Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Retribution: Is love worth the cost?

Rave Anders lost everything—his job, his lover, and part of his soul. Accused of a crime he didn't commit, it's taken him years to build up a respectable intergalactic transport business. Pulled into a web of intrigue and espionage, Rave is forced to face ex-lover Kain Sims, the one man he no longer trusts.

 

On a mission for the Alliance, Kain must convince Rave the fate of a world rests in both their hands. Kain needs Rave to help to destroy a deadly weapon before it can be used to eradicate a planet. But that's the easy part; the hard part is making Rave believe he never wanted to leave him in the first place.

 

Can they save a world and reclaim the love they once shared, in a galaxy of deception?

 

 

Publisher's Note: This book has previously been released by Pride Publishing. It has been revised and re-edited for re-release.

Book Review

Retribution is a fitting name for a spaceship owned by a man who has been betrayed, survived hell (i.e., the worst prison planet in existence), and has barely managed to rebuild his life two years later. Set in a world of intrigue, espionage, and dark machinations, this story may be more space opera than science fiction, but that made it no less enjoyable to read for me. I like trying to figure out a future world where different groups of planets – the Alliance versus the Royalists in this case - battle it out among the stars. Never quite knowing who the good guys are in ever-shifting scenarios can be very entertaining, and when these overarching political interests intersect with personal issues – well, explosive is one way of describing the result.

Rave is a lot less bitter than he could be after the betrayal he has faced and barely survived. But he has chosen to focus on the future and it enabled him to build a somewhat successful transport business. He still cannot outrun his past though, and when he has to confront Kain, his ex-lover who betrayed him two years before, Rave comes very close to losing it. What is worse is that Kain pulls him right into the next dangerous situation, and with entire planets at stake in the face of a doomsday weapon, how can Rave refuse?

Kain may not have been sent to prison as a result of the last ridiculous scheme by the Alliance, but he has suffered significant emotional distress and pain due to his separation from Rave. I was surprised he is still with an organization that asked him to essentially betray the man he loved, but maybe he had no choice? Be that as it may, Kain needs to face the truth of what is going on and it almost takes him too long for my comfort to do so. Kain has begun to learn the truth, but it takes a reunion with Rave to catapult him into action and begin his path to forgiveness and a better future.

Both men have made mistakes. Both men still feel passion for their ex, and having to face more danger brings out the best as well as the worst in them. It is a true test of their love, and a roller coaster of an adventure to boot. What’s not to like? Add an easy-to-hate villain, a double-faced bast*ard who is after his own financial gain regardless of the consequences, and a few wonderful supporting characters, and you have quite the cast in this space adventure.

If you like a bit of confusion before the fronts in an all-stakes interplanetary battle are clear, if watching men who should be mortal enemies (based on their past) come to grips with an unquenchable passion is your thing, and if you’re looking for a read that is action-packed, has more than one twist, and might just leave you wanting more, then you will probably like this novella.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 96 pages/30047 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	19-September-2017
Price	$2.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/retribution