Calamity by Constance Fay
Publication Date: November 14, 2023
Summary from NetGalley:
The captain of a ragtag mercenary ship is given an offer she can’t refuse by the ruthless head of an intergalactic noble family. The only catch? She’ll have to team up with his son–an upsettingly competent hardbody with his own agenda–to get her reward.
She’s got a ramshackle spaceship, a misfit crew, and a big problem with its sexy newest member…
Temperance Reed, banished from the wealthy and dangerous Fifteen Families, just wants to keep her crew together after their feckless captain ran off with the intern. But she’s drowning in debt and revolutionary new engine technology is about to make her beloved ship obsolete.
Enter Arcadio Escajeda. Second child of the terrifying Escajeda Family, he’s the thorn in Temper’s side as they’re sent off on a scouting mission on the backwater desert planet of Herschel 2. They throw sparks every time they meet but Temper’s suspicions of his ulterior motives only serve to fuel the flames between them.
Despite volcanic eruptions, secret cultists, and deadly galactic fighters, the greatest threat on this mission may be to Temper’s heart.
ARC provided by Tor Publishing via NetGalley for an honest review.
Confession:
Calamity is a science fiction romance that has a very solid story, a fun gang of characters, and a great narrator. This is a debut novel with a lot of potential and I hope to see more books by this author. I really enjoyed the main plot of the story, the found family vibes and there is lots of action, but there were a couple of things that didn’t really work for me, namely the romance. Which is a shame, because that was one of the reasons I picked the book up, but I do think it might be me in this case, as most of the reviews I’ve read all talk about the steamy romance.
Temperance is the leader of this rag tag bunch of space explorers and the sole narrator of the story. She is a very complex character, smart and loyal, and will put her life on the line to save her crew. She does lack confidence at times and even makes some mistakes, so she isn’t perfect, she is just human. Her backstory is also complex and it is slowly revealed over the course of the book. She had an awful childhood, but that just made her stronger.
Arcadio is the love interest, and unfortunately I never felt like we truly got to know him well. He is just sort of there, at times a little on the overbearing side, but you could tell he has deep feelings for his family and eventually for Temperance. But as much as I liked the two of them as individuals, I never felt the heat between them.
The rest of the crew was awesome, each having their own skills that contribute to the team. You could also tell that they all really liked each other even when they were annoying each other.
The plot was solid, though typical light science fiction fare. There could have been a bit more world building as I never quite got a handle on how the whole system worked. Also some of the tech was a little over the edge and not as believable as it could be. Science fiction needs to be grounded in the science of our universe to be believable and this wasn’t at times. The pacing was good, but the dialogue could have been a bit better, especially some of the banter. There are a few scenes of pretty steamy sex, but they weren’t essential to the story, so could have just as easily been left out.
Overall I liked this story enough that I am willing to give the author another try when the next book comes out. I really do think my issues with the romance was more on me, as I haven’t liked any romances lately. But if you like light science fiction with a side of romance than this is a book you should give a chance.
Confessions of a Serial Reader 