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

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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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Horizon and Infinity by Tabitha Lord – 2 Reviews

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5 stars, Book Review, psychic abilities, romance, scifi, series, spaceships, Tabitha Lord

Reviews by Riley

Recently, I read two great scifi books in Tabitha Lord’s Horizon series.  So far these are the only two books in the series, but I am hoping for more soon!  (As I write this post, both of these books are just $.99.  A great deal!)

Thank you to Tabitha Lord, who provided copies of her books so that I could bring you my honest reviews.

About Horizon

Caeli Crys isn’t living—she’s surviving. On the run after the genocide of her empathic people, she witnesses a spaceship crash near her hidden camp. When she feels the injured pilot suffering from miles away, she can’t help but risk discovery to save his life.

Commander Derek Markham awakens stranded on an uncharted planet. His co-pilot is dead, his ship is in ruins, and he’s only alive because a beautiful young woman is healing him with her mind.

As Derek recovers, Caeli shares the horror of her past and her fear for the future. When Derek’s command ship, Horizon, sends rescue, Derek convinces Caeli to leave with him. But his world is as treacherous as hers—full of spies, interplanetary terrorist plots, and political intrigue. Soon the Horizon team is racing to defend an outlying planet from a deadly enemy, and Caeli’s unique skills may just give them the edge they need to save it.

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Review of Horizon

Horizon is a two-part story. The first story takes place on Almagest, Caeli’s home world. The second story takes place off world. The stories are intertwined by the characters and, if you continue to read the series, you will find they are connected by even more.

In the story, the Almagest society is divided into Novali and Amathi. The Novali are the people with special gifts such as empathy, telepathy and the ability to heal with the mind – like Caeli. Noone knows for sure how they acquired these abilities. Eventually, the Amathi, split from the Novali and for years, both peoples lived apart, yet in peace. The Novali also believe that contact with those off-world is too risky and have worked to maintain a psychic cover for their world.

The differences between the two peoples and the psychic cover become points of contention for the Amathi and eventually, the peace is shattered in a terrible way, eventually leading to Caeli being on the run, rescuing Derek and eventually leaving her home planet to be safe on the Horizon. The life-changing decision to leave home is depicted with angst and emotion for Caeli – as it should.

Caeli is the most fascinating character in Horizon. She has been through so much. She struggles, she perseveres. She succeeds. She struggles again. Off of her home world, she finds her healing talents are unique but appreciated. And she can appreciate and learn from the healing skills and technology of the Horizon. Eventually, Caeli will fill a vital role with the Horizon’s own crew, despite the fact that she is not really part of their world. Caeli is a multi-faceted character that rises to every occasion, but not without difficulty and second thoughts.

The romance between Derek and Caeli is a key motivator for both characters, not just in their relationship, but also in everything else that goes on. It did not get in the way of the rest of the story, but held an equally important role in the overall tale.

Derek is a strong, take-charge leader, once he is back on Horizon. He invites challenge and meets it head on. I did think the big take-down of the bad guys at the end went a little too smoothly, but in the end, it will turn out to have other consequences.

One of my favorite parts of the story is Almagest. It is an interesting world that was, at one time, more advanced and probably had contact with other worlds. You never really get the whole story of what happened. It has been lost over war and time. I like how much of the Almagest history is unknown. This makes for much theorizing. And it likely, fodder for future stories.

5 stars for Horizon. I recommend this one for scifi romance readers who appreciate an intricate plot that is a open to many possible endings, both for this book and for the series.

About Infinity

In the second installment of the award-winning Horizon series, Dr. Caeli Crys returns to her war-torn world to fight for those she left behind.

Almagest, Caeli’s home, stands on the brink of revolution. Long hidden from the rest of the galaxy, the once-peaceful planet suffers under a regime that grows more violent and oppressive by the day.

Marcus, Almagest’s dictator, is building an arsenal of alien weaponry by selling empathic children into slavery. A resistance has risen, but they are outmanned, outgunned, and in hiding.  Joined by Commander Derek Markham and his elite squadron of operatives, Caeli embarks on a dangerous mission to find the Resistance, rescue her captive people, and save her civilization from destruction.

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Review of Infinity

In book 1, Horizon, the story ended with Caeli safely away from her home planet of Almagest. It could have ended there, but Caeli was not really the kind of person who would have wanted to leave her friends in a bad situation. So Infinity is the story of Caeli going home.

The situation has become quite bad. Marcus, the Amathi leader/dictator, has imprisoned the Novali and is going after the resistance. He has sold one of the Novali children to a slaver and intends to sell more. You can imagine what an unscruplous person would want to do with someone who could read minds or heal/hurt with their mind. Marcus is the kind of villian everyone loves to hate. Truth be told, he seems to be setting up his world for revolution while blindly following his own agenda.

Caeli’s journey home and the ensuing revolution is one of the most emotion-filled sci fi stories I’ve read lately. Ms. Lord has really focused on the characters and their relationships and their feelings, without sacrificing any of the needed plotting and action. Action like spying and rescuing and getting captured and a battle for the cause. Derek and his team join the cause even though it is not their world. There are political reasons for this, but it is also the right thing to do. Derek and Caeli have become a team, both romantically and in saving the world. They also have some really great people on their team, both from the world of Almagest and from the Horizon.

I said this when I reviewed Horizon and it still holds true for Infinity. I like how much of the Almagest history is unknown, lost in a war. In Infinity, some of Almagest’s history and the beginnings of the Novali is revealed through computer logs. But not all. I can still theorize all I want. Will my theories prove true or not? I am going to have to read the next book in the series!

The ending of Infinity is both satisfying and full of questions. Plus there is a teaser for the next book. 5 stars for Infinity and…..next book please!

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