Book Reviews

Book Blurb

The Red Dragon is a ship in trouble. It was once the pride of the Outer Spiral Trading Company’s fleet, but is neglected and fallen from its old glory. It’s a ship in need of love ... and a new captain.

Alyn Evans is a man in need of a new challenge. He’s an ex-warship captain and peace has put him out of a job. A man of his experience should have no trouble commanding a merchant ship ... he thinks. But of all the challenges he faces on his first trip out, the hardest one is keeping his hands off his gorgeous and fascinating company rep, Jarvez Kashari.

Jarvez Kashari is a man with a plan. He’s determined to make a name as the company’s best trader and thinks reviving the fortunes of the Red Dragon is the perfect opportunity to prove himself. Jarvez travels light, sacrificing personal relationships to focus on his ambitions until he meets Alyn Evans. Falling in love was not part of the plan.

It’s four months to Earth. Four months for Alyn to juggle passengers, prisoners, suspicious officers, a resentful crew and the intensifying relationship with Jarvez. Four months in space with a traitor aboard ...

 

 

First edition published at Loose Id, May 2013.

Second edition independently published, May 2018.

Book Review

This terrific, tightly knit space odyssey dishes out a nice little romance betwixt its intergalactic adventure. It reminded me of a good episode of a science fiction show like “Serenity,” maybe because the space ship, Red Dragon, serves as a catalyst for most of the action taking place.

Former warship Captain, Alyn Evans, is in the middle of his vacation when he receives word that the trading company he now works for has a ship for him to captain and they want him to come in, pronto. He arrives at headquarters to find he’s in a hurry up and wait situation; neither his uniform or his ship will be ready until the following day. Figuring it’s his last free night before he’s in deep space for four months, he blows off a little steam in a sauna, picks up a guy, and they have a go at it. Surprised, at a freaky twist to the sexy tryst, he finds himself interested in possibly hooking up with the dude again, but the guy is a one-time-only-pony, doesn’t want to know his name even, so they part ways.

It’s cool, he’s got his head full of this ship he is supposed to be captaining, and by the looks and raised brows he’s getting whenever the name “Red Dragon” is mentioned, he knows something’s amiss in paradise. The next day he reports to company headquarters and gains quite a few surprises. The Red Dragon is in horrible shape, her last captain has been arrested, her crew is practically mutinous, and he’s expected to cart the traitorous captain and her cohorts back to Earth, where justice will be meted out. The final cherry on the Red Dragon cake? A company representative will be joining him and the crew on board the ship.

So, new ship, new challenges; he ran a warship, he figures he can rise to the occasion. But his introduction to the company rep throws him yet another curve: it’s his hookup from the previous night, a Mr. Jarvez Kashari.

What follows is a nice romantic mystery. The company suspects another crew member was involved in the original captain’s treachery, and Alyn and Jarvez must work together to figure out which of their many shipmates is the traitor before they reach Earth. They also must keep their hands off each other, a daunting task as although electrical sparks fly between the two men, getting involved will not help the crew morale problem, as the last captain and her company rep were having an affaire. 

Sexy and swiftly paced, the overall story was sharp and witty; the romance between the two leads playing out winningly throughout the adventurous mystery. The building of trust between Alyn and Jarvez and the supporting crew members was both humorous and realistic and a touch of perversity gave Jarvez Kashari a stirring air of exotic mystery. Kudos to the author for being able to pull off a very cool, “Star Trek” worthy rescue, which made the last quarter of the book riveting and quite charming with the active participation of supporting character, Lieutenant Kress, who became one of my favorites. If this is the start of a series, I look forward to reading more about this spirited crew and its courageous lead couple.

Thank you, Becky Black, for this lovely trip to the final frontier. “Stellar!”

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The first edition of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 76241 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	15-March-2025
Price	$5.49 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.jms-books.com/becky-black-c-224_306/the-company-man-p-5391.html