Veronica Scott

I mostly enjoyed this story. In a lot of ways this reminded me of Jayne Castle's earlier "Harmony" books; romance was present and the attraction the characters felt for each other shaped a lot of their interaction, but it wasn't the defining characteristic of the story. I think if they two hadn't become romantically linked they would have gone the extra mile for each other because that is who they are.

And to be honest I sometimes felt the romance was a bit forced. The timeframe isn't terribly long for this story and they spend the better part of that time tramping through the jungle with Tom's men, fighting off native warriors, unlocking the mystery of what was going on, Tom was practically comatose for a good chunk of time and at one point or other the two are separated. The few moments of quiet they do have together don't feel as deep a connection as they should have warranted.

Also, and maybe this was just me, but Tom's crew is sent to retrieve Andi (and only Andi). He doesn't know why, Andi isn't certain why and together the pair of them can't come to the obvious conclusion that is explicitly stated about halfway through. I honestly kept thinking "It can't be that simple an excuse right? There is something more special at work?". Nope. It really is that simple.

Scott tosses a lot of information at us in regards to the world, the political climate, the outside influences, the religion, the social structure, the business holdings, the outside military based on the planet, the economics, the history of the people, mystical woo-woo that saves lives, Andi's specialness...seriously. Its a lot of information for one book. I'm normally all for it, but there's no time in between anything to really absorb any of it.

I found myself confused, more than once, who exactly they were all running from and why the Head Honcho the rebels (I guess?) all claim to respect can't stop what's happening. And when the motivation is laid out, its a bit of a handwave that's kind of telegraphed, but not very well throughout the story.

I enjoyed the story for Andi and for Tom, and their misfit band of traveling companions. Despite my confusion I wanted to follow through to the end to find out what the big mystery was. And hey I'm always in favor of women who at least TRY to be proactive in their rescue attempt.

… (plus d'informations)

My original Star Cruise: Outbreak audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Star Cruise: Outbreak by Veronica Scott is the fifth book in a series called A Sectors SF Romance. Dr. Emily Shane reluctantly joins the crew of a luxury spaceship cruise liner as their doctor. Emily, a hero of galactic wars, struggles to overcome the flashbacks of trauma in her past that turned her into a reluctant hero as well as manage her growing feelings for the handsome security officer, Jake Dillon. However, before long Emily is no longer dealing with the overblown ailments of the rich and entitled passengers, but instead attempting to contain an outbreak of an unknown origin before it can take the lives of the passengers aboard.

This is a romance story wrapped up in a futuristic war where people take space cruises for vacation. I think the story is well done and keeps the reader engaged in the mystery of what the outbreak is and where it came from. The world that is hinted at through the dialogue and character's lives seems interesting. The characters work together well and the dialogue is engaging, but only the main character of Emily has depth. She struggles with the complexities of fame and post-traumatic stress disorder prior to even entering the cruise ship. This story is a romance wrapped up in a science fiction outbreak thriller. Scientific evaluation and journey in discovering the origin, cause, and potential cures for the outbreak were interesting to follow along with, but the solution seemed too neat. The romance aspect almost seems inevitable but is wrapped up in Emily’s feelings toward her experiences during the war. Despite its heavy subjects, the story was fast-paced and luckily didn’t get mired in the heaviness. Ultimately, it was a satisfying and quick read

The narration by Michael Riffle is well done as well. He captures the voices of the characters well, especially Emily’s. The production quality is good as well. I would recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in a fast-paced story set in a technological future that is mixed with science, repercussions of trauma, and romance.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.… (plus d'informations)