Fatal Extraction (Chikara Revolution, #1) by Evangeline Rain – Review

Tags

4.5 stars, Book Review, Evangeline Rain, interplanetary conflict, pirates, scifi romance, series, spaceship

About Fatal Extraction by Evangeline Rain

Nirvana Faust had led her crew of space pirates through years of successful raids without a hitch but now her lucky streak had ended. She’d flown straight into an ambush laid by the General of Panderon, from whom she had stolen weapons eight years ago. He would prosecute her for her crime unless she was willing to take on a mission for him – infiltrate the stronghold of Chikara and extract the war plans.

In order for the mission to succeed, she would need help from the man who had defected from Chikara. She was expecting to work with a seasoned soldier, not a much younger man who looked like he’d spent more time with books than guns.

But Nirvana should have known better than to judge a book by its cover.

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Review of Fatal Extraction

Fatal Extraction has a futuristic setting, spaceships, and interplanetary conflict mixed with a romantic pair.  This debut by author Evangeline Rain is solid Scifi Romance and should appeal to readers of that genre.

Nirvana is a likable heroine.  Strong, both physically and mentally, she is a pirate who turns her ill-gotten gains into humanitarian aid.  Her eclectic crew is loyal and play almost as important a role as the hero, Zane.

At first glance, Zane is just a geek who ran away from Daddy.  But there is much more to the young man.  To start, Daddy – Chorax Hayashi – is, at best a dictator, but despot may be a better word.  Power hungry, Hayashi steals his people’s resources to feed his quest for power.  Zane running from Hayashi is an act of rebellion – defection in order to help his people.

I found Nirvana and Zane to be an odd match.  For one thing, there is the age difference.  Zane is early twenties, Nirvana is thirty-six.  Also, Zane has this terrible tendency to, uh, forget to tell some of the details, while Nirvana is pretty straight-forward.  But Zane is incredibly intelligent and that is quite sexy.  However, for the record, I will state that I did not like Zane.  This is not a criticism of the book.  Zane is not the first hero I have run across that I could not sympathize with.  Zane is who he was meant to be to have his critical place in this story.

I have one teensy little complaint.  Early in the book, Zane removes a tracker from the ship they will travel on and then pitches out “out of the window”.  From the command center (cockpit).  In a space-faring ship.  And then they just take off, leave the planet’s atmosphere and soar into space.  Chucking things out of the window on a spaceship should not be that easy.  After that, I decided not to pay too much attention to the sciency details and enjoy the story.

The plot is nicely complex, involving leaders of two worlds on the brink of war.  Nirvana, her crew, and her former lover as well as Zane and at least one of his brothers are all vital characters that carry the action and story from start to finish.  The author has set up an interesting corner of the galaxy where the action is not about to die down.  Fatal Extraction is billed as book 1 in the Chikara Revolution series.  Looking for a new Scif Romance series?  I recommend you check out Fatal Extraction.

Thanks to the author who provided a copy of her book in exchange for my honest review.

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A Hint of Hope (Towers of the Earth Prequel) by Nita Round – Review

Tags

5 stars, airship, Book Review, fantasy, lgbtq, Nita Round, paranormal, pirates, prequel, series, Steampunk

About A Hint of Hope by Nita Round

Friends. Pirates. Slavers. Who can they trust? Their lives will depend upon it.

A notorious slaver has acquired the latest in airship design, an Imperial Condor Class transporter. This is a ship designed to change the world and if the slaver transforms it into a warship then no one will be safe. Anywhere.

Magda and Ascara have travelled the world as pirates. An attempt on their lives brings into question who can be trusted. Who is a friend? And who are their foes? With only themselves to rely upon they set out on a daring mission. They join forces with the pirates to stop the largest sale of slaves and gifted ones.

Can they rescue the slaves? Will they stop the creation of a super warship? And will their friendship be enough to survive against the odds?

This is the second prequel in the Towers of the Earth Fantasy series. It brings together many of the characters who are a part of the Towers series and fills in the details of how they come together.

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Review of A Hint of Hope

A Hint of Hope continues the adventures of Magda and Ascara.  As of the end of A Pinch of Salt, they had hooked up with some unusual pirates.  In this new prequel, they’ve been with the pirates for a while.  “Pirates” may not be the best term to use, since they really do all aim for a greater good…..though their method of doing so may be a bit piratical.

The story starts with betrayal and quickly moves to a critical mission to save and free slaves and prevent a war.  The relationship of Magda and Ascara is strengthened and we learn more about both of them.  And the flirting continues.  But most importantly, we learn about the origin of that fabulous airship that graces the pages of the Raven, Fire and Ice, book 1 in this series (to be re-released in March as A Touch of Truth).  I love airships in my steampunk and this ship is one of the best!

A Hint of Hope is a prequel novella that is a complete story that stands on its own, but is even better as a part of the entire series.

The novella was a freebie for the subscribers of Nita Round’s newsletters.  I love this series, so I was thrilled to download this story and share my unbiased review.

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The Art of Piracy by Cecilia Dominic from the Rogue Skies collection – Review

Tags

5 stars, airship, Art, Book Review, Cecilia Dominic, mystery, pirates, romance, series, Steampunk

About The Art of Piracy by Cecilia Dominic

Sometimes the clearest skies hide the deadliest secrets.

Veronica Devine is determined to return home in triumph and show the family who disowned her that she’s made it as one of the world’s premier art historians. Her one chance – escort art rescued from an abandoned chateau to the new art museum in Terminus. A simple airship trip over the Atlantic aboard a luxury liner promises to be a much-needed break and a chance to get her head on straight before facing the disgrace of her past.

Luc, the Marquis de Monceau, abandoned his chateau in the face of the Prussian invasion and is determined to recover one of the pieces. The problem – he can’t reveal who he truly is, or he’ll be arrested for aiding pirates. The other problem – he’s not sure which of the paintings he’s searching for since the information he needs is hidden in the art itself. Perhaps the beautiful art historian who’s escorting the collection can help him.

As clouds gather above, the ocean surges below, and air pirates pursue the ship. Veronica and Luc – locked in a dance of hidden identity, secret passions, and past betrayals – need to figure out which piece of art holds the key to unlock a metaphysical mystery, or else the pirates will be the least of their problems.

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Review of The Art of Piracy

Veronica has an eye for art. Well, maybe a feeling for art. Regardless of how one describes her talent, she manages to pick the one painting everyone else seems to want. Yes, that will cause trouble. One does not think an art curator will so troublesome. That she is, makes for a good story!

Luc is one of the people looking for that painting. Trouble is, he is not sure which painting it is. He just knows that Veronica is probably the key. Looks like he is going to have to get closer to her. Such a setup for a romance!

Most of the action in The Art of Piracy takes place on the Acadia Pearl, a brand new airship on its inaugural flight. To me, airships are the epitome of steampunk, so I always enjoy the in-the-sky setting. On the airship, Aether Physics series readers will be reunited with Inspector Davidson. At the request of the captain, he attempts to expose any possible piracy on this shiny, new luxury airship.

The title of this book is a giveaway. There will be pirates, ruthless pirates  –  as such characters tend to be. They are present throughout the story so the eventuality of the inevitable meeting with the pirates and the good guys (Veronica, Luc, and Inspector Davidson) makes for a nice bit of anticipation. Along with that anticipation, a slow-burning romance, a series of suspicious events and a bit of magic all combine to serve up a rousing good tale of adventure and love in the sky.

As a fan of Ms. Dominic’s Aether Psychics series, I am delighted with her return to that world in her new Steampunk/Romance The Art of Piracy. This might be my favorite so far!

The author provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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The Art of Piracy is one of 25 stories in the collection Rogue Skies.

About Rogue Skies

The skies have gone rogue. Space can’t be tamed. And magic is a law unto itself.

Transport yourself to new worlds where dark magic clashes with witty witches, diabolic demons, feisty fae, and sexy shifters. Or travel through time and space with cosmic spies, space thieves, and telepathic pirates. Add in a dash of Victorian heroes and inhuman soldiers, and you have a one-of-a-kind science fiction and fantasy collection of intoxicating proportions.

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