So like I said in my past two reviews, I’m blasting through Jennifer Estep’s Galactic Bonds series so fast I had to cram three reviews into one week to catch up!
If that doesn’t tell you how un-put-downable this series is, I don’t know what will convince you!
Only Hard Problems, book three of the series, was a special treat for me because it provides a window into the mind of my favourite side character, Zane Zimmer.
I adore Zane’s Prince-Charming-from-Shrek vibe, and the fact that there’s more depth and intelligence to the emperor’s supposed goon than he lets the gossip casters–and even his fellow arrows–believe. Complete with jokes about shirtless shampoo commercials and insight into the hurt caused by his best friend Julietta’s betrayal in Book One, Zane’s first-person POV narration did not disappoint.
Only Hard Problems is a full-length novel, but it’s on the shorter side, with only about twelve chapters covering one day in the life of the new captain of the emperor’s elite Arrows.
During the Summer Solstice ball on Corios, Zane fends off an attack from the Techwave while dealing with family drama and doing his darnedest to avoid his forced courtship of Lady Asterin Armas, an Erzton regal and secret ally of Zane’s “enemies” Vesper and Kyrion.
But avoiding Asterin proves difficult when he notices her sneaking into Lord Jorge’s castle and breaking into the inventor-Lord’s research lab. Zane finds there’s more to Lady Asterin than meets the eye, and she challenges him in ways no one else has before.
Plus, do we see the seeds of a potential Truebond forming between these two? I’m sure I’m not the only fan hoping a forced-engagement, enemies-to-lovers romance is on the way!
Despite this novel being on the short side, the characters are well-realized, especially Zane’s grandmother, Lady Beatrice. I wish we could have gotten to know Asterin better, but I believe Estep is likely holding off on sharing Asterin’s secrets so the Erzton lady can star in her own novel sometime soon.
Only Hard Problems also continues the plot of the first two books, giving readers insight into Zane’s struggle to process the new information about his family relationship to Vesper and uncovering further clues about the Techwave’s plot.
Now that I’m caught up on this series I will sadly have to wait until Book Four comes out on October 29th, 2024. But if you haven’t read Zane’s story yet, I highly recommend putting Zane’s summer solstice exploits on your summer reading list!
