Whispers from Exile by CE Kilgore #spaceopera #scifi #romance

Title: Whispers from Exile (Corwint Central Agent Files #2)
Author: CE Kilgore
Genre: Space opera/scifi romance
Publisher: Tracing the Stars
Available: Amazon $0.00 (Kindle) 292 pages
Rating: 4*
Rater: Pippa




Blurb:
A love forbidden, and some would say impossible, forged between two friends as one struggles for the freedom of his people, and the other struggles for freedom from the confining construct of his mechanical existence.
The Ruisks were once a fierce and proud race with courageous spirits, but after over a century of being held captive under the oppressive leash of the Xen'dari Empire, they have become defeated, hollow shells that bow their heads in submission. Larx fights to help his people find their courage again as he seeks the courage to be true to the callings of his heart.
Torque has been a Central Agent for over one hundred and thirty years. Each day is defined by the protocols embedded into the subroutines of his Mechatronic mind. Orders are followed without question and his personal life is never put before the directives of the agency. After learning a groundbreaking truth, he fights to hold on to Larx and a bond that threatens to change his directive-driven world forever.
In Book 2, the rippling effects caused by Orynn's existence continue to move through the universe in unforeseen and unpredictable ways. Whispers of her aura linger, and the lives she touched continue to move the story of the universe forward. Follow the stories of the Central Agents as they continue to search for the truths about their universe and about themselves.
*This book is intended for mature readers and contains mild violence, coarse language and romantic scenes of intimacy.

What I liked:
As always, a well-paced, emotional story, this time with several romances of varying gender and/or species pairings threaded through it (there is something for everyone!) while also going back to the main story for Ethan and Orynn. It progresses the overall series arc, while also focusing on intertwining characters with their own stories. I've developed a sudden obsession with bad boy Merik, because here we see hints that there's more to him under that twisted, murderous exterior.

What I didn't like:
This book didn't gel so well for me. While I bought this as part of the Corwint series rather than as a m/m SciFi romance, the latter is what I expected from the focus of the blurb and the excerpt on the author's website. Instead it was straight back to Orynn and Ethan. While I adore them and was very happy to get back to them after the two side stories between books one and two, it felt like I'd picked up the wrong book to begin with! It took until the end of chapter four to get my bearings when it became the story in the blurb, but it then took several more chapters for it all to come together. I also found the head hopping during the m/m sex scenes very confusing. I almost wonder if it might have been better to have Larx and Torque's romance as a separate story in its own right. There were just too many characters to keep track of and maybe, just maybe, too many romances happening at once.

In conclusion:
A great continuation of the series, full of heart-wrenching romances and tension, though somewhat confusing with the dual main storylines and numerous character POVs. If you like m/m romances, and especially non-human with human or android interactions, this is for you but you need to have at least read book one (the side stories aren't required reading though). As always, Kilgore writes the emotional turmoils of her characters with real impact - if you don't cry at least once you are as heartless as the Xen'dari make out the Mechas to be! Debating whether to go straight to book three or read the side stories first.

Girl from Above: Escape by Pippa DaCosta #spaceopera

Title: Girl from Above: Escape (The 1000 Revolution #2)
Author: Pippa DaCosta
Genre: Space opera
Publisher: Self
Available: Amazon $2.99 (Kindle) 193 pages
Rating: 4*
Rater: Pippa




Blurb:
Caleb Shepperd knows Fran has her own motives for helping him escape prison, but he’s not about to let a little thing like past betrayal stand in the way of his next paycheck. Until he’s forced to meet with the sexy and psychotic pirate, Adelina Cande. They’ve met before. When he seduced her, cleared out her credit account, and left her for dead in-the-black.

Caleb figures Adelina holds a grudge when she plants a bomb on his ship and demands he steal a fleet freighter for her, that is, if he ever wants to fly again. Get him drunk enough and he’ll try anything once, but this time, he has to balance his own greed, with the needs of a vengeful pirate and the scheming of his dubious second-in-command, Fran. What could possibly go wrong?

In the heart of Chitec headquarters, #1001 enlists an eager young technician to aid in her escape. But it’s not freedom she wants. It’s revenge. The memories of a life that don’t belong to her demand she finishes what she started. She believes she killed Caleb, now she's targeting Chitec CEO Chen Hung, and not even the hopeful technician can dissuade her.

What I liked:
Again, well-written, action-packed, and gritty, with an extra few 1000 words taking book two into the novel-length category. A good twist that gave me the shivers and explained a lot. There's a new secondary character that has all kinds of alarm signals going off, but I could just have a suspicious mind. The plot thickens!

What I didn't like:
Caleb is still a jerk. Actually, I'm trying to decide if he was even more of a jerk or not, but either way I really don't want him getting a happily ever after. And this time around, I struggled to reconcile his sensitivity to certain violent events having spent a second term in Asgard where he does all sorts to survive, which seemed abruptly out of character for him.

In conclusion:
Overall I'm enjoying these books, though they are not for the sensitive. Dark, gritty space opera that doesn't hold back, lots of tension, good twists, and the story and characters continue to develop (even if in Caleb's case this means him becoming even more of a jerk). I guess the ending is still a bit of a cliff hanger, though maybe not leaving as much in doubt as the ending of book one. Still no obvious romance, though again elements are hinted at. I'm hooked into reading book three, but disappointed that the release day has had to be pushed back to next year.

Warning: Contains revenge sex, frequent expletives (sometimes in Spanish), and varying levels of violence and gore.

Blood Siren by Michael Formichelli #scifi #spaceopera

Title: Blood Siren (Chronicles of the Orion Spur Book 1)
Author: Michael Formichelli
Genre: Scifi/Space Opera
Publisher: Self
Available: Amazon $2.99 (Kindle) 451 pages
Rating: 4*
Rater: Pippa




Blurb:
Cylus Keltan wants nothing more than to stay out of the poisonous bed of greed and politics, but when his surrogate father throws himself from a mile-high window, he is forced back into the corrupt world he swore never to return to. With the help of Nero Graves, a cybernetic agent, he uncovers a plot to cripple the government and deploy an alien super plague with the potential to kill billions known as "Siren."
Can they discover the link between his friend's death and Siren before it's too late?

What I liked:
Where do I start?! Warring dynasties, political intrigue, murder and mayhem, cool tech, aliens, virtual reality - this is a scifi/space opera of epic proportions and multilayered complexity, with something for pretty much every fan of science fiction. The descriptions are glorious, the characters fascinating and very individual, and the various cultures both alien and 'human' each have a very distinctive and well-thought out uniqueness. The world building alone was A+ for me.

What I didn't like:
While I loved the in-depth descriptions and complex politics, it did make the story on the slow side for me (sorry, I'm not as patient as I used to be!), especially at the midway point. It was also slightly lacking on emotional punch (one reason I tend toward SciFi romance rather than straight SF these days). It ended rather abruptly, but since this is clearly labelled as book one of a series, this was not a huge negative.

In conclusion:
This is not a quick or particularly easy read. It's definitely one more for the classic/epic SF fans who enjoyed books such as Dune or Asimov's Robot series, but with a shinier makeover. This story is what I hoped Jupiter Ascending would be like from the film's appearance, but everything that the film sadly failed to deliver. I'd read the next one for Nero Graves alone.

A Mirror to Life by Jaine Fenn #scifi #postapoc

Title: A Mirror to Life
Author: Jaine Fenn
Genre: Scifi
Publisher: Daybreak Magazine
Available: Free from author's website (pdf)  18 pages
Rating: 5*
Rater: Pippa

Blurb:
I could tell you a few stories about Jaine Fenn (don’t mention the “Sex and the Singularity” panel), but I’ll refrain and concentrate on the story at hand: “A Mirror to Life”.
There are quite a few tentative links between “A Mirror to Life” and a certain story in the SHINE anthology (I’m intentionally being a bit coy: if you read the antho you’ll know which story I mean) that also involves Artificial Intelligences and religion.
In both stories, the Artificial Intelligences seem to have the best with both humanity and the Earth in mind. One major difference being, that while in the SHINE story the AIs wish to prove themselves as benign, in “A Mirror to Life” the AIs supposedly know what’s best for us.
Humanity, though, might disagree…

What I liked:
Another powerful short story to get you thinking. It reminded me of the film version of I, Robot, where the AI decided what was best for humanity was to keep us imprisoned in our homes to prevent any harm to us, with a touch of The Matrix.

What I didn't like:
At first I didn't quite understand the jumps in perspective, but it becomes apparent why as the story progresses.

In conclusion:
Another story to tug at the heartstrings. Post apocalyptic SciFi with a dark edge but also a glimmer of hope for humanity triumphing over the machines.

The Path to the Sun by Jaine Fenn #alternativehistory

Title: A Path to the Sun
Author: Jaine Fenn
Genre: Alternative History
Publisher: N/A
Available: Free from author's website (pdf)  16 pages
Rating: 5*
Rater: Pippa

Blurb: none available.

What I liked:
Wow, so this is not something I would have read before but picked up because I'm a Fenn addict and I've finished the Hidden Empire series. Very intriguing short based on the idea of the Aztecs being the victors against the Spanish instead of being wiped out, and a precursor to WWI. There's a heck of a lot of detail and emotion packed into these 16 pages, centred around an Aztec defector seeking sanctuary with the British government and offering flight technology to aid in the upcoming great war prophesied by his people.

What I didn't like:
Nothing. It just left me stunned.

In conclusion:
I'm honestly not sure who to recommend it to, so I'm just going to recommend it to everyone - it's short and it's free, so what do you have to lose by trying it?! I don't generally read historical or alternative history stories, but I loved this. Not only a great short but an intriguing idea, and very British in tone - if you don't like the idea of something written in early 20th century tone, then this might not be for you.

According to Plan by C.E.Kilgore #spaceopera #scifirom

Title: According to Plan (Corwint Central Agent Files) 1.2
Author: CE Kilgore
Genre: Scifi Romance/Space Opera
Publisher: Tracing the Stars
Available: Amazon $0.00 (Kindle) 52 pages
Rating: 4.5*
Rater: Pippa




Blurb:
Meticulous calculations, weighing the odds, setting up the pieces in proper order and making sure each step had a failsafe and an alternate path should things go unexpectedly. That was Jehdra Szina's forte, her prime skill and her true enjoyment from life. It was challenging, invigorating and empowering.
By the boasting of her superiors, she knew she was damn good at it too. Maybe too good. Maybe so damn good that she had become complacent and her subconscious had slipped on purpose in order to offer her up a real challenge for a change.
How else could she possibly explain the existence of the snoring smuggler next to her? Everything had been planned and accounted for. Everything but Trent.

What I liked:
Again, this is a side story in the main series, but is fine to read as a standalone. Unlike To Even Have Dreams, this one is a romance, which came as a relief after the total heartbreak of TEHD. I adored the super-snarky Jehdra and the razor sharp, flaming dialogue and interaction between her and Trenton. While I twigged the plot twist just before it happened, it was nonetheless delightful. The 'pigeons', despite their role, were bizarrely adorable.

What I didn't like:
Ugh, the head hopping. This is a recurring thing which I can generally ignore in Kilgore's writing simply because the characters are so indepth and the stories so compelling. However, it was more noticeable to me in this one and therefore just a smidge more annoying (hence the smidge under 5* rating on this one).

In conclusion:
Once again, a fast paced, totally beguiling SciFi romance with great characters, interesting aliens, extra fiery interactions, tension, and heartbreak, though with a satisfying (if surprising) HFN.

To Even Have Dreams by C.E.Kilgore #spaceopera

Title: To Even Have Dreams (Corwint Central Agent Files Side Story) 1.1
Author: CE Kilgore
Genre: Space Opera
Publisher: Tracing the Stars
Available: Amazon $0.00 (Kindle) 52 pages
Rating: 5*
Rater: Pippa




Blurb:

Dreams. Friendship. Love. As a Mechatronic Automaton, these elusive constructs maintained a barrier between Brel and his Organic crewmates aboard the Telasari. A single moment of connection threatened to tear that barrier down and expose him to the raw biting nature of emotions he had no way to logically define. As he fights to hold onto that connection to the very end, it leaves him doubting his preconceptions about the world around him, and about himself.

What I liked:
For a short story, this little space opera has the depth and emotional punch of a much longer work. You don't have to read the previous story (Ghost in the Machine) but I'd recommend you do. I adore Orynn, but I learned so much more about her from this story and the reason for some of her future reticence. Brel is the kind of hero I adore, and all the more admiral because he isn't human and therefore human emotions and values are not expected of him. Yet he has those qualities far more than the actual humans.

What I didn't like:
A smidge of head hopping - my major bug bear - but the majority is told from Brel's POV and the head hopping is minimal.

In conclusion:
This short story totally broke my heart. If you love stories about mecha/artificial humans/androids, but want emotional depth rather than it being based purely on sex, this is for you. Just don't hold your breath for even a happily for now as this is a tragedy, not a romance.