Just Talking Books

My associate reviewer, Marta, reads so many Space Opera books that she finally got me curious.

What I liked: Marooned is a very short read and that's just what I needed to dip my toe in the water of this genre. Ms Scott is a seasoned author and I expected no less than completely written book. By that I mean, she set the stage, had interesting developing characters and basically the plot was believable and drew me in. In addition, the world building while in progress was developed enough to make sense and keep my interest. 

The female lead, Meg, is more than capable and no nonsense when working but her character is written as a very strong female lead. I don't mean to imply she's overbearing. She has a job, she's experienced and as part of her job, she deals with her company's clients. So, yeah, while you might think she's a glorified flight attendant, she much more because she sees the big picture, especially when she and several other people are left behind on a hostile planet.

The love interest, Red Thomsill, while a pilot is not as senior on this trip as Meg and skillfully stays in the background until his expertise is needed. The good thing, he has no problem bowing to her decisions as she's more experienced. BUT, in their current situation, he knows when to take charge without becoming Rambo. I liked his character mainly because he was extremely up front with Meg from the very beginning but found it funny when he kept trying to attract her romantic interests, he invariably messed it up while trying to be smooth and smart. 

What I didn't like: Without giving away spoilers, one of the characters just about drove me crazy but I believe that was the point Ms Scott was making. The character was likable enough but kept making unthinking blunders that endangered in some ways the other characters. You'll see what I mean when you read it.

A very enjoyable, quick, interesting read. Marooned more than held my attention and I wanted more when the book ended. So, if you're wondering about a Sci-Fi romance, you might want to start with Marooned!

Recommended!!!!