Insurrection

I truly enjoy dropping into this universe of supernatural spacefarers. Is Rico a bit of a dictator? Yes. Did he dump people off a ship to save some of the supernaturals? Also yes. But what other choice did he have? To do nothing would have been genocide for his people. But I'm STILL trying to warm up to the guy (a bit of a vampire joke there!) Malpheas is demon, a genuine prince of Hell (or the Abyss). He's rather self-absorbed and he has been a downright failure as a father. So much so when Rico wakes him up as he is needed for a mission, he has to do whilst not letting the demon-cat out of the bag where Milo is concerned. Milo would not take the news of daddy dearest being onboard well. Hope was hiding in plain sight on the Trakis 7. But when checking on her brother, she was rumbled and she accidentally might have killed someone. Now there is a new security guy onboard and she has to shepherd him about. All whilst hoping he doesn't find out she's the guilty party! Mal has his own problems - Rico bound his powers with a sigil and now the only way to get them back is to do the job t hand or do 3 kind acts. Mal doesn't do good or kind - this is going to be a long, miserable mission! Mal is a joy to read because he was so offended at having to do things the mortal way LOL. Like using a food replicator or healing. Hope was a great character - conflicted over her brother, his acts of violence, and her love for the brother she remembers. It was quite refreshing having our supernatural character having to deal with things without being able to call on his powers. I can't wait to get back to the rest of the crew's stories. I was provided an ARC via NetGalley and this review has been left of my own volition and is my honest opinion.

4.25 stars-- INSURRECTION is the third instalment in Nina Croft’s sci-fi DARK DESIRES: ORIGINS paranormal/fantasy romance series. This is Demon Malpheas aka Major Malcolm MacTavish, and human Hospitality Officer Hope ‘Sarah Quintrell’ Featherstone’s story line. INSURRECTION can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. INSURRECTION and the Dark Desires: Origins is a prequel series, set five hundred to a thousand years earlier, to the author’s DARK DESIRES series. SOME BACKGROUND: One thousand years earlier Earth was dying, and one hundred and twenty thousand of Earth’s Chosen had set off in search of a new planet able to sustain human life. Fast forward five centuries wherein the seven surviving space ships and their crews find themselves following a self-declared profit and leader, and the formation of the Church of Everlasting Life. These are their stories. Told from several third person perspectives including Hope and Mal INSURRECTION follows the crew of Trakis Seven as they embark on a journey towards their new home planet but all is not well aboard the Trakis Seven when the security officer is found dead, and a new head of security is sent over by the crew of Trakis Two. Malpheas aka Major Malcolm Mactavish is a demon who is struggling in the wake of losing his powers, and his estrangement from the son he barely knows. Boarding the Trakis Seven, Mal comes face to face with Hope Featherstone a woman who holds more secrets than our story line hero, secrets that are about to place her in the direct line of fire but the planet on which the Trakis Seven is about to explore also has a secret buried within, a secret that is about to take the lives of many, and save the lives of a few. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Mal and Hope, and the potential fall-out as the truth about Hope is revealed, as our heroine must face her own mortality in the wake of rumors, innuendo, destruction and death. Malpheas is a demon whose powers have been bound by none other than the Lord of H*ll. In an effort to regain his powers, Malpheas finds himself in an uncomfortable position, a position where he must save the life of someone he will grow to love. Hope Featherstone is not the woman she claims to be and in this her secrets are about to place everyone’s lives in danger. When the Church of Everlasting Life claims custody of our story line heroine, Mal is desperate to protect and rescue the woman he loves, a rescue that will ultimately reveal the who and what of our story line hero. The relationship between Mal and Hope is a slow burn romance in which Hope has been assigned to show Malpheas the ropes but Hope’s secrets burn very close to the surface, and even without his powers, Mal is able to ascertain some of the issues for our story line heroine. Trying to keep his distance, Mal fails as his wants and desires override his need for control. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters many who were first introduced in the original series: Trakis Two crew –vampire Rico Sanchez, werecat Katie Mendoza, werewolf Alpha Dylan, warlock Milo Velazquez and his mate Destiny; captain of the Trakis Seven Callum Meridian and his girlfriend/Second Officer Natasha Davies, and crewmembers Aiden, Tyler and Third Officer Ross. The requisite evil has many faces. INSURRECTION a detailed and complex tale that reveals some of the back story of the planet now known as Trakis Seven, and the formation of the group who call themselves the Collective; the fight for power and control of the Church of Everlasting Life, and its’ need to reign over the newly formed governments for the survivors from Earth. The character driven premise is dramatic, twisted and tragic; the romance is edgy and intense; the characters are spirited, flawed, stubborn and impassioned