Publisher: Carina Press
Publish Date: Out Now!
How I got this book: NetGalley
Mara Skiren is a scavenger, a black-market dealer. Blackmailed into helping Commander Kell Frayne infiltrate a treacherous corner of the galaxy, Mara learns that her biggest danger is from her sexy, by-the-book partner. She’s a loner with more than a few battle scars on her heart, but something about Commander Frayne stirs up her long-buried need for an intimate connection.
An ace pilot for the elite Black Wraith Squadron, Kell’s mission is to rescue a lost pilot and ship. Unable to deny his attraction to the beautiful, rebellious woman, he decides bedding her would cool his ardor. But one taste is not nearly enough, and he finds himself sharing more of his real self with Mara than he has with anyone.
With deadly criminals on their heels and an increasingly dangerous assignment to complete, he’s starting to wonder…. If they survived, could he let her go? And will Mara want to stay?
*Blurb from Goodreads*
Mara is down on her luck when she gets blackmailed into helping the 8th Wing get back one of their pilots and top secret ships. Because of her special skills (dealing in the black market), Mara really doesn’t have a choice. But her day gets worse when she realizes she has to work with a partner, the sex on legs Kell.
The two are instantly attracted, but for them both, the mission has always come first. But with danger lurking around every corner, the two quickly fall to their passion. With their enemies, other mercenaries and mercs hot on their heels, they will have to work together to complete their mission, get out alive, and figure out just where life can take them.
I really can’t say enough fabulous things about Collision Course. I loved the world Archer created, and the fact that she didn’t go heavy on the science fiction. It was soft, easy to understand and get involved in, and so compelling I immediately got sucked in. The balance of space battles and romance were the perfect combination to give any romance reader a thrill ride, regardless of the sub-genre.
Mara and Kell were super fun characters as well. Both were strong in their values and beliefs. I enjoyed that they both had such depth to them, even though the story was shorter than your average novel. The history they each had to go through to get to where they are today, was so fun to watch unfold. I loved that Kell was, in many ways, a very alpha hero. And at the same time, he gave Mara a lot of liberties to be her own woman, pilot her own ship, and get them out of some sticky situations. Likewise I enjoyed Mara’s ability to be a super strong heroine, and yet vulnerable and able to change at the same time. Plus, they had this great chemistry together. They burnt hot and steady and I enjoyed watching them deal with that.
The action was great in this as well. I loved the way that Mara and Kell had to rely on each other to continually get out of sticky situations, they way they each played off of the others skills. Again, there were so many things I loved about the world building: the different planets, the in space fights, the neat ships and crazy scenarios were so fun to read.
The book was constantly moving at a fun pace, and I never felt like I was left behind or confused ( as can happen in some Sci Fi Romance). For anyone out there thinking about jumping into the Sci Fi Romance genre, this would be a great starter book for you!
All in all, I give Collision Course an A.
I’m not usually a huge space-book reader, but I am going to read this one because I am a big Zoe Archer fan. Loved her Blades books! Thanks for the review!
@Julie – I hope you like it. I didn’t think I’d be a space book reader either, but with my introduction to Linnea Sinclair, I’m now obsessed! 🙂
You’ve convinced me – off to get a Kindle copy now! Thanks for the review as I have been wondering about this one.
I’m on a bit of a SFR kick after reading (and loving) Sara Creasy’s books.
@Li – I hope you like it! Have you read Gini Koch? Linnea Sinclair? Ann Aguirre? Those are my favorite Sci-Fi Romance authors.
I need to get this one because I love scifi romance and was also on a recent kick – Adding to the recs for Gini Koch, Ann Aguirre and Linnea Sinclair.
@MinnChica – I sort of stalled halfway through Ann Aguirre’s third (?) Jax book (though no fault of the book, I was just not in the right mood!) – should go back to it, now that you’ve reminded me.
And I have the first Gini Koch Alien book in my TBR – obviously must get around to reading it now, thanks!
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