I enjoyed this book... ( )

My original Wreck of the Nebula Dream audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Special Forces Captain Nick Jameson is aboard the Nebula Dream, a colossal spaceship on its first trip. This spaceship is one of a kind, with luxurious entertainment and full with rich passengers in their way to Sector Hub. Suddenly one night Nick is shaken awake, and after several deceptions from the captain of the ship, things go south and then it is clear that the Nebula Dream does not have all the safety measures in order. And some want to take advantage of this.

The first half of the book mirrored the ill-fated journey of the Titanic. I found this part interesting and while similar to the Titanic it was delivered in a fresh new way using a spaceship and a possible happier ending. Here we also get the characters' introductions, and we learn that Nick is a Special Forces Captain, always alert and very efficient at his job. Nick is left to rescue the 8000 passengers from the wreck; this is what Nick does, he’s in the middle of everything saving the day. Another character is Mara, a businesswoman with special abilities that provide Nick with some much needed assistance in saving what’s left. Nick’s time frame is short and 8,000 lives depend on him and him alone!

The second part of the book is about what happens after the incident, and despite being interesting and being well written too, this is the part I least enjoyed. In my opinion, it did not seem as if the characters continued to grow. Some parts of the book appeared to be forced – the romantic aspect of it specifically. I do not enjoy romance in any book that I read, so this is just my opinion while others may find it refreshing. The forced part of the romance comes from the feeling of impending danger and where would they find time and energy to even care about relationships with everything going on? Again, this is my opinion and my preferences.

Mara spent too much time trying to show how capable she was, and Nick had an arrogant attitude towards civilians in general and women in particular. This is typical given the usual expectations that we, females, face almost daily, I was hoping not to have to face it in this book. I was surprised that although this book is written by a female writer, there were too many damsels in distress moments. Mara was very capable yet she was not allowed to grow to her full potential leaving her plain. I could not connect with her.

The action is slow at first but then picks up and moves forward quickly. The other characters were interesting. This was very similar to the disaster films from the 70’s and 80’s.

Michael Riffle's narration was very clear but his reading rhythm was something I had to get used to. He made so many pauses, that there seemed to be more punctuation signs than the ones meant by the author, making the reading a bit artificial and distracting at first. It was correct enough and the voices were distinct, but it seems Riffle's heart was not in it. The rhythm improved a bit along the way but it still felt unnatural. There were some subtle noises at the beginning of the book, which reminded me of turning pages or fingers rubbing against paper. They disappeared after a while.

I was really captivated by the world created by Veronica Scott; in my opinion a bit more character depth and evolution was needed.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author. ( )

Fast-paced action story set in a titanic-in-space like setting with a touch or romance. This story contained many different elements added to the effort to survive and escape. It has heroes, villains, terrifying alien races, space pirates, with some science and some mystical powers.

The elements that worked best for me was the dangerous expertise of the protagonist. The story is told from the POV of Nick who is space special forces. This was an important explanation for Nick's abilities and knowledge on their quest.

My one quibble was the one-dimensionalality of the villains. There are multiple baddies in the story. They were all unremittingly evil, with no redeeming qualities. ( )

Nick Jameson is a Special Forces soldier who was the sole survivor of a disastrous mission. He’s been recalled to his base to face an inquiry, and his superiors have arranged for him to make the trip via the fastest means available---maiden voyage of the luxury space liner Nebula Dream. The ship is equipped with advanced engines which everyone expects will allow it to break all records for the trip. A pregnant woman who is a passenger on Jameson’s launch attempts suicide on the way to the ship. She says that she’s seen in a dream that the ship is doomed and that a quick death would be kinder for both herself and her child than being subjected to the Dream’s fate. She’s written off as a hysteric, and after she’s returned to the planet, the other passengers continue on to the ship without giving her any further thought. This proves to be a terrible mistake because this story is roughly a space opera retelling of the Titanic disaster. It follows Jameson as he tries, with the help of a few fellow passengers, to save as many people as possible from the doomed ship.

This novella packs a lot into its relatively short page count. There are brave heroes, dangerous villains, a terrifying alien race, space pirates, two goddesses, and a little romance. It kept my attention from beginning to end and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’d love to read other stories set in the same world. My only quibble, and it’s a small one, is with the HEA. By the end of the story I was perfectly willing to believe in a “happy for now” or a “let’s see where this goes.” I was less sold on the idea that two people could be sure they’d found forever love under those circumstances. I kept hearing the voice of Annie from the movie Speed telling Jack that relationships that begin under intense circumstances never last.

This was my first story by Veronica Scott, but it won’t be the last. ( )

This is a sci fi riff of a Titanic style disaster set in space. However, there's no hokey romance or King of the WOOOOORRRLD moments. This was a tense and action packed story with a hint of romance. The story opens up with the hero, Nick Jameson returning back to base after a mission gone wrong. Because a lack of a military transport - he is booked passage on a luxury space liner which is on its maiden voyage which boasts of breaking established speed records.
But Nick didn't realise that instead of a few days stewing about his future job prospects, he would join forces with a handful of survivors dealing with a fateful voyage filled with collisions, hostile aliens and pirates.

I really enjoyed this take on the Titanic story and I definitely liked that it was in the POV of the hero - he was a great character, resourceful and likeable. The supporting characters such as the ninja type assassin/bodyguard Khevan and the love interest Mara were strong and capable. I was especially curious on the back story about Khevan and I would definitely read a sequel if he is featured as a hero, because I loved the hints of his history and the world he belonged in. For romance readers - there were hints of this although this is more of an action packed disaster thrill ride, and I was definitely sucked into the story. But if you fancy something different and with the POV of the hero, I highly recommend it! ( )