Invictus

The Morcai Battalion #3

by Susan Kyle, Diana Palmer

For almost three years Dtimun, the enigmatic and mysterious Cehn-Tahr commander of the Morcai Battalion, has been at war not only with the Rojok Dynasty, but also with his feisty Medical Chief of Staff, Dr. Madeline Ruszel. Now a surprising visitor from the future has charged them with the rescue of the enemy Rojok, Field Marshal Chacon. To ensure success, both Madeline and Dtimun must make personal sacrifices and attempt a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. Sparks fly as each twisting turn throws them closer together than they've ever been before—can they resist acting on desires they have long denied?

If their plans are discovered, they face exile by their own governments and possibly even execution. But if they do not act, the future will see the end of civilization itself...

Genres: Science Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction Romance, Military Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Science Fiction Fantasy, Aliens

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 13, 2010

About the author

Susan Kyle writes under the pseudonyms Diana Blayne, Katy Currie and Diana Palmer.

Susan Spaeth Kyle was born in 1946 in Randolph County, Georgia. She attended school in Atlanta and graduated in 1964 from Chamblee High School in Chamblee, Georgia.

In 1991, at the age of 44, she went back to college and graduated summa cum laude. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, with minors in anthropology and Spanish, from Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia. She has two years work on her master’s degree. She belongs to the honor society, Alpha Chi.

She has been married since 1972 to James Kyle. They have a son, Blayne Edward and two grandchildren.

Her hobbies are blues piano, classical guitar, researching the Tudor period of Great Britain. She enjoys reading science journals and anything pertaining to the field of theoretical physics. She is also an astronomy buff, and she owns a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. But her main hobby and obsession is online gaming. She plays World of Warcraft daily on the pc. She also plays Oblivion: Elder Scrolls 4 and Halo: 3 on Xbox Live on her Xbox 360. She and husband James are both players, along with her sister, Dannis, and niece, Maggie, and at least one of her readers.

Susan lives in Habersham County, Georgia, with husband James and a houseful of assorted animals.

Reviews

[Dannis Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this one, and it is my favorite of my sister's books. This series is classic space opera, and the first two books lead up to this romantic tale of an arranged marriage and pregnancy to rescue a friend. Madeline is a tough woman, and has spent her life as an expert soldier, but here is a peek at her vulnerable side and her deepest feelings. Dtimun also has a vulnerable side, and there are many surprises ahead. Also, for Diana Palmer romance fans, each of the books includes a Glossary that explains where the places are and who the people are, and it is very entertaining to read. I would suggest reading it before reading the 2nd and 3rd books as a refresher. Thank goodness for Kindle for PC and text to speech! Dry eye syndrome prevents me from reading very much but now my Kindle for PC can read to me.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was completely shocked when I found out that Susan Kyle is also Diana Palmer. I’ve said in the past that science fiction is not one of my favorite genres and I think that that statement is still true. While I enjoyed the world building in this installment of the Morcai Battalion series I felt as though something was missing. I’m sure that feeling is due to Invictus being the third book of the series. Reading a series out of order is something I rarely do by choice but this particular novel intrigued me. The characters were colorful and interesting but I just didn’t feel connected to them. Overall, the plot was intense and filled with drama. If you enjoy science fiction you will love the way Kyle describes the world she has created.

[Paraphrodite · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

With some editing, I think this book could have been merged with the previous book as there were quite a few repeated conversations and recaps, particularly in this book. Nonetheless, it was a good finish to the trilogy.

Todd McLaren was the narrator throughout the series and I think he did a decent job, considering some of the hard-to-pronounce names and places.

[Suellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the whole series. Loved this book too. I'm a sucker for happy endings - this one had it with a twist. LOVED IT.

Anyone know where I can find more like The Morcai Batalian?

[Pasha Koprivica · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're on this third installment of the Morcai Battalion series, then you're already aware of how good the series is. And you're already aware of how different the series is from Diana Palmer's usual romance books.

I devoured this series upon discovering the 1st at the Library, have subsequently purchased all three and frequently reread them.

I absolutely love this series. I will caution that if this series is your introduction to Diana Palmer, and you are hungry to read more of her novels, you should be aware that none of them will be like the Morcai Battalion. This was left field for her. All Diana's books are enjoyable and very well written romances. This is her only dalliance into the world of sci-fi action adventure. Sadly.

The only critique I have is I would've loved a bit more romance and more love scenes. It is a slow burning, lower on the romance more action and adventure, series. That being said the tension between them is palpable, satisfying and delicious. I just wanted MORE.

[Mira · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first two books in this series, though I really didn’t like how the 2nd and 3rd were split up. Ridiculous sales tactic. However this third book I was rather disappointed by. In the first two Madeline was portrayed as strong, highly intelligent and an experienced soldier. In this book she came across as passive, naive and stupid. When the reader knows “the big secret” for the entire book, because of the blatant hints the author drops, it’s a little ridiculous when the character doesn’t. And since Madeline appeared to be the only one missing the hints, it seemed that everyone was laughing at her throughout the book. The ending felt rushed, like someone yelled “wrap it up” just before the last couple chapters. And it changed the tone of the book and made it feel much more immature.
Overall it was a good and interesting story. The end definitely wasn’t shy about setting up the next book either. Which despite my disappointing experience with this one, I’ll pick up.

[Susan Clair Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invictus

The commander and the doctor were attracted to each other and because of their relationship they chose to go on a mission to save a friend and she finds out later his sister. For this mission they must be bonded and mates so that she is obviously pregnant. Before she can become mates she is first injected with matter to change her so she won't die with the mating, pregnancy, or birth. Everything goes well and she finds out that the time traveler that injected her and told them about the kidnapping conspiracy was the son she was carrying and that her husband was the heir to the Emporer's throne. Very good story. Love Diana Palmer.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book itself is really good from what I could understand. But it relies heavily on previous books with lots of references on every page, so if you have no idea what happened in one place or other you don't understand what's going on and why everyone (and I mean EVERYONE including their government's enemies) help them. And why they went to such a great length to save an enemy general in the first place.

[Linda George · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 3rd installment of the Morcai Battalion series. It seems that Dr. Madeline Ruszel and Commander Dtimun were at loggerheads from the time they met, but, as time went on, they came to respect each other and began to feel a spark of something more than just the closeness of battle comrades. Now a visitor from the future has persuaded them to take on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines, a mission that could lead to their deaths or secure a peaceful future for the planets.

[Leslee Jacobs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would have been better to have been one larger book with the previous one. I realize that is not what the publisher normally does. It could have been published as a fantasy/scifi under another label and would probably sell more.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series contains a typical Diane Palmer story & characters. If you enjoy Diane Palmer westerns you will enjoy this.

[Kathryn A. Cardona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

A delightful book. A wonderful way to end the series. It would be great if you would write some more science fiction books

[Amanda LaBrooy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent! Highly recommended.

[Michelle]

This is the third book in the Morcai series, and it was pretty rough. First off it veers away from any sort of science fiction and becomes mostly a romance, complete with sighing over the opposite partner's great body, and even worse he loves me he loves me not kind of stuff. The little bit of plot is poorly constructed and mostly serves as a device to get the characters to realize that they both have feelings for each other. The language is repetitive and there are lots of grammer mistakes. And there is a lot of telling the action instead of showing it. A really disappointing conclusion to this series

[Ilona Fenton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a satisfactory conclusion to the trilogy, even though it had a lot more romance in it than I expected. I love the big reveal about Ruszel's 'old fellow' at the end (even though I had more or less guessed it for myself). I also loved the trilogy as a whole and can see myself reading all three books often.

[Tawnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this book overall, the constant referrals to events that had happen previously became a distraction. It does, however, give a nice resolution to the series.

[RNDK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read this series about 3 times now and I still enjoy it. Now it's hard to find books of a similar nature.

* Update *
I think it's the 5th time now.

[Robinah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a conclusion of the story and we got to meet some new characters and the development of new ones.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 stars

[Tarsha04 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was a fantastic trilogy, great chemistry between lead characters. Its a keeper I would read again.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: The Morcai Battalion

[Dantegideon · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a wrap-up than a standalone novel.

[Mountie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A satisfying conclusion to this series.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Morcai Battalion: Invictus hovers between three and four stars. I liked the characters and their romance, but I still think I would have liked more sci-fi and action. Yes, there was action, but I still think the first book was the best of the series to date.

[Gabriella]

Regardless of how much you want to know, how a series will end sometimes it's better to read a series in order.
This book can't stand on its own, it's the conclusion of the previous two books. So if you want to read this series go to the beginning.
With that out of the way, there's one thing that annoyed me big time...the main characters didn't "talk" with each other and Madeleine wanted to give up too much. Some things are worth keeping and fighting for. With all you've got.