Debra Jess

Darvik Hart is Andromeda Galaxy's most notorious pirate. Kelra Shade's reputation for capturing pirates is nonpareil. So why would Kelra offer Darvik a treasure beyond imagination to bring her on board his ship?

A second volume in a series which I hate, because I haven't read the first volume, but ok, it was doable.
Kelra Shade has worked for years for Manitac Corporation's private navy and now thinks she has won the right to search for the alien who has killed her parents. But Manitac refuses so Kelra turns to Darvik Hart who is a pirate.
This one was pretty good, I liked it. I always like women who know what to do in dangerous situations and Kelra was good. The ending is something of a surprise for me.
Disclaimer: I got this book in the Librarything Early Reviewers.… (mehr)

I thank City Owl Press for providing an early review copy of Andromeda’s Pirate in exchange for an honest review.

Andromeda’s Rebel, the first entry in Debra Jess’ Heroes of Andromeda series, was an auspicious start. Given that, I was eager to read book two in the series. Unfortunately, Andromeda’s Pirate was such a disappointment I doubt I will read further entries in this series.

The premise underlying the plot is so implausible it seems silly. As a child, Kelra Shade was the sole survivor of a massacre by an alien lifeform aboard the Majesty of the Stars, her parents’ luxury cruiser. As an adult, Shade worked for the Manitac Corporation for twenty years. Eventually, she became captain of the cruiser, Silt, and the corporation’s most celebrated pirate hunter.

But Shade’s goal isn’t to catch pirates. She wants to return to her parents’ abandoned ship and kill the alien that murdered her parents. When the corporation refuses her repeated requests, Shade develops an alternate—addlebrained—plan. She will commit treason, which she knows will result in her incarceration on prison planet Ruintalos. There she will wait for rescue by Darvik Hart, Captain of the most feared pirate ship. Then she will convince him to help find the Majesty so she can kill the alien.

Pardon my incredulity. A Captain with Shade’s cunning and experience would most assuredly create a better plan than this goofy idea. But this is only the first of numerous poorly plotted story points. Within a day of Shade’s capture, Captain Hart and Naz, the medical officer and his lifelong friend, discuss Hart’s desire to marry Shade and make her co-captain.

Another troublesome aspect is Jess’ superficial depiction of Shade’s and Hart’s mutual romantic attraction. Jess depicts master pirate Darvic Hart as a hormone-addled teenager who reacts to the sound of Shade’s voice “like a boy lost in hormone overload.” Shade and Hart can hardly occupy the same room without Hart ruminating about his attraction to Shade and her body. Within hours of her rescue from Ruintalos, Shade lures Hart into bed and continually struggles to restrain her hormone-infused desires.

Sexual attraction enhances a good plot like a skillful dash of the right spice enhances an entrée. But Jess’ approach is akin to dumping an entire jar on a cut of dry, fatty meat and hoping diners will enjoy the spice.

Overall, the writing in Andromeda’s Pirates lacks skill. The attempt to create banter between Hart and Naz comes across like two guys trying to be clever who lack the aptitude. There is too much emphasis on explaining what the characters are thinking and insufficient attention to letting their actions reveal their thoughts and emotions. The editing failed to prune details that are not useful in telling the story.

My advice: Read Andromeda’s Rebels and skip Andromeda’s Pirates.… (mehr)