To Save A Life by Rachel Leigh Smith #futuristic #romance

Title: To Save A Life (A'yen's Legacy #3)
Author: Rachel Leigh Smith
Genre: Futuristic Romance
Publisher: Rachel Leigh Smith
Available: Amazon $4.99 (Kindle) 354 pages
Rating: 5*
Rater: Pippa




Blurb:
A'yen's loved ones are under attack. To save them, he'll risk everything.

Half the Lokmane are free and the resettling of Lok'ma is in progress. A'yen is crowned king, but it isn't stopping his enemies. Someone is after Ro, and the woman he's falling in love with is caught in the middle.

When Fae is injured in a cave-in at a dig site, A'yen knows who's to blame. Proving it is the hard part. Things get worse when he walks into a political trap, and Ro is framed for murder. Saving his reputation is easy compared to saving Ro. Ro's demons come for him, taking him back to a life not worth living.

A'yen races to save Ro before he can act on his deepest desire: killing his tormentor. Happily ever after can't happen if Ro is dead.

Note: The first three A'yen's Legacy futuristic romances are best read in order.

What I liked:
This is back to the full on angst and emotional punch of book one, though this time focused on A'yen's linked bodyguard, Ro. And this is a torturous, no-holds-barred look at the pain, humiliation and brutality experienced by those considered lowest on the Lokmane slaves. Ro's blue ink mark him as not only open for the use and abuse of any human, but hatred and distrust from his own people. In this universe, you can't come any lower than a sex slave. If anyone deserves a happily ever after, it's Ro, and despite everything, despite his own conviction he's unworthy of even a moment of kindness, he's a good man.

What I didn't like:
Nothing.

In conclusion:
This is a huge step back up from book two in terms of emotional punch and action, while still moving the politics forward. It's also moved from focusing on A'yen and Farran to Ro, though both men will are put through hell. The bedroom scenes are all closed doors, but you are left in no doubt about the absolute torture Ro is put through, an example of the all too common treatment of his people in this universe. If you like to see your heroes tortured beyond your endurance but with a HFN, in a rich, complex and well-drawn out future universe, this is the book for you.

The King's Mistress (A'yen's Legacy 2) by Rachel Leigh Smith #futuristic #romance

Title: The King's Mistress (A'yen's Legacy #2)
Author: Rachel Leigh Smith
Genre: Futuristic Romance
Publisher: Rachel Leigh Smith
Available: Amazon $4.99 (Kindle) 347 pages
Rating: 4*
Rater: Pippa




Blurb:

Freedom has a cost. Can A'yen pay it without losing his soul?

Liberation of the enslaved Lokmane begins with the king's family. A'yen and Fae agree to visit the Hidden, a group of escaped Lokmane, to protect his identity while the Shadows make their move with emancipation acts. But A'yen is not prepared for the prejudice rampant in the Hidden, or their lack of patience for him. and his new linked bodyguard is unstable to the point A'yen fears for the young man's sanity.

Upon returning to Titan, A'yen is kidnapped and taken to the largest breeding farm in the galaxy. This time he'll be himself even if it kills him. His resolve to unite his people grows as he wonders if he'll live long enough to do it.

With A'yen kidnapped, Fae returns to the Lokmane homeworld seeking the final pieces of what happened two thousand years ago when they were conquered and enslaved. Getting as far away from her father as possible is the only way to keep her from disappearing too.

Separated by light years, A'yen and Fae have to stand alone and fight for their right to live in freedom. No matter the cost.

Note: The first three A'yen's Legacy futuristic romances are best read in order.

What I liked:
As always, Smith plays on the emotions of the reader with her tortured heroes, and the theme of slavery and what it means to be a slave, to have no rights of your own including what you do with your own body. The political situations and implications of this universe as a whole and what the abolishment of slavery would take and its consequences are fully explored and deftly explained without being an info dump. You see it clearly through the eyes of all those affected, on both sides of the battle. There are multiple story threads woven throughout, some tied off in this book but others still to be settled. The world building and its gritty realism are perfectly done.

What I didn't like:
Considering the title, Fae came across as very much background in this story, a fill in between the events with Ro and A'yen. The pace was slower, with less action, and less angst, and even the big reveal in this one was kind of half-hearted and not really played out well. There was also way too much hugging, touching and cupping of faces in the first third of the book, to the point I got irritated. I understand touch plays an important part in the Lokmane society, but it felt overkill.

In conclusion:
This did not live up to its title in my opinion, and wasn't up to the same standard as the first book (in terms of action and emotion, though not a fault in the writing itself). While I can see the necessity for the book to have progressed in the way it did - moving the massive political machine forward to the required level for book three and the crawl towards freedom - it was rather like the political intrigue and underhand dealings of the Trade Federation in the Star Wars prequels: slow and not much action or angst other than that provided by the introduction of Ro. Considering the title, I expected Fae to be much more the focus of this story. However, it is still an enjoyable read (if a little frustrating), and I was still eager to read the next because so much in this book promises more explosive happenings later on. For those who prefer paranormal elements in their scifi romance rather than heavy on the SF, with thorough and in-depth world building, and for the hero-centric.

Violet Haze by CE Kilgore #scifi #romance #spaceopera

Title: Violet Haze (Corwint Central Agent Files)
Author: CE Kilgore
Genre: Scifi Romance
Publisher: Tracing the Stars
Available: Amazon $2.99 (Kindle) 96 pages
Rating: 5*
Rater: Pippa




Blurb:
Caleb finds himself evolving beyond the boundaries he was programmed with as Corwint struggles to find stability during the Mechatronic Automaton rights movement. Meeting Violet, a rare female Mecha, encourages him to follow the evolution to its fullest potential, while violent events surrounding the rights movement pushes them both to stand up for acknowledgment of their existence and their right to live equally.

Author's Note: The events of this story begin 32 years prior to the events in Book 1: Ghost In The Machine, and end after Book 3: Tracing The Stars, but it can be read as a stand alone story.

What I liked:
I have a serious thing for Kilgore's mecha, and in Violet Haze it's pretty much ALL mecha. A beautifully written short that follows the sentient development of the mecha, from emotional awakening, their fight to be recognized as sentient beings with the rights of individuals, and the terrible consequences they and their supporters face. Wonderfully done, it questions what it means to be alive.

What I didn't like:
I wish it could have been longer. The story is fully complete, but I wanted more! Also, because the Mechatronic Automatons live so long, this covers a much longer time scale than some of the other characters in the Corwint Universe, and as such I felt a tad lost. It's difficult to adjust my personal sense of time to that of the mechas in the story. Not a complaint, just a niggle.

In conclusion:
This is a wonderful, sweet and thought-provoking story of the sentient awakening of the mechas, and what the people who support them also sacrifice to help them reach their full potential and gain their rights as free thinking, feeling individuals. Less explicit than some of the others in this series if you're sensitive to sexual content, light on the SF elements, and a sweet, slow burn romance. Loved it.

Girl from Above: Trapped by Pippa DaCosta #spaceopera

Title: Girl from Above: Trapped (Book 3 of The 1000 Revolution)
Author: Pippa DaCosta
Genre: Space Opera
Publisher: Self
Available: Amazon $2.99 (Kindle) 182 pages
Rating: 5*
Rater: Pippa




Blurb:
"When are you going to stop running, Caleb?"

Taking the synth to the casino capital of the nine systems seemed like a great idea at the time, but as Caleb Shepperd's many enemies close in, he only has one way out. He must betray #1001.

Caleb can't make the same mistake twice. Can he?

#1001 has a price on her head. The Fenrir Nine and Chitec will stop at nothing to secure her secrets. The very same secrets that riddle her synthetic mind with faults.

Her systems are failing.

And the one man she's come to trust may prove to be her enemy.

The sizzling, fast-paced, and action packed science-fiction continues in Trapped.

Reading order:
Girl From Above 1: Betrayal
Girl From Above 2: Escape
Girl From Above 3: Trapped
Girl From Above 4: Trust (coming soon)

WARNING: 18+ only. Adult content. Including sex, drug use, violence, & swearing.

What I liked:
Okay, okay, so I've finally stopped hating Caleb (though I still don't like him much). However, his total and utter remorse is finally winning me over, although I'd like to see him stop thinking with his libido (unlikely, I'm sure). Chuffed to see my suspicions about a certain character proved correct. Again, this is superbly written, fast paced and tension packed space opera. There are still the merest hints of a potential romantic HEA, but nowhere near enough for me to label this as a romance of any kind. The SF elements aren't too heavy for those afraid of being blinded by futuristic science, but enough that it satisfies my need for SF world building and the futuristic, advanced tech feel I prefer.

What I didn't like:
Caleb is still a jerk. But that's about all I can put under this heading.

In conclusion:
A tense and exciting penultimate book that has me anxiously awaiting book four with almost the same level of anticipation as going to see The Force Awakens. And that's high praise from me. This one also squeezed that extra star from me to make the 5, which my previous dislike for the 'hero' prevented me from giving. So there you go. Even a jerk can win me over if he's redeemed enough. Not for those who don't like explicit sex, violence, and lots of swearing but definitely for those who like flying by the seat of your pants action SF, and this one has quite a cliff-hanger ending.

I was given a copy of the book by the author for an unbiased and honest review.