Continued fun

The beginning starts with a twist that doesn't really start to pay off until the end. We see a broader list of skills and get deeper into the CPS problem.

I wasn't as pleased with this book as with the first. 'Overload Flux' started and ran with a mystery while this one forecasted a problem and made you care enough about the characters to want to see them get through it. One was more of a detective novel with action; this one was more slow-paced thriller. Once the tension got higher it started to be more interesting.

It was slow for me to warm to the central character. Once additional information starts rolling in certain mannerisms and problems become obvious and he becomes more like able. Part of the problem may have been that I 'know' from the first novel that you can't trust the CPS, yet the character needs to slow walk to it himself. It made his decisions ring true in the end, but it was a little frustrating at the beginning.

A few copyedit mistakes (missing words). Nothing to really spoil reading.

No sex, although there were plenty of euphemisms (hot-connect); most of them were used to proposition or in conversation.

Pre-ordering the next novel. ( )

Continued fun

The beginning starts with a twist that doesn't really start to pay off until the end. We see a broader list of skills and get deeper into the CPS problem.

I wasn't as pleased with this book as with the first. 'Overload Flux' started and ran with a mystery while this one forecasted a problem and made you care enough about the characters to want to see them get through it. One was more of a detective novel with action; this one was more slow-paced thriller. Once the tension got higher it started to be more interesting.

It was slow for me to warm to the central character. Once additional information starts rolling in certain mannerisms and problems become obvious and he becomes more like able. Part of the problem may have been that I 'know' from the first novel that you can't trust the CPS, yet the character needs to slow walk to it himself. It made his decisions ring true in the end, but it was a little frustrating at the beginning.

A few copyedit mistakes (missing words). Nothing to really spoil reading.

No sex, although there were plenty of euphemisms (hot-connect); most of them were used to proposition or in conversation.

Pre-ordering the next novel. ( )

~ I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. ~

I had not yet read the first book, Overload Flux, in the Central Galactic Concordance series when I started Minder Rising, but this was in no way a disadvantage. Both books can be read as stand-alone stories.

The premise and the science fiction elements of Minder Rising are very imaginative and detailed, but the story is also very character-based and therefore believable and relatable. I’m always drawn to stories set in a bar/pub, especially because of the many possibilities for the characters to interact. Imara, a widowed mother with a young son, works in the The Quark and Quasar bar, with help from Rayle, who is one of those happy-go-lucky people with an all-inclusive disposition you'd love to have as a friend.

As soon as Lièrén, taking time off work to recover from a serious accident, appears on the scene, the slow but tangible build-up of his relationship with Imara, despite all the challenges and obstacles they face, immediately built a picture in my mind of a happy ending for them. Minder Rising does indeed have a HEA, but it didn't feel forced or contrived, with very plausible situations leading up to it.

The connection between Derrit, Imara's exceptionally gifted son, and Lièrén was a joy to follow as they both grew as people and supported each other. I sensed that wise-beyond-his-years Derrit wished his mother could find happiness with another man and that he was ready to have an adult man in his life again to look up to after the death of his father.

As well as interesting, plot-advancing scenes set in The Quark and Quasar and roadworks sites where Imara has a second job as a road-crew chief, there were some very exciting and engaging action sequences later in the story, building up to the feel-good ending and an intriguing epilogue that promises much more in future books in the series.

The introduction of secondary characters and situations occurs seamlessly and is not at times what this reader was expecting, which added to my overall enjoyment of the book.

The inclusion of some dialogue in foreign languages made sense in this multi-cultural story and added more depth to the characters. There were never any "have to Google that" moments, with translations provided throughout.

There are no sex scenes in Minder Rising. I generally prefer some hot'n'steamy action in my Science Fiction Romances but, although I could’ve been disappointed that Lièrén and Imara didn’t get that far, I was actually so engrossed in the story that I didn’t really think about it.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series and I hope we'll see more of Imara, Derrit and Lièrén...and of course Rayle! ( )