Contract of Defiance (Spectras Arise Trilogy 31) by Tammy Salyer

Science Fiction/Space Opera

From Goodreads:

In a few hundred years, the Algol system becomes humanity's new home. The question is: Is it a better one? When a crew of arms smugglers botches their latest job, Corps-deserter and crewmember, Aly Erikson, is separated from her brother, the only person she can trust, and left behind to fight for her life. In the aftermath, as she tries to piece together what happened, a crew of roughneck settlers pressgang her into a dangerous mission in the heart of Corps territory. With her enemies closing in, time is running out to get back everything she's lost: her crew, her brother, and her options. But no one is taking her gun.

Contract of Defiance is good Space Opera.  It features Aly Erikson as the main character.  She has a fascinating past history, a brother she will do anything for and works with an interesting cast of characters, some good, some bad, and some shades of grey. 

The world building and back-story come together in a way that keeps the plot moving.  This is a first person story so we see everything through Aly’s eyes.  That does limit the development of other characters and keeps the motivation of  the other characters a mystery. 

The plot is simple and complex.  Aly just wants to save her brother but while she does that she must also stop a plot to kill millions.  There is a lot of action and the tension ramps up as the story progresses.  While two problems are solved some things are left hanging.  That gives a hint of what will be the focus of the next book.

Contract of Defiance tells a good story with all the elements needed in space opera.  It is somewhat one dimensional because of the point of view but that does not take away from tension and action in the story.  If you like space opera give Contract of Defiance a try.

Contract of Defiance by Tammy Salyer was published in 2013.

I received an ARC of Contract of Defiance from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

The next two books in the series have already been published so there is no wait to continue on with the story.