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The Galactic Cold War #1
Relaunch Mission
Firefly meets James Bond in this action-adventure romance set in an alternate future where the Cold War never ended…
Living mission to mission on the fringes of civilized space, Captain Lindana Nyota has managed to keep her crew paid and her ship in one piece. Barely. The privateer's life of stealing Soviet supplies for the Alliance is taking its toll on everyone. Down a crew member, she now has to take on a new intel officer and hope it's someone she can trust.
Lieutenant Gabriel Steele knew Lindy wasn't expecting him to walk out of the air lock and back into her life, but he didn't think he'd get his nose broken. As an intelligence agent for the Alliance, Gabriel has spent his career in deep cover, his sense of self crushed under layers of deceit—starting with the lies he had to tell Lindy years ago when he left her. A fresh start is all he wants, but the Alliance and his secret orders have already jeopardized that.
When an infamous pirate and friend of Lindy and her crew is reported alive and in possession of knowledge of a powerful Soviet weapon, finding her before the enemy does is paramount. But Gabriel can't do it without regaining Lindy's trust—and hopefully rekindling what he once sacrificed in the name of duty.
This book is approximately 50,000 words
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise : all the romance you're looking for with an HEA/HFN. It's a promise!
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 24, 2017
8 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Robyn Bachar
22 books296 followersRobyn Bachar writes romance with swords, sorcery and spaceships. Bachar's novels feature action and adventure, danger and suspense, found families and happily ever afters. Her books have finaled twice in the PRISM Contest for Published Authors, twice in the Passionate Plume Contest, and twice in the EPIC eBook Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 24, 2017
Favorite Quote: "I'm not going to be caught naked, midcoitus when the ship enters hyperspace. That's asking for sprains in places we don't want."
The blurb and the cover drew me into this one and I ended up really enjoying it. I'll say up front while there is a HEA and love scenes, the romance does take a back seat to the sci-fi action. But the heroine is awesome, and her crew is pretty awesome, and they carry the story well.
Captain Lindana Nyota is this awesome heroine and she lives in deep outer space on her ship, the Mombasa. This book takes place in the future in a world where the US (the United Alliance of Democratic Nations, or just the Alliance) and Soviet Union took their competitive space program and started claiming territories off of Earth. Lindana grew up on Earth, in Kenya with her brother Tomas. They both joined the Alliance Navy and found their way out of Kenya into space and work together, with about 50 other crew members and are space privateers. Not quite violent like pirates, Lindana and her crew peacefully as possible enter ships and take goods. Lindana's heart was broken years ago by her lover, Gabriel, and when they land in a neutral territory to pick up their new intel officer after their former one died unfortunately, Lindana can't believe her eyes when she finds out Gabriel has been assigned to her ship.
Gabriel grew up wealthy in what is called the core colonies. These colonies tired of the war between the Alliance and the Soviets and broke off to form their own government. Gabriel though works for the Alliance and has been deep undercover in classified missions as of late. He gets sent to Lindana's ship and is secretly told there is a mole aboard that he must discover, without alerting anyone. Gabriel really wants to fix things with Lindana, after he broke her heart years ago, and keeping this secret from her doesn't bode well for that, but he has to complete his mission. Lindana wants nothing to do with Gabriel, but receives direct orders to keep him aboard, and she grudgingly allows it. When they find out a friend of Lindana's is alive on a Soviet ship with knowledge of a soviet weapon, the action picks up as they race to discover what's really going on.
Lindana is just a really cool heroine. She has earned the respect of her crew and they work hard for her. She can be tough, but fair and even jokes around with them sometimes. Her brother Tomas, along with other prominent crew members really added a lot to this story.
She paused and studied her brother with suspicious eyes. “Are you going to the engine room?”
“No. Yes. Maybe.”
She poked him in the chest. “You are banned from the engine room. Is there a medical emergency there?”
“No.”
“Were you invited?”
“No…” Tomas winced, looking sheepish.
“Go back to the med bay. Now.”
“Why do you hate fun?”
Lindana definitely has a tough exterior but feels vulnerable around Gabriel when he comes aboard, a weakness she fights. She is so very attracted to him, even though he dumped her long ago. She doesn't want to be attracted to him, and she doesn't want him to be helpful with her crew, but she learns that no matter how mad she tries to stay at him, he slowly charms her.
She didn’t have time for complications now. She’d worry about Gabriel Steele and his indecently tight pants after the mission.
Darn those tight pants.
There is not a lot of time for courtship in this book, as dangers come at them from many angles. Once Lindana realizes Gabriel is truly for her, and she forgives him for past mistakes, their love is cemented quickly. As I mentioned earlier, more focus is on the twist and turns in the action in this one than the romance, but it played out well for me.
“It’s too late for us.”
“I refuse to believe that.”
“Then you’re an idiot.”
Gabriel grinned. “I prefer to think of myself as a reformed hopeless romantic.”
“And you think we’re going to fly off into the sunset and live happily ever after?” Lindana said skeptically. “This isn’t a fairy tale, and I’m not a princess.”
“You’re more like the knight in this equation,” Gabriel said.
“Really? You expect me to rescue you?”
“You’re the only one who can.”
The moments we get with them are super cute. The banter is well done in this.
“Were you always this pale?” Lindana asked. She straddled his hips and laid her palms atop his chest. Gabriel covered her hands with his, then drew one to his lips and pressed a kiss against her palm, followed by the inside of her wrist. Lindana had never before considered the wrist to be an erogenous zone, but she realized she’d been missing out as a curl of delicious pleasure shivered through her.
“Too much time spent in space,” he said. “Not enough natural sunlight.”
“You won’t be seeing much of that aboard the Mombasa, either.”
“You’ll have to be my sunshine then.”
Lindana rolled her eyes. “That was terrible. Adorable, but terrible.”
The action has many twists and turns that kept me engaged to the end. A fun sci-fi romance - looking forward to book two!
Grade: B
The blurb and the cover drew me into this one and I ended up really enjoying it. I'll say up front while there is a HEA and love scenes, the romance does take a back seat to the sci-fi action. But the heroine is awesome, and her crew is pretty awesome, and they carry the story well.
Captain Lindana Nyota is this awesome heroine and she lives in deep outer space on her ship, the Mombasa. This book takes place in the future in a world where the US (the United Alliance of Democratic Nations, or just the Alliance) and Soviet Union took their competitive space program and started claiming territories off of Earth. Lindana grew up on Earth, in Kenya with her brother Tomas. They both joined the Alliance Navy and found their way out of Kenya into space and work together, with about 50 other crew members and are space privateers. Not quite violent like pirates, Lindana and her crew peacefully as possible enter ships and take goods. Lindana's heart was broken years ago by her lover, Gabriel, and when they land in a neutral territory to pick up their new intel officer after their former one died unfortunately, Lindana can't believe her eyes when she finds out Gabriel has been assigned to her ship.
Gabriel grew up wealthy in what is called the core colonies. These colonies tired of the war between the Alliance and the Soviets and broke off to form their own government. Gabriel though works for the Alliance and has been deep undercover in classified missions as of late. He gets sent to Lindana's ship and is secretly told there is a mole aboard that he must discover, without alerting anyone. Gabriel really wants to fix things with Lindana, after he broke her heart years ago, and keeping this secret from her doesn't bode well for that, but he has to complete his mission. Lindana wants nothing to do with Gabriel, but receives direct orders to keep him aboard, and she grudgingly allows it. When they find out a friend of Lindana's is alive on a Soviet ship with knowledge of a soviet weapon, the action picks up as they race to discover what's really going on.
Lindana is just a really cool heroine. She has earned the respect of her crew and they work hard for her. She can be tough, but fair and even jokes around with them sometimes. Her brother Tomas, along with other prominent crew members really added a lot to this story.
She paused and studied her brother with suspicious eyes. “Are you going to the engine room?”
“No. Yes. Maybe.”
She poked him in the chest. “You are banned from the engine room. Is there a medical emergency there?”
“No.”
“Were you invited?”
“No…” Tomas winced, looking sheepish.
“Go back to the med bay. Now.”
“Why do you hate fun?”
Lindana definitely has a tough exterior but feels vulnerable around Gabriel when he comes aboard, a weakness she fights. She is so very attracted to him, even though he dumped her long ago. She doesn't want to be attracted to him, and she doesn't want him to be helpful with her crew, but she learns that no matter how mad she tries to stay at him, he slowly charms her.
She didn’t have time for complications now. She’d worry about Gabriel Steele and his indecently tight pants after the mission.
Darn those tight pants.
There is not a lot of time for courtship in this book, as dangers come at them from many angles. Once Lindana realizes Gabriel is truly for her, and she forgives him for past mistakes, their love is cemented quickly. As I mentioned earlier, more focus is on the twist and turns in the action in this one than the romance, but it played out well for me.
“It’s too late for us.”
“I refuse to believe that.”
“Then you’re an idiot.”
Gabriel grinned. “I prefer to think of myself as a reformed hopeless romantic.”
“And you think we’re going to fly off into the sunset and live happily ever after?” Lindana said skeptically. “This isn’t a fairy tale, and I’m not a princess.”
“You’re more like the knight in this equation,” Gabriel said.
“Really? You expect me to rescue you?”
“You’re the only one who can.”
The moments we get with them are super cute. The banter is well done in this.
“Were you always this pale?” Lindana asked. She straddled his hips and laid her palms atop his chest. Gabriel covered her hands with his, then drew one to his lips and pressed a kiss against her palm, followed by the inside of her wrist. Lindana had never before considered the wrist to be an erogenous zone, but she realized she’d been missing out as a curl of delicious pleasure shivered through her.
“Too much time spent in space,” he said. “Not enough natural sunlight.”
“You won’t be seeing much of that aboard the Mombasa, either.”
“You’ll have to be my sunshine then.”
Lindana rolled her eyes. “That was terrible. Adorable, but terrible.”
The action has many twists and turns that kept me engaged to the end. A fun sci-fi romance - looking forward to book two!
Grade: B
July 26, 2017
I've given this a B- at AAR, so that's 3.5 stars rounded up.
This is the first in Robyn Bachar’s new Galactic Cold War series of science-fiction romances, and when I saw it touted as ‘Firefly meets James Bond’ I couldn’t resist!
Set in a future in which the Cold War never ended, the story features the crew of the privateer ship Mombasa as it operates on the fringes of known space carrying out missions for the United Alliance of Democratic Nations – which mostly consist of raiding Soviet ships for supplies. Captain Lindana Nyota and her tightly knit band of officers live a difficult existence; times are hard, their ship is in dire need of parts and repairs, and their last few jobs have gone badly wrong, resulting in the deaths of two crew members to whom Lindana was particularly close.
One of those people was the ship’s intelligence officer, and it’s imperative to their continued operation that they obtain a new one as soon as possible. Arriving at the neutral Tortue Station, Lindana is shocked and more than a little pissed off to discover that her new crew member is Lieutenant Gabriel Steele, the man who broke her heart fifteen years ago.
(As an aside, I had to chuckle a little at the description of Gabriel – he’s gorgeous, British, upper class, well-dressed and from a posh family… basically, he’s a space-duke 😉 It seems there’s no getting away from ‘em in romance – even in outer space!)
Not only is Lindana furious at the idea of having to work with the bastard who betrayed her so cruelly, she’s furious at herself for the fact that even after so many years, Gabriel still makes her feel things nobody else ever has. Unfortunately, she has little choice but to agree to his appointment – but she doesn’t have to like it.
For the past fifteen years Gabriel has worked as an intelligence officer (spy) for the Alliance, but that life has begun to pall and he’s tired of living a lie. He requested the posting to the Mombasa because he wanted to see Lindana again and try to make things right, but he then receives orders to track down the Soviet spy responsible for the ship’s recent run of bad luck. And of course, he’s not authorised to share that information with anyone – even Lindana – which pretty much puts paid to his idea of regaining her trust and asking if they can make a fresh start.
The story is action-packed and fast-paced, and Ms. Bachar packs a lot into a fairly small page count. If anything suffers, it’s the romance – which is fairly perfunctory – but all the other elements of the story – the setting, the background, the action – are well done and kept me engrossed and entertained. The political shenanigans between the Alliance, the Soviets and the breakaway Core Colonies Collective (C3) are clearly explained, and in a way that adds information at relevant times so there’s no feeling that you’re being subjected to an info-dump; the plotline is complex without being unintelligible and the author ramps the tension up nicely in the later chapters, when the crew of the Mombasa is on the trail of a ‘super weapon’ developed by the Soviets and beset by betrayal from their own side.
The two central characters are engaging; Lindy is a competent, kick-ass heroine and Gabriel is a useful guy to have around (and is capable of much more than he lets on). They are a good match but the romance, such as it is, is secondary to the rest of the plot. Lindy and Gabriel meet again after fifteen years, exchange insults, banter a bit, talk properly and clear the air, then end up in bed – and that’s more or less it, although the author has created a nicely bubbling undercurrent of sexual tension between them.
The other crew members we meet here are characterised using fairly broad brush strokes; they all have roles to play and the author creates a real sense of camaraderie among them. They’re likeable and maybe a bit stereotypical, especially to anyone familiar with the genre – although we are told that Tomas, Lindy’s brother (the ship’s doctor), suffers from PTSD as a result of his experiences in the recent rebellion, so perhaps that will be addressed in a later instalment in the series.
One of the things I particularly liked about the book is that it’s set in a future where people are people and the rest is their own business. We’re told that Lindana had a friends-with-benefits relationship with a fellow – female – officer, and that Gabriel has used his good-looks and charm to seduce both men and women; Lindana and her brother are of Kenyan extraction, Lieutentant Jiang Chen is Chinese, Security Chief Ryder Kalani is Maori and so on. This isn’t just gratuitous tokenism, though; this is a world in which the colour of one’s skin or what one does in bed isn’t important in the grand scheme of things, and I appreciated that a lot.
If you’re after a book which almost reads like a TV show or film – fast moving with quick edits and plenty of action – then Relaunch Mission might be right up your street. I generally like and expect a little more depth from a book than I’d get from either of those media, but once I’d got used to the different style, I found myself pulled into the story and enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. The epilogue clearly sets up the next book, Contingency Plan, which sees Jiang and Ryder take centre stage, and I’ll be on the look out for it this summer.
This is the first in Robyn Bachar’s new Galactic Cold War series of science-fiction romances, and when I saw it touted as ‘Firefly meets James Bond’ I couldn’t resist!
Set in a future in which the Cold War never ended, the story features the crew of the privateer ship Mombasa as it operates on the fringes of known space carrying out missions for the United Alliance of Democratic Nations – which mostly consist of raiding Soviet ships for supplies. Captain Lindana Nyota and her tightly knit band of officers live a difficult existence; times are hard, their ship is in dire need of parts and repairs, and their last few jobs have gone badly wrong, resulting in the deaths of two crew members to whom Lindana was particularly close.
One of those people was the ship’s intelligence officer, and it’s imperative to their continued operation that they obtain a new one as soon as possible. Arriving at the neutral Tortue Station, Lindana is shocked and more than a little pissed off to discover that her new crew member is Lieutenant Gabriel Steele, the man who broke her heart fifteen years ago.
(As an aside, I had to chuckle a little at the description of Gabriel – he’s gorgeous, British, upper class, well-dressed and from a posh family… basically, he’s a space-duke 😉 It seems there’s no getting away from ‘em in romance – even in outer space!)
Not only is Lindana furious at the idea of having to work with the bastard who betrayed her so cruelly, she’s furious at herself for the fact that even after so many years, Gabriel still makes her feel things nobody else ever has. Unfortunately, she has little choice but to agree to his appointment – but she doesn’t have to like it.
For the past fifteen years Gabriel has worked as an intelligence officer (spy) for the Alliance, but that life has begun to pall and he’s tired of living a lie. He requested the posting to the Mombasa because he wanted to see Lindana again and try to make things right, but he then receives orders to track down the Soviet spy responsible for the ship’s recent run of bad luck. And of course, he’s not authorised to share that information with anyone – even Lindana – which pretty much puts paid to his idea of regaining her trust and asking if they can make a fresh start.
The story is action-packed and fast-paced, and Ms. Bachar packs a lot into a fairly small page count. If anything suffers, it’s the romance – which is fairly perfunctory – but all the other elements of the story – the setting, the background, the action – are well done and kept me engrossed and entertained. The political shenanigans between the Alliance, the Soviets and the breakaway Core Colonies Collective (C3) are clearly explained, and in a way that adds information at relevant times so there’s no feeling that you’re being subjected to an info-dump; the plotline is complex without being unintelligible and the author ramps the tension up nicely in the later chapters, when the crew of the Mombasa is on the trail of a ‘super weapon’ developed by the Soviets and beset by betrayal from their own side.
The two central characters are engaging; Lindy is a competent, kick-ass heroine and Gabriel is a useful guy to have around (and is capable of much more than he lets on). They are a good match but the romance, such as it is, is secondary to the rest of the plot. Lindy and Gabriel meet again after fifteen years, exchange insults, banter a bit, talk properly and clear the air, then end up in bed – and that’s more or less it, although the author has created a nicely bubbling undercurrent of sexual tension between them.
The other crew members we meet here are characterised using fairly broad brush strokes; they all have roles to play and the author creates a real sense of camaraderie among them. They’re likeable and maybe a bit stereotypical, especially to anyone familiar with the genre – although we are told that Tomas, Lindy’s brother (the ship’s doctor), suffers from PTSD as a result of his experiences in the recent rebellion, so perhaps that will be addressed in a later instalment in the series.
One of the things I particularly liked about the book is that it’s set in a future where people are people and the rest is their own business. We’re told that Lindana had a friends-with-benefits relationship with a fellow – female – officer, and that Gabriel has used his good-looks and charm to seduce both men and women; Lindana and her brother are of Kenyan extraction, Lieutentant Jiang Chen is Chinese, Security Chief Ryder Kalani is Maori and so on. This isn’t just gratuitous tokenism, though; this is a world in which the colour of one’s skin or what one does in bed isn’t important in the grand scheme of things, and I appreciated that a lot.
If you’re after a book which almost reads like a TV show or film – fast moving with quick edits and plenty of action – then Relaunch Mission might be right up your street. I generally like and expect a little more depth from a book than I’d get from either of those media, but once I’d got used to the different style, I found myself pulled into the story and enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. The epilogue clearly sets up the next book, Contingency Plan, which sees Jiang and Ryder take centre stage, and I’ll be on the look out for it this summer.
August 13, 2017
This was really slow, but I decided to stick with it. Sorry I did. At about the 1/3 the hero apologizes for feeling a colossal jerk because "duty", the heroine tells him unequivocally to fuck off, and her GRABS HER AND STARTS TRYING TO MAKE OUT WITH HER. Explicit violations of consent are bullshit, and it's completely irrelevant that she pushes him off. A hero who doesn't hear no is a villain imo.
July 30, 2017
A familiar trope but it works well in Relaunch Mission. Captain Lindana Nota and Lieutenant Gabriel Steele have a history and not a pretty one. Now Gabriel is on Lindana's ship and all hell is about to break out. Seems that things Gabriel believed are not what they seemed and Lindana's crew is about to get caught in the middle of a whole lot of trouble. About to get caught - seems that they have been there on the last few mission they just did not know it. Very nice world building and back story. Interesting characters and a very good plot. Nothing is solved but there is a great set up for the next books in the series.
August 11, 2017
The author has taken the US vs Soviet problems of current day and shares what might happen in the far future, and on other planets. The pace was swift, and the plot turned bloody while threading romance between Gabriel and Lindana. Knowing that lies and a lack of trust in a couple with a powerfully hurtful past kept me reading from cover to cover. an
August 23, 2017
I enjoyed the hell out of this! It was really fast paced and tight with action, romance and intrigue--part military spy novel, part pirate steamy, part space opera--like if Johanna Lindsay and Martin Cruz Smith had a book daughter that was babysat by David Weber.
I would recommend this to anyone who binge-watched Firefly and still needs more after Serenity.
I would recommend this to anyone who binge-watched Firefly and still needs more after Serenity.
July 4, 2017
Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over
Robyn Bachar offers a complicated, well-presented future world with a lot of detail both in the physical and political aspects. We’re introduced to it gradually through action, so there’s time to absorb the history and how it impacts the present. There’s a lot going on in this book, and the cast bears some serious scars, but their choices and personal philosophies show them to be good people.
The romance seemed out of place at times, especially in the beginning, but that could be because while I read science fiction and romance, I’ve rarely read science fiction romance so the genre expectations are new to me. This issue smoothed out later for a couple of reasons: The connection between Lindana and Gabriel is strong and tangible, though it seemed overstated at times. And their complicated history becomes even more important as Gabriel is faced with the same choice that destroyed them the first time. His circumstances have changed since that long ago day when everything seemed simple, so the conclusion is not obvious. The progression of their rediscovered relationship is entertaining as circumstances both help and hinder their attempts to find a resolution to past disagreements. There is on-screen sex, though it’s light on detail, and some swearing that is appropriate both to the people and the situation.
I found the description strong overall, and could feel and smell the grit of the space station. The tech description makes it sound very functional, and some of the spy tech actually required me to reread the paragraph where it’s introduced because the idea was so new to me I didn’t understand what I was reading on the first go through. The information Gabriel brings into the story is presented in a very effective way, annoying in how it made me suspicious of everyone, but a sign of how the story absorbed my attention and how involved I’d become with the crew. The revelation of an unknown mole early on became a hardship because I didn’t want it to be any of the main crew.
My only real quibble with the whole book comes in the epilogue. I think the scene described there would have been more powerful in a live portrayal on the page rather than in a secondary character’s recollection as a mix between flashbacks and contemplation. At the same time, rather than being a wrap-up of minor threads, this epilogue is clearly a jumping off point into the next book and serves that purpose well. Also, the seeds for the referred events are there earlier to make it consistent with the story.
Ultimately, it’s a good military space opera with a romance tossed in to complicate already difficult circumstances even more. This is not a light-hearted read as there are serious loses and risks undertaken, but it goes well with my need for hope rather than having despair the driving force. I especially enjoyed the way everything felt real and tangible, almost as though I were there striving with them.
P.S. I received this ARC from the publisher in return for an honest review.
Robyn Bachar offers a complicated, well-presented future world with a lot of detail both in the physical and political aspects. We’re introduced to it gradually through action, so there’s time to absorb the history and how it impacts the present. There’s a lot going on in this book, and the cast bears some serious scars, but their choices and personal philosophies show them to be good people.
The romance seemed out of place at times, especially in the beginning, but that could be because while I read science fiction and romance, I’ve rarely read science fiction romance so the genre expectations are new to me. This issue smoothed out later for a couple of reasons: The connection between Lindana and Gabriel is strong and tangible, though it seemed overstated at times. And their complicated history becomes even more important as Gabriel is faced with the same choice that destroyed them the first time. His circumstances have changed since that long ago day when everything seemed simple, so the conclusion is not obvious. The progression of their rediscovered relationship is entertaining as circumstances both help and hinder their attempts to find a resolution to past disagreements. There is on-screen sex, though it’s light on detail, and some swearing that is appropriate both to the people and the situation.
I found the description strong overall, and could feel and smell the grit of the space station. The tech description makes it sound very functional, and some of the spy tech actually required me to reread the paragraph where it’s introduced because the idea was so new to me I didn’t understand what I was reading on the first go through. The information Gabriel brings into the story is presented in a very effective way, annoying in how it made me suspicious of everyone, but a sign of how the story absorbed my attention and how involved I’d become with the crew. The revelation of an unknown mole early on became a hardship because I didn’t want it to be any of the main crew.
My only real quibble with the whole book comes in the epilogue. I think the scene described there would have been more powerful in a live portrayal on the page rather than in a secondary character’s recollection as a mix between flashbacks and contemplation. At the same time, rather than being a wrap-up of minor threads, this epilogue is clearly a jumping off point into the next book and serves that purpose well. Also, the seeds for the referred events are there earlier to make it consistent with the story.
Ultimately, it’s a good military space opera with a romance tossed in to complicate already difficult circumstances even more. This is not a light-hearted read as there are serious loses and risks undertaken, but it goes well with my need for hope rather than having despair the driving force. I especially enjoyed the way everything felt real and tangible, almost as though I were there striving with them.
P.S. I received this ARC from the publisher in return for an honest review.
April 11, 2021
DNFed at 67% because it’s too action-adventure for me with a major body count.
July 3, 2017
3.5 stars. Relaunch Mission is the first in a trilogy focusing on the palpable romances between crew members on the privateer ship, the Mombasa. This first story focuses (appropriately) on the Mama Mo's Captain, steadfast Lindana Nyota. Although life as a privateer hasn't been going smoothly for our heroine in recent months, she's determined to hold things together for the crew she considers family. It becomes rather difficult for her to hold this resolve when a new intel officer boards the ship aaaaand he's Gabriel, the guy who broke her heart when she was younger.
Honestly, the set-up here isn't anything we haven't seen before. Be it in space, the 1800's, or in some gothic fantasy -- "the guy who broke her heart, but actually isn't all that bad and had his reasons" is a fairly prolific trope. What makes Relaunch Mission so damn enjoyable is the diverse cast and the compelling relationships Bachar manages to develop between them all.
Diversity? Oh yeah. Lindy and her brother are not only of proud Kenyan heritage, Lindy is canonically bisexual (for which she is never shamed). Most of the characters have a beautiful, fluid sexuality --"The engine rats also voted on who we want as new intel officer. We decided we need a hot guy... We also have votes for tough-yet-vulnerable lesbian and for an adventurous bisexual of any gender identity." I was a little hesitant that this would perhaps be simple lip service (as, after all, the goal in these books is a HEA for M/F couples), but it wasn't swept aside and Lindy's past with a beautiful lady ex turns out to have plenty of present-day ramifications that influence her trajectory with male love interest, Gabriel.
Ah yes, Gabriel. As Lindy struggles to deal with his presence on her ship, Gabriel struggles with his desire to be honest with her about all sorts of things... and his inability to actually divulge anything to Lindy about the past, or why he's back in her present. Throw in some space Soviet espionage, pirate battles, and various betrayals -- that's Relaunch Mission in a nutshell.
I really enjoyed reading this one, a lot more than I have with other Carina Press titles in the past. Lindy and Gabriel worked well as leads, but the way Bachar manages to do so much with the supporting cast really sold the Mama Mo to me as a great SFR setting. Jiang was easily my favourite character of the lot, an aloof woman with a missing past and a brain injury, she makes an excellent foil for Lindy on deck. Off deck, Lindy's brother Tomas has some fantastic interactions with our heroine that make their familial relationship seem all too real. This is where Bachar really excels. Yes, the romance here is quite strong and central to the events of the story, but the author never pushes aside the rest of the cast. The result is a romance that benefits from the richness of its heroine's interactions, rather than from her single-minded focus on a dude.
So why not give it a 5-star rating? I didn't find the Soviet angle all that convincing for the majority of the book. Although it became a tad more nuanced towards the end, it did feel like for much of the story the Mama Mo's crew were chasing total cartoon villains. Engine rat Maria's existing relationship was also very poorly drawn, we had no real level of attachment there which makes me wonder if her book (the 3rd in this series) will suffer as a result. Additionally, the end came on extremely hard and fast, leaving little room for satisfying emotional resolutions between characters. I would also have loved for a bit more queer relationship rep, given how attraction is presented here between the ship's crew members.
Overall though, a strong start to a trilogy that definitely has the potential to keep me engaged. I'm eagerly anticipating flipping through Jiang's book next (JIAAAAAAAAAAANG~!!) and if the author were to expand these stories further I'd be there with bells on. Relaunch Mission doesn't quite hit all the high notes, but it still provides an entertaining story with a great ensemble cast and the potential for plenty more hijinks in this universe.
Honestly, the set-up here isn't anything we haven't seen before. Be it in space, the 1800's, or in some gothic fantasy -- "the guy who broke her heart, but actually isn't all that bad and had his reasons" is a fairly prolific trope. What makes Relaunch Mission so damn enjoyable is the diverse cast and the compelling relationships Bachar manages to develop between them all.
Diversity? Oh yeah. Lindy and her brother are not only of proud Kenyan heritage, Lindy is canonically bisexual (for which she is never shamed). Most of the characters have a beautiful, fluid sexuality --"The engine rats also voted on who we want as new intel officer. We decided we need a hot guy... We also have votes for tough-yet-vulnerable lesbian and for an adventurous bisexual of any gender identity." I was a little hesitant that this would perhaps be simple lip service (as, after all, the goal in these books is a HEA for M/F couples), but it wasn't swept aside and Lindy's past with a beautiful lady ex turns out to have plenty of present-day ramifications that influence her trajectory with male love interest, Gabriel.
Ah yes, Gabriel. As Lindy struggles to deal with his presence on her ship, Gabriel struggles with his desire to be honest with her about all sorts of things... and his inability to actually divulge anything to Lindy about the past, or why he's back in her present. Throw in some space Soviet espionage, pirate battles, and various betrayals -- that's Relaunch Mission in a nutshell.
I really enjoyed reading this one, a lot more than I have with other Carina Press titles in the past. Lindy and Gabriel worked well as leads, but the way Bachar manages to do so much with the supporting cast really sold the Mama Mo to me as a great SFR setting. Jiang was easily my favourite character of the lot, an aloof woman with a missing past and a brain injury, she makes an excellent foil for Lindy on deck. Off deck, Lindy's brother Tomas has some fantastic interactions with our heroine that make their familial relationship seem all too real. This is where Bachar really excels. Yes, the romance here is quite strong and central to the events of the story, but the author never pushes aside the rest of the cast. The result is a romance that benefits from the richness of its heroine's interactions, rather than from her single-minded focus on a dude.
So why not give it a 5-star rating? I didn't find the Soviet angle all that convincing for the majority of the book. Although it became a tad more nuanced towards the end, it did feel like for much of the story the Mama Mo's crew were chasing total cartoon villains. Engine rat Maria's existing relationship was also very poorly drawn, we had no real level of attachment there which makes me wonder if her book (the 3rd in this series) will suffer as a result. Additionally, the end came on extremely hard and fast, leaving little room for satisfying emotional resolutions between characters. I would also have loved for a bit more queer relationship rep, given how attraction is presented here between the ship's crew members.
Overall though, a strong start to a trilogy that definitely has the potential to keep me engaged. I'm eagerly anticipating flipping through Jiang's book next (JIAAAAAAAAAAANG~!!) and if the author were to expand these stories further I'd be there with bells on. Relaunch Mission doesn't quite hit all the high notes, but it still provides an entertaining story with a great ensemble cast and the potential for plenty more hijinks in this universe.
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May 29, 2019I like the premise of the world - definitely what drew me to the story - but the romance was pretty thin and the main suspense plot point, a traitor on the ship, is only resolved as an afterthought in the epilogue. The worldbuilding is still interesting enough that I'll probably come back to the later books in this trilogy, but I'm not going to rush.
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