Review: Pets in Space 8

Pets in Space 8
by R.J. Blain, Susan Hayes, Honey Phillips, Skye MacKinnon, Arizona Tape, Carol Van Natta, Tana Stone, S.J. Pajonas, Carysa Locke, JC Hay, Elva Birch and Gail Koger

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: MF and FF

Blurb:
Join the PETS IN SPACE crew!

Blast off into adventure with the eighth installment of PETS IN SPACE, a dynamic anthology of 11 never-before-seen science fiction romance stories! Rocket through the multi-verses brimming with heart-pounding escapades, swoon-worthy romances, and the best pet sidekicks ever!

Each story will pull you into the far-flung corners of the cosmos with intrepid heroes and heroines you’ll want to cheer for as they fight to save their world and find their happily ever afters. You’ll adore the furry, feathered, and scaly friends who have come to help their brave human companions on their quests.

This limited-edition anthology includes novellas by some of the biggest names in science fiction romance including USA TODAY bestselling authors R.J. Blain, Susan Hayes, Honey Phillips, Skye MacKinnon, Arizona Tape, Carol Van Natta, Tana Stone, S.J. Pajonas, Carysa Locke, JC Hay, plus award-winning authors Gail Koger and Elva Birch.

The Pets in Space 8 authors continue their vital support of Hero-Dogs.org, the non-profit charity that provides trained service dogs for disabled U.S. veterans and first-responders.

So, grab your space helmet to discover adventure and love — buy Pets in Space 8 today!

My Review

I am always very excited for this anthology and was happy to grab my copy on release day. My review will be updated when I’ve read more of the stories.

Tilli’s Second Chance by S.J. Pajonas
I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

I started this anthology with this story as I received an advance review copy of it. I like this series by S.J. Pajonas and reading about these sisters. This is Tilli’s story, her life got ruined eight years ago when she was accused of cheating and lost her chance at her dream job, designing spaceships. Now she’s applying for a second chance at the same job, she gets to team up with Kaito.

I enjoyed this story, I liked reading about Tilli and her passion for designing spaceships and the cool ideas she comes up with as well as seeing her grow closer to Kaito. I liked her animal pair, a grumpy old cat Ivan, who clearly cares about her. It also was fun seeing their father from a different point of view as Tilli is the sister who is closest to him. I thought this book made him a lot more likable than the first two books and it feels like not being the mayor anymore is good for him. I liked how he is there for Tilli when she needs him and encourages her.

Tilli could be a bit hard on herself, but it was awesome seeing her find her finding her confidence and passion toward the end of the book. Tilli has a lot to go through and there are some scenes that are sad to read and there’s this annoying guy that keeps being mean to her and getting in her way, but I liked to see how it all played out. The romance between Tilli and Kaito was great. I really liked the ending and the two bonus scenes from Kaito’s point of view are awesome and added some insight to his point of view.

Stellar Drift by Carol Van Natta
I really like Carol Van Natta’s Central Galactic Concordance series and that’s why I picked this one for my second story to read. It was a joy to return to this world for another story. Stellar Drift caught my attention from the start and kept it the whole way. The characters felt real and likable. I liked how they spend time together and it was clear they liked the other and how that slowly leads to them admitting their feelings. The gargoyle pet Kayla was a nice addition too as well as the AI character. I liked the story line and how the main characters had to team up to find the cause of a deadly disease in the jungle.

It had an adventurous vibe and the discovery they do toward the end was interesting as well as some secrets of their pasts they reveal to the other. I liked how things got wrapped up. The only thing I would’ve liked to see a glimpse of their future.

Devil in the Details by J.C. Hay
I like JC Hay’s stories, so I picked this one up next. Similar to the story in Pets in Space 7 this one is set in his Malebranki world, but reads as a standalone. The story follows bounty hunter Bryony who and undercover agent Lorcan. They meet when she captures him for a bounty, they end up teaming up and growing closer when he reveals he’s an undercover agent and they both are after the same goal to take down a crime lord.

I like the author’s writing style and easily got into the story. There is a bit of hostility between the two at first before they realize they have the same goal, which is not my favorite set up for a story, but I thought it worked here and made sense. I liked seeing them grow closer and the feline pet was great to read about too. I liked how the plot got resolved and the character development for both characters at the end with the hint of what their future will look like. I enjoyed reading this one.

Shattered Echoes by Carysa Locke
I decided to read all the stories from authors I already know first, so I picked up Carysa Locke’s story next. This story was so good! This story reminded me how much I enjoy this author’s stories. It was so well written and it grabbed my attention from the start and kept it for the whole story. This one was just awesome; the characters, the talent powers and ofcourse the pet who was an integral part of the story. I also liked the romance and the hint of mystery about Iona’s past. The epilogue is really good and wraps it up, but I can’t help but wish it was even longer as I wanted to see more of their future and their romance.

I really like Carysa Locke’s writing style and the Telepathic Space Pirates world. I think this story is set a bit earlier than the main stories and I liked seeing a different part of the timeline and story. There was plenty of action and danger in this one that kept the pace fast with enough interactions between the characters as well. I really enjoyed it!

The Alien’s Falconer by Arizona Tape and Skye MacKinnon
And this was another story that’s part of a series I already know and like. The Aliens and Animals series is a fun and lighthearted series. I enjoyed The Alien’s Falconer, but felt the tone was more sad and not as fun and romantic as the other books in the series. This might not be as big of an issue if you don’t already know the series, but I felt this book didn’t match the rest of the series in tone as well. I did like seeing a bit more of the couple of book 4 in this book as it takes place aboard the same space ship, but it’s minor enough that I think those new to the series won’t miss too much.

I thought both main characters were interesting and while I wasn’t a fan of the initial set up were they are sort of enemies, I liked it when the romantic feelings began to develop. I really felt for Georgia as she has been through so much, but she finally gets some hope and good things happening to her in this book. I liked how captain Ellabee was kind to her and didn’t treat her badly even when she was their prisoner. I would’ve liked a bit more time with them both being free and not enemies, but I did think that part was realistically written and made sense, I just wanted more of the fun scenes and them falling in love. The epilogue is great and I really liked the alien parrot Aba.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.