Review: Only Good Enemies by Jennifer Estep
From the publisher:
A woman on a mission...
My name is Vesper Quill. I used to be a lowly lab rat, toiling away in obscurity developing brewmakers and other household appliances. But thanks to my seer magic and my own ingenuity, I’m now a Regal lady and the head of a successful corporation.
My mission? To destroy the Techwave, the dangerous group that has stolen my designs and plans to weaponize them against the Imperium. But when my mission takes an unexpected turn, I’m once again surrounded by enemies and fighting for my life.
Further complicating matters is Kyrion Caldaren, an arrogant Regal lord whose fate is bound to mine. Kyrion doesn’t realize the two of us still have an unwanted connection that puts us both in grave danger...or does he?
A man surrounded by enemies...
My name is Kyrion Caldaren. As the leader of the Arrows, the Imperium’s elite fighting force, I’ve been tasked with tracking down and destroying the Techwave before they seize control of the Archipelago Galaxy.
My other mission? Find a way to assassinate Lord Callus Holloway, the Imperium ruler who wants to take my psion power for his own. Holloway is also a threat to Vesper Quill, who haunts my thoughts, despite the broken bond and distance between us.
When I realize Vesper is in danger, my priorities change, and I vow to use all my telepathic, telekinetic, and other abilities to help her. I will save Vesper from her enemies and mine—even if I have to burn down the whole bloody galaxy.
Review:
I picked up the audiobook of Only Bad Options earlier this year because Jennifer Estep was an Apollycon 2023 author and I was trying to make sure I read the ones I wasn’t familiar with. I normally don’t listen to audiobooks, but was immediately drawn into the world that was created… and then had to wait until July for the sequel. I again listened to the audiobook, so please forgive any spelling issues.
The story picks up a few months after the ending of Only Bad Options. Vesper has taken over the defunct Kent Corp and is now HBIC (head bitch in charge) of Quill Corp, making actually functional top end items and turning a profit. She’s managed to find a badass Regal to continue her training and is plotting to take on the Techwave… although she’s thinking they’re going to bribe her and not kidnap her. Meanwhile, the evil lord himself has heard of Vesper’s kidnapping and sends Kyrion, Zane and two new super sadistic Arrows to save her… just kidding. He orders Kyrion to kill her. It’s about this time that Kyrion realizes they are still bonded and is trying to sort out his feelings about this whole thing. The story does delve into their feelings and does tend to get a bit repetitive and whiny with the whole “do I actually feel how I do about you because I do or is it the bond?” rehash. There were several times where I was yelling at my phone to just kiss already, but yeah. The story does give us a lot more information and Vesper’s powers are growing and it’s so much fun to see. The story does get a bit slow in places, but it’s usually between long action scenes, so I appreciate the brain break.
I could’ve sworn that this series was going to be a duology, but the ending makes it clear we will see more from this world and I’m so happy about that! We also switch narrators at the end which makes me wonder if this is the end (or end for now) for Vesper and Kyrion, which I don’t think will be a bad thing, but also NOOOO!
4.75 / 5 Stars
Vesper and Kyrion do finally get it on in this book and it is decently spicy, if that’s not your thing, be warned.
Audio specific things that may or may not be an issue for anyone else:
~ Vesper is a genius inventor and is always taking things apart and building them back better. Her voice actress has a twinge of a southern accent and I can only picture Tweak from the Octonauts. If Vesper ever says “buncha muncha crunchy carrots”, I will probably lose my mind.
~ Kyrion’s voice actor goes just a skosh too deep with the voice and when it comes to the spicy scenes, I can’t stop myself from laughing. I absolutely hated the voice at first because it sounded super fake and pretentious, but it did grow on me. It’s the perfect voice for a broody man baby that Kyron tends to be when he’s not killing people.
~ They make the sound effects for the fighting and it’s kind of jarring to be in the middle of a battle scene and then hear someone yell out PEW PEW! It did take me out of the story a few times.