False Horizons

New Horizons #3

by C.J. Birch

Surviving in an unknown galaxy hundreds of light-years from Earth is far from easy. Captain Jordan Kellow is missing, and Lieutenant Alison Ash must take charge of the Persephone and get the crew back to the Posterus in one piece if she has any hope of saving the woman she loves.
Lost in a dying escape pod, Jordan is rescued by a crew of war hungry aliens bent on revenge. She must find a way off the ship and back to Ash before she’s conscripted for the cause.
Jordan and Ash struggle with different views on the alien agenda and must find their way back to each other before they’re swallowed up by a centuries-old war.

Cover Artist: CJ Birch
Genres: Speculative Fiction

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Lesbian

ebook

First published September 1, 2019

About the author

CJ Birch is an author, photographer and digital artist based in Toronto. When not writing or devouring books, CJ works as a video editor for television.

Librarian note: Multiple authors with the same name in the GR database.

Reviews

[Yoly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good conclusion to the series. With great world building and many new characters this one packs a lot more action than the previous two installments.

Recommend it if you like action sci-fi!

[Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first comment is that I did not read book one but have read 2 and now 3 in the series. I do not typically read sci-fi but I like to give difference a try. The "out there" not yet available technology was interesting and held my attention. I know the focus was on rescuing Captain Jordan Kellow and interacting with various others in doing so, but... I thought I knew what to expect however, I found myself going through the motion and not engaging with the story. I wanted to see more interaction between the MCs and that was not the case and this reader was disappointed even though the expectation and read was exactly what I expected. Go figure...

ARC provided by Bold Strokes Books, Inc. via NetGalley

[Dr E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love a good sci-fi. So this book was perfect for me, space and a romance. I think this book is the last in a series. I haven’t read the others, which doesn’t seem to matter as the back story is explained, so you can read it as a stand alone. But really it’s made me want to go back and read the other books; for clarification, but mainly because I would enjoy them. There’s nothing particularly new in the plot, but it’s well written, with great imagery and exciting battles, which makes it an enjoyable read. Indeed the imagery is vivid enough to suit a film. Surely this book could be reworked into a screenplay. Bold Strokes should be selling film rights. Trekkie fans would love it.

The ending worked, but I would have liked more. I’m not a massive fan of a epilogue that ties everything up too neatly. Having said that it does conclude and I prefer that to being left hanging. Enjoyable read and I will be looking out for more books by this author.

[Colleen Corgel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good scifi world that works as hard to establish its world building and its characters in equal amounts. You can tell Birch does this and is fully capable of making her world come to life. I do have to say that I did not read the other books, and as this one picks up right after the events of book 2, I did feel lost at first. But I love the idea of putting the leads in the middle of two warring factions, with each character exposed to the sides. It was an interesting way to drum up some tension, especially since the characters already were involved with each other before the beginning of the book. It also creates an interesting idea of an unreliable narrator based on the character who's POV you are reading. I enjoyed that. Both leads are about as straightforward as you can get, but they do take in a lot of information that may or may not be true.

So, there are some problems - probably due to the fact that this book is part of the larger story arcs that started in the first two books. It is not a stand a lone, and there were times where I felt very, very lost, as Birch does not help very much with exposition. But, I think it is a solid scifi heavy book that relies more on the world building and scifi elements than its romance. Its a nice change of pace that lesfic authors are willing to work more with different genres than just romance.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

What first drew me to False Hoirzons was the premise of a journey into space with two leading ladies, one the captain and the other the first officer. I was further enticed by the promise of LGBT relationships in this setting and the fact that it was also the main characters helped a lot in its favor. I love a good distant-future space travel story, I grew up with Star Trek as a kid, and so this was a nice reminder of that in book form. I was a little put off at first by how it glossed over some incidents and it wasn't until I was about a third of the way through the book that I discovered I was actually reading the 3rd book in the series! Color me surprised!

It was with that in mind that I realized this book did a great job of helping you understand and further the characters while also (I assume) reminding the reader of previous space events. I was actually never very lost, just a little disappointed that there was not more introspection into the characters and their pasts -- it was only when I realized it was a sequel that it made sense. I think the fact that I could still understand what was happening despite having not read the first two books, speaks a lot in the favor of the author at making characters I care about and want to stick with...not to mention explaining things in such a way that I never really felt lost.

That said, I am now curious to back track and read the first parts of the series to get a better understanding of the characters and their relationships. with one another.

[Jae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fun Read. Always enjoy girls playing in Space! False Horizons

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great conclusion to the series!!!

[Lia Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75* rounded up to 3*
Arc received in exchange for an honest review. My full thoughts will be coming soon.