Calamity

Starred review from September 11, 2023
Fay’s unputdownable debut, the first in a sci-fi romance series, is packed to the brim with heat, heart, and humor. Temperance Reed was banished from her highly influential family for refusing to cooperate with her “warhead” brother’s cruel business tactics. She finds a new home among the scrappy crew of the scouting ship Quest—until her affair with the captain ends in betrayal and he announces his intention to sell the ship. Temperance throws caution, and all her money, to the wind to buy it and keep her found family together, but that means they can’t say no when someone from the Escajeda family, one of the galaxy’s most powerful, wants to hire them. The job is simple: travel to the planet Herschel Two to scout a valuable mineral that could revolutionize space travel. The catch is that Arcadio Escajeda will be coming along as the crew’s new “head of security” (read: a spy for his family). Temperance bristles at his presence while Arcadio delights in getting under her skin, but they have to put their differences aside to survive. Fay enriches the enemies-to-lovers romance with meticulous worldbuilding and lovable, larger-than-life characters. The space hijinks and tantalizing mystery make this a gift for any romance lover who’s also a Firefly fan.

October 1, 2023
Temperance's mark of banishment is a literal tattoo under her left eye that drips down her cheek and glows for all to see. The mark doesn't bother her though, nor does her reputation as a traitor to her Family that earned her the mark. Making a living without any contacts or resources is difficult, however. She finds her way onto a ship of misfits who take jobs scouting areas of space others won't touch. It's dangerous, dirty, and financially unstable. When she and her crew are hired by the Escajeda Family (a Family even more rich and powerful than hers), everything except the money doesn't feel right. Nothing more so than Escajeda insisting his incredibly handsome son, Arcadio, join the crew as "security." Things get even worse when Temperance begins to feel an all-consuming attraction to him. The feeling might even be mutual despite her persona-non-grata status, but what is Arcadio hiding, and will it get them all killed? Sexy, tense, and action packed, Calamity is sure to please fans of romance and sf.

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Starred review from October 1, 2023

DEBUT Temperance Reed, better known as Temper because hers is legendary, has just become captain of the ramshackle spaceship Quest. Exiled from her merchant empire family and all the space they control, Temper has only the ship and crew as her home and family, and she'll do anything to keep them together, including taking on a shady scouting run with Arcadio Escajeda. He's a temptation she's certain she should resist--but won't, even though a romance between a wealthy merchant family scion and an exile is never in the cards. Fay's wild adventure with its ragtag crew may send out Firefly vibes, but it's the steam at its heart and the solid worldbuilding and characters wrapped around its engine core that will make this story travel at warp speed into readers' hearts. VERDICT Fay's debut is highly recommended for fans of pulse-pounding combos of sci-fi with sympathetic characters and melting hearts, like that from Valerie Valdes, K.B. Wagers, Rachel Bach, and Cat Rambo.--Marlene Harris

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