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Book Review: The Devil You Know, by Kit Rocha

I borrowed a copy of Kit Rocha‘s The Devil You Know from the local library. I reviewed Deal With the Devil, book one of the Mercenary Librarians series, last year.

Maya has had a price on her head from the day she escaped the TechCorps. Genetically engineered for genius and trained for revolution, there’s only one thing she can’t do—forget.

Gray has finally broken free of the Protectorate, but he can’t escape the time bomb in his head. His body is rejecting his modifications, and his months are numbered.

When Maya’s team uncovers an operation trading in genetically enhanced children, she’ll do anything to stop them. Even risk falling back into the hands of the TechCorps.

And Gray has found a purpose for his final days: keeping Maya safe.

I’m having difficulty deciding how I feel about this book. By the end, things picked up and I finished the book invested and looking forward to seeing what happens next. But, honestly, I was pretty bored for the first half of the book, when Maya and Gray mooned around in the warehouse and Nina, Knox, and everyone else went off and did hero stuff off-page. I realize that Maya and Gray were meant to the the main characters. But it felt like the book was focused on the wrong couple, since one was off doing something exciting and the other…well, just wasn’t. On top of that, I didn’t really feel Maya and Gray’s connection. I know some of it was established in book one, but it just felt plopped in the readers lap here.

Having said all of that, I really liked all of the characters and how much they care for one another. They’re also admirably diverse too, which I love. Plus, the post-apocalyptic world is really interesting, I really understood why they called themselves librarians far more clearly here than in book one, and the writing style is a pleasure to read.

All in all, not a 100% winner, but I’ll be back for book three when it comes out next year.

Other Reviews:

Review: The Devil You Know – Kit Rocha

Review: The Devil You Know by Kit Rocha

Book Review: Live By The Team, by Cindy Skaggs

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I picked up a copy of Cindy Skaggs‘ Live By the Team as an Amazon freebie.

SSgt. Ryder was born, bred, and enhanced as a warrior, but when he returns home to his new wife–exiled from the Army along with the rest of his disgraced team–he faces mounting anger and paranoia. Something shady followed Ryder back from the desert, and he disappears to protect his wife, but his departure leaves a vacuum filled with intrigue.

Lauren Ryder married thinking she had finally found stability, until her new husband disappeared. In six months, she’s lost everything that mattered, and now a madman has her in his sights. Ryder’s return lands her in deeper danger from a formidable enemy. As the threats escalate, so does the heat, but even if Ryder can save Lauren from the forces mounting against them, will they survive what he has become?

Military trained, medically enhanced, designed to kill. The Team Fear novels are fast paced, with twists and turns and a side of steamy. The surviving members of Team Fear are out of the military and in a world of secrets, lies, and cover-ups in this new romantic suspense series by Cindy Skaggs.

I liked this OK, wouldn’t say I loved it, but I liked it. I liked that Lauren had volition of her own and wasn’t ready and willing to hand over responsibility of her protection to another. I liked that Ryder was so clearly in love and willing to show it. I liked that the two were already married, so the romance was a little different that the normal meeting and falling in love sort. I thought Rose and Debi were fun side characters.

However, the ‘love’ was too focused on sex (it got redundant), too much of the plot hinged on Ryder’s unwillingness to simply say what needed to be said, the super-soldier aspect was all hand-wavy, and I was actually quite bothered that ~80% of the book was dodging one established threat, but that it suddenly evaporated and the last part of the book was dealing with an entirely different, unrelated threat. I suppose it was a plot twist, but it felt more like a plot shift to me.

All in all, I liked Skagg’s writing. I’d read another of their books. But this was a so-so read for me.

Review of Deal with the Devil (Mercenary Librarians #1), by Kit Rocha

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I pre-ordered a copy of Kit Rocha‘s Deal with the Devil.

Description from Goodreads:

Nina is an information broker with a mission–she and her team of mercenary librarians use their knowledge to save the hopeless in a crumbling America.

Knox is the bitter, battle-weary captain of the Silver Devils. His squad of supersoldiers went AWOL to avoid slaughtering innocents, and now he’s fighting to survive.

They’re on a deadly collision course, and the passion that flares between them only makes it more dangerous. They could burn down the world, destroying each other in the process…

Or they could do the impossible: team up.

This is the first book in a near-future science fiction series with elements of romance.

Review:

I really quite enjoyed this. I liked the characters, the diversity, the world, the humor, and the plot (though the twists at the end were easily guessable). I liked that you get a little of everyone’s POV, without head-hopping and that, while there is one main couple, there are also hints of side couples to come. My only real complaint is that, for a series called Mercenary Librarians, books/libraries/librarians play essentially no role. Maybe they will in future books, but they don’t here and I was super disappointed by that. All in all, however, I can’t wait for more.