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Ghost in the Machine

Book Review of C.E. Kilgore’s Ghost in the Machine

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Ghost in the MachineAuthor, C.E. Kilgore sent me an ecopy of her Sci-Fi Romance, Ghost in the Machine (Corwint Central Agent Files #1). Though it’s also currently free on Amazon.

Overly long description from Goodreads:
“Love is like a wormhole. You stumble on to it blindly, it sucks you in and takes you somewhere completely unexpected, but you sure have one hell of a ride. You can’t fight it, because that would tear your ship apart. You can’t control it, either. All you can do is set your thrusters on glide and let it take you where it’s going to take you.”

Take part in an exploration of the heart through a richly built and diverse universe of cultures, planets and people. As a member of the Vesparian race that seeks to keep its entire existence secret, Orynn is thrown into the open by a request for help that she could not refuse. Seeking to reconcile past mistakes and gain a forgiveness she feels she does not deserve, the control over her empathic abilities is put to the test when the darkness that lives within her spirit threatens to once again destroy any piece of happiness that she allows herself to find. 

Joining a rag-tag crew of Central Agents, who are part of an organization that maintain a counterbalance against the encroaching Xen’dari Empire, Orynn finds unexpected friendship and a trust she struggles not to betray. When her heart grows an attachment for one of the crew members, a Mechatronic Automaton who reminds her of a lost and cherished friendship, the darkness within her fights against it and begins to rip her spirit in two. When another Agent tries to bring out the darkness in order to witness her races’ rumored capabilities, she is brought to the edge of the abyss within her soul. With a gentle push, she jumps.

As a Mechatronic Automaton, Ethan defines his world through a set of logically defined values and understandings. Encountering Orynn throws his system out of balance as he tries to decide if he should trust the feelings he is developing, or if he should follow the logic telling him that she is trying to control him for some unknown purpose. Should he keep her at a distance despite his want to bring her near, or should he follow the heart he swears he does not have? As his understanding of her develops, he begins to question all of his preconceived notions about both himself and the universe around him.

In his attempts to capture the Vesparian prey he has been hunting after for two decades, the First Commander of the Xen’dari fleet will stop at nothing and track Orynn to the ends of the universe. On a path of vengeance for a past he can’t let go of, he will do everything in his power to burn her world down around her feet until nothing is left but ash and the bitter taste of regret. The Central Agents’ mission to save a planet from a genetically created plague is put in jeopardy by the First Commander’s advances. The crew must fight against the unknown foe as they travel between systems in their search for the plague’s cure.

Orynn guides the crew through these systems with her knowledge of the cultures and peoples, giving the young captain a crash course in the uncommon races of the Outer Rim. Captain Hankarron Eros is in for the ride of his life as he tries to put aside his preconceived ideas about Vesparians and give Orynn his trust. Struggling with his own relationship woes and a reputation for rash and strategically lacking decisions, Hank fights to hold on to his Captain’s chair as the legendary legacy of his Uncle overshadows him. 

Ghosts of the past clash with hopes for the future in this first book of the series, set in a universe where nothing is as it seems at first glance and trust is a highly priced commodity.

Review:

I knew this was a sci-fi romance, but I was surprised to find that it was a romance first and foremost and a sci-fi second. The romance elements are a lot stronger than the science fiction. In fact, I kind of think they overshadowed it a little bit. I like a good romance as much as the next person, so I wasn’t too bothered by this. I just didn’t expect it. Though on rereading the description I probably shouldn’t have been. 

I really appreciate that Kilgore was willing to explore the concept of the consequences of actions, including inaction. I would almost call this the theme of the book. Orynn was forced to face this again and again and there were some real tragedies here. They were some of the most realistic element of the book, which is something I think some authors are afraid to allow. I’m glad Kilgore was willing to go there. I also thought it countered all the sappy, happy-happy-joy-joy of the romance. 

The crew of the Zera reminded me a lot of the crew of the Firefly. Yes, the book lacked the steampunk element, but the basic way the crew interacted, the young female engineer, their tendency to fight the good fight while functioning outside the proper legal confines all seemed very, very familiar to me. Now, I loved Firefly. I adored the characters and the way they loved to hate one another, how they ragged on each-other constantly and teased each-other good naturedly. All those elements were here to love in this book too. 

I was a little disappointed to find the all to frequently used female lead who has extremely strong abilities, but is hampered by her fragile heart. I really hate this trope, hate it. Orynn was forever berating herself or falling apart for using her natural born skills–for being who she is essentially. What’s more, she frequently compromised herself in the process, resulting in the classic damsel in emotional distress syndrome. Yep, I hate that too. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t dislike Orynn as a character. I just found myself groaning at some of her antics. She could have been a strong female lead. She should have been really. Instead she was an emotional basket case that made me want to kick her. At 200+ year old she should have figured some of this stuff out already. 

I also had a moderate problem with Ethan. I loved him as a character. He was kind, considerate, and willing to examine himself and his own motives. But he was just too human for a mecha (android), both emotionally and physically. I gather he was designed to evolve and was something of an anomaly among mecha, but he really rose above his subroutines on more than one occasion. Then there was the minor detail of sex. I can accept him being anatomically correct. His designer was aiming for realistic human form after all. I can even accept that he was able to activate that organ as any other. I was with the author up to this point. But once we reach his ability to climax, including a deposit (for lack of a less offensive description), I was lost. I couldn’t help but wonder what function that option played. It’s not like he had any genetic material to pass on for the purpose of procreation. Not to mention what was it made of…hydraulic fluid?

The writing was pretty good, especially in the second half–once the author passed the need to break up each passage to explain every new species, planet, space station, etc. (That really disrupted the flow of the first half of the book). I only have two small criticisms. One, the book could do with a little more editing. Two, the POV is all over the place. Luckily, the cast is pretty small so when you head-hop you can’t go too far. But the reader does leap from person to person a lot, often in a short space of time and with no warning. 

Despite my complaints, I enjoyed the book and would be more than willing to continue the series. I look forward to seeing how the other characters evolve, especially Merek. He was my favourite. I recommend the book more for romance fans than sci-fi fans though.

As and aside, the title makes me think of Ghost in the Shell. So I was really disappointed not to find a single Tachikoma and no reference to the Major or Batou. “Sigh* Not that I really expected any, though. 

 

Bonds of Attraction and Livia Royce’s EMMAncipation

Book Review of Alana Davis’ Bonds of Attraction and Livia Royce’s EMMAncipation

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Since neither of these books really rang my bell I thought I might combine them into one post. Both came from the Amazon KDP list. You can find Alana Davis’ Bonds of Attraction (still free) here, but Livia Royce‘s EMMAncipation seems to have been removed from Amazon.

Bonds of AttractionDescription from Goodreads:
“It was always strictly business. I had never slept with a client. I wasn’t about to start now.”

Julie Facet runs the hottest matchmaking agency in Los Angeles, but she doesn’t quite believe in happily ever afters. Despite the file cabinets full of clients she has found matches for, she isn’t interested in anything beyond simply satisfying her own physical needs. When Julie meets the wealthy Leon Christensen, her professionalism is pushed to the brink. Leon is charismatic and cocky, and does everything he can to get under Julie’s skin. Not to mention that he owns the Poison Ivy, a nightclub that’s designed for every sexual proclivity and uses his own sexuality to push women away.

Will she able to find a suitable partner for Leon, who prides himself in his no-strings-attached relationships?

And what will Julie do when she discovers that her feelings for Leon extend beyond the professional?

Review:
I really like this book’s cover but there are probably readers out there that will enjoy the book itself a lot more than me. Me, I couldn’t figure out where Julie’s attraction came from. Leon was a dick to her from the first moment they met, and that’s really putting it lightly. Then she spends most of the book building elaborate sexual fantasies about him that have nothing, and I mean nothing, to do with the reality of the man she’d met. (By the end I was skimming, if not skipping them.)

Suddenly she ‘has feelings.’ What? She may have fallen in love with her fantasy, but the real deal (who she’d spoken to 3, maybe 4 times) was still calling her a whore and propositioning her in increasingly horrific ways. Unattractive doesn’t start to cover it. I imagine we’re supposed to understand he’s wounded and emotionally damaged. Our soft feminine urges to heal the injured male should be kicking in. Um…no. Just no. And when I thought Julie was finally gonna wise up and walk away he suddenly decided to bear his soul and the hearts and flowers start popping out all over the place. I think I got whiplash from trying to follow his sudden change of heart!

Now, I’ll credit the book with having a lead female that is comfortable with her body, even though it’s curvy and not a stick and with portraying a woman who is unashamed of her own sexuality. That really was refreshing, as was the fact that she wasn’t gagging to give up her control and cater to all of his BDSM fetishes. In fact, the subtext seemed to be that Leon craved the bondage because of his unhealthy self-image and within the confines of a safe, loving relationship a rather more vanilla scene still filled the bill. There are so many Shades Of Grey clones out there that it was nice to see female sexuality as something other than the weak-willed desire to submit and male sexuality as predatory. Don’t get me wrong, there is a little of this but it’s nowhere near as strong as it often is.

I’ll also admit that I might not have hated Leon as much if we were given any of his thoughts, feeling, opinions, etc. But the book is in first person, from the perspective of Julie and the reader isn’t given a single insight into Leon that isn’t mitigated through her. He feels very much like the creepy, life-sized cardboard cutout that she hangs in the corner and dreams about. He has no depth at all.

Add writing like this, “When my eyes finally adjusted to the darkness of the, shock stabbed my heart.” Or instances like the time I counted the word ‘car’ used 8 times in two brief paragraphs and I start to loose the will to read on. These latter matters I really could and would overlook. But I found the interactions between Julie and Leon really quite repulsive. Nope, there wasn’t a lot in this book that attracted me. I expect others to like it and fully acknowledge my opinion to be nothing more than that, but this was definitely not for me.
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Book Review of Chosen, by Denise Grover Swank

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THE CHOSENI grabbed a copy of Denise Grover Swank‘s Chosen (The Chosen, #1) from the KDP free list.

Description From Goodreads:
Everything Emma Thompson owns fits in a suitcase she moves from one roach infested motel to another. She and Jake, her five year old son who can see the future, are running from the men intent on taking him. Emma will do anything to protect him even when it means accepting the help of a stranger named Will. Jake insists she needs Will, but Emma’s never needed help before. And even though she’s learned to trust her son, it doesn’t mean she trusts Will.

Mercenary Will Davenport lives in the moment. Hauling Emma to South Dakota should have been an easy job, but his employer neglected to tell him about Emma’s freaky son and the gunmen hot on her trail. Instinct tells him this job is trouble, but nothing can prepare him for Jake’s proclamation that Will is The Chosen One. Who must protect Emma from the men hunting her power. A power she doesn’t know she has.

Will protects Emma and Jake on a cross-country chase from the men pursuing them, while struggling with memories from his past, his apprehension of Jake, and his growing attraction to Emma. Will’s overwhelming urge to protect Emma surprises him, especially since it has nothing to do with his paycheck and possibly everything to do with the tattoo Jake branded on his arm. Rich and powerful men are desperate to capture Emma, and Will must discover why before it’s too late.

Review:
Entertaining enough while it lasted. I liked the premise of the book, and Jake, Emma, and Will are all interesting characters. I think I could have really, really liked it if it hadn’t compromised itself in so many ways. These may be personal likes and dislikes, but hey it’s my review. Others may not be as bothered by some of this.

I liked that Emma was a strong female character. Unfortunately, she spends about half the book injured in some fashion. And when injured she seemed to become completely disabled, which kind of negates all that awesome self-sufficient badassery. I liked that she was so protective of her son, Jake. Unfortunately, Jake was practically a cardboard cutout for much of the book. He was the prop that gave her a reason to be hunted. He’s important to the story. I would have liked it if he did more than sleep in the back seat for most of the book. I did really like Will. He seemed to accept all the supernatural mumbo-jumbo with amazing ease, which didn’t seem very realistic. But I enjoyed his slow acceptance of his feelings and all of his self-recriminations. Definitely an interesting addition, the question of ‘Do past bad deeds make you a present bad person?’

For much of the book, the writing and dialogue are pretty good, but then, at other times, it gets really choppy. Mostly due to the overuse of names. How often do you really say someone’s name when speaking to them? It begins to feel unnatural after a while.

The First half of the book is almost nothing but car chases and gun fights. I wouldn’t have had a problem with that if the second half of the book had made up for it, but it didn’t. The problem is that the romance just comes to fruition, you just figure out the prophecy, just figure out who is chasing them, just get started at just about everything and then the book just ends. Major, big-time pet peeve right there. I can’t even call this a cliffhanger since nothing really wraps up before the book ends. Of course, I knew going in this wasn’t a stand-alone book. I can see the ‘The Chosen, #1’ right there in the title. But that doesn’t mean it has to be without ending. The plot over the whole series looks like it could be an interesting one, but when considering just this one book on its own, it feels a bit unfinished.