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Uncharted Hearts #1
Calamity
Bramble's inaugural debut is equal parts steamy interstellar romance and sci-fi adventure, perfect for fans of Firefly and Ilona Andrews.
She’s got a ramshackle spaceship, a misfit crew, and a big problem with its sexy newest member…
Temperance Reed, banished from the wealthy and dangerous Fifteen Families, just wants to keep her crew together after their feckless captain ran off with the intern. But she’s drowning in debt and revolutionary new engine technology is about to make her beloved ship obsolete.
Enter Arcadio Escajeda. Second child of the terrifying Escajeda Family, he’s the thorn in Temper’s side as they’re sent off on a scouting mission on the backwater desert planet of Herschel 2. They throw sparks every time they meet but Temper’s suspicions of his ulterior motives only serve to fuel the flames between them.
Despite volcanic eruptions, secret cultists, and deadly galactic fighters, the greatest threat on this mission may be to Temper’s heart.
She’s got a ramshackle spaceship, a misfit crew, and a big problem with its sexy newest member…
Temperance Reed, banished from the wealthy and dangerous Fifteen Families, just wants to keep her crew together after their feckless captain ran off with the intern. But she’s drowning in debt and revolutionary new engine technology is about to make her beloved ship obsolete.
Enter Arcadio Escajeda. Second child of the terrifying Escajeda Family, he’s the thorn in Temper’s side as they’re sent off on a scouting mission on the backwater desert planet of Herschel 2. They throw sparks every time they meet but Temper’s suspicions of his ulterior motives only serve to fuel the flames between them.
Despite volcanic eruptions, secret cultists, and deadly galactic fighters, the greatest threat on this mission may be to Temper’s heart.
306 pages, Paperback
First published November 14, 2023
About the author
Constance Fay
5 books88 followersConstance Fay writes space romance novels and genre fiction short stories. Her short fiction can be found in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Catscast podcast, and other publications. She has a background in medical device R&D and lives in Colorado with a cat who edits all her work first.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 394 reviews
January 23, 2024
“The universe wouldn’t be half as calamitously interesting without you.”
found family, warring families, and a secret mission with your enemy??? this was just all around fantastic.
thank you to edelweiss and the publisher for providing the arc!
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found family, warring families, and a secret mission with your enemy??? this was just all around fantastic.
thank you to edelweiss and the publisher for providing the arc!
Follow me on Instagram
April 1, 2024
4 Stars!
In theory, I love science fiction, but in reality, there is a fine line between getting too technical, too detailed in the minutiae, that can seriously drag a book down and become mind numbingly boring. For me, the best reads have action, humor, drama, and a bit of angst. Toss in some smexy and that’s yummy icing on the cake!
Fay’s debut novel was that perfect combo for me. She brought all the above and made her main character a banished heroine, forced to be a captain to keep her found family together and accepting a risky job (isn't it always?) to keep food in their belly and her ship in space. Set in a galaxy where 5 prominent families vie for power amongst each other, there’s a current race to stake claim on a new energy source, and Temperance finds herself neck deep in the middle, balancing precariously on the edge of not pissing off the those that rule and not dying in the process.
Simply put, this was a lot of fun. In the background is a political web of intriguing power struggles and takeovers amongst these families, as each hold dominion over a precious piece of what makes the world go round, fighting for just that bit of extra to edge out the other while holding off smaller families desperate to get their foothold in. Up front and center is Temperance and her team doing a scouting mission, saddled with yummy man meat Arcadio Escajeda, a top family’s son who’s dangerously sexy and can’t help but clash with Temperance on any and everything.
This has high stakes adventure with a snarky scrappy crew and a heroine that didn't piss me off. Though Temperance’s got grit and training and smarts, and though she has every right to have a chip on her shoulder, she doesn’t. She has a soft ooey gooey center she likes to ignore and compartmentalize, and thankfully, she wasn’t all bluster and hard ass that many female MC’s are unfortunately, stereotypically portrayed. Arcadio is no slouch either. His shiny pretty exterior hides plenty of secrets not surprisingly, and of course he loves the challenge Temperance constantly presents.
The writing is easy catchy. The universe is just complex enough to keep things interesting. Top it off with a loyal crew that is equally strong with their own intriguing pasts and who looks like they’re getting their own HEA stories as well!
So overall, if you’re jonesing for some Firefly vibes with plenty of space shenanigans intermixed with enemies to lovers, close proximity, flirtatious barb filled banter, fast paced action, touches of humorous fun, and some smexy then this might suit your fancy!
I had a grand ole time, and I look forward to the sequel that comes out soon!!
In theory, I love science fiction, but in reality, there is a fine line between getting too technical, too detailed in the minutiae, that can seriously drag a book down and become mind numbingly boring. For me, the best reads have action, humor, drama, and a bit of angst. Toss in some smexy and that’s yummy icing on the cake!
Fay’s debut novel was that perfect combo for me. She brought all the above and made her main character a banished heroine, forced to be a captain to keep her found family together and accepting a risky job (isn't it always?) to keep food in their belly and her ship in space. Set in a galaxy where 5 prominent families vie for power amongst each other, there’s a current race to stake claim on a new energy source, and Temperance finds herself neck deep in the middle, balancing precariously on the edge of not pissing off the those that rule and not dying in the process.
Simply put, this was a lot of fun. In the background is a political web of intriguing power struggles and takeovers amongst these families, as each hold dominion over a precious piece of what makes the world go round, fighting for just that bit of extra to edge out the other while holding off smaller families desperate to get their foothold in. Up front and center is Temperance and her team doing a scouting mission, saddled with yummy man meat Arcadio Escajeda, a top family’s son who’s dangerously sexy and can’t help but clash with Temperance on any and everything.
This has high stakes adventure with a snarky scrappy crew and a heroine that didn't piss me off. Though Temperance’s got grit and training and smarts, and though she has every right to have a chip on her shoulder, she doesn’t. She has a soft ooey gooey center she likes to ignore and compartmentalize, and thankfully, she wasn’t all bluster and hard ass that many female MC’s are unfortunately, stereotypically portrayed. Arcadio is no slouch either. His shiny pretty exterior hides plenty of secrets not surprisingly, and of course he loves the challenge Temperance constantly presents.
The writing is easy catchy. The universe is just complex enough to keep things interesting. Top it off with a loyal crew that is equally strong with their own intriguing pasts and who looks like they’re getting their own HEA stories as well!
So overall, if you’re jonesing for some Firefly vibes with plenty of space shenanigans intermixed with enemies to lovers, close proximity, flirtatious barb filled banter, fast paced action, touches of humorous fun, and some smexy then this might suit your fancy!
I had a grand ole time, and I look forward to the sequel that comes out soon!!
April 24, 2024
2024 reread for a book club- I'm a little less irritated this time around now that I knew what I was getting into. (hence the increase from 1.5 to 2 stars) I can see how this would be very fun for some readers. HOWEVER, I still hated a lot of the humor and didn't get on well with the writing style. Things like "I'm nonplussed, completely out of plus" is painful to read. But humor is subjective and I'm sure it works for some people.
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Listen, I can go for a good campy sci-fi romance. But some of the dialogue in Calamity was....a lot even for me. I was not infrequently cringing and I'm not usually as sensitive as some of my friends are to that sort of thing. It didn't help that I wasn't really invested in the main relationship and the characters all felt a bit cartoonish rather than well-developed. At times this was fun in a silly romp sort of way and I would get into the flow of the story, only to be pulled out by a piece of text that was truly terrible or trying to play with words in a weird way. The main character is always snarky and self-deprecating and I think it's supposed to be fun and charming but I found her more irritating and not at all competent enough to be captaining this ship. A lot of times I like characters like this, but I think I want them to be snarky and competent, not snarky and stupid. I think other readers might like this better than I did if they know what to expect, but I do think the cover is kind of misleading. The vibe is more serious sci-fi romance, and this really isn't that. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
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Listen, I can go for a good campy sci-fi romance. But some of the dialogue in Calamity was....a lot even for me. I was not infrequently cringing and I'm not usually as sensitive as some of my friends are to that sort of thing. It didn't help that I wasn't really invested in the main relationship and the characters all felt a bit cartoonish rather than well-developed. At times this was fun in a silly romp sort of way and I would get into the flow of the story, only to be pulled out by a piece of text that was truly terrible or trying to play with words in a weird way. The main character is always snarky and self-deprecating and I think it's supposed to be fun and charming but I found her more irritating and not at all competent enough to be captaining this ship. A lot of times I like characters like this, but I think I want them to be snarky and competent, not snarky and stupid. I think other readers might like this better than I did if they know what to expect, but I do think the cover is kind of misleading. The vibe is more serious sci-fi romance, and this really isn't that. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
May 3, 2024
The characters were rather flat considering this was traditionally published, but I did like the plot & world enough to keep reading in the series
January 8, 2024
3.5 stars
This book hits the ground running literally, with the h on a mission and being pursued. Interesting debut first in series with a resourceful, self-deprecating, and spunky spaceship captain h and a super-competent and sexy H that’s foisted on her as part of her crew for a mission. A mission that’s way more convoluted than it first appears with hidden dangers and politics. Written in first person, single POV of h. No ow/om drama (minor appearance later by h’s ex that has zero impact) and neither are virgins (h begins the book in a secret relationship with the current captain before drama unfolds and that om goes on his way; no info given on H’s history).
The h is a bit of a mess flying by the seat of her pants often and the H initially looks down on her. The attraction is heavily lust based initially as h’s thoughts are reluctantly horny over H. Their relationship changes due to forced proximity and slow build. I liked how they came to value each other, though the romance aspect still felt like something was missing and the sharing of deeper feelings is left to the very end. A couple of steamy scenes that have some detail but not much explicitness. I would have preferred more detail in these scenes given they’re not FTB but also not quite as spicy as my normal reading. I think more here would have also fit the overall tone the author was going for.
Light on world-building, but heavy on action and humor. Some violence and gore is present and there’s a cult on the planet the crew’s mission takes them to. The other crew members are fun and intriguing characters on their own. Some background was given on the side characters and I liked them a lot, definitely curious about future romances for them.
The climax has so many moving pieces and side plots and conflicts converging on each other. Still, the h and H come out on top and everyone survives with a successful mission. The end highlights that they’re choosing to be with each other, though it felt more like the H was choosing her. Honestly the h needed that assurance more given her history. HFN ending and characters should appear as side characters in future books.
The writing was overall enjoyable and the pacing was well executed. I did sometimes put this down and then come back to it so it didn’t fully hold my attention all the time. Some confusing descriptions and some info was occasionally hard to keep straight or felt unnecessary. Still, as a debut it was enjoyable and I’d continue the series.
This book hits the ground running literally, with the h on a mission and being pursued. Interesting debut first in series with a resourceful, self-deprecating, and spunky spaceship captain h and a super-competent and sexy H that’s foisted on her as part of her crew for a mission. A mission that’s way more convoluted than it first appears with hidden dangers and politics. Written in first person, single POV of h. No ow/om drama (minor appearance later by h’s ex that has zero impact) and neither are virgins (h begins the book in a secret relationship with the current captain before drama unfolds and that om goes on his way; no info given on H’s history).
The h is a bit of a mess flying by the seat of her pants often and the H initially looks down on her. The attraction is heavily lust based initially as h’s thoughts are reluctantly horny over H. Their relationship changes due to forced proximity and slow build. I liked how they came to value each other, though the romance aspect still felt like something was missing and the sharing of deeper feelings is left to the very end. A couple of steamy scenes that have some detail but not much explicitness. I would have preferred more detail in these scenes given they’re not FTB but also not quite as spicy as my normal reading. I think more here would have also fit the overall tone the author was going for.
Light on world-building, but heavy on action and humor. Some violence and gore is present and there’s a cult on the planet the crew’s mission takes them to. The other crew members are fun and intriguing characters on their own. Some background was given on the side characters and I liked them a lot, definitely curious about future romances for them.
The climax has so many moving pieces and side plots and conflicts converging on each other. Still, the h and H come out on top and everyone survives with a successful mission. The end highlights that they’re choosing to be with each other, though it felt more like the H was choosing her. Honestly the h needed that assurance more given her history. HFN ending and characters should appear as side characters in future books.
The writing was overall enjoyable and the pacing was well executed. I did sometimes put this down and then come back to it so it didn’t fully hold my attention all the time. Some confusing descriptions and some info was occasionally hard to keep straight or felt unnecessary. Still, as a debut it was enjoyable and I’d continue the series.
December 29, 2023
2.5 stars. This is a story I *should* really like, as I am a sucker for sci-fi stories about merc crews on cobbled together ships doing risky biz in deep space.
Here are a few of the reasons that dragged down that rating:
-A little too obvious of a Death Star trope
-Lots of little things that just didn't add up or fell flat. Like when she single handedly kicked over the massive cannon? Or the anemones miraculously producing the substance everybody is looking for?
-The author spelling "rappel" as "repel". Noooo
Here are a few of the reasons that dragged down that rating:
-A little too obvious of a Death Star trope
-Lots of little things that just didn't add up or fell flat. Like when she single handedly kicked over the massive cannon? Or the anemones miraculously producing the substance everybody is looking for?
-The author spelling "rappel" as "repel". Noooo
November 30, 2023
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2023/11/24/...
Taking breaks is essential, and I’m a big believer in mixing it up. While I know I can be picky when it comes to romance in my SFF, sometimes a good genre mashup is exactly what I need in a palate cleanser, a bit of a breather from my heavier reads.
Enter Calamity, a new title released from Bramble, Tor Publishing’s freshly launched romantic imprint for science fiction and fantasy. A popcorny delight that launches readers into the Uncharted Hearts series where steamy romance meets spacefaring action, the story follows Temperance “Temper” Reed, an exiled member of a wealthy family hoping to make her own way in the galaxy. After refusing to bow to her older brother’s unsavory ways of doing business, Temper joins up with the crew of a ramshackle scouting ship, embracing the newfound camaraderie right up until her intense love affair with the captain blows up spectacularly in her face following his painful betrayal.
Living up to her nickname, our protagonist gives in to her impulses and buys the ship from the captain after he puts it up for sale, hoping to keep the rest of the team together. But the purchase ends up cleaning out her bank account, leaving nothing for upgrades…or anything else, really. So when the second son of the Escajeda family hires Temper for a mission to scout out the backwater desert planet of Herschel 2, she literally cannot afford to say no even though she can’t stand the guy. Devastatingly handsome and recklessly captivating, Arcadio gets added to the crew roster under his official title of head of security, but everyone knows he’s there as his family’s spy. As our misfit ensemble heads out into the great unknown on a journey marked by unpredictable threats, Temper will also be tested by the undeniable chemistry between her and Arcadio. After all, the biggest danger they face might not be out there among the stars but instead hidden in the depths of their own hearts.
I was surprised to find out that Calamity is Constance Fay’s debut. Not only does it blend genres with ease, but the pacing is also smooth and rapid, delivering plenty of twists to keep readers flipping through the chapters. Sure, the overall plot may be treading familiar ground, and I am particularly reminded of Jessie Mihalik’s Consortium Rebellion, a sci-fi romance trilogy which also deals with the interstellar drama of wealthy megacorp families and enemies-to-lovers storylines. Yet where the novel shines is its execution and the author’s ability to inject a sense of enjoyment into even the most familiar themes in this well-loved genre. Of course, we know what’s coming; the romance between Temperance and Arcadio is both expected and predictable, but arguably half the fun is in watching things play out the way we want them to. Fay delivers the results in a way that’s both heartwarming and steamy, which made Calamity an immensely satisfying read.
But balancing romance within a story is also a delicate task, and you don’t want the romantic elements to overshadow everything else, especially the sci-fi aspects and world-building in this case. Calamity succeeded in keeping the plot convincing and the characters strong, complemented by engaging relationships. Granted, side character development is where the novel falters, as there are hardly any memorable crew members besides our two main protagonists. With that said, it’s easy to forgive this when the world-building provides such a rich backdrop for the scouting vessel’s escapades, and the many conflicts they face make up for the book’s weaker areas.
All told, this makes me excited to see what more Bramble has to offer, as Calamity sets a very promising precedent for the future of this SFF romance imprint. I’ll also be keeping my eye on Constance Fay’s future projects and put the next Uncharted Hearts novel on my to-read list.
Taking breaks is essential, and I’m a big believer in mixing it up. While I know I can be picky when it comes to romance in my SFF, sometimes a good genre mashup is exactly what I need in a palate cleanser, a bit of a breather from my heavier reads.
Enter Calamity, a new title released from Bramble, Tor Publishing’s freshly launched romantic imprint for science fiction and fantasy. A popcorny delight that launches readers into the Uncharted Hearts series where steamy romance meets spacefaring action, the story follows Temperance “Temper” Reed, an exiled member of a wealthy family hoping to make her own way in the galaxy. After refusing to bow to her older brother’s unsavory ways of doing business, Temper joins up with the crew of a ramshackle scouting ship, embracing the newfound camaraderie right up until her intense love affair with the captain blows up spectacularly in her face following his painful betrayal.
Living up to her nickname, our protagonist gives in to her impulses and buys the ship from the captain after he puts it up for sale, hoping to keep the rest of the team together. But the purchase ends up cleaning out her bank account, leaving nothing for upgrades…or anything else, really. So when the second son of the Escajeda family hires Temper for a mission to scout out the backwater desert planet of Herschel 2, she literally cannot afford to say no even though she can’t stand the guy. Devastatingly handsome and recklessly captivating, Arcadio gets added to the crew roster under his official title of head of security, but everyone knows he’s there as his family’s spy. As our misfit ensemble heads out into the great unknown on a journey marked by unpredictable threats, Temper will also be tested by the undeniable chemistry between her and Arcadio. After all, the biggest danger they face might not be out there among the stars but instead hidden in the depths of their own hearts.
I was surprised to find out that Calamity is Constance Fay’s debut. Not only does it blend genres with ease, but the pacing is also smooth and rapid, delivering plenty of twists to keep readers flipping through the chapters. Sure, the overall plot may be treading familiar ground, and I am particularly reminded of Jessie Mihalik’s Consortium Rebellion, a sci-fi romance trilogy which also deals with the interstellar drama of wealthy megacorp families and enemies-to-lovers storylines. Yet where the novel shines is its execution and the author’s ability to inject a sense of enjoyment into even the most familiar themes in this well-loved genre. Of course, we know what’s coming; the romance between Temperance and Arcadio is both expected and predictable, but arguably half the fun is in watching things play out the way we want them to. Fay delivers the results in a way that’s both heartwarming and steamy, which made Calamity an immensely satisfying read.
But balancing romance within a story is also a delicate task, and you don’t want the romantic elements to overshadow everything else, especially the sci-fi aspects and world-building in this case. Calamity succeeded in keeping the plot convincing and the characters strong, complemented by engaging relationships. Granted, side character development is where the novel falters, as there are hardly any memorable crew members besides our two main protagonists. With that said, it’s easy to forgive this when the world-building provides such a rich backdrop for the scouting vessel’s escapades, and the many conflicts they face make up for the book’s weaker areas.
All told, this makes me excited to see what more Bramble has to offer, as Calamity sets a very promising precedent for the future of this SFF romance imprint. I’ll also be keeping my eye on Constance Fay’s future projects and put the next Uncharted Hearts novel on my to-read list.
January 22, 2024
More of a romance in space than a sci-fi or space opera read.
Fairly mediocre, but entertaining enough. I doubt I'll continue the series.
Fairly mediocre, but entertaining enough. I doubt I'll continue the series.
April 5, 2024
3.5 stars. A good start to the series, I’m looking forward to reading more by this author one day. I liked her writing style, the storyline, and the pacing. I do wish that the connection between the MCs was based on more than just sex and mutual respect. This book has a lot of dialogue, good dialogue - but it’s mostly featuring the other characters, or during action scenes. I think if the author took the time to write more emotional dialogue between the MCs, their relationship would have felt less shallow. I also didn’t like the heroine’s betraying body syndrome in the beginning when she neared the hero, even though she did her best to not fall victim to it. Overall, the heroine was really strong and I loved that she never waited for rescue, she was always doing her best to rescue herself.
This would have gotten a four star rating if there had been an epilogue, but I’m sure this is a series where the character stories continue in the next book. Those are never as satisfying as a good epilogue for me though. I still rounded up bc I’m feeling nice.
Safe
-No virgins
-Heroine starts out in a relationship with OM but finds out that he’s been cheating on her pretty quickly (like first chapter iirc).
-Heroine is heartbroken but also gets over the other guy fairly quickly once the hero is introduced
-No info at all about the hero’s past
-No scenes with OM/OW
-No OM/OW drama
-No cheating between MCs.
This would have gotten a four star rating if there had been an epilogue, but I’m sure this is a series where the character stories continue in the next book. Those are never as satisfying as a good epilogue for me though. I still rounded up bc I’m feeling nice.
Safe
-No virgins
-Heroine starts out in a relationship with OM but finds out that he’s been cheating on her pretty quickly (like first chapter iirc).
-Heroine is heartbroken but also gets over the other guy fairly quickly once the hero is introduced
-No info at all about the hero’s past
-No scenes with OM/OW
-No OM/OW drama
-No cheating between MCs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2023
A solid debut sci-fi romance! Calamity draws from the sci-fi romance well:
Let's start out with a hotheaded starship captain forced to take on an unwanted (HOT) crew member to complete a mission she's pretty sure has some hidden aspects. Then we'll add a tight-knit crew made up of quirky (HOT) people with different specialties (the assassin, the scientist, and the medic). And they're all operating within a galactic oligarchic government of "Families," each of which have a defined role to maintain checks and balances.
Like Jessie Mihalik's Consortium Rebellion series, the book is told in first person, present tense, from the FMC's POV. This is basically a non-stop sci-fi action movie of a novel, complete with planetary exploration, plots within plots, lots of family drama, and - oh yeah - a sexy romance. Don't look for deep world building or speculative themes, but if you know that going in, you should be good. We had a ton of fun reading it and will definitely pick up the next one.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
Let's start out with a hotheaded starship captain forced to take on an unwanted (HOT) crew member to complete a mission she's pretty sure has some hidden aspects. Then we'll add a tight-knit crew made up of quirky (HOT) people with different specialties (the assassin, the scientist, and the medic). And they're all operating within a galactic oligarchic government of "Families," each of which have a defined role to maintain checks and balances.
Like Jessie Mihalik's Consortium Rebellion series, the book is told in first person, present tense, from the FMC's POV. This is basically a non-stop sci-fi action movie of a novel, complete with planetary exploration, plots within plots, lots of family drama, and - oh yeah - a sexy romance. Don't look for deep world building or speculative themes, but if you know that going in, you should be good. We had a ton of fun reading it and will definitely pick up the next one.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
April 22, 2024
Either I'm falling out of love with slow burn romance or I don't like my romance mixed in with Sci fi.
This wasn't difficult to get through; it was just I didn't find myself invested or wanting to return to the story when I'd stopped reading it.
It was something about a banishment and falling for someone of a different blah blah blah blah........
You get the picture... 😒😒. Didn't really care
Solid 2.5 star!!!!
This wasn't difficult to get through; it was just I didn't find myself invested or wanting to return to the story when I'd stopped reading it.
It was something about a banishment and falling for someone of a different blah blah blah blah........
You get the picture... 😒😒. Didn't really care
Solid 2.5 star!!!!
October 18, 2023
This was such a fun, sexy and action-packed read! Perfect if you like snarky banter, a steamy romance, and some amazing fight scenes.
Temper is captain of a shakey but well loved ship, The Quest. When a member of one of the Families temporarily joins the crew for a mission, Temper's strengths and weaknesses both are tested. In this hot enemies-to-lovers romance, the author also builds an amazing story that continued to surprise me. This quick read is more than meets the eye!
I was caught up in this in so many ways. The romance was romancing, the other members of the crew were giving such good found family vibes, and the scifi , the world, was so fun to read about.
Definitely recommend this!
Out November 14, 2023!
Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!
Temper is captain of a shakey but well loved ship, The Quest. When a member of one of the Families temporarily joins the crew for a mission, Temper's strengths and weaknesses both are tested. In this hot enemies-to-lovers romance, the author also builds an amazing story that continued to surprise me. This quick read is more than meets the eye!
I was caught up in this in so many ways. The romance was romancing, the other members of the crew were giving such good found family vibes, and the scifi , the world, was so fun to read about.
Definitely recommend this!
Out November 14, 2023!
Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!
November 24, 2023
4.5 stars
The nitty-gritty: Romance, humor and thrilling action combine in this fun sci-fi series opener.
Calamity is the first book published by Tor’s new Bramble imprint, which focuses on SFF romance, and judging by how much fun I had, I see a bright future for Bramble! Yes, romance is definitely a front-and-center element, but the plot and characters are just as strong. I got lots of Firefly vibes, and in fact the main character’s ship the Quest reminded me a lot of Serenity, so fans of the show—or anyone who loves the “misfit crew in space” set-up—will have a blast.
The story centers around Temperance “Temper” Reed and her survey ship the Quest and its crew. Temper is in dire need of a good paying job when she’s offered one by the powerful Escajeda Family. Their task is to survey the planet Herschel Two and scout for any signs of a valuable mineral called phydium, which is crucial for space travel. Because the Escajedas are a mining Family, the discovery of phydium would increase their power among the other Families. Temper agrees to the job, especially since the pay is double what she would normally make. But there’s a catch: the Escajeda scion insists that his son Arcadio go along with them as security. Temper isn’t stupid, and she knows there’s an ulterior motive behind Arcadio joining the crew, but she grudgingly agrees. Arcadio might be a distraction, though. He’s a muscled piece of eye candy, and Temper can’t ignore the sparks that fly when they meet. But a job is a job, and Temper needs the money.
Once they reach Herschel Two, the crew begins their search for the elusive phydium, but there are unexpected dangers on the planet. First, they run into a religious cult called the Children, who are not happy to see them. Later, they discover another group—members from a notoriously violent Family—and suddenly it seems very crowded. For an “officially” unoccupied planet, there are a lot of people on Herschel Two, probably all up to no good. Temper, Arcadio and their crew must avoid being captured and locate the phydium before someone gets hurt.
Constance Fay’s snappy writing style is perfect for the story, which is told from Temper’s first person perspective. I absolutely loved her character, a snarky, funny woman who is loyal to her friends and will dive head first into danger to protect those she loves. Temper has been banished from her family for betraying them, but trust me, she had some very good reasons for what she did. Now she wears a tear-shaped, glowing tattoo on her face that marks her as such, but she doesn’t regret anything she did, only that her slimy brother Frederick killed someone dear to her as retaliation. I enjoyed the other members of her crew—Itzel, Micah and Caro—although the author doesn’t delve too deep into their personalities, unfortunately (although there’s always the sequel for more character development).
Arcadio is your textbook romantic interest in some ways—extremely good looking, chiseled chin, dark penetrating eyes, bulging muscles—and romance fans won’t be disappointed by his chemistry with Temper, which the author wastes no time in getting to. Despite her status as ship’s captain, Temper doesn’t hide her attraction to Arcadio, and everyone on the ship knows the moment they hook up. What I loved about their growing relationship was that they didn’t play games with each other. Fay avoids some of the traps and tropes of the romance genre by leaving out problematic things like miscommunication, and it was refreshing to be around a couple who have the hots for each other and aren’t afraid to talk about it. In such a short book, you can only expect a couple of sex scenes, and I thought they were pretty mild compared to other spicy books (the sex is nowhere near the spice level of Fourth Wing, for example). Even when Temper discovers what Arcadio is up to, the drama between the two is pretty minimal, I’m happy to report.
And if you’re into action, there’s no shortage of it here! The plot is fast-paced and thrilling, the characters are in constant danger, and the author has lots of surprises in store for the reader. I loved the way she maneuvers the various factions on the planet around each other, which made for some interesting scenes. The planet itself has a big surprise, which I won’t spoil here, and Fay uses it to her advantage to create lots of tension and drama. One of my favorite scenes, which has a wonderful combination of humor and bloody action, takes place when Temper finds a borer (a machine used in mining) to get out of a sticky situation. I also enjoyed the tech used in the story. Most people from the higher echelon Families have “mods,” or modifications to their vision, appendages or even the way they process oxygen, but only the wealthy can afford them.
I was a little unclear on how the Families worked, though, and I suspect it’s because there just wasn’t time to explain everything. If you’re in one of the top Five Families, you have it made, but the author also mentions “top Ten” and “top Fifty” so it was a little confusing. I also wanted to get to know the side characters more. The little we learn about Itzel was fascinating, and I think she could be a fantastic character with a little more page time.
Fay cleverly ties up all her loose ends, including a running joke about how lame the crew thinks the name “Quest” is for a ship. We also meet a mysterious character who will end up being one half of the romantic paring in the sequel (yes, I’ve already read the synopsis for the second book, Fiasco!) The story has a typical “happily ever after” ending, but that’s what you expect when you read romance, right? Overall, this was such a great series opener, and I can’t wait to read the next book.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
The nitty-gritty: Romance, humor and thrilling action combine in this fun sci-fi series opener.
Calamity is the first book published by Tor’s new Bramble imprint, which focuses on SFF romance, and judging by how much fun I had, I see a bright future for Bramble! Yes, romance is definitely a front-and-center element, but the plot and characters are just as strong. I got lots of Firefly vibes, and in fact the main character’s ship the Quest reminded me a lot of Serenity, so fans of the show—or anyone who loves the “misfit crew in space” set-up—will have a blast.
The story centers around Temperance “Temper” Reed and her survey ship the Quest and its crew. Temper is in dire need of a good paying job when she’s offered one by the powerful Escajeda Family. Their task is to survey the planet Herschel Two and scout for any signs of a valuable mineral called phydium, which is crucial for space travel. Because the Escajedas are a mining Family, the discovery of phydium would increase their power among the other Families. Temper agrees to the job, especially since the pay is double what she would normally make. But there’s a catch: the Escajeda scion insists that his son Arcadio go along with them as security. Temper isn’t stupid, and she knows there’s an ulterior motive behind Arcadio joining the crew, but she grudgingly agrees. Arcadio might be a distraction, though. He’s a muscled piece of eye candy, and Temper can’t ignore the sparks that fly when they meet. But a job is a job, and Temper needs the money.
Once they reach Herschel Two, the crew begins their search for the elusive phydium, but there are unexpected dangers on the planet. First, they run into a religious cult called the Children, who are not happy to see them. Later, they discover another group—members from a notoriously violent Family—and suddenly it seems very crowded. For an “officially” unoccupied planet, there are a lot of people on Herschel Two, probably all up to no good. Temper, Arcadio and their crew must avoid being captured and locate the phydium before someone gets hurt.
Constance Fay’s snappy writing style is perfect for the story, which is told from Temper’s first person perspective. I absolutely loved her character, a snarky, funny woman who is loyal to her friends and will dive head first into danger to protect those she loves. Temper has been banished from her family for betraying them, but trust me, she had some very good reasons for what she did. Now she wears a tear-shaped, glowing tattoo on her face that marks her as such, but she doesn’t regret anything she did, only that her slimy brother Frederick killed someone dear to her as retaliation. I enjoyed the other members of her crew—Itzel, Micah and Caro—although the author doesn’t delve too deep into their personalities, unfortunately (although there’s always the sequel for more character development).
Arcadio is your textbook romantic interest in some ways—extremely good looking, chiseled chin, dark penetrating eyes, bulging muscles—and romance fans won’t be disappointed by his chemistry with Temper, which the author wastes no time in getting to. Despite her status as ship’s captain, Temper doesn’t hide her attraction to Arcadio, and everyone on the ship knows the moment they hook up. What I loved about their growing relationship was that they didn’t play games with each other. Fay avoids some of the traps and tropes of the romance genre by leaving out problematic things like miscommunication, and it was refreshing to be around a couple who have the hots for each other and aren’t afraid to talk about it. In such a short book, you can only expect a couple of sex scenes, and I thought they were pretty mild compared to other spicy books (the sex is nowhere near the spice level of Fourth Wing, for example). Even when Temper discovers what Arcadio is up to, the drama between the two is pretty minimal, I’m happy to report.
And if you’re into action, there’s no shortage of it here! The plot is fast-paced and thrilling, the characters are in constant danger, and the author has lots of surprises in store for the reader. I loved the way she maneuvers the various factions on the planet around each other, which made for some interesting scenes. The planet itself has a big surprise, which I won’t spoil here, and Fay uses it to her advantage to create lots of tension and drama. One of my favorite scenes, which has a wonderful combination of humor and bloody action, takes place when Temper finds a borer (a machine used in mining) to get out of a sticky situation. I also enjoyed the tech used in the story. Most people from the higher echelon Families have “mods,” or modifications to their vision, appendages or even the way they process oxygen, but only the wealthy can afford them.
I was a little unclear on how the Families worked, though, and I suspect it’s because there just wasn’t time to explain everything. If you’re in one of the top Five Families, you have it made, but the author also mentions “top Ten” and “top Fifty” so it was a little confusing. I also wanted to get to know the side characters more. The little we learn about Itzel was fascinating, and I think she could be a fantastic character with a little more page time.
Fay cleverly ties up all her loose ends, including a running joke about how lame the crew thinks the name “Quest” is for a ship. We also meet a mysterious character who will end up being one half of the romantic paring in the sequel (yes, I’ve already read the synopsis for the second book, Fiasco!) The story has a typical “happily ever after” ending, but that’s what you expect when you read romance, right? Overall, this was such a great series opener, and I can’t wait to read the next book.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
February 26, 2024
3.5 rounded up because I love that guns in space are called blasters and we're all just okay with that.
May 6, 2024
3.25! Spicy little space story!
August 23, 2023
3.5 stars. It was decent: I gave it a little more for its humor. Light sci-fi, fun and full of action, though there were a couple of gross bits (gore). Lots going on: a cult, a volcano, bad guys plotting domination, race for resources, and a scrappy heroine with a tragic past. It very much reminds me of Jesse Mihalik's starlight shadow series (especially if Hunt the Stars because it focuses on the captain of a spaceship with her found family of a crew), and it also has the concept of powerful families like Ilona Andrew's Kinsmen universe. So I get the Ilona Andrews and Firefly comparison at the back of the book. That was why I picked it up! But they are big shoes to fill! I felt like this was like a fun action movie but it was missing something: maybe I needed it to be more character driven than it was - it mostly was action driven and the romance bits had more telling than showing. I felt underwhelmed over Temperance and Arcadio's relationship: yes he was a good guy and looked good, but that's it, I wasn't shown how they actually fell in love, only how they were in lust.
May 27, 2024
Looks like I've found another one of my favorite books for the year!! I binge-read the majority of this book in one day and had one serious book hangover after finishing!
This was a fresh and funny scifi romance! I was especially happy to find that this was a true scifi book- I've seen several attempts at scifi/romance lately that were just fantasy in space and not actual scifi so this was a very happy surprise. This reminded me a lot of the feel of Firefly and the Expanse. Lots of humor that made me laugh out loud, great found family vibes, and lively characters that jumped off the page. Loved the romance which was a great mix of sweet and spicy. I NEED BOOK 2 NOWWWW
ALL OF THE FEELS. Incredible debut!! 👏👏 #bookhangover
This was a fresh and funny scifi romance! I was especially happy to find that this was a true scifi book- I've seen several attempts at scifi/romance lately that were just fantasy in space and not actual scifi so this was a very happy surprise. This reminded me a lot of the feel of Firefly and the Expanse. Lots of humor that made me laugh out loud, great found family vibes, and lively characters that jumped off the page. Loved the romance which was a great mix of sweet and spicy. I NEED BOOK 2 NOWWWW
ALL OF THE FEELS. Incredible debut!! 👏👏 #bookhangover
September 15, 2023
Calamity is fun, fast paced, steamy space adventure! Romance is fast burn but they do have chemistry
The plot is chaotic but it has enough space and political intrigue while still being a good entry point to the genre.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The plot is chaotic but it has enough space and political intrigue while still being a good entry point to the genre.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 16, 2024
I liked this a lot. Space adventure AND romance. I especially enjoyed being in the head of the female protagonist. We only get her perspective, but her male counterpart still seemed well developed to me. I also adored the crew. I love it when my expectations and hopes are met so well. I am always looking for Space books with great crews and engrossing adventures - but sometimes they do not work for me, even though all the ingredients are there. This was happily not at all the case here. This story (on audio) worked for me from the get go. There are some similarities to Polaris Rising, although with less high drama. Temper has her own tragic backstory, but her way of dealing is through humor.
March 4, 2024
Who knew I had so much to say about a romance novel. Take all of this with a grain of salt because I typically don't read romance. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't good. The tried and true story about a rag tag crew on a broken down ship trying to make a living wasn't the worst iteration I have read. The adventures were sort of interesting and the sex scenes were fine.
The characters were too generic, we spent way, way too much time in Temper's head and Arcadio was a completely boring cardboard cutout of a random hot guy. Maybe that is the point and I don't get it but....yeah not great.
It did actually have some potential so if you like this kind of book, maybe try her next one? Maybe?
The characters were too generic, we spent way, way too much time in Temper's head and Arcadio was a completely boring cardboard cutout of a random hot guy. Maybe that is the point and I don't get it but....yeah not great.
It did actually have some potential so if you like this kind of book, maybe try her next one? Maybe?
March 1, 2024
This book was an absolute blast.
There’s a lot of *Firefly* in this. The main character is Temperance Reed, exiled daughter of one of the wealthy, powerful capital-f Families that control everything. She’s in command of the rather battered scout ship *Quest* after the captain/her lover runs off with the intern, deeply in dept, and desperate to keep her ship and crew together. She gets an offer for a job that pays *very* well from another of the Families, though there’s a catch. The head of the family is sending his son Arcadio along to oversee security on the mission, and to protect their investment.
Of course there is more to the mission than they were expecting. They were looking for a very rare, very valuable mineral that initial scans suggested *might* be on a remote nigh-uninhabited planet. They did not expect to run into religious cultists, or forces from another of the Families up to something nefarious.
Temperance - and the reader - certainly *did* expect trouble to come from just how attractive she found the boss’s son.
This is, as I said, an absolute blast of a book. It’s fun and exciting, with lots of action. The banter is spectacular. Temperance herself is a mix of cynical, snarky, and sarcastic that fits my sense of humor perfectly. And this book is, in a word, scorching. Every single scene between Arcadio and Temperance simply crackles.
There’s a sequel coming out soon - I read this specifically because I got an ARC of the sequel - and I’m greatly looking forward to it. From the blurb, it centers on a few of the side characters from this book, which means I am comfortable saying this book works just fine as a standalone.
Strongly recommended.
My blog
There’s a lot of *Firefly* in this. The main character is Temperance Reed, exiled daughter of one of the wealthy, powerful capital-f Families that control everything. She’s in command of the rather battered scout ship *Quest* after the captain/her lover runs off with the intern, deeply in dept, and desperate to keep her ship and crew together. She gets an offer for a job that pays *very* well from another of the Families, though there’s a catch. The head of the family is sending his son Arcadio along to oversee security on the mission, and to protect their investment.
Of course there is more to the mission than they were expecting. They were looking for a very rare, very valuable mineral that initial scans suggested *might* be on a remote nigh-uninhabited planet. They did not expect to run into religious cultists, or forces from another of the Families up to something nefarious.
Temperance - and the reader - certainly *did* expect trouble to come from just how attractive she found the boss’s son.
This is, as I said, an absolute blast of a book. It’s fun and exciting, with lots of action. The banter is spectacular. Temperance herself is a mix of cynical, snarky, and sarcastic that fits my sense of humor perfectly. And this book is, in a word, scorching. Every single scene between Arcadio and Temperance simply crackles.
There’s a sequel coming out soon - I read this specifically because I got an ARC of the sequel - and I’m greatly looking forward to it. From the blurb, it centers on a few of the side characters from this book, which means I am comfortable saying this book works just fine as a standalone.
Strongly recommended.
My blog
December 18, 2023
Technically more like a 3.5, but I reserve the right to round up or down at random.
Pros:
- easy to read
- campy & fun
- a lil bit o’ smut
- we like a girlie who can pick a lock
Cons:
- the narrator is constantly talking to the reader, which is sometimes fun and also sometimes annoying
- I don’t like it when authors aren’t shy about using explicit language for male genitalia but can’t do the same for lady parts
- sometimes the explanations about technology or whatever got waaaayyyy too confusing for a book that is mostly silly fun
I’ll probs read the next one?
Pros:
- easy to read
- campy & fun
- a lil bit o’ smut
- we like a girlie who can pick a lock
Cons:
- the narrator is constantly talking to the reader, which is sometimes fun and also sometimes annoying
- I don’t like it when authors aren’t shy about using explicit language for male genitalia but can’t do the same for lady parts
- sometimes the explanations about technology or whatever got waaaayyyy too confusing for a book that is mostly silly fun
I’ll probs read the next one?
April 21, 2024
I love a good sci-fi romance, but I felt both aspects were underdeveloped here. There was too much exposition and the plot never felt like it had any real stakes since the protagonist kept finding resolutions to her problems about 5 pages after they arose.
July 29, 2023
You want it? A lush, deeply satisfying space adventure that has it all:
🚀found-family of misfits
🚀a protagonist with a killer voice
🚀 steamy romance (w/ mutual respect)
🚀 & banter to die for?
Get ready for a star-crossed love story pulled from the streets of Verona that will make you bark with laughter and swell with warmth. You’ll root for Temperance and her crew along with the rest of us and wonder where the heck Constance Fay has been all these years. Calamity is finally here and it has so been worth the wait.
Thank you to the publisher and edelweiss for the arc!
#enemiestolovers #starcrossed #scifi #calamity #temperancereed
🚀found-family of misfits
🚀a protagonist with a killer voice
🚀 steamy romance (w/ mutual respect)
🚀 & banter to die for?
Get ready for a star-crossed love story pulled from the streets of Verona that will make you bark with laughter and swell with warmth. You’ll root for Temperance and her crew along with the rest of us and wonder where the heck Constance Fay has been all these years. Calamity is finally here and it has so been worth the wait.
Thank you to the publisher and edelweiss for the arc!
#enemiestolovers #starcrossed #scifi #calamity #temperancereed
November 17, 2023
They had me at Firefly. Seriously. I’m still a sucker for another trip on anything like the Serenity, and Calamity, both the ship and the person she’s named for, certainly flies a very similar trajectory out in the black.
But Temperance Reed, infamous as just ‘Temper’ for damn good reasons, isn’t really all that much like Mal Reynolds. Mal seems to have started life close to the bottom in his ‘verse, while Temperance Reed, once upon a time, was at the top of hers.
However, being a soldier imploded his life, being the younger sister of an entitled asshole blew up hers, and they both end up in the same place, as captains of scrappy, ramshackle ships they can barely manage to keep flying, with misfit crews, taking jobs they know they shouldn’t take but can’t afford to turn down, making the best of the bad hand that life has dealt them.
Once upon a time, Temper Reed was the child of one of the ‘Ten’, one of the mega-rich, mega-corp, mercantile families that control their galaxy. But the problem with Temper wasn’t so much her temper as it was her older brother’s. He was the heir, she was the spare, but she was their parents’ favorite.
So once they were gone, his insecurities and megalomania combined to take her family’s development in a direction she knew her parents would never have condoned. Instead of continuing to create cutting-edge tech utilizing AI and language processing, her brother Frederick turned them into a ruthless slice and dice operation that just killed off competition – literally – and then swooped in to buy out the remainders.
They stopped creating. And Temper stopped believing, to the point where she rebelled and he officially disowned and banished her to the unregulated black. There’s more to that story, and it’s all awful. Awfully well told and revealed, but still awful.
Temper and her crew are on borrowed time, and the ship is in hock up to Temper’s eyebrows. So when one of the really big conglomerate families offers them a job with premium pay, Temper knows she has to take it, even though she also knows that they’re concealing a whole lot of the details about what’s really going on, AND that she and her crew are expendable in the first place and they don’t plan to pay them even if they survive.
What she doesn’t expect is a corporate minder in the much too handsome and appealing person of one of the family’s younger sons, Arcadio Escajeda. She’s sure she can ignore her hormones in favor of the common sense that’s telling her that family scions in good standing absolutely do not take up with banished and reviled traitors to their own families.
While Temper may be swimming up the River DeNial, wherever that might be located in her ‘verse, it’s not Arcadio’s perfectly sculpted hotness that throws her good sense over its shoulder and takes it along for the ride – it’s his willingness to truly BE a part of her crew no matter how boring or dangerous the duty might be. Along with just how damn good he is at helping her save them all.
Temper, apparently, is a sucker for competence. While Arcadio turns out to be a sucker for Calamity.
Escape Rating A+: Damn this is fun. Or should I say shiny. Fun, absolutely, utterly fun. I had a terrific time reading this. It’s a wild thrill ride of a science fiction adventure with a (dare I say it?) core of molten lava in multiple senses of all those words.
But a big chunk of the reason I loved it was because of just how well it fits into the science fiction romance tradition – which has never gotten near as much love as it deserves. So I have hopes that Tor Books’ creation of the Bramble imprint, specifically for the purpose of publishing science fiction romance, will do a lot to turn that tide.
The thing about SFR as a genre is that it has to sit on the fence between SF and romance and not get too many splinters up its ass from either side – unless it turns out that the romantic partners are into that sort of thing. Which means that the worldbuilding and plotting has to tell a credible SF story while putting a romance with at least a HFN (that’s Happy For Now), at its heart.
It’s not that it hasn’t been done, because it most definitely has. While Firefly hinted at it – frequently and often – that wasn’t the heart of that story. And the blurb’s mention of Ilona Andrews isn’t quite right as most of her work has been urban fantasy. Compelling with wonderful storytelling and world creation, but not SFR except for her short but marvelous Kinsmen series.
Instead, the comparisons are to Rachel Bach’s Paradox series, Valerie Valdes’ more recent Chilling Effect series, K.B. Wagers’ Indranan War, and even going back to Nina Croft’s Dark Desires series and further back to Lois McMaster Bujold’s long-running Vorkosigan Saga.
I can’t leave that list without mentioning the marvelous – and marvelously prolific – Anna Hackett, who has created some truly terrific universes, terribly rapacious villains, and steam-up-the spaceship windows SFR series for anyone who loves a rollicking good SF adventure with a steamy heart. (If you like the sound of Calamity, or if you loved any of the above mentioned, check out Hackett’s Eon Warriors series and its sequels for some excellent SFR!)
Between its background of mercantile, family-run empires, unhinged heirs and abusive siblings, battered smugglers and their ships along with its story of a star-crossed romance with a change, Calamity is a worthwhile successor to any and all of the above. And if Tor Books’ creation of Bramble makes readers re-evaluate just how great a taste it can be to add a bit of romance to their SF, that’s all to the good.
Because Calamity manages to straddle that fence very, very well. The world is solidly built, the heroes are just the right level of ragtag, Temper is most definitely interestingly flawed but still striving, and the mission is exciting and FUBAR’d at the same time – just as it should be.
The romance between Temper and Arcadio has the deliciousness of being oh-so-right, oh-so-wrong and oh-so-big-a-mistake wrapped up in a dangerous package that hits all the right places, with all the intrusive wink-wink, nod-nod poking from the crew needed to make it both sweet and spectacle at the same time. While the save-the-mission-and-maybe-die-trying ending was just the kind of wild ride that SF readers love.
Which I most certainly did.
Calamity is both the author’s debut novel AND the book that marks the kickoff for Bramble, and it’s a grand book to carry both of those banners. I can’t wait to see what else they have in store for SFR lovers in the months to come. And Temper will be back next June in Fiasco, which, if Calamity is anything to go by, will probably be filled with oodles of fiascos for Temper and her crew while delivering another kickass science fiction adventure wrapped around a fantastic romance!
Originally published at Reading Reality
But Temperance Reed, infamous as just ‘Temper’ for damn good reasons, isn’t really all that much like Mal Reynolds. Mal seems to have started life close to the bottom in his ‘verse, while Temperance Reed, once upon a time, was at the top of hers.
However, being a soldier imploded his life, being the younger sister of an entitled asshole blew up hers, and they both end up in the same place, as captains of scrappy, ramshackle ships they can barely manage to keep flying, with misfit crews, taking jobs they know they shouldn’t take but can’t afford to turn down, making the best of the bad hand that life has dealt them.
Once upon a time, Temper Reed was the child of one of the ‘Ten’, one of the mega-rich, mega-corp, mercantile families that control their galaxy. But the problem with Temper wasn’t so much her temper as it was her older brother’s. He was the heir, she was the spare, but she was their parents’ favorite.
So once they were gone, his insecurities and megalomania combined to take her family’s development in a direction she knew her parents would never have condoned. Instead of continuing to create cutting-edge tech utilizing AI and language processing, her brother Frederick turned them into a ruthless slice and dice operation that just killed off competition – literally – and then swooped in to buy out the remainders.
They stopped creating. And Temper stopped believing, to the point where she rebelled and he officially disowned and banished her to the unregulated black. There’s more to that story, and it’s all awful. Awfully well told and revealed, but still awful.
Temper and her crew are on borrowed time, and the ship is in hock up to Temper’s eyebrows. So when one of the really big conglomerate families offers them a job with premium pay, Temper knows she has to take it, even though she also knows that they’re concealing a whole lot of the details about what’s really going on, AND that she and her crew are expendable in the first place and they don’t plan to pay them even if they survive.
What she doesn’t expect is a corporate minder in the much too handsome and appealing person of one of the family’s younger sons, Arcadio Escajeda. She’s sure she can ignore her hormones in favor of the common sense that’s telling her that family scions in good standing absolutely do not take up with banished and reviled traitors to their own families.
While Temper may be swimming up the River DeNial, wherever that might be located in her ‘verse, it’s not Arcadio’s perfectly sculpted hotness that throws her good sense over its shoulder and takes it along for the ride – it’s his willingness to truly BE a part of her crew no matter how boring or dangerous the duty might be. Along with just how damn good he is at helping her save them all.
Temper, apparently, is a sucker for competence. While Arcadio turns out to be a sucker for Calamity.
Escape Rating A+: Damn this is fun. Or should I say shiny. Fun, absolutely, utterly fun. I had a terrific time reading this. It’s a wild thrill ride of a science fiction adventure with a (dare I say it?) core of molten lava in multiple senses of all those words.
But a big chunk of the reason I loved it was because of just how well it fits into the science fiction romance tradition – which has never gotten near as much love as it deserves. So I have hopes that Tor Books’ creation of the Bramble imprint, specifically for the purpose of publishing science fiction romance, will do a lot to turn that tide.
The thing about SFR as a genre is that it has to sit on the fence between SF and romance and not get too many splinters up its ass from either side – unless it turns out that the romantic partners are into that sort of thing. Which means that the worldbuilding and plotting has to tell a credible SF story while putting a romance with at least a HFN (that’s Happy For Now), at its heart.
It’s not that it hasn’t been done, because it most definitely has. While Firefly hinted at it – frequently and often – that wasn’t the heart of that story. And the blurb’s mention of Ilona Andrews isn’t quite right as most of her work has been urban fantasy. Compelling with wonderful storytelling and world creation, but not SFR except for her short but marvelous Kinsmen series.
Instead, the comparisons are to Rachel Bach’s Paradox series, Valerie Valdes’ more recent Chilling Effect series, K.B. Wagers’ Indranan War, and even going back to Nina Croft’s Dark Desires series and further back to Lois McMaster Bujold’s long-running Vorkosigan Saga.
I can’t leave that list without mentioning the marvelous – and marvelously prolific – Anna Hackett, who has created some truly terrific universes, terribly rapacious villains, and steam-up-the spaceship windows SFR series for anyone who loves a rollicking good SF adventure with a steamy heart. (If you like the sound of Calamity, or if you loved any of the above mentioned, check out Hackett’s Eon Warriors series and its sequels for some excellent SFR!)
Between its background of mercantile, family-run empires, unhinged heirs and abusive siblings, battered smugglers and their ships along with its story of a star-crossed romance with a change, Calamity is a worthwhile successor to any and all of the above. And if Tor Books’ creation of Bramble makes readers re-evaluate just how great a taste it can be to add a bit of romance to their SF, that’s all to the good.
Because Calamity manages to straddle that fence very, very well. The world is solidly built, the heroes are just the right level of ragtag, Temper is most definitely interestingly flawed but still striving, and the mission is exciting and FUBAR’d at the same time – just as it should be.
The romance between Temper and Arcadio has the deliciousness of being oh-so-right, oh-so-wrong and oh-so-big-a-mistake wrapped up in a dangerous package that hits all the right places, with all the intrusive wink-wink, nod-nod poking from the crew needed to make it both sweet and spectacle at the same time. While the save-the-mission-and-maybe-die-trying ending was just the kind of wild ride that SF readers love.
Which I most certainly did.
Calamity is both the author’s debut novel AND the book that marks the kickoff for Bramble, and it’s a grand book to carry both of those banners. I can’t wait to see what else they have in store for SFR lovers in the months to come. And Temper will be back next June in Fiasco, which, if Calamity is anything to go by, will probably be filled with oodles of fiascos for Temper and her crew while delivering another kickass science fiction adventure wrapped around a fantastic romance!
Originally published at Reading Reality
November 6, 2023
Calamity follows Temperance Reed (Temper for short, because she's got a bad one) on her first mission as the captain of the Quest. She's been banished from regular society, her brother is a psycho megalomaniac, and her lover/former captain just ran off with the intern. So that's great.
Now Temper has to pay off her debts and keep the outdated ship space-worthy. Fortunately, she's got a great crew to back her up. Unfortunately, their first mission inserts them directly into perilous political drama between governing Families, as well as in the path of some crazed cultists. Oh, and the client's son/the mission's security expert is both insanely hot and insanely Up To Something.
Calamity was such a fun sci-fi/adventure/romance romp! I loved the found family element, and getting to know each of the crew members was fun. Fay has teased some very interesting backstories for each of them, so I hope the subsequent books in this series will delve into them even more.
The romance between Temper and Arcadio was enjoyable, but due to the length and pacing of the novel, it did feel a bit rushed. One of the best things about a romance in my opinion is the tension and build-up, but there really just wasn't time for since the book had an actual plot to juggle. They had great banter though, and it was cute to see how well they worked together as a team. I do sort of wish this had been dual POV, as Arcadio's perspective may have helped round out the romance a bit better.
Overall, I thought this was a delightful first book, and I can't wait to see where the Uncharted Hearts series goes from here!
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Bramble for the ARC!
Now Temper has to pay off her debts and keep the outdated ship space-worthy. Fortunately, she's got a great crew to back her up. Unfortunately, their first mission inserts them directly into perilous political drama between governing Families, as well as in the path of some crazed cultists. Oh, and the client's son/the mission's security expert is both insanely hot and insanely Up To Something.
Calamity was such a fun sci-fi/adventure/romance romp! I loved the found family element, and getting to know each of the crew members was fun. Fay has teased some very interesting backstories for each of them, so I hope the subsequent books in this series will delve into them even more.
The romance between Temper and Arcadio was enjoyable, but due to the length and pacing of the novel, it did feel a bit rushed. One of the best things about a romance in my opinion is the tension and build-up, but there really just wasn't time for since the book had an actual plot to juggle. They had great banter though, and it was cute to see how well they worked together as a team. I do sort of wish this had been dual POV, as Arcadio's perspective may have helped round out the romance a bit better.
Overall, I thought this was a delightful first book, and I can't wait to see where the Uncharted Hearts series goes from here!
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Bramble for the ARC!
June 19, 2024
There are two perpetual romance-book highs I'm chasing: books that give me a Romancing the Stone/Indiana Jones vibe, and books that give me a Fifth Element/Total Recall vibe. While this book doesn't quite achieve the latter, it is a witty, action-packed space romance and I really liked it.
Temperance doesn't start out as a spaceship captain, but she soon becomes one. She and her crew are scouts, available for hire by anyone who's looking for something. Often, these clients are Families; the universe is run by ultra-powerful familial groups that vary in rank and are constantly competing for supremacy by whatever means possible. Temperance is a former Family member but was banished for treason.
The Escajeda family hires Temper's crew to scout a planet for a particularly powerful substance. The catch is that they want to send one of their sons as a security liaison... and Arcadio Escajeda just so happens to be smoking hot.
The writing is great--super sharp. Temper is a fantastic FMC, acerbic without being overly snarky, and good at her job, despite the fact that she's always getting into scrapes. A space romance is nothing without a good crew, and this one is decent, if a little underdeveloped. And there are so many great action scenes, particularly in the last third or so.
My one real complaint is that when it comes to Arcadio, Fay sometimes tells rather than shows. We hear a LOT from Temper's perspective how hot he is, and we also hear quite a few times how sexily competent he is, which felt a little on the nose. The man himself had a lot of potential, but he felt a little generic-hot-superhuman-with-secrets to me. On the plus side, he did not smirk once.
Still, I love the world Fay built and will absolutely be reading the next one, which was just released. Give me all the space romance!
Temperance doesn't start out as a spaceship captain, but she soon becomes one. She and her crew are scouts, available for hire by anyone who's looking for something. Often, these clients are Families; the universe is run by ultra-powerful familial groups that vary in rank and are constantly competing for supremacy by whatever means possible. Temperance is a former Family member but was banished for treason.
The Escajeda family hires Temper's crew to scout a planet for a particularly powerful substance. The catch is that they want to send one of their sons as a security liaison... and Arcadio Escajeda just so happens to be smoking hot.
The writing is great--super sharp. Temper is a fantastic FMC, acerbic without being overly snarky, and good at her job, despite the fact that she's always getting into scrapes. A space romance is nothing without a good crew, and this one is decent, if a little underdeveloped. And there are so many great action scenes, particularly in the last third or so.
My one real complaint is that when it comes to Arcadio, Fay sometimes tells rather than shows. We hear a LOT from Temper's perspective how hot he is, and we also hear quite a few times how sexily competent he is, which felt a little on the nose. The man himself had a lot of potential, but he felt a little generic-hot-superhuman-with-secrets to me. On the plus side, he did not smirk once.
Still, I love the world Fay built and will absolutely be reading the next one, which was just released. Give me all the space romance!
October 18, 2023
Thank you to Bramble for providing me with an early copy of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed her are my own.
Science fiction, romance, blasters, and spaceship fun! Temper is an outcast, thrown out of her family for being a traitor. She takes to scouting to make her way in the world. But when she agrees to a job for one of the Five families, she gets into more than she bargained for and learns family is not just those to who you are blood related.
I really enjoy a good science fiction book. A book where the world is built with reality in mind. Thrown in some fast paced action scenes and a hot romance and you've got yourself a fun filled story. I love the world Fay has built with the families who rule. It reminded me of the mafia: think Godfather. But the families are not the only ones who can come out on top. Give me a rag tag group of misfits who can fight their way to the top, even with all the sticky predicaments they get into, and you've reeled me right in. Think Spaceballs, but in a book!
Temeperance is a prickly sort. She's no nonsense and doesn't seem to care what others think of her. She's worried about her crew and making sure they survive. Sometimes to the detriment of herself. I like her selflessness, though at times I wanted to bonk her in the head. She put herself in so many situations where she was sure to die but got lucky on more than one occasion. Arcadio was a nice character but I really didn't feel like I knew him. We see him through Temper's eyes, so of course he's this hot guy who she just cannot believe would be interested in her. But I didn't get as much of his personality as I would have liked. Frederick is someone I know we'll see in the future. He appears as a total jerk, who just could not possibly be redeemable. But I feel like I'll see more of him in future books of this series and my mind may change. Overall, I wish I could have gotten more fleshed out characters in this book. Having the story told from just Temper's POV limited that a bit for me.
The romance was a fast burn. It was a little too fast for me, to be honest. I needed more connection with the characters. It's not insta-love, perse, but it straddles that line. The MMC is too easily won over by Temper and I just didn't feel like it was totally really. But the sexy scenes, which I honestly wasn't totally expecting, were smexy and gave good fodder.
The pacing was good. It leant to a quick read. I wanted to see exactly where the book would go. But I did figure out early on there was no way this story would totally play out in this book. I'm interested to see what future books in this series bring.
For an author and her first full length book, I found this one truly enjoyable. It was witty and charming. I loved how the FMC spoke directly to the reader, as if she were sitting right in front of you telling her story. I rather enjoyed it.
I will say I did get lost in some of the action scenes. They seemed to be a little all over the place for me. Describing so much I was left wondering what exactly I was supposed to be seeing.
If you're looking for a fun, outer space adventure with some hot romance and characters who will win you over, pick this one up and give it a go!
Science fiction, romance, blasters, and spaceship fun! Temper is an outcast, thrown out of her family for being a traitor. She takes to scouting to make her way in the world. But when she agrees to a job for one of the Five families, she gets into more than she bargained for and learns family is not just those to who you are blood related.
I really enjoy a good science fiction book. A book where the world is built with reality in mind. Thrown in some fast paced action scenes and a hot romance and you've got yourself a fun filled story. I love the world Fay has built with the families who rule. It reminded me of the mafia: think Godfather. But the families are not the only ones who can come out on top. Give me a rag tag group of misfits who can fight their way to the top, even with all the sticky predicaments they get into, and you've reeled me right in. Think Spaceballs, but in a book!
Temeperance is a prickly sort. She's no nonsense and doesn't seem to care what others think of her. She's worried about her crew and making sure they survive. Sometimes to the detriment of herself. I like her selflessness, though at times I wanted to bonk her in the head. She put herself in so many situations where she was sure to die but got lucky on more than one occasion. Arcadio was a nice character but I really didn't feel like I knew him. We see him through Temper's eyes, so of course he's this hot guy who she just cannot believe would be interested in her. But I didn't get as much of his personality as I would have liked. Frederick is someone I know we'll see in the future. He appears as a total jerk, who just could not possibly be redeemable. But I feel like I'll see more of him in future books of this series and my mind may change. Overall, I wish I could have gotten more fleshed out characters in this book. Having the story told from just Temper's POV limited that a bit for me.
The romance was a fast burn. It was a little too fast for me, to be honest. I needed more connection with the characters. It's not insta-love, perse, but it straddles that line. The MMC is too easily won over by Temper and I just didn't feel like it was totally really. But the sexy scenes, which I honestly wasn't totally expecting, were smexy and gave good fodder.
The pacing was good. It leant to a quick read. I wanted to see exactly where the book would go. But I did figure out early on there was no way this story would totally play out in this book. I'm interested to see what future books in this series bring.
For an author and her first full length book, I found this one truly enjoyable. It was witty and charming. I loved how the FMC spoke directly to the reader, as if she were sitting right in front of you telling her story. I rather enjoyed it.
I will say I did get lost in some of the action scenes. They seemed to be a little all over the place for me. Describing so much I was left wondering what exactly I was supposed to be seeing.
If you're looking for a fun, outer space adventure with some hot romance and characters who will win you over, pick this one up and give it a go!
September 6, 2023
Debut author alert! This is Ms. Fay's first full length novel and it's pretty darn good! I just read her bio on her website and it's written exactly like her book is - witty and charming. This is a pretty quick read, although I got a wee bit lost on some of the action sequences because science-fiction-make-believe stuff is sometimes hard for me to picture in my head - "Life moves pretty fast..." and all that ;)
Nope, that's my just dumb 80's reference, I'm old. Don't let that sway you, though. How often are you going to find a good science fiction romance, right? I can only think of a handful and here's one more to add to pile :)
Nope, that's my just dumb 80's reference, I'm old. Don't let that sway you, though. How often are you going to find a good science fiction romance, right? I can only think of a handful and here's one more to add to pile :)
April 29, 2024
3.5 🌟 I enjoyed the story and my first taste of a sci-fi adventure! A space mission is definitely something I’d look into for future reads. I listened on audiobook and the narrator did absolutely nothing for me, I might have liked it better just reading with my eyes. The romance is fun, but I feel it was too much too quick considering the timeline. Additionally, the main character’s inner monologue seems almost a bit underdeveloped/rudimentary at times. Overall it was a fun read, and I’m curious to see what the sequel will reveal :)
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