Tag: LGBT Science Fiction

A MelanieM Review: Green Death by Madeleine Ribbon

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

 

For ninety years, the Exclusion Zone has been walled off from the rest of the country. The neighborhood—once a hotbed of political revolution—is now crumbling. Poison from the great catastrophe still hangs in the air. It taints every living thing that breathes it in. It causes rages, great bursts of violence that can’t be controlled. And that makes living within the walls incredibly difficult. But the descendants of the catastrophe survive, and the resistance hasn’t died.

As poison master to the Oligarch, Tryg Sant knows a lot of things others shouldn’t. But when he discovers his family’s darkest secret, his brother tries to kill him.

When Tryg’s lover pushes him out of a helicopter and into the Exclusion Zone, Tryg finds himself trapped in a dangerous new world, entirely different from the one he expects. Now he has to learn to survive nearly-feral humans and his own disintegrating mind. Luckily, he’s found an ally in Riot, a potential lover and one of the victims of the Green Death…

I’m familiar with this author through her Faire Folk series, which I loved, btw.  But those books did not prepare me for the dark power and narrative fire that I found in Green Death by Madeleine Ribbon, a dystopian novel that is truly formidable and amazing.

Set in a post apocalyptic world, the setting is an  broken America, a large part now run by a power conglomeration of families, democracy a faint echo of the past.  A foul chemical disaster of catastrophic proportions killed millions and created a sector now known as the Exclusion Zone where a menacing and genetically deadly green fog hovers over the area.  Those living within its walls are forever changed and are known as “Greenies”.  The whites of their eyes changed to green, their genes modified by the chemicals, as is their behavior and physicality…new strengths and more…for the ones that survive.  But  also more pain to live with.

Those living outside?  Look upon those inside as beasts, things  now apart from the human race, unable to control themselves and their baser instincts, Vile animals, less than human certainly.   Definitely creatures to be kept apart by the wall that now separates the two areas and groups.  And fog.

Madeleine Ribbon has created an incredible story.  Her world building is dark, compelling, and given our current state of global affairs and environmental fragility, frightening.  We start off the story with Tryg.  A young member of the ruling family, he’s a master poisoner and has been for most his life (working with the menagerie of venomous/poisonous creatures and making poisons since he was 8).  It’s been his role in his family, not by choice, however, and, trying to make a new path for himself and his family will change everything for him.

Tryg is quite the character as he undergoes tremendous changes over the course of this story.  Changes in emotional, mental, and yes, physical state.  His entire outlook, his perception is taken, shaken, and remade given the events and his experiences. And it’s through  Tryg, that we experience it all as well.  We are intimately connected with him through the power of Ribbon’s ability to pull us into this man’s inner turmoil and make it ours.  We feel his hopes, shattered dreams, and then watch it start to be reborn once more.  And others along with him.

If you are looking for romance, this is probably not the story for you.  Love yes, romance no.  Without going into too much depth because there’s just so much to this element in the novel, but part of the effect of the “green fog” is that a person’s baser instincts control their actions.  First actions upon hearing someone speak or move will not be rational thought.  Instead it will be to kill, to rape, to beat, or if unlucky to run….depending upon your triggers. A large percentage obviously don’t make it to adulthood under these conditions.  Ribbon has also created layered societies within the Exclusion Zone that I found fascinating.  Honestly?  My only complaint is that I didn’t wander around enough in this wild wounded sector that the author has created.  It’s scary, weird, and addicting.  I wanted to know more of the history of what happened and the people that survived there.  Especially those that passed the tests.  Those tests!  Something else so unbelievably haunting and real.  No not giving those away.

Anyhow, back to no romance.  Within such a world, how could there possibly be any such thing as romance?  There can’t and isn’t.  But there can be a type of love and hope.   And it isn’t who you think it will be.  This book has so many shocks and surprises in store for its reader.  The choices the author makes from the Oligarch to the rebels, not a narrative wrong turn is made.  It’s often dark, frequently violent and scary, but always gripping, never letting the reader go from a story that keeps you glued to each and every word until it’s over.

This book is beautifully written, the characters are fully realized, the entire novel has great imagination, and the world building is incredible.  It’s  exactly what I want in my  stories, delivered 100 percent!

If you love science fiction, if you love stories about dystopian societies Green Death by Madeleine Ribbon is absolutely a book for you.  I highly recommend it.  I would love to see more in this universe and hope the author is listening.

Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde.  Great cover.  Depicts the poisonous fog that envelopes the sector and the character perfectly.

Sales Links:

Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble

 

Book Details:

ebook, 394 pages
Published November 2nd 2018
ISBN 139780990320746
Edition Language English
Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex
Romance Pairings: Male/Male
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction
Tags: Dystopian/post apocalyptic

A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Expeditions, Estimation, and Other Dangerous Pastimes (Claimings #4) by Lyn Gala

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

This is the fourth book in the Claimings series with an overarching plot, so these should be read in order. There are also alien words used without context, which you would need to be aware of beforehand. This is the continuation of Liam and Ondry’s journey aboard the Rownt ship Calti, to seek trade with the Imshee.

One of the things I like about this series, like all good science fiction, is viewing the absurdities of humanity, when trying to explain them to an alien race. I always enjoy the discussions of linguistics and psychology. The fact that this happens after a rousing bout of alien sex, made me laugh. Quite a lot of this book made me laugh and appeals to my dry sense of humor, although be warned the depictions of sex and biological functions are a bit graphic and crude. Anyway, if you have been following this series and like those linguistics discussions, those are increased in this book due to Zach and Liam both being in the linguist field, them both learning from each other aboard ship, and meeting a new alien species.

In the last book, Zach came aboard as a palteia to a Grandmother who is now his chilta. The nearest translation in English to palteia seems to be submissive (although these relationships are not sexual in Rownt culture.) A chilta would have the “dom” role of protecting and helping a palteia, who are a highly regarded in Rownt culture. This opportunity gives the Rownt a way to learn about humanity without all of that burden remaining on Liam. It’s also intriguing to see a higher ranked human than Liam, but someone with less experience with the Rownt, navigate the complexities of the society, culture, and language. The change in dynamics is a way to show us Liam’s place in the world, in both cultures.

The author shows Liam and Ondry established in their relationship of mutual trust and love. Liam’s confidence has grown and as Liam has become more Rownt in his thinking, Ondry has also become more human in his. Ondry has also gotten even more overprotective the more he reads human medical texts. If fact, the whole reason for this book is fear of human physiology and aging–Ondry wanting Liam’s lifespan to be more compatible with his and for Liam to be less breakable. I love how Liam asserts himself to be an equal partner in decisions that affect their lives and status in a way he never would have earlier in the series. But while Liam seems more confident, in some ways Ondry seems less so.

There is a bit of repetition in Ondry’s thoughts and on the obsession with palteia throughout the book, but that is a minor niggle. Overall, this is a good contribution to the series, although not my favorite. The Cy, a race that traded with the Rownt thousands of years ago, are mentioned as how they learned folded space technology. I do hope this goes somewhere in a story, whether set in the past or the present. Of course, the Imshee contact with humans is a frightening prospect. I understand why Liam would want what the Imshee offer as he will live out the rest of his life with Ondry; I am unsure of why Zach would consent when he has a five year contract, especially since if he were to go back to Earth, I would expect the military to experiment on him. I would be happy for the author to pick any of these plot bunnies that she seeded in this story.

The cover artist is Anna Sikorska. It’s in keeping with the series in style and color palette and I think represents the story well.

Sales Links:  Amazon link coming
Book Details:
ebook, Patreon edition
Expected publication: October 23rd 2018
Edition Language English
URLhttp://www.patreon.com/lyngala
Series Claimings #4

M.D. Grimm on the Need to Write and the new SyFy Saga ‘Leopold (Saga of the Bold People #1)’ (guest post, excerpt, and giveaway)

Leopold

Leopold (Saga of the Bold People #1)

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host M.D. Grimm here today on tour for their latest release, Leopold.  Welcome!

✒︎

Discovery of the need to Write by M.D. Grimm

Good day folks!

Thanks for joining me to celebrate my newest release, Leopold (Saga of the Bold People 1). It is an m/m romance sci-fi epic, and it’s the first book of a 6-book saga. I am super excited to finally release this bad boy that’s taken me around eight years to revise and edit.

I realized I wanted to write in the second grade. No joke. We had a silly assignment to write a short story (1 page long) using all or most of the words the teacher provided on the blackboard. I loved it way too much. Every time there was a story-writing assignment, no matter how silly or simple, I leapt on it, giving all the effort I could muster. I started writing really short stories off and on, and then I entered middle school and became a voracious reader.

During my college years, I collected ideas but didn’t write, due to time and mental capacity restraints. However, during my study abroad in Ireland one summer I wrote a short m/m romance titled “A Giant’s Friend.” It became my first published book. Granted, it got mixed reviews, and some nasty negative reviews, but I was still proud of it (it has since been re-pubbed in my anthology “Guardians of a Giant’s Treasure”). I submitted my second story to Dreamspinner Press, and it received better reviews than the first. That story was “Psychic Moon,” the first book in my The Shifters series.

It was only after several more submissions and releases that I started to get a feel for this “writing thing” that I do. I’m still learning and growing and each story is an opportunity to flex my muscles and challenge myself. I’m still learning my own style of writing and what characters and situations I tend toward.

Leopold came out of the blue one fine summer day. He beamed his thoughts into my mind, and I was off to the races. Unfortunately, I wasn’t equipped to write his story correctly the first time so after years (!) and countless edits and re-writes I finally know he’s ready to be released.

Now I have to jump on book two. I never do anything the easy way. Counting Leopold, I am now currently working on four series simultaneously. And I work 40 hours a week at my day job. Shot me now.

I have three stories contracted with Dreamspinner Press for 2019: a vampire story, the latest shifter book (#13), and the prequel to “On Wings of Thunder.”

Until next time,

May dragons guard your dreams,

M.D. Grimm

✒︎

M.D. Grimm has a new MM sci fi book out:

How does a human survive in an alien dominated InterGalactic Community? By becoming an assassin, of course.

At least, that’s what Leopold thought when he became an assassin for the elite. Pretending to be an alien known as Voidstriker, Leopold feeds his appetite for vengeance, killing aliens as well as taking their money. It’s a win-win to his mind. That is, until a bounty is placed upon his head.

With his true identity now revealed to the IG Community, Leopold knows it’s only a matter of time before the powerful family members of his victims come for blood. Far worse is the fact that the one who put the bounty on his head, is the one he most fears.

A routine job three cycles ago brought him face-to-face with Mastrodai, a prince of the powerful Mrrog Nation. Not only did Leopold—accidentally—destroy part of Mastrodai’s moon, but one glimpse of the mighty alien had him feeling desire for the first time in his life. He ran, and like predator after prey, Mastrodai never stopped hunting him.

Leopold is convinced that Mastrodai wants bloody revenge. But when he finally confronts the mrrog, he is stunned to realize Mastrodai wants something very different. Something surprisingly intimate—the one thing that scares Leopold more than torture.

Amazon | Smashwords

Giveaway

M.D. is giving away one eBook copy of her book Ruby: Lost and Found with this tour. Enter via Rafflecopter:

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Excerpt

Leopold meme

I climbed out the broken window onto the platform and tried to activate my holo-cuffs again. After several failed attempts, I realized they weren’t going to help me. Damn things were shit! Swallowing my curses, I jammed on my helmet and started to climb down. By the third floor, the ladder had been broken. I would need to jump. Fantastic. Three levels down. If I landed slightly wrong I would at worst break something, at best sprain something. I had no choice. My helmet impeded by vision so I took it off. I dangled it from my fingertips for a moment before letting it drop. To me, the sound it made upon impact was like a crack of thunder, but it was merely a thud. I took a deep breath and crawled down as much of the ladder as I could, and hung there a moment, gauging my descent.

One, two… three.I let go and hit the ground on my feet and rolled, taking off most of the pressure. It jarred me, but nothing sprained or broke. Success!

I stood, about to grab my helmet, when I saw figures coming toward the mouth of the alley. I froze. I recognized them. They were mrrogs, and that meant he couldn’t be too far behind.

I shivered violently, demanding my legs to move. It took them a moment before they finally got the idea. I crouched slowly on the ground before moving silently backward. One foot, one hand, one foot… on and on until I reached the other end of the alley. I kept myself against the wall, in the shadows, and knew they hadn’t seen me. They were too busy contemplating my land cruiser. If they tried to deactivate the security system it would blow them up, along with the cruz. I would lose my baby, yes, but I would rather it be trash then have it in their hands.

I reached the end of the alley and continued to crouch until I turned the corner, and was out of their line of vision. My heart thundered annoyingly in my ears, and I bowed my head, steadying my breathing. Okay, my cruz was screwed. I couldn’t open fire on them without alerting everyone in the vicinity. I couldn’t run the distance to my ship and needed another way to get to it. I would have to steal a transport.

Great, I had a plan, such as it was. I stood, took two steps back for good measure, and ran into something. I stilled. It wasn’t a building and it wasn’t a transport as I was on the bloody sidewalk. No, it was a body. My heart fluttered, and I knew who it was without a doubt. My body knew, my damn, traitorous body. I could feel his heat pump against my own cold body, and I felt his chest move as he breathed. How did I not sense him behind me? My mouth opened in a silent scream because I knew this was it, I was caught. I shouted mentally at my legs to move but it was as if they were rooted to the blasted ground.

A small breeze blew from behind me, behind us, and I caught his scent. My stupid cock jumped to attention. Kill me now, please. He smelled wonderful. I wanted to close my eyes and wallow in it without any other thought in my head. I wanted to melt against him and have those strong arms—

My eyes had nearly closed when I popped them open. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I tracked the large arm, covered in a black sleeve, and the golden hand as it lifted and came toward me. My legs finally kicked into action, and I ducked agilely and rolled under his raised arm before straightening, and running faster than I ever had in my life. I heard him shout out orders in a deep voice. I realized it was the first time I’d ever heard him speak. Despite the situation, I thought he had a lovely voice. I jerked out of that stupid thought when I heard rapid footsteps behind me. Was he chasingme?

I glanced behind, saw the truth in those blazing yellow eyes, in that golden face, and pumped my legs faster. I wove and dodged around large trash bins, unable to keep myself from glancing back. Mastrodai simply leapt overthe trash bins, landing on his hands, and continuing on all fours to chase me, quickly gaining ground.

Shit, shit, shit!

Clouds rolled in overhead, and the moon grew darker, mistier. I needed to lose him. How? His large nose indicated his overdeveloped scent glands, and the way his eyes glimmered in the dark, when I dared another look behind, told me he had no problem hunting in the shadows.

I was so dead.

Recognizing the buildings around me, I swerved sharply to my right and raced down several narrow alleyways. The confined spaces forced him to throttle his boosters. He was still way too damn agile for someone his size, but he couldn’t use his full speed in the alleys unless he wanted to run into a wall. The turns forced him to slow down just enough, and more and more I was starting to lose sight of him whenever I glanced back.

I let my own nose lead me to the large, festering trash pile set along a creek with questionable cleanliness. Trash was rarely collected this far out and, in this case, it would prove to be my savior. Granted, I enjoyed being clean, but survival called for disgusting measures, at times.

After a few more turns, I burst out in the opening and dashed to the trash. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and dove inside. Eewwww!I swam through the garbage and shut down my mind from speculating what it consisted of. After what felt like forever, I popped out the other end and sucked in a gigantic breath of the foulest air I’d ever tasted. That would kill his ability to track me, no matter how powerful his nose. Without stopping, I rolled forward and dropped to the ground. I didn’t look behind for Mastrodai before staggering toward the creek and jumping it. The water was swift and sure and carried me farther down the city.

I managed to lose him for now, but it wasn’t over, yet. Not even close.

The hunt was on.

Author Bio

M.D. Grimm has wanted to write stories since second grade (kind of young to make life decisions, but whatever) and nothing has changed since then (well, plenty of things actually, but not that!). Thankfully, she has indulgent parents who let her dream, but also made sure she understood she’d need a steady job to pay the bills (they never let her forget it!).

After graduating from the University of Oregon and majoring in English, (let’s be honest: useless degree, what else was she going to do with it?) she started on her writing career and couldn’t be happier.

Working by day and writing by night (or any spare time she can carve out), she enjoys embarking on romantic quests and daring adventures (living vicariously, you could say) and creating characters that always triumph against the villain, (or else what’s the point?) finding their soul mate in the process.

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

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001710645622

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=md+grimm

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/m-d-grimm/

LOGO - Other Worlds Ink

A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Surviving the Apocalypse by Tinnean

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Lyncoln has had a night job working maintenance at Laurel Hill Mall for the past ten years. The James family owns the mall and Adam James, IV, is in charge of renovation. After a disaster, they are staying in the fallout shelter in the basement of the mall theater. I have liked this author’s work before and the plot sounded post apocalyptic so I was very excited. Who knew, maybe there would be zombies? Aliens?! Sadly, this is not that.

This still could have been a great deal of fun. This short story is a full of tropes: blue collar/wealthy, hurt/comfort, forced proximity, and emergency situations. Pretty quickly I thought I had the plot device sussed, but when it went into dual POV, I thought I must be wrong. I shrugged and thought now that we have our two MCs on lockdown together, there would be sexy times. There was a hint of that, but most of the sex took place off page. So, what was the point? I’m not sure.

I don’t want to spoil the plot twist for anyone so this is hard to critique. I will say this is a plot twist that I feel is overused. I will also say the epilogue then takes it to the next level of fantasy. Even if this was meant to have been a fantasy fulfillment short story that would have been fine, but I still would have wanted more than what was here, not in length, but in substance.

The cover design is by Written Ink Designs and shows a great photo of urban decay, which fits the subject of this type of story.

Sales Links:  JMS Books LLC | Amazon
Book Details:
Kindle Edition
Published August 25th 2018 by JMS Books LLC
ASINB07G71N362

An Ali Review: On Andross Station by J.C. Long

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Hikaru Adachi has come to Andross Station to discover what happened to colleague and fellow Inquisitor Katya. Thane, a tracer, has arrived at the station seeking a bounty on Galen Horn, one of the Unity of Planets’ most wanted men. They will find their paths cross as their interests intersect, and soon they are on a hunt that is more dangerous than they know, for Horn has enlisted some dangerous allies, including one from Thane’s past. If Thane and Hikaru together can’t bring Horn down, he will set in motion a plot that will see the entire station destroyed in an attack of massive proportions.

I thought the premise of this book sounded really good. It turned out to not really be what I was hoping for. It started off strong with the two main characters arriving at the plant , each for their own reasons, and having an immediate connection.

They quickly learn their missions overlap and they join forces to catch the bad guy. I liked the world this was set in and I thought the world building was pretty good. I was interested in it and in all of the different characters, human and alien. I also like both of the MC’s.

As it unfolded though there wasn’t much to it. The mystery plays out easily and there was no real tension or excitement. There was also very little done in regards to the romance between the two MC’s. I thought everything had a bunch of potential but fell flat. I would have loved to see this be a full length novel but as it is the book was just ok for me.

The cover was done by Natasha Snow and I think it’s really well done.  It’s eye catching and fits the story very well.
Sales Links:  NineStar Press | Amazon
Book Details:
ebook
Published August 27th 2018 by NineStar Press
ISBN139781949340334
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Free Dreamer Review: Dawn (Expedition 63 #3) by T.A. Creech

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Sequel to Expedition 63 Book 2: Dark

Yakecen Sinohui can see the end in sight for the stranded crew of the Station. Each breath is a countdown until they’re able to return to Earth, until the poison clouds have cleared enough to leave. Though it’s a bad idea, Yakecen is drawn into the orbit of their resident biologist, Eli, someone who has kept Yakecen’s head in the game with his sunny presence.

The universe, however, has one last middle finger to give the weary crew.

Eli Palamo doesn’t object to Yakecen’s covert attention. He’s pined for his friend from the first moment they met, and isolation has strengthened their bond as the hardships forced them lean on each other completely. Yakecen is all he’s ever wanted. Nothing will be enough to tear them apart, if Eli has anything to say about it, not even Yakecen’s own demons. Definitely not the end of their disastrous mission and their fight for survival.

“Dawn” is the third and most probably final part of the “Expedition 63” series. While each book features a different couple, I don’t think it will work as a stand-alone.

Just like the two previous books, I found “Dawn” too short and shallow for my likes. The setting is fascinating and has great potential but the execution just kind of fell flat for me.

This time, Eli and Yakecen are paired off, the last two singles on the station. There are some hints that Yakecen has faced abuse in the past. He’s very particular about personal space, loud noises and intimacy. He also seems to have some physical scars. We never find out what kind of abuse he faced, though. Really, we learn next to nothing about either of our MCs, only small bits and pieces but not enough to make them feel like real people with actual depth.

The relationship felt very rushed. Which is odd, because they’ve known each other for years and were stuck on the small space station for three whole years. But the book is so short, and there was need for some actual plot in the second part, I guess there just wasn’t time for any kind of build-up. We don’t learn much about these two in the previous books, so that’s no help either.

The action in the second half was actually kind of exciting. Quite dramatic, certainly. Again, I wish it had gotten more depth, though. As such, it was all a mad rush with very few details.

I’m assuming this will be the final part of the series, since there’s nobody left to pair off. As such, I found the ending kind of dissatisfactory. There were just too many unanswered questions left. I’d love a fourth book for some kind of closure, but I don’t think there will be one.

Overall, the “Expedition 63” series was an okay read for me. Great potential, but lacking in the execution. It was all too short and shallow and “Dawn” was probably my least favourite of the three.

I’m still not a fan of the cover. Once again, the space station and the planet underneath are gorgeous, but the guy just looks like an alien. At least it fits with the rest of the series.

Sales Links:  JMS Books LLC  | Amazon

Book details:

Kindle Edition, 101 pages
Published July 28th 2018 by JMS Books LLC
ASINB07FSGDZJN
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesExpedition 63 #3

An Alisa Review: 2230: The Perfect Year by CM Corett

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

Alex Coulson spends his days as a lowly laboratory assistant. At night, he watches movies in his lonely apartment and dreams of exciting adventures and handsome leading men.

When an electrical fire breaks out in the lab, an experimental machine malfunctions and Alex is caught in the explosion. He awakens, injured and confused, to learn he has traveled two hundred years into the future—to the year 2230. Under the care of the gorgeous Doctor Baylin Davies (a definite contender for a leading man) Alex recovers quickly, and his feelings for Baylin deepen each day. Baylin is handsome, sexy, caring, and a verified genius—everything Alex could ever dream of. Add in the whole concept of living in the future, and Alex soon decides the year 2230 is the perfect year to begin his new life.

But then there’s the major…

Whenever the intimidating military man, Major Marcais, is near, a strange power overcomes Alex’s senses, clouding his mind and weakening his desire to be with Baylin.

When the major reveals he is an alien and declares Alex to be his life mate, Alex must find the strength to resist him. And while fighting for the man he truly desires, Alex just might discover he’s the leading man in his own adventure.

Accidental time travel, not something I usually read about but this sounded interesting and I went for it because I have enjoyed the author.  I liked how this wasn’t overly sci-fi but just enough to keep it interesting.  Alex and Baylin feel an instant attraction to each other and both try to navigate how a relationship would work especially if the High Order want to send Alex back to his time.  And Major, he is basically a jerk, he comes around just enough to make Alex off balance.

We get to see both Alex and Baylin struggle with their feelings and how they think they should approach them with each other.  I loved how adorable Alex is and is awkwardness is made to be just a cute quirk since he is so different than those around him.  Baylin still struggles with his confidence based on how some others treat him but Alex is determined to show him differently and he will need it to fight for what he wants.  I was very happy that Alex had the ability to stand up for what he wanted and didn’t have to go along with what the Major said.

Cover art by Natasha Snow is nice though doesn’t scream futuristic to me.

Sales Links: Nine Star Press | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 30,600 words

Published: August 6, 2018 by Nine Star Press

ISBN: 978-1-949340-37-2

Edition Language: English

A MelanieM Review: Euphoria by Jayne Lockwood

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

 

It might take the arrival of an alien being to remind an isolated man what it means to be human.

With a stressful job, his boss breathing down his neck for profitable results, and an estranged wife and daughter, scientist Kurt Lomax doesn’t think life can get much harder. Until a nonbinary extraterrestrial with an otherworldly beauty, captivating elegance, and a wicked sense of humor inconveniently shows up at his apartment.

Vardam watched the destruction of their own world, and they don’t want to see the same thing happen on Earth. They are lonely, and feelings soon develop between them and the supposedly straight scientist—feelings Kurt reciprocates, much to his confusion.

The arrival of cheery interpreter Tom Soames—whose Goth appearance belies a gentle heart—is like a ray of sunshine in the somber lab. He acts as matchmaker for man and tentacled extraterrestrial, unwittingly instigating a national crisis when the news breaks out.

But will a misunderstanding ruin Kurt and Vardam’s chances for happiness together—along with the hope for peace between humanity and the Var?

Euphoria by Jayne Lockwood is the first story I’ve read by this author but it won’t be the last.  It’s exceedingly well written, filled with layered, well-rounded characters and a suspenseful plot. Yes, I enjoyed it immensely even when my hands were clutching the Kindle in high anxiety for the characters well being and my heart was racing over the fate for all involved, Earth included.

That makes a great story.  Which is what this is.

I alway have a sort of skittering in my stomach when it  comes to scientists and aliens.  You know, labs, aliens (nice ones) and corporations are never a good combination no matter the author or director.  So I was hesitate to dive in here.   But Lockwood’s world building, great pace of story telling, and relationship dynamics pulled me and and kept me connected.  Even when I didn’t  even like the main character to start off with.  That would be Kurt, cold, emotionally dwarfed and isolated Kurt.  Tormented by his childhood, ruled by it actually, he’s as unpleasant a man as you would want to meet.  And yes, he’s our hero, or one of them.  What a growth he undergoes and how you learn to love him. From someone almost coldly untouchable to achingly vulnerable and a world saver….that’s quite the leap for one man to make. Yet he does and we follow him all the way.

There’s so many  people here you will get attached to including Kurt’s daughter and wife, yes, that’s correct too Daughter and wife, that’s a huge part of this  story, along with such an impressive “interstellar traveler” as Vardam prefers to be called.

I did want more of Vardam’s people.  Everything that Lockwood constructed for them sounded imaginative and appealing.  And I wanted to know so much more.  This  book makes you want more stories, more about what  happens  next…to them all. Even though part of that question is happily answered in the end.  Such a lovely, ending.

What can I say?  I loved this book.  Its amazing.  Heart stopping, sweet, action packed, laugh inducing (bubble scene and full of love.  I absolutely recommend Euphoria by Jayne Lockwood to all lovers of science fiction and even to those who just love fiction at its best.  Now to see what else this author has written.

Cover Art is eye-catching and perfect for the character and cover.   Great job.

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Book Details:

ebook, 310 pages
Published August 14th 2018 by DSP Publications
Original Title Euphoria
ISBN13 9781640807761
Edition Language English