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The Galactic Cold War #2
Contingency Plan
As the Galactic Cold War continues, the threat of a new Soviet weapon unveils an even darker danger
No home, no family and only faded memories of the life she lost. After the rebellion destroyed New Hong Kong and left Jiang Chen with a brain injury, she found a new place to belong aboard the Mombasa as its pilot. But after discovering she poses a danger to ship and crew, Jiang leaves, not wanting to risk causing them more harm.
Security chief Ryder Kalani blames himself for the mission failures plaguing the Mombasa—his sole duty is to protect his crew. Having lost his right arm in the rebellion and now fit with a prosthetic, he's unsure whether he's still the capable fighter he once was. The only thing he knows for certain is that Lieutenant Jiang Chen needs his help.
Jiang doesn't trust herself anymore, but Ryder does. They're on the hunt for the Soviets' new weapon, and Jiang's forgotten past could lead them straight to it. Ryder just needs to get Jiang to trust in herself—and in him—before the weapon deploys.
Book two in The Galactic Cold War series
This book is approximately 65,000 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!
- GenresRomanceScience Fiction
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2017
1 person is currently reading
20 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 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 26, 2017
3.5 - Looooooved Jiang in this but the inconsistent tone kept me from rating the book any higher, unfortunately.
July 26, 2017
Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over
Note: Contains spoilers for the first book, so read that first.
Contingency Plan by Robyn BacharThis is the second book in Bachar’s science fiction romance series, and it lives up to the same things that I enjoyed in Relaunch Mission. Contingency Plan focuses on Security Chief Ryder and Pilot Jiang. While they are off on their own through much of the book, the bigger picture, and the crew I would otherwise have missed, have their own roles to play.
As with the first, there is explicit sex mixed into a science fiction story about corrupt governments and independents trying to weed out the corruption while struggling to stay alive when targeted by this rogue element. I felt the romance story was better integrated into this book than the first, which may be me getting used to the crossover, but the relationship barriers were directly related to the themes of the science fiction story and had a direct impact on what was going on around them.
Jiang can’t move forward until she knows who, and what, she really is. Ryder can’t see himself as whole until he reconciles with the loss of his arm, a long overdue healing he’d avoided originally because he got a near perfect prosthetic soon after his injury. Ryder’s been attracted to Jiang from the start, but only now does he see a role in her life. He is her protector when what Jiang intended for a solo quest for the crew’s safety is denied by Ryder who won’t let her go alone. This need, on top of his self-worth issues, provides only one of the complications that stand between them, the first being a simple tradition of finding company outside of the crew to avoid difficulties if they break up.
Jiang’s mission to uncover her forgotten past blends well into the overall story because who she is and what she has been opens doors to information that would otherwise have been inaccessible. This means that though Ryder and Jiang spend much of the book on their own, their actions directly affect the effort to discover the location of a weapon so powerful the soviets are willing to kill to keep it hidden and the Alliance is as well, for their own reasons.
The portrayal of the soviets was the one sour note for me as it felt a little stereotypical, especially considering how gray the Alliance behavior is proving to be. It’s also expressed by rejecting something that should be considered a strength–reusing a design after perfecting it instead of creating something new each time–but I figure this is a personal sore spot.
There was so much more to love in the story. For example, Jiang’s relationships with the ships she flies is beautiful to behold. Watching Ryder struggle with his big, hulking guy protective complex over tiny, but deadly, Jiang is also lovely. He recognizes the need to be her partner not her protector, but still fights with instincts equating size with strength. There’s a wonderful thread related to this about assumptions that has a terrifying twist.
On an odd side note, the subtle cultural references are great. People who don’t get them won’t have to in order to enjoy the story, but if you do get them, it adds a level to the humor that’s fun. While this might seem out of place in a far future novel, especially considering some key moments in Earth history have shifted, Ryder loves Earth history and is trying to get Jiang to share this obsession, so it’s character appropriate.
The end could have been stronger, but this is a middle book so it makes sense the way it came together. This is a good story touching on sense of self, PTSD, and choices, especially in the terms of agency as Jiang learns the extent to which hers has been taken away and what she wants to do with that knowledge.
P.S. I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Note: Contains spoilers for the first book, so read that first.
Contingency Plan by Robyn BacharThis is the second book in Bachar’s science fiction romance series, and it lives up to the same things that I enjoyed in Relaunch Mission. Contingency Plan focuses on Security Chief Ryder and Pilot Jiang. While they are off on their own through much of the book, the bigger picture, and the crew I would otherwise have missed, have their own roles to play.
As with the first, there is explicit sex mixed into a science fiction story about corrupt governments and independents trying to weed out the corruption while struggling to stay alive when targeted by this rogue element. I felt the romance story was better integrated into this book than the first, which may be me getting used to the crossover, but the relationship barriers were directly related to the themes of the science fiction story and had a direct impact on what was going on around them.
Jiang can’t move forward until she knows who, and what, she really is. Ryder can’t see himself as whole until he reconciles with the loss of his arm, a long overdue healing he’d avoided originally because he got a near perfect prosthetic soon after his injury. Ryder’s been attracted to Jiang from the start, but only now does he see a role in her life. He is her protector when what Jiang intended for a solo quest for the crew’s safety is denied by Ryder who won’t let her go alone. This need, on top of his self-worth issues, provides only one of the complications that stand between them, the first being a simple tradition of finding company outside of the crew to avoid difficulties if they break up.
Jiang’s mission to uncover her forgotten past blends well into the overall story because who she is and what she has been opens doors to information that would otherwise have been inaccessible. This means that though Ryder and Jiang spend much of the book on their own, their actions directly affect the effort to discover the location of a weapon so powerful the soviets are willing to kill to keep it hidden and the Alliance is as well, for their own reasons.
The portrayal of the soviets was the one sour note for me as it felt a little stereotypical, especially considering how gray the Alliance behavior is proving to be. It’s also expressed by rejecting something that should be considered a strength–reusing a design after perfecting it instead of creating something new each time–but I figure this is a personal sore spot.
There was so much more to love in the story. For example, Jiang’s relationships with the ships she flies is beautiful to behold. Watching Ryder struggle with his big, hulking guy protective complex over tiny, but deadly, Jiang is also lovely. He recognizes the need to be her partner not her protector, but still fights with instincts equating size with strength. There’s a wonderful thread related to this about assumptions that has a terrifying twist.
On an odd side note, the subtle cultural references are great. People who don’t get them won’t have to in order to enjoy the story, but if you do get them, it adds a level to the humor that’s fun. While this might seem out of place in a far future novel, especially considering some key moments in Earth history have shifted, Ryder loves Earth history and is trying to get Jiang to share this obsession, so it’s character appropriate.
The end could have been stronger, but this is a middle book so it makes sense the way it came together. This is a good story touching on sense of self, PTSD, and choices, especially in the terms of agency as Jiang learns the extent to which hers has been taken away and what she wants to do with that knowledge.
P.S. I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
October 7, 2018
“It’s not your life. It’s your past…. What you do now is up to you.”
Chen Jiang, former enemy intelligence agent, has a malfunctioning chip in her brain. At the end of book #1 in the Galactic Cold War series, she flees the only home she’s ever known—the rogue ship Mombassa—terrified she’d betray the crew against her will. Now she’s on a mission to the deserted, radioactive colony of Arzamas-16 where the access panels know more about her than she does herself, but if she wants to return, she needs to find out the truth about her past.
Accompanying her is Ryder Kalani, Chief of Security for the Mombassa, a hulking ex-marine with an allergy to clothing, a prosthetic arm, and a deep need to protect and rescue. Not that Jiang needs rescuing. She’s made that quite clear.
I love this series. I ADORED this book, which has a “Total Recall” slant to it. I love Bachar’s multi-ethnic universe, which reminds me of “Firefly.” Her characters are strong and weak, beautiful and damaged. They have troubled pasts but have retained their humanity and work together. Just a ton of fun. Made me laugh, hooked my curiosity, and touched my heart.
I just pre-ordered Book #3!
Chen Jiang, former enemy intelligence agent, has a malfunctioning chip in her brain. At the end of book #1 in the Galactic Cold War series, she flees the only home she’s ever known—the rogue ship Mombassa—terrified she’d betray the crew against her will. Now she’s on a mission to the deserted, radioactive colony of Arzamas-16 where the access panels know more about her than she does herself, but if she wants to return, she needs to find out the truth about her past.
Accompanying her is Ryder Kalani, Chief of Security for the Mombassa, a hulking ex-marine with an allergy to clothing, a prosthetic arm, and a deep need to protect and rescue. Not that Jiang needs rescuing. She’s made that quite clear.
I love this series. I ADORED this book, which has a “Total Recall” slant to it. I love Bachar’s multi-ethnic universe, which reminds me of “Firefly.” Her characters are strong and weak, beautiful and damaged. They have troubled pasts but have retained their humanity and work together. Just a ton of fun. Made me laugh, hooked my curiosity, and touched my heart.
I just pre-ordered Book #3!
August 26, 2017
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from Netgalley. The 2nd book in the Galactic Cold War series, a series that the author calls Firefly meets James Bond. While I do not argue with her about the Firefly aspect there really is not much of a James Bond aspect. Jiang Chen, Lieutenant Jiang Chen, still cannot remember her past and she goes on a mission with Chief Ryder Kalani, the head of security to try to recover a scientist who might know about the secret weapon or about Jiang's past... or both.
The one thing I enjoyed about the book is how well it is written, but the character development was lacking and could have been more dynamic. I am glad the author did not turn this book into your typical MMP romance books. Sure there was romance, sure there was sex, but I believe the author did it well. With that being said I will give this book a solid 2/10, it was ok, not great but not absolutely terrible
The one thing I enjoyed about the book is how well it is written, but the character development was lacking and could have been more dynamic. I am glad the author did not turn this book into your typical MMP romance books. Sure there was romance, sure there was sex, but I believe the author did it well. With that being said I will give this book a solid 2/10, it was ok, not great but not absolutely terrible
July 30, 2017
Closer to a answer but not there yet. Jiang Chen has only partial memories of her past life but she has discovered that she has something in her brain that can be used to leak information about her crew. She is off with Security Chief Ryder Salani to find answers. Some questions are answered but some information about the big picture is still missing. What is answered is the HEA for Jiang and Ryder. They are a great couple - each with problems that cause them to back away at first. A very nice HEA and a great lead up to the next book in the series.
I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
no-thank-you
February 19, 2023A couple of lines I wasn't wild about:
"Every spacer has sex in zero g at least once." Even the sex-repulsed asexual people?
"A one armed security chief was fairly useless." Having a main character with a disability isn't as satisfying when there are remarks like this.
"Every spacer has sex in zero g at least once." Even the sex-repulsed asexual people?
"A one armed security chief was fairly useless." Having a main character with a disability isn't as satisfying when there are remarks like this.
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August 14, 2017Miniseries: The Galactic Cold War
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews