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Countdown
Lesbian Romance -- Andrea Finley is the flight director for NASA’s latest space flight—to the moon. The mission is the first with a woman in charge, and Andrea will stop at nothing to ensure this is a textbook perfect mission. Her personal life is virtually nonexistent, and she has devoted her entire life to this, the pinnacle of her career.
When the mission runs into serious trouble, Andrea has no choice but to call Kenner Hutchings, a brilliant twenty-something whiz kid from MIT with a reputation for living life fast and loose. Kenner is their last chance to save the lives of the seven astronauts entrusted into Andrea’s care.
Andrea doesn’t trust Kenner to get the job done, and Kenner takes it as a challenge to break the reserve of her new boss. Can two strong-willed, powerful women overcome their differences to save the lives of seven others and begin a life they never imagined together?
When the mission runs into serious trouble, Andrea has no choice but to call Kenner Hutchings, a brilliant twenty-something whiz kid from MIT with a reputation for living life fast and loose. Kenner is their last chance to save the lives of the seven astronauts entrusted into Andrea’s care.
Andrea doesn’t trust Kenner to get the job done, and Kenner takes it as a challenge to break the reserve of her new boss. Can two strong-willed, powerful women overcome their differences to save the lives of seven others and begin a life they never imagined together?
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2015
15 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Julie Cannon
26 books159 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Julie Cannon is a native sun goddess born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She is a corporate stiff by day and dreamer by night. She has nine romance novels and five short stories published by Bold Strokes Books. A recent transplant to Houston, Julie and her partner Laura live on the lake with their two kids, two dogs and a cat.
Julie Cannon is a native sun goddess born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She is a corporate stiff by day and dreamer by night. She has nine romance novels and five short stories published by Bold Strokes Books. A recent transplant to Houston, Julie and her partner Laura live on the lake with their two kids, two dogs and a cat.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 15, 2018
“Countdown” had sooo much potential, but so many things made no sense that I was disappointed.
The premise was terrific: 37yo MC Andrea is the first ever woman mission director for a flight to the moon. 26yo MC Kenner is the math whiz brought in to help solve a problem and save the lives of the astronauts trapped on the moon. They have chemistry, cute banter, hot sex…and yet the story was ridiculous.
Kenner was brought in by Andrea’s a-hole boss, and yet he holds her responsible for bringing in Kenner. While it’s never explained what the technical problem is, everyone at NASA seems completely useless as they wait for Kenner to save the day. How they got astronauts to the moon amazes me.
There seems to be no particular sense of urgency to save the astronauts, despite the countdown throughout the book. Everyone seems to leave at 5pm, visits with family, and just goes about their days bickering with each other.
Andrea is closeted, is focused completely on work and wants no part of a relationship. Kenner loves casual sex, but also has a no-relationship approach to life. So, naturally Kenner constantly pursues Andrea despite being pushed away and outright rejecting her.
I liked the narrator’s voice, but there was often a sing-song delivery that was alternately distracting and entertaining. Overall, a mildly entertaining story - 3* (meh)
The premise was terrific: 37yo MC Andrea is the first ever woman mission director for a flight to the moon. 26yo MC Kenner is the math whiz brought in to help solve a problem and save the lives of the astronauts trapped on the moon. They have chemistry, cute banter, hot sex…and yet the story was ridiculous.
Kenner was brought in by Andrea’s a-hole boss, and yet he holds her responsible for bringing in Kenner. While it’s never explained what the technical problem is, everyone at NASA seems completely useless as they wait for Kenner to save the day. How they got astronauts to the moon amazes me.
There seems to be no particular sense of urgency to save the astronauts, despite the countdown throughout the book. Everyone seems to leave at 5pm, visits with family, and just goes about their days bickering with each other.
Andrea is closeted, is focused completely on work and wants no part of a relationship. Kenner loves casual sex, but also has a no-relationship approach to life. So, naturally Kenner constantly pursues Andrea despite being pushed away and outright rejecting her.
I liked the narrator’s voice, but there was often a sing-song delivery that was alternately distracting and entertaining. Overall, a mildly entertaining story - 3* (meh)
October 20, 2015
This book provokes ambivalent reviews for good reason.
Andrea Finley is the tough, no-nonsense Flight Director of man's first modern mission to the moon. Her career has come first - before romance, before friendship... basically before every other interest. Andrea is consumed by a single goal: that nothing will go wrong on her watch. Kenner Hutchings is the brilliant consultant the government calls upon when things do go wrong on Andrea's watch. When the space jockeys find their engines failing on the Lunar surface, Kenner is rushed to Mission Control with barely enough time to pack.
The two ladies immediately ruffle the other's feathers; Andrea's controlling personality finds Kenner's carefree ways an offense to the seriousness of the situation, and a challenge to her authority. In turn, Kenner wishes to be left to fix the problem as she sees fit, and finds the constant attempts to shape her into "the right stuff" irritating in the extreme. Will their chemistry see them together? Will they get the crew back home safely from the moon?
This was a difficult book to like. In some ways the author should have produced an easy slam-dunk. The current fascination with space exploration and science has produced a flowering of cultural effort - things like "Gravity," "Intersteller" and "The Martian." This book (while much, much, MUCH humbler) should have found itself squarely in that vein, with lesbians. Instead it almost felt like the author missed the point.
The catastrophe of the engines failing to ignite was introduced with a fearful rush - within the first four pages or so - and was never explained in detail. In fact the whole crisis was barely mentioned. It was kind of just in the background, not really a present or vital part of the story. The bustle, confusion, and suppressed energy such a crisis would have on the agency and the wider public genuinely never really translated to the reader ( -although there were certain attempts made). It just felt like the romance elements of the story outweighed ("ate" might be more apt) the drama and action which should have moved the plot forward.
For anyone with even the slightest knowledge of rocketry, the description of landing a space shuttle on the moon will sincerely horrify.
Alright - so it with a certain amount of reluctance that I relinquish my hopes for an Apollo 13 with lesbians, and instead move towards treating this book as... just lesbians.
Alas, the lesbians. Their relationship is not good. Andrea, understandably, does not want to get involved with a (in order) 1) much younger 2) subordinate 3) who is insubordinate 4) with a player reputation 5) who continually ignores her requests to stop flirting/attempting to get into her pants. Kenner does not bring out Andrea's good qualities. For the first female flight director - a position demanding a person so unflappable they can project calm across an entire room of fifty panicked people - she has wild mood-swings, is completely distracted and unable to do her job (in the middle of a crisis no less!), and is generally a shrill harpy. Honestly, I came to believe she should be fired. No male Flight Director would be presented like this, because it would be cruelly apparent he wasn't up to the job. I fail to see why a woman in the same job should be written with such contempt.
Kenner was some sort of super-genius. I struggled to see why she had been called in, what her field of specialisation was, or how she was helping. Andrea had a good point when she suggested Kenner didn't take the crisis seriously. Once Kenner actually started looking into the code as opposed to asking random questions about (and then "optimizing") parts of the machine she didn't actually need to know about (or optimize) she spotted the problem (it was described and fixed off-screen) in what seemed to be two days. How did she spot the problem in the code faster than the team who's entire job was to write and maintain the code? Magic? The author even has a long segment at the beginning of the book describing how Nasa works as a team. Ridiculous. Kenner's impact strained credulity.
Leaving that aside, these two people hate each other. Andrea says until about the last ten pages "leave me alone" and Kenner just doesn't respect that. They are both awful up to an abrupt decision by both of them they are meant to be together - and then the book just ends. Congratulations - the other woman has stopped being a complete bitch to you. That apparently means she loves you. Yay?
This book was not good at either of its conceits; romance or drama. Instead it stabs at both and misses. In missing, it demonstrates all its flaws mercilessly.
I cannot recommend this book.
Andrea Finley is the tough, no-nonsense Flight Director of man's first modern mission to the moon. Her career has come first - before romance, before friendship... basically before every other interest. Andrea is consumed by a single goal: that nothing will go wrong on her watch. Kenner Hutchings is the brilliant consultant the government calls upon when things do go wrong on Andrea's watch. When the space jockeys find their engines failing on the Lunar surface, Kenner is rushed to Mission Control with barely enough time to pack.
The two ladies immediately ruffle the other's feathers; Andrea's controlling personality finds Kenner's carefree ways an offense to the seriousness of the situation, and a challenge to her authority. In turn, Kenner wishes to be left to fix the problem as she sees fit, and finds the constant attempts to shape her into "the right stuff" irritating in the extreme. Will their chemistry see them together? Will they get the crew back home safely from the moon?
This was a difficult book to like. In some ways the author should have produced an easy slam-dunk. The current fascination with space exploration and science has produced a flowering of cultural effort - things like "Gravity," "Intersteller" and "The Martian." This book (while much, much, MUCH humbler) should have found itself squarely in that vein, with lesbians. Instead it almost felt like the author missed the point.
The catastrophe of the engines failing to ignite was introduced with a fearful rush - within the first four pages or so - and was never explained in detail. In fact the whole crisis was barely mentioned. It was kind of just in the background, not really a present or vital part of the story. The bustle, confusion, and suppressed energy such a crisis would have on the agency and the wider public genuinely never really translated to the reader ( -although there were certain attempts made). It just felt like the romance elements of the story outweighed ("ate" might be more apt) the drama and action which should have moved the plot forward.
For anyone with even the slightest knowledge of rocketry, the description of landing a space shuttle on the moon will sincerely horrify.
Alright - so it with a certain amount of reluctance that I relinquish my hopes for an Apollo 13 with lesbians, and instead move towards treating this book as... just lesbians.
Alas, the lesbians. Their relationship is not good. Andrea, understandably, does not want to get involved with a (in order) 1) much younger 2) subordinate 3) who is insubordinate 4) with a player reputation 5) who continually ignores her requests to stop flirting/attempting to get into her pants. Kenner does not bring out Andrea's good qualities. For the first female flight director - a position demanding a person so unflappable they can project calm across an entire room of fifty panicked people - she has wild mood-swings, is completely distracted and unable to do her job (in the middle of a crisis no less!), and is generally a shrill harpy. Honestly, I came to believe she should be fired. No male Flight Director would be presented like this, because it would be cruelly apparent he wasn't up to the job. I fail to see why a woman in the same job should be written with such contempt.
Kenner was some sort of super-genius. I struggled to see why she had been called in, what her field of specialisation was, or how she was helping. Andrea had a good point when she suggested Kenner didn't take the crisis seriously. Once Kenner actually started looking into the code as opposed to asking random questions about (and then "optimizing") parts of the machine she didn't actually need to know about (or optimize) she spotted the problem (it was described and fixed off-screen) in what seemed to be two days. How did she spot the problem in the code faster than the team who's entire job was to write and maintain the code? Magic? The author even has a long segment at the beginning of the book describing how Nasa works as a team. Ridiculous. Kenner's impact strained credulity.
Leaving that aside, these two people hate each other. Andrea says until about the last ten pages "leave me alone" and Kenner just doesn't respect that. They are both awful up to an abrupt decision by both of them they are meant to be together - and then the book just ends. Congratulations - the other woman has stopped being a complete bitch to you. That apparently means she loves you. Yay?
This book was not good at either of its conceits; romance or drama. Instead it stabs at both and misses. In missing, it demonstrates all its flaws mercilessly.
I cannot recommend this book.
January 4, 2016
Okay, I feel bad for saying this, but I hated this book and I'm so disappointed because I've really enjoyed some of this author's other books and I was really excited about this one.
It may also be that the story is not for me, because it's well written. Because I'm not sure how to hide spoilers while using the android app, I'm just going to warn that the rest of this is very spoilery, so turn away if that's a problem.
Still with me?
The entire problem is the relationship between the two mains. It's antagonistic from the very beginning to pretty much the very last second. There was attraction between them, but they didn't like, understand, or respect each other, and it just wasn't fun to read them sniping the whole time. Even at the 90% mark, Kenner asked Andrea if she liked her, which, I mean, come on! This book is supposed to be a romance novel, and it's just missing that relationship.
The ending doesn't even feel like a "happy for now", let alone a "happily ever after." I like that Kenner put all her cards on the table and said she wants to get to know everything about Andrea. It's nice that she's taking her player hat off and is ready to try to love again. But why on earth is she doing that for a woman who has done nothing but say shitty things to her and constantly told her to go away? Also, just when I think we're about to get a sex scene and maybe slightly more confirmation of their feelings than the tiny bit we've had, the book just ends. Kenner is naked, Andrea is not, and the goddamn book ends.
If you don't mind beginning to end antagonism in your romances, then go ahead and read this book. I will go and find another book by this author because I really like her stuff, but just not this one.
Edit: I forgot to mention that the sex scene is hot as hell. Hate sex at its best.
It may also be that the story is not for me, because it's well written. Because I'm not sure how to hide spoilers while using the android app, I'm just going to warn that the rest of this is very spoilery, so turn away if that's a problem.
Still with me?
The entire problem is the relationship between the two mains. It's antagonistic from the very beginning to pretty much the very last second. There was attraction between them, but they didn't like, understand, or respect each other, and it just wasn't fun to read them sniping the whole time. Even at the 90% mark, Kenner asked Andrea if she liked her, which, I mean, come on! This book is supposed to be a romance novel, and it's just missing that relationship.
The ending doesn't even feel like a "happy for now", let alone a "happily ever after." I like that Kenner put all her cards on the table and said she wants to get to know everything about Andrea. It's nice that she's taking her player hat off and is ready to try to love again. But why on earth is she doing that for a woman who has done nothing but say shitty things to her and constantly told her to go away? Also, just when I think we're about to get a sex scene and maybe slightly more confirmation of their feelings than the tiny bit we've had, the book just ends. Kenner is naked, Andrea is not, and the goddamn book ends.
If you don't mind beginning to end antagonism in your romances, then go ahead and read this book. I will go and find another book by this author because I really like her stuff, but just not this one.
Edit: I forgot to mention that the sex scene is hot as hell. Hate sex at its best.
September 2, 2024
This is another one that ticked all the boxes - good fun, full of "will they or won't they" and a story that kept me entertained. Yes, formulaic - but hey, that is for a reason - it sells and it's a good story. So I like. Thank you. Bit of a brick wall ending but otherwise recommended.
October 8, 2015
Note: This ARC was provided by NetGalley & Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.
Find the following review posted on my blog - FarNerdy.
3.5 stars
So we start out with a typical lesbian romance story line - uptight Andrea Finley has never let her hair down, so to speak. As Flight Director for NASA, Andrea has led and continued living a structured, predispositioned, and - frankly - boring life. When things go wrong on Andrea's current mission, in comes Kenner Hutchings, the girl with the gift of knowing how to solve problems in the technical and scientific world due to her photographic memory (even though neither character believes that's a real thing). Kenner is the opposite of Andrea, playing fast and loose with her life - and the women she takes to bed. Moving from lover to lover and job to job, Kenner doesn't let anything get in her way, and she doesn't have to listen to other people when she tends to be the smartest one in the room. When Andrea and Kenner meet, they are instantly at war, both with each other, and their growing attraction of one another. Will pristine Andrea be able to relax enough for Kenner to take her seriously? Will Kenner show the respect she needs to get Andrea to understand and trust her? Or will their budding "relationship" come crashing down before it even has a chance to lift off?
The premise of this novel fascinated me - NASA, a space mission in turmoil, love brewing between the anxiety and need to rescue the crew, and all the true-to-life science fiction nuances you could throw in to boot. But in the end, the story lacked in certain areas that made the novel fall short in some key places.
The Good
The characters, on their own and in their own realm, were interesting. They were complex in their one-dimensional issues and personal battles. Andrea Finley needed to learn how to relax and let go, relinquish all of the control she held onto in every aspect of her life. Kenner Hutchings needed to learn how to take better care of her authenticity and her personal life and, therefore, herself as a whole. They each had one thing to fix, but Julie Cannon showered each character with qualities and quirks to make those mundane and common characteristics used in novels across all genres seem unique and intricate amongst the stereotypical backdrop.
The Bad
Unfortunately, there were a few things that made the story hard to get through in the end. There were two aspects to me that caused the story to derail.
One was the fact that the angst riddled throughout the story was overwhelming, to the point that it was almost it's own character. Then, in the end, The ending was too rushed, too far out of left field to the rest of the story, and too...I don't even think they've developed a word yet for how it was both predictable in the way a bad movie's ending was predictable, but also surprising at just how far it strayed from the original story.
The other aspect was that it was often confusing throughout certain areas of the novel. On more than three different occasions, I had to go back and reread what I had just read as I felt as if I got stuck in a time loop somewhere, and didn't know what end I emerged out from before the next scene. Something wasn't right, something didn't add up, someone was in the wrong place, the wrong time, the wrong emotional bracket even. I'd reread the previous few paragraphs and, at times, pages, to find that - no - that actually WAS how it was supposed to read, but that the details were left out for you to fill in yourself. Now, don't get me wrong, I am the first person to tell you that I hate being TOLD what to feel and understand when it comes to reading. I love a writer that can write me through a way to figure it out on my own and give me my own special "light bulb moment" when it becomes clear what was meant to be conceived. But in many different areas of this novel, I was left to fend for myself in a way where I couldn't find the path to follow. As I said, it was just...confusing.
Any lesbian romance that breaks the mold, even in a small way, such as this one Countdown by incorporating a spacey theme in the background and putting two women in powerful positions to show their strength and dexterity - these novels always appeal to me first and foremost. So I'm always a little extra heartbroken when these novels don't blow me away (and I call myself out for expecting that just because of a synopsis).
All in all, the book was worth the read, just to learn that I may find some other favorites in Julie Cannon and to see how lesbian romance is attempting to branch off into directions we haven't traveled to much (yet). It's nice to see attempts being made to break that mold as I described, and can't wait to find more that will do this, and blow me away in the journey.
Find the following review posted on my blog - FarNerdy.
3.5 stars
So we start out with a typical lesbian romance story line - uptight Andrea Finley has never let her hair down, so to speak. As Flight Director for NASA, Andrea has led and continued living a structured, predispositioned, and - frankly - boring life. When things go wrong on Andrea's current mission, in comes Kenner Hutchings, the girl with the gift of knowing how to solve problems in the technical and scientific world due to her photographic memory (even though neither character believes that's a real thing). Kenner is the opposite of Andrea, playing fast and loose with her life - and the women she takes to bed. Moving from lover to lover and job to job, Kenner doesn't let anything get in her way, and she doesn't have to listen to other people when she tends to be the smartest one in the room. When Andrea and Kenner meet, they are instantly at war, both with each other, and their growing attraction of one another. Will pristine Andrea be able to relax enough for Kenner to take her seriously? Will Kenner show the respect she needs to get Andrea to understand and trust her? Or will their budding "relationship" come crashing down before it even has a chance to lift off?
The premise of this novel fascinated me - NASA, a space mission in turmoil, love brewing between the anxiety and need to rescue the crew, and all the true-to-life science fiction nuances you could throw in to boot. But in the end, the story lacked in certain areas that made the novel fall short in some key places.
The Good
The characters, on their own and in their own realm, were interesting. They were complex in their one-dimensional issues and personal battles. Andrea Finley needed to learn how to relax and let go, relinquish all of the control she held onto in every aspect of her life. Kenner Hutchings needed to learn how to take better care of her authenticity and her personal life and, therefore, herself as a whole. They each had one thing to fix, but Julie Cannon showered each character with qualities and quirks to make those mundane and common characteristics used in novels across all genres seem unique and intricate amongst the stereotypical backdrop.
The Bad
Unfortunately, there were a few things that made the story hard to get through in the end. There were two aspects to me that caused the story to derail.
One was the fact that the angst riddled throughout the story was overwhelming, to the point that it was almost it's own character. Then, in the end, The ending was too rushed, too far out of left field to the rest of the story, and too...I don't even think they've developed a word yet for how it was both predictable in the way a bad movie's ending was predictable, but also surprising at just how far it strayed from the original story.
The other aspect was that it was often confusing throughout certain areas of the novel. On more than three different occasions, I had to go back and reread what I had just read as I felt as if I got stuck in a time loop somewhere, and didn't know what end I emerged out from before the next scene. Something wasn't right, something didn't add up, someone was in the wrong place, the wrong time, the wrong emotional bracket even. I'd reread the previous few paragraphs and, at times, pages, to find that - no - that actually WAS how it was supposed to read, but that the details were left out for you to fill in yourself. Now, don't get me wrong, I am the first person to tell you that I hate being TOLD what to feel and understand when it comes to reading. I love a writer that can write me through a way to figure it out on my own and give me my own special "light bulb moment" when it becomes clear what was meant to be conceived. But in many different areas of this novel, I was left to fend for myself in a way where I couldn't find the path to follow. As I said, it was just...confusing.
Any lesbian romance that breaks the mold, even in a small way, such as this one Countdown by incorporating a spacey theme in the background and putting two women in powerful positions to show their strength and dexterity - these novels always appeal to me first and foremost. So I'm always a little extra heartbroken when these novels don't blow me away (and I call myself out for expecting that just because of a synopsis).
All in all, the book was worth the read, just to learn that I may find some other favorites in Julie Cannon and to see how lesbian romance is attempting to branch off into directions we haven't traveled to much (yet). It's nice to see attempts being made to break that mold as I described, and can't wait to find more that will do this, and blow me away in the journey.
February 26, 2016
Originally posted @ http://readaholiczone.blogspot.com/20...
I love anything science, so my excitement about reading this book was out of this world (No pun intended). Until I started actually reading the book. It is grievous for me to only write a negative review, but I could not find anything positive to contribute and I looked very hard. Only a few sentences regarding space or anything scientific is written about in the book. The author disposed of the plot, making this read a constant fight between the two main characters Andrea and Kenner. An attraction between the two was mentioned repetitively using the same phrase “throbbing between my legs”. Throughout this entire book they fought regarding nothing in particular then the story concluded with them having intercourse, leaving me to wonder what had I just muddled through.
The plot is so redundant and mundane. Therefore, no plot twists, nothing spectacular, sensational or even strange. Hey, some substance could have been achieved by adding a green alien. Had the book not been one I needed to do a review on I would have stopped reading at chapter one. Therefore, I had my own countdown until I finished the book.
I would like to apologize to Bold Strokes and Julie Cannon. Yet I must be true to myself and give the review that I think is necessary.
I love anything science, so my excitement about reading this book was out of this world (No pun intended). Until I started actually reading the book. It is grievous for me to only write a negative review, but I could not find anything positive to contribute and I looked very hard. Only a few sentences regarding space or anything scientific is written about in the book. The author disposed of the plot, making this read a constant fight between the two main characters Andrea and Kenner. An attraction between the two was mentioned repetitively using the same phrase “throbbing between my legs”. Throughout this entire book they fought regarding nothing in particular then the story concluded with them having intercourse, leaving me to wonder what had I just muddled through.
The plot is so redundant and mundane. Therefore, no plot twists, nothing spectacular, sensational or even strange. Hey, some substance could have been achieved by adding a green alien. Had the book not been one I needed to do a review on I would have stopped reading at chapter one. Therefore, I had my own countdown until I finished the book.
I would like to apologize to Bold Strokes and Julie Cannon. Yet I must be true to myself and give the review that I think is necessary.
November 8, 2015
If you're looking for a story with a proper plot and all, this is not the book to read because you'll be super frustrated by the plot holes, as most of the reviewers here are. But if you want a hot PWP, this is great, their lust for each other is like a rubber band, it stretches and stretches until it finally snaps and they get together explosively. :p
May 1, 2016
Six Chapters in and I couldn't even start to like the characters. The whole idea of space flight could have been really interesting but was all predictable and it didn't help that there wasn't any really character development. One had no real personality and the other I just disliked from the minute she was introduced.
January 15, 2016
To the Moon and Back
Thirty seven year old Andrea Finley is the flight director for the first moon landing in over 40 years. Everything goes smoothly until it is time for the seven person crew to come home eight days later. It is then that Andrea hears those five little words that make her blood run cold... “Houston, we have a problem.” Enter Kenner Hutchings. She is a twenty six year old genius with degrees in mathematics and aeronautical engineering from MIT. On her first vacation in years Kenner is keeping company with a woman in the South of France. She is not happy to get the call that she is needed but heads to Houston anyway. Andrea is even less pleased that she will have to bring Kenner up to speed on NASA mission operations. Somehow they need to get the crew back and they have less than twelve days to do it.
First of all, Ms Cannon really did her homework on this book! Goodness, there are a lot of specifics about how the space shuttle and NASA work. It is very fascinating and written in a way that is easy to understand. Countdown has a great story line and I could not read it fast enough.
I loved the conflict between the “A to Z” personality Andrea has and the “I need to see it all before I start” Kenner. Andrea doesn't like that Kenner needs to eat and relax a bit to keep her head in the game and is really short tempered with the open and free brain child. At least some of the tension is sexual, something else Andrea resents Kenner for. After reading about Andrea's naughty dreams I totally get it! If I thought I needed a cold shower then I really needed one after their first time together, WHEW!!
The constant strife for each other left me wondering where the romance was. Andrea spent a lot of time hostile and bitchy toward Kenner. Kenner makes it clear she wants to give them a chance but I have to wonder why. I felt Andrea should have done more to let Kenner know she was feeling afraid and off center but interested. That being said, the ending scene was absolutely flawless, it was perfect in my opinion. I couldn't have asked for anything more.
Thirty seven year old Andrea Finley is the flight director for the first moon landing in over 40 years. Everything goes smoothly until it is time for the seven person crew to come home eight days later. It is then that Andrea hears those five little words that make her blood run cold... “Houston, we have a problem.” Enter Kenner Hutchings. She is a twenty six year old genius with degrees in mathematics and aeronautical engineering from MIT. On her first vacation in years Kenner is keeping company with a woman in the South of France. She is not happy to get the call that she is needed but heads to Houston anyway. Andrea is even less pleased that she will have to bring Kenner up to speed on NASA mission operations. Somehow they need to get the crew back and they have less than twelve days to do it.
First of all, Ms Cannon really did her homework on this book! Goodness, there are a lot of specifics about how the space shuttle and NASA work. It is very fascinating and written in a way that is easy to understand. Countdown has a great story line and I could not read it fast enough.
I loved the conflict between the “A to Z” personality Andrea has and the “I need to see it all before I start” Kenner. Andrea doesn't like that Kenner needs to eat and relax a bit to keep her head in the game and is really short tempered with the open and free brain child. At least some of the tension is sexual, something else Andrea resents Kenner for. After reading about Andrea's naughty dreams I totally get it! If I thought I needed a cold shower then I really needed one after their first time together, WHEW!!
The constant strife for each other left me wondering where the romance was. Andrea spent a lot of time hostile and bitchy toward Kenner. Kenner makes it clear she wants to give them a chance but I have to wonder why. I felt Andrea should have done more to let Kenner know she was feeling afraid and off center but interested. That being said, the ending scene was absolutely flawless, it was perfect in my opinion. I couldn't have asked for anything more.
March 3, 2016
Let me first say I really like Julie Cannon as an author. Unfortunately, this book was a big letdown to me. I was excited about a NASA/space romance, but this was more like a boring computing romance. 90% of the time I'm reading about meetings or about being in an operational room. When it came to the characters, to be frank, I hated Jenner. To me, Jenner was annoying, rude, and just a jerk. I could not find any reason Andrea would be attracted to her except for maybe her looks. I'm not into superficial romances, there just was no chemistry between them. As Jenner put it, they hate each other so much it's actually love. No sometimes hate is just that, hate.
If this is the first book you've read by Cannon, just ignore it as an anomaly and go enjoy her others. I'm sure going to keep reading her books.
If this is the first book you've read by Cannon, just ignore it as an anomaly and go enjoy her others. I'm sure going to keep reading her books.
May 29, 2022
Ugh. Okay, so the book is competently written and the characters feel real. But holy shit, Andrea spends the whole book treating Kenner like garbage, including rejecting her several times. Like it wasn’t romantic and it wasn’t cute. I kept expecting Andrea to not be awful but she is right up to the last chapter. I get it’s scary to like someone but Jesus Christ.
September 5, 2018
Space / sci fi!
It’s a bother good one from Julie Cannon, what I love is that she write lots of books with radically different stories, oh and hot scenes that o my add to the story, which is great. Fab characters and great story.
It’s a bother good one from Julie Cannon, what I love is that she write lots of books with radically different stories, oh and hot scenes that o my add to the story, which is great. Fab characters and great story.
February 28, 2020
NADA space race for love.
Work place is not the usual. Attractive women with secrets of attraction between them. As time races to the next space launch this problem grows and grows. With one the boss it makes it harder and harder to abstain from sexual heat.
Work place is not the usual. Attractive women with secrets of attraction between them. As time races to the next space launch this problem grows and grows. With one the boss it makes it harder and harder to abstain from sexual heat.
June 4, 2017
Muy plana la historia, nada interesante.
October 16, 2018
I enjoy all of Cannon’s stories and this one was no different. The NASA setting was a good change from some of the usual settings. It was a quick read and an enjoyable escape.
May 31, 2019
3.5 stars...
October 7, 2015
This is an honest review from Netgalley.
This book really had the potential to be a five-star read, I've read Cannon's books before and always liked them a lot. The description of Countdown drew me in immediately, and the plot was great the entire way. My problem was the main characters, I couldn't handle them. I was getting so annoyed with Kenner throughout the book that sometimes I had to stop reading. Her attitude got to me, I agreed with Andrea and all her opinions about her throughout the book. I just couldn't understand why she couldn't get how important her job was, and the position Andrea was in, it made me hate her. The sex scene in Andrea's office was hot, it was hate sex at its best. This book could have been amazing, but the characters just didn't do it for me.
This book really had the potential to be a five-star read, I've read Cannon's books before and always liked them a lot. The description of Countdown drew me in immediately, and the plot was great the entire way. My problem was the main characters, I couldn't handle them. I was getting so annoyed with Kenner throughout the book that sometimes I had to stop reading. Her attitude got to me, I agreed with Andrea and all her opinions about her throughout the book. I just couldn't understand why she couldn't get how important her job was, and the position Andrea was in, it made me hate her. The sex scene in Andrea's office was hot, it was hate sex at its best. This book could have been amazing, but the characters just didn't do it for me.
November 19, 2015
I really enjoy Julie Cannon's novels. This was a fairly basic romance. The main characters were at odds for most of the book, but find themselves attracted to each other and then come together at the end. While there was a lot of information about NASA and how Control works I was hoping for more displays of intellect from the main characters. Aside from listing off their educational credentials we didn't get many displays of their supposed huge intellects, which I understand the author may have avoided so the story itself isn't bogged down. But I happen to love those kinds of details, so that was a bit of a disappointment for me. Otherwise, I always enjoy a Julie Cannon novel and would recommend it.
August 13, 2016
Oh, dear Lord! Nobody told this woman that a story about space agencies never begins with: "Houston we have a problem"? It's a huge cliché, it is boring and not compelling.
And then:
If you do not want to use a single neuron in reading books: this is the one.
And then:
If you do not want to use a single neuron in reading books: this is the one.
December 4, 2015
This book was Ok. I liked the story, it was kind of refreshing to see a romance on this setting, but the main character’s “relationship” was antagonistic from the first scene until the last chapter of the book. While they both had their reasons for their behavior, they acted a bit childish at times.
The story was entertaining but the “romance” wasn’t really believable.
The story was entertaining but the “romance” wasn’t really believable.
April 20, 2016
WARNING - Lesbian romance.
I am really upset this was in the Science Fiction section. The premise looked ripe: female NASA flight commander for a moon mission. BUT it devolved into a low level romance novel -- think Harlequin in the 1970s -- with graphic descriptions of female relations instead of the hunky cowboy or swashbuckling cavalier.
I am really upset this was in the Science Fiction section. The premise looked ripe: female NASA flight commander for a moon mission. BUT it devolved into a low level romance novel -- think Harlequin in the 1970s -- with graphic descriptions of female relations instead of the hunky cowboy or swashbuckling cavalier.
August 19, 2016
O.M.G.!
You can not end it there!!!!! Come on? Seriously? Great story, awesome characters. But the ending sucked. Don't get me wrong, I just wanted more. I also learned a lot. But now I need part 2. Read, you'll love it and understand my review.
You can not end it there!!!!! Come on? Seriously? Great story, awesome characters. But the ending sucked. Don't get me wrong, I just wanted more. I also learned a lot. But now I need part 2. Read, you'll love it and understand my review.
April 17, 2016
Wasn't a fan. Wish it focused more on the space story then the throbbing loins and burning glances. While I enjoy a good romance, this was a little too eye roll-y.
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