I know they say “don’t judge a book by it’s cover,” but honestly, one look at the cover of Pirate Nemesis told me everything I needed to know. I could tell this book would be bursting with space battles, pirates, cool telepathy-based superpowers, and most importantly, that it would centre around a female main character who could kick serious ass.
I threw the old adage to the wind and snapped this one up based on the cover illustration, and I was not disappointed.
The main character, Mercy, is my favourite kind of badass FMC. After running away from her evil grandmother, the Pirate Queen Lilith, Mercy was raised by an ex-navy smuggler alongside his own daughter. She’s been around the galaxy a few times, and has plenty of sci-fi street smarts. But she’s never trained her telepathic abilities.
So when Mercy is kidnapped by an underground group of enemy telepaths, she’s up against powerful minds far more capable than her own. For once, Mercy is not able to save herself.
Just as Mercy is about to be killed, space pirate Reaper and his Dogs rescue her from her captors. The pirates don’t know who it is they’ve rescued, though. They’re in for a surprise when they realize they’ve stumbled upon the missing granddaughter of their former queen, and the only one with the power to psychically unite their people.
But the pirates weren’t exactly happy with their former queen. Political manoeuvrings and attempted assassinations plague Mercy’s homecoming. The only person she trusts is Reaper, the man whose very presence strikes fear into every pirate’s heart but her own. Because Reaper is a Killer. A telepath with the sometimes uncontrollable ability to murder with his mind.
Mercy begins to learn the ways of the pirates and trains to use her powers, but just as she’s starting to connect with her people, and with Reaper, a shocking threat appears. One that could turn Reaper’s Killer instinct against Mercy and destroy the pirates’ civilization from within. And as the Queen, Mercy is the only one with the power to save the people she’s beginning to care for.
There wasn’t quite as much action as I’d expected in this one, but it’s a series starter with tons more to come. And there definitely were a few blaster battles and explosions to keep things interesting. The romance was spot-on, with a slow build and a satisfying love scene.
But my favourite thing about the book was the world building. The pirates society was unique and fun. They operate like one huge extended family, with all the love, chaos and drama that goes with it. This makes for an enjoyable blend of the playful, banter-heavy dynamic you get with a found-family spaceship crew combined with the backstabbing and political intrigue you get with a full-on galactic-scale space opera. The pirates’ telepathy isn’t a one act show, either. There are so many variations on the pirates’ abilities that their telepathy makes for a full-fledged magic system in itself.
Put it all together, and the world of the Telepathic Space Pirates is one I’d love to spend more time in.
So it’s a good thing there’s more to this series. Telepathic Space Pirates Book #4 is set to debut later this month, and a fifth book is in the works. Plus, there are about a zillion “Swag Story” novellas that allow readers to explore various POV’s and adventures in the pirates’ world.
A note to those who prefer single partner romances–while Pirate Nemesis is a one boy one girl romance, it’s insinuated that the main character will be expected to choose a whole lineup of consorts in the future. I’m not sure how that plays out in the subsequent books, but I’ll keep you posted, because book #2 is definitely going on my TBR.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves sci-fi action centred around a kickass FMC, with a heavy dose of romance on the side. And if you’re reading this blog, that’s probably you. If you hurry, you might even be able to take in books one through three before book number four comes out on September 24th!
