"amazing world building"
Linnea Sinclair—one of the most acknowledged and well-
received authors in scifi romance today—has done it again.
Down Home Zombie Blues has all the hallmarks I look for in
these kinds of books; a bit of humor, good world building
and characters I can care about. Fold those in with another
engaging plot from Sinclair and I'm ready to settle down
with a great read. It came as no surprise when I was drawn
straight in from chapter one. Commander Jorie Mikkalah has given her all to keep her
people safe against their enemies as a member of the
Interplanetary Marines. Years later, she's now a member of
the Guardian Force—an elite group dedicated to wiping out a
biochemical threat. Zombies are using Earth as a breeding
ground, and the herd is unlike any her and her team have
encountered. They need information on the herd in order to
destroy it, but nothing goes right from the start in balmy
Florida. Soon Jorie's mission is on the verge of being
compromised and is literally in the hands of one very
handsome and noble cop, Theo Petrakos. When the cop becomes
a prisoner in his own home, and at the hands of one
exotically beautiful woman, he's not handing over the reins
without a fight. He means to prove his value to Jorie and
is soon more valuable than he knew possible when she ends
up stranded. Much is at stake—a possible promotion for
Jorie, Theo's career, Earth's very safety and the security
of the entire universe. Jorie and Theo band together to
keep a deadly enemy from gaining a foothold on both Earth
and in the wide reaches of space. Theo and Jorie's romance was palpable from their first
meeting. Circumstances being what they are though, there's
also a good buildup of sexual tension between the two that
carries well throughout the book's suspenseful atmosphere.
This reader was brought to the brink of doubt—doubt that
their mission would ever succeed—many times, only to be
well pleased at the tenacity with which Jorie strives to
complete her mission. At times I wished that the pacing
would pick up a little and would rather have seen some
action where there was down time for the main characters,
but overall the story flowed well and kept me interested
for the next chapter. What was very impressive to me was
Ms. Sinclair's amazing world building, which she did for an
entirely new culture, but smack dab on everyday, current
Earth. I got a clear sense of Jorie's people and their
culture even though it's discussed and shown with the
backdrop of suburban neighborhoods and your average family
park and shopping areas. By book's end, it's clear Theo has
found his match in the strong and intelligent Jorie
Mikkalah and how their story is tied up was both sweet and
satisfying. Sinclair demonstrates once again with "The Down
Home Zombie Blues" how well she has a handle on not only
science fiction, but steamy, fulfilling romance as well.
Looking forward to her next one!
Reviewed by Kenda Montgomery
Posted November 23, 2007
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**2007 HONORABLE MENTION - BEST FUTURISTIC ROMANCE** In this steamy, suspenseful new novel from RITA Award–winning author Linnea Sinclair, a dangerously sexy space commander and an irresistibly earthy Florida police detective pair up to save the civilized galaxy . . . but can they save themselves from each other? Bahia Vista homicide detective Theo Petrakos thought he’d seen it all. Then a mummified corpse and a room full of futuristic hardware sends Guardian Force commander Jorie Mikkalah into his life. Before the night’s through, he’s become her unofficial partner—and official prisoner—in a race to save the earth. And that’s only the start of his troubles. Jorie’s mission is to stop a deadly infestation of biomechanical organisms from using Earth as its breeding ground. If she succeeds, she could save a world and win a captaincy. But she’ll need Theo’s help, even if their unlikely partnership does threaten to set off an intergalactic incident. Because if she fails, she’ll lose not just a planet and a promotion, but a man who’s become far more important to her than she cares to admit.
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