Target (Vicky Peterwald #1) by Mike Shepherd

Science Fiction/ Space Opera/Military Science Fiction

From Goodreads:

BEAUTY AND THE BATTLEFIELD

Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Victoria Maria Teresa Inez Smythe-Peterwald, daughter of wealth and power, was raised to do little except be attractive and marry well. Then everything changed—her brother, her father’s favorite and the heir apparent, was killed in battle by Lieutenant Kris Longknife, daughter of the Peterwald’s longtime enemies. Vicky vowed revenge, but her skill set was more suitable for seduction than assassination, and she failed. Angry and disappointed, her father decided she needed military training and forced her to join the Navy.

Now Ensign Vicky Peterwald is part of a whole new world, where use of her ample charms will not lead to advancement. But her father is the Emperor, and what he wants he gets. What he wants is for Vicky to learn to be efficiently ruthless and deadly.

Though the lessons are hard learned, Vicky masters them—with help from an unexpected source: Kris Longknife.

What you are seeing from Goodreads is back-story for Target.  Vicky has been a side character in the Kris Longknife stories for quite awhile.  She came into the forefront when she decided to kill Kris.  She failed and that sent her into the Greenfeld Navy and set up her own series.

Vicky has been a hard character to like.  She started as very shallow.  By the time we see her in Target she has started to embrace her time in the Greenfeld Navy.  She is back from the other side of the Galaxy and a defeat from a new alien species that wiped out all but one ship.   She was a target before she left, a target while she was gone and she is a target now that she is back.   Her stepmother will stop at nothing to see her dead.

Target follows Vicky as she tries to stay one step ahead of the people who are trying to kill her.  Target is an exciting trip filled with tension and danger.  Expect a trail of bodies left in Vicky’s wake.  Some that are killed while trying to get to Vicky and some that Vicky kills trying to stay alive.  That is the plus.   Vicky does know how to use her body and all of the graphic sex in the book was the minus for me.   Must of the book shows how Vicky is growing and changing and the sex just interrupts the flow of the story and shows Vicky in a less than positive way.

I had a hard time getting into the story at first but once it hooked me I did not want to put it down.  Target is a nice addition to the world Shepherd has built.  If you like the Kris Longknife books I think you will like the new Vicky Peterwald series.  Pick it up and give it a chance.

Ace published Target by Mike Shepherd in 2014.