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Maelstrom Chronicles #2
Traitor
Captain Nikolas EstherVorn is a traitor. Or so it was decreed after Niko disobeyed protocol while trying to save Earth from other-dimensional creatures. Stuck in a prison cell, the last thing he needs is to be in close proximity to sexy-as-sin Dr. Sarah CallenJoseph. Not with him damn near ready break out just to get to her.
Niko's desire isn't quite his own…and Sarah can prove it. He—along with the other soldiers on the disastrous mission—were drugged with some kind of toxin. Niko has no clue how the drug got into his body or why, but Sarah suspects there’s a link between the toxin and the fertility crisis of Shipborn humans.
To investigate is forbidden. But as lust becomes something deeper, binding them together in a way neither expected, Niko and Sarah must battle time—and their superiors—to uncover the secret that could save humanity...or destroy it.
Niko's desire isn't quite his own…and Sarah can prove it. He—along with the other soldiers on the disastrous mission—were drugged with some kind of toxin. Niko has no clue how the drug got into his body or why, but Sarah suspects there’s a link between the toxin and the fertility crisis of Shipborn humans.
To investigate is forbidden. But as lust becomes something deeper, binding them together in a way neither expected, Niko and Sarah must battle time—and their superiors—to uncover the secret that could save humanity...or destroy it.
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First published July 28, 2015
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About the author
Jody Wallace
47 books158 followersJody Wallace’s 30+ titles include sf/f romance, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance. Her fiction features diverse protagonists, action, adventure, and humor. Her readers frequently comment on her great characters, suspenseful stories, and intriguing and creative world building. When describing her methods, Jody says: “There are two sides to every story. I aim to tell the third. And I add cats regardless.”
Outside of her fiction career, Jody has employed her Master’s Degree in Creative Writing to work as a college English instructor, technical documents editor, market analyst, web designer, and all around pain in the butt.
Outside of her fiction career, Jody has employed her Master’s Degree in Creative Writing to work as a college English instructor, technical documents editor, market analyst, web designer, and all around pain in the butt.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 26, 2016
Everything about this book should have me loving it. It has great world building, good action, a nice romance, and Ship as a character.
However, as often happens for me with this author, the tone of the book grates. The villain makes me nuts. The hero reaction to everything that goes on makes me cringe.
It is almost a texture thing. It tastes fine but I don't like the way it feels.
I was given this book for my honest review. So, there you have it.
However, as often happens for me with this author, the tone of the book grates. The villain makes me nuts. The hero reaction to everything that goes on makes me cringe.
It is almost a texture thing. It tastes fine but I don't like the way it feels.
I was given this book for my honest review. So, there you have it.
July 29, 2015
3.5 stars. It took me a while to get into this book. I didn’t realise it was the second in a series when I started it, and since things start right in the middle of the fallout from the last book it took a while for me to catch up. However, once I did I really started to enjoy this tale. Niko is an honourable, hardworking soldier whose free will has been tampered with big time, while Sarah is stubborn and determined to find out why, even as she pushes Niko almost to breaking point. The pair of them might have communication issues at times (I know it’s embarrassing Niko, but just tell her why you’re avoiding her! And likewise, Sarah, tell him you want him so he doesn’t think he’s molesting you!), but once they settle down they make an excellent team.
I also loved Ship! I’m a sucker for sentient entities that aren’t normally sentient, so a big old nosy ship poking around in its passengers’ business was wonderful. Especially its relationship with Niko – though less so for Niko’s awful father. I could also understand why Ship freaked out the Terrans so much, though, especially since the Shipborn weren’t doing as much as they could to help defeat the demon invasion. Unless Niko was involved, of course.
The plot also has a nice snowballing effect, building tension the further it progresses, until things become fast and furious with nail biting tension as Niko seems to get hit from all sides, while Sarah races to solve things. Okay, so the actual underlying cause seemed pretty obvious to me from a long way out, but I still wasn’t sure just how or when they were going to realise it – or even get a chance to.
I have to admit there were times when I almost wanted the pair of them to jump on Ship and leave everyone else to die. Humanity is not shown in any great light in this book, but then again they’re dealing mostly with politicians and dissidents, so I should probably have expected that and not condemned my entire planet so quickly.
Overall this was fun, though it probably works better if you’ve already read the first book. There’s plenty of action, a nicely twisting plot, some vicious demonic beasties, plenty of backstabbing humans, a wonderful sentient ship and a romantic couple who grow to become a real team, despite the betrayals, subterfuge and other issues surrounding them. I enjoyed my first taste of this series and it definitely won’t be my last.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
I also loved Ship! I’m a sucker for sentient entities that aren’t normally sentient, so a big old nosy ship poking around in its passengers’ business was wonderful. Especially its relationship with Niko – though less so for Niko’s awful father. I could also understand why Ship freaked out the Terrans so much, though, especially since the Shipborn weren’t doing as much as they could to help defeat the demon invasion. Unless Niko was involved, of course.
The plot also has a nice snowballing effect, building tension the further it progresses, until things become fast and furious with nail biting tension as Niko seems to get hit from all sides, while Sarah races to solve things. Okay, so the actual underlying cause seemed pretty obvious to me from a long way out, but I still wasn’t sure just how or when they were going to realise it – or even get a chance to.
I have to admit there were times when I almost wanted the pair of them to jump on Ship and leave everyone else to die. Humanity is not shown in any great light in this book, but then again they’re dealing mostly with politicians and dissidents, so I should probably have expected that and not condemned my entire planet so quickly.
Overall this was fun, though it probably works better if you’ve already read the first book. There’s plenty of action, a nicely twisting plot, some vicious demonic beasties, plenty of backstabbing humans, a wonderful sentient ship and a romantic couple who grow to become a real team, despite the betrayals, subterfuge and other issues surrounding them. I enjoyed my first taste of this series and it definitely won’t be my last.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
July 26, 2015
To investigate is forbidden but Niko and Sarah are in a battle against time and their superiors to uncover the secret that could save humanity…or destroy it in this thrilling sci-fi paranormal romance.
Niko is in enough trouble without having an insane lust for Dr. Sarah CallenJoseph and the readers can’t help but get drawn into the intrigue and excitement of this story as Niko and Sarah uncover multiple layers of subterfuge and betrayal while their lust for each other becomes something deeper and more binding. The chemistry between Sarah and Niko is undeniably hot but the relationship has so many variable and obstacles that it takes some heavy duty maneuvering to get to the heart of the situation while these strong compelling characters pull into their story and demand your help in saving humanity and the steady to fast paced and smooth flowing plot thrills readers with lots of suspense, action and romance.
As the danger escalates, Niko and Sarah discover so many plots to sabotage the mission that they’re not sure who to trust especially when the motive is not anything they can figure out and unexpected twists keep everyone guessing. Battling the other-dimensional creatures for their lives adds lots of excitement but that’s just the tip of the ice-berg as Niko and Sarah battle their superiors while battling with the people of Earth to try to save them. Well written scenes and details capture the imagination while the intriguing events ensure that the readers have to know what’s going on.
I wasn’t real sure about this book in the beginning because I seemed to be a little lost but it soon became apparent that I had missed at least one previous book so while the story can be read as a standalone I must tell you that I feel I would have been better off if I had read the first one, but it did not stop me from enjoying this fascinating world with its very intriguing characters that the author has created.
Niko is in enough trouble without having an insane lust for Dr. Sarah CallenJoseph and the readers can’t help but get drawn into the intrigue and excitement of this story as Niko and Sarah uncover multiple layers of subterfuge and betrayal while their lust for each other becomes something deeper and more binding. The chemistry between Sarah and Niko is undeniably hot but the relationship has so many variable and obstacles that it takes some heavy duty maneuvering to get to the heart of the situation while these strong compelling characters pull into their story and demand your help in saving humanity and the steady to fast paced and smooth flowing plot thrills readers with lots of suspense, action and romance.
As the danger escalates, Niko and Sarah discover so many plots to sabotage the mission that they’re not sure who to trust especially when the motive is not anything they can figure out and unexpected twists keep everyone guessing. Battling the other-dimensional creatures for their lives adds lots of excitement but that’s just the tip of the ice-berg as Niko and Sarah battle their superiors while battling with the people of Earth to try to save them. Well written scenes and details capture the imagination while the intriguing events ensure that the readers have to know what’s going on.
I wasn’t real sure about this book in the beginning because I seemed to be a little lost but it soon became apparent that I had missed at least one previous book so while the story can be read as a standalone I must tell you that I feel I would have been better off if I had read the first one, but it did not stop me from enjoying this fascinating world with its very intriguing characters that the author has created.
July 28, 2015
Captain Nikolas EstherVorn is Shipborn; those who are born and bred on Ship. Ships are not just massive airships with Artificial Intelligence but sentient beings with very real personalities & house a whole community on board. Sent to save earth when the planet to threatened by vicious aliens, the mission is also hoping to discover if humans from earth have the solution to address a critical gender imbalance in the Shipborn who are primarily male.
I found the story somewhat confusing in that it appears to start in the middle, after the Shipborn have already arrived on Earth & closed off a nexus to prevent more demons from arriving at Earth. I felt like I was playing catch up all the time, trying to grasp the plot & figure out what was happening.
The romance is also muted & secondary to the action. The story is told predominately from the hero's perspective & the heroine is very much a secondary character. There is also a lot of profanity; which is not something I enjoy. The best character in the story is probably Ship!
Copy gifted in exchange for an honest review
I found the story somewhat confusing in that it appears to start in the middle, after the Shipborn have already arrived on Earth & closed off a nexus to prevent more demons from arriving at Earth. I felt like I was playing catch up all the time, trying to grasp the plot & figure out what was happening.
The romance is also muted & secondary to the action. The story is told predominately from the hero's perspective & the heroine is very much a secondary character. There is also a lot of profanity; which is not something I enjoy. The best character in the story is probably Ship!
Copy gifted in exchange for an honest review
August 3, 2016
I received this book from Entangled Publishing in return for a fair and honest review.
This is a complex and intricate science fiction story with a dash of romance thrown in for good measure. It is the second book in the series although it can be read as a standalone (as I have) and I don't feel that you lose too much by doing so. It also has a considerably large character list for you to keep track of. Traitor is quite a long book so you get a lot of book for your buck.
On the whole, this was an enjoyable read with lots of different opinions, points of view and action spots to keep you interested. It is well-written at a steady pace, building up to the climax. For lovers of Sci-Fi, I can definitely recommend it.
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is a complex and intricate science fiction story with a dash of romance thrown in for good measure. It is the second book in the series although it can be read as a standalone (as I have) and I don't feel that you lose too much by doing so. It also has a considerably large character list for you to keep track of. Traitor is quite a long book so you get a lot of book for your buck.
On the whole, this was an enjoyable read with lots of different opinions, points of view and action spots to keep you interested. It is well-written at a steady pace, building up to the climax. For lovers of Sci-Fi, I can definitely recommend it.
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
July 26, 2015
I was hooked! The action, the plot, the characters, the world... all very interesting and well planned. I wanted not to like Niko at first because of the circumstances that brought him into Sarah's professional purview, but soon enough, I understood that it was not within his control. I dig strong female characters so this book really appealed to my preference. The setting was very cool and I'm really looking forward to reading more.
Read
April 17, 2021I wrote this. Sometimes I thought it SUCKED and sometimes I thought it was the Best Book EVAR. But I'm not going to add any stars. That's for readers to do!
October 19, 2015
Last month, Bitten by Romance put on the Tour of the Universe. Jody Wallace’s post about sentient ships really intrigued me. Then I remembered. I have her book! A book where a ship is a major character sounds really fascinating.
So I started reading Traitor. The opening chapter is all about desire and sex. With the Tour of the Universe post in mind, I was kind of disappointed, since it was not what I was looking forward to.
But, with the Tour of the Universe post in mind, I persevered. Even in chapter 1, with all that talk about desire and sex, Ship 1001 is a major character. And Ship continued to evolve into the complex appealing character that is basically the glue that holds all parts of Traitor together. Ship is my favorite character in this book. He has opinions on everything, considers Shipborn to be his children and is not above interfering in their lives. He is kind of annoying in a humorous way. Ship is often the comic relief. As Ms. Wallace explains in Traitor: “The personality of Ship 1001 was that of an extroverted, somewhat uptight, and insistently nosy next bunk neighbor.”
The book gets it title from more than one source. The source I will talk about is Captain Nikolas EstherVorn – Niko. His traitorous actions occurred prior to the events in this book, but it is not necessary to know all the details (as presented in book 1 – Angeli) to grasp the situation in Traitor. At the beginning of the story, General Vorn, Niko’s father, has confined Niko to Ship for previous code infractions.
I am not going to give you any particulars about other traitors because, well, no spoilers here! But pretty early in the book, it becomes evident that there has been a plot to interfere with the success of the Earth mission to save it from creatures that came through a dimension rift. There is a mystery to be solved. It is going to be solved by Niko and Dr. Sarah CallenJoseph.
Niko and Sarah have been secretly attracted to each other but neither had any intention of acting on that attraction. It just so happens that acting on that attraction becomes a ploy to help them solve the mystery. What tangled, romantic, sexy webs they will weave! The romance between Sarah and Niko is a central part of this story. Ship thinks it is pretty important too and offers his opinion on the subject whenever he can. Which just endears Ship to me more.
The story is complex and multi-layered. There are plots. And plots within plots. Niko and Sarah must defy code (and Ship and the General) to solve the mystery. They uncover evil plans that need to be foiled! Foiling requires action that takes place on both Earth and Ship. Niko being the son of General Vorn adds another complexity layer to this tangled tale. And let us not forget that Earth is about to be overrun by creatures from another dimension. Earth really needs help from the Shipborn, but Terrans have been quite uncooperative. Which leads to more complexity. And more action. Oh, and there are some cool, high-tech tools that Shipborn have access to.
My final opinion is this. Traitor is a lively Sci Fi Action/ Mystery/ Romance with plenty to grab your attention and hold it firmly until the end of the book.
Originally posted at Smart Girls Love Sci Fi Romance.
So I started reading Traitor. The opening chapter is all about desire and sex. With the Tour of the Universe post in mind, I was kind of disappointed, since it was not what I was looking forward to.
But, with the Tour of the Universe post in mind, I persevered. Even in chapter 1, with all that talk about desire and sex, Ship 1001 is a major character. And Ship continued to evolve into the complex appealing character that is basically the glue that holds all parts of Traitor together. Ship is my favorite character in this book. He has opinions on everything, considers Shipborn to be his children and is not above interfering in their lives. He is kind of annoying in a humorous way. Ship is often the comic relief. As Ms. Wallace explains in Traitor: “The personality of Ship 1001 was that of an extroverted, somewhat uptight, and insistently nosy next bunk neighbor.”
The book gets it title from more than one source. The source I will talk about is Captain Nikolas EstherVorn – Niko. His traitorous actions occurred prior to the events in this book, but it is not necessary to know all the details (as presented in book 1 – Angeli) to grasp the situation in Traitor. At the beginning of the story, General Vorn, Niko’s father, has confined Niko to Ship for previous code infractions.
I am not going to give you any particulars about other traitors because, well, no spoilers here! But pretty early in the book, it becomes evident that there has been a plot to interfere with the success of the Earth mission to save it from creatures that came through a dimension rift. There is a mystery to be solved. It is going to be solved by Niko and Dr. Sarah CallenJoseph.
Niko and Sarah have been secretly attracted to each other but neither had any intention of acting on that attraction. It just so happens that acting on that attraction becomes a ploy to help them solve the mystery. What tangled, romantic, sexy webs they will weave! The romance between Sarah and Niko is a central part of this story. Ship thinks it is pretty important too and offers his opinion on the subject whenever he can. Which just endears Ship to me more.
The story is complex and multi-layered. There are plots. And plots within plots. Niko and Sarah must defy code (and Ship and the General) to solve the mystery. They uncover evil plans that need to be foiled! Foiling requires action that takes place on both Earth and Ship. Niko being the son of General Vorn adds another complexity layer to this tangled tale. And let us not forget that Earth is about to be overrun by creatures from another dimension. Earth really needs help from the Shipborn, but Terrans have been quite uncooperative. Which leads to more complexity. And more action. Oh, and there are some cool, high-tech tools that Shipborn have access to.
My final opinion is this. Traitor is a lively Sci Fi Action/ Mystery/ Romance with plenty to grab your attention and hold it firmly until the end of the book.
Originally posted at Smart Girls Love Sci Fi Romance.
September 21, 2015
This is truly a fascinating book. Its’ a very complex and amazing story that really has to be read to believe. I am in awe of the intricate web the author wove, starting in book 1 and into book 2, that in the end managed to catch the bad guy and destroy him and disrupt his plans. Thankfully because otherwise we wouldn’t be here (as he was planning to leave Earth to the “demons” and let humanity to be destroyed!)
This book manages to be an adventure, a romance and an engaging Sci-Fi with aliens, very cool technology and an amazingly advanced spaceShip! And like the first book it also had a comedic side with droll, perfectly sarcastic lines delivered with impeccable timing by the most surprising characters. And done in such a way that everyone in the room got the joke except the bad guy.
I found the romantic relationship between Niko and Sarah to be central to the entire plot of this book. Since Niko and Sarah had known each other for years, as colleagues then as friends, each had slowly developed feelings for the other over that time, although neither dared share that information aboard Ship. But when Niko (and ALMOST his whole earthbound team) are dosed with a “lust booster”, he eventually finds himself face-to-face with Dr. Sarah and astonishingly, proves to be incapable of resisting his desperate need to kiss her. And as thrilled as she is to be kissed by Niko, Dr. Sarah believes she knows why the strongest and most honorable man she has ever met is now incapable of resisting her! Thus the scandal, hinted at in the first book, as well as part of the mystery are revealed and a partnership and eventually a relationship is born. A relationship between equals who admire and respect each other’s talents and brains and well as their bodies, which means that there is a reality to the way they interact with each other once their walls come down. A lot of military personnel who find themselves in desperate, do-or-die situations often resort to (inappropriate) comedy as a stress release and these two were no different. The banter between them showed the depth of their relationship, built first as friends, was going to be more than strong enough to hold them together no matter the issues facing them.
This was a long book but it really needed to be. I was never overwhelmed with information at any time and even though I wondered why I learned something at the time(s), later it became clear that I needed to know those things to weed through and solve the many different mysteries, conspiracies and lies that surrounded them throughout this book and this series. I was very impressed with the way the author brought everything together and neatly cleaned up every web of intrigue, rumor, misdirection or outright lie out there. And still left a perfect opening for book 3, which I hope to read someday soon!
This book manages to be an adventure, a romance and an engaging Sci-Fi with aliens, very cool technology and an amazingly advanced spaceShip! And like the first book it also had a comedic side with droll, perfectly sarcastic lines delivered with impeccable timing by the most surprising characters. And done in such a way that everyone in the room got the joke except the bad guy.
I found the romantic relationship between Niko and Sarah to be central to the entire plot of this book. Since Niko and Sarah had known each other for years, as colleagues then as friends, each had slowly developed feelings for the other over that time, although neither dared share that information aboard Ship. But when Niko (and ALMOST his whole earthbound team) are dosed with a “lust booster”, he eventually finds himself face-to-face with Dr. Sarah and astonishingly, proves to be incapable of resisting his desperate need to kiss her. And as thrilled as she is to be kissed by Niko, Dr. Sarah believes she knows why the strongest and most honorable man she has ever met is now incapable of resisting her! Thus the scandal, hinted at in the first book, as well as part of the mystery are revealed and a partnership and eventually a relationship is born. A relationship between equals who admire and respect each other’s talents and brains and well as their bodies, which means that there is a reality to the way they interact with each other once their walls come down. A lot of military personnel who find themselves in desperate, do-or-die situations often resort to (inappropriate) comedy as a stress release and these two were no different. The banter between them showed the depth of their relationship, built first as friends, was going to be more than strong enough to hold them together no matter the issues facing them.
This was a long book but it really needed to be. I was never overwhelmed with information at any time and even though I wondered why I learned something at the time(s), later it became clear that I needed to know those things to weed through and solve the many different mysteries, conspiracies and lies that surrounded them throughout this book and this series. I was very impressed with the way the author brought everything together and neatly cleaned up every web of intrigue, rumor, misdirection or outright lie out there. And still left a perfect opening for book 3, which I hope to read someday soon!
August 2, 2015
Rating: 4.5/5
I love the books of Anne MacCaffrey, escaping into the wonderful worlds and scenarios which she (and now her son, Todd) created. One of those books was entitled ‘The Ship Who Sang’ and it still is one of my all time favourites (though I don’t think I’ve ever posted a review of it..…yet!) This book is similar in some ways, having a ship controlled by a sentient being, beings interacting with the ship, dangers from attacking enemies and sabotage from within endangering the crew’s lives, add in the romance and you’ve got this novel - definitely a winning combination!
In this story Captain Nikolas EstherVorn has been leading an unsanctioned aid mission, trying to save Earth from being attacked by other-dimensional creatures. This aid has consequences far beyond any that they had initially realised, especially as so many terran women are no pregnant with progeny from members of the ship’s crew! It seems the men involved were drugged with some toxin but ships’ doctor, Dr Sarah Callen Joseph is prohibited from investigating. Niko and Sarah, however, are attracted to each other and she is determined to discover what has happened to him and the others. Will their quest to uncover the truth help save humanity - or destroy it? Will their love ever find a way? You’ll just have to read it to find out!
A great read, with complex characters portraying the dilemmas facing them as they defy the rules to solve the mysteries and seek their own HEA. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys mysteries with science fiction and romance combined in a very readable novel.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley too,
for letting me read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love the books of Anne MacCaffrey, escaping into the wonderful worlds and scenarios which she (and now her son, Todd) created. One of those books was entitled ‘The Ship Who Sang’ and it still is one of my all time favourites (though I don’t think I’ve ever posted a review of it..…yet!) This book is similar in some ways, having a ship controlled by a sentient being, beings interacting with the ship, dangers from attacking enemies and sabotage from within endangering the crew’s lives, add in the romance and you’ve got this novel - definitely a winning combination!
In this story Captain Nikolas EstherVorn has been leading an unsanctioned aid mission, trying to save Earth from being attacked by other-dimensional creatures. This aid has consequences far beyond any that they had initially realised, especially as so many terran women are no pregnant with progeny from members of the ship’s crew! It seems the men involved were drugged with some toxin but ships’ doctor, Dr Sarah Callen Joseph is prohibited from investigating. Niko and Sarah, however, are attracted to each other and she is determined to discover what has happened to him and the others. Will their quest to uncover the truth help save humanity - or destroy it? Will their love ever find a way? You’ll just have to read it to find out!
A great read, with complex characters portraying the dilemmas facing them as they defy the rules to solve the mysteries and seek their own HEA. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys mysteries with science fiction and romance combined in a very readable novel.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley too,
for letting me read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 6, 2015
Strong SF-romance with plenty of action, steam and the author's trademark humour. Book two in a series. Now that the Terrans know the Shipborn aren't angeli, the alliance between them is crumbling and Niko has been falsely labelled a traitor. Niko and Sarah, a doctor, must solve the mystery of the Shipborn's reproductive problems and convince the others not to abandon Terra to the inter-dimensional daemons. I especially enjoyed the AI Ship's enigmatic behavior.
July 28, 2015
This book was awesome. Imagine Farscape crossed with Battlestar Galactica all wrapped up in a romance novel and this is what you get. Sci-fi romances are one of my favorite genres and this is one of the best in it's genre that I've read in a while.
September 7, 2015
Not terrible but nothing to write home about? There were some aspects of the plot I found really interesting, but I think, overall, the entire set up was a bit too out there & convoluted for me.
June 14, 2017
An entertaining follow-up to the first book - Angeli.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews