Veena’s review of The Renegade Akseli Cyborg (Aldebarian Alliance, Book 5) by Dianne Duvall
Science Fiction Romance published by Dianne Duvall 23 Jan 24

Gifted ones and Immortal Guardians journey from Earth into space in search of a new life on a utopian planet called Lasaran.  An attack on the ship they’re traveling on leaves these women adrift in space, hunted by enemies.

Rachel finds herself in an escape pod drifting in space far from any habitable planet. Broadcasting on all frequencies, she lets her musical playlist describe her state of mind and her desire to find the enemy to avenge the damage they’ve done to people she considers her friends and family.  A friendly voice out of the dark offers a ray of hope.

Wonick, though, has his hands tied in regard to offering Rachel concrete help. He has been expressly commanded to destroy Rachel and her pod, before she can threaten to expose the hideaway where he and his fellow cyborgs are living. Themselves an object of hate and prejudice, is he now going to be the instigator and destroy Rachel before he truly gets to know her?

I love how the author has created these kick-ass women who take no prisoners and leave their enemy in their dust. The action, the adventure, the technology, the romance will sweep you away as you journey through the stars with these characters and emote with them.

A word of advice, make sure you have plenty of time in hand when you start this book, because you’re not going to want to put it down until you get to the last page – and, even then, you’re left wanting for more. Another absolutely fantastic episode in this series. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Grade: A

Summary:

Too many years of hunting psychotic vampires night after night have left Rachel with a desperate need for change. So when the opportunity to travel across the galaxy aboard a Lasaran warship to a utopian planet arises, the powerful Immortal Guardian jumps at the chance. Rachel eagerly looks forward to making a fresh start… until an enemy attacks and she ends up alone in an escape pod so far from alliance-occupied space that no one can hear her communications. No one except a renegade cyborg who shouldn’t exist.

After a grueling, hard-fought rebellion, Wonick and his cyborg brethren settled on a distant planet, where they’ve finally carved out a peaceful existence. The Aldebarian Alliance believes every Akseli cyborg died long ago. And battle-weary cyborg leader Wonick is determined to prevent anyone from discovering otherwise, knowing such would spark the fiercest manhunt in the galaxy. Yet when he hears Rachel’s communications, temptation drives him to speak to her, sparking friendship and a longing for a very different future.

Rachel finds Wonick even more appealing when she meets him in person, and the friendship they’ve formed soon deepens into love as the cyborgs—no more immune to her fun-loving, laughter-inducing nature than Wonick—cautiously welcome her into the fold. But the warriors’ unbridled ability to collect intel uncovers a secret the enemy has guarded for decades, one that compels them to embark upon a mission fraught with danger.

If they succeed, they may end the enemy’s attempts to conquer the galaxy once and for all.

If they fail, it could cost Wonick and Rachel everything.

Read an excerpt.