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Ptorix Empire #2
The Iron Admiral: Deception
NOTE: This Kindle edition is no longer available on Amazon and has been replaced by ASIN B00I911V3C.
Grand Admiral Chaka Saahren has the rewards of rank…
…but he doesn't have Systems Engineer Allysha Marten. Determined to keep her safe, Saahren will go to any lengths to win back the woman he loves. Allysha agrees to temporary employment by the Fleet, hoping to avoid at all costs the man she believes responsible for the death of innocent civilians, including her estranged father.
Sean O'Reilly has a plan…
…and it involves hijacking Allysha and convincing her, one way or another, to do just one more job—a job that would clear his debts and save his hide.
Allysha Marten must come to terms with her feelings…
…in the face of a reality that suggests she is a pawn in a growing power struggle, one where she will need all her skills and cunning to outwit a heinous plot that could result in the loss of billions of human lives.
When Allysha decides to tackle the conspirators on her own, she forces an impossible choice on… The Iron Admiral.
Grand Admiral Chaka Saahren has the rewards of rank…
…but he doesn't have Systems Engineer Allysha Marten. Determined to keep her safe, Saahren will go to any lengths to win back the woman he loves. Allysha agrees to temporary employment by the Fleet, hoping to avoid at all costs the man she believes responsible for the death of innocent civilians, including her estranged father.
Sean O'Reilly has a plan…
…and it involves hijacking Allysha and convincing her, one way or another, to do just one more job—a job that would clear his debts and save his hide.
Allysha Marten must come to terms with her feelings…
…in the face of a reality that suggests she is a pawn in a growing power struggle, one where she will need all her skills and cunning to outwit a heinous plot that could result in the loss of billions of human lives.
When Allysha decides to tackle the conspirators on her own, she forces an impossible choice on… The Iron Admiral.
154 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 27, 2011
7 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Greta van der Rol
56 books61 followersGreta van der Rol loves writing science fiction with a large dollop of good old, healthy romance. She lives not far from the coast in Queensland, Australia and enjoys photography and cooking when she isn't bent over the computer. She has a degree in history and a background in building information systems, both of which go a long way toward helping her in her writing endeavours.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 6, 2011
This is really the second half of the first book IMO.
Yeah, Chaka Saahren is one sexy man. He's a good mixture of hardcore military leader + inexperienced love puppy. I'm sure he's written like such a love puppy to charm us readers but it is slightly effective. I can buy that a man of his station has avoided a bunch of drama from casual sex and therefore is inexperienced in the relationship department.
Good Stuff: Chaka Saahren
Bad Stuff: The heroine, Allysha, I wanted to slap her face numerous times during this book. She's an idiot.
Greta van der Rol does an excellent job of teaching us that Sean, Allysha's ex husband is quintessential loser material. I definitely wondered how he managed to survive to adulthood given his proclivities.
This part wasn't as good as the first "part" but I still enjoyed it. Prepared to be frustrated by Allysha's complete inability to realize she has a Grade A prime man in love with her. Prepare to be frustrated that she refuses to see that he's better than anyone else in her life to her!!!!!
Yeah, Chaka Saahren is one sexy man. He's a good mixture of hardcore military leader + inexperienced love puppy. I'm sure he's written like such a love puppy to charm us readers but it is slightly effective. I can buy that a man of his station has avoided a bunch of drama from casual sex and therefore is inexperienced in the relationship department.
Good Stuff: Chaka Saahren
Bad Stuff: The heroine, Allysha, I wanted to slap her face numerous times during this book. She's an idiot.
Greta van der Rol does an excellent job of teaching us that Sean, Allysha's ex husband is quintessential loser material. I definitely wondered how he managed to survive to adulthood given his proclivities.
This part wasn't as good as the first "part" but I still enjoyed it. Prepared to be frustrated by Allysha's complete inability to realize she has a Grade A prime man in love with her. Prepare to be frustrated that she refuses to see that he's better than anyone else in her life to her!!!!!
August 6, 2020
This is a fascinating follow-up to the first book, set in the same universe with the same dilemmas and the same protagonists. As their relationship does yo-yos, they try to save the galaxy from extremists who just won't get along. After all the challenges from the first book, you'd think she'd learn to keep her head down, but she wanders close to TSTL on occasion. The steamy bits are really more luke-warm, but the emotional ties are solid.
So not as strong as the first book, but very entertaining.
The next book has new leads. I'll be reading it.
So not as strong as the first book, but very entertaining.
The next book has new leads. I'll be reading it.
January 8, 2016
*Did Tensan really have to die?? I hate it when that happens, whether it's in books or movies. The cute guy, the sweet guy, who just happens to not be the hero becomes canon fodder! Either the reader/viewer shouldn't have been allowed to get so emotionally invested in that character, or debilitate him, but not kill him. Me rather unhappy; but it's not like I couldn't see this was coming.
*Author definitely has worked with computers/information systems herself. It shows! But hasn't worked with robotics. Or she'd be calling the lifters and whatnot 'actuators', which is what they are called technically, or atleast used to be. i'm kindda out of date now :(.
*I like the fact that the length of a standard day, number of months in a year, etc are not the same as.
*Liked the H. Instalove (pretty much) but he's sticking by her. She, taking too too long to come around. But hey, if she accepted him, there'd be not plot :|
*The humans and alien race, and the politics... the names: Suldan (Sultan?), Confederecy, Khophir/Khophirate (Caliph/Caliphate?) etc... pointers to Ottoman empire? All fiction is based in some history. I like her adaptation of it. [hmm... now that I think about it, muslims as conical, funny looking aliens... with their written books going back to front, bottom of page to up... and a leader who killed his own people for political advantage... hmm... not sure what to make of it.]
*h... sort tstl... esp. with regards to her ex. And if she was so in love with him, and estranged from her father because of him, then why in the world were some of her gadgets hidden even from him? i thought that was inconsistent. and if she loved her father and xanthor (the ptorix/tor friend of daddy's), then why go against his wishes to marry... some would; not saying it doesn't happen. but it's not consistent with the other facets of her character. oh well.
update: the 'real' bad guys turn out to be GPR (the un-upgraded humans)... willing to kill people with implants in their heads (that would be all humans in Confederacy)...
*I know this was supposed to be erotica or romance at the least, but Virtual Sex without h's consent? uh huh.
*TSTL!! Stupid h hacked into a complex system that she knew the bad guys (non-machine men, GPR or whatever) were very interested in hacking... umm.. of course, they want to learn how to hack into it, so you do it for them! lovely.
*hmm... contrived situation... but it is supposed to be just a romance. let's leave it at that. it's not bad.
-----------------------------
Okay, so it wasn't that bad. Just... perhaps overcomplicated? or maybe i was just expecting too much. (read an alien/scifi recently: Dark Horse by Michelle Diener... guess I was expecting that level. oh well.)
*Author definitely has worked with computers/information systems herself. It shows! But hasn't worked with robotics. Or she'd be calling the lifters and whatnot 'actuators', which is what they are called technically, or atleast used to be. i'm kindda out of date now :(.
*I like the fact that the length of a standard day, number of months in a year, etc are not the same as.
*Liked the H. Instalove (pretty much) but he's sticking by her. She, taking too too long to come around. But hey, if she accepted him, there'd be not plot :|
*The humans and alien race, and the politics... the names: Suldan (Sultan?), Confederecy, Khophir/Khophirate (Caliph/Caliphate?) etc... pointers to Ottoman empire? All fiction is based in some history. I like her adaptation of it. [hmm... now that I think about it, muslims as conical, funny looking aliens... with their written books going back to front, bottom of page to up... and a leader who killed his own people for political advantage... hmm... not sure what to make of it.]
*h... sort tstl... esp. with regards to her ex. And if she was so in love with him, and estranged from her father because of him, then why in the world were some of her gadgets hidden even from him? i thought that was inconsistent. and if she loved her father and xanthor (the ptorix/tor friend of daddy's), then why go against his wishes to marry... some would; not saying it doesn't happen. but it's not consistent with the other facets of her character. oh well.
update: the 'real' bad guys turn out to be GPR (the un-upgraded humans)... willing to kill people with implants in their heads (that would be all humans in Confederacy)...
*I know this was supposed to be erotica or romance at the least, but Virtual Sex without h's consent? uh huh.
*TSTL!! Stupid h hacked into a complex system that she knew the bad guys (non-machine men, GPR or whatever) were very interested in hacking... umm.. of course, they want to learn how to hack into it, so you do it for them! lovely.
*hmm... contrived situation... but it is supposed to be just a romance. let's leave it at that. it's not bad.
-----------------------------
Okay, so it wasn't that bad. Just... perhaps overcomplicated? or maybe i was just expecting too much. (read an alien/scifi recently: Dark Horse by Michelle Diener... guess I was expecting that level. oh well.)
August 15, 2023
Excellent!
Great writing, detailed storyline, wonderful world building, complex characters, heartwarming romance. A true love story, but so much more. If you like your romance imbedded in a complete story, these books are for you. Trust me, you’ll fall in love with them!
Great writing, detailed storyline, wonderful world building, complex characters, heartwarming romance. A true love story, but so much more. If you like your romance imbedded in a complete story, these books are for you. Trust me, you’ll fall in love with them!
May 9, 2022
Having read the Iron Admiral: Conspiracy, I was looking forward to this story. Very enjoyable. I always enjoy a good love story.
July 18, 2023
Excellent! Highly recommended if you like space opera with action and adventure.
August 31, 2023
I liked it.
October 7, 2011
Loved Deception even more than book number one, Conspiracy. Chaka Saahran is one sexy dude: a military man (imagine him in uniform) fully capable of killing when necessary, commanding an enormous battleship, and presiding over thousands of soldiers, while behind the scenes arranging for a bolt of exquisite green material shot with details of gold to be crafted into a magical dress for the woman he loves. Made me sigh more than once. Well-written, fast-paced, a story of substance: this is no simple romance and that's that, but a complex layered tale of politics, space travel, other worlds, aliens, racism and redemption. Chaka and Allysha are a hero and heroine to remember. You'll read this and its predecessor again and again.
February 24, 2016
3.7 stars. This half of the book was better, partly because I wasn't left hanging with that half a book feel. This has a really good plot and if you can ignore the faults mentioned in book one, it is an enjoyable read for the most part. I think the sex scenes could have been skipped completely, because they were not hot in either book. The romance bothered me in this book as well. They were hardly ever together, she was soooo rude, and he was lacking as well. Like, who wouldn't hang around the hospital until the woman who saved your life and you want to win over comes to?!?
Overall, I liked the plot and action, the romance flow and sex scenes need work. Just one reader's opinion:)
Overall, I liked the plot and action, the romance flow and sex scenes need work. Just one reader's opinion:)
April 6, 2012
Much better than Conspiracy, although I do think these were originally a single book split into two volumes for convenience. I did warm to Allysha, but I wanted to slap her for being so naive about what the baddies wanted her to do. I never took to Saahren, despite his tragic backstory, and I hated what he did to Sean. I give that marriage six months at best, and the divorce will be very public and acrimonious.
Also, I have to say that every time I look at the cover, I think his right arm is withered below the elbow - weird optical illusion, especially in the smaller thumbnails.
Also, I have to say that every time I look at the cover, I think his right arm is withered below the elbow - weird optical illusion, especially in the smaller thumbnails.
May 28, 2012
Wow!!! What a wonderful books! I loved them! The epilogue is left somewhat open, but still there's a conclusion, so I was not let hanging. I hope the author will continue with the story - I would love to read more!
November 21, 2014
Man, I was so bummed at the ending of the last book. But the ending of this one more than makes up for it!
Want to read
December 31, 2015Anthology - part of The Ptorix Empire Omnibus
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews