Kate Douglas

 

Starquest 2

Author: Kate Douglas

Series connection: Starquest—This title features book 4 and 5 of the series

ISBN-13: 978-1-4199-5145-9

 

3 Hearts

 

Description:

Synergy—Transported a hundred years into the future by an absolutely gorgeous young man, Carly Harris quickly turns the tables on the sexy Sensitive who tells her that use of his telekinetic power leaves him impotent.

 

He's used a lot of power to bring Carly forward in time, but he still has plenty left. Before long, Carly and Tim Riley move beyond their awkward introduction and discover the reason Tim's libido is so active-Carly is a Synergist, a Sensitive with the talent to increase the power of those around her.

 

Does Tim really love her, or is he using her for the power she gives him? Before Carly can get past that twenty-year age difference, she needs to learn the truth.

 

Bold Journey—Bolden, the mixed-species son of Jenna of Earth and Garan of Mirat, is the only survivor of a freak accident while on his long awaited StarQuest. Marooned on a primitive world for almost two years, he captures and then befriends Cene, a beautiful young woman who serves the goddess of her planet. Bold makes an amazing discovery—not only is Cene's goddess very real to her, she is also the sentience of the planet, an entity who is able to take on human form by sharing Cene's body. The goddess wants to experience passion, something Bolden promises her if she will help him return to Earth.

 

Bold finds more than passion with the goddess/woman—he realizes he is also falling in love. But is it with the guileless young Cene or the immortal Lady who shares her body. And Evil stalks them. The makao were once ephemeral creatures of pleasure, created to give the goddess sexual gratification. Now they are taking on form and substance, as if another entity directs their actions.

 

In a world far from home, decisions that will affect an entire planet rest in the hands of a young half-breed and the woman/goddess he loves.

 

My View:

Originally sold as separate e-books, it is nice to be able to get these books all inclusive in a two book set, instead of five books. I liked the first story in this book a little better than the first. In Synergy readers meet a couple who meet under unusual circumstances. Tim brings Carly back from the future on the request of one of his fellow rebels. The couple fall in love quickly. Carly didn't realize that Tim was so young and when she finds out, freaks out a little about their 20 year age difference.

 

I liked the story but had a problem giving it such a high rating because of a major flaw I saw in the story line. Tim was able to bring by Carly from the future based on seeing her from his friends vision, yet he couldn't find her when she gets kidnapped in the movie. Perhaps I missed something while reading. Aside from that the story was great.

 

The second story was fine for what it was, but it could have really been read completely separate from the series without any connection. The only connection was being was that Bolden was the son of the couple from book three. I liked the comparisons in the story, but it shouldn't have been part of the rest. Good story though if you get away from that part of it. Sci-fi fans will like the alien and his lion like features in the story.

 

 

Starquest I

Author: Kate Douglas

Series Connection: Starquest—first three stories

ISBN: 9-7818-436-0795-3

Genre: Futurist/Time Travel/Science Fiction

 

4 Hearts

 

Description: Lionheart —Mara Armand, director of a foundation for the protection and study of humans with extrasensory abilities, has made telepathic contact with an alien starship captain orbiting the earth. After weeks of nightly telepathic visits with Captain Sander, Mara develops an intimate mental relationship with her unseen alien lover. She experiences his need, his passion, and his sensual touch, but it is a bittersweet relationship for the laws of the Explorers forbid them to ever meet.

 

An accident in space changes everything and Mara and Sander are given the chance they never thought they'd have. Threatened by World Federation troops from without and jealous hatred from within, their survival now depends on the strength of their bond and a ragtag army of young Sensitives willing to risk their lives for an alien starship captain.

 

Night of the Cat—Jenna Lang is ready for a change, but traveling to a future earth and landing in the middle of a rebellion between Sensitives and the World Federation was not on her list. A sensual encounter with a ferocious but intriguing Lion of Mirat is something Jenna could never have imagined.

 

Is Garan her ultimate sexual fantasy come true, the one love she has always dreamed of...or is he both?

 

Pride of Imar—Sheyna of Pride Imar makes the journey to earth because she knows she can help the rebels. She immediately goes to work with Malachi Franklin, the Rebellion's healer, but their work is interrupted when both of them are captured by the leader of the World Federation. Sheyna and Malachi discover that a powerful bond exists between them during these trying times. However, once they are freed by Rebellion forces, they must determine whether the bond they feel is one borne of love or necessity.

 

My View: Originally sold as separate e-books, it is nice to be able to get these books all-inclusive in a two-book set, instead of five books. Sit back and imagine an alien race similar in looks to that of Lion complete with a tail, except they stand on two feet instead of four. This alien race has come to earth at a time when rather than be curios about those from other planets earthlings are terrified. They have a kill first and ask questions later mentality.

 

This future time is where the first book in the Starquest series takes us. For the most part this is a pretty good series. The author takes us to a place where only the imagination can go. If I had to have a complaint it would be that there was a lot more sex than I would have liked to see and not enough information about where these aliens came from. That is really the beauty of offering a look at an alien race.

 

The author spends a lot of time explaining the aliens' looks and not enough on who they are and what they believe. One of the things about sci fi books is that anything is possible. Falling in love and finding an alien that looks like a lion and has a tail may seem odd to the reader, but perfectly natural to the characters. That's the best past of the genre. This book reminds me of the old Star Trek and Star Wars series in a way. The creators were forever creating characters that were almost like human but not exactly.

 

Those who like sci-fi will enjoy this series and getting to meet the lion-like creatures. Book one sets the scene for the books to come, as well as does a nice job on setting up the reasons for the war that ensues. Book two, by far the best out of the three books, develops a nice relationship between the hero and the heroine, and I like getting the chance to go to the alien's home world. Book three isn't my favorite. A little too much abuse of the female heroine for my taste, but a nice ending to the three part series.