Showing posts with label Sci-Fi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sci-Fi. Show all posts

Blaze Erupting by Rebecca Zanetti

June 19, 2024

Blaze Erupting by Rebecca Zanetti

The clock was counting down on all of them, maybe on all of the world.
But here, in this moment, there was only the two of them.
Finally.


Blaze Erupting by Rebecca Zanetti

Blaze Erupting by Rebecca Zanetti


Rating -
Standalone - Scorpius Syndrome #4.5
Release - January 23, 2018
Genre - SciFi Romance / apocalypse
POV - Dual 3rd person
Heat - descriptive
Source - library ebook
Length - 125 pages

Hugh Johnson is nobody’s hero, and the idea of being in the limelight makes him want to growl. He takes care of his brothers, does his job, and enjoys a mellow evening hanging with his hound dog and watching the sports channel. So when sweet and sexy Ellie Smithers from his college chemistry class asks him to save millions of people from a nuclear meltdown, he doggedly steps forward while telling himself that the world hasn’t changed and he can go back to his relaxing life. One look at Ellie and excitement doesn’t seem so bad.

Eleanor Smithers knows that the Scorpius bacteria has and will change life as we know it, but that’s a concern for another day. She’s been hand-picked as the computer guru for The Brigade, which is the USA’s first line of defense against all things Scorpius, including homegrown terrorists who’ve just been waiting for a chance to strike. Their target is a nuclear power plant in the east, and the only person who can help her is Hugh, the sexy, laconic, dangerous man she had a crush on so long ago.


It was so different to still be knee-deep in the Scorpius crisis, but from another side. Hugh has joined the Brigade to fight against homegrown terrorists. He's the leading expert on the nuclear threat and there is definitely something to worry about. And while it was fun to watch these agents rush against time to save the little bit of humanity that is left, it was the romance growing between Hugh and Ellie that stole the show.

She had a crush on him in college and although he reciprocated her feelings, he wasn't ready for her. Ten years later, he's more than able to give into the passion that they share. The romance was rushed due to the circumstances (the world was ending after all), but I was still able to enjoy it and be entertained by the suspenseful and dangerous bits.

Damon's story is next and I'm excited to see this ex-cop's take on survival.

Previous books in the series:



Rebecca Zanetti is the author of over forty romantic suspense, dark paranormals, and contemporary romances, and her books have appeared multiple times on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. She lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her own Alpha hero, two kids, a couple of dogs, a crazy cat…and a huge extended family. She believes strongly in luck, karma, and working her butt off…and she thinks one of the best things about being an author, unlike the lawyer she used to be, is that she can let the crazy out. Upcoming series are: The Blood Brothers, The Realm Enforcers and The Scorpius Syndrome.

Visit https://rebeccazanetti.com for more information!

Storm Gathering by Rebecca Zanetti

June 18, 2024

Storm Gathering by Rebecca Zanetti

This was what she wanted.
Grey.
A deadly, strong, protective, wild man just for her.


Storm Gathering by Rebecca Zanetti

Storm Gathering by Rebecca Zanetti


Rating -
Standalone - Scorpius Syndrome #4
Release - September 19, 2017
Genre - SciFi Romance / captive
POV - Multiple 3rd person
Heat - descriptive
Source - Kindle Unlimited
Length - 306 pages

Even before surviving the Scorpius bacterium, Greyson Storm was a lone wolf navigating minefields. As a kid, he learned to take a hit and find safety. As an adult, he joined the military and quickly learned how to protect and defend. When the world ended, he created a mercenary camp with military precision, no entanglements, and a promise to avenge a fallen friend. As part of that vow, he kidnapped Maureen Shadow, but now that he has let her go, her blue eyes and intriguing mind keep haunting him…

As possibly the only Biotechnology Engineer still living, Maureen Shadow might be humanity’s one hope to survive the aftermath of Scorpius, making her frighteningly valuable to both allies and enemies. Even after sexual tension explodes between her and Greyson, she’s not sure which camp he belongs to—friend or foe? Worse yet, survival may mean thwarting his prime mission, putting her in even more peril. When danger and seduction collide, there is no safety in this new world.


I think Grey might be my favorite hero so far in the series. Don't get me wrong, all of the men are strong and honorable, but Grey's sensitive side peeked through so much that I felt more for him than anyone else. He trusted no one and couldn't get past someone genuinely deserving of that trust. Except for Maureen, because he seemed to give her all his trust and his heart from the beginning.

There's something about the heroines of these stories that keep rubbing me the wrong way, but I've gotta say... I'm loving the way they effect the men in their lives. Maureen was desperate to find answers, for a food source and the future of mankind. I could get behind her goals and I'm hoping she gets those answers in the books to come.

There was plenty of action in this story too and I enjoyed the heck out of it. Grey was a dangerous man and I adored every instance the author took the liberty to showcase that. We get this deadly weapon of a person with a soft side. Who can resist that?

Previous books in the series:



Rebecca Zanetti is the author of over forty romantic suspense, dark paranormals, and contemporary romances, and her books have appeared multiple times on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. She lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her own Alpha hero, two kids, a couple of dogs, a crazy cat…and a huge extended family. She believes strongly in luck, karma, and working her butt off…and she thinks one of the best things about being an author, unlike the lawyer she used to be, is that she can let the crazy out. Upcoming series are: The Blood Brothers, The Realm Enforcers and The Scorpius Syndrome.

Visit https://rebeccazanetti.com for more information!

Justice Ascending by Rebecca Zanetti

June 17, 2024

Justice Ascending by Rebecca Zanetti

“Love makes phenomenal soldiers act like morons. I know… I did."
- Jax Mercury


Justice Ascending by Rebecca Zanetti

Justice Ascending by Rebecca Zanetti


Rating -
Standalone - Scorpius Syndrome #3
Release - January 31, 2017
Genre - SciFi Romance / friends to lovers
POV - multiple 3rd person
Heat - descriptive
Source - Kindle Unlimited
Length - 353 pages

Before surviving the Scorpius bacterium, Tace Justice was a good ole Texas cowboy who served his country and loved his mama. After Scorpius, the world became dark, dangerous, and deadly... and so did he. The Vanguard medic is stronger, faster, and smarter than before, but he's lost the line between right and wrong. His passion is absolute, and when he focuses it on one woman, there's no turning back for either of them.

Sami Steel has been fighting to survive right alongside Tace, convincing the Vanguard soldiers she's one of them. In truth, Sami is a former hacker turned government agent who worked at The Bunker, where scientists stored both contaminants and cures. Only she knows the location, and she's not telling. Yet when sexual fire explodes between her and Tace, she'll face even that hell again to save him.


Oh wow. Tace had a lot hiding beneath that good ole boy, Texas ranger vibe he had going on. As a former combat medic he held two jobs—Vanguard soldier and the go-to medical guy. When he catches the Scorpius virus, he barely survives. And the man he once was is slowly disappearing. There's a darkness and coldness within him that was only hinted at before. Either he keeps fighting his way back to who he used to be or he embraces the man he could become.

Sami is a woman with secrets. One of them is the growing attraction she has for Tace. She sees all of his parts and comes to appreciate each of his sides. When they finally come together (because we knew that would happen eventually), it becomes the two of them against the world. For the first time since the virus hit, their loyalties are divided. Protect Vanguard or each other?

There was so much going on in this story, such as Tace's recovery, the developing romance between him and Sami, the force required to go against the POTUS (you have to read to figure this out), and so much more. I'm intrigued by the blossoming alliance with the Mercs and for that, I'll be reading the next book.

Previous books in the series:



Rebecca Zanetti is the author of over forty romantic suspense, dark paranormals, and contemporary romances, and her books have appeared multiple times on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. She lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her own Alpha hero, two kids, a couple of dogs, a crazy cat…and a huge extended family. She believes strongly in luck, karma, and working her butt off…and she thinks one of the best things about being an author, unlike the lawyer she used to be, is that she can let the crazy out. Upcoming series are: The Blood Brothers, The Realm Enforcers and The Scorpius Syndrome.

Visit https://rebeccazanetti.com for more information!

Shadow Falling by Rebecca Zanetti

June 14, 2024

Shadow Falling by Rebecca Zanetti

She was everything beautiful in the world, and she was offering herself to him.

Available for FREE with Kindle Unlimited — https://amzn.to/45s0422


Shadow Falling by Rebecca Zanetti

Shadow Falling by Rebecca Zanetti


Rating - 1/2
Standalone - Scorpius Syndrome #2
Release - August 30, 2016
Genre - SciFi Romance / apocalyptic
POV - Multiple 3rd person
Heat - descriptive
Source - Kindle Unlimited
Length - 400 pages

Before the Scorpius Syndrome tore through North America and nearly wiped out the population, Vivienne Wellington was the FBI’s best profiler. The bacteria got her anyway. But she survived. She recovered. And when she woke up from a drug-nightmare of captivity, her skills as a hunter of men had gone from merely brilliant to full-on uncanny. Her mysterious rescuer wants her to put them to the test. But no matter how tempting he is, with his angel’s eyes and devil’s tongue, Vinnie knows she shouldn’t trust him.

If the FBI were still around they would rate Raze Shadow as one of the bad guys. His military training can’t wipe out his association with the Mercenaries, the most feared gang in a thousand miles. His loyalties are compromised. He won’t even tell Vinnie his real name. But there’s no FBI in the new America of fear and firepower, only instinct and risk. And the way his arms wrap around her tells its own story. Whatever else Raze is concealing, he can’t hide his desire.


The Scorpius virus has wiped out most of humanity, the president of the US is a sociopath, and the world is in chaos. The survivors are doing their best to hold on and The Vanguard are one of the last hopes for safety. When Vinnie was rescued by Raze and his fellow soldiers, she finally found her place in it all. As a former FBI profiler, she could help the survivors and the one she wanted to help the most was Raze.

Raze felt like he was part of a brotherhood again, a functioning society amidst the dysfunction, but he had a secret. To save his sister, he would have to betray all that he held dear. And Vinnie was at the center of all of it.

I liked getting everyone's voice and perspective, giving me a glimpse into their true emotions and motives. The president is obviously loco, Jax and the gang need to calm the heck down, and Grey needs to be more diplomatic. The good guys all want the same thing and I don't see why they can't just work together to achieve it.

Hopefully the next book shows me more of the camaraderie I've come to love and The Vanguard and the Mercs find a way to peace amongst themselves in their hunt for the bunker.

Previous book in the Scorpius Syndrome series:



Rebecca Zanetti is the author of over forty romantic suspense, dark paranormals, and contemporary romances, and her books have appeared multiple times on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. She lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her own Alpha hero, two kids, a couple of dogs, a crazy cat…and a huge extended family. She believes strongly in luck, karma, and working her butt off…and she thinks one of the best things about being an author, unlike the lawyer she used to be, is that she can let the crazy out. Upcoming series are: The Blood Brothers, The Realm Enforcers and The Scorpius Syndrome.

Visit https://rebeccazanetti.com for more information!

Review // Wed to the Ice Giant, What is Love?, The Midwinter Mail-Order Bride, and The Wastelander

April 25, 2024


Hello and Happy Thursday and I hope your week is going well so far. I should have posted this yesterday, but my life's a bit messy which is messing with my schedule. I'm sharing four books I read and quite enjoyed and maybe you'll find something here to read this weekend.


Wed to the Ice Giant by Layla Fae


Arranged Monster Mates #1
Paranormal Romance, dual POV, explicit heat, 137 pages

As king of the ice giants, I must have heirs. But our customs do not satisfy me. I do not want a giantess who will bear me a child and then leave to be with another. I would much rather pursue a union the human way: find a partner who will share my bed, bear my children, and stay by my side.

Until death do us part.

One drop of blood is all it takes to get a match. And when I see her, my cool blood rushes faster in a daze of heat. Only one thought is clear in my mind: she belongs to me. I must claim her before my subjects to prove once and for all this female will not take lovers. She will be mine forever.

I will show her vigorously how different I am from puny human males. And once she knows what it means to be with the king of the giants, she will never want to leave.

Rating -

I love when a new-to-me author is a discovery worthwhile. I easily fell in huge like with the world created here, no matter how odd I found it. Aldrig was an ice giant who wanted to eschew the mating ways of his people. There are so few female giants that they have their pick of the males and often take on several. Aldrig wanted someone who would be his alone. Lucy was a desperate maiden who grasped onto an opportunity to better the lives of her loved ones. All she has to do is marry the ice giant who is easily twice (maybe three times) her size. I even liked how ill-matched they seemed to be, at least sexually. The author didn't spare the details and I was definitely entertained.


What is Love? by Jen Comfort


Answer: From the Latin word for crossroads, this is knowledge so common as to be obscure, the pursuit of which engages millions daily. Question: What is trivia?

Trivia is the magic in the mundane, the connection in the commonplace, and Maxine Hart’s second-favorite pastime. A self-proclaimed Brooklyn street rat and a high school dropout, Maxine has never been a fan of formal education, but thanks to her ADHD “superpowers,” she’s a glutton for knowledge—and a good fight. And when Maxine enters the trivia game show Answers!, her brilliance, coupled with her penchant for big bets, devastates her competition. Even record-holding, 76-time-winner Teddy Ferguson.

Or was it their kiss the night before they faced off that threw the buttoned-up professor off his game?

Now, Maxine and Teddy cross paths again in a high-stakes tournament against all-time Answers! winners, including undefeated champion Hercules McKnight. With nothing in common but an insatiable appetite for knowledge and a desire to win, Maxine offers Teddy a deal: combine their strengths to shore up their weaknesses. She’ll push his tolerance for risk and improve his buzzer speed, if he’ll find creative ways to fill in the gaps in her education.

Except neither one of them foresaw just how scintillating learning could be…

Rating -

Standalone
Romantic Comedy, dual POV, vague heat, 345 pages

As a monthly pick from Prime Reads, this is the first winner I've come across. After many years, I found a story I could enjoy!

Harsh, I know.

But very true.

And while I didn't love this story, I found plenty to like. Okay, that's a lie. I really liked Teddy. For someone so uptight, he was a lot of fun. Mostly because Maxine was there to stir him up. And while it was hard to like Maxine for most of this story, I enjoyed the combative relationship between these characters. It made for an entertaining book. I don't think I've come across a story that focused so much on trivia and the world, real or imagined, behind a game show and its entrants. I didn't know who I wanted to win (that's another lie because it was Teddy, of course), however, I'm a fan of the way it all worked out.


The Midwinter Mail-Order Bride by Kati Wilde


The Dead Lands #1
Fantasy Romance, dual POV, explicit heat, 180 pages

Some might call Princess Anja of Ivermere brave for offering herself up as a bride to Kael the Conqueror, a barbarian warlord who'd won his crown by the bloodied edge of his sword. It was not courage that drove Anja from her magic-wielding family’s enchanted palace, however, but a desperate attempt to secure a kingdom of her own — even if she has to kill the Conqueror to do it. She expects pain beneath his brutal touch as she awaits her chance. She expects death if he discovers the truth of her intentions.

Raised in the ashes of the Dead Lands, Kael fears nothing — certainly not the beautiful sorceress who arrives at his mountain stronghold. And no matter how painful his need for her, he has no use for a bride who would only tolerate his kiss. Yet the more of Anja's secrets he uncovers during their journey to return her home, the more determined he becomes to win the princess's wary heart.

Rating - 1/2

I wanted more. King Kael was a possessive, aggressive, warrior of a man. But his heart was solid gold. He knew what it was to be oppressed and refused to allow anyone in his kingdoms to suffer that fate. All he needs is a bride... too bad he didn't know it. With subtle manipulation, Princess Anja enters his life. She grew up believing she was nothing, but to Kael she was everything. And he wasn't afraid to share it or show it. I really liked this couple and would have kept reading if there was more to their story. Hopefully they make an appearance in the other books of the series.


The Wastelander by E.S. Luck


Book #1
Post-Apocalyptic Romance, dual POV, explicit sex, 356 pages

Born in a secure compound amidst the ashes of a world long dead, Claire Ainsley knows her place in the world: work her assigned job, live with her assigned husband, and keep her head down and her mouth shut. She knows what every compound resident has been the world outside is a Wasteland, and the only thing more terrifying than leaving the compound is being forced to confront those who live outside—the ones left behind.

But her safe, contained life is destroyed when she narrowly survives an attack conceived by a conspiracy from within the compound itself. Only by fleeing into the terrifying Wasteland, a vast wilderness peopled by bloodthirsty, cannibalistic Wastelanders, can she escape a violent end at the hands of her fellow compound dwellers.

Captured by the very savages she feared, she is saved by John Madigan, a mysterious and capable survivor—and a Wastelander. She tries to deny the instant chemistry she feels with a man that is one moment terrifying, the next patient and caring, but eventually, neither of them are able to resist the blazing passion between them. But the Wasteland is harsh, and her time with John fleeting. As his own personal mission comes to an end, he must return to his ancestral homeland, leaving her with little choice but to learn to survive without the man whose protection is her only salvation in a harsh, uncompromising post-apocalyptic landscape.

The Wasteland of this world has not been kind to those unchosen.

Rating - 1/2

The world as we know it is over and the only home Claire knew was behind the walls of a compound. She was sheltered and didn't know how much until she was shoved out of her safe haven and had to figure out how to survive in the Wasteland. When she was attacked and taken by cannibals, John saved her and brought her to his own slice of safety out in the wild. There she learned true survival and her warped views on those who lived beyond the walls she called home started to change.

I will admit that Claire's prejudice skewed my opinion of her for most of this story and I was just glad that by the end she had learned to appreciate how wrong she was. It didn't make up for everything she said or did, but it did give me hope for the future of this series.

The world they live in is a dangerous place and I can't begin to imagine what happens next as they travel to John's real home.