The Outback Stars by Sandra McDonald

The Outback Stars by Sandra McDonald

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I've never read Sandra McDonald before, but based on some reviews, I decided to pick The Outback Stars up. I'm glad I did.



I love both SF and Romance and am delighted when the two are well blended. Ms. McDonald does that pretty well.



Lieutenant Jodenny Scott is recovering from the injuries and horror of her former ship blowing up and is bored to tears waiting for a berth on another ship. Her actions on The Yangtze earned her a medal and a bit of an advantage with at least one higher up - she cashes in on that advantage to get the berth that opens on the Aral Sea, even though she is warned it isn't a happy ship.



Boy is that an understatement! The Aral Sea has more bullies, incompetants, unhappy people than you can shake a stick at.



Sergeant Terry Myell is just trying to survive long enough for his term to be over so that he can get out. But he has gotten on the bad side of a bully with a lot of power and friends. And he is determined to get Terry.



Jodenny is put in charge of Underway Stores - and Myell. The department is a complete mess, the people are lazy, arrogant, or just plain ignorant for the most part. Jodenny has her work cut out trying to bring the department in line, and determined to help Terry in spite of his reluctance to be helped. Of course falling in love with one of her Sergeants isn't exactly in her best interests...or his, but never the less it is happening. A chance meeting planetside, and a startling, accidental discovery will only cement the feelings between the two. Although they do try very hard not to break the fraternization rules, a dangerous situation pulls them even closer.



But more is going on than meets the eye and once again, Jodenny finds herself thrown into the role of hero. And the final resolution includes a wedding.



I enjoyed the book a lot. It kept my attention, entertained me, and even threw a curve or two I wasn't expecting. The only quibble that I have is that there is a lot of Australian Aborignal religion/philosophy/symbolism that was a bit confusing at first, but eventually smoothed out quite a bit. I did find myself re-reading some of these parts right away because I didn't really grasp some of the concepts the first time.



I'm going to pick up the next book The Stars Down Under, and I expect to be just as entertained as I was with this book.






View all my reviews.

Dark Nights, Dark Dreams by Savannah Russe

Savannah is a new to me author - I wasn't in the mood for vampires, but I found this book and decided to try it.

I like Savannah's style - I'll probably pick up the Darkwing books when I feel like vampires again. The characters are well written and realistic, and the story was interesting with a mix of romance, paranormal, and thriller.

Sam is a psychic who has tried hard to hide her gift. But the CIA is on to her, and sweeps her out of the Middle East and gives her no choice but to join a new unit to investigate crimes with a paranormal bent. Joining her are Frankie a Wiccan, Aurora an animal communicator, and Rina a voodoo priestess.

They are assigned to work with Bear - a foresnic investigator with the Department of Defense, who thinks the paranormal is a bunch of bunk.

Assigned to investigate the theft of a body from Arlington cemetary, Bear and Sam hit it off on a personal level that leaves them both breathless. The problem is Sam doesn't want to reveal her talent. And Bear refuses to admit that someone is stealing bodies to create Zombies.

Can Sam and Bear come to terms with their feelings? And can the team stop the grave robbings?

Review Call of the Wild by Sierra Dafoe

Welcome to Wolf Creek Cove... In an isolated area of northern Manitoba lives an unusual breed of wolf. They are the Shumani, the wolves who walk as men. But the longer they go without contact with humans, the more they regress into wild wolves. Larak and his den-brother Kam watched helplessly as the Shumani dwelling in the hills above Wolf Creek were taken over by Hunt, a vicious black wolf who will do anything to retain control of the pack. Now, with the arrival of the only human they've seen since cubhood, Larak and Kam vow to end Hunt's domination. Sarah Hartwell, domestic disaster and wolf aficonado, has left her fiance to spend eight months studying the wolves. Little does she know she will become a pawn in the battle for control of the Shumani -- a pawn Hunt is determined to remove from the game. Can Larak and Kam convince her to give up a safe, secure life among her own kind for one of danger, passion, and the call of the wild?
Available at Changeling Press


A nice, if short, menage story with shapeshifting, danger, and love all mixed together. Sierra has written an entertaining short that I recommend for all lovers of shapeshifters.

Sarah gets quite the surprise when her friend calls to tell her the wolves they had watched a few years ago were back. With things not going so well with her boyfriend, Sarah decides to go back to the isolated area and study the pack.

She did not expect to rescue a wolf and find a naked man on her doorstep. But the secret that man holds is nothing she could possibly imagine. And yet, when danger threatens, Sarah can't turn her back on the man who doesn't care that she can't boil water.

Have the two brothers, last of their family, finally found the woman who will complete their lives? Or will she turn away in disgust at their dual nature, and their dual desires?