Collision Course by Zoe Archer

Collision Course by Zoe Archer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fun, quick read. I love space romance, and this definitely fits the bill. I rated it three stars because the storyline was too focused on sex for my tastes. It seemed like much of what happens occurs through that filter. I would have liked to see more of Kell and Mara's relationship develop outside of their sexual attraction. It was clear they fell and love and will stay together, but too much of their bond seems physical to me.

Also, Mara seems to be mainly characterized by her sexuality. While I'm not judgmental against a woman for being sexually active, I was uncomfortable with how often her past sexual exploits (including a drunken bout with a female friend and triplets) were referred to. I can appreciate the role reversal that I believe Archer was going for. How often is the hero's sexuality thrown in our face and so casually? A lot. I'm not a big fan of that, so I'm equal opportunity. Her past when reveals adds some perspective to why she lives her life the way she does.

Kell is a good hero. I like that he's multi-layered. While he's an all business military guy, he also has a less-than-respectable past, and he can handle himself, in all ways. I liked that it was clear that he was falling in love with Mara probably even before she was allowing herself to feel something more than lust for him. He can hold his own with a strong woman and throw down, and what's not to like about that?

The action was really good, and the world-building felt authentic. The descriptions of the planet and the Scavengers hangouts were really great and gritty. I really got a feel for their culture in those descriptions. I love that Rustic sort of sci-fi vibe, ala "Firefly" and Archer captures it here beautifully. The aspect of how the 8th Wing fighters fly their ships was really cool. I was geeking out.

I think that if a reader is going for a shorter, steamy sci-fi romance where sex is the focus, they will love this. If a reader wanted a more full-bodied story where other aspects are equally developed, they might find this lacking a bit. Having said that, I'm excited to read Chain Reaction in the near future, I hope. Zoe Archer is a great writer and I'll continue to read her books.

View all my reviews

Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews

Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

This was a hard book to rate because the writing is very divergent in the first part versus the last. Very crisp and rather mechanical at the beginning and more descriptive and lush in the last half. I understand why though. Claire goes from being in a gray world in which she is a lethal asset, to living a real life. I think that this is evident in the storytelling.

I can't rave enough about this team of writers, Ilona and Gordon Andrews. Their ability to tell a story with words so well, to convey so many different emotions, and their lack of fear of getting in your face with the violence. And deep down, they are real romantics. I feel like I'm the kind of reader who loves an action/kickbutt story as much as a romance story, and they're great at giving both.

As with Silent Blade, I really like how this is a nod to traditional romance along the lines of Harlequin category books buried in a science fiction action story. In this book, the heroine is in love with and pining for her unattainable boss. She just happens to be a total bad*ss mental assassin who could turn most people's brains into soup with a minimal amount of effort. That was pretty cute, and as a diehard Harley fan, I squeed a little bit. I'll be honest. I liked that Venturo was actually a really nice guy (how cool is it when a hot guy is nice too)? I could feel Claire's conflicted feeling, being in love with him but feeling under his notice. And since it's important to be incognito, she really didn't want to be.

There is a lot of detail given to developing the cultures of the various people, and it's crucial to the story. From Uley to Dahlia, each are very distinctive, and the reader feels Claire's culture shock keenly.

The theme of virtual reality was pretty cool. The descriptions were cinematic and I loved how each psycher saw the landscape differently. I suck at video games, but it reminded me of that andrenaline rush of playing a game and knowing you are going to get nailed to the wall by a better player or the game itself. Of course, Claire had no worries on that score.

This series is so cool. I hope there will be many more books.

Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.



View all my reviews