Oct 21 2014

Black Hole Bounty— a review

Recently, I read Sienna Bronwyn’s Black Hole Bounty, which was a little more erotic than the romances that I normally read, but this one was quite good. The heroine, Jerusa, is different (an albino of Central American origin) who wears a nose ring and is scared of heights. Actually, she’s scared of lots of things…but that’s what a big part of what makes her an interesting heroine. She’s already married and has a daughter, and that’s atypical as well. The plot is not as far from the norm (for science fiction romance) as are the characters, so I’ll call it character driven fiction. It’s also rather funny, because the POV character is, well, quite a character. Still, this story is an action/adventure, and Jerusa never runs out of beings who make her afraid. Often, she has every reason to be scared silly.

As some of the reviewers stated, the worst thing about this story is that it is first in a series and the other entries are not yet available. Some authors are great at writing a series where each story can stand alone, but lots of writers are not bothering with that these days, and that’s annoying, but again, not unusual.

If Ms. Bronwyn can get part two of this series out before I forget all about the story, then I will be happy to purchase it. So, dear author, get busy.

Sep 8 2014

Old News

Since the “new” version of my science fiction novel, Trinity on Tylos, has been repackaged for Kindle readers, I went looking for reviews from when it was first published— not the ones on Amazon, but the other ones. At that time, I sent out a lot of digital files, as well as a few print books, in hopes of getting some reviews. Here are some excerpts with links to the original posts:

Rob Preece of Books for a Buck stated: “Author Pamela J. Dodd builds on the conventions of old-time space opera (e.g., aliens wanting human women), creating a thoughtful vision of alien contact, of the Stockholm Syndrome, and of the both heroic and horrible attempt of one being to perpetuate his species, no matter what the cost. Dodd addresses these issues mostly in terms of relationships–especially the three way conflict between Venice, her human-husband Steve Dylenski, and Captain Azareel.”

Anita at The Romance Studio says in her review: “The storyline is creative and filled with exciting action as one race fights another for their survival. Trinity of Tylos is a fascinating emotionally stirring space adventure that shows how far someone will go for someone they love.”

Jean at Fallen Angel Reviews was not only the first person to review the original novel, but she also gave it a “recommended read” accolade: “This is a great book for fans of science fiction and futuristic romance. I’m giving this story 5 angels and a Recommended Read, because it is so well written that it grabbed me at the beginning and kept me enthralled until the very last page.”

Jul 2 2010

Girl Gone Nova— Review

Since I read Pauline Baird Jones’ The Key, I have been waiting for this book. One reason I read eBooks is that I enjoy stories which are more “novel” than the novels published by the big guys. I happened upon The Key when it was atop the list of science fiction books at Fictionwise, and I read it and re-read it. One of the more charming aspects of The Key is the POV character, Sara Donovan, a “kick their trash” fighter pilot.

While set in the same universe, Girl Gone Nova is not exactly a sequel. Instead, we have another main POV character who interacts with some of the supporting cast from The Key. Delilah Oliver Clementyne (Doc) is indeed a doctor. But she is also a military troubleshooter who specializes in doing the impossible. A couple of years or so after Donovan returns to earth, things are in such a mess that Doc is despatched to do her version of Mission Now Possible. Her outlook is a bit darker than Donovan’s, but she is quite entertaining, nevertheless. The plot involves political intrigue, first contact with aliens, and multiple timelines. Jones bills this book as fantasy, and since it is intended to be contemporary, but all of a sudden we have interstellar propulsion, I guess that qualifies as fantasy. There aren’t any trolls or sparkly vampires, but for me, that’s a plus. I’d much rather have spaceships, aliens, and nanotechnology, and this series has all three.

Girl Gone Nova is available in print and eBook form, and it is a fun yarn for light summer reading.