Customer Reviews

True Deception (The True Series, Book 2)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I love a good science fiction romance, and they are really hard to find now. We get alot of fantasy and paranormal romances, but good sci/fi is my first love, and this series is outstanding. I am looking for more and I hope quickly.

Aedon Rawn is a Korcian. They are known across the galaxy for their warriors and their ability to employ the tactics of war. Aedon is the leader of his own squadron, but he is giving everything up to join the new Directorate formed by Cullon Gavriel and Ambassador MacFadyen in TRUE BLOOD. His wife and child were murdered by they Conglomerates pirates, 4 yrs ago and he is ready for revenge, or at the least justice.

Kala Char'ari is the leader of the revolution on Hachyn, the origional leader has trained her and just as Aedon arrives so do the local troops. He is killed as they escape. Kala is an orphan, but she was devoted to Jein, and with his death her purpose is sealed, she will free her world from these parasites. Even if she doesn't realize it, she is a very strong woman.

Aedon and Kala must find their way to the safe camp in the mountains. He is very willing to help every way he can, but he is unable to be truthful about his mission. He can not and will not tell her is an covert agent for the Directorate. Attracted to Kala from the minute he sees her he knows that he will make use of her and her freedom fighters in order to protect his world from the Conglomerate. The Conglomerate is a financial empire of sweeping proportions, interested only in the bottom line and money and power.

Aedon has the abilities and knows the tactics needed to free this world. The freedom fighters must trust him and Kala, to get the job done.
This is a wonderful read and I really enjoyed it you will too. Do not miss it.

Aedon Rawn is from the planet Korcia. He was part of the Fleet. Four years ago his wife and daughter were killed by Rendhal's pirates while being passengers on a transport. Aedon's combat experience, nerves of steel, a remarkable instinct for guerilla warfare tactics, and self-sufficiency made him a perfect for the special role the Directorate gave him. By playing the role, Aedon would have a chance at revenge against Governor Avis Rendhal of the planet named Hachyn. Hachyn was originally colonized as an industrial planet. If its factories are being converted to produce weapons, they need to be destroyed. Once Aedon reached Hachyn, he was to contact Eiven Jein, the leader of the Hachynite Citizens for Freedom.

Aedon meets Kala Char'ari, a woman who has dedicated her life to freeing her people. Kala is the only one who meets Jein face-to-face. To reach Jein and his freedom fighters, Aedon needs Kala. Kala only agrees to let Aedon meet Jein because it is the Korcian's price for the grenades the rebellion needs desperately. That does not means she trusts the man though. Her pistol never wavers. However, Aedon earns their trust and he joins their quest to dethrone Governor Rendhal. Hachyn is part of the outer regions. The outer regions take up half the galaxy. That means, if Intel is correct, a big army and a lot of weaponry. The Conglomerate may be planning on taking on the Korcian Empire and the League of Planets. Aedon's Directorate duty is to give the Directorate a complete report on what Rendhal has up his sleeve. The truth turns out to be much worse than anyone has predicted!

Governor Rendhal knows that if the rebellion succeeds in breaking away from the Conglomerate, other worlds will follow. This cannot be allowed to happen. With only six weeks to crush the rebellion, the governor puts Commander Denikin Esarell in charge. Commander Esarell is a brilliant, charismatic monster with a gift for cruelty. But Esarell believes the governor to be too weak. Esarell has his own dark agenda and should he succeed, more is lost than simply the galaxy!

**** The main characters from the first book, Cullon and Danna, are mentioned only briefly in this book. I wish there had been more. Alas, perhaps at a later date. Aedon and Kala are a phenomenal pair too. The author clearly showed that they both had pasts that pounded them hard and yet they have ended up quite planished, smooth and tough. The duo, in my opinion, do not mesh as well as Cullon and Danna, but I was not fooled for a minute. Aedon and Kala are still a perfect match for each other.

As for the plot, it is very well done and easy to follow. Readers do not have to read the first book (True Blood) at all. For those of us that often buy a book, only to find out it's not the first in a series, this is terrific. No matter what order you read the books, you will never feel lost. There is no need for the author to explain anything from previous books. This book stands alone in the plot and romance. All-in-all, a grand addition to the TRUE space opera. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

This is book 2 in the True series--and how I hope there will be many more!! The worlds created in True Blood are here but you don't need it to get pulled into this one from page 1. The start with the mission for Aedon Rawn sets the stage excellently and the book just takes off from there. Danger, risk, trouble, love, tension--this book has it all. People fighting to free their planet from a money-grubbing, land destroying invader resonates so strongly with so many places in our own world fighting for similar freedom. That leads to a compelling story with twists and turns a plenty. It's got romance, chemistry, attraction--everything a romance novel should have.

My only complaint? It was too short. I wanted more!!

True Decption's true decepton is that it steals whole passages of text from Don Pendleton, Ken Follett, and Robert Ludlum throughout the entire book.

Unbelievable!

D.H.

P.S.: I just got my copy today & by page 5, I see she also ripped off Barry Eisler's Rain Storm.

TRUE DECEPTION
(True: Book 2)
by Patricia Waddell
Tor Books
October 1, 2007
Available: October 30, 2007
ISBN #0765354659
EAN #9780765354655
304 pages
Paperback

TRUE DECEPTION is the second book in a series which involves Directorate alliance between the Korcian Empire and the League of Planets. Intelligence has indicated that the oppressive Conglomerate government of the outer colonies has begun to amass arms in its factories on Hachyn. Terran Ambassador Danna MacFadyen and Korcian Enforcer Cullon Gavriel (TRUE BLOOD), the Directorate Joint Commanders, have assigned Fleet Squadron Commander Aedon Rawn the sole responsibility of traveling to Hachyn to meet with Eiven Jein, leader of the Hachynite Citizens for Freedom resistance group, and give whatever assistance necessary to destroy whatever plans the Conglomerate had for military supremacy.

The Korcian had more than one reason to accept the assignment, not the least being revenge for the death of his wife and daughter at the hands of Hachynite pirates. On Hachyn he is reluctantly led to Jein by Kala Char'ari, a beautiful young resistance fighter. However the meeting is not to be. The pair had been tracked and Jein sets off an explosion designed to kill him self and the government soldiers while destroying the resistance stronghold. Kala and Aedon escape the blast but now Kala is more certain than ever that Aedon is not to be trusted.

With the fate of her planet resting on her shoulders, Kala has no choice but to work with the Korcian as he alone has the necessary military experience to develop a viable strategy for the freedom fighters. The uncertain outcome of the campaign forces the pair to live for the moment and their initial attraction deepens. The passion between them is undeniable but Aedon has secrets he's not willing to share and Kala is not sure she can live with that, if they live at all given the high risk nature of his plan to liberate the planet.

TRUE DECEPTION is an edge of the seat futuristic romance that draws the reader into a complex and fascinating new world. Readers will not only find themselves caring about the people of Hachyn but will be holding their breath as this unlikely pair risks it all not only to free Kala's world from Conglomerate oppression but to save the universe as they know it as well. Their personal relationship is all the more passionate given that each moment might very well be their last, but it also has what it takes to stand the test of survival. Kala is one of the strongest heroines this romance reviewer has come across in years. The enigmatic Aedon's strength is never in question but he never loses sight of whose battle he's fighting and is self confident enough not to be threatened by her leadership role. They make quite a team. Although this combination of action-adventure, dark suspense, science fiction and hot romance can definitely stand alone it is also trademark Patricia Waddell, exploring the depths of human idealism with an emphasis on the power of love. Truly delightful! --- Reviewed for PNR Reviews

Very good outer space love story . It holds you in supense . Good read along with the Frist Book True Blood. I hope she writes more !!!

Kala Char'ari, a freedom fighter on Hachyn, is glad for the help offered by Aedon Rawn when she is pursued by state police. But is the pilot a smuggler or a spy? His actions hint at a military background but he refuses to trust her with the truth. How can she trust him with her heart?
Aedon cannot reveal his true identity, especially when someone in Kala's organization is leaking information to the enemy. Sent to her world on a secret mission, he is driven by revenge but tamed by love for the feisty rebel. This classic futuristic romance is not to be missed!

This book is the follow-up to 'True Blood' and takes place in the same part of space as that book, although with different characters. Like the previous book, the hero of this book is a Korcian, but Aedon Rawn's life is somewhat different than that of Cullon Gavriel. Aedon's wife and child were killed four years before by the Conglomerate, the group causing great concern to the Korcians and the League of Planets. Aedon agrees to go on a spying mission to the planet Hachyn to find out what the Conglomerate leader there, Rendhal, is up to; Aedon is given the name of a resistance contact on Hachyn, Eiven Jein, and sets off to start his mission, building a cover as a smuggler of weapons.

As soon as Aedon arrives on Hachyn, however, he finds himself in the thick of the action. He teams up with Kala Char'ari, second-in-command to Eiven Jein, and the two of them work together to find out what's going on on Hachyn and to defeat Rendhal's plans for arming his planet. Much of the action reads rather like a James Bond film with escapes, attacks on various installations (including an underwater approach), explosives, sex and betrayal. It's an enjoyable and action-packed read with a few twists and turns and a lot of charm.

The romance between the hero and heroine felt, at times, a little spurious to me; the sex scenes were formulaic and didn't really add anything to the plot, but both Aedon and Kala were interesting characters and they seemed well matched. Those who enjoyed 'True Blood' will like this book, as will others who like romantic science fiction that contains a lot of action.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2007