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Machete System Bounty Hunter #1
Hired Gun
Reece is all about her Akonwaran whiskey.
Well, that, and a good fight. If her job doesn’t give her enough opportunity, her best friend Kippy will hustle up a brawl for her at his bar.
Most of the time, she’s busy enough as a corporate fixer to keep her satisfied. Some people call her a bounty hunter, and she does do a lot of hunting people down. Her expertise goes much deeper than that, though, she demands a steep price for it.
When her boss assigns her an unwanted partner, Reece is further dismayed to find that he’s a gen-mod from outside the retro zone. The last thing she wants to do is be a mentor to someone like that. She’ll scrape him off if she can.
As they chase a rogue scientist out of the Machete system, she’s looking for a way to get rid of him. That endeavor takes a backseat when their search for the scientist takes them into greater danger than either of them bargained for.
She’ll have to move fast and shoot straight to get out of this one.
A hired gun goes where the job is, and doesn’t ask too many questions.
Well, that, and a good fight. If her job doesn’t give her enough opportunity, her best friend Kippy will hustle up a brawl for her at his bar.
Most of the time, she’s busy enough as a corporate fixer to keep her satisfied. Some people call her a bounty hunter, and she does do a lot of hunting people down. Her expertise goes much deeper than that, though, she demands a steep price for it.
When her boss assigns her an unwanted partner, Reece is further dismayed to find that he’s a gen-mod from outside the retro zone. The last thing she wants to do is be a mentor to someone like that. She’ll scrape him off if she can.
As they chase a rogue scientist out of the Machete system, she’s looking for a way to get rid of him. That endeavor takes a backseat when their search for the scientist takes them into greater danger than either of them bargained for.
She’ll have to move fast and shoot straight to get out of this one.
A hired gun goes where the job is, and doesn’t ask too many questions.
- GenresScience Fiction
275 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 17, 2018
120 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
M.D. Cooper
186 books522 followersMalorie Cooper likes to think of herself as a dreamer and a wanderer, yet her feet are firmly grounded in reality.
A ‘maker’ from an early age, Malorie loves to craft things, from furniture, to cosplay costumes, to a well-spun tale, she can’t help but to create new things every day.
A rare extrovert writer, she loves to hang out with readers and people in general. If you meet her at a convention, she just might be rocking a catsuit, cosplaying one of her own characters, or maybe her latest favorite from Overwatch!
She shares her home with a brilliant young girl, her wonderful wife (who also writes), a cat that chirps at birds, a never-ending list of things she would like to build, and ideas…
A ‘maker’ from an early age, Malorie loves to craft things, from furniture, to cosplay costumes, to a well-spun tale, she can’t help but to create new things every day.
A rare extrovert writer, she loves to hang out with readers and people in general. If you meet her at a convention, she just might be rocking a catsuit, cosplaying one of her own characters, or maybe her latest favorite from Overwatch!
She shares her home with a brilliant young girl, her wonderful wife (who also writes), a cat that chirps at birds, a never-ending list of things she would like to build, and ideas…
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 23, 2018
In the Aeon 14 Universe it’s easy to forget how the usual anti-hero and common people live.
With this new character then we get to see more how the common people live who aren’t fighting the vast war or even part of massive changes sweeping the galaxies.
This although slower paced doesn’t detract away from the way it fits neatly into the overall universe.
The main characters are well thought out as you would expect from such an author collaboration and although the title says bounty hunter there is more an acceptance of problems to be fixed rather than the gun-ho shoot first attitude you might expect Reece’s’ humanity shines through if a bit sardonic in her acceptance of what needs done gets done.
As this is based in the Bad Guys side of the universe it does help give insight into the overall universe so might not take to every fans liking but the change of pace is I think what gives it the appeal without losing the quality we have come to expect in the Aeon 14 books.
Enjoyed this a lot so I expect this new chapter to carry on in the same vein with further adventures as we get to know these new characters.
With this new character then we get to see more how the common people live who aren’t fighting the vast war or even part of massive changes sweeping the galaxies.
This although slower paced doesn’t detract away from the way it fits neatly into the overall universe.
The main characters are well thought out as you would expect from such an author collaboration and although the title says bounty hunter there is more an acceptance of problems to be fixed rather than the gun-ho shoot first attitude you might expect Reece’s’ humanity shines through if a bit sardonic in her acceptance of what needs done gets done.
As this is based in the Bad Guys side of the universe it does help give insight into the overall universe so might not take to every fans liking but the change of pace is I think what gives it the appeal without losing the quality we have come to expect in the Aeon 14 books.
Enjoyed this a lot so I expect this new chapter to carry on in the same vein with further adventures as we get to know these new characters.
February 22, 2018
I like Reece, the bounty hunter — I mean, the Fixer. I appreciate her down to earth attitude, her realistic personality, and her fighting and tactical thinking skills.
Trey, Reece’s new partner, grew on me and I’m looking forward to getting to know him even better in the future.
Good story line and plenty of action. A fun read!
Trey, Reece’s new partner, grew on me and I’m looking forward to getting to know him even better in the future.
Good story line and plenty of action. A fun read!
March 5, 2018
My kind of girl, uh, woman!
Great kick-off for this Aeon 14 sub-track/spin-off/series. Reece is a perfect addition to this universe! She is strong, tough, and at the same time loves her extended family. Good reading a book where the protagonist is willing to show us her fears as well as her strengths.
Great kick-off for this Aeon 14 sub-track/spin-off/series. Reece is a perfect addition to this universe! She is strong, tough, and at the same time loves her extended family. Good reading a book where the protagonist is willing to show us her fears as well as her strengths.
March 8, 2018
Interesting characters, not enough tech.
I will have to wait for the second book, I did enjoy this one but I do not like the low tech aspect of the series. So far not enough action for me but as I said the characters very interesting. I will wait for the second book in the series and hopefully make a more definitive opinion.
I will have to wait for the second book, I did enjoy this one but I do not like the low tech aspect of the series. So far not enough action for me but as I said the characters very interesting. I will wait for the second book in the series and hopefully make a more definitive opinion.
March 12, 2018
This story was somewhat slow going but I enjoyed it as part of the larger Aeon 14 universe story. The two main characters also became more endearing as the story progressed. I will likely read the next one in this side story and I can't help it, now that the stage has been set and we know the characters, I'm hoping for a little more action/excitement in the next one.
March 8, 2018
Love it
Wasn’t sure how they would work out together but it work. They had some crazy adventure trying to find Fritz but they did along with Dex a mouse monkey (ghost monkey) cute little fellow!! Going to preorder the next one. Can’t wait to see what they get into!!
Wasn’t sure how they would work out together but it work. They had some crazy adventure trying to find Fritz but they did along with Dex a mouse monkey (ghost monkey) cute little fellow!! Going to preorder the next one. Can’t wait to see what they get into!!
March 27, 2018
Good read
This story developed nice and easy, then before I knew it I couldn't set it down. Congratulations to the authors who proved to all they are masters of their craft. I highly recommend this tale and others in the Aeon 14 realm.
This story developed nice and easy, then before I knew it I couldn't set it down. Congratulations to the authors who proved to all they are masters of their craft. I highly recommend this tale and others in the Aeon 14 realm.
April 23, 2018
3.5
Actually I read this story to see if I wanted to continue this particular series. Normally I tend to avoid dual authors books finding them stilted and dry. To my surprise this story wasn’t half bad. I suspect I just might read the next book.
Actually I read this story to see if I wanted to continue this particular series. Normally I tend to avoid dual authors books finding them stilted and dry. To my surprise this story wasn’t half bad. I suspect I just might read the next book.
June 22, 2018
Good, interesting Space Opera
Overall very interesting. I thought it needed more action & I'd have given it 5 stars. I'm already starting the next in the series so it definitely got my interest. If this is your kind of story I'd recommend you give it a try.
Overall very interesting. I thought it needed more action & I'd have given it 5 stars. I'm already starting the next in the series so it definitely got my interest. If this is your kind of story I'd recommend you give it a try.
May 16, 2018
Loved it!
Great characters. Kick butt chicks as expected, imperfections and all. Addition of the space monkey was quite cute! Looking forward to the next book.
Great characters. Kick butt chicks as expected, imperfections and all. Addition of the space monkey was quite cute! Looking forward to the next book.
August 12, 2018
Fast, fun, peppy
This was a nice pick me up. Dipietro is interesting. She checks three important boxes for a writer, Browncoat, Whovian and Trekkie. She tackles the issues around discrimination in a healthy way, I'm hoping that the insights catch on.
This is a peppy adventure tale and the characters pop. The descriptions are first rate. Between them Cooper and DiPietro demonstrate real skill at introducing background details as needed and so organically that it's similar to actually travelling across the Machete System and adjacent systems.
I felt that there is overuse of the verb, "smirk". It shows up the way I would expect in the screenplay of certain slick TV shows and certain movies. "Supernatural" or "Knight and Day" come to mind. The verb "to be" can't be sidestepped but I'm thinking any other verb can be. "Smirk" shows up maybe too much here.
The overuse of those scenes that "smirk" creates, seems to dilute the real person in a book, while it boosts the comedy component in dark or intense visual stories. That how it strikes me. I know that there are many people who can explain it much better than I can, if my sense of the thing even has validity for any other reader.
I think this book and series, will be pleasant entertainment for a lot of readers. Cooper is in very good form and DiPietro seems to complement him well. I read the third book first and it was just as fun for me.
This was a nice pick me up. Dipietro is interesting. She checks three important boxes for a writer, Browncoat, Whovian and Trekkie. She tackles the issues around discrimination in a healthy way, I'm hoping that the insights catch on.
This is a peppy adventure tale and the characters pop. The descriptions are first rate. Between them Cooper and DiPietro demonstrate real skill at introducing background details as needed and so organically that it's similar to actually travelling across the Machete System and adjacent systems.
I felt that there is overuse of the verb, "smirk". It shows up the way I would expect in the screenplay of certain slick TV shows and certain movies. "Supernatural" or "Knight and Day" come to mind. The verb "to be" can't be sidestepped but I'm thinking any other verb can be. "Smirk" shows up maybe too much here.
The overuse of those scenes that "smirk" creates, seems to dilute the real person in a book, while it boosts the comedy component in dark or intense visual stories. That how it strikes me. I know that there are many people who can explain it much better than I can, if my sense of the thing even has validity for any other reader.
I think this book and series, will be pleasant entertainment for a lot of readers. Cooper is in very good form and DiPietro seems to complement him well. I read the third book first and it was just as fun for me.
May 28, 2018
M.D. Cooper said that this book will be a different pace than his Aeon 14 series, and I thank him for the warning.
It was a good story and, as other reviewers have mentioned, it fits well into the grand scheme of things in Aeon 14, without spoiler alerts being necessary. However, I didn't find Hired Gun as immersive as most of Cooper's work.
The problem was that I kept wondering which author wrote which character. I think that Zen Dipietro wrote the thoughts of the male protagonist, and Cooper himself wrote the woman. I don't know if that is right, but I am pretty sure that a reader shouldn't be distracted by thoughts like that. Sort of ruins the whole idea of diving headfirst into a novel.
It was a good story and, as other reviewers have mentioned, it fits well into the grand scheme of things in Aeon 14, without spoiler alerts being necessary. However, I didn't find Hired Gun as immersive as most of Cooper's work.
The problem was that I kept wondering which author wrote which character. I think that Zen Dipietro wrote the thoughts of the male protagonist, and Cooper himself wrote the woman. I don't know if that is right, but I am pretty sure that a reader shouldn't be distracted by thoughts like that. Sort of ruins the whole idea of diving headfirst into a novel.
May 30, 2018
In the tradition of Zen's Mercenary Warfare series we have a wide variety of characters and cultures explored through a solid plot. No space battles, but a new, strong kickbutt female lead supported by an interesting male secondary lead in keping with Michaels's Aeon 14 Universe.
Set in a part of the universe where body mods and AIs are not aceptable but guns are a real shopping experience, living on a planet run by corporations, Reece is a "fixer" having brains and skills. With her newest assignment taking her outside her usual area of contacts , the corporation asigns her a partner, Trey, who is not from the Machete system. A sci-fi world hopping track down the scientist, we are introduced to interesting characters including a ghost monkey, a bartender, a gambling queen, Ed the entertaier, Seven and his clan, to list a few.
A definite read for fans of both authors. If you are a fan of Zen's Dragonfire Station characters you will enjoy this series. Prior exposure to Cooper's Aeon14 universe is not required.
Set in a part of the universe where body mods and AIs are not aceptable but guns are a real shopping experience, living on a planet run by corporations, Reece is a "fixer" having brains and skills. With her newest assignment taking her outside her usual area of contacts , the corporation asigns her a partner, Trey, who is not from the Machete system. A sci-fi world hopping track down the scientist, we are introduced to interesting characters including a ghost monkey, a bartender, a gambling queen, Ed the entertaier, Seven and his clan, to list a few.
A definite read for fans of both authors. If you are a fan of Zen's Dragonfire Station characters you will enjoy this series. Prior exposure to Cooper's Aeon14 universe is not required.
April 30, 2018
Good writing, but doesn't have the hooks (?) that make you want to keep reading to find out what happens next, like the books in the main series do.
May 27, 2018
4+
Really fun story. Reece and Trey are great and the action is almost nonstop. Aeon 14 has produced another winner.
Really fun story. Reece and Trey are great and the action is almost nonstop. Aeon 14 has produced another winner.
January 28, 2019
A slower burn than most of the Aeon 14 series I've read so far. I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to more stories about these characters.
October 19, 2019
This was a nice, fun read. In the ever expanding Aeon14 universe, we get to see how some in the Orion Guard space live, and an interesting snapshot it is. With a mixture of freedom and strictness, the different systems and planets have quite different approaches to life, with certainly winners and losers in them. Reece and Trey are good characters here, well rounded and not without their own personal prejudices to overcome. I think compared to the Perilous Alliance books, we see a bit of a difference in attitudes here, between those who like in Perilous Alliance are beginning to become technophobic as such, vs the ones in the Machete system who have lived generations in fear of certain technologies, and how they instinctively react when seeing those technologies. The plot itself is good, allowing them to move around a bit and building to a satisfying end.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews