The MacLee Chronicles 1-3 by Jina S Bazzar-reviews

SPLENDOR’S ORBIT
(MacLee Chronicles 1)
by Jina S Bazzar
Genre: adult, sci-fi, adventure

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 21, 2023

Ten years ago, Captain Colderaro was the star of the Confederacy Task Force. And then she went missing.

Now, presumed dead, she prefers to keep a low profile. Working as a pilot on a freighter ship, she occasionally accepts the odd refugee passenger to appease her humanitarian conscience. But things go downhill when her cargo turns out to be none other than the princess of an alien race and her two bodyguards.

Embroiled in a galaxy-wide conspiracy, Captain Colderaro finds herself dodging the Confederacy Task Force, fighting space pirates, and evading mercenaries intent on capturing the princess.

Can she make it to the alien planet without losing or damaging her cargo while still keeping her real identity a secret?

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REVIEW: SPLENDOR’S ORBIT is the first instalment in Jina S Bazzar’s adult MACLEE CHRONICLES sci-fi, adventure trilogy focusing on Captain Colderaro aka Captain Leann Smith and Lord Ravi Drax aka Madrovi Fidraxi.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Captain Leann and Ravi Drax) SPLENDOR’S ORBIT follows Captain Lee as she is coerced by Kroz warriors Ravi Drax and his second in command Thern, into saving the life of a young girl she only knows as Felicia, by escorting her back to the Krozalia planet. From the outset, everything goes wrong; nothing goes according to plan when several attempts to kidnap Felicia are followed by numerous attempts on their lives. When the Confederacy Task Force discover Captain Lee’s true identity, Leann, Ravi, Thern and Felicia will have an escort, an escort of which Leann no longer trusts. As the Splendor and her crew fly closer to Krozalia, deception from within reveals betrayal at the heart of the attacks against Captain Lee, and her darkest secrets may get her killed. Captain Leann Smith is not as she appears to be, and in this, she will be targeted by the people she thought she could trust. Searching for the people who destroyed her life, Leann must endeavor to continue her search as she falls in love with a man she barely knows.

The secondary and supporting characters are energetic and dynamic. We are introduced to Leann’s AI advisor Mac; Ravi’s second in command Thern, princess Dolenta Tsakid, and several members from Captain Lee’s former military unit: Cassandra, Lorenzo and Sargent Sullivan. Betrayal came from home, abandonment resulted in someone Leann no longer knew.

SPLENDOR’S QUEST is a story of betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, friends and foes. From AI to cyborgs, space pirates and mercenaries, supercharged weaponry, spaceships and deceit, SPLENDOR’S QUEST is a tale of action and adventure into space, galaxies and planets, akin to Star Trek™ and Star Wars™ with a large assortment of intergalactic beings. The fast paced, multi-layered premise is fascinating and exciting yet I have read a similar story line and series in the past; the characters are desperate, determined and charismatic; there is a romance blossoming between Leann and Ravi. SPLENDOR’S ORBIT ends on a bit of a cliff hanger.

Reviewed by Sandy

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IMPERIAL STARDUST
(MacLee Chronicles 2)
by Jina S Bazzar
Genre: adult, sci-fi, adventure

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 22, 2023

Captain Lee thought she had faced the most challenging trials the galaxy had to offer. She was wrong.

Now she’s on the stunning planet of Krozalia, a world on the brink of chaos following the failed assassination attempt on the princess and the rising of a lethal rebellion.

Alliances are crumbling, loyalties are shifting, and Leann has no intention of waiting for the results. Staying might cost her more than she’s willing to pay, but leaving is no longer as simple as jumping into space.

So when the rebellion leaders make their move, Captain Lee finds herself in the thick of it all—and to save those she loves, she’ll need to use everything in her power, including the forbidden technology she’s worked so hard to hide.

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REVIEW: IMPERIAL STARDUST is the second instalment in Jina S Bazzar’s adult MACLEE CHRONICLES sci-fi, adventure trilogy focusing on focusing on Captain Colderaro aka Captain Leann Smith and Lord Ravi Drax aka Madrovi Fidraxi. IMPERIAL STARDUST should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up after the events of book one SPLENDOR’S ORBIT.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Captain Leann and Ravi Drax) IMPERIAL STARDUST picks up immediately after the events of book one. Captain Leann has successfully returned Princess Dolenta to her home planet but a rebellion is about take aim at the ruling family. As her human companions begin to negotiate a deal with the Krozalian ruling party, our heroine finds herself under scrutiny for who she is and what she knows. Meanwhile, Ravi Drax has made his intentions known to claim the woman who has captured his heart but Leann is determined to find the people who destroyed her life.

The world building continues to focus on the Krozalia people, their political system, and a rebellion meant to remove the royal family but Leann has much bigger plans, plans that will pulls her away from the man with whom she is falling in love.

The relationship between Leann and Ravi is declared as one of life-mates but Leann struggles in the face of past betrayals, loss and grief. Leann and Ravi are separated for most of the current time line but an attack pushes our couple together, in the wake of survival and another betrayal. There are no $ex scenes, everything is implied.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters as the crew and passengers of the spaceship Splendor come face to face with Krozalia’s royal family, ruling parties, security details and military soldiers. The requisite evil has many faces.

IMPERIAL STARDUST is another story of action and adventure, space travel, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, family, relationships, and fated love with AI and Cyborgs, deceit and rebellion. The premise is thought provoking, animated and twisted; the characters are powerful, magical and complex; the romance is fated but subtle. IMPERIAL STARDUST ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Reviewed by Sandy

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ECLIPSED CROWN
The MacLee Chronicles 3
by Jina S Bazzar
Genre: adult, sci-fi-adventure

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RELEASE DATE: January 12, 2024

Krozalia’s fragile stability rests on Leann’s ability to protect Dolenta—the very same cargo she once ferried across the stars. With the Tanue untethered and the emperor dead, Captain Leann has less than three days to help the princess claim the throne. But this time, the captain’s long-buried goals entwine with a decades-old scheme, unveiling a truth that will reshape the destiny of Krozalia and the galaxy itself.

In the conclusion of this action-packed science fantasy trilogy, readers will be on the edge of their seats as they follow Captain Leann’s journey through a galaxy where danger lurks at every turn and the line between friend and foe blurs in the midst of a galaxy-altering conspiracy.

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REVIEW:ECLIPSED CROWN is the third and final instalment in Jina S Bazzar’s adult THE MACLEE CHRONICLES sci-fi, adventure trilogy focusing on Captain Colderaro aka Captain Leann Smith and Lord Ravi Drax aka Madrovi Fidraxi. ELCLIPSED CROWN should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up after the events of book two IMPERIAL STARDUST.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Captain Leann and Ravi Drax) ECLIPSED CROWN picks up immediately after the event and cliff hanger of book two IMPERIAL STARDUST. At the end of book two, our heroine Captain Leann Smith was injured, trying to save the life of the princess Dolenta in the wake of the murder of her beloved father. Several more attempts on the princess’ life, a rebellion of rogue warriors determined to take control, and a senscient creature connected to the royal family find Leann and Ravi on the run, looking for help from whomever they could trust. A ghost from the past is a reminder to Leann that not everyone and everything is who they appear to be but betrayal, vengeance, and a fight for power threaten Leann and her misfit band of warriors and cyborgs such that they will either become outlaws or die trying. In order to protect the princess, and the future of the royal line, Dolenta will merge with her future, to return ten years to take the throne.

Once again, there is a large ensemble cast of colorful, energetic and complicated characters many of whom have ulterior motives. Friends will betray friends, trust must be earned, and throughout it all, Leann knows her time with Ravi will come to a close.

The relationship between Ravi and Leann become something more. Ravi has mate-bonded to our story line heroine but their separation and her need to run threatens the life of the man that she loves.

ECLIPSED CROWN is another story of betrayal and vengeance, power and control, secrets and lies, tragedy and grit. The fast paced, character driven premise is detailed, complex and entertaining; the characters are powerful and determined; the romance is subtle and passionate.

Reviewed by Sandy

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