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UN-Forgettable #1
Unearthed
Out of this World...
Tess MacKenzie has always dreamed of taking her place among the stars, but racing through the galaxy is not quite what she had in mind. An aspiring singer, she's finally on the verge of her big break when she's abducted by the hottest alien she could have ever imagined. An alien who claims the fate of millions depends on her.
...and Into His!
Cohl Travers needs Tess. The warring Trakas are holding his father captive, threatening to kill him unless Cohl retrieves a legendary Amulet for them. In the entire universe, only one voice has the power to unlock the Amulet from its hidden Tess's. Cohl may have snatched her from Earth by force, but she must help him willingly if they are to survive the mission.
Convincing Tess to put her life on hold to help his people is the easy part. Resisting the desire to ask her to stay with him will be much harder...
Book 1 of 4.
Previously published.
87,000 words
Tess MacKenzie has always dreamed of taking her place among the stars, but racing through the galaxy is not quite what she had in mind. An aspiring singer, she's finally on the verge of her big break when she's abducted by the hottest alien she could have ever imagined. An alien who claims the fate of millions depends on her.
...and Into His!
Cohl Travers needs Tess. The warring Trakas are holding his father captive, threatening to kill him unless Cohl retrieves a legendary Amulet for them. In the entire universe, only one voice has the power to unlock the Amulet from its hidden Tess's. Cohl may have snatched her from Earth by force, but she must help him willingly if they are to survive the mission.
Convincing Tess to put her life on hold to help his people is the easy part. Resisting the desire to ask her to stay with him will be much harder...
Book 1 of 4.
Previously published.
87,000 words
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 2003
6 people are currently reading
527 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Barry
16 books54 followersC.J. grew up reading science fiction novels, comic books, and her brother's Cracked magazines. In high school, a creative writing teacher told her she should be a writer, but she decided to go to college instead. In college, a writing professor told her she should be a writer, but she decided to be a computer programmer instead. A husband, a cat and two kids later, an adult education teacher told her she should be a writer. She finally gave in, and after selling the first novel she ever wrote, decided that all those teachers were right. Seven novels later, she continues to bring her unique blend of high adventure and sizzling romance to her novels.
C.J has won numerous awards for her novels, and is a member of the Romance Writers of America.
By day, she works as a web manager. By night, she co-hosts a writing podcast, dreams up adventures, and pens the books she was destined to write.
Per the author's website, this person also writes under the pen name "Samantha Graves."
Go to: http://www.cjbarry.com/
Click on Romantic Suspense and it takes you to "Samantha Graves."
http://www.samanthagraves.com/
C.J has won numerous awards for her novels, and is a member of the Romance Writers of America.
By day, she works as a web manager. By night, she co-hosts a writing podcast, dreams up adventures, and pens the books she was destined to write.
Per the author's website, this person also writes under the pen name "Samantha Graves."
Go to: http://www.cjbarry.com/
Click on Romantic Suspense and it takes you to "Samantha Graves."
http://www.samanthagraves.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
d-n-f
October 25, 2013I'm so sick of these bitches.
She's kidnapped by somebody. Somebody with a floating robot - not something you see every day. When she wakes up, she thinks she's on a boat. So she plans to jump ship, even though she could be in the middle of the ocean. Then she finds out she's on a spaceship and still tries to escape. What the hell is she gonna do? Jump out of an airlock? Commandeer a spacecraft and fly it home? Like she has any fucking clue how to fly anything or even where home is? No. Once you're on an alien ship, your main goal should be to survive. Escape does not equal survival.
So then they're attacked by other aliens. Aliens that specifically want her... dead. And she's somehow pissed that the guy didn't let her out of her room so she could watch the attack through the front windshield. Bitch, choose your battles!
And then they're on the alien planet, where it's dangerous. IT IS DANGEROUS.
"Oh, please let's go down into the alien shopping center, I wanna see!"
"I'm sorry, it's too dangerous."
So she screams bloody murder, making her pilot think that something is horribly wrong and slam on the brakes. At which point, she jumps out of the fucking hovercraft and hauls ass down a back alley so she can... sing with a street band. WHAT. THE. FUCK. Aliens are trying to kill you because you've got this magical singing voice, so you should definitely draw attention to yourself in the middle of the town square... BY SINGING.
At that point, I'm done. In addition to numerous TSTL moments, this girl is constantly pushing alien dude's buttons. She taunts him, insults him, and tries to piss him off. He needs her, so he can't just outright kill her, but god damn he should have been tempted. I wanted to toss her out of an airlock for being so disrespectful. I understand that you don't exactly want to be nice to your kidnapper, but she knows he doesn't intend to hurt her. She knows he intends to return her after she helps him save A FREAKING PLANET. And come on, his issues are bigger than her desire to cut a record. She has nothing in her life that means anything but a fat ass cat. Embrace the experience, you dumbass! Stop being such a bitch to the people that are currently in control of your life and make the best of it.
Uuugh, it's so frustrating. I need a sci-fi romance where the chick is like "Fuck yeah, outer space - bring it!" I would be totally excited about going to an alien planet. Why can't fictional characters be the same way?
She's kidnapped by somebody. Somebody with a floating robot - not something you see every day. When she wakes up, she thinks she's on a boat. So she plans to jump ship, even though she could be in the middle of the ocean. Then she finds out she's on a spaceship and still tries to escape. What the hell is she gonna do? Jump out of an airlock? Commandeer a spacecraft and fly it home? Like she has any fucking clue how to fly anything or even where home is? No. Once you're on an alien ship, your main goal should be to survive. Escape does not equal survival.
So then they're attacked by other aliens. Aliens that specifically want her... dead. And she's somehow pissed that the guy didn't let her out of her room so she could watch the attack through the front windshield. Bitch, choose your battles!
And then they're on the alien planet, where it's dangerous. IT IS DANGEROUS.
"Oh, please let's go down into the alien shopping center, I wanna see!"
"I'm sorry, it's too dangerous."
So she screams bloody murder, making her pilot think that something is horribly wrong and slam on the brakes. At which point, she jumps out of the fucking hovercraft and hauls ass down a back alley so she can... sing with a street band. WHAT. THE. FUCK. Aliens are trying to kill you because you've got this magical singing voice, so you should definitely draw attention to yourself in the middle of the town square... BY SINGING.
At that point, I'm done. In addition to numerous TSTL moments, this girl is constantly pushing alien dude's buttons. She taunts him, insults him, and tries to piss him off. He needs her, so he can't just outright kill her, but god damn he should have been tempted. I wanted to toss her out of an airlock for being so disrespectful. I understand that you don't exactly want to be nice to your kidnapper, but she knows he doesn't intend to hurt her. She knows he intends to return her after she helps him save A FREAKING PLANET. And come on, his issues are bigger than her desire to cut a record. She has nothing in her life that means anything but a fat ass cat. Embrace the experience, you dumbass! Stop being such a bitch to the people that are currently in control of your life and make the best of it.
Uuugh, it's so frustrating. I need a sci-fi romance where the chick is like "Fuck yeah, outer space - bring it!" I would be totally excited about going to an alien planet. Why can't fictional characters be the same way?
May 12, 2010
Wow. I just finished this. I think I just threw up a little at the back of my brain.
I'd mark this as containing spoilers, but the only spoiler is if you read it. I've read a ton of SF and this is a bad parody of many of the standard SF plots. However, any fan of SF will tell you that the basic rules of the world have to work. Nothing works in this universe. Transport systems, gravity concerns, planetary laws, communication devices, basically name any element and it doesn't work.
The power of the amulet? When all is revealed, so bad I was laughing.
'It's not just about me. If my father does not rule, millions will die.' - What? Nobody's ever had a ruler die before? The planet will go up in flames? Does not compute.
The traps actually run on magic? They must. After 1000 years, the creatures are still alive. And once defeated, the wind/eternally powered spinner/creatures/mobile statues are all gone?
What kind of advanced space faring civilization wears badly cured smelly animal hide cloaks? Ones in poorly written space adventures.
I could go on and on - ship design? defense systems? Governmental structure? - Even the worst of the original Star Trek episodes is more coherent (and that's saying something).
OK fine, the SF is total crap. Maybe the love story has something to it then? Nope. It's just as bad.
I've read a few thousand books in my lifetime and this very well may be in the top 10 worst ever list. It is certainly #1 for worst read of 2010 so far.
As a final note: Anyone who is interested in what a good space adventure looks like, read some Peter F. Hamilton. If you want to go old school, some Asimov, Herbert, or even Card would do.
As an even more final note: I'm not sure what I'm more disappointed in, that I read this book or the glowing reviews of others who've read this book.
I'd mark this as containing spoilers, but the only spoiler is if you read it. I've read a ton of SF and this is a bad parody of many of the standard SF plots. However, any fan of SF will tell you that the basic rules of the world have to work. Nothing works in this universe. Transport systems, gravity concerns, planetary laws, communication devices, basically name any element and it doesn't work.
The power of the amulet? When all is revealed, so bad I was laughing.
'It's not just about me. If my father does not rule, millions will die.' - What? Nobody's ever had a ruler die before? The planet will go up in flames? Does not compute.
The traps actually run on magic? They must. After 1000 years, the creatures are still alive. And once defeated, the wind/eternally powered spinner/creatures/mobile statues are all gone?
What kind of advanced space faring civilization wears badly cured smelly animal hide cloaks? Ones in poorly written space adventures.
I could go on and on - ship design? defense systems? Governmental structure? - Even the worst of the original Star Trek episodes is more coherent (and that's saying something).
OK fine, the SF is total crap. Maybe the love story has something to it then? Nope. It's just as bad.
I've read a few thousand books in my lifetime and this very well may be in the top 10 worst ever list. It is certainly #1 for worst read of 2010 so far.
As a final note: Anyone who is interested in what a good space adventure looks like, read some Peter F. Hamilton. If you want to go old school, some Asimov, Herbert, or even Card would do.
As an even more final note: I'm not sure what I'm more disappointed in, that I read this book or the glowing reviews of others who've read this book.
April 13, 2009
Unearthed is a very good sci-fi romance. Barry's characters are really likable and the sci-fi portion of the romance is worked into the storyline with a deft hand. Actually, it almost reads like an Indiana Jones-inspired novel, except the treasure is on another planet and the hero's mode of transportation is a star-ship. I am hoping to read the rest of the series soon. Very recommended.
March 25, 2013
Tess MacKenzie, on the verge of a successful career as a singer, is suddenly kidnapped by Cohl Travers. Tess's whole concept of her world, is about to change when she realizes that she just hasn't been kidnapped to another state or country, but to another galaxy. Cohl, needs Tess to help him get his father freed, from those that have ransomed him. His father is the king and leader of their world, and Cohl is willing to do anything to free him, even kidnap a innocent woman to get what he needs. However Cohl didn't expect to fall in love along the way of this adventure that both he and Tess will embark on, and he will find out what finding one's true love is really like....not what he expected but he refuses to give it up once he has found it.Unearthed is the first in the UN forgettable series, and I truly enjoyed Cohl and Tess's story here. Although I wasn't as involved in the book as I was Unraveled, and it took me some time to get really into it, it still had a exciting plot and fascinating elements that unraveled a beautiful story. I have always had a fascination with the Science Fiction Genre, so this type of background to the story really intrigued me. What I think I loved most about this book was how at first Tess is against the whole mission, but then through a turn of events changes her mind and is willing to do everything she can to aid Cohl, and rescue. I found her to be full of courage and willing to give up everything to stand by the man she loves. Cohl, is more of a sacrificing hero character, he loves Tess, but doesn't want her to give up everything to be with him...but the ending was magical and I just loved this story and especially all the characters involved. So if your looking for a story that will rock you to your very toes...then I would recommend Unearthed!!!
March 4, 2017
So despite the over-dramatic cover art, this really is a great story. Tess is a singer on Earth and Cohl is an alien space adventurer trying to save his father by retrieving a valuable amulet, but he needs Tess's help. They travel about space, train for battle, have adventures and fall in love. There is a touch of insta-love, but it's not too ridiculous. Tess can be a bit grating. She's so quick to anger over the littlest thing and she's kind of a nag.
Cohl is a bit of an alpha-male at times, but he's not overly irritating about it. It's usually pretty sexy. He did get on my nerves a bit when he realized that he had ruined Tess's life and dream of being a singer when he kidnapped her and he was fairly nonchalant about it. At the time I wanted him to feel so awful about it - to get his comeuppance for being totally unconcerned about ruining her life...stealing her away to perform a task without asking her... After a while I saw that he felt so much guilt that it more than satisfied me!
As for the task that Tess has to perform - it's a little preposterous...she has to sing a song perfectly, at just the right musical range..and her vocal ability is the reason Cohl chose her. Still, whatever contrived mission they have, it's sci-fi romance and its entertaining so suspend disbelief and simply enjoy this cute romance!
Cohl is a bit of an alpha-male at times, but he's not overly irritating about it. It's usually pretty sexy. He did get on my nerves a bit when he realized that he had ruined Tess's life and dream of being a singer when he kidnapped her and he was fairly nonchalant about it. At the time I wanted him to feel so awful about it - to get his comeuppance for being totally unconcerned about ruining her life...stealing her away to perform a task without asking her... After a while I saw that he felt so much guilt that it more than satisfied me!
As for the task that Tess has to perform - it's a little preposterous...she has to sing a song perfectly, at just the right musical range..and her vocal ability is the reason Cohl chose her. Still, whatever contrived mission they have, it's sci-fi romance and its entertaining so suspend disbelief and simply enjoy this cute romance!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2011
Tess has lived her entire life putting herself last. But now, she finally has the chance to live her dream as a singer. Until she is kidnapped by a sexy alien. It seems that she has a very special voice --the only one in the universe-- that can unlock the key to a secret amulet Cohl needs to pay off the men who have taken his father hostage.
Cohl takes Tess back to his home-world, and manages to convince her to help him in his cause. And of course, the two of them fall in love. But neither of them will admit their deeper feelings. Cohl believes Tess will want to return to Earth; and Tess is unsure he would even want her to stay. And so, the great misunderstanding is born.
The two manage to squeeze in a few rounds of hot sex, and a fair amount of adventure before they reach the planet that hides the amulet. And it's in the sex and the action that the book is at its best. But the pacing is uneven and the plot is fairly predictable.
It's not a bad story... pretty standard sci-fi romance fare. But it didn't have anything that really made it stand out above others in the genre. 3 stars.
*ARC Provided by NetGalley
Cohl takes Tess back to his home-world, and manages to convince her to help him in his cause. And of course, the two of them fall in love. But neither of them will admit their deeper feelings. Cohl believes Tess will want to return to Earth; and Tess is unsure he would even want her to stay. And so, the great misunderstanding is born.
The two manage to squeeze in a few rounds of hot sex, and a fair amount of adventure before they reach the planet that hides the amulet. And it's in the sex and the action that the book is at its best. But the pacing is uneven and the plot is fairly predictable.
It's not a bad story... pretty standard sci-fi romance fare. But it didn't have anything that really made it stand out above others in the genre. 3 stars.
*ARC Provided by NetGalley
March 19, 2015
On my quest of finding good sci fi romance, this author was recommended to me and this first in the series hits the right spots for me.
The kidnapped pop singing earthling experiences a world somewhere, far far away. But not so far she can't come visit back to Earth once in a while. :).
Loved the vivid description of the heroes home planet, the spaceship, the battles on and off the ships.
The Indiana Jones-esque adventures on the planet of the long dead civilization.
Wonderful space adventure basically with a great love story.
And apparently human like alien male species have really nice buns :)
The kidnapped pop singing earthling experiences a world somewhere, far far away. But not so far she can't come visit back to Earth once in a while. :).
Loved the vivid description of the heroes home planet, the spaceship, the battles on and off the ships.
The Indiana Jones-esque adventures on the planet of the long dead civilization.
Wonderful space adventure basically with a great love story.
And apparently human like alien male species have really nice buns :)
November 30, 2010
Cute story! I enjoyed the characters and their interactions. If you are looking for an easy, laid-back read, then this is the book for you.
The story stayed with the events without throwing in a lot of different side stories. The action scenes were minimal, but kept you reading. The characters (Cohl and Tess) are wonderfully compatible with their relationship developing smoothly (without the b*tching and screaming foul).
All-in-all, a happy story!
The story stayed with the events without throwing in a lot of different side stories. The action scenes were minimal, but kept you reading. The characters (Cohl and Tess) are wonderfully compatible with their relationship developing smoothly (without the b*tching and screaming foul).
All-in-all, a happy story!
November 23, 2009
I'm not sure why I didn't like this more than I did. It's usually the type of book I like. There's plenty of action and adventure along with the romance, but I felt like the h/h seemed to just blink and bam -- they were in love. Huh? I'm not sure I believed it in this story.
January 8, 2012
~* 3.5 Stars *~
Out of This World...And About Three Others
Tess MacKenzie isn't having a good night. She's just got paid for her last gig, much needed funds for those pesky necessities like rent and electricity, and she's walking to her car late at night. Alone.
Okay, so maybe that's not the wisest course of action she's ever taken, that fact made painfully clear when a mugger steps out of the shadows and demands her cash. There's no way she's going to just calmly hand over her hard-earned money, but she doesn't want to die, either. That's about when Tess has one of those good news/bad news sorts of experiences. The good news is that a tall, dark, and stunningly gorgeous stranger steps in to help. The bad news is he's not alone. He's got a floating, vaguely humanoid robot-looking thing with him, one that knocks out the mugger (good news) and then does the same to her (bad news).
And that bad news reaches a whole other level when she wakes up in a strange place. A very, very strange place. On a ship in outer space.
Space adventurer Cohl Travers is pressed for time and deeply concerned. His father has been taken hostage and is being held for leverage in a war between two warring factions of a nearby planet. Those who have his father want Cohl to obtain an ancient artifact that will give them the ability to win their civil war. The other side will do anything to stop him. And in the middle of it all is the one-in-a-trillion voice of Tess MacKenzie, key to nullifying the deadly trap that would make any attempt to retrieve the artifact completely fatal without her.
He hadn't given much thought to kidnapping Tess. It was just what he had to do. He also hadn't expected her to be so alluring, to stir the heat in him until he was ready to consume her. Problem is, she's not at all happy with her new accommodations and loathe to help him do anything but suffer for his crime.
Yanked away from her dreams, from everything she's worked towards for the past eight years, from her own planet, Tess has no intention of playing any part in Cohl's schemes, regardless of how hot he is. At least at first. But the longer she knows Cohl and the more she learns about the ramifications of what's at stake, the more the thought of going home starts to seem the greater sacrifice resulting in the larger loss.
~*~
I'm starting to panic here. I've been trying to write this review for two days. Two long days of staring at a blinking line on my monitor. A blinking line that has been surprisingly resistant to flowing across the screen with its usually alacrity as reasonably intelligent words (don't burst my bubble here, man) encapsulating a relatively experienced opinion (let me have my delusions) magically appear. Writer's block? For a review?? That's a particularly horrifying thought for someone who started reviewing books because of a physical condition marked by much higher-than-normal levels of opinion in her blood.
Part of my problem, I think, is my discomforting lack of experience with the genre. I don't read a lot of SciFi. Almost none, actually. Which, I suppose, is a little weird for a SciFi fan. And I am a huge SciFi fan from way back. Yeah, farther back than I'm ever going to admit, and lets just leave it at that. Thing is, my appreciation for SciFi is based more firmly in the visual media markets. That's basically a totally pretentious way of saying I prefer watching it to reading it. Give me a SciFi movie or TV show and I'm there. Books, not so much.
And frankly, I'm leery of expressing opinions on issues, books, or fiction genres that I'm unfamiliar with. So that's part of my problem. But only part, because I recently reviewed a steampunk holiday anthology, my first experience with steampunk, and I didn't have a problem with that review. I just admitted that my opinions weren't based on my wide experience with the sub-genre and went from there. So my limited experience with SciFi can't be the only reason this review has been so...resistant to being written.
It can't be that the opinion of the book is difficult to express. I've expressed just about every sort of opinion there is in my reviews over the years. The good, the bad, and the ugly have been put out there in overly-verbose reviews that have rolled off my fingers. That's never been a problem for me at all.
But I've been sitting here for two days now (no, not continually - sheesh - I took bathroom breaks), trying to put the words together that successfully express that I really enjoyed this story, thought it was well written, and felt the characters had some great chemistry together. I've been trying to explain that there were elements that struck me as a little silly, or at least purposely lighter in tone than I would have preferred, but that I really liked the action and adventure scenes, and the romance worked for me. So did the characters. And I've struggled for a way to get out that my two main problems with the book were the basic story premise and Tess's initial reactions to her kidnapping.
I did have some trouble with the basic story concept, and that threw a rock at my ability to easily engage my willing suspension of disbelief. I just thought the combination of there being one voice in all the universe that could do what Cohl needed it to do, the voice belonging to a woman from Earth with a barely-there music career, and the fact that Cohl heard that one voice when at least one of the many alien satellites monitoring the human race in orbit over the planet caught it and sent it to him, was just a little hard to easily accept as remotely possible, even within the framework of science fiction. It took me awhile to engage with the story as a result. That issue was compounded by how quickly Tess got over the massive paradigm shift that came with being kidnapped and waking up in space surrounded by aliens and a sentient robot. I would've more readily believed some nearly catatonic freak out or at the very least a bit more gain time before her libido kicked in and she felt groiny urges for the head alien who kidnapped her, regardless of how hot he is.
But hey, I finally accepted that it is what it is, and the rest of the story went fine after that.
Two days and the words haven't come, no matter how hard I've tried, no matter how long I've stared at the screen. Tantalizingly close, but frustratingly uncompromising. I can't sit here any longer. I just can't. My butt's sore, my back's hurting, and I'm a little hungry. So I'm just going to have to leave it at this: I liked the story, but the premise it's based on was pretty shaky for me and Tess' initial reactions to space didn't seem believable. Other than that, it's a fun read, and I'm looking forward to trying out the next book in the series. After two days, that's just gotta be enough said.
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Carina Press via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
Out of This World...And About Three Others
Tess MacKenzie isn't having a good night. She's just got paid for her last gig, much needed funds for those pesky necessities like rent and electricity, and she's walking to her car late at night. Alone.
Okay, so maybe that's not the wisest course of action she's ever taken, that fact made painfully clear when a mugger steps out of the shadows and demands her cash. There's no way she's going to just calmly hand over her hard-earned money, but she doesn't want to die, either. That's about when Tess has one of those good news/bad news sorts of experiences. The good news is that a tall, dark, and stunningly gorgeous stranger steps in to help. The bad news is he's not alone. He's got a floating, vaguely humanoid robot-looking thing with him, one that knocks out the mugger (good news) and then does the same to her (bad news).
And that bad news reaches a whole other level when she wakes up in a strange place. A very, very strange place. On a ship in outer space.
Space adventurer Cohl Travers is pressed for time and deeply concerned. His father has been taken hostage and is being held for leverage in a war between two warring factions of a nearby planet. Those who have his father want Cohl to obtain an ancient artifact that will give them the ability to win their civil war. The other side will do anything to stop him. And in the middle of it all is the one-in-a-trillion voice of Tess MacKenzie, key to nullifying the deadly trap that would make any attempt to retrieve the artifact completely fatal without her.
He hadn't given much thought to kidnapping Tess. It was just what he had to do. He also hadn't expected her to be so alluring, to stir the heat in him until he was ready to consume her. Problem is, she's not at all happy with her new accommodations and loathe to help him do anything but suffer for his crime.
Yanked away from her dreams, from everything she's worked towards for the past eight years, from her own planet, Tess has no intention of playing any part in Cohl's schemes, regardless of how hot he is. At least at first. But the longer she knows Cohl and the more she learns about the ramifications of what's at stake, the more the thought of going home starts to seem the greater sacrifice resulting in the larger loss.
~*~
I'm starting to panic here. I've been trying to write this review for two days. Two long days of staring at a blinking line on my monitor. A blinking line that has been surprisingly resistant to flowing across the screen with its usually alacrity as reasonably intelligent words (don't burst my bubble here, man) encapsulating a relatively experienced opinion (let me have my delusions) magically appear. Writer's block? For a review?? That's a particularly horrifying thought for someone who started reviewing books because of a physical condition marked by much higher-than-normal levels of opinion in her blood.
Part of my problem, I think, is my discomforting lack of experience with the genre. I don't read a lot of SciFi. Almost none, actually. Which, I suppose, is a little weird for a SciFi fan. And I am a huge SciFi fan from way back. Yeah, farther back than I'm ever going to admit, and lets just leave it at that. Thing is, my appreciation for SciFi is based more firmly in the visual media markets. That's basically a totally pretentious way of saying I prefer watching it to reading it. Give me a SciFi movie or TV show and I'm there. Books, not so much.
And frankly, I'm leery of expressing opinions on issues, books, or fiction genres that I'm unfamiliar with. So that's part of my problem. But only part, because I recently reviewed a steampunk holiday anthology, my first experience with steampunk, and I didn't have a problem with that review. I just admitted that my opinions weren't based on my wide experience with the sub-genre and went from there. So my limited experience with SciFi can't be the only reason this review has been so...resistant to being written.
It can't be that the opinion of the book is difficult to express. I've expressed just about every sort of opinion there is in my reviews over the years. The good, the bad, and the ugly have been put out there in overly-verbose reviews that have rolled off my fingers. That's never been a problem for me at all.
But I've been sitting here for two days now (no, not continually - sheesh - I took bathroom breaks), trying to put the words together that successfully express that I really enjoyed this story, thought it was well written, and felt the characters had some great chemistry together. I've been trying to explain that there were elements that struck me as a little silly, or at least purposely lighter in tone than I would have preferred, but that I really liked the action and adventure scenes, and the romance worked for me. So did the characters. And I've struggled for a way to get out that my two main problems with the book were the basic story premise and Tess's initial reactions to her kidnapping.
I did have some trouble with the basic story concept, and that threw a rock at my ability to easily engage my willing suspension of disbelief. I just thought the combination of there being one voice in all the universe that could do what Cohl needed it to do, the voice belonging to a woman from Earth with a barely-there music career, and the fact that Cohl heard that one voice when at least one of the many alien satellites monitoring the human race in orbit over the planet caught it and sent it to him, was just a little hard to easily accept as remotely possible, even within the framework of science fiction. It took me awhile to engage with the story as a result. That issue was compounded by how quickly Tess got over the massive paradigm shift that came with being kidnapped and waking up in space surrounded by aliens and a sentient robot. I would've more readily believed some nearly catatonic freak out or at the very least a bit more gain time before her libido kicked in and she felt groiny urges for the head alien who kidnapped her, regardless of how hot he is.
But hey, I finally accepted that it is what it is, and the rest of the story went fine after that.
Two days and the words haven't come, no matter how hard I've tried, no matter how long I've stared at the screen. Tantalizingly close, but frustratingly uncompromising. I can't sit here any longer. I just can't. My butt's sore, my back's hurting, and I'm a little hungry. So I'm just going to have to leave it at this: I liked the story, but the premise it's based on was pretty shaky for me and Tess' initial reactions to space didn't seem believable. Other than that, it's a fun read, and I'm looking forward to trying out the next book in the series. After two days, that's just gotta be enough said.
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Carina Press via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.
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Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
June 11, 2017
Okay, the plot was pretty much exactly what you'd expect: a woman is abducted from Earth by an alien, who happens to be a really hot guy. Oh, guess what! He's a prince! This is absolutely not new. Every single alien in romance novels seems to be a super hot prince who is avoiding responsibility. That having been said, we don't read romance novels for their amazing new plots. I enjoyed the characters, even if I could see the setup for a series a mile away. The adventure was good and had some interesting twists. If you like SF-Romance, you'll probably enjoy this book if you aren't too fussy about it being cheesy at times.
May 21, 2023
Aspiring singer/songwriter Tess MacKenzie is on the verge of a break through when she is kidnapped by a space alien and his robot. Cohl has been searching for the voice he heard that matches the tones he needs to rescue his kidnapped father. The kidnapper demands he locate a powerful amulet. One of the feats needed to recover it is the exact song to be sung (words and tonal range) during the last step. This was a fun space opera and I look forward to reading the next two in the series.
May 19, 2021
This is basically a love swept romance novel set in space. Its OK but the quality of the writing could be stronger. The plot moves along quickly and there are some twists before it reaches the expected conclusion. A book to read to pass the time on the weekend.
July 22, 2019
Not bad, but not out of this world.
April 29, 2019
3.5 This reminds me a lot of Seduce Me in Dreams by Jacquelyn Frank, both in how I feel toward the novel and in terms of the novel's content and structure.
January 2, 2018
I very much enjoyed this book. Basically your typical romance book but set in space. I'm a scifi fan, but I think this was light enough non-scifi fans could enjoy it.
February 7, 2023
When his father is kidnapped and held for ransom so the hero will retrieve a special amulet, he in turn kidnaps a human girl from earth to use her voice to unlock said amulet. Though he really feels guilty about taking her from everything she knows, he's a man who is willing to do what needs to be done despite person heartache or the heartache of others. As a prince to his people-though he turned away from his responsibilities and his title-it's clear that he's willing to do anything for the good of his people.
The heroine spent most of her life until this point working to help her parents and now that they've died-she's determined to follow her dream and be a famous singer. She's at first pissed about being taken front hat dream-and rightly so-but she's not the type of girl to spit those who needs her help and without her voice the hero's father will die.
I really enjoyed this book because it was balanced and the characters were relatable. The heroine at first comes off as that feisty take no shit from no one girl but she's also willing to admit when she's in over her head. She isn't stupid or selfish and though she's able to handle most situations the adventure throws at her-she turns to the hero for protection and saving when needed. She leans on him as he relies on her for breaking his loneliness. The hero is kidding himself when he thinks he can just gallivant around the galaxy forever. He's angry about being trapped by responsibility and as a result has broken ties with his parents. He was immature and childish in a lot of things but it was the heroine who made him finally realize that his path in life wouldn't make him happy forever. I loved the fact that neither the hero or the heroine truly realized know much the other person loved them until the end. Due to the way they met-the hero kidnapping the heroine and all- it's understandable to think that things couldn't work out. But all's well that ends well. Nice easy read-nothing too deep. A little healthy drama here and there to spice things up.
The heroine spent most of her life until this point working to help her parents and now that they've died-she's determined to follow her dream and be a famous singer. She's at first pissed about being taken front hat dream-and rightly so-but she's not the type of girl to spit those who needs her help and without her voice the hero's father will die.
I really enjoyed this book because it was balanced and the characters were relatable. The heroine at first comes off as that feisty take no shit from no one girl but she's also willing to admit when she's in over her head. She isn't stupid or selfish and though she's able to handle most situations the adventure throws at her-she turns to the hero for protection and saving when needed. She leans on him as he relies on her for breaking his loneliness. The hero is kidding himself when he thinks he can just gallivant around the galaxy forever. He's angry about being trapped by responsibility and as a result has broken ties with his parents. He was immature and childish in a lot of things but it was the heroine who made him finally realize that his path in life wouldn't make him happy forever. I loved the fact that neither the hero or the heroine truly realized know much the other person loved them until the end. Due to the way they met-the hero kidnapping the heroine and all- it's understandable to think that things couldn't work out. But all's well that ends well. Nice easy read-nothing too deep. A little healthy drama here and there to spice things up.
October 20, 2011
The overall rating for the series is 4 butterflies. I had a great time reading these books, I had fun, I got a healthy dose of smutty galore, and I was very, very glad I got a chance to read them.
If I were to say what genre they’d go in, since people are always big on tags and stuff like that, I’d think these are romance with a sci-fi-ish twist, and not the other way around. There is a lot going on in each book, and there’s a whole universe weaved for them, but I feel the main element is the romance. So I’d disagree with some reviews I read up on Goodreads, that slightly bash them for not being solidly sci-fi. I don’t think they were meant to be; and I don’t think I would have liked them more if they would have been, honestly. Buuut then again I’m not a sci-fi buff, I just like the occasional sci-fi because the book was very well written and the writer is very talented, not because of that genre. Anyways…
Unearthed (UN-Forgettable #1)
Now, if I were to talk about them book by book, the first one was more like 3,5 then a full four. I liked the writing, the mood, the world, but I can’t say I liked both the characters that much; Cohl was cool, and Tess was funny, but I didn’t love either of them.
What I really liked, in all the books (maybe a little less in the 4th though), was the chemistry between the the characters. I mean, it was right there, intense to smoldering, on a case by case basis. And it was hot as hell in space, I can tell you that!
I will admit to the fact that the first and the last book in any series always benefit from less of my willingness to commit emotionally; the first one needs to really win me over for the rest of them, and the last one I approach with one foot outside the door, more or less, anticipating the separation and all that. So, there’s always that…
If I were to say what genre they’d go in, since people are always big on tags and stuff like that, I’d think these are romance with a sci-fi-ish twist, and not the other way around. There is a lot going on in each book, and there’s a whole universe weaved for them, but I feel the main element is the romance. So I’d disagree with some reviews I read up on Goodreads, that slightly bash them for not being solidly sci-fi. I don’t think they were meant to be; and I don’t think I would have liked them more if they would have been, honestly. Buuut then again I’m not a sci-fi buff, I just like the occasional sci-fi because the book was very well written and the writer is very talented, not because of that genre. Anyways…
Unearthed (UN-Forgettable #1)
Now, if I were to talk about them book by book, the first one was more like 3,5 then a full four. I liked the writing, the mood, the world, but I can’t say I liked both the characters that much; Cohl was cool, and Tess was funny, but I didn’t love either of them.
What I really liked, in all the books (maybe a little less in the 4th though), was the chemistry between the the characters. I mean, it was right there, intense to smoldering, on a case by case basis. And it was hot as hell in space, I can tell you that!
I will admit to the fact that the first and the last book in any series always benefit from less of my willingness to commit emotionally; the first one needs to really win me over for the rest of them, and the last one I approach with one foot outside the door, more or less, anticipating the separation and all that. So, there’s always that…
April 19, 2012
Sci-Fi Romance Novel a la Indiana Jones.
Prince Cohl and his trusty side kick robot Pitz kidnap an earthling singer Tess. She wakes up on his spaceship, and is told she has a unique voice needed to help the prince unlock a musical puzzle to acquire a special amulet which Cohl plans use to bargain for his abducted father's life. Think Indiana Jones in a spaceship but a lot younger.
What I liked: I love Sci-Fi Romance! There are space ships and planet wide civil wars, and Cohl treats space travel like we treat driving our Toyota to the store. I liked that he was secretly a prince and that he loved his people and feared for the enormous responsibilities ruling would incur. I loved the way that Tess handled the final confrontation with the bad guys. SPOILER: when she says the amulet just amplifies your voice I could have cheered! She is smart smart smart. I loved the way Cohl grew up at the end. Nice epilogue on their new lives together.
What I didn't like: Tess didn't seem to awfully put out about being zapped unconscious, put into a 3 day coma, and waking to find she was a pawn in an interplanetary conspiracy. Ah guess being `round a real good lookin' fella like Cohl would tend to wipe out all those pesky little felonies away. Still, she seemed unconcened about being kidnapped and removed off-planet.
When the retrieved the amulet, Tess would have seen the Indiana Jones movies. So she had to know that the bad guys would be waiting outside with the pygmies and their spears. She should have commented to Cohl on this possibility at some point.
Cohl is smart. So why would he think the Traka's would honor their bargain and return his abducted father in exchange for the amulet? If Cohl were real, he'd send a double to look for the amulet with Tess, while he mounts a full scale military attack on the Traka's to retrieve his father and smack their fannies.
Prince Cohl and his trusty side kick robot Pitz kidnap an earthling singer Tess. She wakes up on his spaceship, and is told she has a unique voice needed to help the prince unlock a musical puzzle to acquire a special amulet which Cohl plans use to bargain for his abducted father's life. Think Indiana Jones in a spaceship but a lot younger.
What I liked: I love Sci-Fi Romance! There are space ships and planet wide civil wars, and Cohl treats space travel like we treat driving our Toyota to the store. I liked that he was secretly a prince and that he loved his people and feared for the enormous responsibilities ruling would incur. I loved the way that Tess handled the final confrontation with the bad guys. SPOILER: when she says the amulet just amplifies your voice I could have cheered! She is smart smart smart. I loved the way Cohl grew up at the end. Nice epilogue on their new lives together.
What I didn't like: Tess didn't seem to awfully put out about being zapped unconscious, put into a 3 day coma, and waking to find she was a pawn in an interplanetary conspiracy. Ah guess being `round a real good lookin' fella like Cohl would tend to wipe out all those pesky little felonies away. Still, she seemed unconcened about being kidnapped and removed off-planet.
When the retrieved the amulet, Tess would have seen the Indiana Jones movies. So she had to know that the bad guys would be waiting outside with the pygmies and their spears. She should have commented to Cohl on this possibility at some point.
Cohl is smart. So why would he think the Traka's would honor their bargain and return his abducted father in exchange for the amulet? If Cohl were real, he'd send a double to look for the amulet with Tess, while he mounts a full scale military attack on the Traka's to retrieve his father and smack their fannies.
March 19, 2011
I started this book over a year ago and put it down again due to lack of interest. But I couldn't bring myself to 'book exchange' it without first reading it. So finally I forced myself to start again so I could clear it from my TBR pile.
It was better than I had thought! Starting with low expectations maybe helped its cause... It really was quite enjoyable (sorry Jim!) I even shed a couple of tears (yes, I must be a bit of a sook). I had a few overall issues:
* The H/h fell too quickly for each other - it was convenient for the plot line, but unbelievable given the situation, esp for the Tess (h)
* The worlds were disjointed - Jim's complaint which I agree with - dirty ragged 'Traka' beings so dumb and agressive, yet holding superior technology. (I also noted that a 'bomb' type ball which supposedly actived through heat killed one of their enemies, yet both Cohl and Tess had held this ball in their hands without causing it to activate...?!)
* Repetitive use of words - Tess winked and batted her eyes a hellava lot. She must have had something stuck in her eyes for most of the adventure!
But it was an enjoyable escape from reality. Nothing too scary. Some good romance mixed in with the mild adventure. 3.5 stars.
It was better than I had thought! Starting with low expectations maybe helped its cause... It really was quite enjoyable (sorry Jim!) I even shed a couple of tears (yes, I must be a bit of a sook). I had a few overall issues:
* The H/h fell too quickly for each other - it was convenient for the plot line, but unbelievable given the situation, esp for the Tess (h)
* The worlds were disjointed - Jim's complaint which I agree with - dirty ragged 'Traka' beings so dumb and agressive, yet holding superior technology. (I also noted that a 'bomb' type ball which supposedly actived through heat killed one of their enemies, yet both Cohl and Tess had held this ball in their hands without causing it to activate...?!)
* Repetitive use of words - Tess winked and batted her eyes a hellava lot. She must have had something stuck in her eyes for most of the adventure!
But it was an enjoyable escape from reality. Nothing too scary. Some good romance mixed in with the mild adventure. 3.5 stars.
December 3, 2011
4 Stars
If you had asked me a year ago if I liked Science Fiction I would have given you a strange look and told you of course not. I have most definitely changed my mind. It is one of my favorite genres now. Specifically Science Fiction/Romance.
Unearthed by C.J. Barry drew me in from the very first chapter and I didn't put it down until I finished it. This story is a more "believable" science fiction since the inhabitants of the planets outside of earth are mostly humanoid. I found it highly entertaining that the people of Earth had no idea of inhabited planets outside of their own. Maybe I ought to start reading those "an alien abducted me" blogs. You never know... there may be some truth in it (or not).
What a great start to a fabulous series. I am looking forward to reading the remaining books in Ms. Barry's series.
If you had asked me a year ago if I liked Science Fiction I would have given you a strange look and told you of course not. I have most definitely changed my mind. It is one of my favorite genres now. Specifically Science Fiction/Romance.
Unearthed by C.J. Barry drew me in from the very first chapter and I didn't put it down until I finished it. This story is a more "believable" science fiction since the inhabitants of the planets outside of earth are mostly humanoid. I found it highly entertaining that the people of Earth had no idea of inhabited planets outside of their own. Maybe I ought to start reading those "an alien abducted me" blogs. You never know... there may be some truth in it (or not).
What a great start to a fabulous series. I am looking forward to reading the remaining books in Ms. Barry's series.
November 30, 2011
Unearthed is a fast, fun, romping space adventure. It's space opera in a good way. Tess is the fiery-haired heroine who is abducted by the devastatingly handsome alien Cohl. Only Tess can save Cohl's father and his planet.
The story is written with an upbeat pace that kept my attention. The characters are engaging and quick-witted. I loved Cohl's robot bodyguard! Wish I had one of my own!
This is not a high brow science fiction novel. Don't look for minute details on quantum space theory or black holes. This is a feel good space adventure romance that doesn't take itself too seriously. Grab a copy and enjoy the ride.
Thank you Carina Press and Netgalley for allowing me to review Unearthed.
The story is written with an upbeat pace that kept my attention. The characters are engaging and quick-witted. I loved Cohl's robot bodyguard! Wish I had one of my own!
This is not a high brow science fiction novel. Don't look for minute details on quantum space theory or black holes. This is a feel good space adventure romance that doesn't take itself too seriously. Grab a copy and enjoy the ride.
Thank you Carina Press and Netgalley for allowing me to review Unearthed.
November 6, 2011
I love Sci-fi romance. My favourite authors are Lizzy Ford and Alexandra May so this one took me by surprise.
But this is a great story if you love Star Trek/Lost in Space type Science Fiction Romance. There's quirkiness, suspense, mystery and lots of heartbeating romance.
The story takes us from Earth to a space abduction (I refuse to use the word alien!) and then bring on the chemistry!
I loved the two characters, their development was sweet, endearing and the story was told really well by the author.
I haven't read any of the other books in the series but I'm going to start the next one straight away!
Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book!
December 19, 2011
Usually, I love earth-girl kidnapped by handsome alien guy stories, but nope, not this one.
The sci-fi was terrible and what was with one half of the bad guys wearing stinky animal skins as uniforms, in their space ships?
The angst and guilt felt by the H towards the h for kidnapping her, then letting her be stolen by said animal skin wearers, then getting her involved in deadly traps to reach the amulet of power! Ridiculous. If he had felt genuine remorse none of that would of happened.
Do yourself a favour and don't.
The sci-fi was terrible and what was with one half of the bad guys wearing stinky animal skins as uniforms, in their space ships?
The angst and guilt felt by the H towards the h for kidnapping her, then letting her be stolen by said animal skin wearers, then getting her involved in deadly traps to reach the amulet of power! Ridiculous. If he had felt genuine remorse none of that would of happened.
Do yourself a favour and don't.
July 4, 2009
4.5 stars
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was funny, romantic, quirky, adventurous, and suspenseful. I thought Tess did a wonderful job handling all of the things thrown her way; I felt her reactions and emotions to the situations were realistic. Cohl was a great hero. Though he was stubborn at times, he really cared for Tess and wanted what was best for her. I'm looking forward to reading the others in this series.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was funny, romantic, quirky, adventurous, and suspenseful. I thought Tess did a wonderful job handling all of the things thrown her way; I felt her reactions and emotions to the situations were realistic. Cohl was a great hero. Though he was stubborn at times, he really cared for Tess and wanted what was best for her. I'm looking forward to reading the others in this series.
July 27, 2009
Its kinda a mix of Indiana Jones and a space opera. The beginning was kinda lame, like most alien abduction related stories (what else can you do when you have to steal away an Earth character?) but it gets better toward the end.
Its a quick, fun read. I wish it had more details upon the other characters, like depth and all. The interplanetary problems were hardly described, which kinda put a damper.
Its a quick, fun read. I wish it had more details upon the other characters, like depth and all. The interplanetary problems were hardly described, which kinda put a damper.
November 18, 2011
I knew I shouldn't have read this book, I've problem with sci-fi love novel....The problem is that I love so much sci-fi that instead of giving attention to the plot I keep on thinking of all the physics laws that are broken or not taken in any account....
That's probably the reason why I didn't appreciate this book, maybe the next in the series will be better, I hope....
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND CARINA PRESS FOR THE PREVIEW
That's probably the reason why I didn't appreciate this book, maybe the next in the series will be better, I hope....
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND CARINA PRESS FOR THE PREVIEW
January 13, 2012
Super fun read. Hitchhikers Guide meets Indiana Jones, meets... Star Wars? Spaceballs?
Funny, entertaining, kept me up all night reading.
It was like hanging out with a bunch of really awesome people for a weekend. You know you can't make a life out of it, but it sure is fun and leaves you smiling.
I never rolled my eyes once. Lusty Quest-y Adventure.
Pick this one up, relax and enjoy it.
Funny, entertaining, kept me up all night reading.
It was like hanging out with a bunch of really awesome people for a weekend. You know you can't make a life out of it, but it sure is fun and leaves you smiling.
I never rolled my eyes once. Lusty Quest-y Adventure.
Pick this one up, relax and enjoy it.
January 4, 2015
Good lord, this book was terrible. I loved it. Would I recommend it to another person? Never. Will I read more by this author? Absolutely. As I read it I thought it was a YA, or at the very least written by a 16-year-old girl, because that is the age group it is written for. That said, the characters were likable and the dialogue entertaining. Now, if only PJ Schnyder had written the sex scenes.
November 24, 2011
I enjoyed this book, but there were a few things that knocked it down. I didn't like that Cohl would deliberately not tell her things that she needed to know (because he didn't want to worry her,etc). I thought the villain(s) were very conveniently stupid. However, I will say I enjoyed this fluff and will be checking out the other books as well.
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