Review copy was received from Purchased. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Star Cruise: Marooned by Veronica Scott Series: The Sectors #3
on June 18, 2015
Genres: Romance, Science Fiction
Pages: 140
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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Meg Antille works long hours on the charter cruise ship Far Horizon so she can send credits home to her family. Working hard to earn a promotion to a better post (and better pay), Meg has no time for romance.
Former Special Forces soldier Red Thomsill only took the berth on the Far Horizon in hopes of getting to know Meg better, but so far she’s kept him at a polite distance. A scheduled stopover on the idyllic beach of a nature preserve planet may be his last chance to impress the girl.
But when one of the passengers is attacked by a wild animal it becomes clear that conditions on the lushly forested Dantaralon aren’t as advertised – the ranger station is deserted, the defensive perimeter is down…and then the Far Horizon’s shuttle abruptly leaves without any of them.
Jumping into a new adventure with new characters in another future world of The Sectors series, Star Cruise: Marooned is a riveting planetside survival adventure. Bringing a cruise ship’s handful of marooned staff and passengers an up close and personal with nature on a wild planet and the enemy of The Sectors, it was action-packed with a bit of time for a growing romance.
As I noted, Star Cruise: Marooned is part of The Sectors series and is the third of the standalone sci-fi romance adventures set in human future out among the stars on other inhabitable planets and in a tug o’ war battle with a brutal alien race trying to destroy the humans and control of the galaxy.
Those who are following my reviews as I press forward through the series might chuckle at the fact that I’d just been wishing in my last review for some space and alien action like we had in the first book. I got a lot of what I was wishing for and more.
There isn’t much set up. The book begins as a shuttle carrying wealthy passengers from a cruise ship are headed to a planet’s surface for a private picnic party on a sandy beach alongside a lagoon. Meg and Red are the crew for this one and they aren’t there long before they notice a mystery. The ranger station is deserted; there is only one other party there and they suddenly drop everything and leave, and then their own pilot leaves them and the shore party behind without warning. A storm is coming in, one of the passengers is stung and the creature was poisonous and Red’s military training kicks in. There are only so many reasons for a planet to be deserted and the biggest one is their enemy, the Mawreg, has invaded the Sector.
They had so much against them, but I loved seeing Meg and Red in action together. She’s the senior crew and he respects that because she’s calm in a crisis and keeps her wits about her when grabbing essentials, helping the survivors, and hanging in there with whatever they face. Red’s military training and experience in tough environments and combat situations is what will keep them all alive. There are some brutal moments that portray just how drastic the situation is.
I liked how this high-tension situation stripped things down so that all the reasons Meg had for not giving Red a chance seem absurd and she realizes she almost missed out on a really good thing. They get to know each other and share their backgrounds even as situation after situation must be faced. I liked the build to the final big money moment.
The ending was abrupt and left me blinking a little, but I can’t complain that it didn’t finish all the essentials. I would have liked to see for sure what came next for Red and Meg, but, in truth, they’d discussed what they would do if they survived so I will assume that is exactly what happened for them.
I had a blast with this sci-fi survival adventure and the characters. I am itching to pick up the next book and go into a new adventure with more great characters. As these are mostly standalones, it is a nice versatile series so that new readers can pick up almost any book in the series that grabs their fancy. Definitely recommend to sci-fi romance lovers who prefer an equal emphasis on both elements and some exciting action sequences.
About Veronica Scott
USA Today Best Selling Science Fiction & Paranormal Romance author.
Veronica Scott grew up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own stories.
MISC FACTS ABOUT VERONICA
Seven time winner ~ SFR Galaxy Award
Proud recipient ~ NASA Exceptional Service Medal but must hasten to add the honor was not for her romantic fiction!
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt – I’ll improve your process (mwahahahaa)!
Elvis Presley’s best friend once serenaded Veronica on a local TV telethon…now that could be a novel…
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.
Friend or follow me at Goodreads.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to review the book! Wow! I’, glad you enjoyed it…Red and Meg do show up as supporting characters in the rest of the Star Cruise series books. Some day I’d like to write a sequel for them, did kind of set that up in my most recent book in the series so we’ll see. So many plots, so little time!
So glad you could stop by, Veronica! Made my day.
Oh yes, I just finished with Outbreak and loved it that there was Red and Meg as supporting cast and a big part of the action. I would definitely not say no to a sequel for them someday. 🙂
I am going to have to give these books a try at some point. I like that it is a novella but the story sounds really big. Good to know that these books can be read as a stand-alone.
It is an exciting series and very versatile with shorter and longer books mixed in and lots of standalone stories. Hope you get the chance at them, Carole!
It’s pretty bad that I know who is reviewing this even before I get to the end LOL. Great review Sophia Rose I’m so glad you got your wish of more aliens and action and I like the fact that even though these are part of a series they are okay as stand alones too
LOL, you know me too well, Debbie! It is definitely just my thing and I was happy as a lark to see dangerous aliens and a dangerous alien planet. 🙂
Oh it looks good! A bit too bad for the abrupt ending though
I love these. Oh and I just finished the next book and was happy to see this couple and get an update on them after the abrupt finish.
This one just sounds like fun. And I do like that whole marooned trope. 🙂
It was quite the adventure and I like the marooned set up, too, Lark!
Sounds good, and your review does a great job of conveying what I need to know without spoilers.
Glad to put you onto this series, Lark. And, thanks! I’d hate to spoiler the good parts for anyone. 🙂
These do sound like great sci-fi adventure romances. I really need to make some time to read more sci-fi romance. Thanks SR!
Yes, it has been fun reading through this series. I’ve been bitten by the sci-fi bug. Hope you get the chance at some point, Jen!
Wow, this sounds like a lot of fun, and I’m glad you found your space adventure you’ve been looking for!
Most definitely fun, Wendy! 🙂
I’ve read a couple of her books and really liked them. This sounds like another from from her that I might enjoy.
Yes, and the one just before this one will feel like a blend of her old Egyptian fantasy series if you read those. 🙂 Speaking of which, I need to finish that series, too. 🙂
Oh my goodness!! How have I never heard of this author before??!! I feel like this series would be just what I would love to pick up. I am adding them to my GR list.
Her series was a discovery when I was reading a sci-fi antho. I loved her novella and wanted to read more. Oh yes, you really must grab Wreck of the Nebula Dream and be impressed, Renee! 🙂