Category: Sci-fi Romance

Feature Post and Book Review: Only Bad Options by Jennifer Estep

Book Description

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Estep blasts off with an exciting new science-fiction fantasy adventure with a dash

of historical romance. This action-packed space opera features a mix of magic and technology, along with a soul mates and enemies-to-lovers story.

A WOMAN WHO SEES EVERYTHING . . .

Few people know the name Vesper Quill. To most folks, I’m just a lowly lab rat who designs brewmakers and other household appliances in the research and development lab at the powerful Kent Corp. But when I point out a design flaw and a safety hazard in the new line of Kent Corp spaceships, everyone knows who I am—and wants to eliminate me.

I might be a seer with a photographic memory, but I don’t see the trouble headed my way until it’s too late. Suddenly, I’m surrounded by enemies and fighting for my life.

I don’t think things can get any worse until I meet Kyrion Caldaren, an arrogant Regal lord who insists that we have a connection, one that could be the death of us both.

A MAN WHO CAN’T FORGET HIS PAST . . .

The name Kyrion Caldaren strikes fear in the hearts of people across the Archipelago Galaxy. As the leader of the Arrows, the Imperium’s elite fighting force, I’m used to being a villain, as well as the personal assassin of Lord Callus Holloway. Even the wealthy Regals who live on the planet of Corios are afraid of me.

But everything changes when I meet Vesper Quill. I might be a powerful psion with telepathic, telekinetic, and other abilities, but Vesper sees far too many of my secrets.

Thanks to an arcane, unwanted quirk of psionic magic, the two of us are forced to work together to unravel a dangerous conspiracy and outwit the deadly enemies who want to bend us to their will.

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

ONLY BAD OPTIONS (A Galactic Bonds Book #1) by Jennifer Estep is the start of an electrifying new sci-fi romance/space opera series with smart main characters involved in a slow burn romance and great world-building. I was completely sucked into this new world of royalty, magic, and tech.

Vesper Quill is a considered a lowly lab rat at Kent Corp., but she is able to see problems with products, fix them, and develop new designs for much more. When she discovers a flaw design in the companies new spaceships, she becomes a liability that must be eliminated.

Kyrion Coldren is the most feared warrior of the Imperium’s elite fighting force and the personal assassin of Lord Callus Holloway. When he crosses paths with Vesper on a conscript ship which is meant to be the death of her, she ends up helping them both escape death.

Due to arcane magic, Vesper and Kyrion have a psionic link that neither wants, but to survive the deadly intrigue swirling around them they must work together to uncover a dangerous conspiracy and protect the secret of their link from everyone.

I really enjoyed this new world and thought Vesper and Kyrion are both great new characters. They are smart, determined, and excel at what they do. They also both have backstories that make you feel for them and understand why they act the way they do to all the situations they face. All the psionic abilities, or lack thereof, add interesting twists to the story. The conspiracy plot investigation by Vesper and Kyrion moves at a fast pace, while their romance is a completely different story. While this book does not end on a complete cliff-hanger, it does leave you ready for remaining questions to be answered in the next book.

I recommend this first book in the Galactic Bonds series for the start of a new sci-fi romance/space opera that is riveting.

***

About the Author

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author who prowls the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.

Jennifer is the author of the Elemental Assassin, Section 47, Galactic Bonds, Crown of Shards, Gargoyle Queen, and other fantasy series. She has written more than 40 books, along with numerous novellas and stories.

In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys hanging out with friends and family, doing yoga, and reading fantasy and romance books. She also watches way too much TV and loves all things related to superheroes.

Social Media Links

Website: www.JenniferEstep.com

Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/yyj59omw

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jennifer_Estep

BookBub: https://tinyurl.com/y4dm3zso

Book Review: Duric: A Science Fiction Romance by Athena Storm

RATING: 3 out of 5 Stars

Occasionally, I enjoy reading a sci-fi romance book just for the fun and simply campy enjoyment of the world-building and the explicit sex scenes. DURIC: A Science Fiction Romance (Trident Alliance Mail Order Brides Book 2) by Athena Storm is one of those stories.

Daphne Moebius is a member of the Interstellar Human Confederation. The ship she is travelling on is attacked and destroyed by an Odex assault ship. She is the only survivor and is rescued by a Vakutan warrior.

Duric is a seven-foot tall, alpha Vakutan warrior whose ship attempts to help the ship under attack. After his rescue of the only surviving human, his ship is also damaged beyond repair. He directs his crew to set for a crash landing on the closest moon of Aenexia that supports human life. After the crash landing, Duric and Dapne are the sole survivors.

The enemy ship has also been damaged beyond repair and crash lands on the same moon. Duric and Daphe travel to get as far away as they can, but is it enough if their enemies from the Ataxia Coalition have survived? Stranded together the pair has to learn to work together to survive and in the process discover their feelings for each other are more than they expect.

I enjoyed this quick sci-fi romance book. It is the second Mail Order Bride book in a four book series that stands on its own. The world-building was well done and put me in the fantasy world, but I did not read how this was a mail order bride story. There were also a few typos that should have been caught in editing before publication that threw me out of the fantasy in a few crucial places. The sex scenes were explicit, erotic and steamin’ hot, but also at times some word choices and phrases were campy and not what I would usually find in a current romance. That said, it was still a fun, sexy and entertaining quick read and just the escapism I was looking for.

Thanks very much to Booksprout for this eARC for review.

Book Review: Jake’s Redemption: The Angel Eyes Series Prequel by Jamie Schulz

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

JAKE’S REDEMPTION: THE ANGEL EYES SERIES PREQUEL by Jamie Schulz Is a full length prequel to a new dystopian, western, sci-fi romance mash-up series. This story pulled me in right from the first chapter. The author brings you into a new world order in which females are in charge and the institution of slavery has reappeared. All of the characters in this book have survived the war, but some are much more damaged than others.

*WARNING: This book is written with authenticity to the sci-fi story so there are triggers for more sensitive readers which include scenes of abuse, torture, non-consent, rape and slavery.

Jake Nichols is trapped and enslaved. After two years of torture and abuse by his sadistic owner, he is loaned out to a neighboring fledgling rancher who needs his services as a builder. What he discovers is an owner unlike his Mistress, who does not believe in cruelty and submission. He begins to feel like the man he was before he was captured, but this is only a temporary reprieve. As much as he dares to hope for a future on the ranch with his new owner, he is afraid he must try to escape before he is returned to his Mistress. Death would be better than returning.

Monica Avery has given up on finding love. She works instead at sheltering those under her care from the harsh realities of this new society. When Jake comes to work for her, she is intrigued by him. He wants nothing to do with the females on the ranch, but he shows his caring nature with his treatment of the children and his respect of those who work with him. Monica wants Jake to care for her, but she knows he has been damaged and is just starting to trust she is not like other females. Can she rescue Jake from returning to a captivity that will destroy him?

As the slow burning romance between Jake and Monica grows, you are introduced to a whole host of secondary characters. Ms. Schulz has done a great job of world-building. I never felt bogged down by info or character overload. Every scene was interesting and integral to the plot and world-building. This is an emotionally charged story of a dark future where it does not seem females learned their lessons from the past. If you are looking for an extremely well written new story that is different from the norm, I can definitely recommend this book to you. I am anxiously waiting for the next book in this proposed six book series!

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.

Book Review: Last Rights by Ava Bradley

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

I have just finished a story by another fabulous new-to-me author who had me on the edge of my seat in suspense, crying and laughing, morally debating cloning and hot and twitchy with short, but steamy sex scenes.

LAST RIGHTS by Ava Bradley was a romantic suspense set in the future that starts from the very first page at jet speed and does not let up.

P.I. Fallon Monroe is sent by her sister to retrieve her nephew’s clone for life saving heart transplant surgery. Fallon soon comes to realize this clone is not just a lump of cells, but an exceptionally gifted little boy who calls himself, Jamie. The cloning company does not want people to know the true reality of the clones and a terrorist group wants to set this child up as a symbol to get the country to change the cloning laws.

Special Ops Lieutenant John White is awakened from a medically induced healing coma as Fallon and Jamie burst into his hospital room attempting escape. He does not know why, but he knows he has to protect these two above all else. John and Fallon will do anything to protect Jamie, but each is also harboring a secret that they fear could change the feelings that are beginning to blossom between them.

I did not want to put this book down. The chase and suspense were always constant. Fallon, John and Jamie are wonderfully realistic characters that I fell in love with. Cloning is debated, not just in the hypothetical, but by making you fall in love with characters it effects and makes you think about what you would do and how you feel. I never felt it was preachy because the author made you feel Fallon’s heart wrenching decisions as she made them.

This story had everything I am looking for in a romantic suspense and more. I highly recommend this story and I will definitely be looking for more from this author.

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.com.

 

Book Review: When Darkness Whispers by Lisa Carlisle

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

WHEN DARKNESS WHISPERS by Lisa Carlisle is a mix of military romantic suspense, paranormal/urban fantasy and serial killer thriller all woven together to make an AMAZING book!

Eva Montreaux is a biologically enhanced Marine. She leads the NEO (Night Eagle Operations) team 17 sent to Okinawa to investigate who or what is brutally murdering American servicemen. With the increased tensions between the American military and the Japanese it is essential to solve and stop these killings as soon as possible. As she works with her special team, she runs into military colleagues from her time in Afghanistan, but her enhancements have made that portion of her memory incomplete until she sees Gunny Delacruz.

Gunnery Sergeant Marcos Delacruz has had three years since Eva left Afghanistan to come to terms with promises not kept. When he runs into Eva on Okinawa, he cannot believe she shows no emotion at seeing him again. The past will have to be dealt with, but right now he is on a mission. With his special ability to communicate with spirits, his superiors hope he can solve the serial murders. What he does not expect is to continually cross paths with Eva during the investigation.

Eva and Marcos both have secrets that cannot be revealed to others in regards to their missions. They also have misunderstandings that are tied to their pasts in Afghanistan. As Eva struggles to remember Marcos and their shared past, they both have to find a serial killer that does not appear to be human.

I loved this whole book. Eva and Marcos are great main characters that are fully fleshed with flashbacks that in no way confuse or interfere with the main plot. Trust is a huge issue for them in the past and present that has to be resolved for them to work together. Their romance is written past and present and grows throughout the story. There is great sexual tension as well as tender yet hot sex scenes.  I also really enjoyed the last chapter of this book which is unique.

Ms. Carlisle has delivered a well written military romantic suspense with paranormal characters. She has then intertwined the whole story with Japanese folk lore that adds to the uniqueness of the story. This is a book that I highly recommend!

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.com.

Book Review: Clone Me a Lover by Rosalie Redd

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

CLONE ME A LOVER (An Interstellar Lovers Novella) by Rosalie Redd is an enjoyable and quick sci-fi romance novella and a possible start to a new series.

Angelo Thirteen is a human clone from future Earth who desires to fall in love. All emotions have been banned on Earth, but Angelo Thirteen is good at hiding his so he will not be sent for reprogramming. When the spaceship he is piloting is hit by space junk, the pods disengage and his pod is sent tumbling into deep space. Before he passes out, all he regrets is that his chance to escape Earth and live a free life with emotions is over.

Elle is an Altonian spaceship captain on a mission. She must sell her payload to get the money to free her brother from a future in her home world’s prison mines and pay off her beloved ship. When she rescued the pod from space, she was not expecting to find a sexy life form on board. She has to keep to her goal, but this human clone keeps surprising her with his gentleness and kindness which is breaking down the hardened wall around her heart.

For the short length and the introduction of new world-building, this is a well written sci-fi romance. The sex scene was hot and sexy and well placed in the story. Both Angelo and Elle are well portrayed and realistically change and grow together in this short romance plot. My only problem with this story was the harsh transition between Chapters 2 and 3. It pulled me out of the story and had me checking back if I missed something.

Other than that one point in the story, it flows very well and had me anxiously waiting for how this author would give me my HEA. I was not disappointed and will be looking for more books in this series in the future.

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.com.