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2023 Books. ⋙ Only Bad Options by Jennifer Estep
“Once again, I was in a situation where I had only bad options. Sometimes I thought that was the sad story of my life. No good, easy, simple choices, only those that ranged from bad to worse to catastrophic.”
Which would you prefer?
Azula's character remains in stasis and they never really write about her again
Azula gets a poorly written and incoherent redemption arc
Azula remains a one dimensional antagonist
Time for an evil poll!
Review: Only Bad Options
Oh my gosh, I wrote a book review for the first time in years!
Author: Jennifer Estep
The Lovers: Vesper Quill & Kyrion Caldaren
Spice: 1
Rating: 4
I love romance books. That's no surprise on this blog. And while I love the lower stakes of more traditional romance books, occasionally I want something with a little more action. The threat is higher and the action more engaging...with romance, of course!
Recently I finished rereading The Hero Within by Bec McMaster, followed quickly by The Hidden Legacy books by Ilona Andrews. I've reread both of these series multiple times. I love them. (I'll do a post about these books later) These are just two of the authors I turn to in these times of need. While I love them, I wanted something new, but similar to their style.
Cue Jennifer Estep and her Galactic Bonds series.
There are six books in this series, but I'm going to talk about the first one, Only Bad Options.
The first thing you should know about these books is that they're a space opera. I love space operas. Star Wars was an ever present source of entertainment in our house growing up and I still love watching through the whole catalogue. So, I was happy to find a new book series with hints of that first Sci-fi love. I know there's a plethora of alien romance books now, which I love, but sometimes they fall short of the drama I'm craving in my space stories. This one delivers.
The second thing you should know about this book is that it's (what I'll call) a romance series. What do I mean by this? While there is romance set up in the first book, the conclusion of the romance won't pay off until later. In book two we see Vesper and Kyrion finally overcoming their emotional hurdles and committing to one another. I've tagged this book slow burn for a reason.
I also really like the world building in this series. Our characters aren't just fighting with laser guns, but a good majority of the population has magic as well. Some characters even have magic swords. Which again, gives off those wonderful Jedi vibes. There's also political drama that's happening against the backdrop of the story. Vesper and Kyrion are fighting for their lives while also dealing with aristocracy, cyborgs, and political intrigue.
Read the rest of the review here.
May Book Reviews: Only Bad Options by Jennifer Estep
Picked this one up on recommendation by Ilona Andrews as a particularly fun space opera. When lab tech Vesper Quill discovers a deliberate flaw in the newest design of spaceships, she inadvertently sets off a manhunt-- and puts herself on a collision path with the dangerous Kyrion Caldaren, the emperor's own assassin.
This is a fun read, if a bit silly (psy powers strike again). I would say it's a level or two pulpier than Winter's Orbit, for reference. Estep also writes a surprisingly nuanced take on mandatory psychic bonds-- in her worldbuilding, it's not "fate", it's two people's psychic powers involuntarily latching on to work together, essentially. It's not inherently romantic and it doesn't mean that the two people are well matched personality-wise, although it does force a level of emotional closeness. Still not my favorite trope, but acceptable. The inevitable romance was played very slow-burn, with no real resolution in the book, which I like.
However. after reading through around two hundred pages about Mr. Kyrion Caldaren. yeah yeah, he wears all black, he stabs people with his glowing laser sword. he killed his father and serves the evil space empire as a personal attack dog. his psychic space powers bond with protagonist woman, his long floppy dark hair, striking eyes, and slightly large nose-- WAITAMINUTE. to make matters worse he's literally Kyrion CaldaREN. if a resemblance to a certain star wars man is a problem for you, rest assured that he's just doing a little situational cosplay, more or less. Once you mess up the setting and context that much, you have a functionally completely different guy.
If these tropes sound like fun, you'd probably enjoy it, if they make you wince, better to steer clear. Light, pulpy fun.
REVIEW - ONLY BAD OPTIONS by Jennifer Estep "intriguing and captivating"
Pre Order
ONLY BAD OPTION (Galactic Options) by Jennifer Estep
Release Date: September 20, 2022
AmazonKindle: https://amzn.to/3vdgOcn
BNBuzz: https://tinyurl.com/48fsw5yz
AppleBooks: https://apple.co/3wcifZu
GooglePlay: https://tinyurl.com/2p8nnvsw
kobo: https://tinyurl.com/4exju46u
New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Estep blasts off with an exciting new science-fiction fantasy adventure with a dash of Regency romance. This action-packed space opera features a mix of magic and technology, along with a soul mates and enemies-to-lovers story. Perfect for fans of Star Wars, Bridgerton, and Pride and Prejudice.
A WOMAN WHO SEES EVERYTHING .
Few people know the name Vesper Quill. To most folks, I’m just a lowly lab rat who designs brewmakers and other household appliances in the research and development lab at the powerful Kent Corp. But when I point out a design flaw and a safety hazard in the new line of Kent Corp spaceships, everyone knows who I am—and wants to eliminate me.I might be a seer with a photographic memory, but I don’t see the trouble headed my way until it’s too late. Suddenly, I’m surrounded by enemies and fighting for my life.I don’t think things can get any worse until I meet Kyrion Caldaren, an arrogant Regal lord who insists that we have a connection, one that could be the death of us both.
A MAN WHO CAN’T FORGET HIS PAST . . .
The name Kyrion Caldaren strikes fear in the hearts of people across the Archipelago Galaxy. As the leader of the Arrows, the Imperium’s elite fighting force, I’m used to being a villain, as well as the personal assassin of Lord Callus Holloway. Even the wealthy Regals who live on the planet of Corios are afraid of me.But everything changes when I meet Vesper Quill. I might be a powerful psion with telepathic, telekinetic, and other abilities, but Vesper sees far too many of my secrets.Thanks to an arcane, unwanted quirk of psionic magic, the two of us are forced to work together to unravel a dangerous conspiracy and outwit the dangerous enemies who want to bend us to their will.
DnD musing
Today during a home game I was left with a huge what the hell should I do moment. Currently I play a lvl4 multiclass (barbarian/ranger) tiefling. We were recently greeted by a new player character who is a lvl 4 Dwarvin Blood Hunter. Per roleplay and some good roles my barbarian picked up on the fact that this new character was a bounty hunter. Now why would this even be a problem you ask, well per the wonders of backstory my character might have killed a few people of renown. Of course I didn’t think this was gonna pop up to bite me in the arse so soon. The actual making of a bounty hunter had me so unnerved that I built another character just in case this one ends up dead by the end of some bad choices. I however I have options; I could be stupid out my character and challenge this new fellow who seems only to be a scout to a fight. I could also stupidly try to kill this character in his sleep or I could run away in Simba like fashion and try an disappear into the wind. So post game all I could think is what the hell do I do? So far I have kept my distance and tried to learn what I can about this new character. I feel like out and out fighting this character for no reason is more trouble than it is worth. I love DnD but sometimes I hate the open ended possibility that shit could go really wrong. So my hope is that next Monday I have a better idea than simply having my character run away.
