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Title: Tundra 37
Author: Aubrie Dionne
Genre: Science-Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Publication Date: February 7th 2012
Rating: 4,5 stars
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Review copy provided by the author.
Gemme is a hi-tech matchmaker who pairs the next generation of Lifers aboard the Expedition, a deep space transport vessel destined for Paradise 18. When the identity of her lifemate pops up on her screen, she’s shocked that he’s the achingly gorgeous and highly sought after Lieutenant Miles Brentwood—a man oblivious to her existence. Believing everyone will think she contrived the match, she erases it from the computer’s memory.
Just as comets pummel the ship and destroy the pairing system forever.
With the Expedition disabled, the colonists must crash land on the barren ice world of Tundra 37 where Gemme is reassigned to an exploratory mission, led by Lieutenant Brentwood. Only in the frozen tundra does she understand the shape of his heart and why the computer has entwined their destinies.
Tundra 37 is the sequel to Paradise 21, a book I reviewed a couple of months ago and enjoyed immensely. Although Tundra 37 is the sequel to this book, it can also be read as a standalone.
Once again, author Aubrie Dionne transports us to the world of inter-galaxy travel, expeditions in space, aliens and of course, love. This time we’re meeting Gemme, who is a matchmaker aboard the Expedition. Using high-tech computers she can predict people’s match. Surprisingly enough her match is Lieutenant Miles Brentwood. Scared that everyone will think she set this up, Gemme deletes the latest match…seconds before a comment collapses into the space ship and the match making equipment is lost forever. Forced to land on a planet called Tundra 37, a barren and vast ice world, Gemme is assigned to an exploratory mission under the command of lieutenant Miles Brentwood. Coincedence or not, Gemme will soon realize Miles’ real personality and why the computer thought they were the ultimate match…
I loved the fact that although a sequel, this book can also be read as a stand-alone. There are new, different and fresh characters, but then again there’s also the return of some old friends, which gives the book a sense of being new yet familiar at the same time. While the book is officially identified as scifi romance, I never thought the focus was the romance. The romance adds to the story of course, but it’s hardly the focus point. The focus is on the adventure, and thus Tundra 37 is more like a thriller than an actual romance story. Talking about romance, Gemme and Miles do offer some swoon worthy moments throughout the book. I was cheering for Gemme from point blank, and although I wasn’t completely convinced of Miles at first, I grew to love him just as much. They make an awesome match, and although the path might be rocky and filled with dangers, I was hoping they’d end up together anyway. I’m a fan of this couple, but I’m glad their romance didn’t take over the plot completely.
The story itself is complex and told from a lot of different narratives. By far the interesting, and sometimes most horrifying narrative was that of the ancient Seers. They have memories of earth and how it all started to fall apart. This secondary plot is amazingly original, and had me on the edge of my seat from start to end. Additionally, Seers are all-knowing, which always makes me frown – it’s a small step from being all-knowing to being so powerful that you ruin the entire plot- , but luckily enough this doesn’t make the plot unbelieveable at all in this case. For the first time in more than a century, the Seers made a mistake when they launched the Expedition in a meteor shower. The question remains however if they really made a mistake or not. The Seers might be all-knowing, but they’re also mysterious, and have just about as many secrets as anyone else on the vessel. That’s what really made them intriguing.
Once again, Aubrie Dionne’s writing style holds the middle between descriptive and fast-paced. I love her writing voice, and I loved how she could change it slightly depending on from which perspective the story was told. Tundra 37 is a worthy successor of Paradise 21, and I’m looking forward to reading the final installment in the series. If you’re a fan of sicfi romance, you don’t want to miss out on this one. Even if you’re not a fan of scifi, but you just want to enjoy a sweet romance story that also offers you tension, adventure and suspense, Tundra 37 is an excellent option.
Giveaway
One lucky winner can win an eBook copy of Aubrie Dionne’s novella, A Hero Rising.
Thank you so much for this wonderful review!
Aparently , i like Sci-fi! Ever since Star Trek (the new movies)
I’m going to give it a try..after my exams are over 😀
I like that there are multiple narratives introduced in the story. It can make it complicated but if it works, it can make a story all the more interesting.
Love the adventure and anything-can-happen aspect of sci-fi stories and I really like the sound of this one as I did the first one.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and hosting the tour! I’m definitely reading this one.