Chaos Reigning (Consortium Rebellion #3)

Another good installment in the series. I still enjoy the world building and overall concept of the series.

I didn’t feel this book was as strong as the first two. The love story moved too fast as the book spends most of the time on a span of maybe a week. The insta lust also annoyed me, making the romance feel a little too YA.

At times, Cat felt her mature and other times very young. Her insecurities were believable, but I disliked that she got her confidence because of Alex’s approval and presence in her life. She didn’t need him to gain it, and the message it sends about a woman needing a man to make her whole is…distasteful. The idea that she needs a male to set her free or to make her a complete person is so sexist. I get the sense that it her siblings had been more supportive, she may have gained that confidence so I don’t think the author’s intent was to make it look like Cat just needed a man. Unfortunately, it still came across that way to me.

I would have appreciated a longer story to get to know Cat better and to slow down the romance. She feels a very young 21 so the thought of her in love with someone she barely knows is laughable. The ending was a little too nearly tied up; resolution was ultimately very quick.

I give a resum of the book, after the first paragraph, so don’t read if you don’t like knowing the main plot.
I’ve waited for this book, and think that perhaps I would have had an even greater enjoyment if I could have read the books back to back; this is thus a recommendation for future readers. The main link is the love between siblings, belonging to one of three planetary ruling families or Houses. In each book we meet one aristocratic sister and follow her on the double journey, as it were, of finding love, while facing an impending war.

In this book, we meet the youngest sister who presents herself as a bubbly rather nave charmer while, we hear, hiding a secret that makes her stronger than her outward appearance should indicate. We, who have read the previous books, might suspect what that secret could be.
The war seems imminent, our girl is hoping to avoid an unpleasant arranged marriage, so goes off to spy on some suspects at a party on another planet held by a minor aristocratic House. Her sister foists a couple of bodyguards on her and she has to appear to be having an affair with one of them, to avoid anyone suspecting she had an ulterior motive for attending the party, than to see the main attraction: a beautiful meteorite display at night.
Amongst the party group, there’s her friend from another ruling family, with her bodyguard, and we get the trope confrontation with a snide female, where our girl gives as good as she gets, there is the charming, possibly deceitful male; the first attack on her life, with the boyfriend bodyguard saving her; the meteorite display, the continued search for evidence of deceit, before the friends have to make a hurried escape to save their lives.
Things escalate from there.
Their universe faces a rebellion, with multiple explosions taking out important places and disrupting information channels. She, her friend and the bodyguards all agree to join forces and fly to a special place for supplies and to look for allies. As the only available representative of a ruling House, she has to take command, and her silly girl persona will cause trouble when they meet friendly forces. They evade being shot down, and what follows is fighting, capture, dungeons, escape, politics and hope of avoiding the hateful arranged marriage.

Thank you to edelweiss for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased a kindle copy.

This has been one of my most anticipated reads this year since it concludes the story of the von Hasenberg sisters and their triumph over their enemies and even over their parents. I love space princesses on the run and this series has that all going on. Caterina is the youngest sibling and the most overlooked. She’s developed her skills in political machinations by hiding who she really is. When an undercover operation presents itself, she is forced to pose as an airhead and also as a couple with scary competent bodyguard Alex. Although there is plenty of heat between the couple, there are no real obstacles and the focus of the story is on Caterina escaping the entrapments laid for her and leading the resistance to the rebellion against her house. I liked Caterina and her loyalty to her friends and hidden allies, but the middle of the book sags a bit as they race to and fro. The conclusion nicely wraps up the family saga in a satisfying series of confrontations. The whole series is so much fun, but out of the three books, I think Aurora Blazing was my favorite. I did get a kick out of the titles–some girls get new cars, the von Hasenbergs get ships.

4.5 highly recommend for lovers of scifi space opera with the spice of romance.

The 3rd and final book in this sci-fi adventure romance series is an absolute cracker and reveals that youngest sibling Catarina is just as formidable as her older sisters Ada and Bianca (the leading ladies in books 1 and 2). Cat has perfected her mask as a slightly silly, frivolous young woman; not even her closest siblings know the secrets she hides and the things she has endured to steer herself away from her fathers path for her as the familys secret assassin.

With a full rebellion against the Great Houses in fruition, Cat takes centre stage and despite her hidden misgivings and self-doubts, she proves to be instrumental in garnering evidence against those that masterminded a number of attacks, rallying allies to stage a coup and ensuring peace between the Houses. Of course shes not alone and new bodyguard Alex has far more in common with her than she thought possible. None stop action with plenty of clever technology and a slow to burn but hot romance. Now its quite a wait until 2022 when JM returns with a new series.

I enjoyed this – realised as I read that it was a while since Id read the other two, so on finishing this I went back to parts 1 and 2 and then read this again All of which I enjoyed!

This isnt my favourite of the three, I must say. I dont like instalust, so found the relationship between Cat and Alex a bit unbelievable – sure they fancy the pants off each other, and things sizzle when they touch, but beyond the physical I didnt really get why they clicked. In book 1 when everything has gone to pot, Ada asks Loch for a hug, just a hug, which befuddled Loch for a moment – the scene made me smile, and empathise – you can cure a lot of ills with a decent hug! I missed that non-sexual comfort and support here.

The book closes the story arc that started in Book 1 – the war with another house, the mysterious Syndicate – this is no neat and tidy end though – the author has a vast amount of scope for more books if she wants, but her next story is planned away from this one.

Theres some interesting tech – silencers that mean you cant be overheard, vanishers that sort of make you not visible, I loved the dial-up hair and make-up – decide on what you want to look like and press start, 30 seconds later youre perfectly coiffed and made up – Lordy would that make life simpler! Theres faster than light travel, stun guns, super magic gel that fixes a lot of injuries – albeit with a lot of accompanying paid, and dial-up meals, altho only the rich and powerful have all the recipes. There are fights, overwhelming odds, friendships, sibling rivalry and sibling love, some sex scenes all fine and well written, the book pulls you along, wanting to know what happens next. Conversations mostly flow naturally, no spelling or grammar glitches that I noticed, but I was galloping along.

Teensy, tiny quibble – this is expensive in the UK – maybe licensing issues I don’t know, but over a fiver is a lot these days – I know writers need to eat and pay their mortgages, but I did pause, briefly because this is an author I want to encourage, but if I did, so will others.

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