The Warlord's Daughter by Susan Grant

The Warlord's Daughter is part of the Borderlands series which I've been enjoying. I reviewed Moonstruck, the previous book in the series, here earlier. A few characters from previous books have important roles in this one and I would advise reading at least Moonstruck before you read The Warlord's Daughter.

The hero is Aral, son of a vicious Drakken Warlord. Aral has been leading a double life and secretly helping the Drakken's enemies for years. The heroine is Wren, neglected daughter of the assassinated Drakken leader. She is an endearing young woman and it was interesting to watch her grow during the book and realize who she really is.

There is a wonderful and emotional secondary romance between Bolivarr, Aral's brother, and Hadley, who was important in the previous book. She becomes a Captain, gets her own ship and comes into her own in The Warlord's Daughter and I was glad she got her happy ending.

Although I would give Moonstruck the edge if I had to pick which of the two books I liked best, primarily because of Moonstruck's hero Finn, they are both fun, action filled reads that I recommend to anyone who likes science fiction romance. I'd rate this book 8.0 out of 10.

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

Grimspace is not classified as a romance, it's science fiction. But it does have a wonderful love story in it, so I'm going to include it on here. It reminds me of Linnea Sinclair's books, always a plus in my mind. In fact there is a quote from Linnea Sinclair on the cover.

This is an excellent book whether you are looking for romance, science fiction or a thriller. It is very fast moving, with a lot of action that includes twists and turns that amazed me. I've seldom read a book that had a less predictable plot. The ending was so emotional it brought me to tears.

I loved the heroine, Sirantha Jax, and the hero, March. Both of them are fascinating, flawed characters who seemed real. The secondary characters are wonderful, too, with not a stereotype in the bunch. Wait until you see what she does with the bounty hunter sent to capture Jax.

It's really hard to believe this is the author's first book, but apparently it is. I was thrilled to find out that Grimspace is the first in a series. The second, Wanderlust, has been published and there are two more to come.

I'd rate this book 8.5 out of 10.

Slave by Cheryl Brooks

This is a tough book to review. I've been thinking about it a lot and decided not to give a numerical rating. The book has such high points and such low points that it would result in an average rating, and this is anything but an average book.

First, the positives about Slave. It is very original--outstandingly so. It has interesting (though flawed) characters. It has an excellent beginning. The first sentence is, "I found him in the slave market on Orpheseus Prime, and even on such a godforsaken planet as that one, their treatment of him seemed extreme." It moves quickly and never bogs down. It has plenty of surprises and a satisfying conclusion.

But it is a seriously flawed book. One of the largest flaws is the excessive use of exclamation points. Where was the editor? I have never seen a book with more exclamation points and it became quite irritating. I opened two pages at random--one page had 5 and one had 7, and that was not unusual. Another flaw is the "folksy" sayings of the heroine. Folksy might be okay in a minor character, but not in a major one. This is the author's first book and you can tell.

Although the book has a good amount of sex in it, it is more sweet than erotic, even though it is explicit. It is interesting, particularly the alien aspects (although the nose fetish was just bizarre) but not hot. This is not necessarily bad, unless you were expecting a hot and steamy romance.

All in all, it is an intriguing book that would have been very good with some editing, but verges on being unreadable because of serious flaws. I may give the author another try, particularly if I can look through the book first to see if she's cured her addiction to exclamation points.

The Down Home Zombie Blues by Linnea Sinclair

I am a huge Linnea Sinclair fan. She wrote one of my favorite books, Games of Command, which is possibly the best science fiction romance novel available today. Her other books such as Gabriel's Ghost and Finders Keepers are all terrific.

The Down Home Zombie Blues is my least favorite of her books. This doesn't mean that it's bad, it just didn't thrill me the way all her other books have. I think part of the problem is that it mainly takes place on Earth which is not nearly as exciting as a spaceship or other planet. Also, the hero was nice but he was a little too perfect and well, just a bit boring. I did like the strong heroine, though. The secondary characters, as in all Sinclair books, were wonderful. The plot was okay, just not as interesting as in her other books. Zombies don't make for very complex villains and we don't find out enough about the other villains, the Tresh.

I'd rate this 7 out of 10, and recommend you start with one of Sinclair's other books if you've never read her.

Moonstruck by Susan Grant

I've read several Susan Grant books and this is my favorite. When I first started to read it, I groaned because I thought it was going to have the same plot as one of the best SF romances ever, Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair. There are certain similarities, but once I got a few chapters in I realized the books were quite different.

I love books with strong heroines, and Brit Bandar is a tough starship admiral. The hero, Finn, is a former pirate and Brit's long-time adversary, but they are thrown together when peace is declared and they must serve on the same ship. Finn is a witty, sexy rogue and it's easy to see how Brit falls for him despite her best intentions. They both have issues from their pasts that they need to overcome.

I loved the relationship between the two main characters, but I also thought the secondary characters were very well done. The plot moved quickly and had some interesting twists. The world building was a bit generic, but I didn't care because I was so caught up in the love story.

I'd rate Moonstruck an 8 out of 10 and look forward to Grant's next book.

Warrior by Angela Knight

The last book I finished was Warrior by Angela Knight. This is part of her Time Hunters series. The first in the series was Jane's Warlord, but you don't have to read them in order. It's a Berkely Sensation book, classified as Paranormal, though I think it fits in the Science Fiction Romance category better.

Angela Knight is a great writer and I've read most, possibly all, of her books. She excels in creating strong alpha males and writes some of the hottest sex scenes out there.

Things I liked about this book:
It's fast moving with no slow spots. The characters are likable and easy to root for. The heroine is strong and smart. It involves time travel, one of my favorite subjects. Knight does a nice job of world building with just the right amount of detail. The plot is interesting, with some suspense.

Overall, I would rate this book a 6.5 out of 10. It is a fast, fun read but not my favorite Angela Knight. I look forward to reading the next in the series, which is Enforcer.