I Take Most Of It Back

After ten days (slow for me), I finally finished Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair. I can't be bothered to write my own plot summary so here's the back cover copy:

Can she trust a man who is half-machine?

The universe isn’t what it used to be. With the new alliance between the Triad and the United Coalition, Captain Tasha “Sass” Sebastian finds herself serving under her former nemesis, bio-cybe Admiral Branden Kel-Paten—and doing her best to hide a deadly past. But when an injured mercenary falls into their ship’s hands, her efforts may be wasted …

Wanted rebel Jace Serafino has information that could expose all of Sass’s secrets, tear the fragile Alliance apart—and end Sass’s career if Kel-Paten discovers them. But the bio-cybe has something to hide as well, something once thought impossible for his kind to possess: feelings...for Sass. Soon it’s clear that their prisoner could bring down everything they once believed was worth dying for—and everything they now have to live for…

This is a "big book" and it clocks in at a little over 500 pages. This suggests that we have a "big plot" and the author crams in a lot of stuff. Jace, Doctor Eden Fynn (Tasha's friend, Jace's love interest), these annoying pet furzels (think of them as telepathic cats), and a conspiracy plot. OK, that's fine - but it ain't what I want. I want Tasha and Branden. Especially Branden, who I'm now half in love with.

One of the criticisms of the genre that assholes detractors like to toss out is that romance novels give women unrealistic expectations when it comes to romantic relationships. Normally I say this is a bunch of bullshit, but there are times when an author writes a hero that I'm ready to run away with. This time it's a bit more pathetic than usual since Branden is half-man, half-machine. Geez, get a grip Wendy.

I still feel the plot was too big here. I kept rewriting this story to fit what I wanted. Drop all the other stuff, give me back story on Branden and Tasha and just their romance. But that's not what I got, and honestly all the other stuff isn't bad - I just wasn't particularly interested in it.

But once I sat down and started reading I got sucked into the story and dang it I even got a little choked up during the last chapter. The only real criticism I have is that for such a huge book the ending is a bit abrupt. Quite a bit of that "big plot" is left unresolved. Hell, it screams series.

Final Grade = B+