Steel Coyote

by Beth Williamson

The universe is a tough place to make it as a female cargo ship captain, and Remington Hawthorne fights every day to scrape by. A sketchy deal goes south, and although she doesn’t want anyone else to touch her ship, she’s forced to accept help from the stranger who calls himself Max Fletcher. He’s hot. And he’s trouble. Big trouble. But she’s out of time, out of money, and every crooked cartel is on her tail.

Max Fletcher has spent his life running from his past. So he has no idea what makes him offer to bail out tall, gorgeous, sassy Remy when she needs a pilot to get her illegal cargo to its destination—the last place in the universe he ever wanted to land again.

One thing’s for sure, it’s gonna be a helluva ride.

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Romance, Romance

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 22, 2019

About the author

Beth Williamson, who also writes as Emma Lang, is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of both historical and contemporary romances. Her books range from sensual to scorching hot. She is a Career Achievement Award Nominee in Erotic Romance by Romantic Times Magazine, in both 2009 and 2010, and a quarter-finalist in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.
Beth has always been a dreamer, never able to escape her imagination. It led her to the craft of writing romance novels, fueled by Reese’s and tenacious pursuit of the perfect story. She’s passionate about purple, books, and her family. She has a weakness for shoes and purses as well as bookstores.
Life might be chaotic, as life usually is, but Beth always keeps a smile on her face, a song in her heart, and a cowboy on her mind. ;)

Reviews

[Cassi | mom.always.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remy recently inherited her title as Captain of the Steel Coyote and is struggling to find a new job and make ends meet. Max is a confident pretty boy trying to score a pilot job on a cruise ship. When the two are unexpectedly hired for a high paying job, they have to decide if it's worth fighting for things to stay the same or if they will change themselves and their world.

This was an enjoyable sci-fi romance, which is a fun read if you're into space operas with a bit of action. It was a rather quick read, but I enjoyed how it was a sci-fi rather than a run of the mill contemporary romance.

There was the usual enemies to lovers trope, but I don't hate that. I did catch myself thinking several times that there was a lot of repetition in some aspects or scenes... we get it, Remy has nice assets. It also seems as though there may have been some influence from the Firefly TV series, but it was generic enough that I can't even say for sure whether that it was intentional or if I drew my own conclusions being a huge fan of the show.

There is profanity and a few detailed sex scenes, so this is not the book for you if you're looking for a clean romance. There are mentions of slavery and abuse, but it is not described in much detail, so I wouldn't say this is a darkly themed novel, but it's worth mentioning if you are especially sensitive to these topics.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun space-themed action romance.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Eva Millien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain Remington Hawthorne fights every day to scrape enough to get by and she’s hanging on by her fingernails. She doesn’t want to accept help from the stranger who calls himself Max Fletcher but life hasn’t give her a choice. Remy and Max have to find a way to trust each other, save the crew, and not get themselves killed in the process and it’s gonna be a helluva ride.

This story grabs readers’ attentions and holds on tight with strong, quirky and feisty characters that make it fun and exciting. It starts off a bit on the slow side but this gives readers a chance to get to know the characters and really get a feel for their lives, making it easy for readers to become enthralled. The romance between Remy and Max has sparks flying in every direction as Max tries to win her over and get past Remy resistance but both of these characters are tough and quite grumpy so this makes courtship fun and rocky all the way through.

The plot may start off a bit slow but quickly picks up and accelerates to warp speed as Remy and Max discover they have been caught up in some kind of complex web of intrigue that could destroy them all. With bad guys around coming from every direction, Max and Remy not only have to learn to trust each other but everyone on the ship if they want to survive. Once readers have begun this journey through space, they don’t want to miss one second of thrilling & suspenseful ride.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has it all action, adventure, humor, angst and love. I loved Remi she is doing the best that she can under bad circumstances and much better than she thinks she is. Max is a hunky flyboy pilot with a sketchy past and a heart of gold. Who knew? When these two get together the universe shifts and we get a heck of a story.

[Sascha · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally published at Vampire Book Club and based on a copy provided by the publisher.

Remington Hawthorne recently inherited her adopted father’s cargo ship, the Steel Coyote, and has been struggling to maintain it and her crew of three. They desperately need a big payday. So she agrees to take a job she knows she shouldn’t, smuggling for a shady character. But when she meets to finalize the deal, he won’t give her the job. Until a man steps in claiming to be her new pilot.

Max Fletcher’s reputation as pilot and playboy convinces the customer to give Remy the job, as long as Max is there for pickup and delivery. The two of them will be stuck together on the ship for the next two weeks until the job is completed. Forced cohabitation trope FTW! The romance gets physical pretty quickly and I didn’t feel like it convincingly moved beyond that, despite the two-week time frame. It felt perfect for a TV movie, but could have been developed more in a book.

Adding to the TV feeling were all the Firefly vibes I kept getting. Remy’s BFF and the ship’s engineer Katie was almost certainly inspired by Kaylee from the show. The world also has that same mix of high-tech spaceships visiting worlds where everyone rides horses.

I really wanted to like Steel Coyote. I also really wanted to edit it. I just didn’t love the writing and often had issues with the word choices. The dialogue was repetitive and the mystery surrounding Remy’s past was predictable.

That said, I’m happy to see the sci-fi romance trend continuing. This just maybe isn’t the best example of it. But if you’ve already read Nightchaser and Polaris Rising and still need a sci-fi fix, it might be worth a try.

[Lynn Latimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain Remy Hawthorne flies her spaceship under several radars including the military and the wealthy family who controls the political climate of her universe. She is getting desperate to make ends meet so takes on a delivery job of illegal goods that comes with Max Fletcher, an arrogant flyboy who rakes all hers senses, good and bad. Remy reluctantly agrees to have Max pilot her ship and while on the voyage, sparks fly and other parts than the engine get quite hot. They both have deep secrets, some of them that could be deadly. Remy also is forced to pick up some young passengers; she is startled to find they are the tip of a very evil iceberg.

Remy and Max both have histories that include some deep hurts which have formed their personalities into those of loners who keep a firm shield up against getting too involved with anyone. Max has an AI sidekick that adds an interesting element to the story. The very small but loyal crew have their own eccentric peccadilloes.

Remy and Max are very engaging; their story has a good mix of humor and romance as well an intriguing plot-line that will keep readers entertained and rooting for the crew of the good ship, Steel Coyote, who work tirelessly against their enemies. This fun space romp has all the things fans of Space Operas and Science Fiction Romance enjoy including action and adventure. The story is well thought out and has some interesting characters as well as subplots that make for a good read.

[Malkhai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original review: https://myshelfbooks.wordpress.com/20...

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Space Opera. I know sometimes it is frown upon amog the hardcore Sci-Fi fans, but the genre is usually full of fun and craziness with heroes beating impossible odds and spaceships breaking all the laws of physics. And if you add to the mix a bit of romance with a charismatic character… you get a bomb!! The explosion of this book doesn’t have a big radius, but it is still a nice summer reading.

We jump into the ship of Remy, the captain of a rugged and very small crew of smugglers. They are down on their luck, so the job that is being offered by Cooper is sorely needed, even though it looks a bit seedy. But Remy is having trouble to close the deal, so Max inserts himself into the situation and uses his charm to convince the guy to give them the job. Remy is not very happy about a stranger getting in the middle of her business, but beggers… Now she has to share the ship with her new pilot. The very handsome, very muscular new pilot… What a rotten job!!

I had a good feeling about this book and it was utterly confirmed when I started reading it. I am very glad that the focus is on the story and not on the romance, so the reader can really enjoy the Universe the author creates as the board where the characters dwell. There are plenty of elements, but it is not overwhelming. Just enough details to explain everything that is needed to understand the characters and the situation. That makes the pace pretty light and fast, which is something I’m grateful for. It is not a long book, but it has plenty of room to make the story rather complex and with several twists. I know there are too many coincidences that make the whole deal a bit unbelievable, but in my opinion everything is compensated with the enjoyable characters and action packed adventure.

Both main characters are great, but Max wins by far the podium of the most awesome one. He is very sure of himself, but not in an annoying way. I would say his soft cockiness make him very charismatic and, why deny it, downrigth cute. And the author doesn’t miss a chance to tell us the guy is packing serious muscle. Sometimes the constant description of his chest and biceps gets a bit ridiculous, but that could be my jelousy talking. I like that Remy is capable of resisting Max’s charm (barely), which gifts us with many fun exchanges among them. It was obvious that the Captain was going to be able to resist a limited amount of tight T-Shirts and cocky grins, so when they end together is not that big of a surprise. When they delcare themselves a serious couple, the book loses some of its appealing. Remy goes from yelling at the poor guy to patting sweetly his head in just a matter of days, which I found a bit simple.

As I said before, the romance is not the most important part of the book, but it has its own good moments that will satiate most of the readers. There are several love/sex scenes during the ride to Haverty, but do not expect fireworks or something convulated. They are pretty simple, with a heavy factor of copy/paste that makes them less interesting. Don’t get me wrog. They are correct (Max naked… enough said), but I would tag them as unremarkable and just filling. Even though they are not great, that fact shouldn’t stop you from enjoying Remy and Max as a couple.

The hidden star of the book and one of the most amazing elements in the story is not other than Saint. The Moral Compass of Max. I love the idea of having an holographic companion in your shoulder acting as your speaking conscience, keeping you in the track of good morals and ethics and giving proper advice in moments of need. The bond of the pilot with Saint is spectacular and I am sad it wasn’t explored more thoroughly. I wanted the Moral Compass to have a much bigger role, because the idea of it is awesome and it fits in the story smoothly. Big kudos for it!!

I wouldn’t mind more adventures with this crew! Too bad it seems this is a standalone. There are still some threads that could be explored (Katie’s past, for example), so I wouldn’t be that surprsied if in the future is published another book following the Steel Coyote’s adventures.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

**I received a copy of Steel Coyote from Net Galley and Entangled Publishing in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. My opinions are mine alone and not solicited in any way.**

Steel Coyote by Beth Williamson was surprisingly good for a Sci-Fi story plus the author is new to me and I'm crossing my fingers that Katie the "Turtle's" kick a** mechanic will get a book because I know there's a good story to be told there. There's the Corporation, "The Have's" that rules the skies, The Great Family (Who strong but reward those who follow) but it's the Have-Nots who have to find a way to fly under the radar and exist. There's a very interesting way via a bio chip that provides money to everyone.

Remy Hawthorne needs this cargo job badly as her ship is out of fuel and food plus she has two of her best crew counting on her. When she meets the job enough to accept Max Fletcher as her new pilot little does she know that he knows Haverty very well. After adding Max to her crew of two Foley, just don't let him arrange peppermint candy and Katie who can fix anything especially the Coyote and two twin teenagers, Max and Mason who are going to the same planet. They just need to deliver the cargo in 14 days to receive the rest of the payment without opening the box.

Max Fletcher escaped from the abuse of his father years ago and you guessed it he needs the transport job as much as Remy his Moral Compass, Saint, advises him to not get involved. He knows Haverty quite well and what goes on there with the cooperation of the Corporation/Military and wants to make sure Remy is safe delivering the cargo. But when the twins explain what's inside the box everyone on the Coyote will do anything not to deliver it to the planet.

[Brigitte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Steel Coyote is about travelling in space where things aren't so different. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer as they are exploited by those with money and power.

Max is a ship pilot who covers his troubled past, by using his charm. He lives from day to day with no future plans.

Remy is a ship's captain who resorts to taking any job to make ends meet. Her ship and her small crew are her most precious assets.

On her way to negotiate a transaction, she is spotted by Max. He finds her looks and demeanour very attractive. When she finds herself in a spot of bother, he inserts himself and save the day. That done, she is stuck with him against her better judgement. Life has taught her not to trust anyone. During the time that they work together, they slowly grow on each other.

They both have mysterious and dark pasts which they don't easily divulge. The mission that they have undertaken puts them in danger. They have enemies who wish to make their lives difficult. Will these threats drive them to trust one anther or will they allow their pasts to dictate their future?

Underneath his annoying charm, Max is a good person even after what life has thrown at him. Remy finds it difficult to confide in anyone until they prove worthy of her trust. The origins of Max and Remy come as a surprise, even more so for Remy. This story is full of suspense, intrigues and the romance is not convincing to begin with, but all is well that ends well. A good read.

I was kindly issued with an eARC from Netgalley and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

[BooksBooksandmoreBooks69 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remington “Remy” flies a cargo ship, but she’s not just the pilot, she’s the captain, and a good one, she’s had to prove herself over and over. She needs jobs, there is fuel and food to buy for the crew. And a dubious job comes up, she doesn’t want to take it, but she doesn’t really have a choice.

Max is rather taken with a cute little pilot, but she’s not really giving him a chance. So when an opportunity arises, Max is on it. And maybe he can change her mind and her opinion of him.

Finding out the cargo is more than what they expected. Max and Remy need to decide on what course of action to take. But others are on their trail, they need to take action. And now....

Max has a past that haunts him, and he really doesn’t want to return to the planet they are going to. But a promise is a promise, so heading towards a past he’d rather forget, maybe Max needs to face it, rather than always running.

Lots of action, a few twists and lots of laughs. Throw in the chemistry between Remy and Max, and laugh with the colourful characters that make up the crew. Very well written, and really descriptive.

🦋

[Elizabeth Neal]

Remington's life isn't the easiest, and being a cargo ship captain creates its own problems. But she'll do anything to keep her crew safe. And then a deal goes south and that determination is tested when she must rely on a stranger, Max, to help her, and subsequently them.

Illegal cargo and stowaways while rapidly flying through space makes for an interesting, and dangerous, ride, but add in the attraction between her and Max. But when the threat gets closer, these two must also learn to trust each other, and that just might be the true danger.

I have to admit, I lost interest in this one as the fact that Max has a reputation as a playboy was not mentioned in the blurb. If I had known that, I wouldn't have offered to read this ARC as I avoid those type of characters whenever possible.

With that being the case, I don't think it's fair to rate this title as it's a matter of personal preference versus the book itself.

[Nikki Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remy has taken over as Captain of the Steel Coyote from her adoptice father. Whilst he was alive she got a modicum of respect, now she has to fight with everyone, who is not a member of her crew, for any work going. She meets Max when he somehow enviegles himself as the pilot of her ship and secures them a lucrative contract. Now lumbered with the far-too-hot-for-his-own-good pilot, she and the crew have to haul a secretive load and get paid on time.

Fabulously well written sci-fi romance. With charismatic leads and a great supporting cast in the crew, the plot fairly zipped along. Think a female Malcolm from Firefly with her hodge podge crew!

Want more now please!

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first time in reading this author but do not know how I missed her before. Having been drifting away from sci-fi romance this one though looked a bit different. That cover helps too I do believe. The characters will keep you entertained in this one as the story unravels. Remington and Max as they find their chemistry growing also have to deal with the pitfalls that come their way. Drama is high with you at the front seeing where this is ending up at. With other characters to fit in this one also this is a well rounded action romance even for a sci-fi giving you a excellent read.

[Regina Kiddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come fly the universe with Remy and Fletch. Complete with a female mechanic, a set of teenage twins and a farting old man. Lots of laughs, adventure, romance, and some hot moments that will make you sigh. Remy is a captain committed to her crew. Fletch is a pilot that wants to be more then just her crew. Follow them through danger and love. I gave this book a roaring 5 stars because once I started reading I couldn’t put it down!

[Rebecca Goss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remington faces discrimination as a female cargo pilot and captain. Fletcher is drawn to her and offers his services in a round about way so that she get job she desperately needs. They both have a colorful past and must face their demons if they succeed on this job. There is a lot of content and some definite darkness in this sci fi romance. All characters are interesting and intrigue the reader.

[Cindy Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beth Williamson has never disappointed me with a book. The characters are realistic and well rounded, and make you feel whether you like the characters or not. Plenty of conflict and suspense fill every page, making it a page turner. It's been a while since I read a science fiction romance, and I'm glad Steel Coyote was my foray back into the genre. And Saint, the moral compass was a hoot.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for review.

[Karen Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a convoluted tale of adventure and intrigue. Remy is a spaceship captain struggling to survive. Forced to take on a cargo she normally wouldn't touch she teams up with Max. The plot they uncover is unconscionable and they go into action to stop it. This book was riveting. I hated having to put it down and the ending left me with a smile on my face.

[Suzette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual style to read, but it was interesting. It will be great for anyone who likes Star Wars or any such books or movies. Remy and Max find themselves in a tight situation running for their lives between galaxies. They both have secrets and have to find a way to trust each other in order to survive. The are powerfully attracted to each other and together they have explosive heat. With their motley crew the face the enemy head on as they look to their future.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun romp with a book full of stock characters and very used tropes that are used because they work. I loved the crew of the Steel Coyote. Their adventures are exciting and there is tension, danger and romance that drive the story line.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a pleasant surprise. This turned out to be better than expected. Well written, good characters, nice slow burn romance, adventure and all the feels. Definitely will be reading more by this author.

[Breane Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received an arc from netgalley. Loved this action packed book! Definitely recommend it!

[Ilze · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too slow for my taste

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good read

[Ash P Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in one go, it was so captivating. Each character is uniquely engineered to keep you guessing what they are going to next. Remy and Max are crazy hot and equally frustrating as a couple. The twins gave an interesting twist to the story. I would really be interested in having this book turn into a series because I would like to see what happens for Katie and the twins storywise. A truly enjoyable read.

Advance Review Copy provided by #NetGalley for voluntary review consideration

[Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I completely change my mind on a series, so want to change my scoring down a lot)

How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)

All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked


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First time read the author's work?: Yes

Will you be reading more?: Yes (I'd especially like to read more books about this ship's crew, but it seems there are none.)

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Pros:
Interesting premise for how things would work in the future with humans who have colonised space. I could definitely envision the set up occurring.

Nice 'world' building.

Good characters, nice dialogue and interplay between them.

-
Personal likes: Few crew on a spaceship in need of repairs, against the universe.


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Cons:
Plot was a bit predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless.