The Assassin’s Salvation (Mandrake Company #3) by Ruby Lionsdrake

Science Fiction Romance

From Goodreads:

When Jamie Flipkens signed on as a pilot and engineer for a small medical research company, she never expected to end up on a mercenary ship full of hulking soldiers who want to make her their latest conquest. The captain has been good to her--it doesn't hurt that he's her boss's new beau--but she's on the verge of quitting when a strange man shows up at her shuttle door.

Sergei Zharkov claims to be an old friend of the captain's. He neglects to mention that he's also an assassin, a dangerous man who even the hardened mercenaries avoid. Jamie should avoid him, too, but she's drawn to the charm that sometimes escapes from beneath his grim facade. She finds herself wanting to give him a reason to smile--and maybe a little more than that.

The problem? There's a fresh bounty on the captain's head, and it's possible Sergei is there to collect it.

Jamie Flipkens is one of the original characters featured in Mercenary Instincts.  She is a great pilot and engineer but is uncomfortable around men and as part of the Mandrake Company there are a lot of men around.

I loved the beginning of The Assassin’s Salvation.  Jamie is outside of the pink shuttle (yes, it is pink!  Read Mercenary Instincts to see why.) when Sergei Zharkov shows up.  The pink shuttle is not what he expected as his ride up to the ship.  Neither is Jamie.  What Jamie loves is how Sergei treats her from the beginning.  There is none of the lust and suggestive behavior she has been getting from the other mercenaries on the ship.  That is the beginning of their relationship.

Sergei has to prove that he is the Captains friend and that leads both he and Jamie into danger.  The romance takes time to develop and is wrapped into the story line as the two work together.

Like the previous two books The Assassin’s Salvation is a well written SFR story with interesting world building and character development.  The story line does build on things that happened in the two previous books but it can stand along.  Again I recommend reading Mercenary Instincts and Trial and Temptation first for maximum enjoyment.  The Assassin's Salvation is a great addition to the Mandrake Company series.

Amazon Digital Service publishedThe Assassin’s Salvation by Ruby Lionsdrake in 2014.