SFR Galaxy Awards 2018 – My Picks

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airship, anniversary, dog, Donna S. Frelick, Mary Brock Jones, Nita Round, Pauline Baird Jones, post-war, sci fi romance, SFR Galaxy Awards, space opera, spider, Steampunk, Tabitha Lord

Today is the day!  It is my 21st wedding anniversary.

My anniversary just happens to fall on the same day as the announcement of the 2018 SFR Galaxy Awards.  The awards are announced hourly starting at 10am EST.  Head over there if you want to see what has been awarded so far.  In the meantime, since my picks have been announced, I am pleased to present them here.  If any sound like something you must read, clicking on the book cover will take you to Amazon.

My Favorite SFR in 2018 – no particular order….

 

Potent Post-War Setting Award

Aftermath (Hathe, #3) by Mary Brock Jones

In Aftermath, the post war setting of Hathe and its people is a fascinating background. Because of the huge subterfuge the Hathe people pulled over on the Terrans (See books 1 and 2: Resistance and Pay the Piper), the Hathe population has become split between the population that stayed on Hathe and the rest of the population that escaped to the moon, Mathe, and hid there for the duration of the war. Known as the dirtsiders and the moonies, they are not re-integrating into the post-war world very well. The struggles between the two sides of the same people are often heartbreaking. Aftermath has a complex plot, engaging heroes and heroines, and disagreeable villains. The slow burning romance between Jacquel (the understated antihero of the first two books) and Rheia is satisfying. But their roles as revolutionaries in the post war situation are what makes this book a great read.

 

Best Steampunk Transport

Raven, Fire and Ice (Touch of Truth, #1) by Nita Round

I do love steampunk and here is a new-to-me author that is serving up what I want. In Raven, Fire and Ice, Nita Round describes an airship that anyone would love to take a ride on. The airship is THE steampunk machine in this story that takes seems to take on a life of it’s own. Or maybe that life is due to the very able crew. The three main female characters, Lucinda Ravensburgh, who adds a bit of mysticism to the story, Magda Stoner, very capable airship captain, and Officer Ascara d’Jharaena ael Korphen (Officer Ascara for short), security officer, have a lovely flirtatious thing going. While their relationship does not reach the lovers stage they are clearly a very close group and I am anxiously awaiting the next book to see where they go.

 

Arcane History Award

Infinity (Horizon, #2) by Tabitha Lord

Infinity was released in 2017, but I discovered Tabitha Lord’s Horizon series in 2018. The series spans multiple worlds all caught up in both their own struggles and otherworldly problems. The main world, Almagest, has a spotty history. By that I mean, much of the history is unknown, lost during war. However, it appears to be very important. In Infinity, some of Almagest’s history is starting to be revealed through computer logs. But not all, so I can theorize all I want about what’s what. Will my theories prove true? I’m waiting on the next book to find out. In addition to all the hidden history, Infinity includes Derek and Caeli, the hero and heroine from two different worlds who may be the key to saving everything.

 

Arachnophobia Award for Creepiest Villain

Lost Valyr (Project Enterprise, #7) by Pauline Baird Jones

Villains get a bad rap. Yet, they can make or break a story. You know I’m right. So let’s talk about the malefactor in Lost Valyr. Have I given away anything about the villain yet? Specifically, lets talk about Xaddek. So, a giant spider as a bad guy. Personally, I like spiders in my garden. But up close, they are creeeeepy. No two ways about it, Zaddek is really bad! He has been known eat his own crew members. That has got to hamper his overall effectiveness as a captain. Lost Valyr also has one of the quirkiest romantic couples I had the pleasure to read about in 2018. Valyr rarely talks. Rachel makes up for it by filling in all the silent spaces. And did I mention they come from different planets?

 

Favorite Dog Hero

Not Fade Away (Interstellar Rescue, #4) by Donna S. Frelick

Not Fade Away’s heroine Charlie has a dog that I love. His name is Happy. This loving pup wriggles his way into everybody’s heart. Well, maybe not everybody, but at least the important people. Including me, the reader. Hero Rafe may not be too sure about a dog at first. He is not from Earth and has never seen a dog before, but Happy knows a good person when he sees one and eventually they warm to each other. With part of the action taking place on Earth and part off planet, Not Fade Way has constant action that overlays the understated, but crucial romance between Charlie and Rafe. A fantastic addition the the Interstellar Rescue series.

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Warleader (Borderlands, #1) by Susan Grant – Review

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4 stars, Book Review, post-war, scifi romance, series, space opera, Susan Grant

About Warleader by Susan Grant

The outlaw has taunted her in a galactic game of cat and mouse for years, but she never caught him. Now they’re supposed to make peace AND serve together on the same starship?

Not so easy to do when your sworn enemy turns out to be the hottest piece you’ve ever seen.

Warleader Finn Rorkken doesn’t care how many medals Admiral Brit Bandar has. He’s going to show her what it’s like to be pursued and caught by a master. Intergalactic peace is on the line, and if she wants his obedience, she’ll have to pay his price…

Challenge accepted, Admiral.

Welcome to the Borderlands, where rules are meant to be broken…

Based on the retired title Moonstruck, Warleader is an enemies-to-lovers sci-fi romance that sweeps readers into a galaxy-spanning adventure with action, laughter, and a few tears. Read this award-winning story today!

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Review of Warleader

Here is what you need to know. In the aftermath of war, the Coalition, the Drakkon and Earth have formed the Triad Alliance. The diplomatic ship, Unity, is run by Admiral Brit Bandar and her second command, Drakkon Finn Rorken, a former Warleader. The crew is a combination of all three groups who work together to complete their mission. Wait, that’s a little bit of a lie. They don’t really work together all that well. Yet.

Clearly the admiral hates all Drakkon. There are early hints at some major Drakkon-induced trauma, but it won’t get explained until later in the book. So, right off, the heroine and the hero are on shaky ground. With a crew that also does not voluntarily get along, there are sure to be lots of loud and flashy fireworks on board Unity.

But right off, despite the admiral’s conviction that the only good Drakkon is a dead Drakkon, there is clearly some attraction to Finn. It’s a two-way attraction. Chemistry. What starts as a friendly competition in the gym will escalate to… well, use your imagination.

In the meantime, not everyone is happy the war is over and problems quickly put crew of Unity to work. Settlements are attacked by what appeared to be Drakkon based on the method of execution. Finn doesn’t believe it, but lack of evidence doesn’t help anyone’s version of the story.  The conflicting opinions of the Coalition and Drakkon make for some good drama.

There was one aspect of the investigation of these troubles that really bothered me.  During the investigation, there was an obvious group of offenders. There are events that happened that led me to believe this.  But they weren’t treated any differently than the other survivors that were found along the way.

I’d have thrown that group in the brig. There is no reason they couldn’t find some way to escape and then go on to cause more havoc, because that is what bad guys do. But Brit and Finn really blew it. They made their name during wartime, and their first inclination is diplomacy? Not buying it.

A couple of things in Warleader are unexplained for me. 1) Why does Finn look so much like Brit’s late husband Seff that she has to do a double-take? 2) How did Earth hook up with this Triad Alliance? As near as I can tell, they were not part of the war.

Warleader takes place in the aftermath of war that was not confined to one world. Spread out as it was, on planets and in space, it will probably take a long time to convince everyone to embrace the peace. I see the possibility of several plots in the Borderlands series. I truly enjoyed Warleader and I look forward to seeing where this adventure leads.

The author provided a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review.

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City of Light by Keri Arthur

Tags

5 stars, ghosts, paranormal, post-war, scifi, shifters, urban fantasy, vampires

Several years back, don’t ask me when, maybe around 2007, I discovered a heroine with a really cool name.  Keri Arthur’s Riley Jenson Guardian series was smart, sexy and, for me, something new and different.  I gobbled up each book as soon as it was released.

Now Ms. Arthur has a new heroine.  Her name is not nearly as cool, but Tiger is a wonderful protagonist/champion.  After reading City of Light, I had to catch my breath.  The action in this first book of a new series is pretty much non-stop.  Do not expect quiet contemplation from Tiger.  Expect results!

The world of the Outcast series is populated with humans, shifters, vampires and the Others.  The vampires are the beastly variety.  With no higher-functioning brains, survival is all they care about.  The Others are the late arrivals on the scene.  A century ago, the war between humans and shifters tore openings in the veil between this world and another, allowing entry of the Others.  Vampires and the Others are the predators.  Humans and shifters are the prey.  Bitter enemies, they allied to fight the Others.  Now a truce exists, tenuous at best, antagonist much of the time.

But wait, there is one more type of being.  The dechet are super-powered beings created by humans to battle the shifters.  All but wiped out by the war, Tiger is a lone dechet, living with the ghosts of more of her kind.  Her talents are many.  Her friends are non-existant.  Except for ghosts, mostly children, that live with her in the bunker that once housed the dechet nursery.  And therein lies Tiger’s motivation.

When children start disappearing, Tiger springs into action.  All she has to do is think about what happened to Cat and Bear and the other children and she is chomping at the bit to do something.  She teams up with a group of shifters, if you can call a lone wolf a team player.  Shifters and dechet hate each other so she allows the group to think she is a half-breed shifter.  I liked this constant distrust between allies.  It makes thing difficult and, therefore, interesting.

I was expecting something in the area of romance, but it really is not there.  That is not a bad thing. For Tiger, inviting others into her life is not going to be something that happens quickly.  Plus, no romance means no detractions from the main plot.  There are two men in the story she is attracted to.  One is the shifter Jason who is also attracted to her.  But neither trusts the other and Jason hates dechet.  The other is a an old friend, Sal.  While she will resist one, she will use the other to help her accomplish her task.  I see a slowly brewing romance taking shape, it is not going to happen immediately.  Maybe in book 3 or 4….

City of Light refers to a city area called Central.  At night, to repel vampires and the Others, Central is lit up with giant UV lights, to keep daylight going when the sun is not out.  There is another city-like area called Chaos.  Full of shadows, Chaos does not welcome strangers.  Tiger travels between the two inhabited areas, so you are treated to the full color spectrum of city life in this post-war world.

There are a lot of great secondary characters.  First of all, there are the child ghosts Cat and Bear.  Charming and vulnerable, they are the heartwarmers.  Then there is the contingent of shifters working with Tiger.  Mean, untrusting, and powerful they add tension and interest to the scene and relevance to the shifter/dechet enmity.  I look forward to seeing this working relationship develop.

I think I can safely say that if you are a Keri Arthur fan, City of Light will NOT disappoint you.  I’m not sure I should make comparisons, because City of Light is truly a new unique series, but I am going to point out a few things.  Tiger is a Riley-Jensen-like heroine.  That is, she is not really a soldier, but can hold her own.  She is a heroine with supernatural abilities who is always charging into situations that are sure to be extremely dangerous, despite her talents.  Just like Riley Jenson.  Since it was always impossible to predict how Tiger or Riley were going to get out of the predicament, you just have to keep reading.  Until the end.

City of Light ends with a great speech from Tiger.  I was waiting for her to sound off through most of the book, and she did in small, ways.  But whew!  That last go-to-hell speech was a doozy!  The story also ends with some resolution, but with a lot of unanswered questions.  It just barely escapes my dreaded cliff hanger down-grading.  But I am hooked for at least the next book now.  I hope I don’t have to wait long!

ARC provided by NetGalley.

5 Stars – I loved it!

Keri Arthur’s Website

City of Light on Goodreads

City of Light for Kindle

City of Light on Audible