Breakaway

Verdant String, Book 1

De: Michelle Diener

Narrado por: Natalie Beran

She's the key to everything . . .

Sofie has a choice--she can eke out an existence in the shadow of Felicitos, the tethered way station where she works on the breakaway planet of Garmen, or she can try to bring it crashing down. When she teams up with Leo, a man who's dedicated his life to fighting her enemies, her choices start to narrow, until her secrets are the only thing keeping her alive.

Leo is all too aware he doesn't know enough about Sofie, something his own security detail is not slow to point out, but he can't keep away. When Sofie reveals her links to the resistance, and shows him those in control of Garmen have begun swimming in even more dangerous waters, he realizes his plan to overthrown them in a careful operation of a thousand cuts is no longer workable.

The time has come for a single, lethal strike--and that will not be without consequences . . .

BREAKAWAY is science fiction romance at its action-packed best.

©2018 Michelle Diener (P)2025 Michelle Diener

Good SciFi

The story is an interesting mix of a highly capable female operative, who also falls in love with a reasonable guy. I think it’s worth a listen.

Good story with likable characters!

My interest was caught with the very first line. I loved the world building, the action and romance. This is the kind of story you will listen to again and again.

Totally skilled but humble female rebel secret agent on a corporate planet

I ecstatically couldn’t stop listening to this intelligent romantic action sci-fi novel. I enjoyed it even more in audio format than I did in print. The heroine Sophie Urdo is like a female James Bond mixed with the agents in Rebel One. She thwarts assassination attempts and jumps onto moving vehicles! The plot has secret codes, secret rooms, rebels, smugglers, and a villainously greedy government on a futuristic planet. I love the intelligent and courageous pair of main characters, Sophie and Leo. I also love how the author has planned out the realistic details of the planetary society and the distinctive jargon. There is a romantic element to the story, but the smart sci-fi mystery thriller plot overshadows the little bit of romance. I highly recommend this novel for all space opera fans and especially fans of Michelle Diener’s science fiction.
If you can’t keep track of a dozen minor characters, then this book might not be for you. Also, I would say it is PG-13 because of the moderate violence and minimal love scenes. Any love scenes are “behind closed doors”; in other words, you know that it occurs, but it switches to the next chapter without describing anything about it. I think that works well for this novel.
The single female narrator, Natalie Beran, did a great job. Her smooth and pleasant voice was perfect for the heroine, and she expertly voiced the male characters as well. She was just as fantastic at action scenes as she was at romantic dialogue. I thought she pronounced a few words oddly, but that may be because she is Australian. It seems like a reasonable way to pronounce words on a far away planet.

We need the rest of the series!

The author has once again created a world, or a galaxy that has depth and believability. This future society is based on equality and fairness. Criminal attempts are still made by people wanting to control everything, but despite some mistepes the strength of the utopian civilization continues to come through for everyone.

Terrific SF romance

The narrator is excellent. She does justice to this fabulous story.

This story is a perfect combination of romance and adventure. The world building is fascinating, and the action is enthralling.

Sofie and Leo are well matched. They are both dynamic, honorable, highly sympathetic protagonists. In particular, I love how kick-ass Sofie is.

There is plenty of passion between Sophie and Leo, but the sex scenes are closed bedroom door, which was fine with me.

This novel is a terrific lead-in to an outstanding SF-romance series.