From the Bookshelf of Who's Your Author?…

I was in the mood for a Space Opera and this one is in Kindle Unlimited, so I snatched it up! Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I have it already, courtesy of Netgalley.

This story opens with Captain Tess Bailey and her ragtag crew hiding from a really intense military general whose goal is to bring her in. But Tess has stolen a small laboratory (and a man inside the lab as well), and she makes the decision to fly through a black hole and kil

I was in the mood for a Space Opera and this one is in Kindle Unlimited, so I snatched it up! Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I have it already, courtesy of Netgalley.

This story opens with Captain Tess Bailey and her ragtag crew hiding from a really intense military general whose goal is to bring her in. But Tess has stolen a small laboratory (and a man inside the lab as well), and she makes the decision to fly through a black hole and kill herself (giving her crew the option for escape) rather than be taken in again. But they all made it through to the other side and it flabbergasts them. But even bigger than surviving the black hole...Tess had let her true identity slip.

She's really the daughter of the Overseer, and the general coming after her is her uncle (this is not a spoiler as it's all in the first chapter).

The Overseer is not a great dude. He runs the whole galaxy and he wants anything that instills any kind of strong emotion. Books are censored, media is carefully curated, etc. So she and her crew are now heavily damaged, in possession of a secret lab, and need somewhere to hide. They make it to a planet and hire someone to help repair the ship. Enter Shade.

Shade isn't what he seems, but in this story, nobody is. He's got some...connections, so to speak. And he finds out that there is an enormous bounty on Tessa's head, and that kind of money could help him buy back his parents' legacy. But he's gotten to know Tessa and her crew, and he isn't so sure he wants to turn her over, but that's when he realizes that just because he isn't going to turn in Tess, doesn't mean others won't.

He and Tess have the beginnings of a relationship, but with each of them holding secrets, they aren't sure how far it can go.

I liked this book, it definitely scratched my Space Opera itch, but the shifting points of view drove me nuts! Tess is the main narrator, and she speaks in first person point of view. But Shade gets a turn or two and his is in third person. I don't enjoy books with first person point of view between more than one character, but to switch off every now and then, not even that often, just kind of sporadically, and have the other narrator use third was annoying. I realize this is a "me thing" and may not bother anyone else, so I'm not saying this to turn you off. But in case this is something that bugs you too, you can go in aware. In the meantime, the book is good, it sets up the world really well, and isn't super bogged down with First Book In The Series Syndrome. I think if you want a good Space Opera/Sci Fi then you'll enjoy this one.

***ARC received from Sourcebooks via Netgalley