Review: Three Romances, Three Worlds
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 7, 2013
Three Sci-Fi/Fantasy novellas, three authors, all with romance as a major theme.All That Glitters features the idea of corporate "royalty," so that the wedding of Mica Sol's sister is a major Event, for which she must return to the planet. I found the first chapter somewhat confusing, much world-building description packed densely together. As Mica flees the scavengers to avoid being held for ransom, and her former lover realizes it was HER ship his Robin Hood band shot down, we know a steamy reunion is coming, and it does. As the story progresses, the details are better sprinkled among action, and there were many parts I loved - that Mica is painting her toenails with the ship on autopilot, the small flying media cameras that buzz around each event and personality in the capital like huge electronic mosquitos. The romance is great, the lovers each likeable and capable, and the bond between sisters Mica and Pilar a nice touch.To Buy a Wife is a futuristic dystopia reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale, set in almost medieval times - men are in charge, women are possessions, but for whatever reason, also rare. There is electricity powered by personal generators, but no grid; people travel by foot or by horse, but there's also a portal to a parallel world from which fuel and other items can be brought. Microbiotics cure or prevent illnesses, and can also reverse aging, and are another item in short supply.Lake, the heroine, is sentenced to execution for being caught using a computer (why, if wombs are so precious and rare, wouldn't they just chop off her fingers?); Hudson sees her and claims her as his wife. Despite not even having seen a beautiful woman in ?years?, he is a super-patient husband, superlative lover, operates a large farming complex and can easily track down his runaway wife. The story really took off when they began working together, and the tattooing scene is HOT.Enslaved by Starlight uses another pseudo-princess using her wiles to enlist mercenary captain to help save her planet, under imminent attack by raiders. Some nice touches, like the crystal ?dust? embedded in the skin of the l'auralya in sensual swirling patterns. I liked Etta and Corso, and their romance was steamy, but the story itself... dragged a bit. There were a lot of cliche characters, from the old wise teacher/authority figure, to the secret traitor, to the greedy baddies who wanted to capture the planet crystals so they could rule the Galaxy, mwuh-ha-ha-ha. It was well-written, but there were few surprises.As a complete collection, I did enjoy it. There is a second volume, with additional stories by these authors, about these characters, however, each novella here stands alone and has its own Happily For Now.