readingwithhippos's review against another edition
4.0
Did someone say bodyguard romance in space? Bianca is the daughter of a rich and powerful family, and Ian is their head of security. She tried to hit on him back in the day and he shut her down hard, but now her brother has been kidnapped and Bianca has the skills to get him back--as long as Ian doesn’t stand in her way. He doesn’t take kindly to her interference and thwarts her at every turn, but if they want to bring her brother back alive, eventually they’re going to have to work together. Nonstop adventure from beginning to end, and the second in a great series. I’ve already ordered book 3.
shaysbookshelf_'s review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lissajean7's review against another edition
4.0
Fun and intriguing. Bianca has some very interesting skills, and it's fascinating watching her do what needs to be done. An enjoyable read.
birdie7's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
myhandmadehell's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Another absolute BANGER for this trilogy. I am so excited to read the third one.
Bianca is an amazing badass, every bit as capable as her sister Ada but in very different ways. Watching her basically just socially engineer and hack her way into every single nook and cranny of this mystery was amazing to watch. Ian was equally awesome, similar to Loch in his overall strength and physical prowess but with the gruff and grumpy attitude of someone who became the youngest director of security for a major House in history.
Their banter is delightful, the “enemies to lovers” vibe is pretty much perfect, and the story is phenomenal. Like Polaris Rising, Aurora Blazing gives us a madcap tour of this kind of screwed up universe, and we see places both beautiful and dangerous. We also get introduced to a lot of cool new tech and virtual realities that help us understand how Bianca gets the level of information she has at her fingertips.
I love, love, love the von Hasenberg siblings. A father who trained them to “handle themselves” is just perpetually stymied by those same children using what he taught them against him. It’s so delicious.
Spice level is hot but rare, and this is a sloooooow burn so we only get a few sexytimes scenes near the end of the book.
Absolutely adored this and yeah anyway read this trilogy.
Bianca is an amazing badass, every bit as capable as her sister Ada but in very different ways. Watching her basically just socially engineer and hack her way into every single nook and cranny of this mystery was amazing to watch. Ian was equally awesome, similar to Loch in his overall strength and physical prowess but with the gruff and grumpy attitude of someone who became the youngest director of security for a major House in history.
Their banter is delightful, the “enemies to lovers” vibe is pretty much perfect, and the story is phenomenal. Like Polaris Rising, Aurora Blazing gives us a madcap tour of this kind of screwed up universe, and we see places both beautiful and dangerous. We also get introduced to a lot of cool new tech and virtual realities that help us understand how Bianca gets the level of information she has at her fingertips.
I love, love, love the von Hasenberg siblings. A father who trained them to “handle themselves” is just perpetually stymied by those same children using what he taught them against him. It’s so delicious.
Spice level is hot but rare, and this is a sloooooow burn so we only get a few sexytimes scenes near the end of the book.
Absolutely adored this and yeah anyway read this trilogy.
nakedsushi's review against another edition
3.0
This was a decent 2nd book in the series. I liked that this heroine was more of a hacker and had some useful skills other than physical fighting skills. The whole mystery of who did the kidnapping was pretty obvious to me, so it was frustrating that none of the other characters could see it coming despite them mentioning a shady character several times. Some of the world-building and characters' actions were a little too convenient for my liking.
marpesea's review against another edition
3.0
Another fun, sci-fi romance.
Bianca, Ada’s widowed sister and hacker/info-gatherer extraordinaire, takes off trying to find their kidnapped brother. Ian, chief security officer does his best to get Bianca to go home, so he can focus on the search. Sparks fly and... well, it’s a romance. For a while it felt like Bianca and Ian jumped from one fancy heist to another, but the story was interesting and the romance was fun. (Although I never want to read the phrase “I licked into his mouth” again).
This one was expertly narrated by the name reader, Emily Woo Zeller.
The writing seemed a bit more repetitive in this one. If you want to get wasted, take a drink every time:
-Bianca feels a “pang” in her chest or her heart hurts -Someone huffs out their breath
-Bianca hums in agreement or with pleasure
One other quibble, I keep waiting for the rebellion part of the series. It’s called “Consortium Rebellion,” but thus far it seems that Ada and Bianca have been mostly content to work within the system/use their vast resources to buy fancy dresses and protect their siblings. There are a number of people who are suffering, but there’s been no talk of helping. The slaves at MineCorps were tragic and I was hoping Bianca or Ferdinand would come back with a plan to dismantle that system, but they seem to have completely forgotten.
I’m excited to read about their sister Catarina in book 3, although I was hoping to hear more about one of the brothers. I think there are some interesting elements to explore with some of them, especially with PTSD and Ferdinand.
Here’s hoping there’s more revolution in book 3! Recommended if you liked the first one and want more similar stuff.
Bianca, Ada’s widowed sister and hacker/info-gatherer extraordinaire, takes off trying to find their kidnapped brother. Ian, chief security officer does his best to get Bianca to go home, so he can focus on the search. Sparks fly and... well, it’s a romance. For a while it felt like Bianca and Ian jumped from one fancy heist to another, but the story was interesting and the romance was fun. (Although I never want to read the phrase “I licked into his mouth” again).
This one was expertly narrated by the name reader, Emily Woo Zeller.
The writing seemed a bit more repetitive in this one. If you want to get wasted, take a drink every time:
-Bianca feels a “pang” in her chest or her heart hurts -Someone huffs out their breath
-Bianca hums in agreement or with pleasure
One other quibble, I keep waiting for the rebellion part of the series. It’s called “Consortium Rebellion,” but thus far it seems that Ada and Bianca have been mostly content to work within the system/use their vast resources to buy fancy dresses and protect their siblings. There are a number of people who are suffering, but there’s been no talk of helping. The slaves at MineCorps were tragic and I was hoping Bianca or Ferdinand would come back with a plan to dismantle that system, but they seem to have completely forgotten.
I’m excited to read about their sister Catarina in book 3, although I was hoping to hear more about one of the brothers. I think there are some interesting elements to explore with some of them, especially with PTSD and Ferdinand.
Here’s hoping there’s more revolution in book 3! Recommended if you liked the first one and want more similar stuff.
hayboys_girl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kerrisbooks13's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars! I love how these books blend sci-fi and romance novels. If you don’t like romance in your science fiction, probs not for you. If you don’t like space travel and action in your romance, probably not for you. But if you do, these are it. Bianca and Ian’s tale was a little more slow burn but we got there eventually. I loved how it expanded on the plot from book 1. And even though it was told from a new perspective, we still got to see our old friends.
kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I like my science fiction with vivid language and a hefty dose of humor, and this series is terrific for both. This is the second in the series, and quiet Bianca, the eldest sister in her High House family, has unsuspected but essential abilities that make her the perfect person to track down her kidnapped oldest brother, Ferdinand. The action is fast, the dialogue is a lot of fun, and there's a hot love story between Bianca and Ian, her bodyguard. I am thoroughly enjoying the series and looking forward to the next.