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Colliding Worlds Trilogy #3
Explosion
Welcome to the earth-shattering conclusion of the Colliding Worlds trilogy. It’s been twelve months since the Sephians, Draeken, and humans reached a truce. Peace, at last.
It’s been eleven months since news footage revealed that earth no longer stood alone in the universe. Panic ensued. Truces were broken. All aliens were quarantined.
Earth’s final war is here and time is running out…
Talla Kolhm is a Draeken warrior-woman, beaten down but never broken. She refuses to feel any emotion, especially love or compassion. When she meets a kindred spirit in Jax Jerrick, a human soldier with his own share of scars, they develop an uncommon but comfortable rapport. But when a deadly toxin is released across the planet, all aliens are quickly blamed and ordered to be executed. With the help of her human, she escapes, and, despite her vows, Jax reawakens her darkest desires.
Betrayed once before, Jax can barely bring himself to trust another woman. Regardless, as he deals with his past, Talla reawakens his heart. While battling their simmering passion, they join the resistance committed to finding an antidote. And so the fight begins. Talla will do anything for earth’s survival, even sacrifice herself and her heart, which may be the only way to save us all…
It’s been eleven months since news footage revealed that earth no longer stood alone in the universe. Panic ensued. Truces were broken. All aliens were quarantined.
Earth’s final war is here and time is running out…
Talla Kolhm is a Draeken warrior-woman, beaten down but never broken. She refuses to feel any emotion, especially love or compassion. When she meets a kindred spirit in Jax Jerrick, a human soldier with his own share of scars, they develop an uncommon but comfortable rapport. But when a deadly toxin is released across the planet, all aliens are quickly blamed and ordered to be executed. With the help of her human, she escapes, and, despite her vows, Jax reawakens her darkest desires.
Betrayed once before, Jax can barely bring himself to trust another woman. Regardless, as he deals with his past, Talla reawakens his heart. While battling their simmering passion, they join the resistance committed to finding an antidote. And so the fight begins. Talla will do anything for earth’s survival, even sacrifice herself and her heart, which may be the only way to save us all…
350 pages, ebook
First published June 1, 2013
8 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Berinn Rae
10 books59 followersRACHEL AUKES writes horror stories, and as BERINN RAE she writes sci-fi romance and paranormal romance. Rachel was raised on a farm in Iowa where she boasted the small town’s largest (and only) comic book collection, and she's still addicted to stories starring characters with kickassitude. When not writing, Rachel flies old airplanes in the American Midwest with her awesomely supportive husband and caters to an incredibly spoiled sixty-pound lap dog.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 18, 2013
It is no big secret I like my books dark and violent. It always pleases me when an author doesn’t pull any punches and starts killing off the characters that she has created. This brings a little realism to the fiction in hand. Life isn’t always pretty especially when that life is on the cusp of war and dealing with an alien invasion. Wow, just wow. Explosion starts out full throttle and never slows down.
Every decision Jax has to make is difficult and someone will suffer no matter what he chooses. He can save the innocent or remain the dutiful soldier, should he follow orders given to him or betray his country, he can get the girl or save himself future misery, but they are never simple and always have heavy consequences. The more he is around Talla the more he realizes he may have to walk down a road he vowed never to revisit. He also knows that from his experience with the new Earth residents that things need to change when it comes to their treatment.
Talla and the majority of her Draeken people just want a home. They are on the verge of extinction. Many have been forced to live within the confines of what amounts to the alien prison camp with their wings bound and tracking chips imbedded in their skin. Its not much of a life. She wants so much more for her people and she is willing to do whatever it takes to see that they get it. That includes going up against the bad seed that is making all alien races look vile and evil.
I highly recommend reading the Colliding Worlds trilogy in order. Much of what happens and the conflicts that are resolved in Explosion began in Collision, and Implosion. I also found that this book was appropriately titled. It was the explosive end to a great series. If you like your Earth based sci fi to have a dash of romance you will certainly enjoy Berinn’s books.
Every decision Jax has to make is difficult and someone will suffer no matter what he chooses. He can save the innocent or remain the dutiful soldier, should he follow orders given to him or betray his country, he can get the girl or save himself future misery, but they are never simple and always have heavy consequences. The more he is around Talla the more he realizes he may have to walk down a road he vowed never to revisit. He also knows that from his experience with the new Earth residents that things need to change when it comes to their treatment.
Talla and the majority of her Draeken people just want a home. They are on the verge of extinction. Many have been forced to live within the confines of what amounts to the alien prison camp with their wings bound and tracking chips imbedded in their skin. Its not much of a life. She wants so much more for her people and she is willing to do whatever it takes to see that they get it. That includes going up against the bad seed that is making all alien races look vile and evil.
I highly recommend reading the Colliding Worlds trilogy in order. Much of what happens and the conflicts that are resolved in Explosion began in Collision, and Implosion. I also found that this book was appropriately titled. It was the explosive end to a great series. If you like your Earth based sci fi to have a dash of romance you will certainly enjoy Berinn’s books.
May 28, 2014
This was a strong finish to this trilogy. I felt like it focused more on dealing with the consequences of what happened in the prior books then the romance aspect but that was okay because it still worked and was interesting. The romance aspect was still there and it was interesting and different from the previous two relationships, which kept things fresh.
January 26, 2014
This review was first posted at the Just A Reader review blog.
Explosion by Berinn Rae is the final novel in her Colliding Worlds trilogy and has been the book I've been looking forward to since the series started. Jax has been a personal favorite of mine and I really wanted to read his story. Rae was kind enough to send me an eARC so I wouldn't have to wait any longer :)
As stated, I've wanted to read Jax's story since book one, Collision. I knew he'd be emotionally withdrawn and kind of a moron about it but I didn't realize how much I'd want to punch him in the face through most of the book - in a good way. He was emotionally withdrawn and an idiot but he was completely aware of it. As Jax is forced to, yet again, face the loss and betrayal of those he loves, he has to decide if he will allow the past to define his entire future or if he can finally move forward.
Talla was a bit of a surprise - I didn't expect her to be so willing to forgive the past with the Sephians or the humans or to be able to trust the alliances as much as she did. Her unwavering trust in Nalea and Roden could have come across as mindless devotion but it is offset well by her clear understanding of the war and the political situation facing the Draeken and the other races currently inhabiting Earth. She is every bit as much a protector and soldier as Jax and equally ready to lay down her life if it means her race survives and is at peace. But she is much more emotionally aware than Jax, something that I wouldn't have expected from someone who has been basically imprisoned for a few years.
Explosion was a disturbing, but probably completely accurate, portrayal of what humans would do should aliens land on Earth. It's a little sad that, while I was horrified by the decisions made, I wasn't even remotely surprised by Rae's depiction of the genocide and war prison camp atmosphere. It's a testament to Rae's writing skill that the relationship between Talla and Jax was so realistically portrayed in the midst of the violence of the war raging around them.
As the final book in the trilogy, Explosion also had to wrap up the remaining storylines from Collision and Implosion - which it did seamlessly. We once again witness the relationships of Sienna and Legian and Nalea and Roden. Nalea gets to face off with Otas again and Ace wanders through keeping everyone honest.
Despite ongoing editing issues throughout the trilogy, I would definitely recommend the Colliding Worlds books to anyone who enjoys science fiction or paranormal romance. Just be sure to read them in order or you'll likely be confused.
Explosion by Berinn Rae is the final novel in her Colliding Worlds trilogy and has been the book I've been looking forward to since the series started. Jax has been a personal favorite of mine and I really wanted to read his story. Rae was kind enough to send me an eARC so I wouldn't have to wait any longer :)
As stated, I've wanted to read Jax's story since book one, Collision. I knew he'd be emotionally withdrawn and kind of a moron about it but I didn't realize how much I'd want to punch him in the face through most of the book - in a good way. He was emotionally withdrawn and an idiot but he was completely aware of it. As Jax is forced to, yet again, face the loss and betrayal of those he loves, he has to decide if he will allow the past to define his entire future or if he can finally move forward.
Talla was a bit of a surprise - I didn't expect her to be so willing to forgive the past with the Sephians or the humans or to be able to trust the alliances as much as she did. Her unwavering trust in Nalea and Roden could have come across as mindless devotion but it is offset well by her clear understanding of the war and the political situation facing the Draeken and the other races currently inhabiting Earth. She is every bit as much a protector and soldier as Jax and equally ready to lay down her life if it means her race survives and is at peace. But she is much more emotionally aware than Jax, something that I wouldn't have expected from someone who has been basically imprisoned for a few years.
Explosion was a disturbing, but probably completely accurate, portrayal of what humans would do should aliens land on Earth. It's a little sad that, while I was horrified by the decisions made, I wasn't even remotely surprised by Rae's depiction of the genocide and war prison camp atmosphere. It's a testament to Rae's writing skill that the relationship between Talla and Jax was so realistically portrayed in the midst of the violence of the war raging around them.
As the final book in the trilogy, Explosion also had to wrap up the remaining storylines from Collision and Implosion - which it did seamlessly. We once again witness the relationships of Sienna and Legian and Nalea and Roden. Nalea gets to face off with Otas again and Ace wanders through keeping everyone honest.
Despite ongoing editing issues throughout the trilogy, I would definitely recommend the Colliding Worlds books to anyone who enjoys science fiction or paranormal romance. Just be sure to read them in order or you'll likely be confused.
August 14, 2014
Explosion: Part 3 of the Colliding Worlds Trilogy by Berinn Rae is a satisfying conclusion to the Colliding Worlds trilogy. The author brought together her third couple, Jax and Talla, for another human-alien romance. The romance in the story is secondary to the action and technology elements, which were exciting. I read in a question and answer the author participated in that she was more comfortable with the action and sci-fi elements than she was with the romance. Still, I love my romance, and I was not left wanting.
Love doesn’t come easily to any of the characters in the trilogy, which makes sense considering that earth is dealing with not only proof that there is life on other planets, but that two of those races are on earth. One of those races is “good,” and wants to protect earth. The other is “bad” and has come to earth to take over because they failed taking over the good alien’s planet. The author brought all the stories to a believable conclusion that allowed even more growth for the characters.
I enjoyed every page of this book and I look forward to seeing more of what the author holds in her imagination.
I do think this book can stand alone, but like many other trilogies, you get a lot more from the story if you read them all, in order.
Love doesn’t come easily to any of the characters in the trilogy, which makes sense considering that earth is dealing with not only proof that there is life on other planets, but that two of those races are on earth. One of those races is “good,” and wants to protect earth. The other is “bad” and has come to earth to take over because they failed taking over the good alien’s planet. The author brought all the stories to a believable conclusion that allowed even more growth for the characters.
I enjoyed every page of this book and I look forward to seeing more of what the author holds in her imagination.
I do think this book can stand alone, but like many other trilogies, you get a lot more from the story if you read them all, in order.
August 3, 2018
The finale of Rachel Aukes' trilogy, one year later, brings with it hatred, destruction and death. The truce is over and the 'Etzee' (Extra Terrestrial Restricted Zone) is a prison ghetto for the Draeken and Sephian immigrants. Exactly like the treatment of refugees now, and in the past, they are all put together in this one area in order to maintain control of them. Racism, sexism, abuse and violence are rampant from the humans.
A decimating plague-like virus is on the loose across the world, not (hu)man-made but alien-made. Rather than actually converse with the Draeken and Sephian races, the US military take things into their own hands. There were two particularly poignant parts for me that brought tears to my eyes and a huge lump to my throat.
I really enjoyed this book. Very character driven and a few eye-openers included. Action-packed pages, as usual from Aukes, but feel that there needs to be something else after the trilogy. Perhaps short stories or the like to dig deeper into the characters? If the author thought this had more legs?
I was given an ecopy which I voluntarily read and honestly reviewed. Any opinions are my own.
A decimating plague-like virus is on the loose across the world, not (hu)man-made but alien-made. Rather than actually converse with the Draeken and Sephian races, the US military take things into their own hands. There were two particularly poignant parts for me that brought tears to my eyes and a huge lump to my throat.
I really enjoyed this book. Very character driven and a few eye-openers included. Action-packed pages, as usual from Aukes, but feel that there needs to be something else after the trilogy. Perhaps short stories or the like to dig deeper into the characters? If the author thought this had more legs?
I was given an ecopy which I voluntarily read and honestly reviewed. Any opinions are my own.
August 16, 2014
I started out really enjoying this series. The first book was well written, the storyline had me hooked and I was eager to read more about this world however, the second book left me feeling somewhat unfulfilled and sadly, so did this one. They both seemed to be quite rushed, like the author was bored and wanted to get on with something more entertaining, so did the absolute minimum to finish the series.
I still enjoyed the stories in both books but would definitely have liked them to be a bit more fleshed out.
I still enjoyed the stories in both books but would definitely have liked them to be a bit more fleshed out.
September 26, 2018
I am a new Rachel Aukes groupie. Two weeks ago on a business trip, I binge read her 3 Fringe Series books. I enjoyed them so much I had a difficult time waiting for the start of the Colliding Worlds Trilogy. Rachel’s writing is exciting, easy to follow, addictive and well edited. Heroes are flawed, bad guys are sometimes difficult to determine – suspense and plot twists, and there is enough humor to make it all fun. It also is not predictable, which I really appreciate because I read a lot…
In this book, The war between the alien races has morphed into a war against humanity, but are the humans at fault or are the aliens? Of course the answers are not as clear cut as one would think. There is action and intrigue. Who will win, the humans, aliens, maybe no one...
The book is a quick read. At just under 200 pages I was able to buzz through it in a day. The whole series can be read in a long weekend if you read quickly. It will hold your attention.
I read 70+ books a year and have been for the last several years. I tend to only review the books I really like, that I would recommend to others.
In this book, The war between the alien races has morphed into a war against humanity, but are the humans at fault or are the aliens? Of course the answers are not as clear cut as one would think. There is action and intrigue. Who will win, the humans, aliens, maybe no one...
The book is a quick read. At just under 200 pages I was able to buzz through it in a day. The whole series can be read in a long weekend if you read quickly. It will hold your attention.
I read 70+ books a year and have been for the last several years. I tend to only review the books I really like, that I would recommend to others.
March 23, 2024
I liked it.
September 4, 2018
I am a new Rachel Aukes groupie. Two weeks ago on a business trip, I binge read her 3 Fringe Series books. I enjoyed them so much I had a difficult time waiting for the start of the Colliding Worlds Trilogy. Rachel’s writing is exciting, easy to follow, addictive and well edited. Heroes are flawed, bad guys are sometimes difficult to determine – suspense and plot twists, and there is enough humor to make it all fun. It also is not predictable, which I really appreciate because I read a lot…
In this book, The war between the alien races has morphed into a war against humanity, but are the humans at fault or are the aliens? Of course the answers are not as clear cut as one would think. There is action and intrigue. Who will win, the humans, aliens, maybe no one...
The book is a quick read. At just under 200 pages I was able to buzz through it in a day. The whole series can be read in a long weekend if you read quickly. It will hold your attention.
In this book, The war between the alien races has morphed into a war against humanity, but are the humans at fault or are the aliens? Of course the answers are not as clear cut as one would think. There is action and intrigue. Who will win, the humans, aliens, maybe no one...
The book is a quick read. At just under 200 pages I was able to buzz through it in a day. The whole series can be read in a long weekend if you read quickly. It will hold your attention.
September 4, 2018
A satisfying conclusion.
This final book tied everything together. A lot of action and vying for power consumed the majority of the story. There were tears I shed in grief though. I was dreading what would come next with all the violence. It a WW3 on steroids extravaganza. I’m thinking there may be comparisons to what’s happening politically today but I didn’t come away with that scenario at all. If I’d have even caught a whiff of that at all I’d bail and save the read for another day in another decade. This book stood on its own merit of just plain good story telling which is why I must give it 5 stars.
This final book tied everything together. A lot of action and vying for power consumed the majority of the story. There were tears I shed in grief though. I was dreading what would come next with all the violence. It a WW3 on steroids extravaganza. I’m thinking there may be comparisons to what’s happening politically today but I didn’t come away with that scenario at all. If I’d have even caught a whiff of that at all I’d bail and save the read for another day in another decade. This book stood on its own merit of just plain good story telling which is why I must give it 5 stars.
August 29, 2018
Very good best story I've read so far this year.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews