I’ve read one of Pajonas’s books before – see my review of Removed – and enjoyed the quality of the writing, so while the cover on this one caught my eye, I wasn’t too sure about the reverse harem dynamic. However when it was part of a Book Funnel promo I’d joined, I decided to give it a go. I am also including this one in the @SciFiMonth2019 fun and frolics, here.
BLURB: Vivian Kawabata can’t wait to claim her privileged destiny. But when the heir to the family agricultural empire finds her bank account empty while shopping for expensive shoes, she’s horrified 
to discover that her own brother has financially stabbed her in the back. To stand a chance of restoring her rightful place in the universe, the honest and rule-following Vivian may have to break a few intergalactic laws…
I’ve cut short the rather chatty blurb, as I think it provides way too many spoilers. I really enjoyed Vivian’s character which pings off the page. Hardworking and focused on pleasing her family, she has been a model daughter – to the extent that she has put her own wishes for her future on hold in order to become an heiress worthy of the family farm. I really felt for her when the rug is pulled from under her feet and I think Pajonas manages to tread the fine line between fully depicting the devastation she feels and having her lapse too much into victim mode. By this time, I should have put the book down and got some much-needed sleep, but that wasn’t happening – I gulped this one down in a single sitting, as the pages kept turning themselves.
I also liked the supporting characters in this entertaining, bouncy story which, despite Vivian’s travails, has a nicely upbeat vibe in the humorous asides amongst the crew. As for the developing reverse harem storyline, it clearly isn’t going to be anything too graphic or sleazy for my taste. These days, while I appreciate a well-written romantic plotline, I generally don’t pick up any book for the romantic content alone – and I liked the fact that while I think I can predict at least one of Vivian’s future partners, there is going to be plenty of feelings and affection displayed in these relationships.
I am definitely going to be looking for more of these books – I need to find out how Vivian is going to prevail, whether she catches up with that shifty brother of hers and how the hilarious ship AI is going to cope with a cargo of pigs…
Highly recommended for fans of entertaining, character-led space opera with a strong romantic element involving a reverse harem story.
8/10
more like children than wolf cubs now. They are accustomed to wearing clothes. They hardly ever howl at the moon. And for the most part, they resist the urge to chase squirrels up trees. Yet the Incorrigibles are not entirely civilized, and still managed to ruin Lady Constance’s Christmas ball, nearly destroying the grand house. So while Ashton Place is being restored, Penelope, the Ashtons, and the children take up residence in London. As they explore the city, Penelope and the Incorrigibles discover more about themselves as clues about the children’s–and Penelope’s own–mysterious past crop up in the most unexpected ways…
Waking on an unfamiliar floor, Pax is faced with two hard truths. A murderous government agency wants her dead – and monsters really do exist. What’s more, her body’s going haywire, which she desperately hopes isn’t a side-effect of her encounters in the city’s tunnels. To survive, and protect Ordshaw, she’s got to expose who, or what, is behind the chaos – and she can’t do it alone. But with only the trigger-happy Fae to turn to, Pax’s allies might kill her before her enemies do…
nothing to show but everything to fight for. Hiccup’s quest is clear…but can he end the rebellion? Can he prove himself to be king? Can he save the dragons? The stakes have never been higher, as the very fate of the Viking world hangs in the balance!
Vivian Kawabata can’t wait to claim her privileged destiny. But when the heir to the family agricultural empire finds her bank account empty while shopping for expensive shoes, she’s horrified to discover that her own brother has financially stabbed her in the back. To stand a chance of restoring her rightful place in the universe, the honest and rule-following Vivian may have to break a few intergalactic laws.
HE’LL GO TO THE ENDS OF THE GALAXY TO SAVE HIS BROTHER AND SISTER.
and newly discovered alien species are invited to join a loose commonwealth of planets that now extends beyond the Orion spur of the Milky Way galaxy. However, not all species are peaceful. A hundred years of war to repel the Xathen invasion turned into an uneasy truce that has lasted for nearly thirty years. Exploration of systems has resumed, with the Zanzibar sent to complete the survey of a planet on the fringes of Xathen space. When the Xathen declared war over a hundred and thirty years ago, contact with the first survey ship was lost, and they never returned home.
empire finds her bank account empty while shopping for expensive shoes, she’s horrified to discover that her own brother has financially stabbed her in the back. To stand a chance of restoring her rightful place in the universe, the honest and rule-following Vivian may have to break a few intergalactic laws.
Brainfluff 