Adrift by Isabelle Adler

I came across Isabelle Adler on Twitter back in February when she tweeted about her book, and asked whether anyone would be interested in reading it. After a quick glance at the blurb, I told her I fell in love with the story, and now, here we are.

Genres: Science Fiction, Romance (M/M)
Published: 30th January, 2017
Goodreads
Series: Staying Afloat #1
Rating: 4

Some jobs are just too good to be true.
Captain Matt Spears learns this the hard way after a mysterious employer hires his ship to hunt down an ancient alien artifact but insists on providing his own pilot. Ryce Faine is handsome and smart, but Matt has rarely met anyone more obnoxious. With tensions running high, it isn’t until they are attacked by the hostile Alraki that Matt grudgingly begins to respect Ryce’s superior skills, respect that transforms into a tentative attraction.
Little did he know that their biggest challenge would be reaching their destination, an abandoned alien base located on a distant moon amid a dense asteroid field. But when Matt learns that Ryce isn’t completely who he says he is and the artifact is more than he bargained for, he is faced with a difficult choice. One that might change the balance of forces in the known galaxy.
Matt doesn’t take well to moral dilemmas; he prefers the easy way out. But that might not be possible anymore, when his past comes back to haunt him at the worst possible moment. When faced with a notorious pirate carrying a personal grudge, the fragile connection Matt has formed with Ryce might be the only thing that he can count on to save them both.

Isabelle Adler’s Adrift is the sort of book that makes me go squee quite frequently. Adventure, danger, bravado, in space nonetheless!

Now you might be wondering what on earth has gotten into me that I chose to read a book that is categorized as romance. Well, fear not, I’m fine, and let me tell you, this is still more science fiction than anything, even if a certain character became quite fond of another one and there were some undeniably cute, and sometimes deep moments.

At a mere 180 pages Adrift is a fast paced and action packed story with very little downtime between troubles. In the center of it all is Matt Spears, captain of the cargo vessel the Lady Lisa. With his fetchingly green eyes and perpetually tousled auburn hair this dude is not only quite the looker, but he’s quick witted, and above all a proper wiseass with a past he’s trying to forget.

When a mysterious stranger makes him an offer he can’t refuse, Matt and his crew sets out on an Indiana Jones style mission to retrieve an ancient artifact. They are thrown together with Ryce, a half human, half Onorean dude; highly intelligent, think genious levels, very logical, and not particularly sociable or romantically inclined. Basically like a Vulcan I’d imagine. The fact that said dude takes over his ship, turning Matt into nothing but a name on the flight logs certainly doesn’t bode well in terms of fostering the beginning of a beautiful friendship, but of course once the possibilities of immediate demise arise, opinions can change.

The tiny crew, consisting of Tony and Val were brilliant. Both of them had their fair share of troubles in the past, but on board the Lady Lisa they had a chance to reinvent themselves. While Val is not really a man of words, Tony often made me smile with her witty bantering.

Not often do I come across such rare gems like Adrift. An exhilarating sci-fi with packed with scavengers, friendship goals, jeopardy and some cute, fluffy feels, I can see this book appealing to a wide variety of readers.