Title: Chain Reaction (8th Wing #2)
Author: Zoe Archer
Genre: Scifi Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Digital Sales Corp
Available: Amazon $2.99 (Kindle) 139 pages
Rating: 4*
Rater: Pippa
Blurb:
Elite 8th Wing pilot Celene Jur was taken captive after a mysterious device temporarily disabled her ship's controls. Three solar months later, when Celene receives intel on the man who built the device, she's ready to get the bastard. Only problem is, the higher-ups think her mission partner should be Nils Calder, a tech-head who can understand the disabling device. The attraction between them is electric, but Celene needs a soldier who can watch her back as she exacts her revenge.
Nils knows his department is nicknamed NerdWorks. Pilots like Celene think the closest tech geeks come to combat is all-night Nifalian chess tournaments. But behind the NerdWorks insignia on his sleeve Nils is an able fighter, ready to prove himself and gain Celene's trust.
The desire between them is unexpected, but with the fate of thousands hanging in the balance, the hotshot pilot and the tech genius must succeed in their mission—no matter the cost.
What I liked:
Some great sensual descriptions, as well as great snark. Beautifully paced tension, especially on the sexual side, and the actions scenes were full of energy. I really liked the character of Nils and how he broke the nerd cliche. There was also nothing heavy about the story.
What I didn't like:
I didn't really connect/empathize with Celene, although perhaps that's because I hadn't read the previous book. There weren't any scenes to emphasize how the whole hero worship thing was actually crippling her love life other than being told backstory. The pace was good until it dropped and became a bit fragmented midway and never quite picked back up for me, especially at the finale. There also wasn't anything ground-breakingly new or different about the story overall.
In conclusion:
This was a quick, light, and fun military SFR story that can be read as a standalone despite being book two of a series. On the downside, it was lacking on the emotional intensity side of the romance for me and missing an explosive final confrontation. If I'm honest I was left a bit disappointed by it. For fans of military scifi romance who aren't into a lot of emotional angst as part of the build up or lots of techy descriptions, and along the lines of a lighter Battlestar Galactica (reboot)/newer Star Trek.
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