Antidote

By: R A Steffan

Narrated by: Gwendolyn Druyor

Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's Summary

They're fighting the same battle. They just don't know it yet.

Skye Chantrell has just escaped a war zone.

She's carrying the stolen antidote to a deadly bioweapon.

When her damaged shuttle crashes on a remote lunar outpost, she's captured by the leader of a rogue group of barbaric aliens. Now her people's survival - not to mention her own - rests in the hands of the Seven Systems' most feared and hated criminal.

A man with the face of a brutal thug, and the eyes of an angel.

Hunter Tarthasian has every reason to hate the Regime.

He and his comrades have turned vigilante, vowing to use every means at their disposal to bring down the evil Premiere. Now, they're hunted and on the run, holed up in an abandoned outpost while they plan their next move. The last thing Hunter needs is a female human civvy with a terrible secret crash-landing on his doorstep. Especially when she starts to awaken feelings in him that he can't afford right now.

Feelings that could very easily get all of them killed.

From award-winning author R. A. Steffan comes a sizzling new sci-fi romance series, perfect for fans of J. R. Ward and Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Strap in tight, because all's fair in Love and War.

©2017 R. A. Steffan (P)2017 R. A. Steffan

Light sci-fi romance

I sometimes feel chagrined when I give fewer stars to an audiobook that most other reviewers have rated highly. For this audiobook, I give both the story and the narration three stars.

Narration preferences are very subjective, but I found it hard to get through the narration of this audiobook because the narrator emoted a wee bit too much for my comfort. Within the first three minutes of the narration I knew that I wouldn't be able to emotionally engage with the heroine because of the way the narrator gave voice to Sky's anxiety/panic/dread/hysteria. It sounded like she was experiencing significant post-traumatic stress for most of the book. For the same reason, the hero didn't resonate with me either - he didn't sound like a very attractive or compelling man, given the voice that the narrator used for his character. I'm aware that this narrator has done lots of work in children's literature, and I can definitely appreciate how her vocal style would fit well with that genre. But for this story, I increased the playback speed and focused on the content.

I thought that the story was okay. The plot made sense and was interesting. It's a light romantic sci-fi story with some steaminess and no real tension between the main characters - they both deny their attraction to eachother at the start, but find their happily ever after by the time the story is finished. The dynamics between the hero and heroine were very predictable, with no surprises.

What I did find interesting, and what makes me curious about seeing how this series progresses, were the cast of supporting characters. Most of the supporting characters resembled personalities I've seen in other series (e.g., by Ward, Showalter, Cole, or Singh), but there was one secondary character - a cyborg - who did pique my interest. If RA Steffan writes a stand-alone story for that particular character, I'd definitely be interested in reading it! Anyway, I think that Steffan did a much better job of developing the supporting characters and making them unique and interesting, compared to the hero/heroine.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great sci-fi action romance!

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook story, set in a sci-if world where humans are being oppressed on a planet by their co-inhabitants who rule there. Our heroine is the human daughter of a scientist who is forced by the evil rulership to create a bio-weapon to be used against the human population of the planet. Her father gives her the formula for the antidote and is killed as she escapes, only to crash land on another planet where the resistance fighters are holed up. The leader is a formidable alien known as “The Rook” in the media, vilified and terrifying to the heroine. Little does she know that these are the rough but capable allies she is seeking to stop the destruction of her fellow humans. The romance between the heroine and hero is sexy but not overly salacious. Lots of action and tension, this story is well written. The narrator did an excellent job of carrying all the voices and giving them life! I’m looking forward to more by this author!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fun sci-fi book

Pretty good listen, liked the story and premise. The narration was ok, the narrator got a little too whiney and dramatic with the lead female which made it a bit annoying at points.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Excellent!

Fantastic listen! Loved the world and characters and it has a fast-paced and engaging storyline. I love Skye and Hunter and didn't want their story to end. Will definitely be on the lookout for the rest of the series. The narrator was excellent, differences in accent and voice for each character. Highly recommend for fans of Sherrilyn Kenyon's The League series. I received a free review copy of this audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

What an interesting world...

The world created for this story is detailed and it shows great potential for being the basis of more thrilling books.

Speaking of thrilling, this story definitely meets the definition. It starts with a bang and the action continues to the very end.

The Vithi (not sure of the spelling) are an interesting species, a good balance of similarities and differences to human, they're relate-able and yet clearly different.

Sky makes for an interesting lead character, she's both out of her depth/overwhelmed and yet she's not willing to just sit on the sidelines as others take risks, she's determined to do everything that she can.

I found the narration interesting, the character voices are very well done. Unusually I found myself thinking that this narration conveyed too much emotion and was overly dramatic, I didn't realize I could feel that way. I liked that there is nothing dull about the delivery and yet at times I found it so dramatic that it was distracting. I mostly loved it, it was just every now and then...

I received this book free from the narrator/publisher/author in exchange for an honest review.

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1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Not too bad not not engaging

The story has a pretty good premise I’m not sure if is the narration or the author. It just felt a little weak. I could not get engaged.

The narration just made the lead female character sound weak and whiny. I mean she wasn’t supposed to be a fighter but she was also a grown ass woman. I couldn’t take the angst and woe is me emotion in the mist of what is supposed to be a plot of genocide against the human race.

The whole time I’m thinking shut up, wipe your tears and grow up.

#alienwarfare #weakfemalelead

Great Sci-Fi Romance

This is the first book in the Love and War Series. I really love R.A. Steffan's writing, she never disappoints. This is a great Sci-Fi Romance, entertaining, with great and complex world and wonderful characters. I love Skye and Hunter's story and I loved to follow them in their journey. I can't wait for the next book in the Series. The narration was really well done and easy to listen, as always with Gwendolyn Druyor. She does a great job with all the characters and accents. I enjoyed my listening. I received this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Hunter is different, is a very good way!

The author graciously granted me a promo for this first in the series after I agreed to review book two. I'm so glad she did because I got to know the characters well. She takes time to develop a scenario that makes believable the interactions and ultimate relationship between Hunter and Skye. In doing so, the supporting caste develop their own separate identities and makes me want to know more of their future. A new world has been opened to me. One that has evaded a devastating blow but is still in turmoil and danger.
To sum it up, R. A. Stefan has succeeded in giving us something new and deep enough to want to continue with its story.
Narration was as perfect as it can get.
👍🏻👍🏻 TWO THUMBS UP HIGH!

Outstanding voices and accents!

This narrator is outstanding! She does different accents for different characters as well as a great range of high and low pitches for male and female voices. The make voices actually sound as if a male is speaking them!
Skye's father worked as a scientist for the "Regime". He was forced to make a biological weapon that would kill all of the humans in the Capital City. He designed an antidote to be used against the weapon. Her father gave her the formula hidden electronically in an earring right before they killed him. Skye then runs and crashes a stolen spaceship. She is saved by a group of Vithii(alien) and a cyborg that were hiding on the small planet.
Hunter is the leader of the rebel group that does anything and everything to go against the evil Premiere and his Regime soldiers. They all want revenge because of things done to themselves or their family by the Regime.
I truly enjoyed the book. There was plenty of action involved, some mystery, lots of technological equipment used as well as romance. I agree with some of the reviewers that there needed to be some more explanation into who the Vithii are and other world building attributes, but I still enjoyed the story none the less. This is a new author to me and I will definitely be reading more in this series!

Saving the human race

This book was exciting and I found it to be interesting in a new way than just the usual sci fi books that I have read in the past.