Summon the Stars – Anthology – Review

Tags

5 stars, Book Review, Carysa Locke, cats, Christina Westcott, Erin Hayes, Libby Doyle, romance, S.J. Pajonas, scifi, series, short story, space opera

About Summon the Stars

Summon the Stars is a thrilling space opera anthology dedicated to badass heroines on action packed science fiction adventures, and the scoundrels—that is, heroes—who love them.

An Unforgiving Desert by S. J. Pajonas

When their class ship is hijacked during the final exam, and Skylar and Kalvin are marooned in the desert, they have a long way to go to make it to safety, if they don’t kill each other first. Will they make it out of the unforgiving desert in one piece? Part of the Flyght series.

Pirate Spark by Carysa Locke

Vashti has spent her entire life trying to prevent the war she foresaw in her nightmares. Having failed, she must now find an advantage for her people, or watch as it rips the galaxy, and her people, apart. Part of the Telepathic Space Pirates series.

Outer-Rim Rescue by Libby Doyle

Ex-cop Jane Mwanda is in over her head as she tries to rescue a runaway teen from a criminal gang on a dangerous planet. When a man she’d thought was her enemy offers help, they embark on perilous adventure to bring the girl safely home.

The Rogue’s Heart by Erin Hayes

Faced with a failing heart, space pirate Clementine Jones and her crew must come up with the cash to buy her a new one in a brutal, unforgiving galaxy.

Spacer’s Third Law by Christina Westcott

Stranded at an isolated space station, Bru Thorsson must hire a second licensed pilot for her salvage ship before she’s allowed to undock, but the only candidate for the job is a burned out ex-marine who is still reliving the horrors of the war and doesn’t want the job, leaving Bru one last desperate option—shanghai him. Part of The Dragon’s Bidding series.

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Review of Summon the Stars

Imagine one story that combines scifi and romance and then take that times 5.  Each of the 5 short stories tells a complete tale.  There are no cliff hangers and no need to read the rest of the series.  Though you may be introduced to a series that you now need to check out.

Erin Hayes is the only author I had not yet read, though she was on my Amazon wish list.  The Rogue’s Heart starts to read as a YA, with the heroine being quite young.  But Clementine is in a very mature situation.  In this case the space pirates are basically corporate spies, stealing information.  One case puts the pirate crew in a moral situation unlike any they have previously experience.  Doing the right thing is a favorite subject for me.

Libby Doyle’s Outer Rim Rescue starts quietly enough with the heroine, Jane, hired to find a kidnapped young woman.  From there, things snowball with Jane herself needing some help out of one sticky situation after another.  An unexpected hero helps out and then they take a ship all over the solar system.  Lots of action in this one!

Carysa Locke’s story, Pirate Spark, which takes place in her Telepathic Space Pirates series, is the only one that may suffer from lack of series knowledge.  Having read only one of the series, I stumbled across several references that I was unfamiliar with which were not well-detailed.  However, this did not prevent me from enjoying the story.  The old woman who finds herself back in a young body has the most interesting combination of wisdom and daring. 

S.J. Pajonas and Christina Wescott also contributed stories that are parts of series, though both of them stand very well on their own.  In Pajonas’s An Unforgiving Desert, Skylar and Kalvin will learn that first, second and even third impressions often miss the mark.  The story of survival could happen in any genre, but the scifi aspect of the desert may make you appreciate the Sahara.

Westcott’s Spacer’s Third Law was probably my favorite, but that is because I am already a fan of The Dragon’s Bidding series and because it has a sentient cat.  Yes, Lilly the cat can communicate telepathically.  Oh sure, the rest of the story is good too, but …. cat!  Bru’s and Eric’s reluctant path to romance is also quite charming.

Space opera fans, this book is for you. Especially if you like a little romance in your scifi. 

Thanks to Ms. Westcott who sent a copy of this book my way in exchange for my honest review.

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Pets in Space (Cats, Dogs and Other Worldly Creatures) – Book Review

Tags

5 stars, Alexis Glynn Latner, Cara Bristol, Carysa Locke, cats, dogs, Laurie A. Green, Lea Kirk, Pauline Baird Jones, pets, scifi, scifi romance, space, Susan Grant, Veronica Scott

Reviewed by Riley

 About Pets in Space

Even an alien needs a pet…

Join the adventure as nine pet loving sci-fi romance authors take you out of this world and pull you into their action-packed stories filled with suspense, laughter, and romance. The alien pets have an agenda that will capture the hearts of those they touch. Follow along as they stop a genetically-engineered creature from destroying the Earth or find a lost dragon; life is never the same after their pets decide to get involved. Can the animals win the day or will the stars shine just a little less brightly?

A Mate for Matrix by S.E. Smith
Stray by Susan Grant
Spark of Attraction by Cara Bristol
Star Cruise: Stowaway by Veronica Scott
The Real Dragon by Pauline Baird Jones
Spike by Alexis Glynn Latner
Star Dog by Laurie A. Green
Space Ranger by Lea Kirk
Escape Run by Carysa Locke

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Review of Pets in Space

Regular visitors to Whiskey With My Book will have had the chance to read several posts about this book. From the day I first heard about it, I was excited. Pets, Space, Romance. Yeah!

All the stories in Pets in Space are great stories, truly!  So instead of reviewing the actual stories, I am going to reflect on the pets in them. After all, the fact that pets play such a large role in these stories is the main reason I was so excited about this book. So for all you animal lovers…..

A Mate for Matrix – In A Mate for Matrix, the cyborg wolf hybrid wants a family so very bad. K-Nine reminds us that our pets really are pack animals. On a personal level, K-Nine reminds me of our dog Loosie who was adopted by two kittens and loved playing with them until she got too old and then she just laid in the yard with them and slept with them. To this day, the surviving cat, Hemi, still sleeps in the doghouse they shared. Dogs and cats have their families and as humans, sometimes they include us. If we are lucky.

Stray – Bang-Bang comforting Lukas when his fiancée goes missing is one of those scenes that tugged at my heart. Pets have such a way of knowing our moods, especially sorrow. I’ve experienced this and I am sure I am not the only one.

Spark of Attraction – Dogs are smart. Okay, a cyborg dog might be smarter than the average dog. But overall, dogs are aware of their surroundings, they know sounds and smells, they sense people’s intentions and they aren’t shy about showing it. Sparky is a cyborg dog with better-than-real-dog senses. And he uses them to protect Miranda. Plus, he is just cute. When his over-protectiveness gets him into trouble (and deactivated), Dante may have to take over Sparky’s protection duties. Ultimately, Sparky is a true hero, with Dante and Miranda, helping to get the drop on the bad guys.

Star Cruise: Stowaway – any cat lover will recognize Moby. Veronica Scott’s depiction of Moby’s habits is spot on. Down to the fact that cats always recognize when something is out of place. In my house, that might be my earbuds, not put away, but now available to play with (I asked for it, didn’t I?). In Stowaway, Moby and her cohort and alien pet Middori sniffed the out-of-place situation in the form of a stowaway.

The Real Dragon – I have no experience with bearded dragons as pets, or for that manner, any reptile as a pet. However, if I was going to have such a pet, an alien dragon that is able to communicate telepathically, pilot space ships, and type would be absolutely the best. Peddrenth (awesome name) is very cool and with him as a pet/friend, I think I might be considered cool also. But then again, I probably would not tell anyone about him because then someone would want to study him, maybe dissect him and then where would I be. So there goes my hope for coolness. Peddrenth is as much a hero in The Real Dragon as Emma and Mazan are heroine and hero.

Spike – Spike is perhaps the most alien pet in this anthology. Spike is not furry, and not cuddly, but is quite intelligent, sparkly and good company. Aided by Ten Jaxdown, Anastasia Steed and 10 robotic butterflies, Spike has a role to play in uncovering the saboteurs threatening a space rescue mission. I’m not sure I would call Spike a pet, but more of an alien companion. As companions goes, Spike is most intriguing.

Star Dog – have you ever wished your cat was more dog-like. Or your dog was more cat-like. Yes, yes, we have designer pets these days, but Katrina is a genetically-engineered creation that combines the best of canine, feline, weasel and mongoose into one snake killing exterminator. Occasionally, a snake killer might come in handy around my house. But mainly I just wish my cats would clean up the crumbs that accidentally get dropped to the floor – like any good dog. But nooo, they don’t do crumbs…..

Space Ranger – I loved the beginning and end chapters of Space Ranger. Told from the viewpoint of Ranger, first a weak little stray puppy and finally a strong well-loved pet, his perspective of people and the things they do is both funny and heartwarming.

Escape Run – Ember is the kith-vos that bonds with Teegan and communicates telepathically. How many times have you wished you could communicate with your pet. I often talk to the cats. I doubt I am the only one. How cool would it be if they could respond? As a fox-like creature, Ember has the cuddly qualities of a pet, but her intelligence really makes her much more.

There are a couple of other things about Pets in Space that I must mention as really likes: Star Dog being part of Laurie A. Greens Inherited Stars series and Pauline’s Baird Jones’ sense of humor.

And finally, the dedication to the authors’ friend, cover model Vikkas Bhardwaj, in memory of his beloved dog Simba, who passed away while the anthology was evolving. Just one more clue that those involved in this project were truly all of the same mind. This team effort to bring these stories to animal lovers everywhere is truly appreciated!

I received a review copy so I could provide this honest review.

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Pets In Space is Here!

Tags

Alexis Glynn Latner, book feature, Cara Bristol, Carysa Locke, cats, dogs, Hero Dogs, Laurie A. Green, Lea Kirk, Pauline Baird Jones, pets, S.E. Smith, scifi romance, service dogs, Susan Grant, Veronica Scott

Today is the day!  The excitement has been building and finally it is here.  Pets in Space releases today.  If you have been following along, you know that Pets in Space is an anthology of pet-centric stories written by a talented group of scifi romance authors.  If you pre-ordered, the book is probably on your e-reader.  Last week I told you the Amazon link was forthcoming, so if that is what you have been waiting for – here it is:  Pets in Space at Amazon.

Scifi romance and pets.  What a great combination!  I just don’t think you can go wrong with this anthology.  I can’t wait to delve into these stories!

A MATE FOR MATRIX: CYBORG PROTECTION UNIT

By S.E. Smith (New York Times/USA TODAY Best Selling Author)
Matrix Roma is a member of the elite Zion military Cyborg Protection Unit. Matrix gets more than he bargains for when his cyborg partner, a hybrid Wolfhound named K-Nine, goes missing and ends up finding a mate for Matrix in the middle of a deadly mission on an unknown planet called Earth.

STRAY

By Susan Grant (New York Times Best Selling, USA TODAY, and RITA Award Winning Author)
Interplanetary Marine Lt. Lukas Frank has a lot in common with a street dog named Bang-Bang; they both started off as scrappy orphans fighting to survive—and beat the odds. Things change when Bang-Bang leads Lukas to starpilot Capt. Carlynn Riga. The tough war hero learns what it means to surrender — his heart. Lukas’s struggles with PTSD threaten to tear the three of them apart, but nothing threatens them more than when Carlynn goes missing on a mission. Can a scarred marine and his unlikely canine partner find Carlynn and bring her home, or will he lose everything he’s finally found worth fighting for?

SPARK OF ATTRACTION

By Cara Bristol (USA TODAY Best Selling Author)
Memory: intact. Cognitive function: enhanced. Emotion: erased. After becoming a cyborg, Captain Dante Stone didn’t think he’d ever feel again, until a traumatized young woman and a ball of synthetic fur named Sparky helped him to love.

STAR CRUISE: STOWAWAY

By Veronica Scott
Cargo Master Owen Embersson is shocked when the Nebula Zephyr’s ship’s cat and her alien sidekick, Midorri, alert him to the presence of a stowaway. He has no idea of the dangerous complications to come – nor does he anticipate falling hard for the woman whose life he now holds in his hands. Life aboard the Nebula Zephyr has just become more interesting – and deadly.

THE REAL DRAGON

By Pauline Baird Jones
Emma Standish didn’t think her day could get any worse. Her dad is marrying his boss, her dragon suddenly came back talking and typing, and it’s her fault the Earth, or at least ten square miles of Texas, is going to be destroyed. That’s what happens when you forget something very, very important. Luckily for her, she’s got the love of her life that she can’t remember and her dragon by her side. Who needs to worry when you’re having a day like this?

STARDOG

By Laurie A. Green
Navigator Taro Shall has a mission no one wants – find a way to eradicate snakes on a starship. He never expects to find the answer to his problem in a charming street vendor named Adini. His already unusual mission becomes more complicated when he suddenly acquires an adorable StarDog that soon sweeps him and Adini into the maw of a brewing insurrection.

SPIKE

By Alexis Glynn Latner
Young Roboticist Ten Jaxdown has to deploy, and possibly sacrifice, the swarm of investigative robots that he has invented and cares about more than anything else in the star system. It may be the only hope for those depending on him and his robots to save them. Yet, even as frantic preparations for the unprecedented deep-space rescue mission are set in motion, it could all be threatened by sabotage.

Anastasia Steed is an intrepid young mission designer. She steps forward with an idea that can improve the odds of the mission. Neither she nor Ten expect the assistance they receive from a very unusual pet. A pet that will bring together two alienated human beings who didn’t realize they needed each other. Can Ten and Anastasia discover who is behind the sabotage, save the mission, and discover what is evolving between them? With a little bit of unusual help, anything is possible.

SPACE RANGER

By Lea Kirk
Graig Roble is a Senior Commander with the Guardian Fleet security. His specialty as a weapons specialist and combat master is his world, what he was born to do – or so he thought until he finds his resolve and focus inexplicably wavering. His new position aboard the Atlantis can’t even save him; if anything, it has left him questioning his own motives. He never thought that could happen until he met Simone Campbell.

Simone’s focus is on her home world – Earth. She thought her life was full with her research as a botanist. After all, she always believed that helping the people of her world become self-sufficient should take all of her concentration – except it doesn’t. There is one man that keeps pulling her attention, and her heart, away from her job.

Graig’s gift of a puppy to keep her company does more than that, it keeps him in her dreams. How can such a simple gift bring her comfort and make her long for more? Graig and Simone are about to find out that sometimes love can blossom from the smallest, furriest ties.

ESCAPE RUN

By Carysa Locke
Teegan’s job as a hunter is to track down the Talented, those driven insane by their gifts. She and Ember, her psychically gifted fox, have tracked dozens of people for Cole, the man who works to rehabilitate and recover these troubled souls. When one of Cole’s most dangerous patients escapes, Teegan and Ember are on a hunt that could prove fatal if she doesn’t keep her focus on her mission. Unfortunately, Cole is proving one distraction that might make this her last hunt if she can’t do that.

Can Teegan keep her heart and mind in the game long enough to save an entire planet’s population, or will her distraction lead to heartache – and possibly death for everyone?

 

Even an alien needs a pet…

Join the adventure as nine pet loving sci-fi romance authors take you out of this world and pull you into their action-packed stories filled with suspense, laughter, and romance. The alien pets have an agenda that will capture the hearts of those they touch. Follow along as they work side by side to help stop a genetically-engineered creature from destroying the Earth to finding a lost dragon; life is never the same after their pets decide to get involved. Can the animals win the day or will the stars shine just a little less brightly?

New York Times, USA TODAY, Award Winning, and Bestselling authors have nine original, never-released stories that will capture your imagination and help a worthy charity. Come join us as we take you on nine amazing adventures that will change the way you look at your pet!

10% of profits from the first month go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.

 

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Add Pets in Space to Goodreads

Purchase Pets in Space