Spaceships and Love

I downloaded this book a few months ago and it took me a long time to get around to reading it. I purchased this because I love the Sirantha Jax series. Initially I found it hard to get into this book but eventually I struggled on past the first chapter and discovered that I quite like it. Don't get me wrong, the first chapter isn't badly written or anything, I'm just suffering from a case of committment issues with books lately!

Aguirre who resides in Mexico, clearly has a good grasp of what it means to be an ex pat living in Mexico. The first few chapters where we see Corine contently ensconced in exile and running a pawn/junk shop in Mexico display that. Corine's special skill in being able to sense the memory of objects (albeit with tremendous pain, particularly with metal) enables her to make decent choices in objects and make a modest under the radar living. She craves anonymity as her skill/magic tends to draw the wrong attention and circumstances. Then of course, her ex boyfriend Chance shows up with his own brand of trouble and a heavy favor to ask. His mother has been abducted and he wants Corine's cooperation and skill in finding her.

I think Aguirre is best at making her characters flawed and very human and describing the very real intimacies between people and all of the gritty details of life between them. I don't think she's very good at making her protagonists very lovable though! I didn't dislike or hate Corine, I pitied her a lot and just generally felt dragged along for her ride through this plot but I definitely enjoyed the journey.

I'd recommend this for very good fans of the Sirantha Jax series if you're not going to be irritated by the lack of sci fi in this series and for those that want more realistic human heroines that don't wear leather pants and have tattoos sprinkled in the appropiate places to look badassy.