TBR Challenge Review: Hope's Folly

Hope's Folly
Linnea Sinclair
SciFi Romance
Dock 5 series/Book 3
Bantam/March 2009
Purchased

From the back cover ~

Admiral Philip Guthrie is in an unprecedented position: on the wrong end of the law, leading a ragtag band of rebels against the oppressive Imperial forces. Or would be if he can get his command ship - the derelict cruiser called Hope's Folly - functioning. Not much can rattle Philip's legendary cool - but the woman who helps him foil an assassination attempt on Kirro Station will. She's the daughter of his best friend and first commander - a man who died while under Philip's command and whose death is on Philip's conscience.

Rya Bennton has been in love with Philip Guthrie since she was a girl. But can her childhood fantasies survive an encounter with the hardened man, and newly minted rebel leader, once she learns the truth about her father's death? Or will her passion for revenge put not only their hearts but their lives at risk? It's an impossible mission: A man who feels he can't love. A woman who believes she's unlovable. And an enemy who will stop at nothing to crush them both.

Can I just say how much I love Linnea Sinclair's writing? Yes, I can, since it's my blog. :) Wow. She pulls me in and I'm right there on board Hope's Folly. The suggested theme for this month was SFR or SF/F or fantasy, which fit right in with my need to read Hope's Folly. I love it when it works out that way!

Hope's Folly picks up about 4 months after Shades of Dark (book 2). I really think you need to read this series in order. Sinclair does give you back story on Philip and Rya but I think it makes for a far more richer experience if you read the first two book before reading Hope's Folly. Philip is the good friend and ex-husband of the heroine of the first two books. He also plays an important role in Shade of Dark. IMO, his character development starts long before Hope's Folly. Chaz and Sully are the two main characters in books 1 & 2 and theirs is a beautiful and well developed love story.

Admiral Philip Guthrie has left behind everything he worked for and everything he knew to help lead the Alliance fleet against Imperial rule. He's still recovering from injuries received when helping his ex-wife and her lover Sully. He's now trying to gather a crew for his first Alliance Fleet ship, Hope's Folly. The ship was part of the Imperial Fleet long ago with it's more recent history as a cargo hauler. It's not in the best shape, certainly not battle ready, but Philip isn't one to let anything get in the way of his mission and striking against Darius Tage, the leader of the movement to take control from the current ruler.

I just adored Philip. He wears his age(45) and experiences well, for the most part. He is using a cane while he continues to recover from his injuries. He also has silver hair which makes him appear older than he is. The first time Rya sees him at Kirro Station her impression of him is a just a little off. ~

Officer? Yeah, she tagged that too. It was in the way that he held himself, in spite of the pain and his limp. The set of his shoulders. The lift of his chin. Retired officer, silver-haired, probably in his seventies. Coming here at Commander Adney's call?

God, were they down to that now? Relying on rheumy old men to try to stop Tage's insanity? page 31

Oh, boy. Good thing Philip couldn't hear what Rya was thinking. She then proceeds to offer him her seat. LOL Philip has a major hang up about their age difference. Rya is 29 and was a member of the Fleet Security Forces Special Protection Services for nearly 5 years. They're known as being "polite, professional, and prepared to kill". So Rya is no innocent when it comes to the fleet and the world beyond. She's a real woman with real issues. She thinks she needs to loose some weight, believes she too tall and isn't innocent when it comes to men. That doesn't mean she sleeps around but she does enjoy sex and eventually lets Philip in on that fact. :) She also knew how to stand her ground when it came to disagreements with Philip and I really liked that about her.

Is there romance? Yes, but it's a more subtle, budding romance. Both Philip and Rya have a lot going on from the very beginning and while they are attracted to each other there's the whole running-for-your-life scenario that takes all their attention. But when they do get some alone time and it's very precious and beautifully written. Rya has the hero-worship syndrome going for Philip and Philip tries to think of Rya as the young daughter of his former commander and good friend. That lasts as long as it takes for them to get to know each other and realize their perceptions don't necessarily mesh with the reality. And it's tricky to deal with their attraction since Philip is Rya's commanding officer plus it's her responsibility to keep him safe from any assassination attempts. So they are not only on a ship together but working closely together.

The vast majority of the story takes place on the ship, Hope's Folly. The new crew does need to get to the ship first and Philip commandeers a shuttle to get them off Kirro Station. All doesn't go as planned. They manage to leave after escaping an attack. Once they get to the ship they're short on crew members and there's at least one spy on board. Philip, Rya and crew have a lot of work ahead of them with a variety of things breaking down on the ship and enemy ships coming after them. It's a mystery to find out who the spy is and try to anticipate their next move. I liked the mystery to the story. Nothing was too obvious and no one was exempt from scrutiny. I loved the way Rya and Philip worked together and how Philip treated Rya with respect for her knowledge and security experience.

Another well written, exciting adventure in the Dock 5 series. Next up is Rebels and Lovers, released last month. It's the story of Devin Guthrie and Captian Makaiden Griggs. Devin is the brother of Philip. I can't wait to read it!

Rating: A-

My review of Shades of Dark

Review: Shades of Dark

Shades of Dark
Linnea Sinclair
SciFi Romance
Dock 5 Series/Book 2
Bantam/July 2008
Library Book

*Spoilers for Book 1*

From the back cover ~

For two fugitive lovers, space has no haven,
no mercy, no light—only...

SHADES OF DARK

Before her court-martial, Captain Chasidah “Chaz” Bergren was the pride of the Sixth Fleet. Now she’s a fugitive from the “justice” of a corrupt Empire. Along with her lover, the former monk, mercenary, and telepath Gabriel Ross Sullivan, Chaz hoped to leave the past light-years behind—until the news of her brother Thad’s arrest and upcoming execution for treason. It’s a ploy by Sully’s cousin Hayden Burke to force them out of hiding and it works.

With a killer targeting human females and a renegade gen lab breeding jukor war machines, Chaz and Sully already had their hands full of treachery, betrayal—not to mention each other. Throw in Chaz’s Imperial ex-husband, Admiral Philip Guthrie, and a Kyi-Ragkiril mentor out to seduce Sully and not just loyalties but lives are at stake. For when Sully makes a fateful choice changing their relationship forever, Chaz must also choose—between what duty demands and what her heart tells her she must do.

If you haven't read Gabriel's Ghost, read that first, then read Shades of Dark. Both are amazing stories. I read Gabriel's Ghost last year and it's where Chaz and Sully's story begins. I didn't write a review for it, I wish I had, it would have got an A from me. Seriously love Sinclair's writing. She puts you in the moment. You are there with Chaz feeling what she feels.

Shades of Dark picks up a few months after Gabriel's Ghost ends. It's told in the POV of Captain Chasidah Bergren or Chaz as she's known. Which might have been limiting but because of her unique relationship with Gabriel Sullivan (Sully) we also get some insight direct from Sully's head. Chaz and Sully have a special telepathic link so we get not only Chaz's thoughts but Sully's thoughts in Chaz's head.

Chaz is an interesting character, very much a woman accustomed to command. She's also a very likable character who has evolved since we first met her in Gabriel's Ghost. She's lost some of her prejudices and realizes that good friends come in some of the most unlikely forms. And she's in love. The relationship of Gabriel Sullivan (Sully) and Chaz is still in it's early stages time wise but they have been through so much at this point that they have grown extremely close. I loved these two together. They have so very many problems that they have faced and still must face but beneath it all you feel their love for each other. There are moments when I just wished they'd catch a break. When they could just relax and both be at peace without worrying about being captured by their enemies or wondering who they could really trust.

Sully - my heart hurts for him. Sully is a Kyi-Ragkiril, beings with telekinetic and telepathic abilities that have the potential to be so powerful, they're terrifying. Kyi-Ragkiril are rare but a human Kyi-Ragkiril is unheard of. Sully is still learning about his abilities and when the opportunity to be mentored surfaces, he takes it. The mentor causes serious conflict between Sully and Chaz. She doesn't trust easily and has some deep concerns regarding Sully's emerging powers and the intentions of Sully's mentor. Sully embraces his rising powers but with those powers comes greater responsibility. He tries so very hard to do the right thing but it's as if his life isn't his own and his attempts to be the decent, loyal person he wants to be are hindered by what he can't control.

I love the fact that Chaz has a past (Philip) and it keeps coming back to haunt Sully. Makes for great tension and gives another dimension to Chaz and her relationships. Chaz and Philip go way back. Admiral Philip Guthrie was Chaz's commanding officer when she was with the Fleet. He's also her ex-husband and her friend. Can you say complicated? Philip ends up helping Chaz and Sully as well as having to re-evaluate his allegiances. His story is told in Hope's Folly, book 3.

The action is fast paced with Chaz, Sully and crew traveling in space on their ship, the Boru Karn. They do make some stops along the way at ports and space stations. Sinclair's writing makes the reader believe in this place of space travel, alien races, political intrigue and wars. The camaraderie that comes from living and working in close quarters is evident in the lives of these characters. I loved the different friendships that formed on the Boru Karn. The loyalty and trust that these different races had for each other. At the heart of it all was Chaz and Sully and their love and trust for each other.

Rating: A