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Morgan #1
Saving Morgan
Morgan Rahn is devastated when her co-worker is killed in a freak Moon Base accident—that he was wearing her gear at the time doesn’t seem important. His replacement, Shaine Wendt, proves competent, and, over time, distractingly attractive.
Shaine has tried to walk away from her former life in Earth Guard. The simple life of a mechanic and possibilities with the passionate Morgan are all she wants. But Shaine’s old security boss presses her into service as undercover security for Morgan. No one, including Morgan, is to know of Shaine’s dual role.
When Morgan is attacked directly, it’s clear that even far from Earth’s intrigues there are lies and secrets someone will kill for. Shaine is committed to protecting Morgan from all harm. But how can Morgan trust her when Shaine is part of yet another lie?
Shaine has tried to walk away from her former life in Earth Guard. The simple life of a mechanic and possibilities with the passionate Morgan are all she wants. But Shaine’s old security boss presses her into service as undercover security for Morgan. No one, including Morgan, is to know of Shaine’s dual role.
When Morgan is attacked directly, it’s clear that even far from Earth’s intrigues there are lies and secrets someone will kill for. Shaine is committed to protecting Morgan from all harm. But how can Morgan trust her when Shaine is part of yet another lie?
288 pages, Paperback
First published October 14, 2013
3 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
M.B. Panichi
5 books15 followersA hard-rock girl at heart, MB Panichi is a software developer by day and a drummer and storyteller by night. An obsessive science-fiction fan, she loves placing human stories in worlds that don’t exist, but she would really love it if they did. Saving Morgan is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 8, 2017
Saving Morgan was even better than I hoped. I've found f/f sci-fi to be real hit or miss and this was a hit. This is Panichi's first published book, and I am impressed how well she used "show not tell". I felt immersed in the story and I think that is important in books of Fantasy and Sci-Fi genre. There is important world building and big action scenes, that as a reader, we need to envision. And Panichi does a great job in making that happen.
The two main characters were likeable and their romance was a sweet, new blossoming, relationship. While, one main character was a bad-ass assassin, I liked that the other main wasn't helpless. She was a mini bad-ass that was able to take care of herself. That was a nice change from a lot of other books.
I will definitely be reading the sequel, and would recommend this to sci-fi fans, but I think even non sci-fi fans would enjoy this.
The two main characters were likeable and their romance was a sweet, new blossoming, relationship. While, one main character was a bad-ass assassin, I liked that the other main wasn't helpless. She was a mini bad-ass that was able to take care of herself. That was a nice change from a lot of other books.
I will definitely be reading the sequel, and would recommend this to sci-fi fans, but I think even non sci-fi fans would enjoy this.
March 12, 2019
This wasn't a bad book, a bit on the short side so it felt rushed, but not bad. A nice read for a doctor's waiting room. The characters could be flushed out more, I felt nothing when .
I want more on Ellerand and Charri (something tells me those two meeting would be hilarious), why is Rogan such a (insert insulting title here)? This book has a lot of 'if I can't have her no one can' jealousy as well. If you don't read the above spoiler there is an Anti-Gravity Mosh Pit, and it is described well enough for me to want to try it.
Anyway Shaine's Spec. Ops. sniper lady, turned space mechanic. Most of the information about her we get from her making he feel more fleshed out than Morgan. She's got a prosthetic leg which bothers her for a brief second with Morgan, more because she thinks it might bother Morgan. Medical discharge is the reason she left, later she tells Morgan that she wasn't 100% comfortable with what she was doing and the only reason she wasn't dead was because Rogan thought she might come in handy. Shaine's very introspective and really hasn't taken off her Spec. Ops beanie just yet, analyzing situations and acting like she would on a mission. She calculating, a bit awkward, loving and tad dramatic. But we still actually now less about her than we do Morgan.
Most of what we know about Morgan comes from other people. Either through observation or someone else directly telling us; we don't really get to see her in action until the end of the book. She's sarcastic, isn't afraid to throw a punch and is a great mechanic. She also handles her situation better than I would, I'd be angrier and more vomity than she is. I also might have punched Rogan in his smug face. To be fair to Morgan she spends most of the book in shock, she hasn't really had time to process anything, Shaine seems more flushed out and put together because she's been trained and Morgan is a civilian, whose training consists of 'oh no i've been unclipped from the hull what do I do?'
All in all I liked the book, but it could definitely be longer. Don't get me wrong I love authors that don't spend pages describing one tree; I'm looking at you Tolkien, but this was too short. Flush out the characters and give me a bit more background, oh and more stuff about Moon Base not just bars. Have Shaine watch Morgan at Grav-Ball or something.
@Alice You say Morgan is a hard-drinker, I must politely disagree with you. If Morgan is a hard-drinker then so is everyone else in the book, Charri and Ben both of whom are friends with her drink whenever she does, Shaine drinks more and harder things (you don't do shots of beer as far as I'm aware) than a couple of beers at celebrations. The problem is there are a lot of bar scenes and the first date is beer and burgers which, at least on Earth, are a cheap(ish) date. The opening scene has Morgan celebrating winning a Grav-Ball match and Shaine's first day on the moon so naturally a bar by the name of Rose's Roost is the place to go. Then it's work and death until the celebration of life for Digger at a Rave Bar. Then the beer and Burger's date after a day of work at Afterburner (because why would real adults order soda)which sounds like a sports bar.
All hell breaks loose for a few chapters, and the next time our people are drinking is after some life changing information and more attempts on Morgan's life. Once again beer and burgers are on the menu, but again it isn't much more than one or two. Because this story is so short and a lot is happening in a short amount of time we don't get the full picture for any characters drinking habits. I don't think there is enough proof (alcohol pun sorry) of Morgan supposedly being a hard drinker. Alcohol in stories has been used to provide excuses and move plots along for such a long time that it's become a bit of a literacy law in adult fiction, oh your character is having a bad day here's a beer, celebration have a glass of wine, gritty detective tumbler of whiskey. I'm not sure if its art imitating life or the other way around I'll be honest. Personally if I'm stressed I go for a quart of Chunky Monkey ice cream.
I want more on Ellerand and Charri (something tells me those two meeting would be hilarious), why is Rogan such a (insert insulting title here)? This book has a lot of 'if I can't have her no one can' jealousy as well. If you don't read the above spoiler there is an Anti-Gravity Mosh Pit, and it is described well enough for me to want to try it.
Anyway Shaine's Spec. Ops. sniper lady, turned space mechanic. Most of the information about her we get from her making he feel more fleshed out than Morgan. She's got a prosthetic leg which bothers her for a brief second with Morgan, more because she thinks it might bother Morgan. Medical discharge is the reason she left, later she tells Morgan that she wasn't 100% comfortable with what she was doing and the only reason she wasn't dead was because Rogan thought she might come in handy. Shaine's very introspective and really hasn't taken off her Spec. Ops beanie just yet, analyzing situations and acting like she would on a mission. She calculating, a bit awkward, loving and tad dramatic. But we still actually now less about her than we do Morgan.
Most of what we know about Morgan comes from other people. Either through observation or someone else directly telling us; we don't really get to see her in action until the end of the book. She's sarcastic, isn't afraid to throw a punch and is a great mechanic. She also handles her situation better than I would, I'd be angrier and more vomity than she is. I also might have punched Rogan in his smug face. To be fair to Morgan she spends most of the book in shock, she hasn't really had time to process anything, Shaine seems more flushed out and put together because she's been trained and Morgan is a civilian, whose training consists of 'oh no i've been unclipped from the hull what do I do?'
All in all I liked the book, but it could definitely be longer. Don't get me wrong I love authors that don't spend pages describing one tree; I'm looking at you Tolkien, but this was too short. Flush out the characters and give me a bit more background, oh and more stuff about Moon Base not just bars. Have Shaine watch Morgan at Grav-Ball or something.
@Alice You say Morgan is a hard-drinker, I must politely disagree with you. If Morgan is a hard-drinker then so is everyone else in the book, Charri and Ben both of whom are friends with her drink whenever she does, Shaine drinks more and harder things (you don't do shots of beer as far as I'm aware) than a couple of beers at celebrations. The problem is there are a lot of bar scenes and the first date is beer and burgers which, at least on Earth, are a cheap(ish) date. The opening scene has Morgan celebrating winning a Grav-Ball match and Shaine's first day on the moon so naturally a bar by the name of Rose's Roost is the place to go. Then it's work and death until the celebration of life for Digger at a Rave Bar. Then the beer and Burger's date after a day of work at Afterburner (because why would real adults order soda)which sounds like a sports bar.
All hell breaks loose for a few chapters, and the next time our people are drinking is after some life changing information and more attempts on Morgan's life. Once again beer and burgers are on the menu, but again it isn't much more than one or two. Because this story is so short and a lot is happening in a short amount of time we don't get the full picture for any characters drinking habits. I don't think there is enough proof (alcohol pun sorry) of Morgan supposedly being a hard drinker. Alcohol in stories has been used to provide excuses and move plots along for such a long time that it's become a bit of a literacy law in adult fiction, oh your character is having a bad day here's a beer, celebration have a glass of wine, gritty detective tumbler of whiskey. I'm not sure if its art imitating life or the other way around I'll be honest. Personally if I'm stressed I go for a quart of Chunky Monkey ice cream.
July 11, 2018
I’m fairly certain my lesbian collection is 95% Bella Books. I don’t know what it takes to work with them, but at this point I’m ready for them to completely fill my bookshelves and maybe publish some of my own lesbian fiction. The only negative thing I have to say about them is that sometimes their authors are hit or miss… and Saving Morgan is, for me personally, a miss.
Morgan is a strong-willed, hard-drinking mechanic. She spends her days walking around spaceships and fixing problems; it’s an easy life on the moon. And then her best friend is killed in a freak suit malfunction and sexy Shaine appears before Morgan has enough time to mourn.
Sparks fly instantly. Shaine is tough and mysterious, and there’s something about her that Morgan can’t seem to shake. But her best friend just died. But Shaine is so hot. But Morgan is really scared. But Shaine is, like, amazing in every way.
And Shaine has a secret. Despite trying to escape the security business, she’s tasked to keep Morgan alive. Shaine doesn’t want the job but she can’t ignore the attraction she feels and she can’t live in a solar system where someone might kill Morgan, so she lets pleasure mingle with business until things get deadly. After a direct attempt on Morgan’s life, Shaine has orders to take Morgan to Earth.
They arrive at the headquarters of Morgan’s employer, Mann-Maru, and meet one of the most powerful men in the entire solar system, Tarm Maruchek. It takes all of two minutes after meeting him that Maruchek claims Morgan is related and that’s why mysterious powers want her dead. Suddenly Morgan’s quiet life isn’t so simple and she’s left questioning everything she knew--except Shaine’s sexiness. Shaine is so sexy. Did she mention that?
Saving Morgan has too much movement. The characters are constantly hopping from place to place and it takes a minute to really understand where they are and why. It keeps things moving but when the plot is already fast, suddenly it’s breakneck speed trying to keep details straight.
Another problem is that Morgan doesn’t react to her later problems the way you might think she would. In the beginning she’s a rough gal; she grabs life by the horns and kicks the snot out of it. By the middle of the book, she is Generic Character A. Only by the end does she remember she once had a personality.
Shaine never had a personality to begin with. She starts out boring, she ends boring. The only thing that defines Shaine is “Morgan’s love interest.” Okay, but who is she? Even at the end of the book, when Shaine sets out to kill Morgan’s would-be assassin and we spend the most time with her away from Morgan, she’s just Generic Character B. She’s described doing this and that but there’s no life to Shaine.
The writing is crisp and gets the job done, and the plot moves along at a breakneck pace, but it’s lacking . . . something. There wasn’t enough meat for me to really sink my teeth into. Saving Morgan is a quick weekend read, but don’t expect any depth.
Morgan is a strong-willed, hard-drinking mechanic. She spends her days walking around spaceships and fixing problems; it’s an easy life on the moon. And then her best friend is killed in a freak suit malfunction and sexy Shaine appears before Morgan has enough time to mourn.
Sparks fly instantly. Shaine is tough and mysterious, and there’s something about her that Morgan can’t seem to shake. But her best friend just died. But Shaine is so hot. But Morgan is really scared. But Shaine is, like, amazing in every way.
And Shaine has a secret. Despite trying to escape the security business, she’s tasked to keep Morgan alive. Shaine doesn’t want the job but she can’t ignore the attraction she feels and she can’t live in a solar system where someone might kill Morgan, so she lets pleasure mingle with business until things get deadly. After a direct attempt on Morgan’s life, Shaine has orders to take Morgan to Earth.
They arrive at the headquarters of Morgan’s employer, Mann-Maru, and meet one of the most powerful men in the entire solar system, Tarm Maruchek. It takes all of two minutes after meeting him that Maruchek claims Morgan is related and that’s why mysterious powers want her dead. Suddenly Morgan’s quiet life isn’t so simple and she’s left questioning everything she knew--except Shaine’s sexiness. Shaine is so sexy. Did she mention that?
Saving Morgan has too much movement. The characters are constantly hopping from place to place and it takes a minute to really understand where they are and why. It keeps things moving but when the plot is already fast, suddenly it’s breakneck speed trying to keep details straight.
Another problem is that Morgan doesn’t react to her later problems the way you might think she would. In the beginning she’s a rough gal; she grabs life by the horns and kicks the snot out of it. By the middle of the book, she is Generic Character A. Only by the end does she remember she once had a personality.
Shaine never had a personality to begin with. She starts out boring, she ends boring. The only thing that defines Shaine is “Morgan’s love interest.” Okay, but who is she? Even at the end of the book, when Shaine sets out to kill Morgan’s would-be assassin and we spend the most time with her away from Morgan, she’s just Generic Character B. She’s described doing this and that but there’s no life to Shaine.
The writing is crisp and gets the job done, and the plot moves along at a breakneck pace, but it’s lacking . . . something. There wasn’t enough meat for me to really sink my teeth into. Saving Morgan is a quick weekend read, but don’t expect any depth.
April 10, 2021
I recommend this book
Very good read. The two main characters are very likable and well written. I very enjoy a good sci-fi, lots of action and suspense. The romance is very sweet. The supporting characters are very important to the story. Thanks very good read kept me interested from page one to the very end.
Very good read. The two main characters are very likable and well written. I very enjoy a good sci-fi, lots of action and suspense. The romance is very sweet. The supporting characters are very important to the story. Thanks very good read kept me interested from page one to the very end.
July 14, 2023
Pulled into the story from the beginning. Page turner. Only real complaint is that it ended to soon for me.
December 31, 2015
Okay, so this is closer to 3.5, but I'm rounding down. I definitely wouldn't describe this book as terrible, but neither would I call it great. As a Goldie award winner, I was hoping it would be better than it actually was, so there's a bit of 'high expectation syndrome' here, too.
I'm going to start with the romance because, although I do love reading science fiction, I'm primarily a lesrom reader these days. The romance was...okay. The leads meet, are attracted to each other, and find themselves drawn toward one another while danger's on their heels. The relationship was built on a foundation of straw, not concrete, and that's fine; sometimes when you're on the run from mysterious assassins, you just need a body to hug. The problem is that the author didn't seem to realize the relationship was built on a foundation of straw, and she kept making the characters act as though it were made out titanium, which I always find frustrating.
In terms of the actual science fiction, it was...okay, too. It wasn't hard sci-fi, dedicated to believable scientific explanations for story elements. This was more of a pulp sci-fi novel, where you were just expected to roll with whatever came along. The story itself wasn't particularly groundbreaking or introspective, but it did what it needed to do for an action-adventure novel. There were no questions about the nature of humanity, there was no moment where anyone discovered the mystery of an alien microbe and stared into the face of God. It was pretty much two women -- one a bad-ass former soldier, and one an on-again-off-again damsel in distress -- running from bad guys with guns.
The characters were fine, for the most part. Shaine was better defined than Morgan, but she didn't seem to have a lot of emotional depth. She had some issues, but they were only hinted at rather than explored. She was the quintessential 'strong, silent type' with a little bit of emotion where it served the romance, but I didn't find anything about her especially memorable. Morgan started off strong, being introduced as a sporty brawler with a smart mouth, but she was quickly reduced to a love-struck princess in need of rescuing, which irritated me to no end. (Yes, I know the book is called 'Saving Morgan,' but still). Thankfully, she did get a moment to shine here and there, especially at the end, but she spent a lot of time as a quivering ball of love and fear, which didn't endear her to me at all. I wanted her to have a lot more agency than she was given.
The quality of writing, despite the above criticism, was actually pretty high. Adjectives and adverbs were present and accounted for, sentence structure varied enough to stay interesting, the language was accessible, there weren't any particular words or phrases that the author constantly reused, and the pacing was pretty quick. The editing and proofreading were also very good.
So, it's possible to really enjoy this book. It is, or can be, a fun, light read with lesbian laser battles. Go into it looking for what it is, and you'll probably get a big kick out of it. My problem is that I read Fletcher DeLancey's 'Chronicles of Alsea' series within the last couple of months, and I read Becky Chambers' The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet before that. I know what very good lesbian sci-fi looks like, and I know whatnear-perfect LGBTQI-inclusive sci-fi looks like. While I shouldn't, I can't help but compare this book to those, and it's hard to give this book a 4-star rating when 'The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet' was a 5. A 4 is simply too close.
3.5 Stars
Additional: I'm totally going to read the sequel, though. I mean, c'mon, it's laser-wielding lunar lesbians in love.
I'm going to start with the romance because, although I do love reading science fiction, I'm primarily a lesrom reader these days. The romance was...okay. The leads meet, are attracted to each other, and find themselves drawn toward one another while danger's on their heels. The relationship was built on a foundation of straw, not concrete, and that's fine; sometimes when you're on the run from mysterious assassins, you just need a body to hug. The problem is that the author didn't seem to realize the relationship was built on a foundation of straw, and she kept making the characters act as though it were made out titanium, which I always find frustrating.
In terms of the actual science fiction, it was...okay, too. It wasn't hard sci-fi, dedicated to believable scientific explanations for story elements. This was more of a pulp sci-fi novel, where you were just expected to roll with whatever came along. The story itself wasn't particularly groundbreaking or introspective, but it did what it needed to do for an action-adventure novel. There were no questions about the nature of humanity, there was no moment where anyone discovered the mystery of an alien microbe and stared into the face of God. It was pretty much two women -- one a bad-ass former soldier, and one an on-again-off-again damsel in distress -- running from bad guys with guns.
The characters were fine, for the most part. Shaine was better defined than Morgan, but she didn't seem to have a lot of emotional depth. She had some issues, but they were only hinted at rather than explored. She was the quintessential 'strong, silent type' with a little bit of emotion where it served the romance, but I didn't find anything about her especially memorable. Morgan started off strong, being introduced as a sporty brawler with a smart mouth, but she was quickly reduced to a love-struck princess in need of rescuing, which irritated me to no end. (Yes, I know the book is called 'Saving Morgan,' but still). Thankfully, she did get a moment to shine here and there, especially at the end, but she spent a lot of time as a quivering ball of love and fear, which didn't endear her to me at all. I wanted her to have a lot more agency than she was given.
The quality of writing, despite the above criticism, was actually pretty high. Adjectives and adverbs were present and accounted for, sentence structure varied enough to stay interesting, the language was accessible, there weren't any particular words or phrases that the author constantly reused, and the pacing was pretty quick. The editing and proofreading were also very good.
So, it's possible to really enjoy this book. It is, or can be, a fun, light read with lesbian laser battles. Go into it looking for what it is, and you'll probably get a big kick out of it. My problem is that I read Fletcher DeLancey's 'Chronicles of Alsea' series within the last couple of months, and I read Becky Chambers' The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet before that. I know what very good lesbian sci-fi looks like, and I know what
3.5 Stars
Additional: I'm totally going to read the sequel, though. I mean, c'mon, it's laser-wielding lunar lesbians in love.
July 2, 2014
Living on the moon is such a cool idea and just seems so plausible in our future. Having that as the setting for Saving Morgan added to the fun and adventure of the overall story without having to create a new world. I think MB Panichi did a wonderful job of bringing the two characters of Morgan Rahn and Shaine Wendt together with an excellent blend of mystery, action and romance. For individuals who are hesitant to bridge into the sci-fi world but enjoy a good adventure story, I highly recommend Saving Morgan.
July 30, 2014
I have to make a small comment to start with that the 3 stars is based on a relative scales of my likings to other books which I've read and in this genre. It's actually a good story, fast paced and loads of action. The romance part....I'm kind of feeling a bit lukewarm, maybe the whole instant attraction just doesn't work for me. Having said that, I can see there is a sequel coming out for this book. I think I'll still tentatively put it on my to read list.
February 13, 2015
I had this book on my shelf for a bit and kept passing it over, well I'm glad I finally took the time to read it. This was a nicely told story which I just couldn't put down. I have read other stories with more action and suspense than this one, but there was just something about the story line and the characters Shaine and Morgan that just would not release me. Loved it.
November 9, 2015
I really enjoyed MB Panichi's book, Saving Morgan. The characters were refreshing, and the story line was fun. If you enjoy reading lesbian fiction where being lesbian is no big deal, no special mention of it is necessary for the plot to progress, and most importantly, no victimization because of it - this book is for you.
I'm currently reading the sequel, and enjoying it just as much.
I'm currently reading the sequel, and enjoying it just as much.
June 28, 2014
Draws you in right from the beginning of the book and doesn't stop until you finish! A great read if you like Sci-Fi
May 30, 2016
Not bad as a sci fi novel -- the romance, even by romance standards, was way too fast which distracted from the cool sci fi.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews