Science Fiction/Science Fiction Romance
From Netgalley:*
Breaking
Out: Part II is the sequel to Breaking Out (now called Breaking Out: Part I)
which was a short story included in two anthologies. Breaking Out: Part I is
included in this special NetGalley reviewers edition, but will be sold
separately on the retail sites.
About
Breaking Out: Part I
Kelli
Barrack has spent the last three years imprisoned in Dr. Greenway's facility
plotting her escape, but when her chance comes one Halloween evening, it's in a
way she never expected.
Nate
Halliway is being removed from the facility, but he refuses to go without his
special forces team-mate, Giles. When his resistance lands him in Kelli's cell,
they both get a chance for freedom, a chance they take with both hands.
But as
Giles, Nate and Kelli fight their way out, Kelli discovers that the most
insidious danger to her freedom might lie within her, rather than in the small
army out to stop them.
(Breaking
Out: Part I is a 11,000 word short story.)
About
Breaking Out: Part II
Kelli, Nate
and Giles know what it is to be imprisoned. They spent years locked away in a
secret research lab. But now they're free, and they stole something important
just before they escaped – a list of others like themselves, sent to other facilities
for further experimentation.
Their plan?
To break out every single one.
Nina
Calvados has been in a new facility for four months. She's kept a low profile,
been careful to be cooperative and helpful. And so far, she's been mostly left
alone. So when two other inmates appeal to her for help, her heart may want to
oblige but her head is screaming walk away.
Only,
something bad is going down, and Nina realizes she's been fooling herself. No
one's bought her low profile act. And if she's going to crash, she might as
well crash hard. After all, it's not as if anyone's coming for her, is it?
*I usually go to Goodreads for the blurb but thought Netgalley did a much better job of explaining the story.
I loved both Breaking Out Part I and Part II. Part One is a short story and Part II
is a novella. They are published separately but review much better together. Every main character
in both stories has a special talent.
That is why they are locked up and being experimented on. Part I is more adventure with a hint of romance. Part II has a lot of adventure but the romance moves beyond the hint.
The beginning of part one was perfect. Kelli Barrack is just sitting in her
cell when Nate Halliway comes crashing in through the door that has just been
opened by her jailers. Her special
abilities are revealed as she helps Nate subdue the guards. What follows is a great story filled
with danger and tension as Kelli, Nate and his friend Giles escape. I could immediately see why people kept
asking for additional stories featuring these three great characters. While these three are free others are
not and as the story ends Kelli is determined to rescue as many of the others
as possible.
Part II starts months later as Kelli, Nate and Giles plan
their first rescue. Of course it
does not go as planned. It seems
more that Kelli and group have plans for Nina Calvados. Nina’s reaction to those plans gives
her the opportunity to try her escape on her own. That stirs everything up and makes it much more dangerous
than expected.
I liked how I got to know Nina before the escape
started. Like Kelli, Nate and
Giles she has a special talent.
She seems a little passive at first but she is really just waiting for
her opportunity to escape. It
comes when she is pushed to defend another prisoner. Then her talent comes out full force allowing her the
opportunity to try to escape. She just needs some help and it turns out there
are three people there ready to help see that she gets away. Not without a lot of trouble though. Their plan to break Nina out does not
survive the first contact with reality.
I love the characters and would love to see them have
additional adventures. There is
certainly room for more world building and back story. Hopefully I have not seen the last of
Kelli, Nate, Giles, and Nina.
Eclipse published Breaking Out by Michelle Diener in 2015.
A Lawman’s Justice by Delores Fossen – The final book in the
Sweetwater Ranch series and we finally solve the mystery that has been at the heart
of the series. I admit I suspected
all was not as it seemed and I was right.
Of course there is a romance between two more of the characters. It starts out as just tension between
two people who seem to be on different sides but changes as they face
increasing danger. It is a
satisfying end to the series.
Lone Rider by B.J. Daniels – This is book two the Montana Hamiltons series.
Another of Hamilton’s daughters is in danger and an old flame goes to
find her. Bo Hamilton and Jace
Calder are at the heart of the story. But Bo and Jace are not the only focus in
the book. Like previous series there
is another mystery that is playing out a little at a time in each book. Someone has returned 22 years after
everyone thought she was dead. There is also danger for Jace’s sister and there
are hints about the return of Bo’s mother. This is shaping up to be another nail biter with a great
cast of characters.
Rolling Like Thunder by Vicki Lewis Thompson - Book Three in
the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood.
This is Finn’s and Chelsea’s story. Chelsea helped Finn with a Kickstarter campaign allowing him
to open his brewery. There has
always been attraction but Finn has ignored it. Now they have traveled to Wyoming for the conclusion of the
Kickstarter campaign for the Thunder Mountain Academy. They find a HEA and the Academy does
get funded but not without some drama.
There is a nice visit to the Chance ranch that adds to the book. A nice addition to the series and a
good end for the third Thunder Mountain Brother.
1636: The Cardinal Virtues (Ring of Fire, #19) by Eric Flint
and Walter H. Hunt – Do not look for main line characters in The Cardinal
Virtues. We do have brief looks at
some but they are very brief. Do
look of a side story that looks like it will set up main line events in future
books. There is a lot of action
and mystery in the book and we are left with what may be a clue or may be an
Elvis type of event. I enjoyed
reading the book. While it is a
standalone story it would be much better if you were familiar with previous
books. Now that I have finished I
want to know how the events will be used in future novels.
Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews - A spin-off from the Kate
Daniels series Gunmetal Magic features Andrea Nash and Raphael Medrano. Kate plays a small part in the
story. There is a murder to be
solved and Andrea is the one doing the investigation. There is more than murder in the wind. Andrea and Raphael have personal
issues. Andrea is trying to
overcome issues from her past.
This is very much a character and action driven story filled with
danger, tension and romance. It
does stand-alone.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhyme. 
The Teaser:
Musing Mondays is a weekly meme sponsored by A Daily Rhythm that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books I added to my shelves this week. They may it be physical or virtual. I include books I buy in a physical store or online, books I borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews. Follow the link to see what others have on their shelves. 
