What do you think?
Rate this book
Obsidian Rim #7
Ace's Odds
Mkhai Kerbasi is a former soldier running on luck’s fumes. He gambled and won, but he’s still in debt to the mob boss who runs Gizem, a glitzy, glamorous space station where all the shine hides a dark underworld. The only hand he’s got left to play is getting the mob boss’s daughter off the station… but how much of his heart is he willing to lose?
Silbe Otxoa is no pampered princess, even if her father is one of the most feared men in the ruined galaxy. Now that she’s embroiled in a desperate scheme to keep her family safe, she has to team up with a roguish smuggler who makes her want to bet on him with everything she's got.
The two of them together might be able to beat the odds, if they can trust each other enough to lay their hearts on the table.
***
Zev sent Mirari Otxoa away years ago to protect her and their unborn daughter. Now that he’s rolling nothing but snake eyes, he needs to see them again, if only to say goodbye. But Mirari has no intention of walking away again from the man who’s always had her heart weighted in his favor.
Silbe Otxoa is no pampered princess, even if her father is one of the most feared men in the ruined galaxy. Now that she’s embroiled in a desperate scheme to keep her family safe, she has to team up with a roguish smuggler who makes her want to bet on him with everything she's got.
The two of them together might be able to beat the odds, if they can trust each other enough to lay their hearts on the table.
***
Zev sent Mirari Otxoa away years ago to protect her and their unborn daughter. Now that he’s rolling nothing but snake eyes, he needs to see them again, if only to say goodbye. But Mirari has no intention of walking away again from the man who’s always had her heart weighted in his favor.
185 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 2019
9 people want to read
About the author
Sela Carsen
29 books116 followersShort version:
Sela Carsen is an award-winning author of paranormal and sci-fi romance -- with or without sex and dead bodies. Your pick. She maintains a permanent nerd-on for fairytales and mythology, and openly hoards reference books about obscure folklore. Born a wanderer, she and her family have finally settled in the Midwest. Until they move again, at least.
Long and rambly, but funnier version:
In addition to writing, I’m a wife to a Darn Near Perfect Husband and mom to Two Great Kids. They used to be the Monkey children, but they seem to have settled down a bit. (That’s going to come back and bite me on the butt as soon as you read this!)
I have a BA in French (utterly useless, but fun at parties) and another BA in Communication. While I was getting the Communication degree, I wrote for my alumni magazine, dipped my feet into advertising, took want ads at the local paper and even wrote obituaries. I was also a reporter at a small-town daily, but soon realized I didn’t have a true journalist’s instinct.
After that, I was busy being married and having children, but when my youngest was about a year and half old, I was standing in the shower when a scene popped into my head. Why does that always happen when you’re in the shower and you can’t get a pen and paper? Anyway, I got the soap out of my eyes, dried off and headed straight for the computer where I wrote it all down.
And boy, did it stink. Whew!
I’d been reading romance novels for years so I figured I should be able to write one, right?
Are you done laughing? Let me know when you’re finished.
Ok, then. It took about twenty false starts and a work I now call The-Regency-That-Wouldn’t-Die before I finally got disgusted with myself and started writing this funny little scene in a Louisiana cemetery. That little scene became Not Quite Dead and it’s the first manuscript I ever finished. After much angst and rewriting on my part, I eventually sold it to Samhain Publishing, who released it in August 2006.
Since then, I’ve placed several other stories, but that first one will always be special to me.
I’m a member of Romance Writers Of America and can usually be found at the bar during national conferences.
Sela Carsen is an award-winning author of paranormal and sci-fi romance -- with or without sex and dead bodies. Your pick. She maintains a permanent nerd-on for fairytales and mythology, and openly hoards reference books about obscure folklore. Born a wanderer, she and her family have finally settled in the Midwest. Until they move again, at least.
Long and rambly, but funnier version:
In addition to writing, I’m a wife to a Darn Near Perfect Husband and mom to Two Great Kids. They used to be the Monkey children, but they seem to have settled down a bit. (That’s going to come back and bite me on the butt as soon as you read this!)
I have a BA in French (utterly useless, but fun at parties) and another BA in Communication. While I was getting the Communication degree, I wrote for my alumni magazine, dipped my feet into advertising, took want ads at the local paper and even wrote obituaries. I was also a reporter at a small-town daily, but soon realized I didn’t have a true journalist’s instinct.
After that, I was busy being married and having children, but when my youngest was about a year and half old, I was standing in the shower when a scene popped into my head. Why does that always happen when you’re in the shower and you can’t get a pen and paper? Anyway, I got the soap out of my eyes, dried off and headed straight for the computer where I wrote it all down.
And boy, did it stink. Whew!
I’d been reading romance novels for years so I figured I should be able to write one, right?
Are you done laughing? Let me know when you’re finished.
Ok, then. It took about twenty false starts and a work I now call The-Regency-That-Wouldn’t-Die before I finally got disgusted with myself and started writing this funny little scene in a Louisiana cemetery. That little scene became Not Quite Dead and it’s the first manuscript I ever finished. After much angst and rewriting on my part, I eventually sold it to Samhain Publishing, who released it in August 2006.
Since then, I’ve placed several other stories, but that first one will always be special to me.
I’m a member of Romance Writers Of America and can usually be found at the bar during national conferences.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 31, 2019
I’ve really come to love the Obsidian Rim, a wonderful shared universe that’s now the home of several independent series by different authors. Sela Carsen is one of these authors, and her contribution, Ace's Odds: Favor's Fate, is actually a double two-for-one deal, containing both Ace’s Odds, a perfect sci-fi romance involving down-on-his-luck ex-soldier Mkhai Kerbasi and mob princess Silbe Otxoa, and Roll of the Dice where Silbe’s mom and (scary) mob boss dad are on stage. Both of these are really wonderfully written; excellent sci-fi with a “Firefly” feel (a high complement) crossed with the best mafia movie and then with a great (and really well done) romance mixed in. Heady stuff. Suspenseful, thrilling and romantic, too, but it’s all really well written fun and full of memorable characters. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. This duo of stories definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that each tale is most definitely one to read, and the duo is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to returning to the Favor's Fate corner of the Obsidian Rim universe.
October 5, 2019
A delightful 4.5 **** read for me. I am a Sci-fi, Fantasy fiction fan and was immediately pulled into Sela Carsen’s world in “Obsidian Rim: Fate’s Favor” which consists of 2 stories: Ace’s Odds & Roll of the Dice.
In the 1st story, Mkhai/MMC is a seasoned freighter pilot and Silbe/FMC is the newly reunited daughter of Gizem space station’s hardened controller. Mkhai and Silbe find themselves forced to work together on a mission of necessity flying off-station to a nearby medical facility where the necessary blood infused serum to save Silbe’s dying father is manufactured. Her father’s ruthless adversaries create obstacles to thwart their mission. Although Mkhai and Silbe do not trust each other, they both need the mission to succeed.
The 2nd story is the 2nd Chance romance of Silbe’s mother, Mirari/FMC, and Silbe’s worn, estranged, birth father, boss of Gizem space station, Zev/MMC. Mirari has only recently returned to Zev’s space station with her adult daughter after living off station for nearly 2 decades. Has their time for love run out?
I am happy to recommend this book (both stories) for lite-Fantasy fiction fans. I didn’t want the adventure to end! Sela created a detailed world and fascinating characters I would love to revisit - Hint! - perhaps a story about Mkhai’s flight engineer, Cadoc, his 2nd in command who we meet briefly here. I was provided with a complimentary copy of “Fate’s Favor/Ace’s Odds” in exchange for an honest review.
For those concerned - the heat level in both books is slightly above sweet, not quite steamy. ;)
In the 1st story, Mkhai/MMC is a seasoned freighter pilot and Silbe/FMC is the newly reunited daughter of Gizem space station’s hardened controller. Mkhai and Silbe find themselves forced to work together on a mission of necessity flying off-station to a nearby medical facility where the necessary blood infused serum to save Silbe’s dying father is manufactured. Her father’s ruthless adversaries create obstacles to thwart their mission. Although Mkhai and Silbe do not trust each other, they both need the mission to succeed.
The 2nd story is the 2nd Chance romance of Silbe’s mother, Mirari/FMC, and Silbe’s worn, estranged, birth father, boss of Gizem space station, Zev/MMC. Mirari has only recently returned to Zev’s space station with her adult daughter after living off station for nearly 2 decades. Has their time for love run out?
I am happy to recommend this book (both stories) for lite-Fantasy fiction fans. I didn’t want the adventure to end! Sela created a detailed world and fascinating characters I would love to revisit - Hint! - perhaps a story about Mkhai’s flight engineer, Cadoc, his 2nd in command who we meet briefly here. I was provided with a complimentary copy of “Fate’s Favor/Ace’s Odds” in exchange for an honest review.
For those concerned - the heat level in both books is slightly above sweet, not quite steamy. ;)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews