A review by farairytale
Only Bad Options by Jennifer Estep

adventurous funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

{Thank you SO MUCH to Jennifer Estep and Jessica at NerdFam for providing this book to me! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own, unsponsored and unpaid.}

Stars: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: .5/5 🌶️(Slow Burn)

Jennifer Estep’s Only Bad Options is a stunning space opera romance featuring magic, psionic abilities, and a blend of royal, political, and corporate intrigue set against a richly developed galaxy known as the Archipelago galaxy and focalizing the three factions warring for its control. The story is told in dual-POVS of 1) Vesper Quill, a brilliant, sharp-tongued ‘lab rat’ and seer working in a corporate lab who uncovers a dangerous conspiracy, finding herself entangled with 2) Kyrion Caldaren, a a brooding, deadly killer employed by the aforementioned Imperium leader as an and Imperium Arrow with notorious psion powers. This book delivers a slow-burn enemies-to-reluctant allies (to lovers?) romance chock full of action and adventure that has you absolutely devouring its pages.

I loved Vesper. Her struggle in regard to not having anyone she could truly connect with due to the trust issues of being abandoned lended strongly to the truebond between her and Kyrion through Kyrion’s similar feelings of being unloved and left behind. I particularly appreciated Vesper’s nerdy and brainy nature with her mental as well as emotional strength. I always love a good underdog so her being considered a measly “lab rat” and looked down upon by everyone was poetic when it ended up being one of her greatest strengths.

Kyrion Caldaren, the MAN THAT YOU ARE. As a dangerous psion and Imperium Arrow (elite guards of the evil ‘emperor’ figure), he brings the brooding, powerful love interest vibes that us enemies-to-lovers hoes drool over. His tension-filled interactions with Vesper are a definite highlight, especially considering how SLOW of a slow burn this is. While Vesper and Kyrion start off as seeming enemies to reluctant allies, their chemistry gradually intensifies in a way that feels natural and rewarding. I can’t wait to read the next books in the series

One thing I will say is that the info-dumping in the beginning of the book was absolutely <i> insane </i> – the first few chapters are so heavily-loaded with unnecessary details that not only slowed down the pacing but made me wonder if the rest of the book was the same. This could be what other readers are thinking too, and could deter them from continuing or finishing the book. I must admit I skipped multiple pages of background information. Estep spends a lot of time introducing the world and its magic-tech system, and while it becomes easier to digest later on, it was such an information overload initially. 

Once you get past the info-heavy start, Only Bad Options is an action-packed, thrilling, and addictive read. The rich world-building, fantastic characters, and tension-filled romance make this a must-read for fans of sci-fi and romance. If you love strong heroines, grumpy warriors, and enemies-to-reluctant allies-to-hopefully-lovers with actual stakes, this one's for you!

Highlights:

♥️Underdog Elements: I’m always a sucker for this trope, but especially when it involves women being brainiacs. Vesper’s ‘lab rat’ reputation is actually what saved her life multiple times and ensured she was a badass, brainy heroine!

♥️Fantastical and Detail-Heavy World-Building: The world-building Estep crafts is so immersive - blending advanced technology with fantasy elements. It’s giving Star Wars meets Pride & Prejudice, making for a fresh and engaging mix of genres.

♥️Slowwwwwww Burn: Estep perfectly builds the tension and dynamic between Vesper and Kyrion throughout this book, having all of us on the edge of our seats rooting for them and simultaneously biting our nails in anxiety at what will occur between them. We are all pining for Kyrion Caldaren (and, let’s be honest, Zane Zimmer) and I can’t wait to see what the next book brings for these two truebonded lovebirds.

TLDR: <i> Only Bad Options </i> has me voraciously reaching for the rest of the Galactic Bonds series. Estep’s fantastical techno-futuristic world-building and her superbly crafted characters have me itching to see just how slow this slow burn is going to be. Those who have read Red Rising, Hunt the Stars, and Star Wars will delight in this romantasy and be unable to put it down til the very last page.