Today I’m excited to participate in the blog tour for Donna Frelick‘s Fool Rush In, the third book in the Interstellar Rescue. If you enjoy space opera, science fiction, or you’re looking for a fun read, I highly suggest you start this one. Keep reading for my review of the book, an excerpt and a tour-wide giveaway.
Blog Tour Organized by: Inklings Literary Agency
I received this book via the author, Donna Frelick. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
Fools Rush In by Donna Frelick Series: Interstellar Rescue #3
Published by INK'd Press on 2016-10-18
Length: 326 pages
Reviewing eARC Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2016 New Release Challenge
She thought she had the toughest job in Rescue—
until the day she had to convert a pirate into a hero.Interstellar Rescue “conductor” Rayna Carver is deep undercover on a slave ship bound for an isolated region of space when the ship is attacked by pirates. Her liberator is Captain Sam Murphy, a man known in the spacer bars to love only profit, adventure and women.
But Murphy hates a few things, too, chief among them slavers. Will it be enough to gain his help for Rayna’s mission—ferreting out two spies bent on sabotaging an arms factory to turn the tide in an alien civil war?
Review
Fools Rush In by Donna Frelick is the third book in Interstellar Rescue but it is also a prequel of sorts. In this installment we get Rayna and Sam’s story, how they met and events that are alluded to in previous books are played out in full. Captain Murphy is an easy going man who loves women, his ship and crew, and profit (he is a pirate after all), but there is one thing he hates…slavers. When he takes down a slaver ship with an undercover Rayna on board, he gets more than he bargained for.
I’ve always liked Rayna. She’s the epitome of bada**! She takes no crap from anybody, isn’t afraid to put the captain in his place and she’s fearless. Did I mention she kicks butt? Because the woman can fight!
Like Rayna, I’ve always liked Sam, but I think I’m in love now! He’s like a cross between Capt. Kirk in the new Star Trek movies and my favorite space cowboy Capt. Reynolds from Firefly. In fact I so pictured Nathan Fillion the entire time I was reading. I couldn’t help it. (On that same note Rayna was Zoe in my mind!) Okay back to why I like Sam. I loved that we finally get his backstory in this book. I always liked him, but knowing now what he came from helps to understand his previous actions, his weaknesses and his strengths. But what I truly loved was how he treated Rayna. I was full on expecting an alpha relationship, but instead he treats her as his equal. He doesn’t look down on her or believe that she shouldn’t do something. Instead he supports her and yes is a little protective 😉
I love the world-building in this series and this book in particular. It’s the first that is set entirely off Earth and in space. It’s a space opera so if that’s not your thing, consider yourself warned. The cast of characters are believable and a diverse bunch of aliens. I love how the author explains the differences by not pointing them out but allowing them to naturally come up (like with their size, skin color, even their language). I was fully immersed! AND I loved the plot! The plot centers around Sam’s ship rescuing a large group from slavers. Unfortunately for Sam there are spies on that ship hellbent on getting to the location they were being sent and basically starting a war. Intense and highly suspenseful!
Overall I really enjoyed this book! I love a good sci fi and this one with it’s dry humor, dash of romance and adventure, I couldn’t resist it. If you’ve enjoyed the series or you’re looking for a good sci fi read, I highly recommend you start this one ASAP!
Teasers
Excerpt
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? This is a restricted area.”
Still clinging to the grab bar, Rayna glanced up at the captain’s face. His expression didn’t match the censure in his words. The furrows between his brows didn’t look like anger, but she couldn’t quite interpret their true meaning.
“For a pirate ship, you sure have a lot of rules.”
“Discipline is necessary no matter what kind of ship it is.” His lips curved upwards. “Now answer my question.”
Sam Murphy really was a fine-looking man, a dangerously fine-looking man, with those green eyes and a face that belonged in holovids rather than on the deck of a real ship. But damned if he was going to back her up, even in zero G.
“You saw what I was doing; I was working out. The ribs have healed—almost. I didn’t think I’d have to ask permission, especially since I was back here with the waste processors.”
Murphy leaned in closer. In spite of herself, Rayna inhaled and took him in. God, he smelled good—like … the first breath of fresh air dirtside after months on a ship. For a second she was lost, drifting as surely as if she had let go of her mooring on the hull.
“This is my ship, Little Bit.” His voice was a seductive purr. “You need permission for everything.”
Heat flashed from the top of her head to the bottoms of her feet. Rayna meant to shout, but her voice came out in a matching sultry whisper. “Why you puffed up, self-righteous, arrogant—” She got her hormones in check and started over. “Control seems to be your middle name, Murphy. Well, let me tell you something: I joined Rescue because Independence is mine.”
“Do I have to remind you you’re a guest on my ship?” His expression had tightened into a smoky scowl. “The one place I have plenty of room onboard is the brig—maybe you’d like accommodations there.” His eyes held hers like he meant it, but a muscle jumped in his jaw. His tell, she realized. He wanted something quite different for her. That heat flashed through her once again, and this time she was certain it had nothing to do with anger.
Damn it.
“All right, yeah, I saw the big ‘Keep Out’ signs. But every other square centimeter of space on this tug is occupied. I needed a workout, and zero G is a good place to get started. I didn’t think anyone would be back here.”
His expressive face changed yet again, the hard lines around his mouth and eyes going soft as the tension drained from him. “Any day but today you’d have been right.”
“What’s different about today?”
He scanned the empty hull space before he answered. “The ship’s on lockdown; I’ve ordered a full security sweep in hull space.”
Understanding dawned. All that bluster was because Murphy was feeling protective. She looked up at him and, yep, there it was, shining from those eyes, despite his stern refusal to smile.
But just because her body responded instantly with eager anticipation didn’t mean her mind should be onboard with this program. Seriously, how would it ever work between them? He was a pirate, for chrissake. According to him, she was an interfering bleeding heart. The only thing they had in common was a disregard for authority, and they would never even agree on the reasons for that.
Oh, but, damn, he smelled so good. He kept floating closer, and she was so tired. She wanted to let go and settle into those arms.
“You miscalculated.” His arm was around her shoulders again, his lips against her ear.
“What do you mean?” Her protest came out in a breathy murmur.
“You’re exhausted. You weren’t ready for this much exertion.” He was so close, so warm, encouraging her to let go. “I bet you didn’t ask Doc Berta for permission either.”
She finally gave up and transferred her hold to him, arms and legs wrapping around his hard body. He hooked both feet around the handholds below them, anchored one hand and used the other to clasp her to him; she was so small in comparison, his arm stretched all the way across her lower back.
She looked up at him, lips inches from his. “I don’t ask permission for anything.”
Giveaway
About Donna Frelick
Along the way to her science fiction suspense career she’s been married to a wonderful guy since just out of college, been a Peace Corps Volunteer in Africa, raised a family (two girls, two grandkids), tried organic farming, worked as a freelance journalist and editor, been a community activist, and earned black belts in two different styles of martial arts.
Her first two SFR novels finaled in the Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® contest.
She lives on 44 beautiful mountain acres in Marshall, NC, with her husband and two talkative cats.
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