Ames’ review of No Remedy by Christine d’Abo.
Mace has spent months trying to find a cure for the poison killing her mentor. Her only hope is Alec, a brilliant scientist hiding on a backwater planet. Months of research is thrown into chaos when Alec’s old lover Byron shows up, attempting to claim a bounty that’s been placed on Alec’s head.
With the clock counting down, the trio attempts to solve the poison riddle as they fight their growing attraction and dodge bounty hunters. Byron is unwilling to let Alec avoid their past relationship. Alec is torn between desire for his lovers and guilt about his past. Mace must somehow find a way to bring them together.
Bounty hunter, pirate and scientist—a recipe for passion or disaster.
Holy spaceballs! I don’t know what I was expecting when I opened this book up, but I was totally blown away by what I read.
Mace is a space pirate who is masquerading as a lab assistant on a remote planet. She’s working for Alec Roiten, trying to discover a cure for ryana poisoning, which her brother-in-law is currently dying of. She knows she and Alec are close to a cure. She also knows that Alec is the last man in space that she should sleep with, but there’s something about the scientist that is just so yummy. She knows he’s attracted to her as well and one day over lunch, they’re just about to do something about it when a gang of bounty hunters walk into the restaurant where they’re taking a break. Mace is no stranger to bounty hunters (she does have a bounty on her head) and she quickly grabs Alec and they make their escape.
What Mace doesn’t realize is that Alec also has been on the run for the last 7 years and it looks like his past has finally caught up to him.
The two head to Mace’s apartment, where she has her bags packed for such an emergency but things hit a snafu when she finds out the hard way there is a bounty hunter hiding in her apartment.
Alec is flabbergasted when he sees his former lover, Byron, holding a blaster to Mace’s head. Alec ran from Bryon in an attempt to keep him safe 7 years ago. Byron has come for Alec to get him to safety, knowing there’s a bounty on his head. But Mace quickly gets the best of him and knocks him out. She then spirits Alec and an unconscious Byron to her ship and they head off into deep space.
Byron comes to, overpowers Mace and Alec and then him and Mace come to an understanding. They both want to keep Alec safe. Alec, meanwhile, is reeling from the truth about Mace. He doesn’t know who he can trust right now, least of all himself.
As you can see, the action begins immediately in No Remedy. Which is great! And unfolding right alongside all the action is a really great romance. First of all, there is enough history between the three characters that the quick pace of the romance makes sense. You see, Alec still loves Byron. He left him 7 years ago to protect him. And Alec was already attracted to Mace. Where the fun begins is when Byron, who is a bossy, domineering guy to begin with, takes over in the bedroom. And oh my goodness, the way these three get together? HOT STUFF. I love the reason for it and it fits right in with the sci-fi plot.
I really enjoyed Mace’s character. She is the epitome of a kick-ass heroine. And she’s not one of those stupidly stubborn characters that has to prove her independence by refusing to listen to a man when he tells her something for her safety. Her only vulnerability lies in the way she sees herself as a woman – and Bryon and Alec show her just how attractive and sexy she is. Those two guys were very yummy. They were also very yummy when they were together. Bryon is a strong, steady kind of character and Alec likes to play the guilt card. I like how Bryon and Mace worked together to get Alec out of his own way mentally.
No Remedy had everything good going for it. A space pirate, a bounty hunter and a scientist. There was all combinations of loving that really spiced up an already interesting concept and all the action just hit the spot. I highly recommend No Remedy for anyone who likes sci-fi romance, m/m romance, ménage a trois, and excellent writing. 4.75 out of 5!
On a side note – there is a previous book for Mace’s brother but you don’t have to read it to enjoy No Remedy. However, I did buy it and really look forward to reading it.
This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.
You can read more from ~ames~ at Thrifty Reader.
Leave a Reply