Series: Nova Force #1
Published by Payne & Taylor on August 30, 2018
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Space Opera
Pages: 300
Format: eBook
Goodreads
In a future where anything alien is mistrusted, Doctor Xander Vargas hides his true nature. Reassignment to a new ship is the second chance he needs, and spoiling it isn't an option. Until he meets his one temptation, a woman his alien genes would kill for.
Sergeant Thandie Kruger finds herself under the care of the navy's sexiest cybernetic surgeon. She should resist him, but she's fascinated, and his mysterious eyes hold a dozen secrets.
Although they're divided by rank and united by undeniable attraction, there are bigger problems in the galaxy. Cyborgs like Thandie are vanishing from colonies at an alarming rate.
And anyone could be next.
Vivienne Savage introduces us to a future filled with intergalactic alliances, cybernetics, and host of complications that come from humans mastering space flight.
Savage’s character creation was enjoyable, if a bit cookie cutter. An Alien/Human hybrid, Xander serves as the token warrior male with his stunning looks, rockin’ bod, and smarts. A combat surgeon with a sad past, Xander spends his downtime playing a virtual MMORPG. After beating a man to a pulp when he made disparaging comments about Xander’s late wife, Xander was put on desk duty until his old buddy Ethan comes along. Just so happens he needs a talented doctor on his staff with a specialty in cybernetics. Xander jumps at the offer and they are off to gallivant about the galaxy. Here, he ends up with a very special cyborg on his exam table and she sets off the mating frenzy gene from his alien bits.
Meet Thandie, his female counterpart. A marine sharpshooter picked up for the special assignment who barely meets the criteria for cyborg. After receiving a devastating wound, Thandie undergoes enhancement surgery and ends up with a cybernetic arm. After a sparring session gone wrong with a superior that doesn’t care for cyborgs, Thandie meets Xander. Now I actually like Thandie in the beginning. She thought he was attractive but didn’t let it override all her senses and she even made some snarky, inappropriate jokes which I usually appreciate. And yet, even as I read the part where they become secretly involved with each other, it felt too good to be true. Thandie started as this kickass marine but just petered out to token female.
The romance was half baked and too close to insta-love for my taste thanks to that mating frenzy gene and Thandie’s apparent instant attraction to Doctor Hot Bod. I was confused by the removal of fraternization codes and spent half the time wondering what on earth the challenge to the relationship would be. Spoiler: there isn’t much of one. The relationship really existed outside the overarching plotline and it made the sudden crisis seem like a random tangent. Suddenly, we were chasing after human traffickers, for lack of a better term, and there were betrayals that come out of left field. If I’m being honest, I would have been fine without the romance and instead followed the crew as they flit about the universe trying to catch the villains.
The world building was minimal and for the length of the book, I expected something more detailed. The author spent more time giving us an extensive video game mission play by play that was completely unnecessary. I enjoy video games but I don’t need to read about the characters fighting fictional creatures especially when it doesn’t add to the plot. The book didn’t move me to go after the rest of the series, but I think if it was shaved down to a shorter length I would have enjoyed it more. I am curious about Kaiden, the main character for the next book but I don’t think I will be reading it any time soon.
