Games of Command
by Linnea Sinclair
Up 'til now, I have avoided any romances labeled "Science Fiction" because frankly, they usually aren't. They tend to be written by women who's only experience of SF comes from the Star Wars movies, and are pretty weak in the SF area.
So when I saw "Games of Command," I thought at first that it was actually SF. It has a very SF-looking cover, until you realize it's a beautiful woman and a hunky man. And the word "Romance" on the spine is a dead giveaway. I read the blurb and decided to give it a chance.
I was not disappointed. Linnea Sinclair knows her space opera, and she knows her romances, and she has blended them well. It has enough of each to keep it exciting. There are actually two romances, but the author strings us along on the really intriguing one between a command officer of the fleet with a shady past, and a cyber-engineered admiral who was once her enemy. It has all the right earmarks of a classic romance.
Now, Ms. Sinclair is no Catherine Asaro, but Asaro's books are still labeled "Science Fiction," so her novels are very heavy on the SF side while still being romances. I guess her publishers figure as long as she stays away from the romance formula, she can still write whatever she wants (romance formula: boy meets girl, girl hates boy, girl falls in love, conflict keeps them apart, they finally get together and live happily ever after). So, I recommend "Games of Command" only to fans of Science Fiction who are also fans of Romance novels.
Posted by Alexandra at July 3, 2007 10:22 AM