The game of love can change in a heartbeat when fate deals you a wild card.
Technician Lieksa Kiv saw firsthand what the corporations did to their cyborg soldiers during the Resource Wars. Her job: repair their damaged cybernetic components and send them back into battle. When a stolen kiss reveals the truth about her charges, Lieksa sacrifices everything to protect the cyborgs’ secret, including a future with the men she’s fallen for.
Mack Darian and Dash Scudo aren’t soldiers anymore. Inspired by the kindness of the woman who saved their lives and touched their hearts, they are defenders, instead. As Corporate Security, they’re dedicated to protecting the citizens of The Drift from all threats, including each other.
When these three lives reconnect, the flames of passion burn white hot. But before they can hope for a future together, they must contend with old secrets and present-day challenges threatening to tear their world apart.
**Publisher's Note: All books in The Drift Series are stand-alone stories, but for full enjoyment we recommend reading them in release order.
Susan lives out on the Canadian west coast surrounded by open water, dear family and good friends. She’s jumped out of perfectly good airplanes on purpose and accidentally swum with sharks on the Great Barrier Reef. If the world ends, she plans to survive as the spunky, comedic sidekick to the heroes of the new world, because she’s too damned short and out of shape to make it on her own for long.
Writing is her joy, her escape from reality and the only way she knows of to quiet the nagging harridan of a muse the universe assigned to her.
To contact her about her books or to arrange end of the world team-ups, you can email her at susanhayesromance@gmail.com
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. Holy Dooley this is a smokin hot read, but I'm not surprised when it comes from Susan's creative brain. The 3rd book in her Drift series and she is on a winner with this series. I swear my fingers got a tad singed as I swiped from the right, cold showers may or may not have been required. Bring on the next one, this (possible fangirl) reader is itching for more smokin hot alpha cyborg's and the women who love them.
One red haired human female and 2 hot human cyborgs. I loved this story. I read it as part of The Drift: Astek Station box set. I really want to see what happens in the rest of the series. So good.
She had to hide not only herself but the two cyborgs she was interested in. But she couldn't be with them or let them in on the plan. Now a few years have passed and they run into each other.
Wild Card is book three in The Drift Series and can be read alone, though you'll miss out on knowing who some of the old characters are if you don't read the first two. Also, they're wonderful books, so read them first. ;)
This is the first book in the series in which the two male leads are not brothers or 'batch siblings' as the cyborgs call them. They are both cyborgs, so we're well versed in what they've gone through during the resource wars and later to gain their freedom and acceptance as thinking individuals. Mack and Dash are an interesting set in that they were specifically paired together AFTER they were created to be intelligence gathering (spies, essentially). They developed a deep and abiding bond that still survives not just because they worked together, but also because of experimental technology that links them together more closely than even batch siblings. I enjoyed their relationship on its own quite a bit (they don't have a romantic relationship at all, in case that's unclear).
Lieksa is a very likable heroine in that she feels very strongly and wears her heart on her sleeve. She met Dash and Mack during the wars when she was a tech who worked on them and their implants after they were damaged. She gave them the experimental tech I mentioned above, after which they slipped up and let her know they were sentient and not just machines. She sent them off to keep them safe and quit that day, refusing to work on another cyborg, but never giving away their secret either. Until Dash gets shot in the head again while working on the Drift and she's the only one available with the skills to save him. Destiny much?
Anyhow, the book had a little bit of action, a lot of romantic drama with their colorful past, a lot of steamy moments, and even a good bit of moving forward with the underlying story that runs through the series as a whole. We meet new faces and get some interaction with old ones. A good addition to the series, overall.
Reading this series slightly out of order, but it works, so do with that what you will.
First off, I do love grumbly, gruff cyborgs. They're just so much snarly fun. Frankly, these three have history and Mack and Dash's initial meeting with Lieksa didn't happen under the best of circumstances, which sort of leads to the snarling part later. But they made an impact on one another. A long, hard-hitting impact.
But time and a nasty war pulled them apart. Well, those things plus the whole "cyborgs are just machines and you don't fraternize with machines" thing. Which, as we've come to find out, is patently untrue. Cyborgs are a whole lot more than just machines. Mack and Dash mourned Lieksa when they thought she'd been killed before they really got to know her. Yep, they're all emotional and grumbly and stuff.
Anywho. These three come back to together and they have to navigate a new-ish relationship and their brief past along with some bad folks who want to do bad things. As bad guys often do.
The Drift is an area at the edge of civilized space where only the desperate, disenfranchised or those on the run will chose to exist. So with the release of Cyborgs from Corporate wars many decide to move to the Drift to start their new life. Mack & Dash had met Lieksa in the labs when she was a Tech for the Corporation, several years later only because of an accident do their paths cross again. True love has its struggles and discovering an injustice by their former employer brings this trio together ready to fight for justice.
This is a lovely romance with adventure, misadventure, misunderstandings and lots of humour. I loved being able to meet up with old book friends from the previous two books as well as meeting new friends. I do love me some Cyborgs.
Can be read a stand alone but I would encourage the reader to start from the start of this series. I am looking forward to the next in the series.
I was lucky enough to be given an advanced ARC of this book for a fair and unbiased review.
Even if the odds, and circumstances, say differently. Lieksa, Dash and Mack were brought together during war and she, unknowingly, was not on their side. Their brief encounter changed all of them so when they were given a second chance, it was like fate wanted them to get it right…
This series is set in endless universe but its themes of good vs evil, family, love and friendship hit close to home. Doing what’s right is not always easy but having those who love and care for you at your back can make the difference. It certainly did this time. I loved the honesty and chemistry that flowed between these three. They were at odds, a lot, but they also had a core of trust that shone through every scene. The heat was high yet the emotions and the tenderness took top billing.
Crazy fun read with heat and action to spare, another great story in the series.
I voluntary reviewed this book and it was so good I wish I'd have read the previous books in this series. Technician Lieska saw first hand what the corporations did to their cyborg soldiers during the wars. Her job was to repair their damaged parts and send them back to fight. That was until she found out the truth following a couple stolen kisses with two of the cyborgs. Then to protect them she resigns and disappears leaving them to think she was dead. Mack and Dash aren't soldiers anymore as the wars have ended so they've been released from service. Thanks to the kindness lieksa showed them they decide to go into protection and sign on as security personal on the Drift. When the three run into each other the flame still burns but before they can have a proper life together they need to deal with a current threat. I won't tell you any more as I'd hate to spoil the story for you.
Mack and Dash are 2 male cyborgs that work for Corp-Sec (Corporate Security) on this station.
They're in the middle of a big drug investigation, trying to root out the source of a dangerous illegal drug that's endangering the people on the station.
Dash gets injured and the two of them meet the woman who changed their life.
Lieksa is a robotics engineer who used to be a cyborg lab tech. She quit when she realized that the cyborgs had overcome their programming and had free will. She's tried to atone for what she thinks she's done wrong (changes to cyborgs without their consent, fixing them up to send them back to war, etc.), but still struggles with her past.
What future can she have with 2 of her past patients? And how dangerous is it for them to be together now when Mack and Dash have an informer/spy on their team that they must root out.
This story is a great addition to the series. It was suspense from the beginning making me turn the pages to know more. Another thing that kept me in the story was the chemistry between Lieksa and her men, Mack and Dash, making me wish cyborgs were real, at least Ms. Hayes' type that is ;) Despite each having a few close encounters with danger, they get their HFN ending on a hopeful note for a future filled with love. I am glad they got their second chance. It was great to see again the triads from the previous books and Zura along with Kit and Luke have some wonderful news to share. Looking forward to read the next book in the series.
It takes a very special series to make me binge read.....
And a very talented Author. I love how the background world is growing and changing from the backwater dusty outlaw type dive in the first story, to a growing community filled with wonderful hidden treasures. Exactly like the charters that people it. Susan Hayes has an amazing talent for making both the sci-fi and the romance absolutely believable! I highly recommend this series.
I actively dislike this book. The men have no respect for their partner and she goes from deeply offended by it, to simply accepting it. They apologies and I'm not accepting it that as adequate personal growth... then they immediately turn around and do it again. Their shitty behaviour absolutely overshadowed any love I might have had for the plot. Seriously, their only redeeming quality is that apparently they enjoy eating a woman out...and that's literally the lowest bar I've ever heard of.
I love it! I am a little pressed for time. I will just say that I kept turning pages until the end. It had the hint of excitement & mystery along with the adventure to keep me wondering. I was always wanting to know more about who was trying to start something & what would happen next. I love it! I already have the next one down & am getting ready to open it.
Lieksa worked on Cyborgs during the war until she realized they were actual men, once she did, she quit and began to just work on tech. Mack and Dash end up at the Nova Club and find Lieksa who saved them. The three quickly fall for one another and it results in a steamy grouping. The bad guys don't want them to have a happy ever after though!
Yes it was very easy to guess who the bad guy is. I really like Lieska. She is very smart. Compassionate and loving. Dash and Mack are bossy. They get into trouble a lot. I like how everyone is building a family. It's a great series
Mack and Dash felt distinct from each other, but I was a little distracted by the second chance aspects of the backstory. The relationship felt healthy overall, and I liked this one more than book two but less than one.
Liked the characters, the female was a bit stubborn with regarding her safety, but it seems they come that way now. I liked the continuation and looking forward to the next.
This was a well-written story. I haven't read the first 2 books in 'The Drift' series, but I intend to now. I enjoyed reading about Lieksa and her cyborgs, Mack and Dash.
better than the last one. I loved how the past meeting influenced the story. the characters were believable and well done. Also a great set up for the 4th book with the Dr. and the triplets!
I am really enjoying this series - it is great sci-fi romance. The lead characters in this book have a prior history, and I liked getting to know them, then and now! It works as a stand-alone, but don’t cheat yourself - read them all!