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Reliance Sinclair #2
On Impact
They turned me into a weapon. Now I’m the only one who can stop them.
When an assassin kills a Ritruvian official using an illegal bionic weapon, the galaxy teeters on the edge of war. My team must locate the remaining weapons and shut down Tazza Industries, the company that developed them.
I have history with Tazza. Six months ago, they used me as a test subject, implanting a cutting-edge chip into my brain designed for espionage and covert operations. Instead of killing me, it gave me a deadly advantage—and a purpose.
To take them down and avoid an interplanetary war, I’ll need to confront my darkest fears—and trust the lethal skills I never wanted.
When an assassin kills a Ritruvian official using an illegal bionic weapon, the galaxy teeters on the edge of war. My team must locate the remaining weapons and shut down Tazza Industries, the company that developed them.
I have history with Tazza. Six months ago, they used me as a test subject, implanting a cutting-edge chip into my brain designed for espionage and covert operations. Instead of killing me, it gave me a deadly advantage—and a purpose.
To take them down and avoid an interplanetary war, I’ll need to confront my darkest fears—and trust the lethal skills I never wanted.
245 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2025
6 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Heather Texle
4 books27 followersHEATHER TEXLE is the award-winning author of the Reliance Sinclair science fiction series who finds inspiration in quirky, weird, and I-can’t-believe-that’s-true things. With a lifelong passion for learning, Heather is fascinated with the creativity and ingenuity of the human spirit. She also adores a good conspiracy theory.
After graduating college, Heather moved to Minnesota where she attained her law degree and continues to live with her husband and two cats, Mew and Spots. Despite once being stranded in the Gulf of Mexico on a burning cruise ship, she loves to travel and can often be heard muttering “I miss Scotland” on cool, rainy days. Her debut novel, On Impulse, won the 2023 Minnesota Author Project contest for Adult Fiction.
For more information about Heather and her work, follow her online on FaceBook, Goodreads, and BookBub. You can also sign up for her newsletter and receive a free Reliance Sinclair story at www.heathertexle.com.
After graduating college, Heather moved to Minnesota where she attained her law degree and continues to live with her husband and two cats, Mew and Spots. Despite once being stranded in the Gulf of Mexico on a burning cruise ship, she loves to travel and can often be heard muttering “I miss Scotland” on cool, rainy days. Her debut novel, On Impulse, won the 2023 Minnesota Author Project contest for Adult Fiction.
For more information about Heather and her work, follow her online on FaceBook, Goodreads, and BookBub. You can also sign up for her newsletter and receive a free Reliance Sinclair story at www.heathertexle.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 3, 2025
I enjoyed the first book in this series and was happy to come back to the team and the premise that had been set up there. I wanted to know what our heroes Reliance, Walnut, Felix and the rest (okay, Wright is fine too) had been up to, what was next for them in their struggle against the techno-corporate war machine, and maybe settle some old scores along the way.
Iko is a real cunt and if he doesn’t get his just desserts at the end I’m giving this book three stars ... I know he was a plot device but he was a very irritating plot device, and I wanted him to face creative mob-honour justice for his crime of being a useless piece of shit.
- Edpool, during the previous book
I definitely did go in this time thinking I'd give the book three stars if Iko wasn't kicked really hard in the balls, and this had become something of a running joke and I am a sucker for a well-drawn-out running joke. But anyway. That was my stance and I'm sticking to it.
In the previous installment of the series, Reliance Sinclair went up against a mad scientist and the sinister forces behind the mad scientist and ended up with a chip inserted in her, and a cute fuzzy hamster as a companion (which is better than getting a chip as a companion and ... well). She also teamed up with Wright and the unit that were tracking her for the crime she didn't commit, and - well I'll try not to spoil this story or the previous one, but the Big Bad kind of got away with it (because sometimes blowing the lid off things just gets you scalded) and the mad scientist had a mad acolyte who wound up in a sci-fi bughouse. Cue the main driving points of this story, specifically:
- Mad acolyte returns!
- Brain chip causing health problems!
- Forbidden weapons escalation!
- Quid pro quo, Clarice, I mean Reliance!
This story at once continues the setup of the first book, raises the stakes, and puts our protagonists into a new case together. There's some friction, not only with Reliance and the fallout from her adventures in the previous story, but with the little complication of her brain chip causing neurological problems that hamper her ability to do her job, and ultimately drive her to make some pretty dangerous choices.
Were they they right choices? I'll let you be the judge of that. But as is so often the case, with haunted pasts and dangerous choices come secrets, and it is the secrets - particularly between Reliance and Wright - that cause the real issues.
This is all handled nicely against a backdrop of an action/intrigue story that clips along nice and fast and has plenty of exciting little action pieces and some great character interactions. The team has to find some gnarly augmented bad guys[1], prevent a war from breaking out that will kill millions and make a ton of money for the corporate military industrial complex, and live to fight another day. Preferably while making sure Walnut has plenty of carrots and Felix doesn't have to sic the cleaning robots on anyone for their own good.
I really enjoyed the story - none of it got in the way of itself, which is impressive when you're spinning a set of trope-plates including a Stakes Could Not Be Higher, a Haunted Past, a couple of Keeping Secrets For Noble Reasons Kind Of, and a Chain 'O Command Romance for good measure. I made most of those up but you know what I mean. Any one of these plot points had the potential to derail the whole story and make it drag, but they didn't. They all worked together nicely. Which is more than I can say for Reliance and her pals, a lot of the time. But you know. They'll get it. Maybe she can attach her blaster to her wrist with a loop of wool like a kid with mittens. That'll solve, like, 90% of her problems right there!
There were a few other little things I noticed in the first book, such as the moderate but slightly heavy-handed ageism and the focus on wardrobe and appearance changes, that were toned right down in this part. It wasn't like they needed to be fixed - indeed, I appreciated these things as statements in the first book - but they did not need to be repeated and their dialling-back left room for other themes and storytelling tricks to be fleshed out more. Reliance's dilemma concerning the chip, of course, first and foremost - and most likely further facets of that will be explored as we continue.
And I for one can't wait!
Sex-o-meter
So what do we have on the ol' sex-o-meter? Well, Reliance female gazes the shit out of Wright, so there's that. For the most part they keep it in their pants and focus on the mission, though. I noted in the previous book that Reliance and Wright had a real will-they-won’t-they thing going on that would probably continue, and I was ... Wright about that. Now the sex-o-meter is just mad about that pun, and is giving On Impact a single raised middle finger out of a bionically-enhanced seven-armed person giving the finger seven times. I think it secretly liked the pun.
Gore-o-meter
As in the last book, we have a bit of cyber-gore and body-modification, and a few killings, but all in all it's not a particularly gory one. Two flesh-gobbets out of a possible five once again for this installment.
WTF-o-meter
On Impact is another very solid conspiracy / adventure / manhunt procedural with some intrigue and a couple of puzzles, but not much deep crazy WTF. The only truly un-answerable question in the book was whether you’d rather have a robot cat AI avatar, or a chip-enhanced super guinea pig as a pet. And that remains an open question, because both Felix and ol' potato butt had some wonderful moments in this story. I am also uncertain what the "impact" was that the title refers to in its ongoing theme, but I don't know if I'd call it "WTF". The WTF-o-meter gives this a Nyif Nyif out of a possible Boo.
My Final Verdict
This was another great adventure in the Reliance Sinclair series. Lots of fun and easy to read, with a good clear plot and plenty of action and enjoyable characters and dialogue to keep it rolling along. I cared about what happened to all of them. Especially Iko. Four stars! Read into that what you will.
--
[1] I'm defaulting to the problematically gendered but theoretically gender-neutral "bad guys" here because "baddies" has also shifted in meaning and is also now weirdly gendered and I don't want to give you the wrong idea, we're talking about villains of various genders here and one of them has even bigger pecs than Wright although they're really more off-putting than comforting and I would hesitate to acknowledge that this makes him what I'd call a baddie, but I digress. Disgracefully.
Iko is a real cunt and if he doesn’t get his just desserts at the end I’m giving this book three stars ... I know he was a plot device but he was a very irritating plot device, and I wanted him to face creative mob-honour justice for his crime of being a useless piece of shit.
- Edpool, during the previous book
I definitely did go in this time thinking I'd give the book three stars if Iko wasn't kicked really hard in the balls, and this had become something of a running joke and I am a sucker for a well-drawn-out running joke. But anyway. That was my stance and I'm sticking to it.
In the previous installment of the series, Reliance Sinclair went up against a mad scientist and the sinister forces behind the mad scientist and ended up with a chip inserted in her, and a cute fuzzy hamster as a companion (which is better than getting a chip as a companion and ... well). She also teamed up with Wright and the unit that were tracking her for the crime she didn't commit, and - well I'll try not to spoil this story or the previous one, but the Big Bad kind of got away with it (because sometimes blowing the lid off things just gets you scalded) and the mad scientist had a mad acolyte who wound up in a sci-fi bughouse. Cue the main driving points of this story, specifically:
- Mad acolyte returns!
- Brain chip causing health problems!
- Forbidden weapons escalation!
- Quid pro quo, Clarice, I mean Reliance!
This story at once continues the setup of the first book, raises the stakes, and puts our protagonists into a new case together. There's some friction, not only with Reliance and the fallout from her adventures in the previous story, but with the little complication of her brain chip causing neurological problems that hamper her ability to do her job, and ultimately drive her to make some pretty dangerous choices.
Were they they right choices? I'll let you be the judge of that. But as is so often the case, with haunted pasts and dangerous choices come secrets, and it is the secrets - particularly between Reliance and Wright - that cause the real issues.
This is all handled nicely against a backdrop of an action/intrigue story that clips along nice and fast and has plenty of exciting little action pieces and some great character interactions. The team has to find some gnarly augmented bad guys[1], prevent a war from breaking out that will kill millions and make a ton of money for the corporate military industrial complex, and live to fight another day. Preferably while making sure Walnut has plenty of carrots and Felix doesn't have to sic the cleaning robots on anyone for their own good.
I really enjoyed the story - none of it got in the way of itself, which is impressive when you're spinning a set of trope-plates including a Stakes Could Not Be Higher, a Haunted Past, a couple of Keeping Secrets For Noble Reasons Kind Of, and a Chain 'O Command Romance for good measure. I made most of those up but you know what I mean. Any one of these plot points had the potential to derail the whole story and make it drag, but they didn't. They all worked together nicely. Which is more than I can say for Reliance and her pals, a lot of the time. But you know. They'll get it. Maybe she can attach her blaster to her wrist with a loop of wool like a kid with mittens. That'll solve, like, 90% of her problems right there!
There were a few other little things I noticed in the first book, such as the moderate but slightly heavy-handed ageism and the focus on wardrobe and appearance changes, that were toned right down in this part. It wasn't like they needed to be fixed - indeed, I appreciated these things as statements in the first book - but they did not need to be repeated and their dialling-back left room for other themes and storytelling tricks to be fleshed out more. Reliance's dilemma concerning the chip, of course, first and foremost - and most likely further facets of that will be explored as we continue.
And I for one can't wait!
Sex-o-meter
So what do we have on the ol' sex-o-meter? Well, Reliance female gazes the shit out of Wright, so there's that. For the most part they keep it in their pants and focus on the mission, though. I noted in the previous book that Reliance and Wright had a real will-they-won’t-they thing going on that would probably continue, and I was ... Wright about that. Now the sex-o-meter is just mad about that pun, and is giving On Impact a single raised middle finger out of a bionically-enhanced seven-armed person giving the finger seven times. I think it secretly liked the pun.
Gore-o-meter
As in the last book, we have a bit of cyber-gore and body-modification, and a few killings, but all in all it's not a particularly gory one. Two flesh-gobbets out of a possible five once again for this installment.
WTF-o-meter
On Impact is another very solid conspiracy / adventure / manhunt procedural with some intrigue and a couple of puzzles, but not much deep crazy WTF. The only truly un-answerable question in the book was whether you’d rather have a robot cat AI avatar, or a chip-enhanced super guinea pig as a pet. And that remains an open question, because both Felix and ol' potato butt had some wonderful moments in this story. I am also uncertain what the "impact" was that the title refers to in its ongoing theme, but I don't know if I'd call it "WTF". The WTF-o-meter gives this a Nyif Nyif out of a possible Boo.
My Final Verdict
This was another great adventure in the Reliance Sinclair series. Lots of fun and easy to read, with a good clear plot and plenty of action and enjoyable characters and dialogue to keep it rolling along. I cared about what happened to all of them. Especially Iko. Four stars! Read into that what you will.
--
[1] I'm defaulting to the problematically gendered but theoretically gender-neutral "bad guys" here because "baddies" has also shifted in meaning and is also now weirdly gendered and I don't want to give you the wrong idea, we're talking about villains of various genders here and one of them has even bigger pecs than Wright although they're really more off-putting than comforting and I would hesitate to acknowledge that this makes him what I'd call a baddie, but I digress. Disgracefully.
July 17, 2025
Crystal recommends On Impact by Heather Texle
On Impact is the second book in the Reliance Sinclair series and the books should be read in order for the full experience.
What I Expected…
Book 1, On Impulse, was a favorite read despite sci-fi being far from a go-to genre for me. I was satisfied at the end of book 1 and intrigued by what Reliance’s future would hold with her newfound team and the chip still implanted in her brain.
What I Loved…
Reliance’s Team
Reliance spends much of book 1 in isolation, forced to take on an investigation alone while running from DECA. She lost her best friend and has a strained relationship with her former DECA team members due to circumstances outside of her control. Her new team holds promise for her and she has tentative friendships blossoming. She desperately wants to see this team succeed. The chip that was implanted in her head wreaks havoc for Reliance in this book and while there are times I want to shake her for her choices, it is beyond clear that her love of being the member of a team and the value she places on the team members is the driving force behind a lot of her decisions.
Grayson Wright
Speaking of Reliance’s team, there is one team member whose forearms I cannot get out of my mind! This man, with his loyalty and commitment to the job and the safety of his team members, just does it for me without even trying. I love that circumstances provide him and Reliance with some time apart from the rest of the team - they work well as a team and are forced to face their growing feelings for each other.
Felix and Walnut
My only complaint for book 1 was that there was not enough Felix. While I’ll always accept more Felix with open arms, this book gave me so much Felix. Felix was the comedic relief at times and his love for Reliance was evident in many entertaining ways throughout. Then there was Walnut who I did not realize I needed more of, but as the story evolved, his presence was anticipated and welcomed - that little rodent deserves so, so many carrots!
My Final Thoughts…
All the above-mentioned things that I loved existed within a fantastic storyline, one that sees Reliance and her team pursuing a case with ties to the case from book 1. The case that evolves in this book’s storyline continues to snowball in surprising ways and there is never a dull moment. We visit new planets, experience a run-in with pirates, and see the wonder and possible devastating effects of bionic weapons. This series continues to pull me in and I cannot wait to see what the next installment will bring.
My Favorite Quote
“I could throw him out the airlock” - Felix
On Impact is the second book in the Reliance Sinclair series and the books should be read in order for the full experience.
What I Expected…
Book 1, On Impulse, was a favorite read despite sci-fi being far from a go-to genre for me. I was satisfied at the end of book 1 and intrigued by what Reliance’s future would hold with her newfound team and the chip still implanted in her brain.
What I Loved…
Reliance’s Team
Reliance spends much of book 1 in isolation, forced to take on an investigation alone while running from DECA. She lost her best friend and has a strained relationship with her former DECA team members due to circumstances outside of her control. Her new team holds promise for her and she has tentative friendships blossoming. She desperately wants to see this team succeed. The chip that was implanted in her head wreaks havoc for Reliance in this book and while there are times I want to shake her for her choices, it is beyond clear that her love of being the member of a team and the value she places on the team members is the driving force behind a lot of her decisions.
Grayson Wright
Speaking of Reliance’s team, there is one team member whose forearms I cannot get out of my mind! This man, with his loyalty and commitment to the job and the safety of his team members, just does it for me without even trying. I love that circumstances provide him and Reliance with some time apart from the rest of the team - they work well as a team and are forced to face their growing feelings for each other.
Felix and Walnut
My only complaint for book 1 was that there was not enough Felix. While I’ll always accept more Felix with open arms, this book gave me so much Felix. Felix was the comedic relief at times and his love for Reliance was evident in many entertaining ways throughout. Then there was Walnut who I did not realize I needed more of, but as the story evolved, his presence was anticipated and welcomed - that little rodent deserves so, so many carrots!
My Final Thoughts…
All the above-mentioned things that I loved existed within a fantastic storyline, one that sees Reliance and her team pursuing a case with ties to the case from book 1. The case that evolves in this book’s storyline continues to snowball in surprising ways and there is never a dull moment. We visit new planets, experience a run-in with pirates, and see the wonder and possible devastating effects of bionic weapons. This series continues to pull me in and I cannot wait to see what the next installment will bring.
My Favorite Quote
“I could throw him out the airlock” - Felix
June 12, 2025
It's no secret Texle's On Impulse was one of my favourite reads of 2023, but it's much anticipated follow-up On Impact loses some of that steam.
While this book seemed devoted to developing the relationships between our main cohort, the actual narrative with which they're set against feels stagnant - and when contrasted with the fast-paced plot of its predecessor, a fair few chapters can feel achingly slow.
This isn't necessarily a fault of writing or structure. Much of the suspense in the first novel is due to a murder-mystery, which was effectively solved by the end and thus has no bearing on this instalment. However, not much progress is made with the underlying conspiracy that was set-up either, and that is (at least to me) the driving force of the series.
On Impact feels like it's more interested in delving into character dynamics and playing to the will-they-won't-they of our heroine and her love interest (something, I must say, I did enjoy), but in doing so seems to forget to develop the overall series arc.
Did I still enjoy this? Yes.
Will I read the next one? Also yes.
While this book seemed devoted to developing the relationships between our main cohort, the actual narrative with which they're set against feels stagnant - and when contrasted with the fast-paced plot of its predecessor, a fair few chapters can feel achingly slow.
This isn't necessarily a fault of writing or structure. Much of the suspense in the first novel is due to a murder-mystery, which was effectively solved by the end and thus has no bearing on this instalment. However, not much progress is made with the underlying conspiracy that was set-up either, and that is (at least to me) the driving force of the series.
On Impact feels like it's more interested in delving into character dynamics and playing to the will-they-won't-they of our heroine and her love interest (something, I must say, I did enjoy), but in doing so seems to forget to develop the overall series arc.
Did I still enjoy this? Yes.
Will I read the next one? Also yes.
June 20, 2025
Another riveting, action-packed story, with our main character, Reliance Sinclair, now working as a DECA officer with Grayson Wright’s team. They are tasked with locating an assassin that used a bionic weapon to kill a Ritruvian official and they must also find the remaining weapons and shut down Tarza Industries. This is a tall order, especially since the owner of Tarza Industries is very wealthy and has a lot of influence. Tarza Industries is the same company that used Reliance as a test subject and implanted a chip into her brain that is giving her a great advantage, but is also causing some pretty debilitating side-effects. Of course she still has her cute guinea pig, Walnut and Felix, the very judgmental cat and ship’s AI. They also play a role in this story and I love seeing their contributions. The team is working well together, but Reliance is afraid to let them know about the issues she’s having, fearing she'll be side-lined or removed from the team. If only Reliance could learn to trust her team, they might surprise her. I’m very much looking forward to the next story in this series, I can’t wait to see what happens next.
June 23, 2025
I had the privilege of receiving an ARC (advanced reader copy) of this novel.
Reliance Sinclair has not had it easy. From a cop to a fugitive to a cop again, she's watched her life shift dramatically.
When the situation with Tazza Industries goes from bad to worse, Reliance and her team find themselves struggling to find and identify an assassin, locate missing bionic weapons, all while she struggles with her advanced brain implant and its increasingly troublesome side effects.
Oh, and there might or might not be some serious sexual tension between Reliance and her lead investigator.
If you like a blend of sci-fi, police procedural, and interesting characters, definitely read On Impact!
Reliance Sinclair has not had it easy. From a cop to a fugitive to a cop again, she's watched her life shift dramatically.
When the situation with Tazza Industries goes from bad to worse, Reliance and her team find themselves struggling to find and identify an assassin, locate missing bionic weapons, all while she struggles with her advanced brain implant and its increasingly troublesome side effects.
Oh, and there might or might not be some serious sexual tension between Reliance and her lead investigator.
If you like a blend of sci-fi, police procedural, and interesting characters, definitely read On Impact!
July 5, 2025
Highly addictive!
“The guinea pig wasn’t part of the plan.” - This was just one of the lines that made me laugh out loud. :)
Seriously, I enjoyed the heck out of this sequel. It had all the elements that made me fall in love with the series in book 1, just dialled up to 11:
More action, more snafus, more will-they-won’t they (looking at you, Grayson Wright…), Ravi and DeAjamae rocking it (literally), an ever-escalating Intell situation, and of course more Felix shenanigans and more Walnut! (Underestimate ole potato butt at your own risk…)
More, please? Pretty please, with carrots on top?
“The guinea pig wasn’t part of the plan.” - This was just one of the lines that made me laugh out loud. :)
Seriously, I enjoyed the heck out of this sequel. It had all the elements that made me fall in love with the series in book 1, just dialled up to 11:
More action, more snafus, more will-they-won’t they (looking at you, Grayson Wright…), Ravi and DeAjamae rocking it (literally), an ever-escalating Intell situation, and of course more Felix shenanigans and more Walnut! (Underestimate ole potato butt at your own risk…)
More, please? Pretty please, with carrots on top?
November 10, 2025
Brilliant! This is everything a sequel should be. I love the humour and the slow-burn romance. The writing flows beautifully, making the book a very smooth and enjoyable read. Walnut is still my favourite character, and I love the role he continues to play. The plot is very well put together, but not yet completely resolved. I'm hoping for a Book 3 soon :)
July 28, 2025
Another great book.
Dragged a bit in the middle with Reliance suffering with health issues.
Came back with a strong ending.
Can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Dragged a bit in the middle with Reliance suffering with health issues.
Came back with a strong ending.
Can’t wait for the next book in the series.
August 18, 2025
This was a fun book, but the world needs more Reliance Sinclair. The characters are real and memorable, and the plot socks you in.
November 2, 2025
Een goed vervolg op on instinct.
Reliance heeft het naar haar zin bij deca, maar haar implant baart haar zorgen.
Als ze met haar team op zoek gaat naar een moordenaar komt ze er achter dat haar gezondheid achteruit gaat.
Samen met haar team, haar kat en haar cavia gaat ze de strijd aan, maar gaat het haar lukken om er heelhuids uit te komen?
Deze keer krijgen ook de verschillende relaties hun kans om in de schijnwerpers te staan.
De interacties met haar avatar en de cavia zijn een genot om te lezen. Handig dat ze allemaal een implant hebben.
Goede space opera serie.
Reliance heeft het naar haar zin bij deca, maar haar implant baart haar zorgen.
Als ze met haar team op zoek gaat naar een moordenaar komt ze er achter dat haar gezondheid achteruit gaat.
Samen met haar team, haar kat en haar cavia gaat ze de strijd aan, maar gaat het haar lukken om er heelhuids uit te komen?
Deze keer krijgen ook de verschillende relaties hun kans om in de schijnwerpers te staan.
De interacties met haar avatar en de cavia zijn een genot om te lezen. Handig dat ze allemaal een implant hebben.
Goede space opera serie.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews