Review: Pets in Space 9

Pets in Space 9
by Carol Van Natta, R.J. Blain, Honey Phillis, Kenzie Kelly, S.J. Pajonas, Demelza Carlton, Greta van der Rol, E.G. Manetti and Evelyn Lederman

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/f

Blurb:
Blast off with Pets in Space 9, a thrilling anthology that blends heart-pounding sci-fi with swoon-worthy romance!

Dive into 10 never-before-published tales from award-winning and USA TODAY bestselling authors R.J. Blain, Honey Phillips, Carol Van Natta, Kenzie Kelly, S.J. Pajonas, Demelza Carlton, Leslie Chase, Greta van der Rol, E.G. Manetti, and Evelyn Lederman. Each novella features extraordinary pets — from a telepathic feline on a distant planet to a brave dog in a futuristic city — standing by their heroes through love, danger, and epic quests.

Immerse yourself in worlds where love knows no bounds and pets steal the spotlight. With stories full of action, mystery, and romance, this anthology has something for everyone. You’ll cheer for the intrepid heroes and heroines who fight to save their friends and find their happily-ever-afters. Plus, every purchase supports Hero Dogs, a charity that provides trained service dogs to veterans and first responders.

Explore a galaxy of romance and adventure in Pets in Space 9 today. Limited edition — don’t miss out!

My Review

I always look forward to the Pets in Space anthology each year. I always look forward to the Pets in Space anthology each year. I got my copy on release day and am making my way through it. I got an ARC of one of the stories. I haven’t read all the stories yet, but wanted to share my review now as the anthology won’t be available for purchase after this month.

Winta’s Perfect Pair by S.J. Pajonas
I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

I really like the Kimura Sisters series by SJ Pajonas and was excited for this newest story following Winta. I really enjoyed this one, it had a lovely romance, the theme was interesting and I liked reading about Winta. Winta hasn’t had the best luck when it comes to romance and she still hasn’t found her animal pairing.

I liked reading about Winta, she’s kind and helpful as well as passionate for the things she believes in. And when she judges too harshly, she realized her mistake and that was nice to see too. I liked her romance with Daichi, he was so good for her and I loved seeing how he was there for her. There is very little drama in their romance, Winta hasn’t had the best luck with men in the past and is a bit wary, but Daichi slowly wins her over. His animal pair was cute too.

Another thing I liked was the theme of technological advancement as well as tradition, this book deals with the struggle between the two and also shows how the two can go hand in in hand. It was interesting to see where the plot went and it definitely wasn’t what I had expected at first, but I liked seeing it progress and the ending was great.

Definitely make sure you get the bonus scenes as I felt those really added to the story and had a nice epilogue vibe.

Failed Colony by R.J. Blain
I read one of R.J. Blain’s books before in Pets in Space 8, so I knew what to expect from her writing style and easily got into this story. This one starts off with a bit of a survival vibe. It was a bit sad at time,s but turned more uplifting once the main character meets the alien Veloc. The alien Veloc are so interesting to read about and I liked reading more about them. There are plenty of pets and cute animals. I enjoyed reading this story.

I wouldn’t really classify this as scifi romance tough as there’s just the barest hint of a possible romance, but it’s just a hint and not really an integral part of the story. I don’t really mind as I really enjoyed the story, but I had expected a bit more romance. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt and would’ve liked to see a bit more of where the main character ends up going and what her future looks like.

Starlane Crossroads by Carol Van Natta
After those two stories I decided to read Starlane Crossroads, one of my most anticipated stories in this anthology. It was really good. I love Carol Van Natta’s writing style and easily flew through this story. I liked the space station setting, for some reason those don’t seem as common for scifi romance books, but I really like it as a setting. I liked the main characters and their various pets and seeing them grow closer. There was enough depth to their characters and they both had their struggles and some tough things they went through in the past. I liked seeing them open up to each other.

The ending felt a bit rushed and I hadn’t realized it was over already until I saw the author bio. I also got a bit confused trying to remember who the various CPS side characters were and which role they played. There was a pov chapter from a side character and I still don’t know what that added, or maybe I forgot their name and missed something. While the CPS side characters were hard to remember who was who, I didn’t have that trouble with the other side characters. I liked how the female main character had a close best friend who ran an animal shelter. And there is an interesting security side character as well. All in all this was a great story.

The President’s Daughter by Greta van der Rol
DNF’d this one. I really enjoyed one of Greta van der Rol’s stories in Pets in Space 6, but this one didn’t work for me. I didn’t like the male lead, the way he used money to pay his attendant to uncover the name of the female character and a lot of his internal dialogue didn’t work for me. I just didn’t like him and didn’t feel the connection with the female main character. The female main character and her animal companion I liked more, but not enough to want to continue.

Royal Cargo by Leslie Chase
I started this one as I liked the title, this was a new to me author. I enjoyed this story. I liked the main characters and their connection and caring for eahc other was obvious. Their romance develops quickly, but I didn’t mind and thought that worked here. The flying cat also was a fun addition and I liked the collar that made the humans be able to understand him. I liked seeing the story progress and there was a satisfying conclusion.

Sabotaged by E.G. Manetti
This was another new to me author. I really enjoyed this story and I definitely plan to read more books by this author. The plot was engaging and I liked seeing how it progressed. The characters were interesting and I liked their connection as well as romance. The pet was cute and played an important part in the story. It was clear this was part of a larger series with hints to world building, characters and events, but this mostly made me feel curious to check out the rest of the series and I was able to enjoy this story as standalone. The ending wrapped things up well and was a satisfying conclusion to the story.

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

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.