Entry tags:
Reading
A few days back I posted under lock* about trawling through Kindle Unlimited for scifi romances, because I spend my anxiety (you would not beliiiiieve how many 3D assets I now own) and am trying to cut back on that by sticking to library/KU/other free books for a bit, and I am in the mood for scifi romances.
What I look for is humans, or very humanlike aliens, because Iam not a Garrus Vakarian shipper just don't do xeno, sorry, and I also look for significant plot that's independent of the actual romance. Which is surprisingly difficult to find, on both counts. Bonus points if there are cyborgs, power armor, mercenaries, or supersoldiers involved. No I have no idea why cyborgs are fine and aliens aren't. Maybe I imprinted on the Terminator back in the day. (Actually, if you peruse my various exchange letters over on ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
irusu these just seem to be the future version of the knights/masked fighters I like in fantasy. And yes I also like the Large Fierce One Caring For/Teamed Up With Wee One trope, which means that The Mandalorian is ABSOLUTELY my jam. Fight me.)
Here are some books I've tried so far:
(The cover images are affiliate links, FYI)
Contagion, by Amanda Milo. One OCD neat freak alien. One human woman. Both are abducted and held captive in a very unsterile environment. What more could go wrong?
Yes, I said I don't do xeno. I gave this one a try because the cover was hand-drawn, normally a bad sign in self-pub land but it still had over 300 reviews, mostly good, and the description sounded remarkably charming so it made me curious.
Verdict: charming fluff. The sex scenes squicked me because of alien genitalia, but given that I normally skim sex scenes for plot-important bits in romance anyway, it wasn't much different. The book is #2 in a duology and I beleive #1 is Contamination, part of a set of SF fairy-tale retellings by multiple authors. Given that this was readable, and I like Beauty and the Beast retellings, I'll give the first one a try also. (And one of y'all read it and reported in the comments that it was basically charming fluff, so hey.)
The Empress Capsule by R.K. Thorne A dangerous new passenger. A ship full of elite women marines. A package containing a terrible secret.
Verdict: O HELL YEAH. I read most of this last night, and finished it this morning over breakfast, and have downloaded book 2. Cyborg mercenary with a broken emotion-suppressing chip! A young prodigy commander with a troubled past! A ship of elite female space marines on a secret humanitarian mission! It's got a few issues, but for the most part I didn't care. It needed one last good copy edit, since I spotted two or three places in the text where one thing was stated and a page or so later, something that contradicted it was stated where the author either re-thought whatever it was or got confused in the wording. And the hero has a fridged woman as part of his past, but it's not so egregious that I'd have objected if it weren't already a cliché (if that makes sense?). While the romance is a constant thread in the book, the rest of the plot is paramount.
It also mostly got by my usual squick about fraternization by (a) having the commander worry about it, (b) have other characters point out that the ship isn't a military one, even though the commander likes to run it that way, and (c) setting it up to make sense that both the characters could be emotional juveniles, despite their positions.
Rot-13 for minor character spoilers, no plot spoilers:
Gur zrep vf 28, ohg unf orra jvgu n tebhc bs zrepf sbe 11 lrnef jub unir puvcf vafgnyyrq juvpu fhccerff gurve rzbgvbaf, nzbat bgure guvatf. Uvf vf oebxra, juvpu onfvpnyyl zrnaf ur'f tbg nyy bs gur grfgbfgrebar naq rzbgvbany hcurniny bs choregl fznpxvat uvz va gur snpr (naq vf abj n fgenvtug zna ba n fuvc bs zbfgyl jbzra, jura ur jnf va na nyy-znyr sbepr cerivbhfyl; nygubhtu ur'f irel tbbq ng ernyvmvat jung'f tbvat ba naq qrfcrengryl gelvat *abg* gb npg ba uvf vzchyfrf). Gur fuvc'f pbzznaqre vf 21...ohg jnf snfg-genpxrq vagb n Fcrpvny Sbeprf npnqrzl ng gur ntr bs 7 naq fubegyl nsgrejneq ragrerq vagb n fhcre-frperg fhcrefbyqvre-glcr cebtenz, fb juvyr fur unf pbzznaq cerfrapr naq pbzznaq rkcrevrapr, fur unf nyzbfg mvypu vagrecrefbany rkcrevrapr naq ab erny tbbq vqrnf ba ubj gb unaqyr ure ubezbarf. N pbhcyr bs lrnef byqre jbhyq unir znqr ure n ovg zber oryvrinoyr gb zr, ohg V ebyyrq jvgu vg.
The universe is diverse on paper: among others, the heroine is of Korean heritage, and I assume the hero comes from a settlement in the Islamic area mentioned by the author since he uses "Salaam" to greet people, but that seems to be more set-dressing than a source of plot or deeper worldbuilding so far. (Pointing that out in case you're looking for books that lean more heavily into those cultures.)
Anyway! This hit the buttons I was looking for, so while it's got a few problems that would have been solved with another rewrite, I am very happy to have found it.
And damn I just realized that there's no list of books I checked out with KU after I turn them in, so instead of a list of ones I back-buttoned out of with prejudice, here's the verdict on some non-KU samples that I read.
Blade's Edge (A Dozen Worlds Romance Book 1) by Val Roberts. Sometimes getting in bed with the enemy gives you the edge you need...
Verdict: A maybe; moved to my Possible Purchases collection. SF with fantasy trappings, or maybe vice versa. Heroine from matriarchal planet, hero from patriarchal planet, probably some good ol'cultural misunderstandings ahead, but he at least listened to her when she spoke sense about her culture. There will be huddling for warmth later on in this book or I will eat my hat. Neither of the leads really grabbed my attention, but nothing actively turned me off, either. The descrption promises that each attempts to seduce the other for information, plus a 150-pound housecat. Strikes against: the hero is named Blade and the heroine has a name that is one letter different than her homicidal sister's, which means I have to pay careful attention.
Escape from Zulaire: The Sectors SF Romance Series by Veronica Scott.
Heroine is a corporate representative at a political wedding when the space marine hero shows up with orders to evacuate her from the hot zone this planet is rapidly becoming.
Verdict: Again, a maybe. Sent to Possible Purchases folder. My primary concern is the heroine's behavior. See, if my employer is sufficiently concerned about the potential war brewing to send someone to extract me from the wedding where I'm representing the corporation, I'm not going to worry about what will happen to my employer if I break protocol and leave early. Which is what the heroine worries about. The author has the marines delayed because of a broken part on their transport...that would delay them enough for plot to happen, instead of having the heroine freak out about breaking protocol. If she continues to do that sort of thing through the book to show that she is a Strong Woman, I'd be seriously disappointed.
Hmmm, I think I'm talking myself out of this one.
After Dark (Ghost Hunters book 1), by Jayne Castle (Jayne Ann Krentz).
SF with psychic stuff. Heroine is a para-archaeologist working at a tiny museum, hero is a rich man who hires her to track down a stolen artifact.
The world seems interesting so far and neither of the leads has annoyed me yet. Moved to Possible Purchases.
Rules of Redemption (The Firebird Chronicles book 1) by T.A. White.
Ex-war-hero heroine is now a salvager, rummaging through the detritus of space battles to make a living, and apparently runs into problems from her past after saving a couple of kids on a space station (the sample ended there). Hero is an alien, but I have no idea how alien because at the moment he's completely clad in armor. There is also what appears to be a mouthy AI in a spherical drone. I like the heroine's character so far--one of my criteria for books is do I want to spend a couple of hours of my time with this person?--and am interested enough to shove it over to my Possible Purchases folder. I wonder if this started life as Reylo AU?
* That was under lock because I was making fun of some books, and I don't like to do that for self-pubbed authors in public, because they're putting themselves out there. I don't often do it in public for trad published authors either, because there's been a distressing tendency in the past for the authors to show up in my comments and either argue, in which case I really don't want them here, or just be very nice at me, which triggers my social anxiety so I get trapped in a cycle of OMG I WANNA BE YOUR FRIEND and AUUUGH I'LL SOUND LIKE AN IDIOT and means I end up just never replying to their comments. :)
What I look for is humans, or very humanlike aliens, because I
irusu these just seem to be the future version of the knights/masked fighters I like in fantasy. And yes I also like the Large Fierce One Caring For/Teamed Up With Wee One trope, which means that The Mandalorian is ABSOLUTELY my jam. Fight me.)Here are some books I've tried so far:
(The cover images are affiliate links, FYI)
Contagion, by Amanda Milo. One OCD neat freak alien. One human woman. Both are abducted and held captive in a very unsterile environment. What more could go wrong?Yes, I said I don't do xeno. I gave this one a try because the cover was hand-drawn, normally a bad sign in self-pub land but it still had over 300 reviews, mostly good, and the description sounded remarkably charming so it made me curious.
Verdict: charming fluff. The sex scenes squicked me because of alien genitalia, but given that I normally skim sex scenes for plot-important bits in romance anyway, it wasn't much different. The book is #2 in a duology and I beleive #1 is Contamination, part of a set of SF fairy-tale retellings by multiple authors. Given that this was readable, and I like Beauty and the Beast retellings, I'll give the first one a try also. (And one of y'all read it and reported in the comments that it was basically charming fluff, so hey.)
The Empress Capsule by R.K. Thorne A dangerous new passenger. A ship full of elite women marines. A package containing a terrible secret.Verdict: O HELL YEAH. I read most of this last night, and finished it this morning over breakfast, and have downloaded book 2. Cyborg mercenary with a broken emotion-suppressing chip! A young prodigy commander with a troubled past! A ship of elite female space marines on a secret humanitarian mission! It's got a few issues, but for the most part I didn't care. It needed one last good copy edit, since I spotted two or three places in the text where one thing was stated and a page or so later, something that contradicted it was stated where the author either re-thought whatever it was or got confused in the wording. And the hero has a fridged woman as part of his past, but it's not so egregious that I'd have objected if it weren't already a cliché (if that makes sense?). While the romance is a constant thread in the book, the rest of the plot is paramount.
It also mostly got by my usual squick about fraternization by (a) having the commander worry about it, (b) have other characters point out that the ship isn't a military one, even though the commander likes to run it that way, and (c) setting it up to make sense that both the characters could be emotional juveniles, despite their positions.
Rot-13 for minor character spoilers, no plot spoilers:
Gur zrep vf 28, ohg unf orra jvgu n tebhc bs zrepf sbe 11 lrnef jub unir puvcf vafgnyyrq juvpu fhccerff gurve rzbgvbaf, nzbat bgure guvatf. Uvf vf oebxra, juvpu onfvpnyyl zrnaf ur'f tbg nyy bs gur grfgbfgrebar naq rzbgvbany hcurniny bs choregl fznpxvat uvz va gur snpr (naq vf abj n fgenvtug zna ba n fuvc bs zbfgyl jbzra, jura ur jnf va na nyy-znyr sbepr cerivbhfyl; nygubhtu ur'f irel tbbq ng ernyvmvat jung'f tbvat ba naq qrfcrengryl gelvat *abg* gb npg ba uvf vzchyfrf). Gur fuvc'f pbzznaqre vf 21...ohg jnf snfg-genpxrq vagb n Fcrpvny Sbeprf npnqrzl ng gur ntr bs 7 naq fubegyl nsgrejneq ragrerq vagb n fhcre-frperg fhcrefbyqvre-glcr cebtenz, fb juvyr fur unf pbzznaq cerfrapr naq pbzznaq rkcrevrapr, fur unf nyzbfg mvypu vagrecrefbany rkcrevrapr naq ab erny tbbq vqrnf ba ubj gb unaqyr ure ubezbarf. N pbhcyr bs lrnef byqre jbhyq unir znqr ure n ovg zber oryvrinoyr gb zr, ohg V ebyyrq jvgu vg.
The universe is diverse on paper: among others, the heroine is of Korean heritage, and I assume the hero comes from a settlement in the Islamic area mentioned by the author since he uses "Salaam" to greet people, but that seems to be more set-dressing than a source of plot or deeper worldbuilding so far. (Pointing that out in case you're looking for books that lean more heavily into those cultures.)
Anyway! This hit the buttons I was looking for, so while it's got a few problems that would have been solved with another rewrite, I am very happy to have found it.
And damn I just realized that there's no list of books I checked out with KU after I turn them in, so instead of a list of ones I back-buttoned out of with prejudice, here's the verdict on some non-KU samples that I read.
Blade's Edge (A Dozen Worlds Romance Book 1) by Val Roberts. Sometimes getting in bed with the enemy gives you the edge you need...Verdict: A maybe; moved to my Possible Purchases collection. SF with fantasy trappings, or maybe vice versa. Heroine from matriarchal planet, hero from patriarchal planet, probably some good ol'cultural misunderstandings ahead, but he at least listened to her when she spoke sense about her culture. There will be huddling for warmth later on in this book or I will eat my hat. Neither of the leads really grabbed my attention, but nothing actively turned me off, either. The descrption promises that each attempts to seduce the other for information, plus a 150-pound housecat. Strikes against: the hero is named Blade and the heroine has a name that is one letter different than her homicidal sister's, which means I have to pay careful attention.
Escape from Zulaire: The Sectors SF Romance Series by Veronica Scott. Heroine is a corporate representative at a political wedding when the space marine hero shows up with orders to evacuate her from the hot zone this planet is rapidly becoming.
Verdict: Again, a maybe. Sent to Possible Purchases folder. My primary concern is the heroine's behavior. See, if my employer is sufficiently concerned about the potential war brewing to send someone to extract me from the wedding where I'm representing the corporation, I'm not going to worry about what will happen to my employer if I break protocol and leave early. Which is what the heroine worries about. The author has the marines delayed because of a broken part on their transport...that would delay them enough for plot to happen, instead of having the heroine freak out about breaking protocol. If she continues to do that sort of thing through the book to show that she is a Strong Woman, I'd be seriously disappointed.
Hmmm, I think I'm talking myself out of this one.
After Dark (Ghost Hunters book 1), by Jayne Castle (Jayne Ann Krentz). SF with psychic stuff. Heroine is a para-archaeologist working at a tiny museum, hero is a rich man who hires her to track down a stolen artifact.
The world seems interesting so far and neither of the leads has annoyed me yet. Moved to Possible Purchases.
Rules of Redemption (The Firebird Chronicles book 1) by T.A. White.Ex-war-hero heroine is now a salvager, rummaging through the detritus of space battles to make a living, and apparently runs into problems from her past after saving a couple of kids on a space station (the sample ended there). Hero is an alien, but I have no idea how alien because at the moment he's completely clad in armor. There is also what appears to be a mouthy AI in a spherical drone. I like the heroine's character so far--one of my criteria for books is do I want to spend a couple of hours of my time with this person?--and am interested enough to shove it over to my Possible Purchases folder. I wonder if this started life as Reylo AU?
* That was under lock because I was making fun of some books, and I don't like to do that for self-pubbed authors in public, because they're putting themselves out there. I don't often do it in public for trad published authors either, because there's been a distressing tendency in the past for the authors to show up in my comments and either argue, in which case I really don't want them here, or just be very nice at me, which triggers my social anxiety so I get trapped in a cycle of OMG I WANNA BE YOUR FRIEND and AUUUGH I'LL SOUND LIKE AN IDIOT and means I end up just never replying to their comments. :)