Chain Reaction (8th Wing #2) by Zoe Archer #scifi #romance #spaceopera

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.

Dragonfly by Erica Hayes #scifi #romance #spaceopera

Title: Dragonfly
Author: Erica Hayes
Genre: Scifi Romance
Publisher: Momentum
Available: Amazon $5.90 (Kindle)
Rating:  4 stars
Rater: Pippa 





Blurb:
Carrie Thatcher is a tough Imperial counter-terrorism agent. Her mission: pose as a sexy cyber-thief to entrap the notorious rebel Dragonfly, who's planning a heist on the space station Casa de Esperanza - an orbital casino on the fringe of Imperial space.

And this assignment's personal: Dragonfly murdered her closest friend, and she's in no mood to show him mercy. Even getting stuck with the partner from hell--Malachite, her sociopathic ex-lover and the Empire's most dangerous agent--can't dampen her relish for the kill.

With Carrie's expert weapons skills and penchant for cracking codes, insinuating herself into Dragonfly's confidence should be easy. But is he the ruthless killer she was led to believe? Or has her precious Empire deceived her? With Malachite watching her every move, the slightest flinch in loyalty means death.

Carrie is soon racing to uncover an audacious treachery that will shock the Empire to its core ... if she can stay alive for long enough to expose it.

What I liked.
The world building was in-depth, complex and intriguing. The plot was high tension and action packed. There was quite a bit of science (maths) and technology, something I love but that might put off those not so keen on heavy SF elements. The characters are captivating, and the hero particularly takes some figuring out.

What I didn't like.
This was quite slow at the start due to a heavy amount of set up and world building, but had a lot of tension throughout, right to the final conflict...and then totally flopped for the final few pages. I think this book had the most disappointing ending I've come across, even if it had the required HFN for a romance. Also I got a little tired of Carrie with her 'he's my enemy, he has to die, OMG he's hot and I want to sleep with him' mental routine. I prefer my sexual tension a bit more subtle. Others might enjoy her constant mental conflict more than me.

In conclusion.
If you're a fan of the Firefly/Farscape style of space opera, this is for you (Carrie was a very Aeryn Sun type character to me). Be prepared for some heavy-ish technobabble and world building though, and having to stick with it for the first couple of chapters to get to the adventure.

Made for Her by Jessica E Subject

Title: Made for Her

Author: Jessica E Subject
Genre: Military/Futuristic Erotica/Romance
Publisher: Decadent Publishing Company, LLC (January 12, 2013) Available: $2.99 at Amazon
Rating: 4 stars
Rater: Pippa


From the publisher: 

After terrorists murder the love of her life, Major Mikayla Jones trains squadron after squadron of the clones her husband helped develop to take to the skies. When she discovers a young clone of her husband in her newest class, her world spins out of control. How can she command the look-a-like when she can’t help but yearn for him to fill the ache in her heart?

Dare was created to be the best. As the first Daniel clone to leave Onatria Labs, he needs to prove he is more than just a DNA copy. To do that, he must rely on the wife of the man who donated his genes. But when she refuses to train him, Dare faces discharge and a return to the labs. Can he convince Major Jones to finish his training—and find a way into her bed? Or will long-kept secrets unhinge the entire clone project?

What I did like:

I'm a huge fan of the idea of cloning, and of Jessica's previous works in general. Being faced with a clone of your lost love sets up great potential for emotional and ethical conflict. There's also a brilliant plot twist that was a tear-jerker, and had me physically reeling - I really hadn't expected it. The ending will leave you reaching for a hanky and hoping for a sequel.

What I didn't like:

For me, this focused a little too much on the sex rather than the emotions behind it and the inner conflict of the main characters. For all his claim of wanting to be the best, Dare seemed more set on getting into Jones's panties, and for all her 'I shouldn't', she didn't put up as much resistance as I would expect. I felt it could have been deeper and been explored more. It wasn't as heart wrenching as some of her previous works, and I would have liked to know much more about this near future world, and the cloning process.


In conclusion:

Fans of military-based scifi romances and erotica will enjoy this. For me it lacked some emotional depth, and I prefer my scifi more offworld, although I loved the cloning aspect and the big twist. While this particular story may have missed the mark for me a touch, I'm still a huge fan of J Subject's writing and will be back for more.


DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that this blog does NOT accept submissions of erotica. Any erotica reviews posted on this site are of books bought or personally gifted to the reviewer (Pippa) and not through general submission to Critique de Book.