Epeolatry Book Review: Fiasco by Constance Fay
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Title: Fiasco
Author: Constance Fay
Genre: Space Opera Sci-fi; Action and Adventure Romance
Publisher: Bramble
Release Date: 4th June, 2024
Synopsis: Equal parts steamy interstellar romance and sci-fi adventure, Constance Fay’s FIASCO is a perfect wild romp amidst the stars.
Cynbelline Khaw is a woman of many names. She’s Generosity, a cultist who never quite fit in. She’s Bella, the daughter who failed to save her cousin’s life. And then there’s Cyn, the notorious bounty hunter who spaced a ship of slavers.
She’s exhausted, lonely, and on her very last legs—but then a new client offers her a job she can’t refuse: a bounty on the kidnapper who killed her cousin. All Cyn has to do is partner with the crew of the Calamity, a scouting vessel she encountered when she was living under a previous alias. One tiny little issue, she’s been given an additional bounty: deliver the oh-so-compelling medic, Micah Arora, to the treacherous Pierce Family or all her identities will be revealed, putting her estranged family in danger.
Hunting a kidnapper doesn’t usually mean accidentally taking your sexy new target to dinner at your parent’s house, a local mystic predicting you’ll have an increasingly large number of children, or being accompanied by a small flying lizard with a penchant for eating metal, but, as they field investigative hurdles both dangerous and preposterous, Cyn and Micah grow ever closer. When a violent confrontation reveals that everything Cyn thought about her past is wrong, she realizes that she has the power to change her future. The first part of that is making sure that Micah Arora is around to be a part of it.
Fiasco by Constance Fay is the second book in the Uncharted Hearts series. Sequel to Calamity, also by Constance Fay, readers can jump in here with little issue catching up, but I recommend starting with the first book. The reader is immediately introduced to Cyn Khaw, a bounty hunter in the middle of a job. Having read Calamity, this isn’t the first time the reader has met Cyn. Introduced as Generosity in Calamity, there is more to this character than just being a would-be cultist.
With another job and some unexpected complications out of the way, Cyn is back home feeding leftovers to local stray cats and chatting with her neighbor. When asked to perform a service for Estella Escajeda, Cyn finds herself tracking down a kidnapper with whom she has history. Estella has organized the crew of Calamity to assist Cyn in her mission. Remember that Temperance, the captain of Calamity, is now in a relationship with Arcadio Escajeda, Estella’s brother. The thing is, no one knows Cyn was Generosity. No one, that is, except Micah, the crew medic, who figures out her identity in a very clever way.
Once again, Fay does an amazing job building the relationship between the two main love interests, giving the spicy aspect of this story a fresh feel. In addition to navigating their feelings, Cyn is ordered by a member of the Pierce family to capture Micah. Cyn must determine if selling out a member of Calamity’s crew is worth breaking the trust she’s built with them.
Fiasco takes the opportunity to expand on the known universe—new planets, new organizations, and new facts about the Five Families. Fay offers tidbits about the inner workings of the Families and some of their darker secrets, too. There are loads of characters, including Cyn’s family, that makes the blossoming relationship that much more fun to watch.
At times the story can feel redundant. Again, the Escajeda family has an issue that only an unconventional group can solve. The crew of Calamity is involved. The reader is focused on two characters, and the lead woman is stand-offish, aggressive, and short tempered.
Fay built a universe that can lend itself to new main characters. The reader gets to see that the actions of the first book have consequences for one of the Families. At the time of this writing, there is no discussion of a third book. But, just as with my Calamity review, I look forward to reading another book in this series.
Fiasco is a fast paced, spicy, sci-fi romp around the universe. Fans of the first novel will enjoy the expansion of the lore and the “murder mystery” aspect of tracking down the kidnapper.
/5
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Joseph Pietris is a member of the United States Coast Guard by day and heavily involved in the horror community by night. His work has appeared in several anthologies. When not writing, he’s produced reviews and interviews preferring those works generally lost in the cracks. As an associate editor, Joseph has weeding through the submission piles of horror podcasts.
Joseph’s work can be found at Amazon.com: Joseph P. Pietris: books, biography, latest update
