Review: Shades of Dark

Title: Shades of Dark

Author: Linnea Sinclair

Published: September 2008

Genre: Science Fiction / Romance

Stand Alone/Series: Sequel to Gabriel's Ghost

From the Author Site: Before her court-martial, Captain Chasidah “Chaz” Bergren was the pride of the Sixth Fleet. Now she’s a fugitive from the “justice” of a corrupt Empire. Along with her lover, the former monk, mercenary, and telepath Gabriel Ross Sullivan, Chaz hoped to leave the past light-years behind—until the news of her brother Thad’s arrest and upcoming execution for treason. It’s a ploy by Sully’s cousin Hayden Burke to force them out of hiding and it works.

With a killer targeting human females and a renegade gen lab breeding jukor war machines, Chaz and Sully already had their hands full of treachery, betrayal—not to mention each other. Throw in Chaz’s Imperial ex-husband, Admiral Philip Guthrie, and a Kyi-Ragkiril mentor out to seduce Sully and not just loyalties but lives are at stake. For when Sully makes a fateful choice changing their relationship forever, Chaz must also choose—between what duty demands and what her heart tells her she must do.

Review: Linnea Sinclair takes us back aboard the Sully’s Boru Karn. It’s been three months since the destruction of the jukor lab and subsequent escape from Marker. And the crew has come to respect Chaz and accept her as one of their own. What riffs were caused by Sully’s mind-probe of the crew have been mostly mended. And Chaz is slowly adjusting to the ky’saran bond between her and Sully. Now its just the matter of finding the second mobile jukor lab and destroy it.

Or at least that what it seemed, until word reaches the Boru Karn of the arrest of Chaz’s older brother, Commander Thaddeus Lars Bergren, for treason and for aiding and abetting the dangerous terrorist, mercenary Gabriel Ross Sullivan escape Marker after his terrorist attack. Along with the arrest comes the alarming news that Thad is cooperating and telling all he knows about Sully. Mainly that Sully is one of the feared and much hated kyi-ragkiril.

With that information hanging over them, Sully and Chaz make the meeting with the mysterious Del, who turns out to be a Stolorth kyi-ragkiril prince in exile. As a lesser of two evils, they agree to bring him on board so that he can help them find and destroy the jukor lab. But it seem Del has other plans. He helps Sully gain control over his powers and shows him how to use them but he wants something in return.

Again this is an action packed adventure with a lot of twists and turns to keep the reader flipping the pages to see what happens next. Again Chaz is presented with a seemingly endless series of problems with her ex-husband on board (after being rescued from the Fleet ships out to kill him), a Stolorth kyi-ragkiril that seems to want to add her to his list of conquests, and a husband who can’t control himself or the Stolorth and is simply trying to keep the crew together and save the empire from disaster.

This wasn’t as light-hearted as Gabriel’s Ghost. This book definitely takes a darker turn. Sully struggles with what he is as his powers grows. Chaz has to deal with Sully’s fears of turning into the monster everyone thinks kyi-ragkiril are and keep him balanced while Del is pushing and testing both of them for mysterious purposes of his own. A definite page-turner but is not for someone looking for a HEA all wrapped up and pretty at the end.

Keeper?: Oh Yeah... For sure.

Recommendation: Yes. But you MUST read Gabriel's Ghost first or the first book will be mostly spoiled for you. Also will make this terminology used in this book easier to grasp.

Rating: 4.5 of 5