Gleeful Goblin Review: In a sea full of all kinds of spicy sci-fi reads, this series always stands out to me. I've loved each book and its characters so much it's impossible for me to truly have a favorite but this one certainly gave me a run for my money on that pick! I felt instantly in sync with our FMC Kamari because our intro to her is she's having (or trying at least) to have a getting to know you type conversation on a dating app and has just told the guy she's chatting with about her romance focused book store and why she loves the genre. All her reasons made total sense and I share them wholeheartedly. But having explained herself to this random his response is an utterly unwanted closeup of Natureguy33's *ahem* baby carrot: "I groan audibly as a picture, a wide-angled and slightly out-of-focus shot, of Natureguy33’s pení$, pops up on my screen. Despite its surely small size, it is a symbolic monolith of my utter disappointment. This must be my cue from the universe that it’s time to pack up and go home. I block natureguy33, without a response, and shove my phone to the bottom of my tote bag. “Romance is de@d,” I sigh to the husky black cat sitting next to my cash register. He tilts his head at me, letting out a grumbly little meow. “Well, all romance except you, Cassian.” My fingers give the chunky boy a chin scratch before collecting him under my arm. My bookstore, Pages of Love, has been working with the local shelter to bring in adoptable shop cats. Cassian is named after one of my favorite book himbos. He purrs as I sling the tote bag over my other arm." I loved Kamari's attitude in general and heartily approve of her feelings about the love from cats. Also, how awesome to have a bookstore and adoptable shelter cats setup?! The fact that said bookshop of my dreams is based in my hometown of Seattle didn't hurt either. Which makes it all the harder when Kamari is snatched out of her hard work paying off life and into the stars. But she's not one to be down and out for long which is how she finds herself a stowaway on Fer'oon's ship of space marauders on the hunt for adventure.
Our MMC and captain of the marauders is Fer'oon. He's a proud, stubborn, and secretly soft inside grump that you can't help but love. He's determined to make his own fate and doesn't believe in this fated true love business. He's got the gear and chem suppression to make sure no pesky emotions can shake him....until the temptation of Kamari breaks through that big wall he's got up that is. "I’m a marauder, I don’t want to need anyone—that’s not the life I’ve built for myself. But f’tee, if I look at Kamari, her face screwed up in indecision, and I can’t imagine any part of my future that doesn’t involve her."
It's impossible to resist falling in love with these two goofballs and this story will have you sighing and fanning yourself by turns the whole way through. 5/5 Stars