PART ONE FORBIDDEN FRUIT: A Scifi Spy Love Story
by AJ Woodruff
When Agent Elysia Renard vanishes during a mission linked to the deadly Voidborn Syndicate, Peacekeeper Kaelan Andrews will stop at nothing to find her. His search leads him to Elysia's two adult children: her daughter Elley, a breathtaking woman who is the spitting image of her missing mother, dangerously tempting to Kaelan's conflicted heart, and her son Derin, a sharp, androgynous non-binary soul whose intensity to protect his sister hides an infatuation with Kaelan that burns just as hot. Derin watches Kaelan with longing eyes, and when the three of them are together, Kaelan, Elley, and Derin, the tension crackles with unspoken possibilities. Lyra, Kaelan's passionate Cerulean lover whose open, polyamorous spirit has always been his refuge, watches the dynamic with an amused, knowing smile, and more than a few suggestions of her own. Action explodes at every turn, from a bloody market massacre involving a terrifying new weapon to a daring rescue that goes horribly wrong. But the deeper Kaelan digs, the more chilling the truth becomes. Had Elysia uncovered secrets the Peacekeeper Coalition wanted to bury? Kaelan finds himself questioning the loyalty of his friends and of his heart. Haunted by the very uniform he wears, Kaelan must navigate a galaxy where the line between allies and enemies blurs, and the reality that the woman he loves may be a ghost. While the two siblings are vying for his heart, Lyra casually suggests they could all just share the bunk. Will Kaelan resist the forbidden fruit of his partner's daughter or her son's smoldering devotion? And when the shooting starts, will this tangled web of desire be his undoing, or the only reason he survives?
I can't believe the plot twists to start with. A SIFI, spy, love story. This is new combination for me. I've read hundreds of books and never one with this setup. I can't wait for book two. Hope you continue to write in this vein.
It was a pleasure to read! It was especially enjoyable reading this book.
This book takes risks that many space operas avoid. The polyamorous dynamics between Kaelan, Lyra, Elley, and Derin are not treated as shock value but as a genuine exploration of desire and connection. The world building is dense and the action sequences are well executed. The opening massacre with the new weapon is gripping. The conspiracy involving the Peacekeeper Coalition adds political depth. The author handles the non-binary representation of Derin with care. The dialogue is sharp and the tension between the characters crackles. The sci-fi setting is vivid and the pacing keeps the pages turning. The book is ambitious in its scope and themes.
Scorpion Ridge Publishing
109
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