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Michelle Diener’s Dark Deeds: A Pandora’s Box

Today, Maggie and Alexandra tackle the second book in the Class 5 Series by Michelle Diener, Dark Deeds. The first book in the series,  Dark Horse, made both of their Top Ten Lists for 2015. Does the second book live up to their expectations? We’ll find out! Here is Maggie’s summary of the novel:

Abducted from Earth and then used  for slave labor, Fiona Russell has not had the best introduction to the wider universe. When her ship is boarded by a new alien species, she begs to go with them. She gets a concussion for her trouble. Proving third time lucky she is rescued by the Grih, humanlike aliens determined to get justice for everything from her concussed head to her abduction. But even while she deeply appreciates the rescue, she holds some secrets back. For Fiona has come to suspect that there’s something much bigger than just her abduction and subsequent abuse driving the Grih’s lust for justice – and whatever is happening, she has landed right in the thick of it.

Captain Hal Vakeri thought things were complicated enough when he was hunting the dangerous thieves who had wounded some of his crew. When his battleship chases them to a commercial vessel he finds not the pirates he was looking for but a woman abducted from Earth. Finding a new advanced sentient would be a big enough issue but this is the second human they’ve found in just a few short months.  Discovering her has tons of political implications but it is the personal ramifications that concern Hal.  For this lovely, brave woman captures more and more of his attention with every encounter they have – and unless he is very much mistaken, he has captured her interest as well. But a galaxy on the brink of war hardly seems like the best time and place to fall in love.


Maggie: I really love this series. I don’t know that I have ever read science fiction romance quite this good, especially of the space opera variety. What are your thoughts?

Alexandra: To be honest, I hadn’t read too many science fiction romances before this. Although I’d watch things like Star Trek, most romances either had too much sci-fi detail for me, or made out the hero to be too alien for me to contemplate. Dark Horse was the first I’d read in a while, and I’d really recommend it to anyone thinking about dipping their toes into science fiction romance. It actually got me going on a bit of a sci-fi romance binge for a while.

Maggie: Yes, it inspired me to look for other sci-fi romance too. It’s sad that there isn’t a whole lot going on in this market.

One of the few quibbles I had with the book actually came at the beginning. I understood Rose (the heroine of Dark Horse) learning the alien languages well and quickly since she was a linguist but Fiona seemed to learn at the same pace and she was an architect. I liked the character but that was a bit of a jolt. What did you think of Fiona? How did she compare to Rose in your opinion?

Alexandra: My first opinion of Fiona was that she was fierce. I actually didn’t think much about the language issue–I focused more on how articulate she was when confronting her abusers [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][or owners or captors, I’m really not sure what the best word is here] in the beginning. I was really impressed by that moment, and it made her character distinct from Rose’s in a good way.

Maggie:  Yes, Rose is far more quiet – but deep. What were your thoughts on Hal?

Alexandra: Again, I was amazed that Ms. Diener could create someone who was just as wonderful as her previous hero, yet completely different. Hal was definitely the captain of a battleship, not an explorer. Very practical, he thought very strategically after they first picked up Fiona, which I think helped make the book more realistic to me. What did you think of him?

Maggie: I really liked that he had such strong protective instincts. I thought that made him a good battleship captain in that he wasn’t looking to pick a fight but would be happy to have one if you were hurting others. For me, he had that perfect mix of thoughtfulness and activism.

I’ve really loved the world building in this series. While it might owe a nod to Star Trek, the story is completely unique in a universe that seems familiar but fresh. I love how the threat comes from within the Union and how none of the species we meet are perfect but contain good and bad characters.

Alexandra: I couldn’t agree more. I think it feels very similar to plain old human politics, which is part of why the books seem wonderfully familiar and accessible.

Maggie: I became really interested in the Krik we meet at the start of the novel. What were you thoughts on them?

Alexandra: I was interested too! They seemed like another great example of world-building. Since they’re not part of the United Council, I’m not sure that they’re going to factor majorly into the other books. But every world has similar rogue groups, and adding in the mysterious Krik gave me a better sense of this universe.

Maggie: Do you think we are getting a third book starring the missing girl we met in this novel? That’s my hope.

Alexandra: I definitely think we’re getting a third book, and I am anxiously awaiting it!

One of my main difficulties–which isn’t a problem with the book so much as it is my own head–is visualizing what all of these aliens look like. The Grih are easy, I just think Vulcan or Elf, but the other races are more difficult. Have you had any similar trouble?

Maggie: I hadn’t really thought about this till you asked but I don’t think I’ve had any trouble with visualization – but I came to romance from spending years reading/watching science fiction/fantasy so I think I probably hear a vague description and picture some alien I saw on Star Trek, Star Wars, or Enemy Mine or read about in an R. Lee Smith novel.

Alexandra: The romance here took a little while longer to develop than in Dark Horse. Did you think that suited the book?

Maggie: Good point and yes, I think it absolutely suited the book.  Given what Fiona had been through I don’t think I would have believed in a quick and easy romance. She has had nothing but negative encounters with alien species until she meets the Grih; had she trusted them completely the minute she met them it would have broken my suspension of disbelief, so I am very glad the author took her time developing that relationship.

It sounds like we both really enjoyed the book. I would give it an A-/ B+ grade overall and recommend it to anyone who likes science fiction romance or even just science fiction. I think the story is strong enough that it works as either. What are your thoughts?

Alexandra: I’d also give it an A-/B+ grade, probably closer to A- since I have a feeling I’ll be picking it up to reread sometime soon. Like you said, the romance was slow but great, and the sci-fi adventure was so well designed, I know I’ll need to return to it.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

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Mary Beth
Mary Beth
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01/23/2016 1:19 pm

I too loved Dark Horse and I have been holding on to Dark Deeds in my kindle anticipating the reading experience. My first real brush with science fiction romance was reading the Liaden Universe books by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller – oh boy, did I love those books. Dark Horse, a book recommended here – thank you very much, was a thrill because I had not come across a story as compelling since my Liaden reading adventures! I am delighted that there will be a third book.

Riley Moreland
Riley Moreland
Guest
01/10/2016 5:24 pm

Dark Horse was also one of my favorite reads of 2015. Dark Deeds is next in my reading queue! I enjoyed your discussion of them and now I can’t wait to start reading.

Maggie, I have to disagree with your statement about not much going on with Sci Fi Romance. The biggest problem is that retailers don’t really know how to classify them so they are hard to find. While the genre may not be as popular with authors as other genres seem to be, there really is a lot out there, if you know where to look. I have a long list on my TBR list. Next time you are looking for a great read in this awesome genre, I’d be happy to make some recommendations!

Jane A
Jane A
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Reply to  Riley Moreland
01/11/2016 10:25 am

I’d love to know some of the books you’ve got on your TBR! It’s a favorite sub-genre of mine but perhaps I’ve been looking in the wrong spots since I haven’t seen much out there lately.

Riley Moreland
Riley Moreland
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Reply to  Jane A
01/16/2016 10:10 am

Jane, this blog seemed to be down for a few days, so it has taken me a while to respond. But here is my list for the next couple of months:
Dark Deed by Michelle Diener (reading now)
Preyfinders by Cari Silverwood
Trapped by Alison Aimes
Prophecy by Lea Kirk
The Terrans by Jean Johnson
Deadlocked by Libby Sinclair
Liberation by Sabine Priestley
Bound to You by AR DeClerck
Outer Planets by Laurie A. Green- future release
Trouble in Mind by Donna S. Frelick – future release 2/16/16
I can also recommend a few places to keep up on what people like us are reading are. Goodreads group Sci-Fi Romance, the FB group The SciFi Romance Group and my favorite blog Smart Girls Love SciFi Romance. Hope you find something great to read!

Mark
Mark
Guest
01/10/2016 12:20 pm

Yesterday I read Dark Deeds. I liked DD even better than DH. The heroine’s attitude, ethics & actions in DD are wonderful. (In fact, great heroines are part of what makes both books so good.) DD could be labeled either Romantic Science Fiction or kisses-level Science Fictional Romance. I saw more humor in the interactions between characters in DD to leaven the otherwise serious plot than in DH. That may reflect either the differences in the experiences of the heroines or my familiarity with the world-building carried over from DH to DD. I will probably reread both DH & DD whenever the next book comes out, so I will see then how much familiarity with the world & story affects my perception of any humor in DH.

Jane
Jane
Guest
01/09/2016 11:32 am

I finished DARK DEEDS last night and I liked it better then DARK HORSE. I really enjoyed DH, but thought that Rose was a bit of a Mary Sue character. Just a bit. Everyone fell in love with her, everyone sighed over her singing, etc. I liked her just fine, but had a problem with how much and how easily everyone else liked her, if that makes sense. I still enjoyed the book – clearly enough that I snapped up DD when I saw that it was out. DH was a solid B for me.

DD is an A. I liked that Fiona was a bit more practical minded and just a bit more complicated emotionally. I also appreciated how the response to her was a bit more complicated. Some of this comes from the fact that she’s not the first human found, she’s the second and thus the complications of her existence more knowable, and some comes from the type of Grih ship she ends up on. This one is purely military, as opposed to exploratory, and so Fiona’s place is a bit more tenuous and that made her and everyone else a bit more interesting.

As to the relationship in DD, yes it’s slower to build, but that worked for me as well. This is a military captain who has a lot riding on his shoulders. Hooking up with Fiona is just not in the cards (though it eventually is). Lots of good action in this one – shared pretty equally between Fiona and Hal – so all in all a great read and one that I’ve already been re-reading.

I look forward to Imogen’s story.

Mark
Mark
Guest
01/08/2016 12:01 pm

I really liked Dark Horse, which is a perfect blend of the SF & romance genres. It could easily be labeled as belonging to either genre. I was pleasantly surprised to find out about Dark Deeds, and I just bought a copy.
The surprise points to an ongoing problem with having switched completely from buying printed books to buying ebooks: I don’t always find out about upcoming books and new releases. I check the AAR list each month, I check a list at H&H when I can find one, I check Fantastic Fiction, I get a variety of email notices, I sporadically do specific author searches on FF, and I still miss info.

Michelle Diener
Michelle Diener
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01/08/2016 10:00 am

The lovely AAR moderator alerted me to this post and let me know it was appropriate to comment, so I just wanted to say thank you to both of you for your kind words on Dark Horse and Dark Deeds, I’m so thrilled you enjoyed them both so much.

I’m happy to say there will be a third book, Dark Minds, which will be out later this year (at least 6 months away, I’m afraid).

Lynn L
Lynn L
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Reply to  Michelle Diener
01/08/2016 10:33 am

Such a good series. I look forward to Dark Minds.

Jane A
Jane A
Guest
01/08/2016 9:50 am

Squee, I had no idea this book was out! I’m so happy you seem to like it as much as the first. I’m skipping off to Amazon, too…

CG
CG
Guest
01/08/2016 7:29 am

I had no idea this book was even coming, much less out! Such a pleasant surprise on a Friday morning. I really enjoyed Dark Horse and would rate this author right up there with Linnea Sinclair in terms of well crafted scifi romance. Skipping the review to avoid spoilers and off to Amazon to purchase.