Living life on Kaddaka station was predictable and profitable. Mala's talent for undetectable repairs has made her quite wealthy and the station quite popular. When a Reflex ship comes in hot, out of control and unable to stop, she is the woman for the job. The job itself is an audition for the Sector Guard, but unless Mala is successful the passengers of the ship will never be able to tell her the good news. Isabi has been less than enthusiastic about meeting his new partner, until he sees her. S
This author is prolific. Really, REALLY prolific - and that's a good thing because I enjoy her stuff. Note: these are short story/short novella sized works that share a common universe - a universe where 2000 Terrans were allowed to go out to the stars and establish that the Terrans could live, love, and adapt to the wider world...
The series theme is the establishment and performance of the Sector Guard, gifted individuals available to all worlds and individuals in dire need. They respond to everything from volcanic eruptions to prison breaks, the rescue the wrongly imprisoned and bring medical aid to plague-struck worlds. And they always serve in pairs, partners who become mates in time. Many of the stories contain Terrans, or those with some Terran in their ancestry, but not all.
I rate her stories pretty consistently as either 4s or 5s. Frequently there is sex - alien sex of course - and some very weird aliens they are but all seem to accomplish the 'insert tab A into slot B' thing to the delight of all concerned.
Below is the copy and paste from the author's web – Order is a little more important with this lot as the characters tend to reappear in later books and it helps if you know who they are. Also, everyone here has at least two names, the one they were born which is used privately and their Guard name which is used publicly to protect their families. The Guard name reflects their personal skill set. Thus the heroine in Freak Factor is both Mala Deeha in private and becomes Fixer because she can use her molecular transmutation to fix anything when she joins the Guard. And her partner Isabi Reda, is known as Shade since he has the ability to become a shadow which includes the handy trick of being able to walk through solid walls.
The Sector Guard (Terran Times Mainstream Spinoff at Devine Destinies) Freak Factor Running Wyld Hael’s Fury Seering Order Star Breaker Imperial Guard **read Spinner before this book Wyt and Wild Dragon Summons Tears of the Star **ties into Station 13 (Extasy Books) Psyche’s Caress Powered Up Armed and Armoured Celestial Storm Resurrecting Flame Guarding Pax Past Tense Hard Hearted **Companion piece to Hardcore Green Multiple Organisms Shaken and Stirred Echo in Time Ripped and Roar Harvest Hunt Wound Up Seal the Deal Pilot in Command
Sector Guard Crossovers at Extasy Books Hardcore Green **Companion piece to Hard Hearted
So engineer Mala aka The Fixer meets assassin courtesan Isabi when she is head hunted to be part of the sector guard. Her ‘freak factor’ is that she can intuitively fix anything mechanical. Her skills put her in great demand. She is just out to make enough money to look after her mother.
Once recruited she learns that everyone is partnered up and that the work compatibility is also a romantic one.
This story was so short that the couple were together in one paragraph. The fact that Mala was a virgin was treated pretty lightly. The whole story felt like a warm up for the rest of the series.
It was all a bit brief for me and the one sex scene at the end wasn’t really worth the wait. Not sure about this series. It felt like watching an episode of a TV serial. It was short and fast paced though. The others might be better once it all gets going.
Ok, any book where the heroine refers to her extra-normal abilities as part of her "freak factor" has to be great. Add in the "dark rainbow hair" and you've just got it all. And the fact that she's a glorified auto mechanic (repairing spaceships instead of cars, but hey, same idea right?) and you have a heroine that I can get behind all the way. There is snark, talent and a fun hero in this short story/novella.
I enjoy Freak Factor a lot. Since I had read most of Terran Times it was a surprised to read a book where Sector Guard was just being formed. The flow of the story as well as the whole concept of the story and world building is well put out. I enjoy the heroine's character a lot with her FREAK FACTOR
This introduction to the Sector Guard is a wonderful book that introduces Fixer and Shade. A woman who can fix almost anything and a man who wants to be the shade she can rest in. I have read these books several times now and they are always a great way to spend a couple hours.
Viola Grace is a creative and fun writer. This series great bubble gum reading. Not to scary or sad. The characters have depth and the stories make you feel good at the end. Only negative is they are more like short stories.
Working in space w inherited abilities…aliens of all shapes and abilities. Working peoples and royals. Such a detailed world. And then the feels…grime, hunger…love. I need more! 🥰😍
3.5 stars - Good book but the ending seemed so abrupt, like there was this whole scene that was missing. I liked that there wasn't instant love but just an attraction so far. They really didn't have time to get to know each other well at all so this made sense.
Mala repairs ships but she can fix a lot of different stuff. She has an innate ability to do this. She's recruited by the Sector Guard who up her pay and let her travel around a little, so she doesn't have any problem switching jobs. I kind of liked that she just said yes and that the recruiters were a little taken aback about it. Yes, show that's she's making an instant decision and that maybe she should have taken longer but don't drag me along with the inner dialogue. Thanks for that Viola! Another bonus is Isabi, who Mala will be partnering up with. The Sector Guard don't have any problem with partners becoming sexually active so Mala and Isabi take advantage of that.
I'm planning on reading more of this series. Hopefully the problems I found in this first book are ironed out in the following books.
I absolutely LOVE Viola Grace! I have read all the Sector Guard series, most of her Terran Times/Champions of Terra series, and most of her Tales of the Citadel series. Sometimes the books seem too short but I like that they are quick reads.