Review: Blue Nebula by Diane Dooley

Format read: ebook received from NetGalley
Formats available: ebook, audiobook
Genre: science fiction romance
Series: Blue Universe #2
Length: 129 pages
Publisher: Carina Press
Date Released: September 24, 2012
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance

Sola de la Vega is on a mission to save the galaxy, and nothing will sway her. Not even the pleas of her beloved husband, Captain Javan Rhodes, to keep herself and their unborn child safe.

Fitted with a series of technological “enhancements” entwined with her central nervous system, Sola is not fully human. Her father is the undisputed leader of Earth, and Sola is driven to put an end to his genocidal rule—before he can follow through with his plans to consolidate power over the universe into the hands of the aristocracy.

Despite Javan’s fears for her safety, and coping with a difficult pregnancy, Sola’s quest has become an obsession she cannot control. Compelled to choose, duty must come before her love for Javan. And when Sola joins forces with Destin Grady — her father’s sworn enemy — in a plot to execute the dictator and seize power, she soon uncovers secrets from the past that have her facing a future she never could have imagined…

If you like science fiction romance AT ALL, get Blue Galaxy now. I’ll wait for you to catch up to me. It is just SO worth it. Don’t believe me? Take a look at my review of the first book in Diane Dooley’s Blue Universe for the first chapter of Javan and Sola’s story.

(And it’s impossible to review book two without spoiling book one at least a little. I want you to discover this world for yourself. Much more fun that way.)

At the end of Blue Galaxy, Javan and Sola have more of a “Happy-For-Now” than a “Happy-Ever-After”. Not because they aren’t crazy in love with each other, but because the entire universe really is out to get them.

Sola is determined that the only way she and Javan can have their happiness forever is if she goes home and gets rid of the enemy who is dogging their every step. There are only a few problems with her plan.

1) Their enemy is the all-powerful Dictator of Earth.
2) He’s Sola’s daddy.
3) Sola is pregnant.
4) Daddy dearest inserted some really messed-up bio-engineered programming into Sola that is messing up her pregnancy and her emotional balance.

And then there’s the really big problem–her daddy the dictator planned all of this (except Sola’s pregnancy) because he wanted Sola to take over from him. He’s dying. He wants her to be the next dictator.

Sola only knows what she wants when she turns off all her enhancements. But without her enhancements, she’s not sure she can survive everything that’s being thrown at her. Especially after her programming makes her give Javan up. But it can’t make her forget him.

No matter how many times she puts her memories of him into data storage. Love is stronger than programming. Love can conquer everything.

Escape Rating B+: Blue Nebula was every bit as good as Blue Galaxy. I loved finding out more about Sola and her world. In the first story, she’s such an enigma. Here we find out what happened to her. But then, so does she!

There’s also a lot of heartbreak. Not just for Sola and Javan, but also for Destin Grady, who loved Sola and lost her twice. I kind of hope there will be a sequel where he finally gets another chance at happiness with someone else. He’s finally earned one.

I do still wish we knew a bit more about Daddy Dearest’s motivations for totally warping all of his children. He was just plain way out there. I kind of get why he became dictator, but not the stuff he did to turn his children into monsters.

Blue Galaxy and Blue Nebula pack a LOT of story into surprisingly short novels. I still wish there were more.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

One thought on “Review: Blue Nebula by Diane Dooley

Comments are closed.