Dear Ms. Waddell:

I was talking to a sci fi aficionado the other day and bemoaning the fact that there are so few true sci fi / futuristic romances these days. When Tara Marie mentioned that she liked it, I paid attention and picked it up.

Cullon Gavriel and Danna MacFadyen are part of an intergalactic investigation team set to ascertain the cause of an explosion onboard the craft, Llyndar, that resulted in the death of 46 people. Danna is part of the diplomatic corp but is chosen in great part because of her psychometric ability. Danna can read the emotions of a person by touching an object that was imprinted with that emotion. I guess if Danna could read my old laptop that I ruined by spilling chicken noodle soup on it, she would find frustration, disgust, and then a little joy at having to buy a new one.

Cullon Gavriel is a commander in the Korcian Empire. He is part of the investigation team because one of the members on the crew was an heir to the Korcian Empire and a True Blood. A True Blood Korcian is one who descends from the original eight kings of the Korcian Empire. There are rumblings in the Empire against True Bloods and their social, political dominance. Three True Bloods have been murdered of late and Cullon is determined to find the connection and suppress any rebellion.

From the beginning, I found Cullon to be condescending. He seemed to always be in a position of power over Danna. Just hours after meeting her in a business setting, he is touching her in a manner far too intimate for business associates. He did not treat with the respect he afforded males. Of coure, this is excused because he is hot for her and after meeting her just once decides that he has an itch that only she can scratch. He decides that their relationship would begin when “his� patience wore out. Over the course of the book, Danna did start asserting herself but I never lost that sense that Danna was the weaker of the two characters both physically and emotionally.

The world building is a fresh take and I definitely see more room within the romance genre for futuristic types of stories. The mystery was interesting and I enjoyed the way in which it unfolded. The ZERO GRAVITY SEX as Tara Marie described it was fun and innovative. The flaws were the un developed world building. There really wasn’t any explanation as to why Danna had her skill and whether that was common amongst Earthlings. I didn’t see anything in Cullon that made him from a different planet. He seemed an all too familiar character from the Alpha male section in the romance writers’ store. The ending was a bit sappy with the intergalactic difficulties that could have impeded the HEA too easily resolved. I’ll read the next one but I am not running to the UBS for the backlist just yet. B-

Best regards,

Jane