19. The Price of Honey - Lianne Moriarty

read on Kindle, then listened on Audible

34 pgs.

2026
Adult SciFi Short Story
Finished 5/2/2026
Goodreads rating: 3.49
My rating: 4
Setting: anywhere, perhaps 50-100 years in the future

My comments: Interesting, though predictable, short story about a new widow at her billionaire tech husband's funeral.

Goodreads synopsis: When a tech billionaire’s widow and ex-wives gather for his funeral, they witness a final reversal of fortune in this razor-sharp short story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Liane Moriarty.

In the car on the way to her husband’s funeral, Honey Beckett still can hardly believe that Barney is actually dead. Granted, he was more than twice her age. But he was Barney Beckett, visionary tech genius, full of surprises—by turns romantic, inspirational, and controlling. Always in control. At the service, she impulsively goes to sit with the three ex-wives: practical Rita, fiery Svetlana, ambitious Meredith. Each broke up the other’s marriage in turn—and now, one final betrayal awaits.

Liane Moriarty’s The Price of Honey is part of the Deadly Ambition collection, stories about greed, control, and the sinister side of making dreams come true. They can be read or listened to in one bingeable sitting.

7. Detour by Jeff Rake

listened on Audible (purchased)

320 pgs. (10:52)

2026 - published two weeks ago, brand new
Adult Science Fiction
Finished 1/27/2026
Goodreads rating: 3.86
My rating: 5
Setting: Various parts of eastern USA, outer space

My comments: So good, just the kind of science fiction that I love.  We get to know the six main characters really well, they travel together in a spacecraft for two years to leave a satellite on Tritan, one of Saturn's moons, leaving behind family, friends, loved ones, no one.....and when they return......WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT BOOK! Cliffhanger time. This one's only been out for two weeks, so the next one is not in very close sight.  Big sigh.

Goodreads synopsis:   space shuttle flight crew discovers that the Earth they’ve returned to is not the home they left behind in this emotional, mind-bending thriller from the creator of the hit Netflix series Manifest and the bestselling author of The Warehouse.

“If The Martian and The Twilight Zone had a baby, it would be Detour—a thriller that messes with your head as you scramble to piece together what’s really going on.”—Steve Netter, Best Thriller Books

Ryan Crane wasn’t looking for trouble—just a cup of coffee. But when this cop spots a gunman emerging from an unmarked van, he leaps into action and unknowingly saves John Ward, a billionaire with presidential aspirations, from an assassination attempt.

As thanks for Ryan’s quick thinking, Ward offers him the chance of a lifetime: to join a group of lucky civilians chosen to accompany three veteran astronauts on the first manned mission to Saturn’s moon Titan.

A devoted family man, Ryan is reluctant to leave on this two-year expedition, yet with the encouragement of his loving wife—and an exorbitant paycheck guaranteeing lifetime care for their disabled son—he crews up and ventures into a new frontier.

But as the ship is circling Titan, it is rocked by an unexplained series of explosions. The crew works together to get back on course, and they return to Earth as heroes.

When the fanfare dies down, Ryan and his fellow astronauts notice that things are different. Some changes are good, such as lavish upgrades to their homes, but others are more disconcerting. Before the group can connect, mysterious figures start tailing them, and their communications are scrambled.

Separated and suspicious, the crew must uncover the truth and decide how far they’re willing to go to return to their normal lives. Just when their space adventure seemingly ends, it shockingly begins.

26. Where Peace is Lost by Valerie Valdes

read on Kindle

390 pgs.

2023
Adult SciFi
Finished 6/16/2025
Goodreads rating: 4.00
My rating: 3.5
Setting: On some far distant planet

My comments:  It was time for a decent scifi. I don't actually read books any more, I listen to them, but I read this one. and my reading was somewhat sporadic, so it got stretched out quite a bit from start to finish. I think this made it appear to go slowly - however I think it was my own pacing, not the book's, so I'll round my rating up to a four instead of down to a three. I liked Kel. A reviewer labeled this book a romance - I have to take issue with that. A little bit, maybe, but not enough to label the entire book a romance!

Goodreads synopsis:  A brand-new space fantasy novel from master world-builder Valerie Valdes! A refugee with a secret, a dangerous foe, and a road trip that could either save a planet or start a war.

Where peace is lost, may we find it.

Five years ago, Kelana Gardavros lost everything in the war against the Pale empire. Now Kel Garda is just another refugee living on the edge of an isolated star system. No one knows she was once a member of an Order whose military arm was disbanded and scattered across the galaxy. And no one knows that if her enemies found her, they might destroy the entire world to get rid of her.

Where peace is broken, may we mend it.

Kel’s past intrudes in the form of a long-dormant Pale war machine, suddenly reactivated. If the massive automaton isn’t stopped, at best it will carve a swath of devastation that displaces thousands of people. At worst, it will kill every sentient creature on the planet.

Where we go, may peace follow.

When two strangers offer to deactivate the machine for a price, Kel and a young friend agree to serve as their guides. The journey through swamps infested with predators and bandits is bad enough, but can they survive more nefarious dangers along the way? And will Kel’s fear of revealing her secrets doom the very people she’s trying to protect?

Where we fall, may peace rise.

70. Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik

listened on Libby

419 pgs.

2022
Adult SciFi
Finished 8/11/2024
Goodreads rating: 4.03
My rating: 4
Setting: Far outer space, who knows when....

My comments: This is a very good sci-fi set in far outer space with lots of worm holes to go through, lol.  Humans have recently enced a war with similarly bodied extraterrestrials, though these counterparts have absurd telepathic capabilities and are very difficult to outmaneuver.  There is an element of romance throught, and I'm nout sure if I 100% liked that - the mystery and challenge seemed enough without it.

Goodreads synopsis:  

Goodreads Choice Award

Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2022)

Octavia Zarola would do anything to keep her tiny, close-knit bounty hunting crew together—even if it means accepting a job from Torran Fletcher, a ruthless former general and her sworn enemy. When Torran offers her enough credits to not only keep her crew afloat but also hire someone to fix her ship, Tavi knows that she can’t refuse—no matter how much she’d like to.

With so much money on the line, Torran and his crew insist on joining the hunt. Tavi reluctantly agrees because while the handsome, stoic leader pushes all of her buttons—for both anger and desire—she’s endured worse, and the massive bonus payment he’s promised for a completed job is reason enough to shut up and deal.

But when they uncover a deeper plot that threatens the delicate peace between humans and Valoffs, Tavi suspects that Torran has been using her as the impetus for a new war. With the fate of her crew balanced on a knife’s edge, Tavi must decide where her loyalties lie—with the quiet Valoff who’s been lying to her, or with the human leaders who left her squad to die on the battlefield. And this time, she’s put her heart on the line.

The critically acclaimed author of Polaris Rising takes readers on an exciting journey with the start of her brand-new series about a female bounty hunter and the man who is her sworn enemy.

25. Signal Moon - Short story by Kate Quinn

listened on Audible
57 pgs.

2022
Adult Historical Fiction/SciFi Short Story
Finished 3/24/24
Goodreads rating: 4.33
My rating: 5
Setting: 1943 & 2023 London

My comments: Two time periods, two Navy radio operators.  One in 1943, one in 2023.  One British, one American.  Talk about long-distance relationships!  One saves the other.  SciFi....love it more and more each time I read one.

Goodreads synopsis:  A short story about an impossible connection across two centuries that could make the difference between peace or war.

Yorkshire, 1943. Lily Baines, a bright young debutante increasingly ground down by an endless war, has traded in her white gloves for a set of headphones. It’s her job to intercept enemy naval communications and send them to Bletchley Park for decryption.

One night, she picks up a transmission that isn’t code at all—it’s a cry for help.

An American ship is taking heavy fire in the North Atlantic—but no one else has reported an attack, and the information relayed by the young US officer, Matt Jackson, seems all wrong. The contact that Lily has made on the other end of the radio channel says it’s… 2023.

Across an eighty-year gap, Lily and Matt must find a way to help each other: Matt to convince her that the war she’s fighting can still be won, and Lily to help him stave off the war to come. As their connection grows stronger, they both know there’s no telling when time will run out on their inexplicable link.

8. Synnr's Hope by Kate Rudolph

listened on Chirp (I think, lol)
narrated by Tyler Darby
Unabridged audio (6:20)
2020
308 pgs.
SciFi Steamy Romance
Finished 2/2/21
Goodreads rating: 4.33 - 81 ratings
My rating: shoot, can't remember! 2.5 ?                     
Setting: contemporary other planet/galaxy

First line/s:  from Chapter 2:  "The last six months had sucked.  Or eighty years. Lena still wasn't sure how to square the passage of time in her mind.  She was still the same thirty-four year old who'd been walking down the streets of Oklahoma City on that fateful night, and she'd spent six months as the captive of aliens intent on using her for their twisted experiments."

My comments: Darn, didn't record reactions immediately....but there was a lot of hand-to-hand fighting, which made it boring and uninteresting for me....

Goodreads synopsis:  She’s stuck on the wrong planet…
          Lena is supposed to be back on Earth, but any chance of returning home was stolen by the aliens who kidnapped her. She’s safe from those pirates now, but she’s going crazy on Aorsa with nothing to do. Her only hope lies with Solan, the smokin’ hot military leader responsible for rescuing her from her former captors. She’ll team up with him to earn her wings—literally—but no matter what, they’re not falling in love.
          He can’t claim a human…
          Things were simple in the military: follow orders, take out bad guys, protect his people. At home in Osais, Solan has a heap of family obligations and expectations he can’t live up to. Adding a human Match on top of things will only complicate matters, but a Matched unit could go far in the Synnr military. To bond with Lena, he has rules and one is more important than any other: their relationship is strictly professional.
           But when they fail to gel as a unit, they’re sent off to intensive training in the middle of nowhere. Just Solan, Lena, and a house determined to hone them into the best team they can be. When sparks start flying, there’s nothing to stop the two of them from crashing together with explosive heat.

76. Senator's Pet by Avery Rae

#1 Korystus Aliens
listened on Audible Escape
narrated by Meghan Kelly
Unabridged audio (4:11)
2018
206 pg.s
Adult SciFi Steamy
Finished 5/16/2020
Goodreads rating:  3.81 - 134 ratings
My rating:  1

First line/s:  "It'd been nearly a year since we crash-landed on Korystus, a planet populated by beautiful, cruel beings known as Korystis."

My comments:  A whole lot of repetitious nonsense with too many unanswered questions.  HORRIBLE reader, the light, airy, bimbo kind of voice that I hate.

Goodreads synopsis:  Senator Rylos bought me. But he'll never make me his.      
          I'll admit those are strong words for a woman who trembles at his touch. But I can't help it. His kind are as beautiful as they are cruel.
          We crashed onto his planet ten years after we fled Earth. Instead of helping us, they imprisoned us, then sold us off to the highest bidder.
          I was the last human sold. Too much bad behavior. Yet Rylos dared to buy me and call me his pet.
          He might be genetically engineered perfection on the outside, but I won't let him have me, no matter how hard it is to resist him. Because my goal is to escape.
          I keep telling myself it'll be easy. Why does it feel like I'm lying?

70. Alien's Bride by Yamila Abraham

Book #1
listened via Audible Escape
narrated by Rose DeMarco
Unabridged audio (2:48)
2013 self-published
62 pgs.
Adult Steamy SciFi Romane
Finished 4/27/2020
Goodreads rating:  3.27 - 520 ratings
My rating:  3
Setting:  2000 yrs in the future, on a spaceship

First line/s:  "When I woke up this morning I thought I was still in Botswana."

My comments:  This novella length story appears to be the first in a series of three that takes place about 200 years in the future, where a race of aliens now controls earth.  Maritza was kidnapped from the 21-st century and fast forwarded to this time to become the bride and baby factory for one of the most powerful lords of the alien society.  This tells for her plight, and her attraction to the alien Lord.  It leaves us after about 2 1/2 hours discovering that her new husband, who has been kind, gentle, and a little bit sly with her, might be a malevolent leader.  Quite interesting premise.  There's about 10 minutes of eroticism, but the rest of it is a story of world building and speculation.

Goodreads synopsis:  Kind-hearted Maritza is transported thousands of years into the future to be a bride for one of the malevolent aliens who has conquered earth.
          A sci-fi romance adventure for adults only! 22,600 word installment.

44. Assigned a Mate by Grace Goodwin

#1 Interstellar Brides
listened to Audio/ Audio Escape
narrated by B.J. Pottsworth and Audrey Conway
Unabridged audio (4:43)
2016 Stormy Night Publications
156 pgs.
Adult SciFi Steamy Romance
Finished 3/4/2020
Goodreads rating:  3.79 - 1979 ratings
My rating: I forgot to write this down.... 2.5?

First line/s:  "My mind was fuzzy, as if I was just waking up or had too much alcohol in my system."

My comments:  I found it interesting that other than being a little bit taller and larger, all the aliens on Trion are exactly the same as Earth humans.  Hmmmmmm.  Steam factor four our of four and that pretty much says it all.  Shame on me, I listened to the whole thing.

Goodreads synopsis:  When a potential threat against her life forces Eva Daily to seek shelter on another world, she has only one option available to her. She must offer herself to the Interstellar Bride Program. After a deeply humiliating assessment of her suitability, Eva will be assigned a mate and transported to his world to become his bride.
          Upon arriving on the desert planet Trion, Eva soon learns that things are quite different than she is used to on Earth. Her assigned mate, the powerful, handsome High Councilor Tark, makes it clear that she will be expected to submit to him completely, and she quickly discovers that disobedience will earn her a painful, embarrassing spanking on her bare bottom.
          An intimate examination from her new mate leaves Eva blushing crimson, but to her surprise Tark’s mastery of her body arouses her beyond anything she could have ever imagined. Soon enough she finds herself naked, bound, and unable to resist the urge to beg for more as his skillful lovemaking brings her to one shattering climax after another.
         It doesn’t take long, however, for Eva to realize that there is much more to Tark than just a dominant brute who will not hesitate to take his misbehaving wife over his knee and redden her bare bottom thoroughly. But just as her passion for him begins to blossom into love, events back on Earth threaten to tear her away from him forever. Can Eva find a way to remain at Tark’s side and in his bed, or will she be left with nothing but memories of the man who has claimed both her body and her heart?
          Publisher’s Note: Assigned a Mate is an erotic romance novel that includes spankings, sexual scenes, medical play, anal play, elements of BDSM, and more. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book.   

          (How embarrassing....I can't believe I'm actually posting this on my blog!

48. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

read on my iPhone
2016, Crown
342 pgs.
Adult SciFi
Finished 6/3/18
Goodreads rating:  4.1 - 126,999 ratings
My rating:  5
Setting:  Contemporary USA

First line/s:  "I love Thursday nights.  They have a feel to them that's outside of time.  It's our tradition, just the three of us -- family night."

My comments: I swallowed this whole, reading it in less than a day. It’s the second science-fiction I’ve read recently and I enjoyed it almost as much as the first. Couldn’t put it down. I don’t understand even the teeniest tiniest corner of quantum physics, and there is one place near the end that I still can’t quite wrap my mind around - but it doesn’t matter when it comes to the enjoyment of this thriller. It was really good.

Goodreads synopsis: “Are you happy with your life?” 
          Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. 
          Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. 
          Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.” 
          In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.
          Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.
          From the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy, Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human—a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we’ll go to claim the lives we dream of.