Monday, January 20, 2020

#Review - Malfunction by Nina Croft #SyFy #Romance

Series: Dark Desires Origins # 1 
Format: eBook, 400 pages
Release Date: January 20, 2020
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Source: Publisher
Genre: Science Fiction / Romance

Investigator, Sergeant Logan Farrell, has never been convinced the human race deserves saving. But it looks like he’s got the job anyway.

It’s been five hundred years since we fled the remnants of a dying Earth in search of a new home. Twenty-four ships, each carrying ten thousand Chosen Ones. All sleeping peacefully...until people start dying in cryo.

Malfunction or murder? Hopefully, the former—a serial killer in the fleet would be drastic for morale. But Logan is determined to find the truth. Unfortunately, he’s got a new partner—and he works best alone.

Katia Mendoza, hot-shot homicide detective, has been woken from cryo to assist with the investigation. But is she really interested in solving the case, or does she have her own agenda?

Before he can answer that question, though, they become targets themselves.
Nothing like a few near misses with death to bring a couple together, and Logan finds himself falling for the alluring detective. But he doesn’t know that Katia is hiding a secret.

It’s not only humans who fled the dying Earth.





Nina Croft's Malfunction is the first installment in what is being called Dark Desires Origins. The story actually features two main characters: Sergeant Logan Farrell, Investigator of the Federation Security Force and Homicide Detective Katia Mendoza who spent 9 years in the London Metropolitan PD. 500 years ago, Earth became unsustainable. There was a lottery to choose which ones will travel on 24 ships seeking a new home that can sustain life. Each ship holds 10,000 chosen and 30 crew members who alternate for 10 rotations plus an army.

As the story opens, things are going to hell quickly. Ships are disappearing, people are dying in their Cryopods, and almost all of the ships are malfunctioning. Onboard Trakis One, Logan is awakened from cryo-sleep by Major Travis Payne claiming that Logan is needed to determine if malfunctions caused the deaths of people in cryo-sleep or something more nefarious. Similar murders have happened on other ships. So far, it appears as though at least 30 Chosen have died. When Katia arrives, Logan knows he's in trouble. 

Similarly, Katia is awakened from cryo-sleep on Trakis Two by Rico, a vampire who is now captain of the ship, who she owes a bit of loyalty to because of what happened to her when she was 19. Rico's ship includes a collection of Unchosen Ones such as vampires, werewolves, demons, witches, warlocks, and one werecat, Katia. Rico informs Katia that someone has been killing the Chosen Ones, the name given to the people who won the lottery to leave Earth and find a new home. Katia who was the best at solving murder cases, is sent to Trakis One to investigate and solve the mystery of the cryo deaths.

As Katie and Logan try to figure out what is causing certain cryo pods to stop working, trapping the occupants inside with no oxygen and no escape, other forces are working to stop the investigation. In fact, there are several attacks on both Katia and Logan that give them both pause to reflect who could be so evil that they would not only kill innocents, but the detectives trying to solve the murders. As the number of ships dwindle, Katia and Logan are against time and an unseen enemy with an unknown agenda. (Note: I figured out the parties involved quite quickly which kind of ruined the story for me.)

At the same time, Logan gets more than he bargains for with Katia. She's his perfect match and the sex scenes are very steamy. Logan's relationship with Rico is humorous and you can't help but like Rico who is just trying to save his people by doing some things that aren't necessarily above board. I actually really liked Katia. She's feisty, and snarky, and doesn't take a crap from anyone, not even Rico. Logan is an empath who has tried hard to fit in, but figured out that fitting in isn't all that cracked up to be which is why he joined the military.

This series actually takes place 500 of years before the Dark Desires 6 book series which is why it is called Origins. Some of the same characters from that series like Vampire Ricardo Sanchez and Callum Meridian appear in this book. Rico, as I said, is Captain of the Trakis Two, while Callum is a hero pilot who was once engaged to marry the daughter of the Federation President. In this story, he's the captain of Trakis 7 where a large piece of the mystery is revealed thanks to not believing the BS he's been handed by those in charge. While Rico's appearance is almost a main character, Callum's appearance is pretty brief.    
 


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48842198-malfunction



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