One massive shadow organization. One badass heroine.Holly Drake just wants one to destroy the Shadow Coalition and the evil at the heart of their business. With an endless supply of tips from the secretive man pulling her strings, Holly and her crew swoop in, break up the cash drops and steal the money. If one or two baddies die on accident, no big loss, right? They could do this forever, picking the Coalition apart till not even bones remain.
That is, until someone goes missing. In that moment, everything changes.To save the victim, Holly and her team will put everything on the line to penetrate the mysterious Shadow Coalition and stab at their enigmatic leadership, the Hands who protect the Heart. Treacherous journeys across the 6-moon system in space-zeppelins, dangerous infiltrations of the Coalition, bartering with thieves and relying on the seedy underbelly of the 6-moons. Anything it takes.
But…is the whole set up a trap? How many snares will Holly and her crew have to spring to save just one victim?
This is Holly Drake and her crew of thieves. If they have to, they’ll go into the hornet’s nest to get the job done. Will it be their last time?The Hands of the Colossus features a snarky, strong, bad ass heroine fighting against the odds to save the helpless.
If you don't like seeing a woman experience self-doubt, overcome obstacles, and then dominate, this book is not for you.
Love strong female leads, an entertaining cast of characters, and adventure? Then grab your copy today!
Nicole writes stories exploring concepts of surveillance and how it effects human behavior, colonization, AI, robots, and a bunch of other impossible but cool scenarios. She studied folklore in college and believes that the best parts of any story touch on these living, changing elements of culture.
Holly Drake sat in the co-pilot seat, nervously asking Trip, the Centau piloting their space cruiser, if she could do it, referring to their landing on a small moon which would be mostly handled by the AI anyway! Holly hated space-flight. Odeon was a Druiviin and used his abilities to calm her as much as possible, but she was still terrified. When Odeon removed his hand from her shoulder after the landing, her normal feelings returned and Charly prepared to disembark. They had 4 devices to plant to hack into the transponders. Once attached, Charly had only seconds to enter the code or alarms would sound! Everyone was tense, and Odeon responded with his calming song.
Holly was eager to get this over with. The whole goal was to help them track the workings of the Shadow Coalition. And they weren’t sure this would even work! She wanted to get back to Kota and spend less time in space! But as Charly worked on the last transponder, something happened! Their view, which came from the earpiece Charly wore to show everything she was seeing, suddenly spun and only the ship and moon surface were still visible. There was no sound from Charly! Holly had to get out there and grab her as she was spinning away! She tethered herself, leaving Odeon to back her up, and leaped for Charly. Darkness closing in on her, cold and losing awareness, she crashed against something and hung on as unconsciousness faded her mind to black. Was this the end? Had they failed this mission?
This was an excellent continuation of this series, well-written and fast-paced right from the start. The characters were developed so that the reader had a full understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. Despite her inexperience and dislike of space, Holly was a strong woman and easily admired by the reader. With so much going on, this book easily keeps the reader invested in the outcome. Grab a copy for yourself and find out if their plans and schemes are successful against their enemy . . .
What a blast! The stakes are higher in this second book of the Holly Drake series. Someone close to Holly is kidnapped, but there’s no trace of where they went. Holly and her crew will have their hands full trying to outsmart the Shadow Coalition and finding their base of operations. After reading Eye of the Colossus: A Steampunk Space Opera Adventure I felt that these characters have grown on me (in a good way). I love the interaction and ups and downs they have. It really brings the story to life and delivers just the perfect amount of humor to keep me engaged. I also love the author’s world building. I can almost imagine the scenes in my mind while I read. The plot thickens as each new story begins. I really can’t wait to see if Holly and her team will take down the Hands and the Heart of the organization. Or if Holly will buck up and give Shiro his watch!
If you love strong female leads and books with lots of action and sarcastic humor then I would recommend this to you.
Hands of the Colossus is the second book in the Holly Drake Job series.
The second book in the series continues in much the same way as the first. Unfortunately, this also includes the typos, missing words, etc.. I've never come across a book that has typos like these. It beggars belief that a writer can publish a book in this condition: it's like someone wrote an algorithm that randomly stole words out of the books.
Other annoying things are that this series is clearly labelled with the term "Steampunk" in the subtitle: there isn't anything steampunk about it. Labelling your spaceships "Zeppelins" doesn't make your book steampunk. Apart from one broken antique watch there's no clockwork stuff and i haven't noticed any steam engines or other such steampunk elements.
I like steampunk and i was looking forward to reading some steampunky, space adventure stuff, but all i'm given is a broken antique watch to satisfy my clockwork urges. It really isn't acceptable to label something as belonging to a genre when it clearly isn't.
So, all in all, there's nothing much new in this book that wasn't in the first book.
I'm now going to have a little break from this series to read some short stories and then i shall return and finish the series -- just coz i kinda like the characters and i'd like to know how they all get on.
The second book in the series features Holly Drake and her crew trying to save a kidnapped victim at the same time trying to outsmart the Shadow Coalition. As danger escalates, more obstacles, thrills and adventure are greater than ever. It just gets better and better! Very well written, with lots of intrigue, and fast paced action from the beginning, the book has an excellent plot and storyline that grabs the reader's attention from the beginning and holds it until the book has been read. Holly Drake is a strong dynamic believable and realistic character with her own quirks and foibles. In this instalment the Author gives background information regarding the colourful members of Holly's crew. The different supporting characters, aliens included, also play an important role in the series. Humorous at times, the scenes and settings are so realistic with such graphic detailed description, they come alive before the reader's eyes. Another awesome story by a great Author. I enjoyed reading the book. Recommended! Gifted with a copy that I voluntarily reviewed.
TO HOT TO HANDLE!!! If you're looking for a fast paced, action packed, hard hitting, heart pounding, pulse racing, nailbiting, adrenaline pumping read with all the drama a sane person could handle. Good thing I'm not sane. Congrats my friends you've just stepped off in it. The characters and scenes were realistic, intriguing and complex with a undeniable connection. The scenes were so vividly detailed and descriptive it gave the illusion you were right there in ground zero with them. Following the characters along mesmerized as their personalities transformed and blended. Twists, turns and unexpected surprises that kept me captivated from start. With danger around every corner you didn't know who to trust or any allies to count on. Nicole did a remarkable job bringing this read together beautifully. Remarkable job Nicole and thanks for sharing this little jewel with us.
Holly is dealing with the baggage left from being with Gabe (psychopath ex-husband) who she killed in self-defense. Holly is rebuilding her life emotionally from the ground up but she is strong and prevailing. She and her team, a mix of characters with definite skill sets, are a part of a group determined to bring down an evil shadow organization called Shadow Coalition. Besides interrupting the cash flow to the Shadow Coalition she and her team are tasked with stealing back a priceless jewel (The Eye of the Colossus) before it can be taken off-planet. There are different adventures and challenges throughout the story.
This is the end of this series so there is not a cliff hanger here.
I received an ARC and am giving an unbiased opinion.
This second book by Nicole Grotepas has surpassed the first, though I didn’t think it was possible. You get all the rush and excitement you’d experience on fairground rides along with mystery and intrigue. There is more background and depth in the characters and danger for them at every turn. I especially like how Holly is rebuilding herself after having killed her highly abusive husband in self defence and spending time in prison for it. Ms Grotepas also shows a dab hand in developing the diverse social mores of different alien species. And her ending is totally satisfying. The journey continues in the next book. Can’t wait!
Excellent story with lots of character and heart. Loved seeing the characters grow. Really want to find out what makes HD so afraid of travel. Maybe in the next chapter. Awesome!
Holly sets out with her team to recover a child from the SC. What exactly is the SC up to and who is she up against. This is s good story and I am enjoying watching Holly discover just who she is.