Posts Tagged ‘Futuristic’
Celene Jur wants to catch the man who disabled her space ship and led to her being put on the auction block as a slave before she was rescued. Chain Reaction by Zoe Archer begins with the intel coming through that a machine exists that can take out the controls of the fighter ships, Celene is determined to be the person who brings that machine in. Celene’s commanding officer is willing to let her go after the machine but only if she agrees to take a person from Nerdworks, the tech support side of the group. Celene doesn’t want to let an untrained non-warrior watch her back as they go after the machine.
Nils Calder realizes that the warriors view the techie works like himself as a fairly useless but Nils is determined to bring down the inventor of the machine and he realizes his special skills are needed to bring them down. In addition, Nils has found himself attracted to Celene in the past but warriors don’t mingle with Nerdworks.
I enjoyed Chain Reaction so much I immediately went out and bought Collision Course so I could get more details about Celene’s capture and rescue. The emotional complexity of the characters was well done and I loved how both main characters were strong individuals but how achieving your goals can also bring about problems. I have been on a space opera kick lately and Zoe Archer’s 8th Wing series is a great world. If you are a fan of either Star Wars or Farscape then you would enjoy Chain Reaction.
You can read an excerpt here.
8th Wing Reading Order:
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Title: Chain Reaction
Author: Zoe Archer
Format: eBook
AISN: B006BVTC5G
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: January 9, 2011
Available for purchase: Amazon, eHarlequin
Reviewer: Jessica
**I received a copy of this book from NetGalley but was not required to provide a review and it did not impact my review in any way.
Torrie Masters has had to work hard to convince her family to let her captain one of the freighters in their space transport company but she could lose that right when space pirates capture her ship on her very first run. Unmasked by C.J. Barry begins with Torrie about to go down with the ship after having sent her crew off in a escape pod, but then the computer malfunction corrects itself and she finds herself being boarded by space pirates. Torrie isn’t about to let some space pirate ruin her flight, she is determined to track it and deliver it no matter who gets in her way.
Qaade has never left a captain alive from one of his pirate raids but something about Torrie makes him decide to let her live. He never suspects that Torrie will track him down and almost cost him everything he holds dear. Qaade decides to teach Torrie a lesson but as they spend time together they both are forced to reevaluate their preconceived notions. As they are drawn together, will these differences keep them apart?!
Unmasked is the fourth book in the Unforgettable series. After three books in the series, I was a little nervous that Unmasked would be a bit too formulaic but this was not the case. I was excited that Torrie got her own story after her initial appearance in Unleashed. Torrie is a strong female lead, which she has to be with so many older brothers, but she has a soft gooey center that makes her so loveable. Qaade is the strong hero who takes on the sins of the world onto his own shoulders, never giving himself a break and seeing the small picture instead of the big picture that could help relieve him of some of the responsibility resting on his shoulders. The interplay between the two characters was great and in a small way tied into Unleashed but not enough that if you haven’t read the book you would be lost.
You can read an excerpt here.
Unforgettable Series:
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Title: Unmasked
Author: C.J. Barry
Format: eBook
AISN: B005JSK21U
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: October 2011
Available for purchase: Amazon, eHarlequin
Reviewer: Jessica
**I received a copy of this book from NetGalley but was not required to provide a review and it did not impact my review in any way.
Lacey Garrett is in a bad place, not only did her ex-fiance dump her, he stole half her company and all her livelihood while he was at it. Now that she is barely eking out an existence, Lacey finds herself providing free technical support for other techies in the industry. Unleashed by C.J. Barry begins with Lacey answering a complex question via email to a ZMasters, little does she know that ZMasters is Zain Masters,a humanoid alien, stuck in a trap who desperately needs her help to escape.
Zain is a planetary cartographer, meaning he spends his time charting new planets by himself but when he gets caught in an unexpected trap on a distant planet his only solution is to transport Lacey to his ship to read the equations that are giving him so much trouble. It should be a quick transfer in and then out but when the computer systems fail Lacey is trapped on the planet with Zain and it is going to take all they have just to get out a live. As the danger escalates, Zain struggles to fight against hi growing attraction for Lacey but he must because he can only bring danger to her life.
Unleashed is the third book in the Unforgettable series by C.J. Barry and does not disappoint. Lacey’s character is charming and lovably flawed. After getting out of an emotionally abuse relationship with Bob, Lacey, after therapy, is struggling to get her life back together. One of my favorite moments in the book is when she names the carnivore creatures that are trying to eat her and Zain Bobzillas. Zain is dealing with his own emotional baggage after being in the military for so long and his partner being killed in action, I found myself just wanting to give him a hug and tell him everything was going to be allright. Despite the Unforgettable series taking place in space, Barry does a great job of including memorable creatures and I love that Lacey ends up getting transported with her cat, so not only is Zane dealing with Lacey on his small space ship, he also has to accept her cat. Unleashed is a great third installment in the series and was a quick, entertaining sci-fi read.
You can read an excerpt here.
Unforgettable Series:
Rating:
Content:
Title: Unleashed
Author: C.J. Barry
Format: eBook
AISN: B005JSK2II
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: October 2011
Available for purchase: Amazon, eHarlequin
Reviewer: Jessica
**I received a copy of this book from NetGalley but was not required to provide a review and it did not impact my review in any way.
So are all mysteries the same? Any bedroom sleuth will tell your there are worlds of difference between a cozy mystery and a historical serial killer mystery. From cozy mysteries to thrillers, serial killers to romantic suspense everyone loves a little Murder and Mayhem in their novels. This month Novel Reaction is excited to discuss and explore all things Murder and Mayhem. What makes a good suspenseful novel? What is it that keeps you on the edge of your seat, staying up reading way past the time you should be asleep just see if you are right about your suspicions as to who the murderer is? Is it the setting? The characters? The murder itself? We are going to explore all of these options this month. We have a slew of author guest posts lined up, giveaways and a visit from a brick and mortar bookstore The Poisoned Pen specializing in mystery novels located in Scottsdale, Arizona with a great online presence. In addition, we have some great giveaways donated by some of our great author visitors and publishers.
No murder is complete without a murder weapon, so to begin with our month of Murder and Mayhem I am giving away a murder weapon (okay, so it is really a Nerf gun) and a surprise mystery novel. To be entered to win this amazing prize pack just tell me your favorite murder weapon. One of our regular reviewers, Jillian, swears the perfect murder weapon is an icicle, stab someone and then the weapon melts, destroying the evidence. The main problem I have with this weapon is I live in Phoenix, we have a shortage of icicles and even if I was able to get my hands on one them it would melt before I could get it anywhere in the 112 degree weather we have right now.
To be entered simply leave a comment stating your favorite murder weapon. This contest is limited to US and Canadian residents only (sorry international readers, I just can’t afford to ship it to you). The contest ends September 29th at midnight. Make sure you check back regularly this month as we will have other great giveaways and events going on.
