Escape from Zulaire by Veronica Scott @vscotttheauthor @sophiarose1816

Andi Markriss hasn’t exactly enjoyed being the houseguest of the planetary high-lord, but her company sent her to represent them at a political wedding. When hotshot Sectors Special Forces Captain Tom Deverane barges in on the night of the biggest social event of the summer, Andi isn’t about to offend her high-ranking host on Deverane’s say-so—no matter how sexy he is, or how much he believes they need to leave now.

Deverane was thinking about how to spend his retirement bonus when HQ assigned him one last mission: rescue a civilian woman stranded on a planet on the verge of civil war. Someone has pulled some serious strings to get her plucked out of the hot zone. Deverane’s never met anyone so hard-headed—or so appealing. Suddenly his mission to protect this one woman has become more than just mere orders.

That mission proves more dangerous than he expected when rebel fighters attack the village and raze it to the ground. Deverane escapes with Andi, and on their hazardous journey through the wilderness, Andi finds herself fighting her uncomfortable attraction to the gallant and courageous captain. But Deverane’s not the type to settle down, and running for one’s life doesn’t leave much time to explore a romance.

Then Andi is captured by the rebel fighters, but Deverane has discovered that Zulaire’s so-called civil war is part of a terrifying alien race’s attempt to subjugate the entire Sector. If he pushes on to the capitol Andi will die. Deverane must decide whether to save the woman he loves, or sacrifice her to save Zulaire.

Returning to Veronica Scott’s The Sectors world for more sci-fi action and romance, I was thrilled that this standalone volume took us to a new planet and culture along with another group of characters and exciting plot.

Andi Markiss is the Loxton representative to a lavish political wedding before the planet high lord’s daughter and her wealthy and socially-connected fiancé.  The wedding festivities are taking place at the high lord’s summer home and Andi is putting a smiling face on it when she would rather be many places, but there.  Then, a captain of the Sectors Special Forces and his team turn up to extricate her and return her to the safety of the capitol city because political unrest between the two most powerful tribes has broken out and it is unsafe for Sectors citizens to be outside the safety of the city.

Andi is slow to believe Captain Tom Deverane and insists she has to stay until the wedding is over.  But, when bombs erupts, beams fire, and the butchery begins, she is one hundred percent supportive of the man’s efforts to get them out and get them to safety.  That is, she is terrified, but insists they rescue a few hapless victims along the way even as they garner plenty of intel that points to the fact that the political situation is more complicated than at first glance.  Someone is maneuvering events from the shadows and planting false evidence to stir up a planetary civil war.  Andi’s attraction for the worthy and heroic captain grows even as they work as a group to get to safety and pass on what they know to save lives and bring peace.

Escape to Zulaire is set on a planet far from earth in time and distance, but the whole time I felt it was familiar, like it was African geographic setting and tribal culture- just in the future.  There was an interesting mystic element added by the Zulaire religion and the secondary character of a spiritual leader whom they rescue and bring along.  It turns out that Andi’s need to rescue certain people along the way played a huge role in later events of the story and some characters, Andi included, are more than they seemed at the start.

So, there is intrigue, action, and a romance all as a group desperately makes a mad run across a planet trying to get away from those plotting a coup and get to a place of stability.  It was a fast and furious read, much like the first book.  Again, it is utterly standalone and has a very loose connection as a series book.  Those who love exciting and a little spicy sci-fi romance should give this one some attention.

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Sophia

Reviewer at Books of My Heart

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening.Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.

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