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Venus Rising
Stranded in a wild paradise with an angry and demanding man she hates, Narisha is astonished when her embittered hopes for rescue turn into passionate longings for Tarik. Original.
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 27, 2021
3,5.
I thought the book was well written and plotted, spearing us the cheesiness and cringe that some "romanticas" can provide. However, considering this was meant to be exactly that, a ROMANCE novel, it fell a little short for me on this.
This was a "quick-burn"; two people (kind of enemies to lovers trope) alone on an abandoned planet. It started off really well; the setting, the characters crisp and likeable and their discovery of their feelings under the circumstances. Until...the second half of the book. Where it became a distopian/political/sci-fi with a few love scenes thrown here and there, for good merit.
Yes, I like sci-fi. Yes, a sci-fi romance most welcome! Even though the second half of the book was very plausible in terms of giving a good, solid backround to the story as well as adding a few other nice characters, it felt a little unnescessary and dull and boring... I felt, this was not what I was looking for in this book. I was looking for a little bit more of the "romantica" across the WHOLE book, not just the first half.
But still, an enjoyable read
I thought the book was well written and plotted, spearing us the cheesiness and cringe that some "romanticas" can provide. However, considering this was meant to be exactly that, a ROMANCE novel, it fell a little short for me on this.
This was a "quick-burn"; two people (kind of enemies to lovers trope) alone on an abandoned planet. It started off really well; the setting, the characters crisp and likeable and their discovery of their feelings under the circumstances. Until...the second half of the book. Where it became a distopian/political/sci-fi with a few love scenes thrown here and there, for good merit.
Yes, I like sci-fi. Yes, a sci-fi romance most welcome! Even though the second half of the book was very plausible in terms of giving a good, solid backround to the story as well as adding a few other nice characters, it felt a little unnescessary and dull and boring... I felt, this was not what I was looking for in this book. I was looking for a little bit more of the "romantica" across the WHOLE book, not just the first half.
But still, an enjoyable read
March 28, 2023
The heroine wakes up after her shuttle craft crashed landed on the Empty Zone of the Jurisdiction. She barely escaped the explosion that destroyed the war craft but she had time to gather up the injured commander and bring him with her- though she dislikes the man immensely. She finds herself in a desert, in the company of a man she doesn't care for who is injured and they both have little food and water.
The hero stubbornly binds his broken ribs and demands they abandon their craft and head out into the unknown in search of water. She, a firm stickler for the rules, voices her opinion against this break in regulation but he refuses to listen. She knew he wouldn't listen. He's always been critical of her and in doubt of her abilities, why should now be any different. Plus, she's beginning to worry he may have knocked his head around in the crash because he claims the large blue birds flying overhead are guiding him to water. It's treason to even think about telepathy as the Jurisdiction has banished any and everything with that power and the notion of breaking the rules makes her skin itchy. Still, what else is she to do? Eventually, much to her surprise, the birds do lead them to a forest area with a fresh water stream.
The hero once again breaks protocol by drinking the liquid before tests can be made to it's safety. But the heroine herself breaks rules by caring for him when he becomes violently ill from heat stroke. When he awakens, the man she knew is changed. Gone is the stern man who never smiles and in his place is a man easy with a grin and who shows an interest in life around them. The hero feels at home in this strange place. He doesn't have to hide his rebellious ideas to change the society of their culture much to the heroine's distress at hearing such words. He also doesn't have to hide the fact that he's loved her since the moment he saw her. But she is chaffing at the bit to return to society and the rules that chained her so completely. Even his loving can't stop her from sending out a distress signal. Only, the people that come to their aid are the enemy-much to the hero's anger. They manage to escape the planet with a rebel from the opposite side of the war and return to the hero's homeland. There, they realize that time spent on the free land with the birds who heal has made the corruption of the government unbearable. So, the hero- a high ranking military official with the heart of a rebel and the heroine-a woman who has broken free of the cage she put herself in, must unit with others to overthrow the current leadership for the good of the galaxy.
The first half of this book, I can say I enjoyed. The struggles of the crash landing, the injuries and the uncomfortable discussion of things both characters knew needed to be changed made for an interesting survivor sort of story. It's there that the they succumbed to the feelings and the attraction between them. Then, it fell apart for me. It turned from a decent book which I could have easily rated higher to a political novel that dedicated it’s time to the conversations and ideas of a rebellion rather than a romance. I didn't much like it after that. The book was not a success in my opinion and it could have been so much better given the subject matter it was given. It could have gone more towards Firefly rather than a second-rate B movie with luck luster writing and nothing to keep my attention. I am disappointed with this book because I recall previous books from this author in my library that I enjoyed if not yet rated. Nothing was missing from this book and whatever it was be it plotline, chemistry or charisma of the characters, it just wasn't for me.
The hero stubbornly binds his broken ribs and demands they abandon their craft and head out into the unknown in search of water. She, a firm stickler for the rules, voices her opinion against this break in regulation but he refuses to listen. She knew he wouldn't listen. He's always been critical of her and in doubt of her abilities, why should now be any different. Plus, she's beginning to worry he may have knocked his head around in the crash because he claims the large blue birds flying overhead are guiding him to water. It's treason to even think about telepathy as the Jurisdiction has banished any and everything with that power and the notion of breaking the rules makes her skin itchy. Still, what else is she to do? Eventually, much to her surprise, the birds do lead them to a forest area with a fresh water stream.
The hero once again breaks protocol by drinking the liquid before tests can be made to it's safety. But the heroine herself breaks rules by caring for him when he becomes violently ill from heat stroke. When he awakens, the man she knew is changed. Gone is the stern man who never smiles and in his place is a man easy with a grin and who shows an interest in life around them. The hero feels at home in this strange place. He doesn't have to hide his rebellious ideas to change the society of their culture much to the heroine's distress at hearing such words. He also doesn't have to hide the fact that he's loved her since the moment he saw her. But she is chaffing at the bit to return to society and the rules that chained her so completely. Even his loving can't stop her from sending out a distress signal. Only, the people that come to their aid are the enemy-much to the hero's anger. They manage to escape the planet with a rebel from the opposite side of the war and return to the hero's homeland. There, they realize that time spent on the free land with the birds who heal has made the corruption of the government unbearable. So, the hero- a high ranking military official with the heart of a rebel and the heroine-a woman who has broken free of the cage she put herself in, must unit with others to overthrow the current leadership for the good of the galaxy.
The first half of this book, I can say I enjoyed. The struggles of the crash landing, the injuries and the uncomfortable discussion of things both characters knew needed to be changed made for an interesting survivor sort of story. It's there that the they succumbed to the feelings and the attraction between them. Then, it fell apart for me. It turned from a decent book which I could have easily rated higher to a political novel that dedicated it’s time to the conversations and ideas of a rebellion rather than a romance. I didn't much like it after that. The book was not a success in my opinion and it could have been so much better given the subject matter it was given. It could have gone more towards Firefly rather than a second-rate B movie with luck luster writing and nothing to keep my attention. I am disappointed with this book because I recall previous books from this author in my library that I enjoyed if not yet rated. Nothing was missing from this book and whatever it was be it plotline, chemistry or charisma of the characters, it just wasn't for me.
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February 7, 2011A wonderful book full of romance and strange worlds. I couldn't put it down, I wanted to see him finally admit his true feelings. God I love the suspense that is created through these type of stories. You can't wait to see if the'll be ok or if they will fall in love. Then they get inprisoned and you think it might cause several problems, but they make it out ok. Just listen to me babble, guess that's what you get for being a preteen girl.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews