What do you think?
Rate this book
Mechanical Advantage #1
Assessing Survival
In the year 2280, Earth has been at war for a decade. The Splice take the humans they capture and use them for parts. Sending bots in place of humans didn’t work, but taking the wounded and turning them into cyborgs has enabled Earth to push the Splice away from Earth. The combination of metal and man is turning the tide in a war that no one could have imagined.
Adaptation Base is where the wounded are recycled into enhanced warriors, and when a terrorist action takes out the administration, the newest cyborgs will have to take things into their own hands.
When Stitch comes to, her position as an assessment officer is still valid, but her new location on the front lines means a lot of adjustment. The men she had designed from the wounds out are now her team, and finding the one who had flirted his way into her heart—after all this time—leaves her vulnerable to his mechanical advantage.
Adaptation Base is where the wounded are recycled into enhanced warriors, and when a terrorist action takes out the administration, the newest cyborgs will have to take things into their own hands.
When Stitch comes to, her position as an assessment officer is still valid, but her new location on the front lines means a lot of adjustment. The men she had designed from the wounds out are now her team, and finding the one who had flirted his way into her heart—after all this time—leaves her vulnerable to his mechanical advantage.
112 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 24, 2016
41 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 3, 2016
This is such a great start to a new science fiction romance series.
The heroines are all set up as geniuses who keep the soldiers going and the heroes will be a combination of cybernetic soldiers and rescued alien warriors.
If this book is in any indication, it is going to be grand.
I love smart heroines. This heroine is a super clever and in command. The hero values her and they fall in love amid great action and world building.
Pull up a chair, this is a good one written with complex characters and emotionial nuance.
The heroines are all set up as geniuses who keep the soldiers going and the heroes will be a combination of cybernetic soldiers and rescued alien warriors.
If this book is in any indication, it is going to be grand.
I love smart heroines. This heroine is a super clever and in command. The hero values her and they fall in love amid great action and world building.
Pull up a chair, this is a good one written with complex characters and emotionial nuance.
May 24, 2016
Parts of it were awesome and then parts of it were too short for my taste. About the same mix as all of Viola Grace's books are for me...
February 11, 2021
Always interesting to see Viola start a whole new universe. I liked this much better the second time around, no idea why.
September 21, 2017
I was a little dubious about this but went ahead and bought it because I enjoy the author. I loved it! It was a great read that concentrated on the humanity of the cyborgs, not the 'gee, whiz, wow' of their upgrades. There is a lot of action and a take charge heroine you'll love.
There are obviously more to come in this series but only two [as of this writing] are available:
Assessing Survival (#1)
Altered Design (#2)
Read them in order - there is a definite series arc in play although each book ties up its own plot.
There are obviously more to come in this series but only two [as of this writing] are available:
Assessing Survival (#1)
Altered Design (#2)
Read them in order - there is a definite series arc in play although each book ties up its own plot.
August 8, 2021
**3.5**
Its 2280 and Earth has been at war with an alien race for years. Stitch is a doctor who has a gentle bedside manner that puts the warriors at ease. It’s her job to put these wounded men back to work, as cyborgs. She tries to keep as many original parts for them as she can. Many men have lost their legs, arms, or have extensive internal injuries that she can correct with cybergenetic parts.
She is wounded early in the story, and becomes a cyborg herself (metal arm). Because of prejudice and fear, Earth is suddenly closed to any human made cyborg. So Stitch is stuck in space knowing she can never go home again. The banter and overall dialog is smart and surprisingly witty for a short sci-fi story.
I wish the book cover had a photo of her, rather than her romantic partner. He was a key character, but this story was about her.
I craved so much more from this 112 page story.
Its 2280 and Earth has been at war with an alien race for years. Stitch is a doctor who has a gentle bedside manner that puts the warriors at ease. It’s her job to put these wounded men back to work, as cyborgs. She tries to keep as many original parts for them as she can. Many men have lost their legs, arms, or have extensive internal injuries that she can correct with cybergenetic parts.
“Impressive. Who knew that the basic medical systems installed to keep humans youthful would result in something that could save their species? The vanity of humanity might just save us all.”Stitch is funny and intelligent.
She grabbed for the shirt with the shelf bra build in and adjusted her boobs when the knit fabric was on. Centuries of technology and they still couldn't make a brassiere in a shirt that didn’t give her a uni-boob.Amen Stitch!
She is wounded early in the story, and becomes a cyborg herself (metal arm). Because of prejudice and fear, Earth is suddenly closed to any human made cyborg. So Stitch is stuck in space knowing she can never go home again. The banter and overall dialog is smart and surprisingly witty for a short sci-fi story.
I wish the book cover had a photo of her, rather than her romantic partner. He was a key character, but this story was about her.
I craved so much more from this 112 page story.
June 28, 2016
A new series! In this one a woman with a special talent and a great deal of empathy manages to save many soldiers' lives and abilities. When they become cyborgs in their war against aliens, those on Earth react poorly. The heroine and her close friends and colleagues are victims in that reaction and Stitch finds herself in a situation she didn't expect and isolated on a base full of military men.
Stitch is a great heroine--she's strong and takes no nonsense. She also cares for her charges, but also has a hard time taking the time she needs for herself. Fortunately, she has a strong male counterpart who admires her (as well as being attracted to her) and inventive friends who help her take things into their own hands. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series.
Stitch is a great heroine--she's strong and takes no nonsense. She also cares for her charges, but also has a hard time taking the time she needs for herself. Fortunately, she has a strong male counterpart who admires her (as well as being attracted to her) and inventive friends who help her take things into their own hands. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series.
September 3, 2019
Loved it, great start to a new series
Loved it! Future Earth has been fighting a Alien race for the last decade know as the Splice. The Splice canabolize other species body parts to add or replace their own to make them stronger. Earth started using nanite technology to turn the wounded soldiers into weaponized cyborgs. Commander Stephanie Carter or Stitch is an Assessment Specialist at a facility that treats the wounded. She designs the Cyborgization for the soldiers, making them stronger and more likely to survive. When her team is attacked she finds herself repaired and placed on the front lines with the men she helped. Alpha Base Commander, Captain Nikolai Lukai, Niko was one of Stitch's patients. He soon has her running the base so he can do what he does best, being a soldier. Niko and his team rescue Commander Liakon of the Alguth and 15 of his men, who's lives Stitch save with a little help from 5 of her surviving team members. The Alguth want Stitch as their Alpha Queen and Niko wants her as his wife. A really fun story. Love Stitch and Niko. Looking forward to the other women's stories, maybe one of them will be the Alguth's Alpha Queen.
Loved it! Future Earth has been fighting a Alien race for the last decade know as the Splice. The Splice canabolize other species body parts to add or replace their own to make them stronger. Earth started using nanite technology to turn the wounded soldiers into weaponized cyborgs. Commander Stephanie Carter or Stitch is an Assessment Specialist at a facility that treats the wounded. She designs the Cyborgization for the soldiers, making them stronger and more likely to survive. When her team is attacked she finds herself repaired and placed on the front lines with the men she helped. Alpha Base Commander, Captain Nikolai Lukai, Niko was one of Stitch's patients. He soon has her running the base so he can do what he does best, being a soldier. Niko and his team rescue Commander Liakon of the Alguth and 15 of his men, who's lives Stitch save with a little help from 5 of her surviving team members. The Alguth want Stitch as their Alpha Queen and Niko wants her as his wife. A really fun story. Love Stitch and Niko. Looking forward to the other women's stories, maybe one of them will be the Alguth's Alpha Queen.
September 7, 2019
3 stars, but they’re a good 3 stars. For me, 3 is just an average book; nothing to rave about, but still an enjoyable read. This was somewhat short and simplistic, anti-climatic, but still a good story and journey for our main character. I didn’t really feel the romance. But all in all I am curious to see where the series goes from here. I liked the world building and the writing, and the rest of this series could be good to read when I am looking for some quick sci-fi romances to tear through in a short time.
October 6, 2017
Could have been better by far
The overall plot was the only reason this didn't receive 1 star from me. The world building was suppose subpar, relying on paragraph formatted info dumps. There was no character development, so all of the characters felt flat and all of their responses read as fake. These are issues I've noticed in more than a couple books by this author, so unfortunately I'm finished with her work as it isn't improving and the editing is actually worse.
The overall plot was the only reason this didn't receive 1 star from me. The world building was suppose subpar, relying on paragraph formatted info dumps. There was no character development, so all of the characters felt flat and all of their responses read as fake. These are issues I've noticed in more than a couple books by this author, so unfortunately I'm finished with her work as it isn't improving and the editing is actually worse.
June 20, 2020
There were aspects of the story that I really liked, however the writing was choppy and a lot of things inferred by the characters didn't make any logical sense to the reader. To add to it, there wasn't really any chemistry between the main character and the love interest. Overall, it reads like a book written for quantity and not quality.
May 29, 2016
Very good start to a new series by Ms Grace. Already looking forward to the next book.
I was a little confused at the start, felt like I had accidentally skipped a chapter but once their first meeting was recapped I was good.
I was a little confused at the start, felt like I had accidentally skipped a chapter but once their first meeting was recapped I was good.
May 2, 2016
4,5 / 5
December 12, 2017
This was a really, really fun book, particularly after the seriousness of a few of the books I just finished. Grace does an excellent job in creating a futuristic world of an Earth under attack by alien Splicers who harvest human body parts and other organic materials. The heroine, and her group of friends, are super-brainy medics and coders and scientists who are responsible for building and repairing the human warriors into cyborgs and sending them back out into action again. Recreating skin and flesh, implanting metal rods and other injectables--all of this can be serious business, so Grace uses a large amount of playful banter between the romantic couple and others. Overall, the world that she creates is detailed and interesting, and the book left me with a feelgood, cheezy grin on my face. Nicely done.
October 12, 2017
Really liked the premise and the characters, especially Stitch!
The only problem was that the sentence structure for the dialogue was very stilted, there were almost no conjunctions so everything was 'I am happy you are ok.' 'I am curious why she isn't...' 'I do not think...' which if it's for the character I understand but every character was like this. I noticed this in book two as well.
The only problem was that the sentence structure for the dialogue was very stilted, there were almost no conjunctions so everything was 'I am happy you are ok.' 'I am curious why she isn't...' 'I do not think...' which if it's for the character I understand but every character was like this. I noticed this in book two as well.
June 3, 2017
Characters you like and want to read more about, an interesting story line, and typical human behavior. What's not to enjoy?
April 30, 2016
Excellent book to start a series!
I loved this story! Stitch and her friends really got a raw deal, I think. First she and all the military have volunteered to go into space and defend earth. She and her team work tirelessly to give all the wounded a chance at being a better soldier and still function as a person/cyborg. She gets blown up with her friends and turned into a cyborg,then is shipped to the front because all cyborgs have to fight. Stitch never loses her ideals to help these men or her sense of humor. She and Nikolai, her lover to save captives from another planet that is being attacked and Stitch puts them back together. Nikolai and Stitch want them as Allies, Earth wants them to get them off "their" station and let them fight to protect their own planet. Nikolai and Stitch have their own answer to this and I can't wait to we what happens next.
I loved this story! Stitch and her friends really got a raw deal, I think. First she and all the military have volunteered to go into space and defend earth. She and her team work tirelessly to give all the wounded a chance at being a better soldier and still function as a person/cyborg. She gets blown up with her friends and turned into a cyborg,then is shipped to the front because all cyborgs have to fight. Stitch never loses her ideals to help these men or her sense of humor. She and Nikolai, her lover to save captives from another planet that is being attacked and Stitch puts them back together. Nikolai and Stitch want them as Allies, Earth wants them to get them off "their" station and let them fight to protect their own planet. Nikolai and Stitch have their own answer to this and I can't wait to we what happens next.
May 23, 2016
This was excellent. Well done VG.
Stitch is an Assessment Officer in a Cyborg Medical Facility. Earth is fighting a last ditch stand type of war against an enemy that wants to harvest body parts. They call themselves the Splice.
An explosion at a birthday party at the Adaption Base takes out a lot of the admin and medical staff and only 6 women are left alive. Stitch is one of them.
She wakes 2 years later, a cyborg herself, on one of the battle bases at the frontline. All cyborgs are assigned to the frontline. And once there she meets up with Niko, a former flirty patient with blue eyes.
There is lots of technical talk and as a sci-fi geek, I had no trouble, it all made sense to me, and I hope to those of you not used to sciency talk in your books.
Can't wait for July and the next instalment in the series.
Merged review:
Re-read 23/5/16
Stitch is an Assessment Officer in a Cyborg Medical Facility. Earth is fighting a last ditch stand type of war against an enemy that wants to harvest body parts. They call themselves the Splice.
An explosion at a birthday party at the Adaption Base takes out a lot of the admin and medical staff and only 6 women are left alive. Stitch is one of them.
She wakes 2 years later, a cyborg herself, on one of the battle bases at the frontline. All cyborgs are assigned to the frontline. And once there she meets up with Niko, a former flirty patient with blue eyes.
There is lots of technical talk and as a sci-fi geek, I had no trouble, it all made sense to me, and I hope to those of you not used to sciency talk in your books.
Can't wait for July and the next instalment in the series.
Merged review:
Re-read 23/5/16
July 22, 2025
On a re-read. I still really like this book, the only thing that irritated me beyond belief was was dialogue. People generally use contractions that they speak. We're, It's, I'm etc. The lack of such when people are speaking comes across as stilted.
It is sexist. I am curious. And so on. Just doesn't come across as fluid speech. I dont remember this issue in other books by Viola Grace though, so maybe it was intentional!?
It is sexist. I am curious. And so on. Just doesn't come across as fluid speech. I dont remember this issue in other books by Viola Grace though, so maybe it was intentional!?
April 29, 2016
Mechanical Advantage
It's been a few years since I tried reading a book by Viola Grace. I didn't care for that book but since this one was cyborgs I decided to try again. I love cyborgs, but unfortunately not all cyborgs are created equal. Fortunately Assessing Survival goes to the top 5 list of cyborgs I love too read. Can't wait for the next in the series!
It's been a few years since I tried reading a book by Viola Grace. I didn't care for that book but since this one was cyborgs I decided to try again. I love cyborgs, but unfortunately not all cyborgs are created equal. Fortunately Assessing Survival goes to the top 5 list of cyborgs I love too read. Can't wait for the next in the series!
June 13, 2016
Omg don't usually read cyborgs it so glad I bought this
Loved the way this is setting up. Eager for this new series, romance , fights, aliens . Curious if these abandoned worlds the bases are on will get in the story line. Though it's a short book, for which she's k own for, it seemed a longer book and was well written
Loved the way this is setting up. Eager for this new series, romance , fights, aliens . Curious if these abandoned worlds the bases are on will get in the story line. Though it's a short book, for which she's k own for, it seemed a longer book and was well written
May 10, 2016
Fantastic new cyborg series by Viola Grace. This book combines humor, romance, action and adventure into a fun alien/ cyborg scifi romance. A fun read with awesome characters.
XoxoxoxoX
Ashmerlin
XoxoxoxoX
Ashmerlin
October 29, 2016
I LOVE a story that is sexy and smart
Smart female and a hunk of a cyborg equal a page turner. Author Viola Grace has created an exciting new world for us. I look forward to reading more.
Smart female and a hunk of a cyborg equal a page turner. Author Viola Grace has created an exciting new world for us. I look forward to reading more.
April 30, 2016
I loved it
The story is a excellent new fresh look at cyborgs. I liked all the action and adventure. Looking forward to the next book
The story is a excellent new fresh look at cyborgs. I liked all the action and adventure. Looking forward to the next book
June 3, 2019
Excellent start to new series, loved it!
May 9, 2016
Another awesome book by an awesome author!
May 15, 2016
4.5 stars
Viola has her groove back. I can tell she is enjoying this new series.
Viola has her groove back. I can tell she is enjoying this new series.
July 15, 2016
Very gripping.
Loved it, looking forward to reading the next one. Read it quickly, wished it was a bit longer. Hope stitch reappears in the rest of the books.
Loved it, looking forward to reading the next one. Read it quickly, wished it was a bit longer. Hope stitch reappears in the rest of the books.
October 18, 2016
Loved this! Fantastic start to a new series by Viola. Great characters, fast moving story, good blend of the cyborg element. Looking forward to book two!!
November 30, 2023
Books 1-6
This is the kind of stuff I live for. Top tier entertainment
This is the kind of stuff I live for. Top tier entertainment
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews