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readingwithhippos 's review for:
Valor's Choice
by Tanya Huff
I read this on the recommendation of my sister-in-law Stefanie. She described Tanya Huff’s Confederation series as comfort reads, and that was all I needed to hear to convince me to try them out. I am pretty much all comfort reads all the time now. Valor’s Choice was a bit of a departure for me, as it’s military sci-fi set in space, a genre I’m fairly inexperienced with. One thing I liked, though, that made Valor’s Choice feel different than the stuff I’ve read before is that it’s written by a female author and centers a female character. And while it’s not a romance, the story kicks off with a scene that hit very familiar beats to me as a romance reader--Torin wakes up after a one-night stand with a stranger, only to discover later that morning that said stranger is her new commanding officer. Womp womp.
Torin is human but works in an integrated military that includes several different alien species. I really enjoyed this aspect of the worldbuilding, especially the species that have to wear pheromone maskers to keep from driving their comrades crazy with lust (again earning this romance reader’s seal of approval). One thing I struggled with but was too lazy to look up on the internet was the hierarchy of all the ranks. Apparently a second lieutenant is higher up than a staff sergeant. *shrug* If you say so. I’m sure some of the militaristic intricacies were lost on me, but I found it amusing how officers had to be handled with kid gloves and their delicate feelings pandered to. I could easily see that being true to life. Also, even as someone who normally tunes out during fight scenes, I was on the edge of my seat each time Torin’s group went into combat.
Would I have liked this book more if Torin and her superior officer had gotten up close and personal while waging intergalactic war? Yes. That would have been the whipped cream and cherry on top of the sundae. But ice cream is good even without it.
Torin is human but works in an integrated military that includes several different alien species. I really enjoyed this aspect of the worldbuilding, especially the species that have to wear pheromone maskers to keep from driving their comrades crazy with lust (again earning this romance reader’s seal of approval). One thing I struggled with but was too lazy to look up on the internet was the hierarchy of all the ranks. Apparently a second lieutenant is higher up than a staff sergeant. *shrug* If you say so. I’m sure some of the militaristic intricacies were lost on me, but I found it amusing how officers had to be handled with kid gloves and their delicate feelings pandered to. I could easily see that being true to life. Also, even as someone who normally tunes out during fight scenes, I was on the edge of my seat each time Torin’s group went into combat.
Would I have liked this book more if Torin and her superior officer had gotten up close and personal while waging intergalactic war? Yes. That would have been the whipped cream and cherry on top of the sundae. But ice cream is good even without it.