Do you like spicy sci fi stories, forced proximity, and love interests who are respectful and caring? Then Arcadia Station by Mimi Hanyoo will be just what the doctor ordered.
This book is a novella that mostly follows a developing relationship, and which lays the groundwork for what looks to be the beginning of a continuing story. It’s a sci fi romance set on a small freighter with a ragtag crew, à la Firefly.
Trigger warning: this novella mentions an outbreak of an illness and a quarantine. The POV character, Zelle, is removed from the outbreak by being confined to her ship in dock. Even so, if you’re still sensitive to stories like this because of the pandemic, maybe give it a skip. But if you’re ready to start exploring themes of quarantine in fiction, then Arcadia Station would be a good place to start, because the details are not shown close-up.
What I loved best about this novella is the love interest, Liam. He’s caring, respects boundaries, and follows Zelle’s lead as they navigate the change in their personal relationship. He’s the ship doctor, so he also looks out for Zelle’s wellbeing. And he cooks several delicious-sounding meals for her. I love it when characters cook for one another; it’s one of my favourite tropes in all of fiction.
My only gripe is that there is a mystery plot that is set up within the novella that isn’t completed by the end. Presumably, the author intends for this story to continue in future volumes. However, I could not find anything about the author’s intentions. She doesn’t seem to have set up an author website for this pen name yet. But I hope there will be more to this story, because I enjoyed it.
A romantic space opera novella about a co-op crew just trying to get by.
Zelle Walker is the captain of Mother Jones, a nondescript rock hopper run by a handful of like-minded people. She’s finally hitting her stride with her ragtag crew, picking up just enough missions to earn credits to slowly upgrade the ship.
When they dock at Arcadia station to deliver cargo, everything goes so smoothly that they have a full week to spare. Zelle orders her crew to take the week off for rest and relaxation at the busy transport hub so that they can recharge before the next mission. She’s hoping the time away from everyone will help her get over her feelings for Dr. Liam Yoshida, her second in command.
Unfortunately, someone’s brought a contaminant onto the station, forcing a lockdown that includes all docked ships. To make matters worse, she’s trapped on the ship with Liam for the indeterminate future until the lockdown is lifted.
