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biblioseph's review
First published as Runaway Star and recently revised by it's authors, Escape Velocity was an impulse its-on-sale! purchase. Concerning a colony on the cusp of breaking the strange musical language of the Pandorans. Elios is a top governmental linguist and is hard at work trying to figure out what is up with those ships that are just on the horizon of their sensor scans. On this almost-Utopian colony, there isn't very much budgeted for defense, yeah, I know, and this is causing unrest as long as the Pandorans and their undecipherable plea remain an unknown. Sender is a Harpy (fighter jet) pilot, and squad-team leader. Through fortuitous events, these two meet, hook up and fall in love in a usual sort of way.
Through minimal fault of the narrator, I didn't think I would take this seriously until the plot suddenly kicked in, just after the half-way point. Having read some really good* Gay Romance in the past, I was quickly geared up not to like this one.
Not one to go out for gratuitous sex in romance novels, this was full of them in the beginning. But, as stated, after some densely packed sex scenes, we were in action: romantic leads are forced asunder, the lovers are star-crossed!--will it ever work? Considering that Harlequin, like many romance labels, has a strict 'happily for now' policy, of course it will. But one shouldn't hesitate to admit hunger for one of the scientists to steal credit for Elios's work, or Katie and Sender to end up in a family arrangement with Vochi and Shakira, leading Elios to next see and date Sender when he was fully healed on the Arega. I would have loved for that kind of a cute but subtle ending, hands held across the table in the cafe, full of hope, but here we have lots of repetitive sex scenes and a clear happy ending.
The fact that this is a two author work, really impressed me. Even if they went with the safe route of 'you write that perspective, I'll write this one,' this was a great example of author collaboration. The club scene early on is also worth noting, because I find that kind of thing hard to convey.
The world building was a mouth-watering tease. But a quick scan of other reviews clues me into the fact that this is first in a series, and was expanded from a shorter work. One looks forward to more Roman-religion world building and sex of the character building sort**. (Especially that scene in the temple where Elios talks to the Vestal... I have hopes.)
Since this is a review of the audio book, here is a further note: The sex scenes were so quick in succession to one another that I began giggling through mundane tasks at work, wondering how often Charles Carr said the word 'cock' in a paragraph. One's mind easily wandered.
In conclusion, dear review readers, this is sweet romance with wobbly legs. Yes, there is a hospital scene, yes, there is some angst of the my-parents-and-religion-hate-what-I-am sort, but its Sci-Fi zest make it forgivable. One is also so very chuffed with the resurgence of Roman Pagan religion that things are balancing in the book's favor.
* I'll be going into that very soon.
** For beginners, I highly recommend How to Write Hot Sex edited by Shoshanna Evers. While only one chapter address m/m, the whole tome is worth a quick read through.
6:46. Carina Press. Audiobook.
Narrated by Charles Carr.
You can read more of my shenangigans on auroralector.blogspot.com.
Through minimal fault of the narrator, I didn't think I would take this seriously until the plot suddenly kicked in, just after the half-way point. Having read some really good* Gay Romance in the past, I was quickly geared up not to like this one.
Not one to go out for gratuitous sex in romance novels, this was full of them in the beginning. But, as stated, after some densely packed sex scenes, we were in action: romantic leads are forced asunder, the lovers are star-crossed!--will it ever work? Considering that Harlequin, like many romance labels, has a strict 'happily for now' policy, of course it will. But one shouldn't hesitate to admit hunger for one of the scientists to steal credit for Elios's work, or Katie and Sender to end up in a family arrangement with Vochi and Shakira, leading Elios to next see and date Sender when he was fully healed on the Arega. I would have loved for that kind of a cute but subtle ending, hands held across the table in the cafe, full of hope, but here we have lots of repetitive sex scenes and a clear happy ending.
The fact that this is a two author work, really impressed me. Even if they went with the safe route of 'you write that perspective, I'll write this one,' this was a great example of author collaboration. The club scene early on is also worth noting, because I find that kind of thing hard to convey.
The world building was a mouth-watering tease. But a quick scan of other reviews clues me into the fact that this is first in a series, and was expanded from a shorter work. One looks forward to more Roman-religion world building and sex of the character building sort**. (Especially that scene in the temple where Elios talks to the Vestal... I have hopes.)
Since this is a review of the audio book, here is a further note: The sex scenes were so quick in succession to one another that I began giggling through mundane tasks at work, wondering how often Charles Carr said the word 'cock' in a paragraph. One's mind easily wandered.
In conclusion, dear review readers, this is sweet romance with wobbly legs. Yes, there is a hospital scene, yes, there is some angst of the my-parents-and-religion-hate-what-I-am sort, but its Sci-Fi zest make it forgivable. One is also so very chuffed with the resurgence of Roman Pagan religion that things are balancing in the book's favor.
* I'll be going into that very soon.
** For beginners, I highly recommend How to Write Hot Sex edited by Shoshanna Evers. While only one chapter address m/m, the whole tome is worth a quick read through.
6:46. Carina Press. Audiobook.
Narrated by Charles Carr.
You can read more of my shenangigans on auroralector.blogspot.com.
alex_whitehall's review against another edition
3.0
Overall
I went into Escape Velocity with extremely high hopes, previously having enjoyed Crow and Fox's One Real Thing. However, my initial read left me disappointed and flummoxed on how the writing could feel so weak compared to ORT. By the end, I was enjoying the story more and was left overall satisfied (althought still disappointed). I wrote a review reflecting that, put it aside and read some other books, then came back to Escape Velocity.
While it didn't transform into an amazing novel between reads, many of my initial feelings did change slightly, and I'll try to present both in my review. I enjoyed the novel more on my second reading, which could partially be due to my general mood, but the weaknesses and strengths still stood by the end.
Strengths
On my first read, I had difficulty relating with either of the main characters, and the focus on sex and their jobs in the beginning left me lukewarm about Sender on the first part of the second read as well. However, Elios felt more approachable in the second read and was easier to empathize with as an injured party trying not to get his heart broken again. Most of my difficulties with Sender centered around his hang ups with religion, not with his interactions with his friends, Elios, or on the job. I liked Sender, but I couldn't relate to his religious plight. Overall I liked the characters and I liked the heart-wrenching path the tale took (I especially liked the heart-wrenching path the book took).
The sci-fi elements of this story--including all the world building--were well handled, providing just enough detail to flesh out what was going on without bogging down the story. The clashing cultures, the colonized world, the contrast between Themis and Luna, and the beautiful descriptions all add to a vivid image of where the characters are. Also, I appreciate the dichotomy of Themis being described as grungy, old, and weighed down with politics, culture and population while Luna is clean, sunny, and open. Themis is visualized as a bureaucratic hell and Luna is its heavenly counterpart.
Despite my desire to see more of the Pandora project developed (see below), I enjoyed the direction this story--the romantic part--took. The conflict, the pained emotions, and the strength of the characters all lent themselves to a whirlwind story with a satisfying ending.
Weaknesses
My initial thought was that the writing wasn't bad, but it fell flat for me. It felt stiff and a little awkward, which made it difficult to really sink into the characters. Because of that, the sex scenes didn't really melt me and until about 50% of the way, I wasn't really into what was happening. My second read let me analyze the language closer, and I found the majority of the story had fairly good writing, but some phrases and structures were awkward and stiff. This was balanced out by other phrases' brilliance and originality. I wouldn't mark this as a great read, but it's not something to suffer through either.
While I enjoy--in fact search out--books with religious themes, I was not convinced by Sender's continued following of his family's religious beliefs. Obviously he was raised with it, but the story never conveyed a sense that he really believed it, despite casual mentions that he thought what he was doing was wrong. So when he has to choose between the religious followings and his own happiness, I couldn't comprehend why he'd even hesitate. In my second read I came to terms with this a little more, as I could see that he made decisions not based on his beliefs but on his obligations, yet I still couldn't buy his beliefs/struggles.
Requested this book for review.
Be sure to check out my other reviews on my blog.
Merged review:
Overall
I went into Escape Velocity with extremely high hopes, previously having enjoyed Crow and Fox's One Real Thing. However, my initial read left me disappointed and flummoxed on how the writing could feel so weak compared to ORT. By the end, I was enjoying the story more and was left overall satisfied (althought still disappointed). I wrote a review reflecting that, put it aside and read some other books, then came back to Escape Velocity.
While it didn't transform into an amazing novel between reads, many of my initial feelings did change slightly, and I'll try to present both in my review. I enjoyed the novel more on my second reading, which could partially be due to my general mood, but the weaknesses and strengths still stood by the end.
Strengths
On my first read, I had difficulty relating with either of the main characters, and the focus on sex and their jobs in the beginning left me lukewarm about Sender on the first part of the second read as well. However, Elios felt more approachable in the second read and was easier to empathize with as an injured party trying not to get his heart broken again. Most of my difficulties with Sender centered around his hang ups with religion, not with his interactions with his friends, Elios, or on the job. I liked Sender, but I couldn't relate to his religious plight. Overall I liked the characters and I liked the heart-wrenching path the tale took (I especially liked the heart-wrenching path the book took).
The sci-fi elements of this story--including all the world building--were well handled, providing just enough detail to flesh out what was going on without bogging down the story. The clashing cultures, the colonized world, the contrast between Themis and Luna, and the beautiful descriptions all add to a vivid image of where the characters are. Also, I appreciate the dichotomy of Themis being described as grungy, old, and weighed down with politics, culture and population while Luna is clean, sunny, and open. Themis is visualized as a bureaucratic hell and Luna is its heavenly counterpart.
Despite my desire to see more of the Pandora project developed (see below), I enjoyed the direction this story--the romantic part--took. The conflict, the pained emotions, and the strength of the characters all lent themselves to a whirlwind story with a satisfying ending.
Weaknesses
My initial thought was that the writing wasn't bad, but it fell flat for me. It felt stiff and a little awkward, which made it difficult to really sink into the characters. Because of that, the sex scenes didn't really melt me and until about 50% of the way, I wasn't really into what was happening. My second read let me analyze the language closer, and I found the majority of the story had fairly good writing, but some phrases and structures were awkward and stiff. This was balanced out by other phrases' brilliance and originality. I wouldn't mark this as a great read, but it's not something to suffer through either.
While I enjoy--in fact search out--books with religious themes, I was not convinced by Sender's continued following of his family's religious beliefs. Obviously he was raised with it, but the story never conveyed a sense that he really believed it, despite casual mentions that he thought what he was doing was wrong. So when he has to choose between the religious followings and his own happiness, I couldn't comprehend why he'd even hesitate. In my second read I came to terms with this a little more, as I could see that he made decisions not based on his beliefs but on his obligations, yet I still couldn't buy his beliefs/struggles.
Requested this book for review.
Be sure to check out my other reviews on my blog.
I went into Escape Velocity with extremely high hopes, previously having enjoyed Crow and Fox's One Real Thing. However, my initial read left me disappointed and flummoxed on how the writing could feel so weak compared to ORT. By the end, I was enjoying the story more and was left overall satisfied (althought still disappointed). I wrote a review reflecting that, put it aside and read some other books, then came back to Escape Velocity.
While it didn't transform into an amazing novel between reads, many of my initial feelings did change slightly, and I'll try to present both in my review. I enjoyed the novel more on my second reading, which could partially be due to my general mood, but the weaknesses and strengths still stood by the end.
Strengths
On my first read, I had difficulty relating with either of the main characters, and the focus on sex and their jobs in the beginning left me lukewarm about Sender on the first part of the second read as well. However, Elios felt more approachable in the second read and was easier to empathize with as an injured party trying not to get his heart broken again. Most of my difficulties with Sender centered around his hang ups with religion, not with his interactions with his friends, Elios, or on the job. I liked Sender, but I couldn't relate to his religious plight. Overall I liked the characters and I liked the heart-wrenching path the tale took (I especially liked the heart-wrenching path the book took).
The sci-fi elements of this story--including all the world building--were well handled, providing just enough detail to flesh out what was going on without bogging down the story. The clashing cultures, the colonized world, the contrast between Themis and Luna, and the beautiful descriptions all add to a vivid image of where the characters are. Also, I appreciate the dichotomy of Themis being described as grungy, old, and weighed down with politics, culture and population while Luna is clean, sunny, and open. Themis is visualized as a bureaucratic hell and Luna is its heavenly counterpart.
Despite my desire to see more of the Pandora project developed (see below), I enjoyed the direction this story--the romantic part--took. The conflict, the pained emotions, and the strength of the characters all lent themselves to a whirlwind story with a satisfying ending.
Weaknesses
My initial thought was that the writing wasn't bad, but it fell flat for me. It felt stiff and a little awkward, which made it difficult to really sink into the characters. Because of that, the sex scenes didn't really melt me and until about 50% of the way, I wasn't really into what was happening. My second read let me analyze the language closer, and I found the majority of the story had fairly good writing, but some phrases and structures were awkward and stiff. This was balanced out by other phrases' brilliance and originality. I wouldn't mark this as a great read, but it's not something to suffer through either.
While I enjoy--in fact search out--books with religious themes, I was not convinced by Sender's continued following of his family's religious beliefs. Obviously he was raised with it, but the story never conveyed a sense that he really believed it, despite casual mentions that he thought what he was doing was wrong. So when he has to choose between the religious followings and his own happiness, I couldn't comprehend why he'd even hesitate. In my second read I came to terms with this a little more, as I could see that he made decisions not based on his beliefs but on his obligations, yet I still couldn't buy his beliefs/struggles.
Spoiler
Despite the mysterious ship with the mysterious language and the importance of the military and pilots, the whole ordeal took second place to Sender's conflict. While I can respect the idea that this is all just one step in life for them (and the mission), the beginning of the book led me to believe that the mystery was going to be solved further than it was. I liked that it didn't distract from the romance, but it also took me off guard a little as well. I'm conflicted on how I feel about it. I almost feel (especially with the first edition's original title) that this was meant to be a series that never advanced.Requested this book for review.
Be sure to check out my other reviews on my blog.
Merged review:
Overall
I went into Escape Velocity with extremely high hopes, previously having enjoyed Crow and Fox's One Real Thing. However, my initial read left me disappointed and flummoxed on how the writing could feel so weak compared to ORT. By the end, I was enjoying the story more and was left overall satisfied (althought still disappointed). I wrote a review reflecting that, put it aside and read some other books, then came back to Escape Velocity.
While it didn't transform into an amazing novel between reads, many of my initial feelings did change slightly, and I'll try to present both in my review. I enjoyed the novel more on my second reading, which could partially be due to my general mood, but the weaknesses and strengths still stood by the end.
Strengths
On my first read, I had difficulty relating with either of the main characters, and the focus on sex and their jobs in the beginning left me lukewarm about Sender on the first part of the second read as well. However, Elios felt more approachable in the second read and was easier to empathize with as an injured party trying not to get his heart broken again. Most of my difficulties with Sender centered around his hang ups with religion, not with his interactions with his friends, Elios, or on the job. I liked Sender, but I couldn't relate to his religious plight. Overall I liked the characters and I liked the heart-wrenching path the tale took (I especially liked the heart-wrenching path the book took).
The sci-fi elements of this story--including all the world building--were well handled, providing just enough detail to flesh out what was going on without bogging down the story. The clashing cultures, the colonized world, the contrast between Themis and Luna, and the beautiful descriptions all add to a vivid image of where the characters are. Also, I appreciate the dichotomy of Themis being described as grungy, old, and weighed down with politics, culture and population while Luna is clean, sunny, and open. Themis is visualized as a bureaucratic hell and Luna is its heavenly counterpart.
Despite my desire to see more of the Pandora project developed (see below), I enjoyed the direction this story--the romantic part--took. The conflict, the pained emotions, and the strength of the characters all lent themselves to a whirlwind story with a satisfying ending.
Weaknesses
My initial thought was that the writing wasn't bad, but it fell flat for me. It felt stiff and a little awkward, which made it difficult to really sink into the characters. Because of that, the sex scenes didn't really melt me and until about 50% of the way, I wasn't really into what was happening. My second read let me analyze the language closer, and I found the majority of the story had fairly good writing, but some phrases and structures were awkward and stiff. This was balanced out by other phrases' brilliance and originality. I wouldn't mark this as a great read, but it's not something to suffer through either.
While I enjoy--in fact search out--books with religious themes, I was not convinced by Sender's continued following of his family's religious beliefs. Obviously he was raised with it, but the story never conveyed a sense that he really believed it, despite casual mentions that he thought what he was doing was wrong. So when he has to choose between the religious followings and his own happiness, I couldn't comprehend why he'd even hesitate. In my second read I came to terms with this a little more, as I could see that he made decisions not based on his beliefs but on his obligations, yet I still couldn't buy his beliefs/struggles.
Spoiler
Despite the mysterious ship with the mysterious language and the importance of the military and pilots, the whole ordeal took second place to Sender's conflict. While I can respect the idea that this is all just one step in life for them (and the mission), the beginning of the book led me to believe that the mystery was going to be solved further than it was. I liked that it didn't distract from the romance, but it also took me off guard a little as well. I'm conflicted on how I feel about it. I almost feel (especially with the first edition's original title) that this was meant to be a series that never advanced.Requested this book for review.
Be sure to check out my other reviews on my blog.
idamus's review against another edition
1.0
Not sure how many times we get told the MCs names on a page, I listened to the audio, but it was way too many, I got bored with the book because of it.
DNF.
DNF.
lezreadalot's review against another edition
3.0
A sweet novella. Very surface-y and rushed as all novellas can't help but feel, but I think the authors did a lot in a limited number of words. The characters and their dynamic were lovely, and I really like the sci-fi worldbuilding and the overarching plot. Generation ships are a source of fascination for me in sci-fi and this was a new (to me, at least) way to look at it! Can't help but feel like things have been set up for more books, so I really hope this is the first in a series. And the romance was really very adorable, rushed as it was.
Things got wrapped up veeeeery quickly in the end and I do wish we had gotten more out of Elios' ex; it felt like there was more to his story. But this was still a nice read; wouldn't mind revisiting it.
Things got wrapped up veeeeery quickly in the end and I do wish we had gotten more out of Elios' ex; it felt like there was more to his story. But this was still a nice read; wouldn't mind revisiting it.
teresab78's review
4.0
3.5 stars
I really liked the narration. There was emotion and distinction behind the different characters and I felt immersed in the story
The story itself was ok. It dragged a bit though I did tear up at spots. I liked the characters and their interactions. I didn’t quite get why a futuristic society was based off of Roman culture and fundamental Christian like religion. I also didn’t understand why Roman culture meant polyamorous. There wasn’t enough description of why or how the societies worked compared to the length of the novel.
A final note: I really appreciated the description of Sender’s sister. She seemed very age appropriate.
I really liked the narration. There was emotion and distinction behind the different characters and I felt immersed in the story
The story itself was ok. It dragged a bit though I did tear up at spots. I liked the characters and their interactions. I didn’t quite get why a futuristic society was based off of Roman culture and fundamental Christian like religion. I also didn’t understand why Roman culture meant polyamorous. There wasn’t enough description of why or how the societies worked compared to the length of the novel.
A final note: I really appreciated the description of Sender’s sister. She seemed very age appropriate.
bookcraft's review
4.0
Interesting world-building. I kind of wish there'd been more detail and background on this version of humanity making it to space, because there were some really intriguing hints dropped.
neznem's review
4.0
I read this book over a long period of time with a lot of other books being read in the meantime. I would read this whenever I wanted something fun, light-hearted, and sexy, which is why I read all M/M romance novels. In that context it certainly doesn't disappoint. The beginning of the book is a fun, slightly angsty romp through getting to know the characters and them getting to know each other. The book takes a surprisingly serious turn near the end but it handles it well and the last few chapters were surprisingly my favorite part of the book. It's not an earth-shattering novel and it wasn't a page-turner that I absolutely had to read the next page, but it was fun and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes M/M romance.
atheresa's review
1.0
This book did not match its new title of Escaped Velocity. It was slow and draggy immediately after the MCs hooked up and fell instantly in love at the beginning of the book. I forced myself to skim through the boring stuff to the abrupt ending. For dragging so much for the majority of the book, the story line did not flush out the details of the MCs finally reuniting, or rather getting their shit together. It dealt with each individual going through their own self-realization process, but not when they actually made up and decided to get back together. The big alien scientific project that the book began with was never finished either. Don't recommend this novel at all. I loved the sic-fi world building, but the romance story line was pretty bad.
digthewriter's review
3.0
3.5 rounded down. It wasn't good enough to be bumped into 4.
The beginning was really promising. The narrator is pretty amazing and doing the science fictiony stuff and then the story just got plain old boring. I felt like I had to force myself to get through the last few chapters and eventually skipped to the very last chapter just to be like I finished it.
The beginning was really promising. The narrator is pretty amazing and doing the science fictiony stuff and then the story just got plain old boring. I felt like I had to force myself to get through the last few chapters and eventually skipped to the very last chapter just to be like I finished it.