Review: Unraveled

Title: Unraveled
Author: C. J. Barry
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Series: Unforgettable/Book 2
Published: October 2003

Tru Van Dye needed to prove herself, to make one of the most amazing finds in the galaxy. In order to do this she must leave the only home she's ever known. To leave the colony where the Majj scientist, like herself, live and work. Tru can't do it alone. She needs help in her quest to prove her theories and locate the find. She decides the help she needs will come from Rayce Coburne. A man whose former occupation was treasure acquisition but now has set his sights on building the most luxurious outpost in the galaxy. But building takes credits, something Rayce is in short supply of. That's Tru's leverage because she's got the funds Rayce needs to complete his dream.

The second book in Barry's sci-fi futuristic romance series gets off to a good start and keeps on going. The hero and heroine are a case of opposites attract. Tru is book smart with her knowledge of worlds and cultures gleaned from data rather than actual experience. Rayce has traveled all over the galaxies. Seeing and experiencing everything Tru has only read about. When these two come together it's like water and oil with a whole lot of physical attraction.

Our heroine, Tru Van Dye, has led a truly sheltered life. She has spent her life on Koameron, the planet where the Majj Institute is located. Raised by her father she was also his assistant in his various projects at the institute. She began at an early age, barely double digits and continued until his death. At that point she needed to prove her worth to the administrators in order to be granted her Charter. If she can not make a monumental discovery very soon she will have to leave and not be allowed to return. It's desperation that drives her to seek out Rayce Colburne.

Rayce has finally decided to give up his adventurous ways and settle down on the spaceport. His idea to open the most luxurious spaceport didn't come without a few setbacks, namely capital for the repairs and upgrades needed for the grand opening. He's done well for himself by earning a reputation as one of the best treasure hunters around but the time has come for this good looking male to give up his dangerous lifestyle. When Tru enters his life he has no desire to take her on as a client but with his finances strained and his investors breathing down his neck he's left with no choice. Then there's the other problem he has with Tru. He finds her extremely attractive. This conflicts with the fact that he hates all Majj and everything they stand for. Rayce has some very strong negative opinions of the Majj and he isn't subtle in his dealing with Tru. He lets her know that he doesn't like the Majj and the only reason he's taking her on as a client is because he needs the credits she can pay him.

Tru and Rayce are a very unique couple. She is sheltered and he is worldly (or would that be worlds-ly?). Tru adapts well to Rayce's world and all the new sights that she is confronted with. She has a wealth of data on the different places they travel to but can now experience all of it for herself. Tru's outlook on the quest is refreshing and her never give up attitude is what keeps the plot going. Rayce provides the sex appeal and the temptation for Tru that she tries hard to resist. Rayce is not adverse to using his looks to convince Tru to pass the long hours on board ship with him in his bunk. Tru, being raised in a very insular environment, has minimal sexual experience. Certainly nothing has prepared her for someone like Rayce.

The secondary characters are few but one in particular must be mentioned. Elvis. He is a lovable black lab that is still in the puppy stages. He was given to Rayce by Tess the heroine of the first book who is an Earthling. As far as I know Elvis is the one and only dog around. Tru and Elvis take to each other which is good since he tends to get on everyone else's nerves. No one is use to having a dog around but Elvis seems to sense that Tru could use a friend in this foreign environment.

The second book in the series for me was stronger and I found I liked the Rayce and Tru more than Tess and Cohl. They seemed to be more accessible and for me easier to get to know. I enjoyed reading about Tru and Rayce and their journeys to the unusual worlds. Watching them get to know each other with minimal interference from others was refreshing. They still had the preconceived ideas they had of each other to overcome but those slowly disappeared as they got to know each other.

Even though Unraveled is part of a series, IMO it can be read as a stand alone. The next book in the series, Unleashed, features an Earth heroine, Lacey Garret and a friend of Cohl and Rayce's and fellow treasure hunter Zain Masters. To find out more about Ms. Barry's books check out her website.

Rating: A-

Review: Unearthed

Title: Unearthed
Author: C. J. Barry
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Series: Unforgettable/Book 1
Published: May 2003

Just when Tess MacKenzie is about to get her big singing break something out of this world happens to her. His name is Cohl Travers and he's Tess' kidnapper. But this isn't your ordinary kidnapping. Nothing Cohl does is ordinary. He's like Indiana Jones with a twist. The twist is that Cohl is from another galaxy. So just think of him as a inter-galactic Indy.

My first novel by C. J. Barry proved to be interesting. I wouldn't say I was crazy mad in love with the story but it held my attention and kept my interest that I'm reading the next book in the series. I took me a bit to get into the story and at times moved slower than I liked.

The story starts out on Earth where Tess is about to be mugged. She's rescued by a tall, gorgeous hunk of manliness. But her rescuer turns out to be her kidnapper. Cohl Travers is in dire need of a singer but not just any singer will do. He's searched the galaxies to find just the right voice for what he needs. Tess has that voice. So Cohl takes her back to his spaceship and explains to her why he needs her help, leaving out a few details. Tess has some moments of freaking out, which is to be expected but overall she handles the situation pretty well.

Tess was singer who had put her dreams on hold for years but that was about to change. She was about to get her chance at a recording contract. Then fate stepped in and she's now in another galaxy with a gorgeous alien who gets her hot and bothered. At first she wants to just get back to Earth and her life there. Then she gets to know not only Cohl but his planet and some of the people. Cohl's mother and Tess get along well and Tess begins to understand what's at stake. She decided to help Cohl and it turns out they make a good team.

Cohl was a guy who turned his back on the family business, so to speak. He took off to find adventure and profit by earning a reputation for locating rare and valuable treasure and artifacts. Now he needs Tess to help him locate an amulet and exchange it for his father who has been taken hostage by some real nasty aliens. Cohl is a born leader and it shows as he commands his ship. He also attempts to command Tess but that doesn't always work and she shows she can and does get the upper hand.

The tension between the two is well done but I did think they fell a little too quickly for each other. There were time constraints because Cohl only had a certain numbers of days to find the amulet and get it to the nasty aliens who were keeping his father. There was also Tess thinking she wanted to go back to Earth and Cohl thinking he had to send her back. So they thought they only had a set number of days and then they would never see each other again. When what they really wanted was to be together, they just didn't know how it could be done. Talk about long distance relationship!

Cohl also had an interesting relationship with Pitz. Pitz is Cohl's right hand, um man, sort of . Pitz is a robot with a computer for a brain who seems to have more information than Cohl usually wants. Their bond is intriguing because Cohl doesn't treat Pitz like an expendable piece of machinery. He treats him like another person which shows the depth of their relationship. Pitz thinks nothing of giving up his existence to save Cohl but it's something that Cohl wouldn't even consider.

Aside from the plot moving a bit slow in places the overall story was well written. Tess and Cohl worked well as a team and a couple. The sci-fi aspect was not too intense, no getting bogged down in technical jargon that took too much away from the romance. Just enough to let the reader know that this was a science fiction setting.

There are four books in this series with Ms. Barry publishing a new series about shapeshifters in 2010. She also writes romantic suspense under the name Samantha Graves. For more about both C. J. Barry visit her website here.

Rating: B+