Review: Cosmic Soul: A MM Sci-fi Romance (Cosmic Romance 2) by Mars Quinn

Rating: 4.5🌈

I was intrigued by the theme of the book when Mars Quinn introduced the characters and concept at the end of the first story. That a human ghost had traveled, somehow, to the stars and stumbled upon a strange planet and being able to see him? Fascinating as a certain other well-known character would say.

Cosmic Soul: A MM Sci-fi Romance (Cosmic Romance 2) by Mars Quinn turns out to be a beautifully executed and thoughtfully written novel, one that engaged me far deeper than even the first well done story had.

Quinn continues to enlarge this universe by adding to the knowledge of the Drakcol Empire culture,its martial history, and the sentient Crystal that now drives all their lives and decisions. The Drakcol believe in 4 soul types: warriors, seekers, spiritual, and creators, testing their people to see into what type they fall. This aspect of Drakcol society plays deeply into the various characters dynamics here. That determines much of their lives as some types are valued higher than others simply because of their history.

In Cosmic Soul, Quinn with these characters, there’s glimpses of almost hidden gifts and other aspects of Drakcol society that are reflective of human life. Quinn uses, per the author’s notes, deeply personal knowledge to describe parts of Zoltikvoxfyn/Fyn (one of Kal’s brothers) personality. It’s a condition that’s had an enormous impact on his and his family’s lives. It’s realistically portrayed as something Fyn has been dealing with , similar to human depression.

It’s through Zoltikvoxfyn/Fyn that the human ghostly traveler, Caleb Smith, is able to find someone able to see and hear him. Turns out that Fyn, a name Caleb gives to Zoltikvoxfyn, can see spirits or ghosts, a highly unusual gift among his people.

From this incredible beginning, in Fyn’s room among rare flora, a deeply layered and detailed narrative is created. These characters will become so dear and remarkable, as well as the tumultuous, often painful journey they must endure in order for them to find their own unique form of love and a mate bond.

The author brings back all the great characters from Cosmic Husband, including them in important roles here, both as family and friends, as Fyn and Caleb seek their way through this difficult period. There’s a subtle development with the Crystal, the two races, the uneasy populace that’s seeing additional narrative growth in the series arc plotting that’s highly fascinating. I can’t wait to see where Quinn goes with this.

Book to book, the characters and storylines are gathering depth and strength in terms of new great characters and world building.

It’s got humor too. So yes, this is a great read and must series. Read them in the order they are written.

Cover Artist: Etheric Designs

Cosmic Romance:

Cosmic Husband #1

Cosmic Soul #2

Buy Link

Cosmic Soul: A MM Sci-fi Romance (Cosmic Romance 2)

Blurb

So I may be dead, but my afterlife isn’t.

Caleb

After years of wandering the stars, I’ve finally met someone who can see me—the handsome and serious Prince Zoltilvoxfyn. I know I should pass on, but I feel something, like physically feel something, when I’m with him. That hasn’t happened since I was alive, and I can’t help but wonder, why now?

Zoltilvoxfyn

I’m trying to help the human soul, who shouldn’t even be here, leave the mortal plane, but he is resolved to remain. The longer Caleb lingers, the more danger he is in, yet the more I want him to stay by my side. It’s like he belongs here, but that isn’t possible.

This is a spicy stand-alone MM romance in the Cosmic Romance series. It is a sci-fi paranormal romance with a sunshine ghost, a serious alien, overprotective brothers, and a happily ever after. This book is for adult audiences only and has explicit content. Content warning inside.

Publication date: October 7, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 408 pages

Review: Whiskey and Warfare: The Team Huntress Flights by E. M. Hamill

Rating: 5+🌈

E. M. Hamill’s Whiskey and Warfare is such an exceptional book that, once I finished, I went out and bought a hardcover copy for my collection and bedside. It’s a book that’s so powerful and personal a story for me that I needed to make sure it’s kept as close physically to me as it is feels emotionally. It’s my comfort read and a joyful journey that I cherish.

Hamill’s incredible characters, their depth of connection to each other, the history and emotional rawness of each other’s lives and the journey that they embark upon is one I’ll visit again and again.

The beauty of Hamill’s understanding of grief and mourning, so well demonstrated through the character of Maryn Alessi, who’s only just lost her partner and spouse. But Maryn in a realistic turn of events faces a new uncertain and unwelcome future.

I love this woman so much. Reading this was almost a cathartic experience for me.

The journey? Dr Maryn Alessi, former mercenary, now professor, 54, must see her deceased mate, Primetri Andelek, to zer’s home planet for burial. Andelek’s remains must be returned to the soil of Xyri within 2 weeks of death in accordance with the family’s spiritual beliefs. Maryn has 6 days. How? A ship that’s amazing and full of memories along with a crew that’s basically family.

Scylla Merrow and wife Jac, Col the Boshi, all part of the Artemis Corps, a female identifying combat unit that responded to colonies under attack, for a price.

That’s the fantastic narrative framework for a story that sings. It encapsulates memorable characters, scenes of great power and pathos, high hilarity and also deep sorrow.

Hamill’s story and the crew’s journey will embrace and celebrate their shared experiences and love for each other. It’s a great story about trauma, recovery, perseverance, healing, and love in all its forms.

That ending is everything. I believe that this is book one. But if it’s just a first step that’s all that counts, I’m absolutely fine with that too. I’m left healed and hopeful along with the crew. Isn’t that a wonderful feeling?

Spectacular writing, absolutely beautiful and one of the best of the year.

Buy link

Whiskey and Warfare: The Team Huntress Flights

Blurb

“This is the story we all need now — filled with so much love and respect and genuinely fun adventure.”

KD Edwards, author of The Last Sun

“Every element of it just SANG. The story was *chef’s kiss*. This book is truly special.”

Sarah Chorn, author of The Necessity of Rain

Running on caffeine and spite with nothing left to prove. GOLDEN GIRLS meets FIREFLY in this rollicking space opera adventure.

Maryn Alessi retired from mercenary service after her last assignment went horribly sideways and settled down on a quiet planet with the love of her life. Unexpectedly widowed, Maryn must fulfill a promise to return her mate’s ashes to zer home planet for funeral rites, but a brutal civil war has destabilized space travel.

Former Artemis Corps sisters-in-arms and their sassy ship, the Golden Girl, are up to the task, counting on luck and their rather sketchy cargo business to get Maryn passage through the contested star lanes. But when the crew of the Girl rescues survivors of a ruthless war crime, Maryn and her ride-or-die friends must take up their old profession to save the lives of innocents from a genocidal dictator.

Publisher: StarBard Books; 1st edition (September 15, 2024)
Publication date: September 15, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 262 pages

Check out the Other Worlds Ink Tour for the amazing “Whiskey and Warfare” by E.M. Hamill (excerpt and giveaway)

E.M. Hamill has a new queer women-led space western out (pan, lesbian, aro/ace), Team Huntress book one: Whiskey and Warfare. And there’s a giveaway!

Running on caffeine and spite with nothing left to prove. GOLDEN GIRLS meets FIREFLY in this rollicking space opera adventure.

Former Artemis Corps sisters-in-arms and their sassy ship, the Golden Girl, are up to the task, counting on luck and their rather sketchy cargo business to get Maryn passage through the contested star lanes. But when the crew of the Girl rescues survivors of a ruthless war crime, Maryn and her ride-or-die friends must take up their old profession to save the lives of innocents from a genocidal dictator.

Warnings: violence, genocide, aging, chronic illness, grief (death of spouse), PTSD

Praise for the Book:

“This is the story we all need now — filled with so much love and respect and genuinely fun adventure.” –KD Edwards, author of The Last Sun

“Every element of it just SANG. The story was *chef’s kiss*. This book is truly special.” –Sarah Chorn, author of The Necessity of Rain

“A fantastic read, a thoroughly delightful romp through space with an all-female main cast that blends crazy action scenes with deep reflection on what it means to grow older. This isn’t your parents’ Golden Girls.” –J. Scott Coatsworth, QueerSciFi.com

Universal Buy Link | Goodreads

Giveaway

E.M. is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card with this tour:

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47318/

Excerpt

Jac regarded Col with an arched eyebrow. “What happens to your species as you age? I don’t see you looking any different than the last time we got together.”

“You can’t tell?” Col stroked her furry cheeks. “I have more hair on my face.”

“Don’t we all?” Maryn gave a shaky laugh. “I look like I just hit puberty. I think my moustache is glorious.”

“I have also developed lower breasts,” the Boshi said, revealing her catlike teeth in a silent snarl of disgust.

“Mine are heading south too.” Jac cupped her tits, staring at them in contemplation.

“No. Lower breasts.” Col motioned to mid-abdomen beneath her tunic when it became clear they did not follow. “My second set.”

All three humans stared at her with varying degrees of curiosity. “What are they for?” Scylla asked.

“In my society I would be expected to help nurse the litters of my children. If I had any.” Col’s furry ears flapped as she shuddered. “Mewling, damp little things. Why anyone would want them is a mystery.”

“Ours turned out okay, and I didn’t have to get cozy with anything but a syringe,” Jac said with a laugh. “But I’m pretty sure Maya doesn’t expect me to breastfeed our grandkids.”

“Don’t look at me. I got rid of the plumbing a long time ago.” Scylla slapped her flat chest with both hands.

“How old is Maya now?” Maryn was chagrined to realize she hadn’t asked after her honorary niece.

“Twenty-one. She finished her first degree and she’s in medical residency on Telluride Station.” Jac beamed with pride. “Her gene dads still practice in New Denver, so she’s living with them. They’ve been trying to convince us to settle down there, where it’s safe and boring, but we’re not ready for that.” Something Maryn couldn’t name flitted through her expression before Jac’s face softened. “She sends her love, by the way.”

“Sweet kid. I owe her a graduation gift. What a lousy aunt I am.” She sniffed and wiped her nose with a tissue.

“You’re not.”

“I haven’t even seen her since she was six, when you came to visit.”

“She gets it, Mar.” Jac’s voice was gentle but firm, trying to head off Maryn’s slide into self-recrimination, but it was too much.

“I hate this. All of it.” She balled up the soggy paper in her fist. “I have six days left to take Andelek to Xyri before the scheduled rites and I have got to pull my shit together. I could check interplanetary express freight pricing, I guess. They’ve probably raised the rates because of the war, but I can afford it.”

Her eyes grew hot again. “But it just seems so wrong. Ze isn’t a box of supplies to be shuffled off world by a robotic pilot like so much cargo. But I don’t know what else to do.” Maryn made a frustrated noise as her voice snagged on the words. Tears came again whether she wanted them or not, and she swept the back of her hand over her eyes. “I’m running out of time.”

“About that.” Jac exchanged a long glance with Scylla before she continued, “We were talking. We want to take you to Xyri.”

The warm burst of astonished gratitude faded against an electric-jolt corkscrew of anxiety drilling into her chest. Shame came next, as always, and self-disgust filled her mouth with a sour, acetic burn.

“Are you sure?” she stammered. “It’s such a dangerous flight plan right now. It won’t complicate your business?”

“Nah. We’re still freelance.” Scylla shrugged. “Mostly private transactions. We’re our own bosses.” Her husky voice softened. “And you know the Girl would love to see you.”

“I miss her too.” Golden Girl was the well-loved privateer cruiser they’d pooled their end of tour bonuses to purchase when they left the Corps. The ship had been their home, their means of independence, and she had a definite personality. Its AI learning interface had picked up more human nuance with every mission until they treated it like a fifth crew member.

“The Girl’s small enough she doesn’t attract much attention on sensor sweeps. We need to go through Konecthedot system anyway on … business.” Jac traded another secretive nod with Scylla, and Maryn wondered what they weren’t saying.

“That is next to the front.” Col wasn’t fooled by the innocence act, her peridot eyes narrowed.

“Doesn’t mean it won’t be risky, but we can get you there in plenty of time for the remembrance rites.” Scylla cocked her head and her deep brown eyes, so dark they were almost black, glinted with hope and mischief. “Whatcha think, Mar? We can make it a girls’ trip if Col wants to tag along.”

“Yes!” the Boshi exclaimed in her sweet, breathy voice. “I have been bored out of my skull. I can work anywhere since CosBank gave me remote branch equipment.”

What her friends offered was too generous to turn down. She took a deep, steadying breath. “I don’t know what to say, except—” she gestured helplessly. “Thank you.”

Scylla gulped the rest of her wine, her enthusiasm building. “Konecthedot sector might be close to the front, but we haven’t had any issues yet. It’s less dangerous than anything we did when we were mercs. We’ve got two stops to make on the way, but after that, we head straight for the wormhole and Xyri. We can transport you faster without picking up passengers at every station like the star liners do.”

“Globney said the Qetish fleet is blocking the Pashni.” Maryn twisted her fingers together to keep them from shaking.

“They don’t bother flights that originate anywhere other than Khepra, from what we heard,” the pilot assured her, and amended with a skyward glance, “Leastways, not much.”

“I haven’t been off world since …” she faltered.

Terror. Black, endless space. Isolation. The memory threatened to overwhelm her already fragile composure.

“We know.” Jac stroked her forearm.

Of course they did. They’d saved her life.

Author Bio

E.M. (Elisabeth) Hamill writes adult science fiction and fantasy somewhere in the wilds of eastern suburban Kansas. A nurse by day, wordsmith by night, she has sworn never to grow up and get boring.

Frequently under the influence of caffeinated beverages, she also writes as Elisabeth Hamill for young adult readers in fantasy with the award-winning Songmaker series.

She lives with her family, where they fend off flying monkey attacks and prep for the zombie apocalypse.

Author Website: https://emhamill.wordpress.com

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/EMHamill

Review: Why Did The Alien Cross The Galaxy? To Find a Fake Boyfriend and Befriend a Vacuum Cleaner by A. M. Rose

Rating: 4.75🌈

When you are wheezing at a book so hard that your dog is looking at you with concern you know you have a fabulous story in your hands!

So it is with A. M. Rose’s amazing holiday science fiction novel “Why Did The Alien Cross The Galaxy? To Find a Fake Boyfriend and Befriend a Vacuum Cleaner.” If I hadn’t already found it by the great recommendations, that bright, goofy, and absolutely glorious cover would have done its job and pulled me immediately in. Which it also did.

The authors delivered on every single detail and element they put together for the story, and then topped it off with tons more glitter, then backed a semi full of glowy holiday hearts and bows , dumping it too into this fabulous, hilariously heartwarming novel.

Vix, a large eyed, white haired alien Observer from Lumia, has been fixated on Earth since adolescence. Vix has learned much about Earth’s culture , languages, educational institutions from such shows as the revered “Saved By the Bell” as Vix had done by ancient historical texts.

You can imagine , snorts and ugly crying incoming, exactly what this might mean for the dialogue and you’d be right. Combine that with Vix’s own culture that uses its hair braids to communicate and boom, narrative heartwarming romantic alien madcap comedy ensues.

We get to hear/watch Travis, newly made partner, navigate the wildly different, always wonderful quirky relationship he starts to develop with Vix when Travis needs a plus one to a company holiday retreat.

Travis is the fantastic Earth yin to Vix’s Lumia Yang and everything is magical. That includes character Henry and a vacuum cleaner as Vix’s bestie.

That’s PH-1L , Travis’s vacuum cleaner, whose most important job to clean vacuums make it the best vacuum cleaner friend any alien could ever have. Still laughing about this, the authors absolutely sell it.

Then there’s the Observation Logs, carefully constructed with both printed and hand drawn illustrations from Vix about some important things from his trip. Just as perfectly crafted and as much a part of Vix’s personality as anything else in the story. Also equally giggle producing.

Could I have done with less Lex, the ex? And more Henry? You bet. And I’m hoping that maybe Henry will get his own HEA this coming holiday season.

Why Did The Alien Cross The Galaxy? To Find a Fake Boyfriend and Befriend a Vacuum Cleaner. by A. M. Rose will be on holiday repeat reading or just reading because it’s a heartwarming, hilarious , must have experience.

I’m always so excited to recommend those. And this.

Really, look at this cover!

Cover designed by BCJ Art & Design © “This work by BCJ Art & Design is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Galaxy…Why Did The Alien Cross The Galaxy? To Find a Fake Boyfriend and Befriend a Vacuum …

Blurb

Observer log 1: what I learned on my first day on Earth

1. A coffee shop is a hub of human social interaction.

2. Cookies and hot chocolate can end interplanetary disputes.

3. High fives solidify relations between humans.

4. Vacuum cleaners make incredible companions.

5. You can help humans keep their former mates away by agreeing to pretend to be their fake new mate.

6. If there is only one bed at a hotel, it is customary to share it with your human fake mate.

Publisher: (December 20, 2023)
Publication date: December 20, 2023
Language: English
Print length: 280 pages

Review: Lonely Shore (Chaos Station Book 2) by Jenn Burke and Kelly Jensen

Rating: 4.75🌈

The journey of Felix Ingesson, his broken ex super soldier partner , Zander Anatolius, and the rest of the crew of the ship, Chaos, continues in the fantastic novel, Lonely Shore.

The novel picks up after the events of Chaos Station, Zander has become a part of the crew but the effects of the alien stinn poisoning are increasingly felt throughout his system and he’s functional less and less as himself.

This heartbreaking story thread is viewed by multiple sources as the story is told by multiple points of view, not just the main couple. The crew members are a space going found family of mixed species and peoples that are still coming together for the reader. So it’s equally important to feel Zander’s breakdown by each one’s perspective, not just Felix’s.

For Felix, Zander know it will be shattering. And he will be correct. So it’s evasive maneuvering as far as communication goes between them for much of this story when it comes to the reality of Zander’s situation.

The authors weave an impending sense of disaster in this story even as they are building a romance and multiple relationships between the characters within the ship’s crew.

Agrius Cartel , a criminal organization that’s been pursuing the crew because of various reasons, steps up its efforts to bring them down, it’s set against the personal drama of the fight for Zander’s survival.

Did I cry? Oh yes I did. Get a box of tissues ready. The authors pulled my emotional strings here and I was exhausted from the first to the last paragraph. Extremely satisfying to be honest, but wrung out.

And very ready for the next book to see where the crew and adventure takes them.

A great read and totally engaging book. One I highly recommend, but read the series in the order they are written.

Series – read them in the order below:

Chaos Station 1
Lonely Shore 2

Skip Trace 3
Inversion Point 4
Phase Shift 5 – series finale

Buy link:

Lonely Shore (Chaos Station Book 2)

Blurb

All they can do is live day to day…

Felix Ingesson has returned to his duties as the Chaos’s engineer with Zander Anatolius, his ex-boyfriend-turned-broken-super-soldier, at his side. Hope means something again. But there’s nothing Felix can do to battle the alien poison flowing through Zander’s veins, or his imminent mental decline. With each passing day, the side effects of Zander’s experimental training are becoming more difficult to ignore.

When the ruthless Agrius Cartel seeks their revenge—including an ambush and an attempt to kidnap the Chaos’s crew—Zander is pushed over the edge. He can no longer hide his symptoms, nor does he want to. But hurting Felix when he’s not in control of himself is Zander’s worst nightmare—when it nearly happens, he agrees to seek help. Even if that means trusting the unknown.

As Zander places his life in alien hands, Felix appoints himself his lover’s keeper. And though he tries to be strong, he can’t ignore the fact that he might lose Zander…forever this time.

Publisher: Ghost Ship Books; 2nd edition (July 23, 2024)
Publication date: July 23, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 318 pages

Science Fiction Romance

Science Fiction Adventure

Check Out the latest release – Broken Mirror by Cody Sisco (OWL tour except and giveaway)

Cody Sisco has a new queer sci-fi mystery thriller out, Resonant Earth book one: Broken Mirror. And there’s a giveaway!

A fractured mind or a global conspiracy? Uncovering the truth can be hell when nobody believes you… and you can’t even trust yourself.

Broken Mirror is the first volume in a queer psychological science fiction saga that looks at the stigma of mental illness and the hellish distrust and alienation that goes with it.

Victor Eastmore knows someone killed his grandfather, the pioneering scientist Jefferson Eastmore. But Victor, diagnosed with mirror resonance syndrome, has been shunned by Semiautonomous California society. Nobody will believe a Broken Mirror. Now Victor must tread the line between sanity and reclassification—a fate that all but guarantees he’ll lose his freedom.

With its self-driving cars, global firearms ban, and a cure for cancer, the science fiction world of Broken Mirror may sound like a near future utopia, but on Resonant Earth, history has taken a few wrong turns. The American Union is a weak and fractious alliance of nations in decline. Europe manipulates its citizens through propaganda. And Asia is reeling from decades of war.

Determined to uncover the truth about Jefferson’s murder, pansexual Victor and his trans friend Elena set out on a road trip that takes them across the American Union from Semiautonomous California through the Organized Western States to the Republic of Texas. But Elena is holding something back, and Victor’s condition worsens.

Amid shifting geopolitical sands, Broken Mirrors like Victor find themselves at a cyberpunk crossroads: evolve or go extinct.

Warnings: violence, discrimination against characters with mental health challenges

Universal Buy Link | Goodreads

Giveaway

Cody is giving away an ebook copy of Tortured Echoes, the sequel to Broken Mirror:

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47317/?

Excerpt

A new universe, its vibrations, called to me, and I answered, ignorant of the harm in crossing over.
—Victor Eastmore, Apology to Resonant Earth, (transmission date unknown)

Semiautonomous California
29 February 1991

It’s one thing to die quietly with things left unsaid among family members. It’s another thing to do what the great Jefferson Eastmore did with his secrecy and architecture of conspiracy: keep essential truths from Victor and put him on a collision course with an uncanny future.

Victor gazed across City Lake toward the tessellated foothills, where the elite families of Oakland and Bayshore kept their hedges trimmed and thorny. His grandfather’s sarcophagus was up there, surrounded by marble pillars and gold-gilt fencing shaped like twisted strands of DNA. A tidy and neat brick gravemound would never have sufficed, since at the end of his life, Jefferson was as grandiose as his cancer-curing career. The stones were plucked from the canals of New Venice, and a plaque listed the man’s many accomplishments. Not listed was his failed effort to cure Victor of mirror resonance syndrome.

Victor spun around to face the city skyline. The morning was bright and windy. The timefeed on his MeshBit indicated thirty minutes until his reclassification appointment. He could go and wait in the anteroom, but his anxious vibrations might shake the building to its foundations.

He took a breath. No going back. Before the sun reached its zenith that day, his path would materialize. If he were lucky, he could stay a Class Three: free but under close supervision. Or he could become a Class Two: under guard, imprisoned, at a rancho in the hinterlands. He whispered a cherished but inconsistently effective mantra to fight off brain blankness: The wise owl listens before asking who. Each episode of blanking out was one more step toward mirror resonance syndrome’s inevitable tragic end: becoming a comatose Class One, insensate, a forgotten ward of the government. The only unknown factor was how quickly the future would crash against him.

He trudged along the shoreline, tensing and relaxing his jaw, trying to distract himself. Glittering towers rose exultantly cityside. Squally breezes swooped out of a cloudless, azure sky and assaulted bulrushes, sedges, and cattails in the shallows where a grid of waterplots penned them in.

Granfa Jefferson had been poisoned. Victor knew it. He had proof. But his family didn’t believe him, and if he said any more about it, he would be locked away. Fair? No. Surprising? Not really. After all, his life was a farcical succession of tragedies. It wasn’t time to give up, though. Not while he had unanswered questions.

The palm trees encircling the lake rustled like cheerleaders shaking their pom-poms. The water rippled, creating countless sun flashes on the lake’s surface, and afterimages glowed and pulsed when he closed his eyes. The stench of goose shit turned his stomach.

He wedged the MeshBit’s detachable sonobulb in his ear, then called Elena. She answered right away. This was not the first time her promptness was suspicious.

“See?” she said. “When a friend calls, you should answer. Right away. Not never.”

“I know. I need your help,” he said. “My appointment is here. I’m having trouble.”

“Where are you?” she asked.

“City Lake. West shore.”

“I can’t get there in time.”

You were there for Granfa Jeff’s funeral. You showed up at my apartment whenever you wanted. Why can’t you be here now?

“Then talk to me,” Victor said. “Anything to keep my mind off my theories about Granfa Jeff.”

At the time, Victor had nothing close to the truth about Jefferson’s secret messages and plans for conspiracy and counter-conspiracy. He couldn’t have guessed his role in the proliferating conflagration that would transform every person on Resonant Earth and beyond. No one could have predicted the neuro-contagion that eventually radiated beyond the American Union of Nations, or the mind-machine hybridization that became humanity’s destiny, or the fact that crossing over to another world would become a possibility rather than paranoia. If Victor had guessed any of it, he might have failed his reclassification deliberately and shown up at the gates of a rancho to check himself in. All this was a lot to have piled onto a mentally unstable young adult.

“But you found radiation on the data egg,” Elena said. “I believe you. We’re going to figure this out.”

Author Bio

Cody Sisco is an author, editor, publisher, and literary community organizer. His LGBT psychological science fiction series includes two novels thus far, Broken Mirror and Tortured Echoes. He is a freelance editor specializing in genre-bending fiction and the acquisitions editor for RIZE Press. In 2017, he co-founded Made in L.A. Writers, an indie author co-op dedicated to the support and appreciation of independent authors. His startup, BookSwell, is a literary events and media production company dedicated to lifting up marginalized voices and connecting readers and writers in Southern California and beyond. He serves as a co-executive on the Board of Governors for the Editorial Freelancers Association, as the treasurer for the LGBTQ+ Editors Association, and as a board member at APLA Health.

Author Website: https://www.codysisco.com

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/codysisco

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/codysiscowrites/

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codysiscowrites/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14848998.Cody_Sisco

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Cody-Sisco/author/B01AOMHSTE

Review: Chaos Station (Chaos Station Book 1) by Jenn Burke and Kelly Jensen

Rating: 4.5🌈

I’m absolutely hooked by this universe. A science fiction epic romance adventure, originally published in 2013, authors Jenn Burke and Kelly Jensen have released this marvelous series again, starting with their first novel written together, Chaos.

I missed this first time around so I’m so excited to read this series and book now. The tale of the journey of the crew of the space ship Chaos, specifically two men who have a long way ahead of them before they can find their happy ending, gets a remarkable launch here.

Told from several perspectives of the crew and found family involved in this epic science fiction adventure, it begins with a mission.

The universe the authors introduce us to is an intergalactic postwar one, which is still slowly rebuilding from the devastating impact of a war that saw millions of lives and stations lost. That cost is seen on a smaller darker scale through the wounded, damaged characters that are Felix Ingession, the ship’s engineer, and Major Zander Anatolius, a covert operative during the war against the alien stin. But they aren’t the only ones who have been affected. And the ship’s crew reflects the fascinating multi species universe of this series and found family.

Zander and Felix were long time friends, both growing up and at the Academy. But the war separates them just as romantic feelings became known. It’s nine years when they dramatically meet again as the story begins.

Burke and Jensen’s story is compelling and action packed. Terrific characters and dialogue, with vividly detailed scenes and astonishing wonderful world building. It’s full of criminal organizations filling the void that the war created, malfunctioning experimental super soldiers, POW torture ( both sides), and a war that might start again. All threaded through with the relationships , romantic and otherwise, of the crew of the Chaos.

That of Zander and Felix aka Flick will be long and torturous. This is the beginning of their reunion and they’ve each been through so much personally that just a hug is a tremendous thing.

The books are all available so I’m thrilled to read them together without any waiting for a release date.

I’m happy to recommend Chaos Station (Chaos Station Book 1) by Jenn Burke and Kelly Jensen and I’m on to Lonely Shore next!

Series – read them in the order below:

Chaos Station 1

Lonely Shore 2
Skip Trace 3
Inversion Point 4
Phase Shift 5 – series finale

Buy link:

Chaos Station

Blurb

“You’re not real. Felix Ingesson is dead.”

The war with the alien stin is over, but Felix Ingesson has given up on seeing his lover, Zander Anatolius, ever again. Zander’s military file is sealed tighter than an airlock. A former prisoner of war, Felix is attempting a much quieter life keeping his ship, the Chaos, aloft. He almost succeeds, until Zander walks on board and insists that Felix isn’t real.

A retired, broken super soldier, Zander is reeling from the aftereffects of his experimental training and wants nothing more than to disappear and wait for insanity to claim him. Then he sees footage of a friend and ally—a super soldier like him—murdering an entire security squad with her bare hands and a cold, dead look in her eyes. He never expected to find Felix, the man he’d thought dead for years, on the ship he hired to track her down.

Working with Felix to rescue his teammate is a dream come true…and a nightmare. Zander has no exit strategy that will leave Felix unscathed—or his own heart unbroken.

Publisher: Ghost Ship Books; 2nd edition (July 23, 2024)
Publication date: July 23, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 351 pages

Review: Cosmic Husband (Cosmic Romances Book 1) by Mars Quinn

Rating: 4.25🌈

The “I was abducted by aliens “ trope isn’t one I normally read but the reviews for this were good and the author is new to me.

Science fiction can be a tricky subject, especially where the world building and species is concerned. I read other books where the aliens just resemble funny colored humans living in their own humanistic world instead of actually describing what a truly alien world or species might be like.

It does depend upon a specific author’s take on scify but it comes down to the theme. I’ll admit I really enjoyed Mars Quinn’s quirky perspective on this element.

It’s a fated mates science fiction romance, the first book in a new series. So Quinn’s story has to lay out not just the characters, and their respective histories, but establish the series foundation with various worlds, different species, and the entire Crystal religion that sparks young Kalvoxrencol “Kal” on his journey through space to find his fated mate.

That would be Seth, nigh to starved, recently dumped, with his emotional rescue cat, Lucy. The background the author has created for Seth’s adolescence has continued emotional ramifications for his adult life. He has had anxiety or panic attacks since he was young, and a controlling ex left him with further issues and emotional damage. All of this is slowly revealed through the process of his being abducted, then having to deal with this event and communicating with his new companion and those on the ship.

Kal, the alien who was determined to take his fated mate away from Earth and back home, also undergoes his own transformation. Turns out he’s young, prone to mistakes, the younger of all his siblings, and the more the reader and Seth learns about Kal, the more we like and connect with him. Alien, scaled, winged even but with behaviors that make him relatable. Are some of his early misadventures a tad too “human” in this regard? Sure but by this point as a reader, you’ve already made a decision about whether you are invested in this book and characters’ journey or not.

I was and enjoyed how the author was drawing comparisons with the stages of rebelling adolescence, no matter what the species.

This was absolutely true with respect to the character of Ensign Wyn (who I’m sure belongs on Below Decks) who became a good friend of Seth’s. His ongoing experiences, especially with drinking constantly made me laugh out loud. I need his book. Please.

So many special characters that Quinn crafted and made memorable, including NAID, the AI program that gained intelligence and became a being. I really hope that we see more of her. Quinn made sure there’s different species and different worlds that are seen and visited, as well as languages and religions. I appreciate that.

That romance was a very interesting one, built of respect, communication, commitment, and consent. That was upmost importance here so any intimacy didn’t really come until around 75 percent of the book was finished. They had literally covered a lot of space by then and Seth had the choice of returning to Earth.

Of the many siblings, only one other is mated so we get a scene that certainly leads us into the next book and sibling to get their story. It sounds fascinating and I can’t wait. Totally different.

I’m recommending this , it’s quirky, the characters are well done, easy to understand, and invest in their lives. I really enjoyed their journey to HEA. I’m still laughing about Wyn.

Buy link

Cosmic Husband: A Spicy MM Sci-Fi Romance (Cosmic Romances Book 1)

Blurb:

My cat and I have been abducted by aliens…

Seth

One second I’m walking to work, and the next I’m on a spaceship. I have no idea what’s going on, but this scaled alien claims I’m his mate. That’s not going to happen. I have until we reach his planet to accept or reject him. If I don’t want him, I can go back to Earth. But six months is a long time when the alien Kal is determined to woo me.

Kalvoxrencol

The Crystal sent me to the far reaches of the universe for my soulmate, and now that I have him, I will not surrender him. I will do whatever I can to win his love and keep him by my side, where he belongs. I will not let anything from my past or his keep us apart.

This is a standalone sci-fi romance with a socially anxious human, his protective winged alien mate, a black cat companion, a slow burn with a spicy payoff, and a guaranteed HEA. This is an MM romance with explicit content intended for adult readers only. Some of the trigger warnings include: panic attacks, anxiety, swearing, and adult content (Full list inside).

• Publication date: June 3, 2024

• Language: English

• Print length: 435 pages

Review: It Doesn’t Translate by Ofelia Gränd

Rating: 4.5🌈

Another short fantastical story by the strange, imaginative mind of author Ofelia Grand. It Doesn’t Translate originated as a casual bunch of texts amongst a group of friends/authors who wondered about a wandering (very dead) body that would pop up in various places, no matter the context, universe, or even trope.

Before long a series, the Tattooed Corpse stories, was born.

“Different time, different place, same body” How irresistible.

It Doesn’t Translate by Ofelia Gränd is a LGBTQIA SYFY short story that I desperately want to see a sequel to.

I adored the characters, this weirdly wonderful, and fascinating universe, and the relationships that are forged within a human owned Hamburger joint on a small space station near a ravaged Earth.

There’s human Max Welch, proud owner of on The Lunar Terminal, a small fake city, that was home to the barest of essentials. A barber, a grocery store, a fuel station, bathhouse, healthcare center, and Max’s Hamburger Bar, a small restaurant that served the local and ships that docked.

Quam, a reptoid, is Max’s best friend, bodyguard, side orders cook if needed, and casual guide to the alien world all around him as Max is pretty the only human being outside of Earth, one of the few left.

This story is supposed to be a one of simple short, a kind of quickie tale but it’s not. Grand is far too deeply bent an author, narratively speaking, (and I mean that in the best way possible) for this not to have multiple storylines and just so many different well defined characters that reach out to grab the reader’s attention and imagination.

There is a pirate infestation and alien being trafficking aspect here, one that threatens Max. A fabulous mate match element, not one but potentially several. A dead body (yes that one), and so many more appealing and downright interesting storyline threads that the author has built into this short tale that the mind wants to follow its journey through to the end is woven with endless possibilities.

We want to know what happened to Earth and the rest of the population. Where are those fabulous dairy products coming from? What did happen to that one pirate? Did they help Quam date? I have a page of things I need to know!

I want to send bribes, so many bribes to Grand, to get her to continue this story and characters forward with more adventures.

Is the story perfect? Not exactly.

There’s a tiny quibble. It’s over a typical mindset.

“And I’m not allowed to carry you?” Noir held his arms open.”

Definitely not, I’m not a girl.”

“Girls get carried?” “

“Well, no, but guys definitely don’t.”

It wasn’t that hard to understand, was it?

Noir shrugged.

— It Doesn’t Translate by Ofelia Gränd

I hope to see this gendered type of behavior less and less in the coming years. There’s a sort of a start. But, tbh, does it really matter what the gender in how someone is carrying another? Especially if one is an alien and the other is perceived to be injured? I say let’s leave gender and sex out of this, and let the scene and storyline prompt the action.

It Doesn’t Translate is a fantastic short story, ending far too quickly for me and the characters. Grand is such an inventive writer and the world building is so satisfying that it cries out for more than a single tale.

I’m definitely recommending this book and author. Check them both out.

Tattooed Corpse Stories:

◦ The Worth His Salt (ghost story and lighthouse)

✓ It Doesn’t Translate (syfi universe)

Buy Link:

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Doesnt-…Kindle – It Doesn’t Translate eBook : Gränd, Ofelia

Blurb:

Noir Kioko had only ever seen one human before his undercover work brought him to the diner at the Luna Terminal, and that was at a distance. Humans are rare, most of them disappear without a trace, and he hopes hanging around the restaurant will give him a lead on the smuggling ring he’s investigating. There was no way he could’ve known the human would turn out to be his mate, and no way he can let it show without putting his mate in danger and possibly jeopardising his mission.

Max Welch is the proud owner of the only restaurant within a light year’s distance. He left Earth four years ago to create a better life for himself, but he hadn’t considered the possibility of scary alien pirates making his restaurant their favourite hangout spot. As a measly human there isn’t much he can do about it, but as one of the pirates starts coming by almost every day he has to come up with something before he loses all his customers. That the giant cat man is rather nice to look at changes nothing.

When rumours of another human arriving at the space station start to circulate, Noir’s species trafficking infiltrate and observe only mission may need a revamp. But will Noir be able to protect his mate and another one of his rare species?

• Publisher: JMS Books LLC (March 17, 2021)

• Publication date: March 17, 2021

• Print length: 100 pages

Review: A World Apart: An MM Urban Fantasy Romance (Learning to Breathe Book 2) by Carole Cummings and Andy Gallo

Rating: 5🌈

A World Apart picks up from the events of the last novel, A World Away, the first in Cummings and Gallo’s excellent LGBTQIA syfi series.

Best friends and now lovers, Camilo Almenara and Nathan Duffy have been through unbelievable hardships, family losses ,and challenges, which have included Nathan’s paralysis, then gaining the experimental implants that allowed the military to draft him and Cam. There’s a war going on, mages are real, and Nathan’s talent is so powerful, that along with Cam, the mission to find more talents on parallel worlds is one he’s already been assigned to.

The format the authors use for the story, a countdown of time as the mission draws near, then as it happens, is powerful.

It brings us into the anticipatory phase of the mission and everyone’s mindset as they are getting ready. All the multiple elements that occur, all the various , random stuff that plays into scenes and moments before an unknown mission. The reader is there, intimately inside their minds, with the characters. From friends, family, even if that family be high authority military figures themselves, Cummings and Gallo, makes the reader a part of the action, writing realistic and grounded dialogue that makes a futuristic story and alternate universe feel alive and familiar.

Then comes the mission.

From the highly anticipated to the emotionally charged and powerful, to the suspense sustained scenes as the revelations start to occur, the narrative is superb and the plotting tightly woven together and the depth of details outstanding.

Especially towards the climactic, horrifying scenes near the end.

No spoilers. But honestly, it’s heartbreaking at times. And as much as I wanted the authors to expand on parts of that ending, I’m not sure it wouldn’t have taken away from the emotional impact as it’s already written.

There’s so many questions left unanswered, so many compelling details that was definitely delivered in a short but important way at the end.

I have no idea if this series is over. I’m ok if it is. I’m ok if there’s more to come. Outstanding characters, an ever-expanding universe at war that it’s losing, children as gun fodder, sounds so familiar. Cummings and Gallo’s take on this old refrain is emotional and extremely well written.

I’m highly recommending both books, to be read in the order that they are written.

Learning To Breathe:

✓ A World Away #1

✓ A World Apart #2

Buy Link:

A World Apart: An MM Urban Fantasy Romance (Learning to Breathe Book 2)

Blurb:

There are an infinite number of universes and each has its own story. Not all of them have happy endings.

Two years after he nearly died, Nathan Duffy is living his dream. He and Camilo are finally the ‘them’ Nathan always wanted. But Nathan quickly learns everything comes with a price. The military gave him experimental implants that help him walk again, but he’s drafted and assigned to a dangerous, special ops, off-world unit. He and Camilo are together, but the military assigns Cam to the same dangerous mission. Nathan knows he’d do everything he can to keep Cam safe, even sacrifice himself to save the man he loves.

Two years after he nearly lost the only man he’s ever loved, Camilo Almenara refuses to let anything come between him and Nathan. Not his father, the military, nor Nathan’s irrational belief that only Cam’s life mattered. To ensure the man he loves comes home, Cam makes sure he is assigned to the same off world mission as Nathan. He knows the assignment is dangerous, but he believes they are stronger together than apart.

Misfortune strikes the operation, and two team members are captured. Nathan is forced assumes command and must work a resistance movement he doesn’t fully trust. The plan to rescue their friends hit unexpected resistance and Nathan cuts off communications with everyone in an attempt to save them all. Faced with his worst nightmare come true, Cam races to reach Nathan and convince him not to give up on ‘them.’

A World Apart is the 100K sequel to A World Away. It follows the established couple as they fight to build a life together in a dangerous world. This book includes an alternative universe, the continuation of a romance, and more selflessness as the two best friends struggle to transition from friends to lovers.

• Publication date: December 23, 2023

• Language: English

• Print length: 358 pages

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