“Some secrets can be trusted to people with nothing to lose.” – Reesa Herberth
Title: In Discretion (A Ylendrian Empire Novella)
Author: Reesa Herberth
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Pages/Word Count: 114
Rating: 4 Stars
Blurb: Thanson Nez thought his career as a Discretionary would take him to the stars, not strand him on a space station at the ass-end of the Empire. Thanks to his last client, he’s carrying a secret he can’t get rid of fast enough, but his oath to the guild means a swift, painful death if he shares it. Already desperate for help, he runs into yet more trouble: his ex, and an explosion that paralyzes the station moments after their uncomfortable reunion.
Kazra Ferdow, Station 43’s communications officer, is almost as blindsided by the return of his first love as he is by the sudden loss of power and life support. The station is a floating graveyard in the making, and something is turning its inhabitants into savage killers. Fighting human monsters and damaged tech, Kazra and Thanson must put aside their past long enough to try to save everyone.
The more light they shine into dark corners, the more Thanson realizes how many people might die for the secrets locked in his head—and what he’s willing to sacrifice to make sure Kazra isn’t one of them.
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Review: Reesa Herberth has written an action-packed Sci-Fi drama that’s part space thriller, part political intrigue, and part reunion between Discretionary, Thanson Nez, and his ex, Kazra Ferdow, as the men fight the past, as well as for their lives, aboard a crippled space station in the farthest reaches of the Empire.
Some men can’t tell a lie; Thanson can’t tell the truth, at least as it pertains to the secrets he learns from the men he indentures himself to as a Discretionary. His latest contract has turned out to be a rather dangerous one, and as it expires, and as Thanson is set to depart Station 43, his world goes to hell when it becomes clear someone wants to make sure those secrets die with him. Reesa Herberth draws the action out from page one and keeps it moving along at a fast pace. If you like a book that keeps you in suspense, wondering what’s waiting around nearly every corner, In Discretion delivers the anticipation pretty well.
Running into Kazra turns out to be a painful blessing for the two men, as they deal with memories of their past, of Thanson’s abandonment, all while fighting for their lives, and the lives of the people who’re now being threatened by a contagion that’s turning humans into violent monsters.
The backstory between Than and Kaz is sketched out just well enough to understand there are some things they need to get past before they can move on, though while this is billed as a standalone, I couldn’t help but feel I was missing some history I needed to fully engage in the romance. The action, however, was great and elevated the story to a really entertaining read.
You can buy In Discretion here:
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