stories that I think builds enough over time to take them in order.
This starts with nobody infected, yet, so when we get a lot of Anja and Cal running around a cold watery planet with space whales I briefly worried it'd be silly or stupid. I should have trusted Diener's imagination better. Yeah, the space whales are a long-running plot device, but an interesting one with lots of flavor. And I liked that Anja and Cal were infected more-or-less simultaneously and that they got to build their teamwork along with their discovery and do so together. Indeed, I liked (view spoiler)[the whole team of them working together. And that they developed specialties and interesting flavors of the infection (hide spoiler)].
The pace for this one was a bit frantic with Anja and her locals underpowered and struggling to overcome huge adversarial odds, but that's not a bad thing. And I liked them figuring out all the ways to work around their sometime-captors, sometime-prey. It was a really interesting back and forth and the teamwork necessary to pull off their more spectacular feats was fun to see.
Yeah, this is another five stars and I'm glad that Diener was able to put a full team of six people working together and still have Anja and Cal come together as a believable couple at the same time. it worked well-enough for my entertainment (and late-night finish), at any rate.
A note about Steamy: There's a single sex scene making this the low end of my steam tolerance. This is three in a row with that same short, single scene so I'm wondering if this is going to become a standard for Diener going forward?...more
This is fourth in a sci-fi romance series, but it isn't connected to the others, really. I recommend reading Trailblazer before this one as it turns oThis is fourth in a sci-fi romance series, but it isn't connected to the others, really. I recommend reading Trailblazer before this one as it turns out that Hana has the same infection that Tally had. This is kind of a unifying theme for these last three in the series and provides an interesting twist on the plots.
Hana has been dealing with her infection for a couple of years, but she resides on a planet that regularly interferes with it (along with every other form of tech) because there are magical dead spots. Oops. Sorry. Magnetic fluctuations. Or something. So she's mostly marginally faster/better but in some places it kicks into high gear and in others she's practically normal. I liked her a lot and that she chose to be a pilot for the head of planet because he indulged her acrobatics. Okay, yeah, he obviously wants to indulge, erm, other things, but he's respectful so all's good.
And then they get shot at and only some high-octane maneuvering gets them to the ground alive and able to walk away from the wreck of their flyer. And the story doesn't let up from there with a three-party push/pull in pursuit of some mysterious thing that Hana and Iver have to figure out. I loved seeing these complex interactions. And that more than once what looked like a major villain got taken out on the way to a bigger problem. And I really love that the space orcs Coruson (view spoiler)[don't show up at all! (hide spoiler)]
I liked Iver more than most of the heroes in past books. He seemed to have more self-awareness. Maybe it just feels that way because they'd been working together for some months before the story picks up and already knew he was interested in Hana—and was respecting her wishes not to press until she gave him the hint that she might be interested back. I liked their journey of discovery, too, but I really loved the twist where (view spoiler)[he ended up infected in exactly the same way she was and Hana was able to guide him in his first steps in understanding what was happening. And that the two together were even stronger as a unit as a result (hide spoiler)].
So yeah, another easy five stars, recognizing that it's very much my jam and your experience will probably depend on how well you enjoy this type of story.
A note about Steamy: There's a single explicit sex scene and barely time for that one. So it's the low end of my steam tolerance....more
This is third in a sci-fi romance series, but it's only lightly attached to any of the others. Like, some shared background is all. So you can definitThis is third in a sci-fi romance series, but it's only lightly attached to any of the others. Like, some shared background is all. So you can definitely take this one stand-alone.
Tally was interesting as we pick up with her on a strange ship, stranded but not quite alone. She's doing things she doesn't understand and a little afraid of something that may have infected her from the ship. She's not wrong, and becoming familiar with the changes she has undergone is the rest of the story. Along with hiding it from people who would probably see her as a specimen rather than a person should they find out.
The premise of the plot is that there's a planet with a famous trail that was once part of a victory and is now something of a recuperation/reward for soldiers who have suffered grave ills. It is also a lonely planet with no human settlement and it turns out that is attractive to a different kind of population, which becomes obvious when the space-orcs, sorry, Coruson, shoot down their support craft that is there for emergencies and to take them off-planet at the end. Good thing Ben is there with his special forces team investigating irregularities.
I liked Ben, too. He's competent and caring and completely intrigued by the puzzle that is Tally. Trying to figure out why she can keep up with him in some their more trying times occupied a lot of his motivation. Well, and their mutual attraction, of course.
I really liked the change of scenery and that Diener kept the plot moving at a great pace and how it held together throughout. I particularly liked that this story finally gives us some nuance to the Coruson as we run into a commander who isn't a simple brute. I particularly liked the solution to a thorny problem with getting his wounded treated that required (view spoiler)[him to surrender his numerically superior force to the tiny special forces team that at least showed that they were interested in helping his people (hide spoiler)].
Anyway, this was very much what I've come to enjoy about this series and another strong five star read.
A note about Steamy: There's an explicit sex scene but it's short so this is the low end of my steam tolerance. At this point, I'm just assuming that birth-control and STDs are a solved problem. So yeah, this is as much fantasy as sci-fi......more
This is second in a sci-fi romance and we meet Dee in the first. I don't think you need to read that one before this one because Dee is pretty much baThis is second in a sci-fi romance and we meet Dee in the first. I don't think you need to read that one before this one because Dee is pretty much background as one of Leo's bodyguards, but it wouldn't hurt.
I liked Dee a lot. And I liked that she rolled with the setbacks and did her best to set things right, willing to risk herself for the benefit of others. Plus, every interaction with Fluffy (an abandoned pet) was pure gold.
I'm less charmed with Sebastian, but I think that's the plot's fault. For the situation to be where it was that they needed an outsider like Dee to help them, his resistance has to have been pretty full of fail. And that includes their last-ditch effort at ransom that initiates their contact with Dee. It was a colossal screw-up from start to finish. Failure is not a good look, and it's even less so when we discover that his organization suffers a gigantic leak in its inner circle. So he's also a bad judge of character and/or bad manager of resources since those leaks have cost them standing with people who rightly fear retribution should they help.
Plus, there's a section in the middle where I just got bored. Forest grandeur and a waterfall getaway while under-resourced and unable to trust anyone wasn't a compelling read for me. I think it was Fluffy that pulled me through, the fierce little thing.
Anyway, once the action picks up and Dee goes all butt-kicking goodness I was back in it and happy to be there. I never did fully warm to Sebastian, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for Dee's sake. So I'm going to call it four stars. Not as good as the first one, but good enough I'm eager to pick up the next.
A note about Steamy: There's foreplay that leads to sex, but it pulls back pretty quick. There's some skinnydipping and kissing and enough detail that I'm going to call in the Steam tag. But it's not very steamy at all, really....more
This is first in a sci-fi romance but a lot of people say you should read the pre-novellas first. I disagree and think this is a perfectly fine startiThis is first in a sci-fi romance but a lot of people say you should read the pre-novellas first. I disagree and think this is a perfectly fine starting point. I may have a section at the bottom that goes into the boring reasons why.
I read the pre-novellas three and a half years ago and then the mood left and I never picked this one up. That may be for the best, I dunno, but being in the mood this time, I very much enjoyed this story. I was actually expecting it to be a lot like the author's Class 5 series but was pleasantly surprised with the differences. Oh, the main characters are largely the same types but it turns out that the background and plot make a big difference to me and those are very different, here.
The main difference is that all the characters are human and share the same background. Which means that the main lead, Sofie, not only has all the gumption, but she is familiar with her milieu and knows how to express her power effectively. I loved this more than a little. And I loved even more how, when the hero is all "Imma leave so you don't get hurt because I'm a stupid man" she's all "well, let me know when you get over yourself".
So. Very. Attractive!
And Leo wasn't bad once he started learning to get over himself. He has his own power, too, and he has that protective thing I like in a guy. Once he channeled that instinct to better purpose, he was very sweet.
And the plot was interesting and engaging and the pace is spanking and I enjoyed myself immensely. This is a great example of the sci-fi romance as a genre and I can't wait to dive into the rest of the series. I'm happy to give it all five stars, though with the caveat that it is very much of its genre and that means both the romance and the the sci-fi are likely shallower than you'd expect if they weren't mixing tropes and expectations.
A note about the background: The pre-novellas led me to believe it was all going to be about the special blue-haired girls and them being targets of pity and jealousy and junk. I'm totally relieved that isn't the case. Those stories give you a bit of detail about the whole "Verdant String" as a concept, but I think that actually does the series a disservice. I prefer the vague picture of them in this story as the benevolent society that has structure and the rule of law. That up-close picture in those novellas showed warts that aren't really interesting to me. Also, being novellas, the romances didn't really work, either. Not that I can remember that very well, mind. I mean, it's been nearer four years than three and my memory is bad enough that I started writing reviews so I'd remember what I think of books I've read...
A note about Steamy: Diener definitely has a pattern with her steam—i.e. she doesn't really have much. She generally includes enough foreplay to tease into the sex bits, but then goes dark about it. I don't mind that because she does perfectly fine establishing their intimacy in all the important ways just fine. But if you have steam expectations, this one is in line with her others and what I call barely enough to trip the tag....more
This is fifth (and last?) of a sci-fi fantasy romance series and some prior events have meaning in this one. You probably don't have to have read themThis is fifth (and last?) of a sci-fi fantasy romance series and some prior events have meaning in this one. You probably don't have to have read them in order for this to flow pretty well, but there are direct consequences from Dark Minds so I'd recommend reading at least that one first. Though, honestly, I'd read them all in order (and maybe skip the fourth because it sucks and doesn't matter).
I am so relieved to be able to say that this one has Diener back in fine form after whiffing the previous one so badly. Ellie is awesome and spoilers for the previous stories will follow because I can't help myself. You have been warned (because it's a big deal).
It was only a little manipulative to have Paxe show back up, but I didn't mind, even a little. His sacrifice stands because he fully expected to die in his sacrifice before so I'm willing to go with the miraculous save. But even better is that this gives him time to mature and grow by bouncing off of Ellie as someone he can trust to give him a straight shot without hidden motives or past scars distorting her responses. And I liked seeing a bunch of other hints at sentient systems begin to crop up, erm, organically. Lots of cute interactions, with a side of deadly, and I like this dichotomy about Diener's stories.
The plot held together, too, and even though the setting was as constrained (and bleak) as the previous book, it didn't feel stupid or played out. I guess if I'm buying into the plot and characters, the setting takes care of itself. And this one got the job done.
I'm starting to have issues with the Tecran being so one-sided, but if the series is actually over, that's maybe not a big deal. There really is no nuance in these villains beyond driving action and at this point, it's old enough to wear.
But not quite old enough that I care. So it's back up to five stars for this story. I loved Ellie. And Renn was pretty awesome, too, and it was great getting to know Paxe better. Also, (view spoiler)[Irini is a great addition to the family! (hide spoiler)] I kind of hope we're done here, because it's a high-note to depart on.
A note about Steamy/Chaste: There's enough lead-up to sex and foreplay getting there that I can't call this chaste. But there's not much more than hinting on-page, so I can't really tag it as steamy. So this is one of the rare middlegrounds that I can't attribute either tag to....more
This is fourth in a sci-fi fantasy romance series and it's fairly well self-contained. Characters from the others show up, but any backstory necessaryThis is fourth in a sci-fi fantasy romance series and it's fairly well self-contained. Characters from the others show up, but any backstory necessary is presented here just fine. So you could skip those and read this one first, but I have no idea why you'd want to.
I didn't realize how important the plot was to these books until we got to this one where the plot sucks. None of the broader movements make any sense whatsoever, starting with the Tecran reception of the UC diplomatic mission and going from there. Spoilers for the whole stupid thing will be big in this and I'm not going to bother with tags because a) they're stupid and b) they aren't subtle, like, at all, so it's exactly what you think it is.
This whole plot hinges on a leadership cabal that wants to start a war with the UC. Not only have they lost their biggest war assets, but four out of the five are on the other side (the fifth is dead). How, exactly, did they think that war was going to go? This is so stupid, I just can't even.
But it's worse than that, even. Because if they seriously didn't care about starting a war, then what they heck are they doing putzing around with Lucy? She's their captive off and on for pretty much the entire story, some of it far enough away that body disposal wouldn't be an issue. So why aren't they just killing her, again? It's played off as underlings not having clear orders to do so, but that just begs the question of why don't they? I mean, her being alive is the single biggest threat to them starting their little war off on the wrong footing (with an angry home populace and their own people turning on them).
Only their own people are pretty universally venal cowards as we get to know a swath of them in this story as Lucy bounces around in her escaped moments. Not one of them helps her in any meaningful way, and a significant portion of them try to exploit her for their own gain.
So the motivations are stupid and there's really no saving them, but worse is that the entire story takes place on the Tecran homeworld so the scope is narrower than all of the other stories, too. There's no wonder. There's no moments of peace drifting through space. There's no getting to know other interesting people. It's all Tecrans and their bleak little planet full of venal, stupid people.
And I couldn't help feeling like this diplomatic mission was full of the most useless people possible, while we were at it. I mean, one of their leaders goes missing for days and they're doing what, exactly? The Tecrans, who have violated every one of their treaties, aren't even pretending to uphold their latest agreement and they're all "let's talk about this with them"? Look, if you make an agreement to avoid a war and the other side doesn't bother doing anything to uphold it, they've effectively called your bluff. What the heck are you doing futzing around with meetings when your best option is letting Bane off his leash and having him stomp the local military ships out of existence as a starting point for them getting serious about the whole "not going to war" thing they agreed to?
So yeah, I finished this story on inertia and because I still like the gumption of the heroine. And I liked Lucy in her own right. I liked how she never stopped working the bad guys over and I liked seeing her turning her therapist powers on her captors and sowing division among them. Dray was kind of a loss, though. He spends way too much of this story captured or unconscious.
I talked myself down to two stars while writing this review. I was going to give it three for a not-completely-botched ending, but I'm pretty sure that felt good only in comparison to all the preceding suck. It was a contrast issue and I'm thinking I'm not interested in rewarding mediocrity.
A note about Steamy: There's attraction. And we get some sex at one point. But we only see the initial disrobing and foreplay so it's a really light steam. Barely any at all....more
This is third in a sci-fi fantasy romance and characters and plot from the first two are prevalent here. Further, the author doesn't go out of her wayThis is third in a sci-fi fantasy romance and characters and plot from the first two are prevalent here. Further, the author doesn't go out of her way to fill in details. So I recommend reading them in order.
This stands out from the others by its plot/adventure. The main characters are definitely of similar types in the three books. This is not a bad thing. To me. Because I like the type very much.
So recognize that this is my thing, full stop. Much of what I said about the first two apply here. Though I so very much loved the heartbreaking twist (view spoiler)[ when Paxe chose to blow himself up rather than be put back in chains. Yes, it was a little too facile. And yeah, the author manipulated events to get there. But the manipulation holds together fine, everyone acted on known motives, and I liked that it was clear that Paxe's wasn't a noble sacrifice so much as it was a bid to take out as many of his enemy as he could while choosing death before slavery (hide spoiler)].
So I'm giving this five stars, too. And I'm going to always be down for this kind of story. I'm sorry if that makes my reviews a bit boring while I run this mood out.
A note about Steamy: There's some sex. And it starts off explicit-enough. But then it fades to black. So it's the very lowest of my steam tolerance and you could argue that it isn't so much steamy as it is, erm, evocative....more
This is second in a sci-fi fantasy romance series and characters and story points from the first are prominent in this one. Indeed, I think the authorThis is second in a sci-fi fantasy romance series and characters and story points from the first are prominent in this one. Indeed, I think the author skipped some establishing details so I definitely recommend reading them in order.
This is very much like the first story. Fiona is a lot like Rose as the determined heroine making the best of the hand she has been dealt. There are plenty of plot differences so the action takes her down a unique path but the essential character of the leads are very similar. I don't consider this a bad thing, but it bears pointing out.
And I really liked the twist at the highest action point that lead to an interesting climax. You could have tipped me over with a lame pun when (view spoiler)[the bad guys blew up Eazi's ship. I kept waiting for that to be a take-in of some kind, but no, totally gone. The tension of what happened to Eazi without his ship was handled well, too, and having him take over an entire space station in the end was gorgeous. (hide spoiler)]
I'm glad for how this ended. (view spoiler)[Hal's crew are bitter jerkwads who are openly dismissive of Fiona and I was so done with them by the climax. So I'm glad that Diener didn't try to shoe-horn in some lame reconciliation and just had Fiona take over as station governor with Hal assigned to that space by the admirable Admiral Hoke. (hide spoiler)]
And can I just say that my favorite series-spanning character is turning out to be Admiral Hoke? She's a great political navigator and I just like the interactions with her captains, giving them the rope they need to either span chasms or tie themselves into knots.
Anyway, this was an easy five stars for me, but bear in mind that I have a high tolerance for "same story told with template variations" when I like the character types so well. Powerful women are my jam and I like Diener's version of that.
A note about the Audiobook: Christina Delaine does a pretty good job with all the alien voices and gives reasonable accents, though maybe leaning into the antagonists in creepy-voice a bit much. But I'm not a fan of her AI characterization. Eazi is delivered in a breathy monotone even when dialog tags have him giving explicit emotional tones. This was only a small niggle, but a consistent one.
A note about Steamy: There's enough lead up to sex, and description of physical responses for this to trip the steam tag. But only barely. And they don't actually do the sex during the course of the story. So this is the lightest possible steam tag, though with the note that it fit the story very well as they just didn't have the time or space for more hijinks than we got....more
I picked this up on a whim because I thought it would follow Jessie Mihalik's mold of sci-fi-flavored romance. Only I look now and this predated MihalI picked this up on a whim because I thought it would follow Jessie Mihalik's mold of sci-fi-flavored romance. Only I look now and this predated Mihalik by, like, four years. So alrighty, then, this sub-genre is more established than I thought? I dunno. All I know is that this one hit the spot very well.
And here's where I get a bit careful about genre because this is really a space fantasy with a romance main plot. And all of that is made up because it makes sense to me. I mean, it's not hard-sf, but then again, Sazo is well-thought-out and his awareness is beautifully portrayed. I'd say he's a great mix of Murderbot and ART only this predates Murderbot by a couple years, too! And okay, he doesn't have the snark and brilliance of Murderbot but who can compete with Martha Wells?!?
Where was I? Oh yeah, so Sazo is fleshed out like the best hard-sf but a lot of the other sci-fi elements are generally space magic and only well-enough defined to move the plot along smartly. Which isn't a bad thing. It's just not a hard-sf thing so I think in terms of space fantasy. And that's reinforced by the main human-like aliens having elf ears and the oppositional aliens being essentially space orcs (Warcraft orcs, not Tolkien orcs).
I was drawn into the story primarily by Rose. She's all kinds of determination and grit and her treatment of Sazo like he's a person, an extremely powerful person, but still a person, was everything. I loved how deliberate she was with him and teaching him her moral limits and why they existed made for tense and interesting dialog when lives were on the line. That she had been as much a slave as he was helped them form a bond of understanding that she built shamelessly upon and that drew me into sympathy with both very much (even when Sazo was being a ruthless jerk). But I also liked that Rose was alien to those around her just by being completely herself. I liked Diener's innovations on the alien expectations, having humans be denser and stronger than expected is a rare twist (besides John Carter, but you know what I'm saying). But I also liked that they kept underestimating Rose because they know she comes from a "primitive" species. And that some could see her as a person and knew better, making her work for her victories.
The only real detraction I have to the story is that the romance is a little shallow. Dav doesn't have much reason behind his attraction than that she's cute and gets crap done. Which, okay, that was enough for me, too, so I don't have a leg to stand on here because I knew I wanted to marry mine within a similar timeframe, too. Hmmm. Fine. I wanted more connection and I'm not sure I can define it very well. Sigh.
Anyway, this was an easy five stars, but with the note that I love this sub-genre irrationally. The sci-fi is light and the romance was shallow, but somehow it still added up to all my jam.
A note about Steamy: There are a couple of explicit sex scenes putting this in the not-quite-middle of my steam tolerance. Yes, the sexual compatibility is lampshaded. No I don't care because those scenes worked very well, I think....more
This is seventh (and I think last) in a seriously strange alien lesbian series. Characters, events, and plots spill over into this one and Yvette firsThis is seventh (and I think last) in a seriously strange alien lesbian series. Characters, events, and plots spill over into this one and Yvette first appears earlier, too. I recommend reading the rest before this one.
I've liked Yvette since she first appeared. The pampered starlet who wants more and ends up entangled in alien affairs (heh) was interesting and her relationship with the Beamer family was a fun take on intimate but not sexual. This book spans a couple of years, unlike the others, and brings the series to a reasonable conclusion with Yvette helping the aliens be more open with their activities regarding human women (and moving to a fully voluntary system while still maintaining the "biological needs" of those who need conquest and challenge to kick in the attachment to a mate).
During this story, we see Yvette be instrumental in a few important developments (maybe a bit too much so, but I was in for it), and that includes taking the head alien on planet to task for flubbing a key moment. I loved seeing her put forward her ideas even as she's hesitant and insisting that she's just the pretty girl. Her intelligence and lack of ego was a strong part of her appeal and I liked seeing her stand up for the things she needs and her open-eyed evaluations of the institutions and expectations around her. This is as much of an indictment of Hollywood as you could hope for while still maintaining a love of it I've seen—without ignoring the ugly stuff, either.
What sat less well is that this one moves back to a tick in the first where the aliens reinforce all the political talking points of a certain sector of progressive politics. The "overpopulation" is as unexamined and reinforced, the weird judgement of humans as immature as a group. But this time, we get a wholly gratuitous run at religion as well. Like, the aliens can't believe that we let fantasists (you know, people who believe in a God) have any say in our governments or policy-making. Actual policy informed by religion is scoffed at. And did I mention that Yvette is from Utah and formerly Mormon? Roseau completely botches this background and in laughable ways. I mean, there might be some Mormon father who tells his daughter that having a career in acting is "for your husband to tell you." but I haven't met one in all my years in the church and every father I know, inside or outside the church, would be horrified by that statement. I think Roseau tries to mitigate this somewhat with Yvette's grandfather who is a senator (yes, from Utah). He's supportive of her, gave her the best advice she got when moving out on her own (a fact she openly acknowledges), and declares that he'd stand with her when she comes out as gay stating that he'd known for years and wondered when she'd get around to coming out. I liked that relationship (and interaction), but it doesn't mitigate the underlying anti-religious tirade at the heart of some of Yvette's general character that I found rather lazy for so complex a topic.
I saw the romantic twist coming, and deeply enjoyed seeing it play out. Okay, that's not quite true. I loved seeing it play out during the actual development. The weird manipulation engaged in to bring it home was a lot of unnecessary tedium. I don't think we needed Yvette to go back into candidate status and the eruption that caused, not least because that makes her eventual mate kind of a weakling that she can't just come forward and make a bid for acknowledging the change in feelings. But I was all in for the relationship and loved seeing it develop before that and like the resolution by the end.
Given the weak romantic break at the end and the random jabs at religion (including, specifically, my own), I'm having a hard time going above three stars. Since I can't really see who I'd recommend this series to, let alone this story, I'm going to be fine with that.
A note about Chaste: I'm not actually sure this was entirely chaste. But I can't recall any on-page explicit sex. There are sexual relationships, including with Yvette with others. But I'm pretty sure we didn't go there. There are some nudity comments and appreciation of, erm, parts, so it isn't a strong case for chaste, but it's one I'm going to settle for....more
This is third in a really weird series and some of the plots and character arcs from the first two affect this one in some serious ways. Indeed, a lotThis is third in a really weird series and some of the plots and character arcs from the first two affect this one in some serious ways. Indeed, a lot of the subtext of Jasmine Brighteyes's interactions would be lost if you haven't read the others. The problem is, the second one sucked a whole lot. Personally, I'd recommend reading the first and then filling out the story from the second in your head. It'll end better.
This story is not for you. If this review intrigues you and you decide to go for it, don't gripe to me because I've told you it's not for you. Seriously. It's long (723 pages), it follows Skye in minute detail for years of her life, and it's full of tentacles and tickling as recreational entertainment. The race of alien lesbians is the least weird thing about this book. You have been warned.
Honestly, I like Roseau's deep dive into her characters. And I like their philosophical wank sessions about morals and politics and business. Not least because while I don't buy her conclusions, her understanding is solid and the byplay is honest and complex.
And I just liked Skye, frankly. She starts off pretty naïve and immature, but she's earnest and energetic and throws her whole heart into her passions and that was a lot of fun. And the family dynamic with the Beamers was heartwarming as they absorb Skye and her sister and mother into their circle of acceptance and care.
And I didn't even mind this dark moment blow-up because it all resolved to make sense and you could even see why the, uh, instigator did the instigating and the groveling was perfect for the circumstances (which is how the previous book failed so very hard).
This is four stars because while I'm not a fan of the "challenges" and I don't see their appeal—and I really only tolerated all the weird bonding play (like tickling and tentacles)—I still enjoyed spending the time with Skye and seeing her learn to navigate the alien society and the pitfalls necessarily endemic there.
But remember, that's not a recommendation and I confidently predict you will not like this book (or, frankly, series).
A note about Steamy: There are a few explicit sex scenes that show just enough to qualify as steamy. But it's very light steam and the author doesn't often go into much detail. So this is the low end of my steam tolerance. And, given the tentacles and tickling, that's probably just as well, really....more
**spoiler alert** This is second in a weird little series and it picks up right after the first with plot and character arcs already on track. I defin**spoiler alert** This is second in a weird little series and it picks up right after the first with plot and character arcs already on track. I definitely recommend reading in order. Let me rephrase. Don't read out of order.
You know most of what to expect with this in terms of relationship and character progression. So I'll leave out those parts. And it turns out that the only thing I want to talk about are huge, story-long spoilers. So take the spoiler warning to heart and stop now if you ever want to read this book yourself. You have been warned.
What killed it for me is that there's a buried conflict that presents itself right up front and it remains the sole source of conflict for the entire story. And it shouldn't be a spoiler, unless you've never read a romance story before, that it eventually produces a dark moment as it blows them up.
So I was prepared for that and followed the fall-out wondering how this could ever be reconciled. And I'm not happy with the result, and this is the huge spoiler I warned about. I hate, so very much, that we get the reveal at the end that it was all a plot/manipulation by Jasmine the entire time. I'm sorry, but that tore the heart out of this story for me, sucking all of the love and romance and replacing it with a puppet master calling the tune the entire tune. Jasmine told Moirai to keep the secret and let it blow up for reasons so it was all a manipulation the entire time. And that means Moirai is keeping a secret in the end that would devastate Sapphire to learn. So we end, not with honesty and a reforged relationship built on trust and lessons learned but with caving to a manipulator. And it doesn't matter if that sentence is aimed at Moirai or Jasmine because Moirai has become as much Sapphire's manipulator as Jasmine is by following Jasmine's guide and not telling Sapphire about it.
And I just dropped this from the three stars I had planned when I thought it was all just weak to one star now that I realize it was way worse than weak, it was a betrayal of Sapphire on the deepest level possible. Sapphire deserves better and I'm sad she has been left tied to these heartless automatons masquerading as people.
A note about Steamy: While there is lots of sex happening, only a few scenes are on-page leaving this on the low end of my steam tolerance. I hate that I don't like any of the characters now because they felt genuine and intimate at the time....more
This is an interesting near-future sci-fi that's kind of hard to classify. The sci-fi is a bit sloppy* so you have to take a lot of the premise as graThis is an interesting near-future sci-fi that's kind of hard to classify. The sci-fi is a bit sloppy* so you have to take a lot of the premise as granted just to even start. Which would have been easier if so much of it wasn't simple authorial say-so. Still, once the premise is granted, the story kicks into a fascinating character story about Sapphire being ripped out of her life plans to serve an alien need.
Sapphire doesn't take well to being told what to do and with whom. She doesn't pass up any opportunity to point out the moral evil that amounts to slavery, actively shaming her captors and everyone associated with them. This could easily have become tedious or one-note but Roseau is very, very good with characters. So the bad guys aren't simply bad guys so much as they are doing their best with the situation thrust upon them by the premise. Still, I loved Sapphire's clear-eyed frustration and seeing her work out her own moral compass in the corrupt environment she found herself in was outstanding. The moral calculus in this story is extremely good.
I'm still not sure what to make of Jasmine as sometimes ally, sometimes foil to the relationship development between Bronze and Sapphire. Her ambiguities were great as a moral rock for Sapphire to stumble against and argue with; so I'm fine with her role in the story despite my uncertainty how to take her. I ended up liking her more than I expected, despite all her meddling.
I am a bit disappointed for how little we get to know of Bronze's inner workings. She's fairly one-note in her desire for Sapphire and willingness to take extreme steps to win her affections. If my suspicion below turns out, this will make a lot more sense. If not, then I look forward to having her more on-screen in the next book.
This is 4½ stars, mostly losing points for how much we have to take as premise. I'm rounding up for the strength of the character interactions, interesting moral calculus, and Sapphire's development arc. Very strong story and I look forward to the next.
Spoilery speculations about some things I hope to find out in the next story: (view spoiler)[I strongly suspect that Bronze is Moirai. I note that we never see Moirai again once Bronze steps on stage. Sapphire doesn't even hear her voice as her responses become text-only. I will love it if this is the case because I liked their initial interactions. I consider this fairly likely and will be disappointed if it doesn't turn out to be true. I also wonder if we aren't going to find out things the aliens are keeping from Earth regarding the conflict they are in with the supposed bad-guys. It seems pretty pat to me that we only know about those bad aliens from our contact with these aliens. Enemy propaganda is never accurate and we know that both a) the aliens are willing to lie and manipulate to force others to do what they want and b) we don't have any way to verify or falsify their claims. I give it even odds that Roseau will go there once Sapphire gets closer to alien command with her mate. (hide spoiler)]
A note about Chaste: Sapphire is where she is completely against her will. So any sex that might happen would be a form of rape and that's explicitly not on the alien radar. Coercive life disruption and functional slavery, sure, but forced sex isn't on the table. It's an oddly specific premise the backstory is giving us. This being the case, however, there's no sex in this story, though there's some comfort cuddling and cheek kissing. So I consider this pretty chaste.
* Sloppy sci-fi: Roseau does that thing that was popular in the 70s where you give the wise aliens all your beliefs about humans. Environmental speculations become certainties and every favored scare becomes oh-so-real and definitely proven. This is nowhere more absurd than with the "overpopulation" claim. The aliens fixed the oceans, gave us clean energy and abundant food production. So doesn't that pretty much kill dead all the pressures overpopulation is said to bring with it? Also, artificially limiting female reproduction to two children max is a timebomb that will detonate in half a century. Peacetime replacement birthrate is 2.1. Most of the industrialized world is below that rate and only avoids depopulation pains through immigration. I don't know the numbers, but I suspect that a hard per-woman two-child limit would push the birthrate to around 1 given current life choice patterns. That timebomb is practically nuclear.
And I will note, with complete snark, that the alien certainty that we had only five years before disaster is seven years old at this point (based on this book's publication date). Note to authors: never predict anything that close. It ages your book poorly as deadlines pass with the Earth rolling merrily along.
All of which doesn't really matter except insofar as it prevents hard sci-fi nerds from engaging with an excellent character story they might otherwise enjoy. Hard sci-fi nerds are particularly good at granting stories their initial premise so that could be more limiting than Roseau intended....more
This is second in a sci-fi romance series and events and characters carry over from the first. I recommend reading in order.
This was exactly what I exThis is second in a sci-fi romance series and events and characters carry over from the first. I recommend reading in order.
This was exactly what I expected in the broad strokes. Lots of action/adventure. Lots of getting to know each other and finding their compatibilities. Kee and Varro had a lot of communication issues/misreads to work through and it took them a long time to do it. And that was a little frustrating. Their respect for one-another held me through, though, as it was clear from the start that they each held the other in the highest esteem.
And I liked the pairing of a high-level telepath and the top-tier hacker. They're natural compliments and seeing them work together was fun.
I don't have a lot more to say than that, I suppose. The plot was okay. I'm a bit tired of the over-arching plot and forever chasing after the two bad guys who have thwarted them twice, now. It's a tired pattern and I can't tell you how much I hope that doesn't reprise yet again in the next. I'm going give this 4½ stars and I'm torn on rounding up or down. The longer I think about it, the less impressed I find things. Like, the empathic feedback was all upside because neither ever got grumpy at the other or exasperated or any of those normal emotions that make it really good that your spouse isn't in your head all the time. So let's call it a strong four stars on rounding?
A note about Steamy: There's enough to amount to two explicit sex scenes putting this in the middle of my steam tolerance. Seriously, though, I skimmed more than not. It was completely gratuitous and felt more than a little tacked on....more
I've really enjoyed a different series by the author and this looked like it was going to be more of the same so I signed right up for more! And it toI've really enjoyed a different series by the author and this looked like it was going to be more of the same so I signed right up for more! And it totally is more of the same. It's a bit hard to pin down in genre terms because while the setting is space fantasy the story is very much romance. So there's an action/adventure plot, but the primary story revolves around two characters coming to trust and love one another. It's my catnip, but there aren't a lot of books in this completely made up sub-genre so it's hard to compare.
Anyway, this delivers all the right beats. Octavia is our single PoV character and she's smart and determined and runs a crew of bounty hunters with a bit of a Firefly flavor—i.e. they're scraping by as best they can, avoiding the more questionable jobs and staying true to the crew. Octavia's crew served with her in a war not many years in the past and they have trust and scars and loyalty and shared pain as a result. But they are a bit down on their luck so when a huge job lands in her lap she finds herself making deals with the devil.
Because of the romance aspect, you know that there is more to Torran than there appears at first. After all, we're going to have to buy him as a match and partner with Tavi so you can see his own strength and determination and sense of honor despite them often being at odds. I loved seeing them come to terms with one another and taking on obstacles that get thrown in their way (sometimes finding those obstacles in each other). He has some serious conflicts of interest pulling at him and you can see that he's doing his best to navigate some tough choices. And Tavi doesn't let up on him even a little bit when he's in a hard place that puts them at odds. I loved that she does this and that he has to acknowledge the justice of her accusations even as he tries to mitigate as much damage as he can.
There are a bunch of side characters along the way as both Tavi and Torran have long-standing crew with them, each with their own issues and reasons for their loyalty. So at least half the story is trying to intermesh the crews so that they'll work together to solve the very large problems they'll face. Mihalik does a great job juggling all the different personalities and without letting any of them take center stage away from the main couple. This is amazing in retrospect because it felt natural while reading so kudos to her for making it look easy. And if Tavi's pet, Luna, doesn't steal your heart I can't vouch that you have one.
Anyway, I really liked this. The pace was outstanding. The main couple were everything I love in a romance. And I can't wait to spend some time with the other crew members as they get the spotlight in upcoming stories in the series. I'm calling it five stars, but bear in mind that it's a specific taste and/or tone that carries a lot of the payload so your mileage could certainly vary.
A note about Steamy: There are two explicit sex scenes with some extra fiddling about to add flavor putting this on the low end of my steam tolerance. Some of that may be that I mostly skimmed the last, biggest one because it was completely gratuitous by that point in the story. By that point of the story, they were already as intimately committed as you'd like so I felt no need to go there....more
This is third in a series and, unlike the others, it weaves events and threads from the others into its plotline. So I recommend reading the others fiThis is third in a series and, unlike the others, it weaves events and threads from the others into its plotline. So I recommend reading the others first. Both of them.
Having read the others, you know what you're getting with this one. Cat hasn't been on-stage much, but Alex was all over Aurora Blazing. So I'll say that this is between the first and second in quality. The romance is stronger and their relationship and trust builds naturally and I really liked seeing them work together. Cat is a bit less integrated than the other two and her journey is all about discovering who she is and what she wants. Which isn't a bad thing, just not as strong a character arc as the others, I think.
The pace of this one is faster and the stakes are higher. Which it needed to be as the last book in the trilogy. The other books have shown the rot at the core of the system the von Hasenberg's are at the top of so a big disruption is needed to get to a place where we can believe that the morality and kindness we've seen so far from the von Hasenberg scions can be established and become self-sustaining. Mihalik manages this, but again, not to the standards you'd expect in a series where the sci-fi was predominant.
Anyway, this is a solid four stars and I really liked both leads and their relationship was excellent. I love how well Mihalik shows miscommunication between partners and their efforts to learn, understand, and adapt. Love it! I look forward to what she comes up with next.
A note about Steamy: There are two explicit sex scenes and some fiddling around, but they're all short (necessarily, see pacing above). So this is still on the light side of my steam tolerance, but only just. Frankly, by the time we get to them, I thought I'd end up skimming because the emotional arc had already culminated as far as I was concerned. But it was so short, I had just gotten to the skim impulse when I noticed a section break was immanent......more
This is second in a series and characters from the first show up and are important for parts of the plot. I highly recommend reading the other first.
CThis is second in a series and characters from the first show up and are important for parts of the plot. I highly recommend reading the other first.
Can I start by gushing about my love of that cover? I'm pretty sure that cover brought the series to my attention. And the story wasn't bad, either, though like the first, romance is the primary influence with sci-fi a secondary effect on plot and relationship interactions. So if you're looking for clever worldbuilding, interesting gadgetry, or political maneuverings with entire planets on the line they are there but in service to the romance structure. Indeed, if you want to go on straight story structure and character dynamic this is closer to a fantasy in a lot of ways. Just with space magic (adding "space" as a modifier makes everything better. Try it! "space ship" "space scalpel" "space weasel" "space gum" "space jacket" "space heater"—okay maybe not everything)
Sadly, being primarily romance is problematic in this story because so much of the relationship between these two happened in the past. Mihalik tells us some things about it, but that means a lot of their dynamic is opaque to start. And this isn't helped by Ian being a giant jerk for the first, oh, third of the story. He says some things that really hurt her and while he seems unaware of it that doesn't make it any better. And when he (view spoiler)[betrays her trust by working a back-deal with someone she needs information from (hide spoiler)] I recoiled a bit. That was such a betrayal of her on so many levels. I'm glad that Bianca called him on it and that she outright told him how he had broken her trust and that had some effect in subsequent events where he needed that trust. But it still felt like she forgave him too soon and that the extension of trust afterwards came from her on the grounds that "trust must start somewhere". Yes, this is true, but maybe let him be a partner in that somehow? Like groveling would have been good. Or him expressing trust in her?
Which all sounds dire when the fact is I liked Bianca from the start and Ian wasn't that bad when he wasn't manipulating her for her own good. If you give the story its space magic with her hidden ability then the whole plot flows together very well and I loved the fast pace and the things that drove them to working together. And I really liked how once Ian had made the choice and gone all-in he stayed solid and proved himself very well. Enough that, yes, I'm willing to see him as a solid partner with Bianca and I'm happy they found each other in the end. Though him tacking on an "I've been in love with you since [blah]" was cheap and stupid because if you take that seriously then him being such a serious buttchomp earlier makes even less sense and I'd maybe want to revisit that whole redemption arc thing...
So this is a solid 3½ stars that I'm rounding to four on the strength of Bianca and the action-packed story I had a hard time putting down. It wasn't as fantastic as the first, but I'm still very interested in picking up the next.
A note about Steamy: There are a couple of explicit sex scenes putting this in the middle of my steam tolerance. I'm glad they happened after Ian mostly redeemed himself because I was able to go with the reality of their growing intimacy and see the commitment they'd developed by that time....more
This might as well have been written for me; a wish-fulfillment romance transported competently to a sci-fi setting (with a plot that holds together) This might as well have been written for me; a wish-fulfillment romance transported competently to a sci-fi setting (with a plot that holds together) and a helping of competence porn with found-family thrown in for spice? Yeah, sign me up for that! I can see why others might hesitate because the sci-fi is the vehicle for the romance. So it's not the focus and if you're expecting space opera or cultural exploration or alien interactions or lots of complicated worldbuilding this is not that. But it is a lovely romance and I really liked the main character and Marcus grew on me the way someone should if I want him to be with someone I like and care about.
Competence porn is tougher to pull off in romance than people think, which now I think on it, explains why Leverage and Hustle never much bothered with romantic subplots. Hmmmm. Christian Kane. Sorry, where was I? Wow, he'd be perfect to play Marcus in a film of this story. Hmmmm. Crap. Right. Anyway, most competence porn requires big obstacles and working together in complimentary roles. So throwing romantic conflict in the middle of that tends to adulterate those important elements and slow the pacing down if it isn't managed carefully. Mihalik managed this mainly by having both leads used to running solo and leaning into their strengths. So the romantic conflict folds into their learning to trust each other and incorporate their varied strengths into their planning and execution of the things they need to accomplish.
So I loved seeing them trade off rescuing one another and learning to trust despite both having backgrounds full of betrayal and loneliness. Indeed, seeing them connect and recognizing how alone they had been while finding that connection was a great emotional high and a highlight of the story for me. My heart was engaged immediately with Ada and her plight that kept her far from the siblings she loved. And seeing her fall for Marcus and having them choose to trust and be vulnerable was outstanding. I particularly liked that in the later parts of their relationship development they explicitly call out the missteps brought by miscommunication and let that impel them past later-stage conflict through having the hard talks. I loved that so very much!
So I'm going to be the rare all-out fan among my friends who have read this and give it all five stars. Recognize that this is very much my kind of story and that the primacy of the romance exactly fits my reading preferences. And I can't wait to read the next in the series because, in true romance series fashion, it is a new couple and I really liked what we got of Bianca in this story.
A note about Steamy: There are three explicit sex scenes putting this in the middle of my steam tolerance. The first two were pretty well done and a great illustration of their tentative, but growing, intimacy. The last was pretty much gratuitous and reminded me that this is likely also a bit new adult if you go with romance subgenres....more
This is two novellas that a couple reviews indicate are needed background for a series I was interested in. I generally skip novellas in series, but IThis is two novellas that a couple reviews indicate are needed background for a series I was interested in. I generally skip novellas in series, but I took a shot on this one. And it mostly worked out.
Both stories are well-written and have a good pace and interesting characters. The motivation of the bad guys is a bit obscure with hints of a bigger conspiracy centered around greedy capitalist "smugglers" who want to, I dunno, make money or something. Unlike the good people of the Verdant String who enjoy the "citizenship dividend" of living in a collective where nobody is allowed to amass "too much" private wealth. The individual bad-guys in each story had relatively clear short-term goals (steal a thing, blow up a thing, whatever) and a squad-based team hierarchy so that kind of worked. But the broader goals and strategic planning just weren't there at all so once we meet the big-bad in a given scenario the question "why are we here, again" becomes a nagging one that has no answer. Which is too bad, because it seems like Diener is trying to lay hints for a bigger structure or story arc and that ended up feeling like it might be no more than a simplistic "capitalists suck"
The more interesting background was with the Halatians—survivors of a planetary disaster that was made the more tragic by the greed of the pirates who captured the survivors in order to ransom them only to run up against inaction by the Verdant Stringers arguing about whether to give in to extortion. Since the water of their home planet (or something) give them distinctive blue hair, these survivors are readily identifiable and tend to evoke both shame and protective instincts now that everyone knows they were failed so spectacularly in the recent (10 years ago) past. So both plots involved people taking Halatian women hostage because that guilt/protective thing makes them great leverage for getting what they want.
Both these stories were a bit too short for the romance at their core to develop very well. Both have a Halatian woman being thrown together with a military guy. The women are each capable and level-headed, the military guys are interested/intrigued. Smitten, even. Significant glances are shared. Brief exchanges reassure each that the other is similarly smitten. They work together to beat the bad guys. The "smitten" is pretty much taken for granted, though, so while I liked the leads and want them together, there's not much relationship development going on.
Anyway, that seems like a lot of griping and weakness for two stories that are, individually and collectively, four-star reads. The action is fast-paced. The characters are intriguing. The tactic-level events hold together very well. And I like seeing capable people being resourceful.
A note about Chaste: Both stories are chaste. Probably because there's little room for much more than significant glances. I don't remember if there are even any kisses, now I think on it. Huh. So yeah...
A note about politics: Please don't take my comments above as an invitation to argue political systems. My only point is that the background is surface, at best, with the author making intriguing generalizations about how things work but without actually exploring/supporting them. This is fine for her story because it isn't about the politics. It might be interesting to explore those generalizations in ways that many have used sci-fi for in the past, but that isn't what Diener has chosen to do, here....more
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