lizzy_22's review against another edition
4.0
I started Games of Command anticipating more uniform ripping romance, than scifi and ended up engrossed in an exciting adventure balanced with just enough relationship and political intrigue to take me to it's stirring finish.
Captain Tasha "Sass" Sebastian and Admiral Branden Kel-Paten share command after end of the war forms the Alliance combining the Triad and United Coalition. Both Tasha and Kel-Paten are hiding big things from each other; Tasha her mercenary past and biocybe Branden's uncharacteristic for his kind infatuation and strong feelings for her. Enter wanted rebel Jace Serafino whose appearance on their ship threatens to expose both their secrets and the fragile Alliance with information of political double crosses and sabotage.
If anything I'd have liked more development on the personal side, with Tasha and Branden being less central to the plot than I would have liked. While the somewhat swift development of their relationship (on Tasha's side) didn't bother me, I wanted more interaction between the two instead of the flip flopping between their scenes and the ones with Serafino and his romantic foil. Kel-Paten's character in particular, deserved more exploration. As one of the few biocybe's in existence, this half man, half machine intrigued me with the vulnerability he allows regarding the woman he loves and his yearnings to be considered more human as he overcomes his internal programming and emotional shields.
Overall though the action and intrigue segued nicely into the relationship drama and I completely ignored the silly, if essential, contribution of the furzels, catlike creatures that were the natural predators of the emotion sucking 'big bads' that drove most of the secondary conflict.
Games of Command was a good read for fans of romantic scifi and a good entry into other works by Linnea Sinclair. I will definitely be checking out the Dock Five Universe series next.
Captain Tasha "Sass" Sebastian and Admiral Branden Kel-Paten share command after end of the war forms the Alliance combining the Triad and United Coalition. Both Tasha and Kel-Paten are hiding big things from each other; Tasha her mercenary past and biocybe Branden's uncharacteristic for his kind infatuation and strong feelings for her. Enter wanted rebel Jace Serafino whose appearance on their ship threatens to expose both their secrets and the fragile Alliance with information of political double crosses and sabotage.
If anything I'd have liked more development on the personal side, with Tasha and Branden being less central to the plot than I would have liked. While the somewhat swift development of their relationship (on Tasha's side) didn't bother me, I wanted more interaction between the two instead of the flip flopping between their scenes and the ones with Serafino and his romantic foil. Kel-Paten's character in particular, deserved more exploration. As one of the few biocybe's in existence, this half man, half machine intrigued me with the vulnerability he allows regarding the woman he loves and his yearnings to be considered more human as he overcomes his internal programming and emotional shields.
Overall though the action and intrigue segued nicely into the relationship drama and I completely ignored the silly, if essential, contribution of the furzels, catlike creatures that were the natural predators of the emotion sucking 'big bads' that drove most of the secondary conflict.
Games of Command was a good read for fans of romantic scifi and a good entry into other works by Linnea Sinclair. I will definitely be checking out the Dock Five Universe series next.
ginnikin's review against another edition
I really enjoyed this! Good balance of SF and romance.
mrssoule's review against another edition
5.0
[b:Games of Command|352724|Games of Command|Linnea Sinclair|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347389713l/352724._SY75_.jpg|342949] was a perfect mix of sci-fi action & some seriously intense romance. Kel-Paten’s been secretly in love with Sass for 12 years!, but must hide it since he’s a biocybe (basically a human turned robot – think Universal Soldier) and any display of “unnatural” emotion would lead to further removal of what’s left of his humanity. It never got too bogged down in tech talk or let anything too irreversibly damaging happen to any of the four main characters – my two biggest problems with most sci-fi.
nelsonseye's review
3.0
I would have rated this higher but there were too many confusing moments/plot threads.
sewcialist_librarian's review against another edition
3.0
Linnea Sinclair always seems to have a way of making a space opera enjoyable. Read it for what it is...overblown fun.
eugthinks's review against another edition
3.0
Keep in mind that a 3 star rating on Goodreads supposedly means "liked it", not the "neutral" that I normally ascribe to 3 out of 5 stars. And I did like this book, despite all the eye-rolling and laughing-at-it-not-with-it it induced. The dedication at the end of the book starts "This bit of space opera romance silliness", and that's exactly what it is. If you don't take it too seriously, you can find a lot of fun in it.