Queen of Wands (Sanctify #2 – Jenny and Mac) by Katee Robert (Entangled: Select, June 24, 2014)
I’ve complained before that good science fiction romance is rare, but I was so thrilled with Katee Robert’s Queen of Swords last month, that I cheerfully snapped up it’s prequel, The High Priestess (only $.99) and have been tapping my foot impatiently for the next book in the Sanctify series. Ta-da! I heartily recommend that you read both of them prior to enjoying Queen of Wands, the sequel, as the world-building and the character backstory help understand the twists and turns of this novel.
Jenny O’Kierna was walking chaos in Queen of Swords, great in a fight but always containing the complication was she started them. She loves her brother Boone and his soulmate, Ophelia, yet finds herself shocked at the domesticity and love they both radiate, particularly in regard to their infant daughter. To Jenny, who loves her freedom to hop in her ship and space to their nearest fun spot, that type of relationship feels like a trap, one she never wants to feel.
When Boone’s relatively new kingship of their home planet of Hansarda negate him rescuing a genius weapons inventor, Jenny, itching at her brother’s overprotectiveness, volunteers to go. She’s only slightly suspicious when Ophelia, a Diviner, consults her cards and with a dangerous smile, backs Jenny up. Refusing to ask what the future might hold for her, Jenny finds the genius, Mac Flannery, fighting off Sanctify’s henchmen (and damn effectively). She didn’t realize that geniuses were so muscled and good-looking but she ignores the resident spark between them and focuses on making him safe.
The High Priestess (Sanctify #.5 – Gerard and Marianna) by Katee Robert (Entangled: Select, March 15, 2012)
Mac has seen the video of Jenny O’Kierna, princess of Hansarda, and he’s impressed. She’s a wild card to say the least, but the crazy facade she adopts for the world is hiding something more, and he wants to strip it and see the real Jenny. Her killer body and unbridled sensuality have him wanting to strip a lot more, but Mac’s IQ is high for a reason, and he knows he has to get Jenny to admit there is more to what lies between them than just a quick roll in the hay. Refusing to have meaningless sex with her is difficult, but the prize is worth his discomfort. When Jenny ignores Mac’s suggestion to hole up in a prison planet and ends up in the high-security sex capital of the galaxy, they are both nervous that Sanctify will find them. But they couldn’t have predicted the chase and sacrifices they will both have to make in order to insure Hansarda’s and Mac’s safety, as well as what they need to do in order to give their love for each other a safe future.
Queen of Wands felt more cinematographic to me than its predecessor, with lots of spaceship launches and choreographed fight scenes. I’ll be honest, Jenny was hard for me to take in the first book and that held true for the first third or so of this one as well; her brittle exterior is so impossible to penetrate that it was only my strong belief in Mac’s intelligence (and Katee Robert’s writing) that had me working through my desire to slap her. That patience was rewarded as Mac did get under Jenny’s shell and had her sharing her emotions along with sharing her body, revealing a complex, empathetic woman fiercely loyal to her friends and family. With several secondary characters further developed, I’m eager to see what other stories will emerge from this series, as Robert has poised the political machinations in mid-“whaaa?” and I have to see where the plot goes from here.
Katee Robert’s Queen of Wands offers another installment in a rollicking space saga that’s bound to appeal to Battlestar Galactica and Firefly fans who prefer their spaceships fast, their aliens feisty, and their romance hot. Pick it up, already!
Happy reading! 🙂
torimacallister 