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Spacer's Cinderella
A broken shoe. A forbidden ball. A sexy cyborg with a secret.
Born on an abandoned colony barely held together by sealant tape and hope, Aurora Sato is at the very bottom of the social pecking order. Hard work and brains got her into a coveted spot in the quadrant’s top university… But her new supervisor is a woman who's not about to let an upstart like Aurora get anything close to a break.
And a break is exactly what Aurora needs right now. Her home colony is dying and nobody is in any rush to save it or her family. Aurora’s research project is their last hope, but only if she can complete it in time — an impossible task.
One night out is all she’ll allow herself. One night to forget her troubles. She never expects to meet a man who dazzles all her senses. Magnus Thorne is a battle-hardened, ruthless cyborg. Rich, respected and powerful, he’s too much for innocent Aurora. For one magical night he makes her feel like a princess, awakening a longing she doesn’t know how to quell.
But Aurora is in more danger than she realizes. And Magnus isn’t about to let her face it alone, no matter how hard she tries to shut him out.
He's determined to break every rule to save her from ruin. But will she trust him enough to let him?
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 13, 2018
197 people are currently reading
324 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
September 12, 2019
2.5 Unexceptional Stars
Her planet is dying, her family and friends straining to live, and she’s determined to succeed so she can help. When her friend finally persuades her to have one night where she lets her hair down, Aurora doesn’t expect to meet a man who heats her blood and dazzles her – Magnus Thorne. Rich, intelligent respected and powerful, he finds himself drawn to Aurora, ready to protect her from whomever is out to get her.
Aurora as a heroine needed more of a kickass attitude, she wasn’t as fierce in her focus as I would have liked, I disliked how she let others walk over her (towards the end she starts putting people in their place, but it wasn’t enough to appease me).
The blurb of this book had me excited, as the book sounded fab but honestly it wasn’t anything special. The sizzle and snap between Aurora and Magnus didn’t throb potently off the page, their interactions and the development of their relationship didn’t grasp my attention and have me eagerly reading on.
Acquired via KU.
Her planet is dying, her family and friends straining to live, and she’s determined to succeed so she can help. When her friend finally persuades her to have one night where she lets her hair down, Aurora doesn’t expect to meet a man who heats her blood and dazzles her – Magnus Thorne. Rich, intelligent respected and powerful, he finds himself drawn to Aurora, ready to protect her from whomever is out to get her.
Aurora as a heroine needed more of a kickass attitude, she wasn’t as fierce in her focus as I would have liked, I disliked how she let others walk over her (towards the end she starts putting people in their place, but it wasn’t enough to appease me).
The blurb of this book had me excited, as the book sounded fab but honestly it wasn’t anything special. The sizzle and snap between Aurora and Magnus didn’t throb potently off the page, their interactions and the development of their relationship didn’t grasp my attention and have me eagerly reading on.
Acquired via KU.
July 11, 2020
4.5 Stars
Link to Live-Tweeting Here: https://twitter.com/ardentlyaarya/sta...
I was nervous about picking this up because I almost never read unknown debut authors and I didn't have any trusted friends rec it to me. Still, it was on KU and therefore a low-risk investment in my eyes. Well, I loved it so much that I immediately bought a copy after finishing it and am hoping for a sequel soon.
The best descriptions I can come up with:
- a Harlequin Presents vibe in space
- unique Cinderella retelling (it's not exactly Cinderella, just your basic poor girl + rich guy plot. And instead of a ball, they have a near hook-up before separating. And, of course, the next time they meet up is when she discovers that he's her new employer)
- Incredible and unique worldbuilding
- Alpha secret billionaire hero, but he's compassionate and not domineering. My favorite type of hero.
- Competent, scientist heroine who solves her own problems.
- Both protagonists are scientists and there is *so much* interesting scientific discussion that is integral to their characterization and the world-building.
Link to Live-Tweeting Here: https://twitter.com/ardentlyaarya/sta...
I was nervous about picking this up because I almost never read unknown debut authors and I didn't have any trusted friends rec it to me. Still, it was on KU and therefore a low-risk investment in my eyes. Well, I loved it so much that I immediately bought a copy after finishing it and am hoping for a sequel soon.
The best descriptions I can come up with:
- a Harlequin Presents vibe in space
- unique Cinderella retelling (it's not exactly Cinderella, just your basic poor girl + rich guy plot. And instead of a ball, they have a near hook-up before separating. And, of course, the next time they meet up is when she discovers that he's her new employer)
- Incredible and unique worldbuilding
- Alpha secret billionaire hero, but he's compassionate and not domineering. My favorite type of hero.
- Competent, scientist heroine who solves her own problems.
- Both protagonists are scientists and there is *so much* interesting scientific discussion that is integral to their characterization and the world-building.
March 26, 2019
Full review to be posted at The Book Pushers:
I don't know who recommended this book on twitter, but it caught my eye and I was in the mood to read something in a SF setting and the premise of a Cinderella retelling caught my attention even though it is not my favourite fairytale.
But whoever it was, I would like to sincerely thank them! This was such a pleasant surprise that I ended up glomming the whole book over two days.
The main leads were engaging and swept into their romance. I loved loved loved that Aurora was such a nerd who had a passion for science, she is also on the quest to save her planet which she hopes her new terraforming experiments is the key to solve the poisoning of her homeworld. Magnus, the hero is a spacer (people who live and adapt in space and is augmented with cyborg implants,) is a secret billionaire because he invented a new slipstream drive but is teaching physics on an exclusive university planet. Now I expected like the Cinderella motif, he will save her from her plight of being sabotaged, and being threatened with her livelihood and deportation. That wasn't the case. While he helped her out with minor things, Aurora used her wits, and grit to survive the obstacles that was thrown at her way.
The romance also took a surprising turn, it starts off with them with having a hot encounter that was rudely interrupted and then takes a very slow burn.
It is tad long and there was a couple of editing issues, but I loved the characters, the setting and the fact it twisted so many established tropes on its head that made the story go into unexpected directions.
This book gave me the giddy feels. It was a delight to read and I am definitely going to check out future books from Adria Rose.
I don't know who recommended this book on twitter, but it caught my eye and I was in the mood to read something in a SF setting and the premise of a Cinderella retelling caught my attention even though it is not my favourite fairytale.
But whoever it was, I would like to sincerely thank them! This was such a pleasant surprise that I ended up glomming the whole book over two days.
The main leads were engaging and swept into their romance. I loved loved loved that Aurora was such a nerd who had a passion for science, she is also on the quest to save her planet which she hopes her new terraforming experiments is the key to solve the poisoning of her homeworld. Magnus, the hero is a spacer (people who live and adapt in space and is augmented with cyborg implants,) is a secret billionaire because he invented a new slipstream drive but is teaching physics on an exclusive university planet. Now I expected like the Cinderella motif, he will save her from her plight of being sabotaged, and being threatened with her livelihood and deportation. That wasn't the case. While he helped her out with minor things, Aurora used her wits, and grit to survive the obstacles that was thrown at her way.
The romance also took a surprising turn, it starts off with them with having a hot encounter that was rudely interrupted and then takes a very slow burn.
It is tad long and there was a couple of editing issues, but I loved the characters, the setting and the fact it twisted so many established tropes on its head that made the story go into unexpected directions.
This book gave me the giddy feels. It was a delight to read and I am definitely going to check out future books from Adria Rose.
April 7, 2019
This book came to my attention on Twitter. I wish I could remember who it was that recommended it so I could thank them. This is a SciFi romance, a genre I find fascinating. Unlike many other genres of romance, the sky is the limit in this one as the writer creates whole new worlds.
In Spacer’s Cinderella, Aurora Santos is a young and brilliant scientist and teacher working in a high level university but because she comes from a very poor and dying planet, she’s looked down on by just about everyone. She is dedicated to her work, trying to find a way to reverse the slow destruction of her home planet and as a result has very little social life. But her friend convinces her to go out one night where she meets Magnus. There is an instant connection between the two but there is a very strong imbalance of power between the two, Magnus is very rich and very powerful whereas Aurora has next to no power so it seems they are more like ships that pass in the night though neither can forget the other.
But things change when Aurora runs into some very bad luck and she ends up working for Magnus since it turns out he’s a professor at the university. And he’s a whole lot more than that. He’s a ‘spacer’ and as a result he has a number of enhanced abilities. At first he’s determined to keep Aurora at a distance but it’s not long he falls completely under her spell. She’s a combination of almost genius and innocence. She has no idea how unique she is. Magnus becomes wrecked from love for her. Although he’s wealthy beyond belief Aurora is very reluctant to take his help, thinking she’s not worth it. But someone is out to destroy Aurora and Magnus refuses to let this happen.
I found this book a welcome addition to the genre. Magnus is great. He’s handsome and wealthy and mysterious and all in for Aurora. I love that part of his attraction to her is her intelligence and he’s constantly telling her how special she is. I did wish the author gave more info on what exactly a “spacer” as that was kind of vague and I would have liked more details.
For the most part I really like Aurora too. No matter how many blows she takes, she doesn’t let it stop her from her mission to help her planet. I did find her somewhat frustrating at times though in her reluctance to except help from Magnus. After all it’s the life and death of her family and for something so important, I thought she should have put aside her pride. The stakes were too high not to. Also I noticed at times the author seemed to forget her name and called her Andromeda. The first time I noticed that I thought “Who? I don’t remember being introduced to this character?” before I realized they were one and the same person. I don’t usually notice slips like this but this big an error in the MC’s life is a bit hard to ignore.
But overall I quite enjoyed this one and there are a plethora (love that word and don’t get a chance to use it that often) of interesting characters for future books. And if there are some, I will read them.
In Spacer’s Cinderella, Aurora Santos is a young and brilliant scientist and teacher working in a high level university but because she comes from a very poor and dying planet, she’s looked down on by just about everyone. She is dedicated to her work, trying to find a way to reverse the slow destruction of her home planet and as a result has very little social life. But her friend convinces her to go out one night where she meets Magnus. There is an instant connection between the two but there is a very strong imbalance of power between the two, Magnus is very rich and very powerful whereas Aurora has next to no power so it seems they are more like ships that pass in the night though neither can forget the other.
But things change when Aurora runs into some very bad luck and she ends up working for Magnus since it turns out he’s a professor at the university. And he’s a whole lot more than that. He’s a ‘spacer’ and as a result he has a number of enhanced abilities. At first he’s determined to keep Aurora at a distance but it’s not long he falls completely under her spell. She’s a combination of almost genius and innocence. She has no idea how unique she is. Magnus becomes wrecked from love for her. Although he’s wealthy beyond belief Aurora is very reluctant to take his help, thinking she’s not worth it. But someone is out to destroy Aurora and Magnus refuses to let this happen.
I found this book a welcome addition to the genre. Magnus is great. He’s handsome and wealthy and mysterious and all in for Aurora. I love that part of his attraction to her is her intelligence and he’s constantly telling her how special she is. I did wish the author gave more info on what exactly a “spacer” as that was kind of vague and I would have liked more details.
For the most part I really like Aurora too. No matter how many blows she takes, she doesn’t let it stop her from her mission to help her planet. I did find her somewhat frustrating at times though in her reluctance to except help from Magnus. After all it’s the life and death of her family and for something so important, I thought she should have put aside her pride. The stakes were too high not to. Also I noticed at times the author seemed to forget her name and called her Andromeda. The first time I noticed that I thought “Who? I don’t remember being introduced to this character?” before I realized they were one and the same person. I don’t usually notice slips like this but this big an error in the MC’s life is a bit hard to ignore.
But overall I quite enjoyed this one and there are a plethora (love that word and don’t get a chance to use it that often) of interesting characters for future books. And if there are some, I will read them.
Read
August 10, 2025DNFed by page 50. Too many stereotypes in the first few chapters regarding the heroine, who has every issue possible from being poor to awkward, etc.. Also the moment she hears the hot hero's orgasmic sounding voice, she gets tingly below, which is one reaction that is just not realistic.
If there were less stereotypes, I would continue reading, but too many hits you fast in the first chapter alone.
If there were less stereotypes, I would continue reading, but too many hits you fast in the first chapter alone.
dnf
November 7, 2023DNF around 66%. Abysmal communication + workplace + random elements of Cinderella story felt kind of juvenile here. For how high stakes this was for the FMC, she was refusing to acknowledge some hand-fed solutions. Just wasn’t for me.
June 22, 2023
So there was SO MUCH hype around this after Has read it - I finally got around to it, and it was super cute.
I think it was overhyped though? Because I liked it but I wasn't blown away.
I'm glad I read it, but there were some ... I dunno - I wish there had been some editing - it's a lot of repetition in the "relationship"/lack thereof.
The chemistry between Magnus and Aurora is insane. And I loved her best friend Naia.
>.> Are we going to see a book with Cassius and Naia? Or Naia and her friend who helps Magnus?
There were some dropped plot lines, and I wished some of the made up terms had been defined/explained [foods etc] - but it wasn't a big deal.
Anyway I'd definitely be interested in reading more books by Adria Rose.
And I can see myself re-reading this book.
https://twitter.com/Limecello/status/...
[C, probably? => rating this 7/13/19 because apparently I forgot to when I originally posted, so oops]
1/16/20 re-read so there's a bit of whinging and big misunderstandings - mostly from lack of communication and uncertainty toward each other...
But it is overall a cute romance, I love smitten heroes, and it's really good world building.
I'm definitely interesting in Naia and her captain.
And Leda and King [Aquila?]
I expect either of those are next...
Cassius? Magnus's brother I bet would have a great romance too :D
So yeah -I'm looking forward to more by Adria Rose.
C or C+ this go round. I read it during/between reading the Kennedy
Update 11/27/22
:P I swear when this first went viral it was on sale at some point for $0.99? ... [maaaybe $1.99? But I always thought it was $1...] anyway I didn't buy it then which I always regretted and it's been O_O obviously more than two years so ... :P I bought it this time with this re-read.
[In the past I read it when I had KU]
Definitely Naia and her captain friend... anyway give me more books like this
I think it was overhyped though? Because I liked it but I wasn't blown away.
I'm glad I read it, but there were some ... I dunno - I wish there had been some editing - it's a lot of repetition in the "relationship"/lack thereof.
The chemistry between Magnus and Aurora is insane. And I loved her best friend Naia.
>.> Are we going to see a book with Cassius and Naia? Or Naia and her friend who helps Magnus?
There were some dropped plot lines, and I wished some of the made up terms had been defined/explained [foods etc] - but it wasn't a big deal.
Anyway I'd definitely be interested in reading more books by Adria Rose.
And I can see myself re-reading this book.
https://twitter.com/Limecello/status/...
[C, probably? => rating this 7/13/19 because apparently I forgot to when I originally posted, so oops]
1/16/20 re-read so there's a bit of whinging and big misunderstandings - mostly from lack of communication and uncertainty toward each other...
But it is overall a cute romance, I love smitten heroes, and it's really good world building.
I'm definitely interesting in Naia and her captain.
And Leda and King [Aquila?]
I expect either of those are next...
Cassius? Magnus's brother I bet would have a great romance too :D
So yeah -I'm looking forward to more by Adria Rose.
C or C+ this go round. I read it during/between reading the Kennedy
Update 11/27/22
:P I swear when this first went viral it was on sale at some point for $0.99? ... [maaaybe $1.99? But I always thought it was $1...] anyway I didn't buy it then which I always regretted and it's been O_O obviously more than two years so ... :P I bought it this time with this re-read.
[In the past I read it when I had KU]
Definitely Naia and her captain friend... anyway give me more books like this
September 16, 2019
Not terrible but oh so annoying is this one. The heroine is supposed to be plucky and brilliant but really she's just kind of breathy, bland and boring. And truly, she's willing to do anything to save her family who are literally!!! going to die in a few months, anything at all...except for ask her friends for help? Or ask the hot billionaire who is really into her for help? And I'm not talking like give me a gazillion bucks help, I'm talking help me get a lab space for my work, maybe help me get this professor off my back, help me in the millions of ways that friends might help. Even when she and the hero are finally with each other she still can't accept help from him because? Because she had a bad boyfriend once who put her down?
I think the author was attempting to show all the ways in which a woman in the sciences has to struggle to get her work done, get the space she needs, get the respect she deserves, etc. But Aurora's parents are dying! So I'm willing for her to maybe take some assistance for her brilliant work.
Funny thing is, as much as this one made me a little rage-y, I'll probably pick up the next book (I'm guessing Naia or Leda and the King?) by the author because there was some solid stuff here and both Naia and Leda were more interesting to me as women in this universe. I do fear that once they're the protagonists in their own stories that they'll revert to "oh he wants me, oh no he doesn't want me, I'm in despair, oh he maybe wants me, hooray, oh no he doesn't want me, I'll weep for hours..." But I'm willing to give the author another shot.
I think the author was attempting to show all the ways in which a woman in the sciences has to struggle to get her work done, get the space she needs, get the respect she deserves, etc. But Aurora's parents are dying! So I'm willing for her to maybe take some assistance for her brilliant work.
Funny thing is, as much as this one made me a little rage-y, I'll probably pick up the next book (I'm guessing Naia or Leda and the King?) by the author because there was some solid stuff here and both Naia and Leda were more interesting to me as women in this universe. I do fear that once they're the protagonists in their own stories that they'll revert to "oh he wants me, oh no he doesn't want me, I'm in despair, oh he maybe wants me, hooray, oh no he doesn't want me, I'll weep for hours..." But I'm willing to give the author another shot.
May 27, 2019
review posted on Got Fiction?
I was in the mood for a Space Romance, so when someone suggested Spacer's Cinderella, I was all for it!
In this book, many planets have been settled, stripped of all resources, and if the planet is no longer usable, the governing bodies pull all financial aid from the planet. If you can work, you can leave to go work on another planet. Aurora comes from such a planet. The planet is dying, the people left are dying, and no one comes by to trade with them anymore, so now they're dying faster than expected.
But she's incredibly smart and gets a scholarship to a colony that is basically a university town. Her main project is terraforming, which is useful to all planets left in her home's situation, but it is especially aimed at trying to save her home planet.
This book begins a bit over the top, but as a Cinderella retelling, I guess that's to be expected. The book opens with Aurora and her friend Naia going out to party. Aurora rarely does anything but work, so it's a rare chance for her to play. When she bumps into Magnus, literally, she figures he can be her one crazy thing she's ever done ;) But they get interrupted and they don't see each other again for a while. I will say that Aurora sure falls into Magnus' arms a lot. Magnus is a "spacer" or a person who lives primarily in space. The blurb calls him a cyborg, but he just had some enhancements. He seemed less cyborg and more enhanced abilities.
Magnus is a billionaire. He created some super important and special piece of tech and then sold it, but very few people know this. He's a reclusive billionaire. He's also a professor at the university Aurora goes to. Reclusive, professor billionaire. When her professor is publicly embarrassed in an old scandal and then fired, she loses her project. It forces Aurora to find a new professor to be her lead, and it forces her to work with Magnus. Her almost hook-up.
There's something happening though. Her professor wasn't just randomly outed in an old scandal. Something bigger is going on behind the scenes, and when Aurora's terraforming project is sabotaged, things get serious.
One of my favorite things about this book is that although he wanted to help her, Magnus knew she wanted to do this on her own. And she did. She worked her butt off to not just finish her experiment, but to gain support for her grant, and her trials. She has a billionaire in her bed, but she takes care of her own stuff. I liked our nerdy and brilliant heroine, even though she repeatedly fell into Magnus' arms.
This book is tropey as all get out, it's over the top at first, and it's got some cliches. But it's a fun and enjoyable read.
June 9, 2019
I enjoyed this book. I thought the heroine at times really needed to learn how to ask her friends for help. Or anyone for help.
Yes, it's important to be independent but at the same time, know your limits. You are trying to save a planet that is dying so explaining to your friends you're going to lose your job and your work and do they have any ideas is not going to kill you.
The push and pull between the hero and heroine also got annoying after a while. They're both interested, but other factors intervene....like a million times.
Overall, I liked it. I'd read more in this series or by this author.
Yes, it's important to be independent but at the same time, know your limits. You are trying to save a planet that is dying so explaining to your friends you're going to lose your job and your work and do they have any ideas is not going to kill you.
The push and pull between the hero and heroine also got annoying after a while. They're both interested, but other factors intervene....like a million times.
Overall, I liked it. I'd read more in this series or by this author.
March 26, 2021
Spacers Cinderella is about Aurora a young woman who is from poor space colony. She left her home to study at the more affluent planet and is now a teacher at the university. While out celebrating her friends promotion she meets Magnus Thorne ,a man from the genetically engineered and technically augmented upper class. They are both attracted to each other from their first meeting and later meets in the same night club.
I feel a bit bad for not giving this at least two stars because I have read some with worse writing but if you dnf a book...
One of my problems with this book was the insta-lust the heroine had for the hero. They were just talking and she gets turned on. I mean I just found it hard to relate to imagine wanting to lick a man I just met...no matter how attractive he is.
I also wanted to learn more about the world than I was getting.
I feel a bit bad for not giving this at least two stars because I have read some with worse writing but if you dnf a book...
One of my problems with this book was the insta-lust the heroine had for the hero. They were just talking and she gets turned on. I mean I just found it hard to relate to imagine wanting to lick a man I just met...no matter how attractive he is.
I also wanted to learn more about the world than I was getting.
January 22, 2019
Enjoyable spin on the Cinderella story with loads of adventure and a strong, sexy romance. The protagonists are both likeable and the pacing and twisting plot makes this difficult to put down. Highly recommended for fans of romantic science fiction.
March 28, 2019
My favorite book of the year so far. I loved it to pieces.
September 15, 2022
4.5 stars
A completely enjoyable space/scifi romance with a touch of Cinderella. I think one of the reasons I liked it so much was that Aurora is, at her core, a smart wallflower. She's just in space rather than a Regency ballroom.
The world-building was smooth and filled with great details. I liked that the culture was Asian/Japanese at its core, with Japanese-influenced names, foods, gardens, etc.
Both Aurora and Magnus were terrific characters - both super-smart and kind and flawed just enough to make them interesting. Magnus was my favorite sort of Alpha - commanding on the outside and caring on the inside.
This is Adria Rose's only book on GR and sadly her author's profile is minimal. I'm wondering if this is a nom de plume? I'm hoping for a follow-up featuring Aurora's roommate and/or Magnus' brother...
Hogwarts Sorting Hat: Aurora is a Ravenclaw (with a whole lot of Gryffindor thrown in) and Magnus is a Gryffindor.
--------------------------
Re-reading 9/14/22-9/15/22 - I wish, yet again, that the author wrote more than one book.
A completely enjoyable space/scifi romance with a touch of Cinderella. I think one of the reasons I liked it so much was that Aurora is, at her core, a smart wallflower. She's just in space rather than a Regency ballroom.
The world-building was smooth and filled with great details. I liked that the culture was Asian/Japanese at its core, with Japanese-influenced names, foods, gardens, etc.
Both Aurora and Magnus were terrific characters - both super-smart and kind and flawed just enough to make them interesting. Magnus was my favorite sort of Alpha - commanding on the outside and caring on the inside.
This is Adria Rose's only book on GR and sadly her author's profile is minimal. I'm wondering if this is a nom de plume? I'm hoping for a follow-up featuring Aurora's roommate and/or Magnus' brother...
Hogwarts Sorting Hat: Aurora is a Ravenclaw (with a whole lot of Gryffindor thrown in) and Magnus is a Gryffindor.
--------------------------
Re-reading 9/14/22-9/15/22 - I wish, yet again, that the author wrote more than one book.
January 22, 2019
Had a lot of potential starting out. But things got repetitive and to the point I was like oh my gosh... again with this? And neither main character would just suck it up and admit to the other how they felt. it took forever for them to get to that point. And one of the main topics in the book, terra building, never even ended up taking place. Even at the end of the book, there's talk of moving her family off their failing world, but no mention of it being terraformed and corrected. No update on that happening and how it's going. It's like the main topic and her work in the book just *poof* no longer important. I think there could be some potential for this author. But there needs to be some downsizing on the repetition of BS occurring over and over. And more inclusion of the characters main traits, skills, work etc. of them actually coming into play if they're going to be so heavily discussed.
March 26, 2019
Enjoy
Protagonists were 3 dimensional, with histories that explained them . Appreciated that no one wallowed in angst, but were busy taking care of things. Nice little intrigue and thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and the science. Nice to see science types worthy of romance. Someone obviously knows how vicious politics can get, regardless of the setting!
Protagonists were 3 dimensional, with histories that explained them . Appreciated that no one wallowed in angst, but were busy taking care of things. Nice little intrigue and thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and the science. Nice to see science types worthy of romance. Someone obviously knows how vicious politics can get, regardless of the setting!
May 8, 2020
Pretty decent sci fi romance. There was quite a bit of sci fi story involving her work and power plays in the academic community. The romance was believable. The hero wasn’t as developed as the heroine. The fact that he was a cyborg was totally underdeveloped. And it’s just me probably but after worlds have been saved and I love yours exchanged I don’t need an 11 page sex scene to finish up the book. Especially since they had consummated their relationship several times on page already.
November 30, 2023
I've been on a "romance in space" kick this year. I’m so glad I remembered this was languishing in my digital TBR! It turned out not to be really set in space; Calliope is a planet but ships are primarily used to get across town. It’s not much of a Cinderella retelling: she’s poor, he’s rich, he has to run off the night they meet and has difficulty tracking her down after.
All that aside, I had a hard time putting this down…but I was also annoyed by a lot of the choices. #LogisticsWithLeigh and all that. It was mostly a matter of inconsistent characterization. Aurora is a Mary Sue. She functions more like an 18 year old than a 26 year old. She’s beyond naive, always being nice to the worst people, including her sexist coworkers and the woman who sabotaged her career. Make it make sense. She’s constantly blushing and biting her lip and acting shy. Magnus’s reaction to her was giving big Not Like Other Girls energy, which isn’t helped by the fact that she only has one friend. Admittedly, her best friend Naia is amazing but otherwise Aurora is socially isolated.
She grew up poor but there are inconsistencies there. We’re told she regularly skips meal due to work but then later she talks about how much she loves food because they had unappetizing meal bars on her home planet. As someone who grew up in a blue collar family who had to scrimp and save, that makes no sense to me. It is extremely rare for me to miss a meal and I had much better food options than whatever Aurora grew up eating. That’s one small example. The bigger example comes from her unwillingness to ask for help when the stakes are her parents and home planet will die. She tries to tie this back to her mother’s lesson about pride but I think she extrapolated the wrong takeaway. Obviously she shouldn’t use someone for their wealth but Magnus is literally always asking her what she needs and that’s well before he knows the full story. Do whatever you need to do to save your planet, Aurora!
I wish we’d gotten to know more about pre-book Magnus. He’s an impressive scientist in his own right but most of the interesting things he does happen off page, to my chagrin. I’m not entirely sure what Magnus and Aurora have in common outside of liking to talk about their research and being really horny for each other. But maybe I was too annoyed by Aurora’s choices and inexplicable carelessness to properly appreciate it. To end on a more positive note, I loved hearing about Aurora’s terraform research and all the science-y problem-solving. It doesn’t look like the author has written anything else since this but I hope she will eventually. There were a lot of intriguing sequel-bait secondary characters!
Characters: Aurora is a 26 year old terraforming researcher and systems biologist. Magnus is a spacer (space marine veteran), cyborg, slipsteam inventor, and propulsion physics professor. This is set on the planet Calliope.
Content notes: panic attack, nightmare, FMC’s ex-boyfriend cheated and was emotionally abusive (past), abuse of power (multiple professors and university leaders), professional sabotage, workplace sexism, attempted illegal deportation, guard violence, lab explosion (gives FMC a concussion, cracked ribs, ruptured eardrum), attempted murder, physical assault, past murder of women’s cousin staged as a suicide, discussion of suicide as main cause of death on the planet, smoke poisoning, sprained ankle, sleep deprivation, skipping meals due to work, FMC’s home colony (where her parents live) is dying, space colonization, slut-shaming, classism, poverty, formerly enslaved secondary character, MMC’s parents have a toxic marriage, genetically engineered humans and animals, past death of secondary character’s wife, cat vomit, unsafe sex practices (no condom during penetrative sex without discussion of STI or pregnancy prevention), on page sex, bathtub sex, alcohol, inebriation (secondary characters), hangover (secondary character), p-in-v sex is the only “real” sex, sex worker stigma (not countered), casual ableism, casual acephobia/compulsory sexuality, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialism, ableist language
*Love it or Leighve it* (aka cleaning out my Kindle)
Purchased: 2019
Why did I buy it? Aarya’s recommendation
All that aside, I had a hard time putting this down…but I was also annoyed by a lot of the choices. #LogisticsWithLeigh and all that. It was mostly a matter of inconsistent characterization. Aurora is a Mary Sue. She functions more like an 18 year old than a 26 year old. She’s beyond naive, always being nice to the worst people, including her sexist coworkers and the woman who sabotaged her career. Make it make sense. She’s constantly blushing and biting her lip and acting shy. Magnus’s reaction to her was giving big Not Like Other Girls energy, which isn’t helped by the fact that she only has one friend. Admittedly, her best friend Naia is amazing but otherwise Aurora is socially isolated.
She grew up poor but there are inconsistencies there. We’re told she regularly skips meal due to work but then later she talks about how much she loves food because they had unappetizing meal bars on her home planet. As someone who grew up in a blue collar family who had to scrimp and save, that makes no sense to me. It is extremely rare for me to miss a meal and I had much better food options than whatever Aurora grew up eating. That’s one small example. The bigger example comes from her unwillingness to ask for help when the stakes are her parents and home planet will die. She tries to tie this back to her mother’s lesson about pride but I think she extrapolated the wrong takeaway. Obviously she shouldn’t use someone for their wealth but Magnus is literally always asking her what she needs and that’s well before he knows the full story. Do whatever you need to do to save your planet, Aurora!
I wish we’d gotten to know more about pre-book Magnus. He’s an impressive scientist in his own right but most of the interesting things he does happen off page, to my chagrin. I’m not entirely sure what Magnus and Aurora have in common outside of liking to talk about their research and being really horny for each other. But maybe I was too annoyed by Aurora’s choices and inexplicable carelessness to properly appreciate it. To end on a more positive note, I loved hearing about Aurora’s terraform research and all the science-y problem-solving. It doesn’t look like the author has written anything else since this but I hope she will eventually. There were a lot of intriguing sequel-bait secondary characters!
Characters: Aurora is a 26 year old terraforming researcher and systems biologist. Magnus is a spacer (space marine veteran), cyborg, slipsteam inventor, and propulsion physics professor. This is set on the planet Calliope.
Content notes: panic attack, nightmare, FMC’s ex-boyfriend cheated and was emotionally abusive (past), abuse of power (multiple professors and university leaders), professional sabotage, workplace sexism, attempted illegal deportation, guard violence, lab explosion (gives FMC a concussion, cracked ribs, ruptured eardrum), attempted murder, physical assault, past murder of women’s cousin staged as a suicide, discussion of suicide as main cause of death on the planet, smoke poisoning, sprained ankle, sleep deprivation, skipping meals due to work, FMC’s home colony (where her parents live) is dying, space colonization, slut-shaming, classism, poverty, formerly enslaved secondary character, MMC’s parents have a toxic marriage, genetically engineered humans and animals, past death of secondary character’s wife, cat vomit, unsafe sex practices (no condom during penetrative sex without discussion of STI or pregnancy prevention), on page sex, bathtub sex, alcohol, inebriation (secondary characters), hangover (secondary character), p-in-v sex is the only “real” sex, sex worker stigma (not countered), casual ableism, casual acephobia/compulsory sexuality, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialism, ableist language
*Love it or Leighve it* (aka cleaning out my Kindle)
Purchased: 2019
Why did I buy it? Aarya’s recommendation
March 27, 2019
First off, the title and the description are definitely not an accurate reflection of the actual story. Here I was hoping for a Cinderella retelling that at least somewhat matched the themes of the original story (or at least the Disney one because that's what I grew up with), but it really didn't. BUT the story was excellent anyways so that doesn't really matter.
What I adored about this book is the fact that the power difference between Aurora and Magnus was acknowledged. It's crazy how many romance novels have this (who doesn't love Rich Prince Man falling for Regular Gal) but don't show how it affects the dynamics. In Romance Land, what tends to happen is she just gets showered with gifts, is in awe of certain things, and his money never impacts her love for him. The money is kind of like his abs and perfect hair - it's fabulous, you enjoy it, but it doesn't really AFFECT things the way money changes thing in real life. That's why it's a romance novel I guess, to act as an escapist fantasy, but I loved how it was delved into here. Because it does make a huge difference, a ton of people have to be calculated like that to help their family, and it does affect your relationship with someone when you're on completely different socioeconomic levels. A Beyond Wealthy Man can't just fall for a girl, and not realize that she may feel pressured to return his affections because of her own financial situation.
Magnus was such an amazing guy. He didn't do any over the top stalker activities (which I expected, since the original prince does seek out the girl). He doesn't give her a job, she earned it. He's just patient with her, getting to know her, taking her perspective into consideration. He also knows that his position, not only in the academic world, but also financial, could push her into accepting his interest without actually wanting to. He's in control of her ability to continue her research, her ability to stay on the planet (world? I don't even remember if it was considered a planet or a... base?). Aurora knows that her position is tenuous. So Magnus does his best to keep it professional, but also can't help but want to help make things easier for her. Aurora is a little bit of a workaholic, who's also being bullied, and I swooned whenever he came in to help save the day. But what makes him great is that his actions don't take a single thing away from Aurora. He helps boost her, gives her a little leg up in an unequal world where other people have a million advantages over her.
This novel just showed a really healthy relationship, while simultaneously introducing this amazing world. I'll admit, my eyes glazed over at times from all the sci-fi explanations, but they were worth it. It's a rich and beautiful world, and the cut-throat world of academia was portrayed well. It really is just a bunch of academics playing politics, vying for higher and higher positions. Meanwhile people below them are doing a ton of grunt work with very little acknowledgment from anyone. This book is the reason why I read romance novels - because there's a happy ending and two people falling in love. In a healthy way. In a sweet way. With real life happening around them. It just so happens that also means grad students can create a species that looks like a cat while drunk, but you know.
What I adored about this book is the fact that the power difference between Aurora and Magnus was acknowledged. It's crazy how many romance novels have this (who doesn't love Rich Prince Man falling for Regular Gal) but don't show how it affects the dynamics. In Romance Land, what tends to happen is she just gets showered with gifts, is in awe of certain things, and his money never impacts her love for him. The money is kind of like his abs and perfect hair - it's fabulous, you enjoy it, but it doesn't really AFFECT things the way money changes thing in real life. That's why it's a romance novel I guess, to act as an escapist fantasy, but I loved how it was delved into here. Because it does make a huge difference, a ton of people have to be calculated like that to help their family, and it does affect your relationship with someone when you're on completely different socioeconomic levels. A Beyond Wealthy Man can't just fall for a girl, and not realize that she may feel pressured to return his affections because of her own financial situation.
Magnus was such an amazing guy. He didn't do any over the top stalker activities (which I expected, since the original prince does seek out the girl). He doesn't give her a job, she earned it. He's just patient with her, getting to know her, taking her perspective into consideration. He also knows that his position, not only in the academic world, but also financial, could push her into accepting his interest without actually wanting to. He's in control of her ability to continue her research, her ability to stay on the planet (world? I don't even remember if it was considered a planet or a... base?). Aurora knows that her position is tenuous. So Magnus does his best to keep it professional, but also can't help but want to help make things easier for her. Aurora is a little bit of a workaholic, who's also being bullied, and I swooned whenever he came in to help save the day. But what makes him great is that his actions don't take a single thing away from Aurora. He helps boost her, gives her a little leg up in an unequal world where other people have a million advantages over her.
This novel just showed a really healthy relationship, while simultaneously introducing this amazing world. I'll admit, my eyes glazed over at times from all the sci-fi explanations, but they were worth it. It's a rich and beautiful world, and the cut-throat world of academia was portrayed well. It really is just a bunch of academics playing politics, vying for higher and higher positions. Meanwhile people below them are doing a ton of grunt work with very little acknowledgment from anyone. This book is the reason why I read romance novels - because there's a happy ending and two people falling in love. In a healthy way. In a sweet way. With real life happening around them. It just so happens that also means grad students can create a species that looks like a cat while drunk, but you know.
November 14, 2023
(Copying my review here that I originally posted elsewhere, with some edits)
This book made me so incredibly happy. I think this is one of those cases where a book really caters to some of my personal favorite tropes, which elevated the story for me.
Spacer's Cinderella by Adria Rose is a sci fi retelling of Cinderella, which is probably apparent by the title. This book has been in my KU library for a ridiculously long time while I've waited to be in the mood for a romantic science fiction story. And it delivered.
First, this book implemented one of my favorite kinds of romance--the whole, "competence is sexy" thing. The author even calls it out: "The quiet confidence he exuded was so seductive because it was rooted in an uncompromising competence". While the two main characters are struck dumb at how hot they think the other person is, the attraction goes beyond that. The female lead, Aurora, is a college professor on a planet known as the place to be for up and coming researchers and students. She comes from a poor background and struggles to be respected among colleagues who have worked there longer than her. Aurora is brilliant in her field and is fervently developing new ways of terraforming planets in hopes of improving the lives of her family on her home planet. The male love interest, Magnus, is attracted not just to Aurora's looks, but also her intelligence and the passion she has for her field. Like her, he is also smart and resourceful. His field of work is different, but he is just as much a scientist as Aurora is--albeit in a super muscly, badass space explorer kind of way, since this book is still a MF romance and there are some stereotypes that it happily uses.
Secondly, I really appreciate the way the romance was developed in this book. I'm not sure if it was "female gaze" or what, but the tension and romantic scenes felt really intimate. The little details the author included in them made them feel real to me. I really appreciated "smaller" scenes too that showed the affection the two main characters had for each other. For example, there was this "Pride and Prejudice" moment: "Under any other circumstance, it [people watching at a ball--this is a Cinderella retelling after all] would have been quite entertaining. Aurora barely heard a word. Magnus stood too close for her to pay attention to anything else, and he was still touching her. It was an unobtrusive, barely there touch. Covered by the folds of her skirt, their hands kept brushing, fingers tangling idly and then releasing in a slow, sensual dance. Each touch, each brush of his fingers against the sensitive skin of her wrist felt like a kiss."
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it if you like Jessie Mihalik or Jennifer Estep.
This book made me so incredibly happy. I think this is one of those cases where a book really caters to some of my personal favorite tropes, which elevated the story for me.
Spacer's Cinderella by Adria Rose is a sci fi retelling of Cinderella, which is probably apparent by the title. This book has been in my KU library for a ridiculously long time while I've waited to be in the mood for a romantic science fiction story. And it delivered.
First, this book implemented one of my favorite kinds of romance--the whole, "competence is sexy" thing. The author even calls it out: "The quiet confidence he exuded was so seductive because it was rooted in an uncompromising competence". While the two main characters are struck dumb at how hot they think the other person is, the attraction goes beyond that. The female lead, Aurora, is a college professor on a planet known as the place to be for up and coming researchers and students. She comes from a poor background and struggles to be respected among colleagues who have worked there longer than her. Aurora is brilliant in her field and is fervently developing new ways of terraforming planets in hopes of improving the lives of her family on her home planet. The male love interest, Magnus, is attracted not just to Aurora's looks, but also her intelligence and the passion she has for her field. Like her, he is also smart and resourceful. His field of work is different, but he is just as much a scientist as Aurora is--albeit in a super muscly, badass space explorer kind of way, since this book is still a MF romance and there are some stereotypes that it happily uses.
Secondly, I really appreciate the way the romance was developed in this book. I'm not sure if it was "female gaze" or what, but the tension and romantic scenes felt really intimate. The little details the author included in them made them feel real to me. I really appreciated "smaller" scenes too that showed the affection the two main characters had for each other. For example, there was this "Pride and Prejudice" moment: "Under any other circumstance, it [people watching at a ball--this is a Cinderella retelling after all] would have been quite entertaining. Aurora barely heard a word. Magnus stood too close for her to pay attention to anything else, and he was still touching her. It was an unobtrusive, barely there touch. Covered by the folds of her skirt, their hands kept brushing, fingers tangling idly and then releasing in a slow, sensual dance. Each touch, each brush of his fingers against the sensitive skin of her wrist felt like a kiss."
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it if you like Jessie Mihalik or Jennifer Estep.
July 5, 2020
2.5 stars. Lots to unpack!!
The good:
* Beautiful, beautiful descriptions and sensory experiences of Calliope
* Writing flowed and it didn't feel too long. There was one time I stayed up past midnight to catch a few more pages.
* Potential was definitely there
* I liked the concept of different worlds/planets
The not so good:
* Aurora: I could empathise with her, but she was also a little bland, and not as focused/desperate as I expected. To save her homeworld, I wanted more impetus from her to go for all resources available. I get she was exhausted and under stress with juggling her responsibilities, but her motivation didn't always seem in focus. Written as attractive, intelligent and helpless (and not without flaws), at the same time, as a character she wasn't super interesting.
* Magnus. We're told he's a spacer, now turned professor. Please tell me more about spacers, because we got more of the professor. Maybe I'm an oblivious reader, but how does the title fit in? Cinderella, I understand. Spacer, not so much.
* Insta-attraction and smut. It got hot and heavy quickly early on in the book. And based on looks. Plus graphic smut. Smut, even explicit smut doesn't phase me if it's integral to the story or, meaningful. But explicit smut with little to no relationship build up turns me off. There are several smut scenes in this book, be warned. The later ones made a little more sense as Aurora and Magnus' relationship deepened, but it was still a little too smutty for me.
* Chemistry / relationship drama: I felt a lot of the chemistry was based on looks. As above, I wasn't 100% a fan of Aurora which made it somewhat difficult to also believe the chemistry and relationship.
Also the misunderstandings and miscommunications (big or, small, YMMV). The author did bring up the reality of Aurora and Magnus' situation (kudos), but the poor communication leading to misunderstanding and drama wasn't great. It wasn't too much that it ruined the book, but at the same time, the conflict/reasons for conflict could have been a whole lot better.
* Secondary characters were a bit 2D. Not going further than that except that I'd like more depth.
* Suspense and the baddies... a bit simplistic.
* Names... were Japanese, but ethnically the characters were not? This wasn't fully explained?? Not sure if I missed it.
Conclusion: it seemed like there was too much going on all at once. However, there was a lot of potential and I still enjoyed the book. I'm not ruling out reading future books by this author.
Note: The Aurora and Naia friendship/dynamic reminded me a little of Gaila and Nyota from the Star Trek or more accurately, Spyota fanfic I've read. A homage maybe?
The good:
* Beautiful, beautiful descriptions and sensory experiences of Calliope
* Writing flowed and it didn't feel too long. There was one time I stayed up past midnight to catch a few more pages.
* Potential was definitely there
* I liked the concept of different worlds/planets
The not so good:
* Aurora: I could empathise with her, but she was also a little bland, and not as focused/desperate as I expected. To save her homeworld, I wanted more impetus from her to go for all resources available. I get she was exhausted and under stress with juggling her responsibilities, but her motivation didn't always seem in focus. Written as attractive, intelligent and helpless (and not without flaws), at the same time, as a character she wasn't super interesting.
* Magnus. We're told he's a spacer, now turned professor. Please tell me more about spacers, because we got more of the professor. Maybe I'm an oblivious reader, but how does the title fit in? Cinderella, I understand. Spacer, not so much.
* Insta-attraction and smut. It got hot and heavy quickly early on in the book. And based on looks. Plus graphic smut. Smut, even explicit smut doesn't phase me if it's integral to the story or, meaningful. But explicit smut with little to no relationship build up turns me off. There are several smut scenes in this book, be warned. The later ones made a little more sense as Aurora and Magnus' relationship deepened, but it was still a little too smutty for me.
* Chemistry / relationship drama: I felt a lot of the chemistry was based on looks. As above, I wasn't 100% a fan of Aurora which made it somewhat difficult to also believe the chemistry and relationship.
Also the misunderstandings and miscommunications (big or, small, YMMV). The author did bring up the reality of Aurora and Magnus' situation (kudos), but the poor communication leading to misunderstanding and drama wasn't great. It wasn't too much that it ruined the book, but at the same time, the conflict/reasons for conflict could have been a whole lot better.
* Secondary characters were a bit 2D. Not going further than that except that I'd like more depth.
* Suspense and the baddies... a bit simplistic.
* Names... were Japanese, but ethnically the characters were not? This wasn't fully explained?? Not sure if I missed it.
Conclusion: it seemed like there was too much going on all at once. However, there was a lot of potential and I still enjoyed the book. I'm not ruling out reading future books by this author.
Note: The Aurora and Naia friendship/dynamic reminded me a little of Gaila and Nyota from the Star Trek or more accurately, Spyota fanfic I've read. A homage maybe?
October 19, 2023
This book is kind of an odd duck. It’s a Cinderella STEM romance in space, basically. Our FMC is an overworked, underappreciated grad student in The Future - there’s a whole subplot about terraforming and her science work - who almost has a one-night-stand with our MMC, who is incredibly hot, incredibly rich, incredibly powerful, and incredibly brilliant. The universe heaps constant setbacks on her, and our MMC springs to her rescue each and every time - not because he’s charmed by her beauty, of course, although he is, but because he’s awed by her sheer brilliance. His parents have an unhappy relationship because his mother, like the FMC, was in a financially precarious position when his father began to woo her and had no real option but to accept, so of course he can’t actually initiate a romantic relationship, much as he would like to. The background setup feels very contemporary (the FMC goes to the gym, wears sneakers; there are aggressive paparazzi pursuing famous people; academia has a contemporary US-style setup; rich people attend famous trendy restaurants while grad students go to food vendor street stalls) with a frisson of science-fiction details.
Plot-wise, other reviewers have mentioned that the FMC is literally racing the clock with her terraforming project to save the lives of her parents and everyone on her home planet - setting aside the implausibility of this timeline, the fact that her pride then prevents her (repeatedly) from asking her infatuated billionaire boss for assistance in getting the project completed before they all die is absolutely ridiculous. The stakes are too high for that to be reasonable or plausible. The scientific plot - as nefarious forces range themselves against Aurora for some reason or other - dragged on while Marcus repeatedly rescued Aurora from peril (and her own stubbornness), and I eventually stopped at about 75%. I just didn't care any more.
Plot-wise, other reviewers have mentioned that the FMC is literally racing the clock with her terraforming project to save the lives of her parents and everyone on her home planet - setting aside the implausibility of this timeline, the fact that her pride then prevents her (repeatedly) from asking her infatuated billionaire boss for assistance in getting the project completed before they all die is absolutely ridiculous. The stakes are too high for that to be reasonable or plausible. The scientific plot - as nefarious forces range themselves against Aurora for some reason or other - dragged on while Marcus repeatedly rescued Aurora from peril (and her own stubbornness), and I eventually stopped at about 75%. I just didn't care any more.
March 28, 2019
Now see, this is why reviews matter. I saw a mention of this book in a writer's Twitter feed and it intrigued me. A Cinderella story set in space sounded like just what I needed in a week filled with crazysauce, but this debut author's work captured me far more than I expected it would...and it never would have happened if someone hadn't left a review.
Aurora is a grad student conducting research on terraforming. She's living on the edge of poverty, working as a research assistant, a TA, and conducting her own experiments, all in the hopes her struggling home planet will benefit. Her mentor is fired and his successor is antagonistic and it's all circling the drain, so when her BFF insists on a night out clubbing, Aurora gives in.
That's where she meets Magnus Thorne. Fill in the blank with every hunky, muscled, brilliant hero description and you've got him. The evening doesn't end the way Aurora expects and she tries to get on with her life, but her research and events at the university spiral into sabotage and political backstabbing that can only happen in a grant-rich, publish-or-perish (literally) environment.
I had some minor quibbles with the ending--I wanted to see Aurora's experiments in action after the huge build-up, but overall the world building was excellent and the love story hot and intense. I would definitely buy more from this author, and I hope she'll give us the story of Naia, Aurora's BFF. There were hints of that near the end of Spacer's Cinderella and I look forward to reading it someday.
Aurora is a grad student conducting research on terraforming. She's living on the edge of poverty, working as a research assistant, a TA, and conducting her own experiments, all in the hopes her struggling home planet will benefit. Her mentor is fired and his successor is antagonistic and it's all circling the drain, so when her BFF insists on a night out clubbing, Aurora gives in.
That's where she meets Magnus Thorne. Fill in the blank with every hunky, muscled, brilliant hero description and you've got him. The evening doesn't end the way Aurora expects and she tries to get on with her life, but her research and events at the university spiral into sabotage and political backstabbing that can only happen in a grant-rich, publish-or-perish (literally) environment.
I had some minor quibbles with the ending--I wanted to see Aurora's experiments in action after the huge build-up, but overall the world building was excellent and the love story hot and intense. I would definitely buy more from this author, and I hope she'll give us the story of Naia, Aurora's BFF. There were hints of that near the end of Spacer's Cinderella and I look forward to reading it someday.
May 29, 2019
Wow, for a first published book, this was outstanding, but I'm bummed that the author doesn't have a backlist as I would definitely buy more of her books. I was drawn into the story right away, even though I'm not usually that much of a fan of Cinderella based stories. Anyway, although this book is superficially like the fairy tale in that the poor, rather downtrodden heroine meets a handsome prince type and is swept away by him, at the same time, there are some important differences from the original. Aurora has a lot more agency than is normal for this particular story, and although there is a villainess character, she's not in Aurora's family grouping. As for the hero, Magnus, he's drawn to her immediately, but after their first meeting, he does try to respect her boundaries and generally treats her as a strong, admirable woman who is his equal so that was a big plus for the story.
Initially, Aurora comes off as naive and unworldly, but I was very pleased as the book went on that although she has an utter lack of self-confidence, nonetheless, she's not sitting around waiting for someone (be it handsome prince or fairy godmother) to rescue her. Instead she actively tries to solve her own problems. In fact, her biggest flaw is how aggressively she rejects other people's help, even when it's offered with no strings attached. Overall, that's my only criticism of the book and I'm looking forward to whatever the author comes up with next (maybe a sequel featuring either Naia or Leda)?
Initially, Aurora comes off as naive and unworldly, but I was very pleased as the book went on that although she has an utter lack of self-confidence, nonetheless, she's not sitting around waiting for someone (be it handsome prince or fairy godmother) to rescue her. Instead she actively tries to solve her own problems. In fact, her biggest flaw is how aggressively she rejects other people's help, even when it's offered with no strings attached. Overall, that's my only criticism of the book and I'm looking forward to whatever the author comes up with next (maybe a sequel featuring either Naia or Leda)?
November 17, 2018
As I moved out of the '70s I quit science fiction Herbert's Dune and Asimov's Foundation, etc. But I was asked to read this new author and am I ever glad. I could read this kind of science fiction all day! Magnus Thorne was born and reared in the depths of dark outer space, where every good parent with resources enhances their children's ability to cope with cerebal implants early in life. He left his family as a teenager and has been radically successful inventing and secretly leasing his 'slipstream' drive and becoming head of the Propulsion Department at Calliope University. This is the same famous research institution where Aurora Sato teaches and uses her grant to work on the project she hopes will save the dying colony where her parents live. However, she cannot even use her PhD credentials and barely makes enough to live on. Magnus is rich and powerful, whereas, Aurora is about to find out how little power she has when her supervising professor is arrested and expelled. In the fairy tale of Cinderella, the prince only has to find and save her once. But Magnus must repeatedly find and save Aurora from project meltdowns, explosions, and even murder! Makes for a nice long read with constant action, lots of chemistry, and plenty of thrills. I volunteered this review from an ARC.
February 25, 2020
I’m not sure what I was expecting going into this but I’m pleasantly surprised. When I think science fiction I think a lot of action/space battles but this is mostly academic politics set in space. It took some time to adjust my expectations but once I was a few chapters in I was invested in the characters’ story. Although there’s a lot of discussion about the science (professors and researchers as main characters) I never found myself bored or confused. The plot also has plenty of twists and turns to keep a reader interested. There are some fight scenes/dangerous situations which keep the story unpredictable. The world building here has a good foundation and I can see the author setting more stories in this world.
The characters are your typical alpha male and sweetheart heroine but their relationship is sweet and heartwarming. It’s also insta-love but it’s a Cinderella retelling so that’s part of the Cinderella/Prince romance. With that said, the relationship between the two does get a fair share of development. The characters get to know each other and are treated as adults who have their own agency.
As a retelling I can certainly see where some of the Cinderella fairytale peeked in but this was mostly its own story.
Overall I enjoyed it. This was something a bit different from what I usually read and I liked it. I would recommend to others who want a science fiction inspired by Cinderella or just a sweet science fiction romance.
The characters are your typical alpha male and sweetheart heroine but their relationship is sweet and heartwarming. It’s also insta-love but it’s a Cinderella retelling so that’s part of the Cinderella/Prince romance. With that said, the relationship between the two does get a fair share of development. The characters get to know each other and are treated as adults who have their own agency.
As a retelling I can certainly see where some of the Cinderella fairytale peeked in but this was mostly its own story.
Overall I enjoyed it. This was something a bit different from what I usually read and I liked it. I would recommend to others who want a science fiction inspired by Cinderella or just a sweet science fiction romance.
December 23, 2019
I will be honest I did not really relate this book to Cinderella. I get why it is labeled as a retelling but it could have easily been its own thing and still amazing. I loved the white-hot attraction between the characters that did not let it completely govern them. It was hard to resist but when their emotions didn't line up the sexy time did not happen. The burning hot attraction did lead to sex though, and boy did it sizzle. But it is not just sex. I loved this book on so many levels.s The people, you got to know them, their fears, their strengths, how far they would go for the people they loved, how stretched to the limit you can be and still desperately cling to what you have to do. They were intricate people that you could imagine knowing. I love those kinds of connections, where you come away feeling like you know these people. Their story and their lives. This book did that. It had action, sex, witty conversations, and a drunken mistake in the form of a colorful genetically engineered cat. It was entirely fantastic. This book is a good read for so many people because it hits off so many genre options. Also, the science nerd talk, so awesome. I would read more by this author.
November 17, 2018
Magnificent Magnus🐺🍆🌋🔪🔫
Magnus🐺🍆🌋🔪is a spacer, a modified man. He is well over six feet tall, ripped and handsome. He has many elements of a cyborg, including nanites.. His brain is one of the most calculating in The known universe. Magnus🐺🍆🌋🔪🔫 is literally a super man!
Aurora💃💋📙 is a young bio scientist, too wrapped up in her work to go out, until her friend forces her to one 🌙night. This is the 🌙night she meets Magnus🐺🍆🌋🔪🔫 at the nightclub her friend takes her to.
Aurora💃💋📙 sees him pounding down shots at The 🍸bar and can't take her eyes off of him. With his modifications, the drinks have no effect. He certainly has a effect on Aurora💃💋📙, though! They begin talking and she finds out he has a brilliant scientific mind, too.
Throughout the book, Aurora feels she is inferior to Magnus, even though she is brilliant in her own scientific field. Magnus likes her because she is an enigma and he feels a great need to protect her.
This is a well written adult sci-fi book, filled with unique and well written world building scenes.
ARC Received from Savannah May Romance💕
I also got the book with KU.
Magnus🐺🍆🌋🔪is a spacer, a modified man. He is well over six feet tall, ripped and handsome. He has many elements of a cyborg, including nanites.. His brain is one of the most calculating in The known universe. Magnus🐺🍆🌋🔪🔫 is literally a super man!
Aurora💃💋📙 is a young bio scientist, too wrapped up in her work to go out, until her friend forces her to one 🌙night. This is the 🌙night she meets Magnus🐺🍆🌋🔪🔫 at the nightclub her friend takes her to.
Aurora💃💋📙 sees him pounding down shots at The 🍸bar and can't take her eyes off of him. With his modifications, the drinks have no effect. He certainly has a effect on Aurora💃💋📙, though! They begin talking and she finds out he has a brilliant scientific mind, too.
Throughout the book, Aurora feels she is inferior to Magnus, even though she is brilliant in her own scientific field. Magnus likes her because she is an enigma and he feels a great need to protect her.
This is a well written adult sci-fi book, filled with unique and well written world building scenes.
ARC Received from Savannah May Romance💕
I also got the book with KU.
December 22, 2018
Extremely enjoyable!
This is true SF/R, or science fiction romance. Aurora is a post doc teacher at the highest rated university in known space and she got there on her own merits. Coming from a family that is part of a failed colony and whose parents, among others, are still there. All she has worked towards is developing a fast terraforming method. With luck, the pods she has developed will convince the grants board to trial her methods on a planet: the planet where her parents are waiting to die. Meantime she is putting everything she can into her research while holding down her full time job at the University.
Marcus is a spacer, a highly augmented human. He is the unknown genius who developed the slipstream drive which has revolutionised space travel and is independently wealthy. He’s also not looking for a love interest, in fact he is bored. When the two of the meet by accident twice in one evening he takes a second and third look at her.
The story is full of twists and turns, misunderstandings and dirty politics. I haven’t enjoyed anything so much for some time.
This is true SF/R, or science fiction romance. Aurora is a post doc teacher at the highest rated university in known space and she got there on her own merits. Coming from a family that is part of a failed colony and whose parents, among others, are still there. All she has worked towards is developing a fast terraforming method. With luck, the pods she has developed will convince the grants board to trial her methods on a planet: the planet where her parents are waiting to die. Meantime she is putting everything she can into her research while holding down her full time job at the University.
Marcus is a spacer, a highly augmented human. He is the unknown genius who developed the slipstream drive which has revolutionised space travel and is independently wealthy. He’s also not looking for a love interest, in fact he is bored. When the two of the meet by accident twice in one evening he takes a second and third look at her.
The story is full of twists and turns, misunderstandings and dirty politics. I haven’t enjoyed anything so much for some time.
May 17, 2019
I thought I had read enough sci-fi romance to understand the jargon peppered in this novel. Apparently not! At one point (around chapter 3 or 4, I think), I decided if the situation (where I was constantly distracted by the gobbledegook) didn't improve, I would just give up. But preservere I did.
(This was actually quite similar to the reading experience I had with Shannon McKenna's futuristic romance.)
Besides B&B, Cinderella is my second favourite fairytale. So I am always more tolerant/generous towards its re-telling versions. This story has drama, realistic threats and a decent world building, although I suspect there are still more stories to be told.
Aurora is depicted almost like a martyr with so much to bear (the future of her home planet to be precise) while Magnus is the obscenely rich hero ready to help, if she let him that is. There are pushes and pulls that border on the tedious side. Magnus doesn't want to repeat his father's path and trap the woman he loves in a marriage and have said woman become bitter. Aurora is just stubborn and too independent for her own good.
And, for the life of me, I still don't know what a "spacer" is.
3.75☆
(This was actually quite similar to the reading experience I had with Shannon McKenna's futuristic romance.)
Besides B&B, Cinderella is my second favourite fairytale. So I am always more tolerant/generous towards its re-telling versions. This story has drama, realistic threats and a decent world building, although I suspect there are still more stories to be told.
Aurora is depicted almost like a martyr with so much to bear (the future of her home planet to be precise) while Magnus is the obscenely rich hero ready to help, if she let him that is. There are pushes and pulls that border on the tedious side. Magnus doesn't want to repeat his father's path and trap the woman he loves in a marriage and have said woman become bitter. Aurora is just stubborn and too independent for her own good.
And, for the life of me, I still don't know what a "spacer" is.
3.75☆
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