Moonstruck
Susan Grant
Harlequin HQN, Jun 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 9780373772599

Coalition Admiral Britasha “Brit” Bandar ‘Brit is upset with the changes that impact her. The courageous warrior knows she must adapt as the Coalition has merged with Earthling and Drakken to forge a Triad; she grew up believing the Drakken were the enemy who must die and now they are allies and on board.

Brit Commands the Unity with her second in command a Drakken, Finnar “Scourge of the Borderlands” Rorkken. He is a former leader of the Drakken Horde and is proud to be on board the key example of peace the Unity although he is concerned about his superior officer as they have battled one another for years. Still Finnar also knows the assignment will include better working conditions for his crew. However, neither expected an attraction hotter than a star while they battle their unwanted feelings they also confront terrorists threatening the fragile peace.

Expanding the Grant universe, MOONSTRUCK is a suburb military science fiction romance starring Beloved Enemies. The Jasper saga (see YOUR PLANET OR MINE, MY FAVORITE EARTHLING, and HOW TO LOSE AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL IN 10 DAYS) goes into the Borderlands of outer space with this terrific entry as the lead couple have a lifetime of combat leading to total distrust; however failure to communicate will prove disastrous as many from the three sides want the Triad to fail. Fans will be “Star” struck by Susan Grant’s extraterrestrial talent as this may be her best sci fi tale to date.

Harriet Klausner

The Mirrored Heavens
David J. Williams
Bantam, Jun 2008, $12.00
ISBN: 9780553385410

In 2105 the Treaty of Zurich is co-signed by the representatives of the leaders of the United States and the Eurasian Coalition. The two contracting powers agree to reduce the tensions of the protracted second cold war with some cooperation although neither side trusts the other as the environment has failed “Quickening” the potential end of the planet.

The prime symbol of their cooperation is the construction of the Phoenix Space Elevator which will near full operations by 2110 in Belem-Macapa to enable humanity to expedite journeys off world. Central Intelligence Command counter cyber terrorism agent Claire Haskell is tracking the elevator networks as regional freedom fighters Jaguar’s Swords have reportedly hacked inside. However, a series of explosions soon rock the elevator and devastates much of the city. The enigmatic Operator sends “mechanic” Jason Marlowe to rescue Claire as he has plans for the pair in a complex counter operation against Autumn Rain who has taken credit for the destruction; while the superpowers blame each other as the cold war turns close to heating up on earth and on the moon. The Operator counts on his subordinate razor Claire and her mechanic Jason remembering fondly their love for one another a decade ago; however, as the pair works together to prevent another Rain tsunami, each wonders if their love is real or an imprint by their razor the Operator.

THE MIRRORED HEAVENS is an exhilarating action-packed futuristic counter intelligence espionage science fiction thriller with Brave New World twists and spins that will have the lead field agents and the audience wonders what revelation is next and just who road kill is. Reality is blurred by constructs to expedite a mechanic’s assignment so Claire and Jason only know that she is his razor and he is her mechanic on the stop the Rain project. Readers will appreciate this fast-paced grim look at earth twenty-second century.

Harriet Klausner

Midnight Never Come
Marie Brennan
Orbit, Jun 2008, $14.99
ISBN 9780316020299

Three decades have past since Elizabeth became Queen of England, ushering in an age of Gloriana. However underneath in the bowels of the catacombs, ruthless Invidiana rules the fae with an iron hand.

Working as a courier under the tutelage of his mentor spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham, Michael Deven meets bewitching Lady Lune, an undercover fae wearing a mortal disguise. Lune fears her dark Queen Invidiana so in order to avoid her rage and worse, she infiltrates Walsingham’s network. She plans to use and discard Michael who obviously wants her. However, to Lune’s trepidation and dread she is as attracted to the bewitching human as she thinks he is to her. However, she knows he could not survive in her realm while she cannot remain in his as her Queen would never allow her or him to live.

MIDNIGHT NEVER COME is an intriguing Elizabethan romantic fantasy in which Marie Brennan makes her two realms seem real by using historical events via flashbacks to anchor the Tudor reign and enabling the darkness to grow stronger in the shadows. Fans will enjoy the star-crossed love between the Fae and the mortal as honor and loyalty war with ambition for power in a Faustian age of deceit.

Harriet Klausner

The Martian General’s Daughter
Theodore Judson
Pyr, Apr 2008, $15.00
ISBN 9781591026433

In AD 2293, the Pan-Polarian Empire, a direct descendent of the United States, rules over most of North America at a time when a pandemic nanotech plague has destroyed all hardware. However, with the recent death of powerful Emperor Mathias the Glistening, the nation is in jeopardy. His successor, his son Luke Anthony, is a psycho.

General Peter Black leads the imperial armies. He was very loyal to the competent Mathias and wants to remain so with the incompetent Luke, but has little choice as the empire begins shattering into pieces. Fearing for his family, he especially worries about his illegitimate offspring Junta who has gone from an embarrassing reminder of her dad’s weak indiscretion to his prime advisor.

This futuristic story is told by Junta who sadly chronicles a dying once glorious empire as she sees it diminishing from a cancer from within. She is fully developed and from her hero worship jaundiced perspective her father and the late emperor seem real; so does the current ruler, who in Junta’s mind is a sort of insane Nero. However, what makes THE MARTIAN GENERAL’S DAUGHTER superb is the thought provoking parallels between Pan-Polaria, Rome, and the United States; as Theodore Judson makes the case that the American Empire is dying from a cancer from within.

Harriet Klausner

Matter
Iain M. Banks
Orbit, Mar 2008, $25.99
ISBN 9780316005364

Far from the affluent technologically advanced Culture buried deep underneath the surface of the artificial “Shellworld” Sursamen lays the backwater Kingdom of the Sarl ruled by King Hausk who has three offspring. His heir is Oramen while his spare is Ferbin; the third sibling and only female the discarded Djan vanished into exile a long time ago.

In a coup, the conspirators assassinate King Hausk and blame Ferbin, who escapes their attempts to kill him to cover their crimes. They place Oramen on the throne as an image of continuity, but the assassins are the true power and do not hide their control of power. Meanwhile Ferbin seeks the help of his sister to free Oramen, take back the throne and avenge their sire. However Djan is no longer the same person she once was since she became an operative of the Culture’s Special Circumstances that intrudes on lesser civilizations for the better good of the galaxy.

The Kingdom of Sarl comes across as a genuine backward place surrounded by seemingly superior technology everywhere outside the monarchy. The three siblings are fully developed especially the “spare” and the “discarded” who must go home to save their people in spite of the fact that neither is wanted nor needed. The eighth “Culture” tale is a superb entry that merges political machinations that come across as Renaissance Era Machiavellian maneuvers with advanced space technology; the smooth blending showcases why Iain M. Banks is consistently one of the best science fiction authors.

Harriet Klausner

Mind Games
Merline Lovelace
Silhouette Nocturne, Apr 2008, $5.25
ISBN: 9780373617845

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations assigns Captain Taylor Chase to learn if scientist Dr. Oscar Hayes is being forcibly held on a Caribbean fortress near St. Kitts. Two months ago, he vanished while working on a top secret government project; he just resurfaced apparently held by or voluntarily joined a consortium planning to sell genetically engineered organs as human harvests on the black market.

To gain access to the island, Taylor heads to Princeton, New Jersey to try to persuade her former graduate professor at the University of Michigan Dr. Mark Wolfson to help her as he has worked closely with Hayes although she has doubts about working with him as she was his lab assistant and lover until she realized the mind games he played with her. Mark reluctantly agrees to pose as her lover. Along with his loyal husky Tikal, they head to the Eastern Caribbean where the pair must deal with their attraction enhanced by their telepathic connection as much as by preventing a billionaire’s evil plan from occurring.

Known for her exhilarating military romantic suspense tales, Merline Lovelace adds a paranormal spin with Mark’s ESP skills. Fans will appreciate the lead couple’s banter as they argue, fuss and love mentally and physically, which makes his abilities feel genuine; all this inside a strong suspense thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Making Over Mr. Right
Judi McCoy
Avon, Mar 2008
ISBN: 9780061341434

In New York successful businessman Theo Maragos is tall, dark, and a geek who needs to change his image before he appears in a national magazine. Zeus’ daughter Zoe, the Muse of Beauty, is assigned the ask of making him over; Zoe knows what failure means as her dad will not tolerate such a fiasco on her part or for that matter her two sisters, Kyra (see ALMOST A GODDESS) and Chloe (ONE NIGHT WITH A GODDESS) who have their own Herculean tasks to contend with.

Her plan is to start with the removal of the brainy wire glasses so that his blue eyes shine bright even if he cannot see. Then there is the need to remove the hair from the face so his dimples can shine bright. Then there are his clothes though Zoe is not sure she wants to put garb on that hunk of a body. As Zoe and Theo fall in love, she worries how her father will react to her wanting more than a simple tryst with a mortal. Still she hides her feelings out of fear that her dad might take out his renowned anger on her beloved. Theo assumes Zoe has her reasons for not telling him how she feels about him, but he wants her and plans to make her his one geek move at a time.

MAKING OVER MR. RIGHT is a fabulous ending to the Zeus offspring romantic trilogy. As with her siblings’ tales, Zoe knows the rules of engagement include no falling in love with a mortal and the price of failure so she muses over what to do about her heart vs. her father’s wrath. Fans will enjoy this lighthearted whimsical romantic fantasy as the Muse of Beauty and a computer geek fall in love to the consternation of Theo’s potential father-in-law.

Harriet Klausner

Mystery Of Everyman’s Way
Paul Collins
eTreasures Publishing, 2007
ISBN: 9781605301181

Professor Gregory Henry Case teaches quantum physics at Oxford University. Although the Expatriate American lives in London with his brilliant American girlfriend Caroline who one day he assumes he will marry, his life is conventional English style. However, that changes when he finds a corpse; but by the time authorities arrive the body is gone. After getting drunk and coming home late, his irate girlfriend leaves him.

Soon afterward, the corpse reappears. This time authorities check it for dental records to identify the cadaver. The name of the victim is Gregory H. Case as the body matches the quantum physicist professor in every way. Soon after meeting his dead self, space travelers abduct the living Case. They take him into another dimension where he meets archivist Father Thomas Toomey who informs his visitor that he about to embark on a key mission. Case believes he is the loser as the woman he has just seen and knows he loves is marrying King David and all Gregory can do is watch from his holographic existence.

MYSTERY OF EVERYMAN’S WAY starts off as if it is going to be a wild amateur sleuth murder mystery in which the hero investigates who his murderer is. However, the story line twists into science fiction and seemingly unrequited love. Although the spin from whodunit to sci fi seems a bit jarring as the Twilight Zone like murder mystery has hooked the audience; however once readers adapt to the twist, they will fully appreciate the cosmic escapades of an everyman turning into a heroic Knight.

Harriet Klausner

My Immortal Protector
Jen Holling
Pocket, Mar 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 9781416525851

In 1597 renowned healer William MacKay has found happiness with healer Rose MacDonell (see MY SHADOW WARRIOR), but his daughter Deidra suffers horrific nightmares due to her “gift”. She is an animal whisperer who feels the pain of those begging her for help. Every day she suffers her burden praying for silence.

Twelve years later, Deidra cannot take the cries anymore that leave her growling and whimpering. She knows of the myth of how her skill was formed by an ancient pact between her ancestors and a vampire and that only the vampire can remove the curse and make her normal. Her hope lies with a crippled recluse who will see no one as Stephen Ross bitterly hides from society inside his damp remote castle. Deidra breaks down his fortifications with her enthusiasm and need. He agrees to help her on her quest to find the one who can bring her salvation. Neither understands as they begin their journey that an easier path paved by their love is available if they take a chance.

Following up on the super MacDonell Brides romantic fantasy trilogy (see MY DEVILISH SCOTSMAN and MY WICKED HIGHLANDER), Jen Holling continues the saga with the fantastic tale of Deidra. Readers will feel empathy for the beleaguered lead couple especially Deidra with her special bond to animals that haunts her. The story line enchants the audience as Ms. Holling makes her world seem plausible while her fans will enjoy seeing what happened to Deidra’s dad and stepmom in the dozen years since their story was told. Sub-genre readers will relish the next generation saga.

Harriet Klausner

Midnight Rising
Lara Adrian
Dell, Mar 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 9780440244448

Dylan Alexander is in the Czech Republic when she sees the ghost of a young woman who begs her to save him. She finds a cave with a stone coffin inside and glyphs on the wall. In the cave is also Rio a Breed vampire whose face is scarred due to a fight he got into with Rogues in Boston (feral vampires who drink human blood). A straightforward mission was compromised by the traitorous actions of his now dead wife Eva. He senses Dylan in the cave but isn’t worried because when she leaves he will scrub her memory.

Rio destroys the cave, tracks her down and brings her to the Darkhaven in Germany; where Breeds and Breedmates live. He learns that she sent pictures she took out to her boss, relatives and friends. She shows him her mark and he knows she is a rare female known as a Breedmate. Dylan is having a hard time believing Rio, but at his Boston Order residence he tells her she must choose between living in a Darkhaven with a mate and having her memory scrubbed so she can return to her life. When she sees Eva’s picture, she realizes his late wife is the ghost she saw and tells Rio. He goes into a rage and turns into his vampire form; forcing Dylan to believe. As they fall in love, they must find the Ancient vampire father held captive by a mad scientist experimenting on him and destroy them both.

Vampires, ghosts and breedmates seem genuine although it helps especially at the beginning to have read previous Breedmate tales (see KISS OF MIDNIGHT, KISS OF CRIMSON, and MIDNIGHT AWAKENING) to fully savor the supernatural goings on. The changing relationship between Dylan and Rio is wonderfully developed so that the audience appreciates each one as an individual and as a romantic couple. Fans of the series will appreciate Lara Adrian’s latest romantic fantasy although the confrontation between good and evil sets up future entries more than it does plot closure.

Harriet Klausner