Review: Excellent.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 22, 2004
Jessica "Jessie" Wyndom lives on the family farm and has her own repair shop. It is all that she has ever wanted in life. The next thing Jessie knows she is aboard an alien spacecraft and learning a family secret. The family secret is so secret that no one in Jessie's known family even knows it exists! (You will have to read the book to understand how that can possibly be true.)Captain Marcus Viator of the Alliance research starship "Freedom", is upset when he learns Jessie is beamed onto the ship by mistake. Jessie looks very much like his lieutenant, Veronese Qilana, who disappears about the same time Jessie appears. Scanners swear that Jessie IS Veronese, but that is impossible. Or is it? Before he can send Jessie back to Earth a Praetorium ship arrives. (They are renegades who prey on peaceful ships and "Freedom" is research, not military any more.) The captain is forced to flee with Jessie still aboard and one of his crew members missing.Jessie wants only to return home. Until this is possible she is determined to keep busy. When her skilled mechanic ears hear an engineering problem, she meets Chief Engineer Luqett (who sounds much like "Scotty" from the original "Star Trek" show). Thus Jessie becomes a temporary crew member. Shortly thereafter, mechanical problems turn out to be sabotage and the Praetorium are not finished with them yet.***** Science Fiction and Romance blend together flawlessly in this novel. Some of the crew watch too much Terran TV, such as Luqett sounding like Scotty. There is also a sub-plot on Earth concerning Jessie's brother, Tim. However, I cannot even touch upon a partial synopsis of it without giving out major secrets.All-in-all, this is a fun romp through space that will give you adventure, romance, and humor. What more could you want? Excellent! *****Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.