There are giant creepy spiders in one of the stories in Pets in Space 3. So I thought it was appropriate to post this review today. Happy Halloween!
About Pets in Space 3: Embrace the Passion by Pauline Baird Jones, Carol Van Natta, JC Hay, Kyndra Hatch, E D Walker, Ruby Lionsdrake, Tiffany Roberts, Veronica Scott, S.E. Smith, Alexis Glynn Latner, Anna Hackett
Eleven original, never-before-published action-filled romances that will heat your blood and warm your heart! Eleven authors combine their love for Science Fiction Romance and pets to bring readers sexy, action-packed romances while helping a favorite charity. Proud supporters of Hero-Dogs.org, Pets in Space authors have donated over $4,400 in the past two years to help place specially trained dogs with veterans. Open your hearts and grab your limited release copy of Embrace the Passion: Pets in Space 3 today!
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Review Pets in Space 3: Embrace the Passion
Since the beginning, when Pets in Space 1 was introduced to the Scifi Romance world, I have been very enthusiastic about these collections. The combinatin of scifi and romance was already a favorite thing for me, but when you add in an endearing pet….don’t expect me to say ‘no’ to these great anthologies.
There are so many remarkable stories in this 3rd collection. Everyone who reads it will pick out their favorites, and so have I.
Two of my favorite series are represented. Pauline Baird Jones’ Project Enterprise and Carol Van Natta’s Central Galactic Concordance. In an anthology with these two great authors and their familiar series, it is easy to pick my favorites.
In Jones’ Operation Ark USMC Sergeant Carolina City (Caro) is charged with repatriating a shipload of sentient beings that all bear some resemblance to animals an Earthling might be familiar with: turtles, eagles, pandas, etc. Along for the ride is Kraye, a human that was pretty much raised by robots.
So the human that was raised by robots has a hard time understanding other humans, especially a certain Sgt. City, his feelings toward her and her unspoken communication toward him. Luckily, he has Bull (robot) and Rocky (squirrel) (yes – moose and squirrel – Pauline did that!). Bull and Rocky try to coach Kraye, which leads to a few smirks, but ultimately, he is going to have to figure things out for himself.
Caro, the human that was raised by humans also has a hard time understanding Kraye. He may look like a human, but he has robot-like reactions and doesn’t pick up on any of her non-verbal communication. Bluntness may be required.
But before they can figure each other out, all sorts of adventure will keep them busy. Someone has betrayed the mission and the effort to take all their passengers to their home planets is anything but a ride around the park. Action-filled with spooky giant spiders, Operation Ark has humans, robots and other assorted sentient beings that are in for danger, tricky maneuvers, heroic actions, Greek alphabet code names and maybe, just maybe, a kiss or two. Pauline Baird Jones again succeeds in making me laugh out loud at her quirky humor, race through her action scenes and cheer when the spider gets it! Project Enterprise fans, buy Pets in Space just for this story!
Cats of War by Carol Van Natta takes place in the galaxy of telepaths, telekinetics and patterners where not having those skills seems to be a major handicap, but having them puts one on the CPS radar. In this story, we have two people who have avoided the CPS trap, but find that sometimes, using your talent for good is worth taking the risk.
Our hero, Kedron, is a quiet nerd who is not sure if he should open up to the lovely techie. He is pretty sure he should not, but that doesn’t keep him from saving up a weeks work of technical issues that will require her attention. Ferra is the heroine who is dodging a past by doing time – voluntarily – as an indentured worker. Kedron is definitely out her her league.
Their mutual attraction goes unnoticed, mostly, until circumstances force them to spend more time together. Whether it is fixing technical problems with dubious causes, saving animals or fending off the gangster indenturees, Kedron and Ferra make a good team. I think you could say they have chemistry.
Wait – I havn’t mentioned the pets yet. Flying cats. How cool is that. Plus they can communicate telepathically. How really cool is that! The cats are some of the animals that needed rescuing and they quickly worm their way into the hearts of Ferra and Kedron.
Cats of War is a sweet addition to the Central Galactic Concordance series, so if you are a fan, you should absolutely check it out.
This year’s edition of Pets in Space includes several newcomers to the collection – Tiffany Roberts, E D Walker, JC Hay, Kyndra Hatch, Ruby Lionsdrake. Of note – JC Hay and Kyndra Hatch were among my favorites. Both told tales that included creatures in the canine family. Also, both stories included secluded settings. The takeaway – you are never lonely if your dog is beside you.
After the Fall by Kyndra Hatch tells a tale of the post-war interaction of between a male of Korth and a human female. In the war, they would have been enemies, but the war has been over for 10 years. A’rck has marooned himself, H’tch and K’mi on an unpeopled planet to forget what happened when invaders irrevocably changed his way of life in a senseless act. Lyra is an ‘invader’, or human, that has been sent to survey worlds for colonization and she just happens to find A’rck’s planet. This is going to be a battle. But K’mi, the young mohga has taken an immediate liking to the human and it appears, has bonded with her. That should be impossible. Mohgas bond only with Korthans. Between K’mi and her sire H’tch, the effort to bring the two enemies together becomes a plan. Large bear-like creatures and potential colonists add danger and conflict and the opportunity for A’rck and Lyra to grow close.
JC Hay’s Out of the Shadows feature umbra wolves being raised by Nafisi. Eventually the wolves will bond with Rangers and work side be side with them. Rafe is a retire ranger whose wolf died. He is sent to Nafisi’s ranch to assess the possibility that a criminal ring may have discovered it’s whereabouts and plans an assault on the ranch to steel the wolves. Nafisi and Rafe are both middle aged folks that are set in their ways and not open to other people’s interference. You see where this is going don’t you. Oh, there is a cute wolf pup, the runt of the litter, that takes a liking to Rafe. I don’t think Rafe is going to be able to chase the bad guys away and then just leave the ranch. Do you?
Have I given you enough to figure out if you would like to read Pets in Space 3? I hope so. Scifi, romance, pets and, oh by the way, a portion of the proceeds go to a great charity, Hero-Dogs.org. There are over 1,100 pages in this book, so I think it is fair to say you will be entertained for many hours!
I was given a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
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Links
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Giveaway
Don’t forget the ongoing giveaway for the audiobook of Phantom Evil by Heather Graham, or the print books of Catherine Cerveny’s The Rule of Luck and The Chaos of Luck. If you haven’t entered yet, you might be interested to know that commenting on today’s post helps qualify you for an entry – see the giveaway post for all the details. Or go straight to the giveaway….
