Thursday, October 8, 2015

Space Wrangler by (Space Rustler #1) Kate Donovan

Science Fiction Romance

From Goodreads:

On this frontier, love could get you killed. And that’s part of the rush.

Space Rustlers, Book 1

Like all miracles, a rip in space has its dark side. Through it, adventurers explore new worlds, smugglers make their fortunes, and wranglers like Rick Gage pit their skills against hordes of magnificent robots. The downside? Five percent of those who enter “the sinkhole” are never seen again.

Alexia Montoya isn’t looking for thrills. She just wants to find her brother, who disappeared in the sinkhole five years ago. Conventional wisdom says he disintegrated within seconds, and the powers-that-be want her to stop looking. Stop agitating. Stop ruining business.

When desperation drives her to transit the rip herself, the official reception is armed and hostile. Luckily, someone steps in to protect her: a handsome, gun-toting wrangler—who believes her quest is futile.

Rick has one piece of advice for Alexia. Go home. But the pesky woman persists until the authorities come up with a more permanent solution. Reunite her with her brother—permanently—by throwing her into the sinkhole. After all, no one would dare challenge their absolute authority.

No one, that is, except Rick.

Warning: This book glorifies outlaws, encourages lawlessness, condones unprotected space contact, and could lead to the rise of the kind of machines that don’t require batteries.

With a title like Space Wrangler I did not have great hopes for the story.  Thankfully I was wrong.  Space Wrangler is a really good Science Fiction Romance.

I loved both of the main characters.  Alexia Montoya has a mission.  She knows that her brother is still alive and is determined to prove it no matter what it takes.  She is strong and focused.

 Rick Gage is the space wrangler.  He does not wrangler cattle but machines left from the previous race who lived on the alien planet.  He came to be alone but he and Alexia have a lot of chemistry.  Like Alexia he is very strong and focused.  It is not a surprise they are drawn to each other.

There is great cast of secondary characters to round the story line out.

The world building and back story are revealed as Alexia starts her search on the Platform over the alien planet.  Each bit of information is revealed as part of the plot.  I liked how each of the elements needed fit the plot and story line.

The plot seems simple.  Alexia wants to find her brother but the way to do it is far from easy.  There are more obstacles than she expected and each one ramps up the tension and danger.  

This is book one in a new series so while some of the problems facing Alexia are solved the main problem is still out there.  There are several hints about where and what happened to the brother.  Book two looks to be as exciting as book one.  

This is the third SFR I have read recently.  This is the only one of the three that hit on everything I love.  The story was well written, the plot moved smoothly, the romance builds, and there were characters who I liked.  There was sex but not in excess.  I did not have to skim pages and pages.  I am looking forward to the next book in the series and seeing more of Rick, Alexia and the other characters in the series.

Samhain published Space Wrangler by Kate Donovan in 2015.


I received a ARC of Space Wrangler from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

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