Obsidian: The Kalman Line Book 2

by R.S. Shepard

A system with three powerful governments can be a treacherous place in which to operate. Unlike in war, where the enemy is a known entity, in the deceptive calm of peace, the enemy can lurk in the most unexpected places. On their first mission as independent mercenaries, and working for a most unlikely client, the team navigates the murky political landscape where nothing is as it seems. With the system teetering on the brink of all-out war, Alex and the team must sort friend from foe, as they race to recover a terrifying weapon that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

366 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 15, 2024

Reviews

[Robert Mckillop · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent series

I would love that another story with Alex Hudson and her team was available as this was a thrill ride of learning of their past gelled the team together on the toughest of situations. A great storyline but short as only two books!

[James Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

The follow-up on the first book was great and entertaining. I read the book in just 2 days and it made me ready for the 3rd installment. Great job.

[Hannah LaDuke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed following this crew’s adventures at every turn! Funny, emotional, and action-packed! Looking forward to the next one :)

[Teri Lynn Mosier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fresh

The series has a fresh twist on mercenary space wars. My only complaint it that was LGBT book and is v Reese Reese y h Reese heterosexual chart. Having lesbian character whose sexuality is barely just is not enough for that classification.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the story, minor character annoyances

The books are good, the story is well crafted with good action and pacing. My only quibble is when men write women sometimes, they just don’t really understand some of our nuances, and probably some women don’t get men right either when they write them. For example, saying cute butt is kind of juvenile, especially for a grown woman who’s fought in wars.

Also, the way the women think about each other is all mildly to moderately homoerotic. Sure if you swing that way or both ways you may think about another woman’s appearance that way, but when we are simply appreciating another woman because she’s attractive, it doesn’t have the undertones these books give it. For a while there I thought Alex and Kylee were going to end up as a couple (no problem with that at all, I’m just saying unless that’s your goal, it’s confusing) because of the tone of their inner thoughts about each other.

Alex’s personality does not lend to her thinking about a guys the way she does, and unless you’re going the bisexual route with her, the inner thoughts of her and any other female who is supposed to be heterosexual could really use some tweaking.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall an enjoyable read. The lead character, Alex Hudson, is well developed over the course of the two books; other characters, not so much, but that’s not a defect. Book 2 builds on the first book but is definitely not a rehash of the story in Book 1. The mix of fairly intense action with interludes of interaction among the characters works well for plot development. What detracts from the read, however, are the _numerous_ typos and grammatical errors strewn throughout both books. I try to ignore those, without success. (And no, I am neither an English teacher nor a member of the grammar police.) A good, light read, recommended.