Gambler

As a fan of this author I had high expectations of this book and all were fulfilled. The world building is incredible and so diverse. Such a unique twist with the mist. The twins had me smiling all through the book. This is a real David vs Goliath story and a treat to read.

This book follows on from where Raider leaves off ………..The rebels of Ziem have started to fight back against the Coalition invaders ……….but at what cost ? Whilst this book can be read as a standalone I recommend that the reader reads Raider and possibly the previous Coalition series books first to fully appreciate the characters and the setting for the coming battles .
Eirlys Davorin has only just discovered that her tavern keeper , pacifist brother is in fact the Raider ………..leader of her planets rebels . She is now in hiding along with the rebels wondering just what her role is going to be in the fight for her planet ………..she wants to be more involved but lacks the skills needed to fight directly . Her family tell her that her skills with animals and their healing is more than enough and that she is valued for herself .
Brander Kalon has used his reputation as a gambler and scapegrace to spy upon the Coalition Commander and his staff ……...they would never believe that he could be anything other than he seems , certainly not the second in command to the Raider ……...able to build just about anything from parts he finds/steals to further their cause .
Both Eirlys and Brandon have felt the attraction between them for years but Brandon feels that she is too young for him to pursue further But events take place that makes her age unimportant and that they must embracing their love now before it is too late .
The Coalitions patience is running thin , the Commander must set an example and put down the Rebels before he himself is subject to the whims of his Council . He determines to find the Rebel base and destroy it using whatever means he must ………….the Rebels escape and find refuge in the mountain retreat his Mother has lived in since her supposed suicide .
Using most of their explosives , trickery and guile for one great push the Rebels are determined to drive the Coalition off their planet or die trying .

I cannot wait for the next book in the series as this book leaves many questions unanswered …...not least the Commander of the Coalition forces loyalties !!

I was given an arc of this book by the Publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review .

Another fantastic tale of courage and fortitude in the face of danger with a kick ass cast of characters and enough twists and turns to make you dizzy. As many of you know I am a huge fan of futuristic space opera romance. Ms. Davis has fast become one of my favorite authors in this genre with her tales of the various worlds that are a part of the Coalition of planets.
Eirlys Davorin is an angry young woman watching her brother and his best friend fraternize with the enemy instead of becoming a part of the shadow resistance movement that seems to be slowly coming together to stand against their coalition captors. When all seems lost she finds out that her brother is in reality the leader of the rebellion movement and is willing to sacrifice everything to save her life. Also by the way the mother she's thought dead all these years is actually alive and has strong precognitive skills as well as healing magic.
Reeling from all the hidden truths now out in the open, Eirlys is not necessarily any happier especially when Brander her brother's friend who appears to be a feckless gambler may be a lot more than what he appears too. Their romance unfolds against a background tale that could be taken straight out of a Star Wars episode as the ragtag resistance movement harasses the might of the coalition empire using their environment, bluff and courage to win the day
Feckless Brander who had hoped to become an engineer in a world before the coalition uses his skill and ingenuity to create weapons and ships out of scraps. I did love the bit where the Davorin's use their pet mice to chew through electrical wiring harassing the enemy with power outages. In between the silver lining that they find when they're forced to abandon their base and hide out in the caves that dominate their planet the Davorin twins find a message of hope on one of their scavenging trips.
The story comes together nicely with all the relationship dynamics that of course include romance and enough plots and counterplots to make the story very interesting indeed. My imagination is working over time with regard to where this series can go next. Can't wait to actually read what the author has planned.