Today is release day for Donna S. Frelick’s Fools Rush In. Book three in her Interstellar Rescue Series has been highly anticipated by this reader! I was pleased to get an advance copy, so today I have a review of Fools Rush In. After that, keep reading for an excerpt from the book and a giveaway.
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About Fools Rush In
She thought she had the toughest job in Rescue—until the day she had to convert a pirate into a hero.
Interstellar Rescue “conductor” Rayna Carver is deep undercover on a slave ship bound for an isolated region of space when the ship is attacked by pirates. Her liberator is Captain Sam Murphy, a man known in the spacer bars to love only profit, adventure and women.
But Murphy hates a few things, too, chief among them slavers. Will it be enough to gain his help for Rayna’s mission—ferreting out two spies bent on sabotaging an arms factory to turn the tide in an alien civil war?
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Review of Fools Rush In
The meek shall inherit the earth: the rest of us are going to the stars. – Old Earth Proverb
To kick some alien butt! – Rayna Carver, Field Agent, Interstellar Council for Abolition and Rescue
I like Rayna Carver. She has all those traits I would want if I was some kind of action heroine. Smart, cool, independent, tough and she can kick butt. Plus, she is petite – like me. Her size allows her to surprise her foes.
Sam Murphy is a good guy. His crew knows it. Though Sam likes to pretend like he is in it for the profit. He reminds me of a certain scruffy-looking reluctant movie hero. And given that the Interstellar Rescue Series takes place in a near current day setting, maybe Sam is a fan of Han Solo and Star Wars.
When Sam and Rayna meet, the sizzle begins, even though they are constantly at odds. The chemistry made them feel like a couple almost immediately, in fact the constant friction/attraction made it feel like Rayna’s time on Sam’s ship felt like one long date. A date that was constantly interrupted by spies, intrigue and danger.
Rayna has a mission to accomplish. And Sam has enemies to deal with. There will be a time when they will part ways to deal with their own objectives. At this point, more characters become key, including a familiar one. Half -Thrane Gabriel Cruz (from Trouble in Mind) makes a timely appearance, to work with Sam. Other less congenial Thranes make life difficult for Rayna, but in a way that allows Rayna to call on her strengths to combat them. I enjoyed the various action/danger scenarios in the story that showed Rayna and Sam work well together and do pretty good on their own too. But better together.
Unlike the first two books in the Interstellar Rescue Series, Fools Rush In does not take place on Earth. It is out there. In space. Where there are other humans. We learn a little more about non-Earth humans and this is a part of the story I would like to learn even more. We also see a bit more of the internal conflicts that plague the Minertsans, as first disclosed in Trouble in Mind, though I think there is quite a bit more to that story.
Fools Rush In is actually kind of a prequel to the series that tells the Rayna and Sam story. As favorite characters in the first two books, I enjoyed reading their story. It has lots of action and I enjoyed every minute of this edge-of-your-seat adventure. And the romance and is sizzling. Oh yes, Leia and Han – I mean Rayna and Sam – are a couple destined to be together, if they survive the courtship.
Each book in the Interstellar Rescue Series can be enjoyed as standalone, but the story is even more satisfying if you read the series. The overall arc of the Interstellar Rescue Series is complex and rich with future plot possibilities. I am really enjoying this series and I think each book just gets better.
The author provided a copy of Fools Rush In so that I could bring you this honest review.
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Excerpt from Fools Rush In
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? This is a restricted area.”
Still clinging to the grab bar, Rayna glanced up at the captain’s face. His expression didn’t match the censure in his words. The furrows between his brows didn’t look like anger, but she couldn’t quite interpret their true meaning.
“For a pirate ship, you sure have a lot of rules.”
“Discipline is necessary no matter what kind of ship it is.” His lips curved upwards. “Now answer my question.”
Sam Murphy really was a fine-looking man, a dangerously fine-looking man, with those green eyes and a face that belonged in holovids rather than on the deck of a real ship. But damned if he was going to back her up, even in zero G.
“You saw what I was doing; I was working out. The ribs have healed—almost. I didn’t think I’d have to ask permission, especially since I was back here with the waste processors.”
Murphy leaned in closer. In spite of herself, Rayna inhaled and took him in. God, he smelled good—like … the first breath of fresh air dirtside after months on a ship. For a second she was lost, drifting as surely as if she had let go of her mooring on the hull.
“This is my ship, Little Bit.” His voice was a seductive purr. “You need permission for everything.”
Heat flashed from the top of her head to the bottoms of her feet. Rayna meant to shout, but her voice came out in a matching sultry whisper. “Why you puffed up, self-righteous, arrogant—” She got her hormones in check and started over. “Control seems to be your middle name, Murphy. Well, let me tell you something: I joined Rescue because Independence is mine.”
“Do I have to remind you you’re a guest on my ship?” His expression had tightened into a smoky scowl. “The one place I have plenty of room onboard is the brig—maybe you’d like accommodations there.” His eyes held hers like he meant it, but a muscle jumped in his jaw. His tell, she realized. He wanted something quite different for her. That heat flashed through her once again, and this time she was certain it had nothing to do with anger.
Damn it.
“All right, yeah, I saw the big ‘Keep Out’ signs. But every other square centimeter of space on this tug is occupied. I needed a workout, and zero G is a good place to get started. I didn’t think anyone would be back here.”
His expressive face changed yet again, the hard lines around his mouth and eyes going soft as the tension drained from him. “Any day but today you’d have been right.”
“What’s different about today?”
He scanned the empty hull space before he answered. “The ship’s on lockdown; I’ve ordered a full security sweep in hull space.”
Understanding dawned. All that bluster was because Murphy was feeling protective. She looked up at him and, yep, there it was, shining from those eyes, despite his stern refusal to smile.
But just because her body responded instantly with eager anticipation didn’t mean her mind should be onboard with this program. Seriously, how would it ever work between them? He was a pirate, for chrissake. According to him, she was an interfering bleeding heart. The only thing they had in common was a disregard for authority, and they would never even agree on the reasons for that.
Oh, but, damn, he smelled so good. He kept floating closer, and she was so tired. She wanted to let go and settle into those arms.
“You miscalculated.” His arm was around her shoulders again, his lips against her ear.
“What do you mean?” Her protest came out in a breathy murmur.
“You’re exhausted. You weren’t ready for this much exertion.” He was so close, so warm, encouraging her to let go. “I bet you didn’t ask Doc Berta for permission either.”
She finally gave up and transferred her hold to him, arms and legs wrapping around his hard body. He hooked both feet around the handholds below them, anchored one hand and used the other to clasp her to him; she was so small in comparison, his arm stretched all the way across her lower back.
She looked up at him, lips inches from his. “I don’t ask permission for anything.”
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Links
Add Fools Rush In to your Goodreads shelf:
Purchase the Interstellar Rescue Series at Amazon:
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About the Author
Donna lives on 44 beautiful mountain acres in Marshall, NC, near Asheville, with her husband and two talkative cats. Her home is part of an intentional community of long-time friends called the Snowbird Surf Club.
For fun she travels when she can, reads, watches movies and enjoys her family (two great girls–now grown and married–one Zen master grandson and one diva princess granddaughter.
Donna holds black belt rank in two martial arts styles and taught both karate and tai chi for many years. She still practices tai chi and chi gung every day to counteract all that sitting in front of a computer to write!
Find Donna at:
Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook
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GIVEAWAY
Follow this link to enter Donna’s giveaway for a $10 Amazon gift card:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Blog Tour Organized by: Inklings Literary Agency
