I am a huge fan of sci fi romance. There is so little of it and it's really the best of both worlds for me. I hate to give this one such a mediocre review. The story idea was really interesting and appealing. It was the writing that failed it.

There seemed to be more showing than telling involved. In the parts where there was actual action, it was interesting, not intense, but okay. But there were places where in order to get the story on to the next point the author sort of told "and this happened then this happened". Maybe the story should have been trimmed here and there. It seemed that the main part of the story was them getting the clans to act together so maybe the first part of the story should have been shorter and the second part longer. I can't really put my finger on why I wasn't more drawn in. I guess the actual details that make you feel the cold of the deck under your feet and hear the hiss of the air escaping just weren't clear or realistic enough.

The sci fi element wasn't great. I think it was a bit too Star Trekkie (easy) for me. (Don't get me wrong, I'm a long time ST fan.) But the actions and capabilities of the ships seemed too simplistic. There was one mention of an engine, no mention of star drives, or FTL, etc. You were left wondering how the ships operated. Could the big ships land on planets? How? What sort of space dock facilities did they have? The ships didn't act like space ships truly would. They showed up in a system, the crew was on planet a few minutes later. Where was the time lag? Why were the ships so unrealistically quick? Why were the pirates able to sneak up on ships time and again and latch on to the hulls and not be noticed? Did they have no outside scans/cameras? If pirates are a problem in space, why do none of the ships have any kind of ship to ship weapon? One torpedo does not a defense system make. Why was there mention that communication was instantaneous between systems (and how did that work?), yet there was no ship to ship communications? How far apart were these systems that you could just ring up the neighbors? The guns that they had, were they lasers or what?

The people on the pirate planets do not have an agricultural system capable of supporting the populace. Why? How did these people get there ages ago? What is their history? Why were the colonies so small? Why did they need to pirate for money? Who did they trade their ill gotten gains with? There was a vague mention of a black market. Where was it? Who ran it?

As to the romance part. They were together about 4 days total. There was a part at the end where the author told us basically "they went from planet to planet convincing the other pirate bands to join with them." That was only a paragraph which in building a relationship doesn't count for me. They fell in love easy, they were separated (and he's right, she should have called) there was intense hatred on her part but with one explanation she forgave him and poofta! Happy ever after. There wasn't much heat or tension. I just wasn't sold on the romance.

The actions of the pirates were fairly unrealistic. The reacted like children and any detail however vague, and most of the details of the plots and machinations were vague, swayed them like the wind. They didn't seem like real people.

This lack of world building and traditional/realistic feeling sci fi elements slants this novel more towards "futuristic romance" rather than "sci fi romance." It also kept it from being a more satisfying read. ( )

I was riveted by this sci-fi story even though the romance took a back seat to the plot. I really liked the alpha heroine and the tough decisions she had to make. Rivaling pirate captains Val and Dake start off with an exciting fast paced action packed fight to take over a freighter.”
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Pirate Captain Val Blue sets off on another rousing space adventure by Susan Grant. Seduced by rival clan captain Dake Sureblood and his talk of unity, Val spends one passionate night in his arms. Then her father is poisoned and the evidence points to Dake. He flees the camp at her request, fully expecting to return and prove his clan’s innocence. But fate intervenes and he’s taken prisoner on his way home. He’s a conscripted soldier for five long years. When he finally regains his freedom, he rushes back to see Val. Will she believe his tale, now that she’s clan leader, or will she believe he betrayed her?

I’ll read anything by Susan Grant, one of my favorite SFR authors. If you’re looking for strong heroines, a good plot, and a setting in space, she’s the author for you. ( )