Escapee Synopsis: This follows book 1, Guardian Angel of Farflung Station…
A Disillusioned Soldier – Hector Dukelsky, an upper-class career officer, yearns to fight a righteous war instead of defending corporate interests on Banff, an isolated mining moon. That dream seems dead when his entire command is slaughtered while he’s away, leaving him alone in smouldering rubble with no chance to survive, let alone strike back at the enemy.
A Pilot with a Chip on Her Shoulder – Catt Sayer, a working-class fugitive from the law, earns a meagre income carrying supplies on a decrepit airship, but her hard-won life vanishes when invaders capture Banff. While searching for survivors, she rescues Hector and flies him to safety. But he doesn’t want safety. He wants her to risk her life on a hopeless journey to attack the enemy headquarters.
A Dying Moon – Catt is sure Banff will kill them long before the enemy can … yet she agree s to Hector’s scheme, certain he’ll quit after experiencing one of the moon’s eruptions or ferocious storms. But he doesn’t quit, and slowly his noble dream—and his love—conquer her heart. She pits her life and love against Banff’s lethal environment, even though the only reward for success will be the opportunity to face ten thousand enemy warriors.-Goodreads
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Escapee Review
For the record, I hate doing reviews like this. Ones where I’ve positively reviewed one or two of the author’s other works in the past, but can’t do it again. Ed Hoornaert is a talented writer, and I absolutely loved his Alien Contact series. It was filled with laughter that contrasted nicely with the serious issues addressed. The raging hormones played very nicely alongside the great personalities, and the bickering constantly made me giggle. Escapee... didn’t….doesn’t do anything of the sort. Escapee is a completely different story, so that’s mostly to be expected. Still.
Part of the problem is that where the other books I’d read from him had their steamy moments, I felt like the books focused more on the developing relationships and kept it fairly real. With Escapee, I didn’t ever get that feeling. I felt like I was reading a bodice ripper right from the outset and it just didn’t do it for me. One that was almost a bit too crude, which knocked it down a few more points in my mind. The main character, Catt, set my teeth on edge because she was so typical. I know there’s basic formulaes for these types of books. This is one that doesn’t do it for me.
With that being said, I did enjoy the background the author set everything against. I love the little details, like the skoot, and the desolate landscapes. The ship (dirigible?) was awesome. You often read about state of the art stuff in science fiction, so to have their transportation be a little dingy of a ship was awesome. I loved Lance’s unceasing efforts to tell a joke. And the action once it got going? Wonderful. Basically, if it wasn’t for the overly rambunctious love story, I’d have loved Escapee.
Still, everyone who reads this site knows I’m not exactly your typical female. So, if you’re in search of a sci-fi romance, give Escapee a try. You can find it here on Amazon.
Title: Escapee | Author: Edward Hoornaert | Publisher: Self-published | Pub. Date: 2016-4-19 | Pages: 262 | ASIN: B01BUI0T60 | Genres: Science Fiction & Romance | Language: English | Triggers: None | Date Read: 2016-7-29 | Source: Received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
