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mrssoule's review against another edition
5.0
[b:Games of Command|352724|Games of Command|Linnea Sinclair|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347389713l/352724._SY75_.jpg|342949] was a perfect mix of sci-fi action & some seriously intense romance. Kel-Paten’s been secretly in love with Sass for 12 years!, but must hide it since he’s a biocybe (basically a human turned robot – think Universal Soldier) and any display of “unnatural” emotion would lead to further removal of what’s left of his humanity. It never got too bogged down in tech talk or let anything too irreversibly damaging happen to any of the four main characters – my two biggest problems with most sci-fi.
nelsonseye's review
3.0
I would have rated this higher but there were too many confusing moments/plot threads.
eugthinks's review against another edition
3.0
Keep in mind that a 3 star rating on Goodreads supposedly means "liked it", not the "neutral" that I normally ascribe to 3 out of 5 stars. And I did like this book, despite all the eye-rolling and laughing-at-it-not-with-it it induced. The dedication at the end of the book starts "This bit of space opera romance silliness", and that's exactly what it is. If you don't take it too seriously, you can find a lot of fun in it.
reginaexmachina's review against another edition
5.0
Captain Tasha "Sass" Sebastian isn't whom she claims to be. Her past is a lot more colorful than her records claim but no one but her closest friend knows that. After fighting in a war for several years that's finally come to an end, she's started to feel comfortable. Until as a gesture of goodwill, both sides decide to integrate their people. And Tasha has been chosen to be one of those people. Specifically chosen to be integrated into Admiral Branden Kel-Paten ship. Tasha and the Admiral were enemies throughout the war and have fought against each other numerous times. How can she trust him? And worst of all what if he finds out her secrets? Things begin to calm down as she builds a comradery with the Admiral. Her best friend Dr. Eden Fynn is an empath and joined Tasha on the ship shortly after she was integrated. Eden has begun to notice odd readings from Admiral Kel-Paten. He is a biocybe and should not be able to express emotions, however when he's around Tasha Dr. Eden senses something like emotion coming from him. When a notorious rebel Jace Serafino comes aboard the ship hurt and a wanted man Dr. Eden begins to have her own problems with emotions. Dr. Eden knows she shouldn't trust a man like Jace, especially when she realizes how handsome and charming he can be. And Jace has his own secrets too. Suddenly all four of them are thrown into a battle both physically and emotionally and none are sure if any will survive.
I probably made this book sound incredibly silly, and it kind of is. But in a good way. Once again Linnea Sinclair mixes the perfect balance of sci-fi action/adventure and romance. I felt less confused in this book than I did when reading Finders Keepers. There wasn't as much terminology within the book thrown at me that I didn't understand. It was interesting in that it had two solid romances going on at the same time and you get just as much emotionally invested in one as the other. I thought that some of the characters felt similar to characters in Finders Keepers but that's probably my only negative about this book. I loved this book in general and would recommend it to anyone interested in having their sci-fi adventures laced with really strong romance.
I probably made this book sound incredibly silly, and it kind of is. But in a good way. Once again Linnea Sinclair mixes the perfect balance of sci-fi action/adventure and romance. I felt less confused in this book than I did when reading Finders Keepers. There wasn't as much terminology within the book thrown at me that I didn't understand. It was interesting in that it had two solid romances going on at the same time and you get just as much emotionally invested in one as the other. I thought that some of the characters felt similar to characters in Finders Keepers but that's probably my only negative about this book. I loved this book in general and would recommend it to anyone interested in having their sci-fi adventures laced with really strong romance.
seshathawk's review against another edition
3.0
I had SO many mixed feelings about this book! I've been on the hunt for science fiction romances lately (read: sexy times in space), and Linnea Sinclair's name kept coming up in my searches, so I gave this one a try, and I was really excited about reading it!
To start off, the book is long--five hundred pages. Typical for a science fiction novel, but not a romance. And right off the bat, I struggled with the book. A lot of characters with odd names. People that had been working together for so long, and referenced previous experiences, that I thought I might have missed a previous book. I had no strong feelings about the heroine, Tasha, from start to finish. I struggled with the plot, which had a lot of moving parts, changed constantly, and was difficult to follow.
Spoilers from here on out.
So I struggled with the book itself in the beginning, feeling kind of like I'd come in halfway through a movie and missed the parts that explained what was going on. Also, a lot of exposition in the beginning. But it smoothed out a little as the story went on, and I started liking other characters. I especially liked Tasha's friend Eden, possibly because she was competent and capable without being a gun-toting badass. And I appreciated the friendship that the two shared!
I also struggled with the romance aspect of this book. Going to admit right now that Kel-Paten grew on me, fast, because I love the "uptight dude with a secret crush" trope, hard. It seemed like that aspect of the book was going exactly how I wanted it to; I wanted Kel-Paten to hook up with Tasha, I liked Kel-Paten and wanted him to succeed, and because of the romance aspect I was pretty sure it would work out. Unfortunately, the "uptight dude with a secret crush" trope can easily veer into the "Nice Guy" stereotype, and/or into shady territory, which this did. I had to firmly suspend my disbelief to continue enjoying the romance, despite the invasion of privacy, the fact that Kel-Paten was in love with her from afar for TWELVE YEARS despite not even interacting with her on a daily basis (that one was hard for me to let go of), the fact that Tasha had no feelings for Kel-Paten until she read about his feelings for her and suddenly she saw him differently...it was hard. I had to tell myself, a few times, that I HAD to assume that everything was consensual between them, because if not, it could have easily been shady.
Despite all of that, I mostly enjoyed the romance, but, on a purely opinionated level, I wanted more sex and less plot.
In terms of the other romance, the one between Eden and Serafino...I hated it. I hated Serafino in general, due to being pushy, mysterious, and irritating, but also, he basically started hitting on Eden immediately, and because of some kind of telepathic bond (or even just their continued communication) they shared, suddenly they are in love? A cross between the insta-lust trope from romance and the telepathic bond trope from science fiction, and I just couldn't believe it. I felt like Eden should have been too smart to fall for him. Despite the fact that the women in this book are fairly independent and aren't afraid to fight, or voice their opinions, I have a hard time putting this in my "lady friendly sf" category due to everyone getting bulldozed by tropes.
All of this, plus the plot constantly shifting, people jumping from one spaceship to another, a vaguely time travel element, mind-altering aliens, conspiracies (upon conspiracies upon conspiracies), characters failing to talk to each other and hence not trusting each other, space cats that verged on too cute and too convenient, people continually questioning each others' trust...it felt like a hectic book.
Despite all of this, and the disbelief-suspending I had to do, I genuinely enjoyed most of this book. The big middle chunk that built up the romance between Kel-Paten and Tasha kept me wanting more. But once I got past the sex scene, I completely lost interest in the book and basically had to force myself to finish it. (I also flipped through the rest of the book to see if there were any more sex scenes and was sorely disappointed.)
Ultimately, I enjoyed most of it, but with so many caveats that I can't possibly rank this above three stars. I would say that I'm willing to accept that maybe this one was a fluke, and I'd like to try some of the author's other books, maybe An Accidental Goddess or her Dock Five series.
To start off, the book is long--five hundred pages. Typical for a science fiction novel, but not a romance. And right off the bat, I struggled with the book. A lot of characters with odd names. People that had been working together for so long, and referenced previous experiences, that I thought I might have missed a previous book. I had no strong feelings about the heroine, Tasha, from start to finish. I struggled with the plot, which had a lot of moving parts, changed constantly, and was difficult to follow.
Spoilers from here on out.
So I struggled with the book itself in the beginning, feeling kind of like I'd come in halfway through a movie and missed the parts that explained what was going on. Also, a lot of exposition in the beginning. But it smoothed out a little as the story went on, and I started liking other characters. I especially liked Tasha's friend Eden, possibly because she was competent and capable without being a gun-toting badass. And I appreciated the friendship that the two shared!
I also struggled with the romance aspect of this book. Going to admit right now that Kel-Paten grew on me, fast, because I love the "uptight dude with a secret crush" trope, hard. It seemed like that aspect of the book was going exactly how I wanted it to; I wanted Kel-Paten to hook up with Tasha, I liked Kel-Paten and wanted him to succeed, and because of the romance aspect I was pretty sure it would work out. Unfortunately, the "uptight dude with a secret crush" trope can easily veer into the "Nice Guy" stereotype, and/or into shady territory, which this did. I had to firmly suspend my disbelief to continue enjoying the romance, despite the invasion of privacy, the fact that Kel-Paten was in love with her from afar for TWELVE YEARS despite not even interacting with her on a daily basis (that one was hard for me to let go of), the fact that Tasha had no feelings for Kel-Paten until she read about his feelings for her and suddenly she saw him differently...it was hard. I had to tell myself, a few times, that I HAD to assume that everything was consensual between them, because if not, it could have easily been shady.
Despite all of that, I mostly enjoyed the romance, but, on a purely opinionated level, I wanted more sex and less plot.
In terms of the other romance, the one between Eden and Serafino...I hated it. I hated Serafino in general, due to being pushy, mysterious, and irritating, but also, he basically started hitting on Eden immediately, and because of some kind of telepathic bond (or even just their continued communication) they shared, suddenly they are in love? A cross between the insta-lust trope from romance and the telepathic bond trope from science fiction, and I just couldn't believe it. I felt like Eden should have been too smart to fall for him. Despite the fact that the women in this book are fairly independent and aren't afraid to fight, or voice their opinions, I have a hard time putting this in my "lady friendly sf" category due to everyone getting bulldozed by tropes.
All of this, plus the plot constantly shifting, people jumping from one spaceship to another, a vaguely time travel element, mind-altering aliens, conspiracies (upon conspiracies upon conspiracies), characters failing to talk to each other and hence not trusting each other, space cats that verged on too cute and too convenient, people continually questioning each others' trust...it felt like a hectic book.
Despite all of this, and the disbelief-suspending I had to do, I genuinely enjoyed most of this book. The big middle chunk that built up the romance between Kel-Paten and Tasha kept me wanting more. But once I got past the sex scene, I completely lost interest in the book and basically had to force myself to finish it. (I also flipped through the rest of the book to see if there were any more sex scenes and was sorely disappointed.)
Ultimately, I enjoyed most of it, but with so many caveats that I can't possibly rank this above three stars. I would say that I'm willing to accept that maybe this one was a fluke, and I'd like to try some of the author's other books, maybe An Accidental Goddess or her Dock Five series.
araehop's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
destiel74's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I was really invested in the couple, Kel-Paten and Sass, and was glad when they got together.