Accelerating Universe and Apparent Brightness – two books by Nicola Claire – Review

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4 stars, 5 stars, AI ship, Book Review, Nicola Claire, scifi, scifi romance, series

About Accelerating Universe

“This is how we’d traverse the stars; limping and crippled, the last survivors of a dying solar system.”

Fleeing from a past that almost killed her and a present that promises she’ll only burn, pay-for-passage passenger Ana Kereama boards the Sector Two lead vessel Pavo with only survival in mind.

What she finds is a reason to live, and it has nothing to do with New Earth.

Teaming up with the sexy and commanding Captain John Jameson to protect those on board their ship, Ana fights not only for her vessel’s survival but the intelligent being emerging within its gel coated walls.

Love and trust are born amongst the stars and plasma fire, but is it possible for a captain to be involved with a second lieutenant?

And can any of them hope to survive the treacherous voyage unscathed?

When humanity reaches for the stars in a race for survival, only the most daring amongst them will succeed.

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Review of Accelerating Universe

5 Stars

The Sector Fleet is a 4-book series about each of the 4 lead vessels that are taking the remnants of Earth’s population to their new home. When I read the blurb for Accelerating Universe about the Sector 2 lead vessel, I knew I would have to read it.

First, I always appreciate an interesting ship AI. Pavo (also the ship name), was hit by a solar flare just as it left Earth and seems to be malfunctioning. Or evolving. The AI latches onto passenger Ana Kareama as the human who might understand him (or it, but it seems like a him).

Ana’s past experience as a medic and soldier somehow brings her to Captain John Jameson’s attention. They will need to team up to figure out how to deal with Pavo, the conniving civilian government and the dangers of the unknown. They also get to team up romantically.

The title of each chapter is a line of dialogue that will be spoken (you get to guess at how that line will come up) and each chapter is also headed with the name of the characters who has the POV, a device I have always favored.

Accelerating Universe is a fast-paced with adventure, intrigue, romance and a little humor thrown in. If you enjoy scifi romance, you might want to check this one out.

About Apparent Brightness

“Please do not be alarmed. This is for your own protection.”

Working as the Chief Engineer onboard the ESAS Chariot out of Europe, Commander Camille Rey expected her position to be somewhat challenging on occasion.

She did not expect to be fighting for her and her fellow crewmen’s lives immediately after take-off.

Teaming up with the very proper, and very English Captain Noah Vaughan to combat a desperate saboteur onboard their vessel, Camille discovers that not all the malfunctions the Chariot is experiencing are human-related.

Secrets and desires are exposed amongst the stars and plasma fire, but can the captain and the chief overcome their cultural differences?

And can any of them hope to survive the treacherous voyage to New Earth unscathed?

When humanity reaches for the stars in a race for survival, only the most daring amongst them will succeed.

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Review of Apparent Brightness

4 stars

The Sector Fleet is a 4-book series about each of the 4 lead vessels that are taking the remnants of Earth’s population to their new home. After enjoying book 1, Accelerating Universe, I decided to give book 2 a try.

In Apparent Brightness, the first thing you find out is that the Sector 1 lead vessel, Pavo, was destroyed in a solar flare as the sector vessels left earth. Chariot, captained by Noah Vaughan, is now the lead vessel. Chariot’s Chief Engineer Camille Rey is the first to discover the odd message “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” that seems to appear out of nowhere. It is accompanied by system failures and Camille quickly becomes the detective that follows the clues left by the mysterious message sender.

Having read the first book, I was pretty sure there was an AI involved, and I don’t think it is much of a spoiler to confirm that. This AI seems very child-like and unpredictable. The captain and the engineer team up to figure out the AI and the system failures all the while fighting their attraction to each other. Okay, they don’t fight it that much.

The AI and characters from book 1 in also make an appearance in book 2, nicely tying the two books together. Like book 1, Apparent Brightness succeeds as both sci fi and romance. I found the two books similar enough that I don’t plan to read the any more in the series. That is just me though. I think many will look at this book and continue with the series. It does seem destined to tell a great story.

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Jewel of the Sea (The Kraken, #2) by Tiffany Roberts – Review

Tags

4 stars, scifi romance, series, Tiffany Roberts

About Jewel of the Sea

HER INSPIRATION AND HER PASSION…

Three months ago, Aymee had no idea the kraken — half-human sea dwellers — even existed. Now, the violet eyes of the kraken Arkon haunt her imagination, and she longs to know his touch. But word of his people has spread beyond The Watch, and Aymee’s attraction to Arkon may endanger the safety of human and kraken alike. To protect him, can she bring herself to forsake him? Is her desire for Arkon worth putting both their worlds at risk?

HIS MUSE AND HIS JEWEL…

Arkon has spent his life in the pursuit of knowledge. Then he met Aymee and found a new quest: to make her his. She inspires him, draws him in, dominates his thoughts. When he finally builds the courage to approach her, she’s everything he imagined and more. But a group of murderous humans are hunting the kraken, and continued contact with Aymee may destroy them both. Now that he’s tasted her sweetness, he can’t give her up…but can he risk his world and his people to satisfy his need for her?

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Review of Jewl of the Sea

With a name like “The Kraken” it is hard not to be intrigued by this scifi romance series. The futuristic setting is a colony on a planet that is not Earth. It is the home of both humans, whose ancestors came from Earth, and the kraken, a human-cephalopod genetic combination created by humans to mine a power source. Eventually, the kraken rebelled and the two species have lived apart for many, many years.

Of course, things cannot continue this way. It is when the species connect that these stories begin to get really interesting. Both sides distrust each other – with good reason. But that does not stop the artists from both species from making an instant connection when they first meet. This first meeting between Aymee and Arkon actually happened in book one of the series, but you don’t need to read it first to keep up with Aymee and Arkon and their tumultuous relationship that should be doomed. Human hunters are looking for the kraken. The kraken hate all humans. It does not look good for this couple. A confrontation between the couple and some of the hunters will set off a series of events that will bring Aymee and Arkon together, but they will need to stay hidden.

Jewel of the Sea is a fun read with few surprises. The odd combination of species is the attraction for me. Overcoming the many challenges that humans and kraken bring on themselves keep the story fresh and interesting. And I really liked these characters. Perhaps there is a wannabe artist in me that I hope will enable me to look at the world with an open mind like Aymee and Arkon do.

The author provided a copy of this book so that I could bring you this honest review.

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Rafaroy (The Cyborgs Reborn #2) by T.J. Quinn – Review

Tags

4 stars, alien invasion, Book Review, cyborgs, scifi romance, series, T.J. Quinn

Review by Riley

About Rafaroy

Earth was attacked by the Taucets, an alien race, determined to steal the planet from us. Forced to fight against a powerful enemy, humans created the cyborgs: enhanced human warriors, but they soon forgot about the human part of these powerful warriors.

Enslaved by the humans and forced to act against their will, the cyborgs quickly rebelled and started to escape the human’s oppression. Rafaroy is one of them. Helped by a human woman,he escapes during the invasion from a Taucets’colony,but gets injured on his way out.

Elena, a human female enslaved by the Taucets, uses the attack on the colony she’s in, to escape both the humans and the Taucets, just to fall prisoner of the sensuous cyborg she bumps into on her escape. They go through a journey not only of escape but also of self-knowledge as they act on the potent attraction between them.

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Review of Rafaroy

I’ll start of by telling you that the author provided copies of both Khajal and Rafaroy in exchange for my honest review. Rafaroy was the one that I was most interested in, but I did scan Khajal, to make sure I had the proper background going into Rafaroy.

I have entirely mixed views about these first two books in The Cyborgs Reborn series. The negative aspect of my mixed views stem from the fact that both have the element of sex slaves in them. The slaves are human females abducted and enslaved by the alien invaders. Add the fact that the aliens track their slaves with nipple rings and I am a little put off. In addition to the nipple rings, they are also branded with a traceable bar code, which makes the use of nipple rings redundant. The bar codes are not, because they become a key prop in the story. In actuality, the aliens are motivated to abduct the women for reason other than using them as sex slaves. This other reason, which I will leave for you to discover, could easily have been the only reason and would still have made a good story.

The positive side of my mixed views has to do with cyborgs. Human advancement in biology, whether through genetic manipulation, planned reproduction or technological enhancements, is one of those areas that I usually enjoy reading about in fiction. The results of those types of advancements can never truly be anticipated as long as a human is the basis for the evolution. So the cyborg dilemma in Rafaroy makes this a story that will draw my interest. That being said, I would really like to see the human/cyborg issue brought out more.

In addition to the cyborg ethical element, the relationship between Elena and Rafaroy is a plus. Both have their own agenda after escaping the Taucets. And it seems, despite their growing attraction, there is no way they will be able to stay together. They must concentrate on survival first. But this is a romance! I enjoyed seeing Elena and Rafaroy figuring out how to make romance happen. (P.S. – this will which involve some heated romance and love making.)

As with most series, characters from book #1 appeared and also characters that I assume will be part of a future installment in this series. The continuity is appreciated and I think it gives a kind of a homey feel to the story.

So overall, 3 stars for the sex slave aspect, but 4 stars for everything else (and I always round up).

Thanks to T.J. Quinn, who author provided copies of these books in exchange for an honest review.

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