Okay finished this one for the SFR challenge. It was okay. The sci fi element, while definitely there was not really intense enough for me. Some element of gritty realism was lacking for me. I realize that many who like sci fi romance are not as into hard sci fi as I am so there may be plenty of sci fi for them.

I also had a personal problem with the story in that it was about saving slaves. I wasn't real interested and I realize that slavery exists today so the topic is timely. I just needed more of an escapist story right now since I currently have so much stress in my life. I kept thinking, I don't want to have to think about bad stuff. Another time it may not have bothered me.

About the story itself. It was competently written, no big holes in the plot. I could have used a little more background on the characters, the hero especially. The whole thing came together nicely. There was actual thinking and deciding to be done by the characters. I did like Nod, the little light ball computer. He was cute without trying to be cute. Which shows good writing. Also while he helped the characters out, he was not all knowing or all powerful. He could do the things he could do but that was it.

The supporting characters were very well written. They all had solid motivations and were whole in themselves not cardboard cutouts. The character that gave me the most problem was the villain. His motivation was weak and his power too powerful without sufficient explanation of how he managed to know so much about the hero. He was the most cardboard cutout character.

All in all this was good enough for me to try another of this author's books. ( )

This book was pretty good, though it was a departure from the first three books. I thought the others were light and fluffy reads. This one was a lot darker. I thought Torrie and Qaade made a great team, but were not convincing as lovers. That sexual spark was missing in their relationship. Torrie was a bit of a spoiled princess, but boy did she get an eye opening experience with the life Qaade led. His mission was to rescue slaves from their slavers. Qaade wanted to be the one in control of everything, but he had to learn the hard way that it was okay to have help from others. There were a few times I got teary-eyed and I was really rooting for Torrie and Qaade to come through to save the day. I'm a bit disappointed that there are no others in this series. ( )

The overall rating for the series is 4 butterflies. I had a great time reading these books, I had fun, I got a healthy dose of smutty galore, and I was very, very glad I got a chance to read them.
If I were to say what genre they’d go in, since people are always big on tags and stuff like that, I’d think these are romance with a sci-fi-ish twist, and not the other way around. There is a lot going on in each book, and there’s a whole universe weaved for them, but I feel the main element is the romance. So I’d disagree with some reviews I read up on Goodreads, that slightly bash them for not being solidly sci-fi. I don’t think they were meant to be; and I don’t think I would have liked them more if they would have been, honestly. Buuut then again I’m not a sci-fi buff, I just like the occasional sci-fi because the book was very well written and the writer is very talented, not because of that genre. Anyways…

Unmasked (UN-Forgettable #4)
Aaaand my least favorite one – this one was a 3 butterflies. As I’ve mentioned before, a part of it may very well be the fact that I’d sort of started to detach from the series, knowing full well this one was the last book. And because they’re ‘related’, one character being introduced by the previous book, but they can very well stand on their own, separately, without any issue really, there wasn’t a bunch of tension carrying over from the previous twists and turns in the series. Plus it came after a book I had a lot of fun reading, so without my intending to, it surely got compared and lost some points that way.

I attribute my slightly less enthusiastic reaction to this read to Torrie, really. I mean, Qaade didn’t exactly outshine the other male characters of the series, in my opinion, but Torrie was decidedly less fun then she seemed to be when she was introduced in book #3. I mean, I thought she’d be more fun, and for some reason, she wasn’t quite as much as I thought.

Of course, another factor is all the slaves thing, and the tone of the book in general is more sober, the characters deal with some disturbing issues. I dunno. But I still enjoyed reading it, and if we’re talking series, I say read all the books.
There are some patterns, like the uber-hot-stud male character, and the perky female character, and the outrageous attraction between then, you know, the smutty ingredients for an awesome read ( )

The Unforgettable Series by C.J. Barry began with UNEARTHED, followed in short order by UNRAVELED and UNLEASHED. With UNMASKED, the author has brought us the most delectable hero of all-Qaade Deter. A man of many faces, he's at once a plunderer known only as the Ghost Rider of the Dead Zone. To law enforcement officials on a number of planets, he's a pirate wanted dead or alive. For the men and women forced into slavery and set free by an unknown hero, he's laghato, the savior. To Torrie Masters, a freight captain on a maiden voyage for her family's business, the man in the mask is nothing but trouble with a capital T.

When the Ghost Rider and his gang of roughshod, yet lovable pirates capture the Ventura2, Torrie refuses to bail. This is her ship, by God, and if the engine core is going to melt down, it will just have to take her with it. Fortunately-or not, depending on your point of view-the inevitable breakdown doesn't happen. Instead, her ship is overrun by pirates, and Torrie is taken captive.

In what could have been the end of a very short-lived life as a Captain, the leader of the Ghost Riders sets her free-then turns around and demands her help in return. The pirates are intent on setting free those in slavery, and Qaade expects a grateful Torrie to assist him. Torrie, who had a hand in the rescue of her brother Zain from just such a fate, admires Qaade and his gangly band of merry men in their endeavors. But Torrie isn't sure that joining forces with a man both feared and admired the solar system over is someone to go into league with.

As passions ignite, tempers flare, and forces unite in a bid to save the universe, both Torrie and Qaade are thrown into more and more desperate-and dangerous-circumstances. They'll have to trust each other to survive, and dealing with the emotions of their hearts seems to be the least of their worries.

UNMASKED, although the fourth in the series, is a stand-alone book that lovers of action-adventure, science fiction, and futuristic romances can all enjoy. The story is almost like a ragtag Robin Hood, with the bad guys as good guys in disguise, and a heroine that makes Maid Marian look like a wimp. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and happily anticipate the next book in the series. ( )

This was my first book by this author and it was pretty good. A futuristic that takes place in space, Torrie Masters is captain of her own spaceship on her maiden voyage when she is set upon by pirates. Qaade Deter is captain of the pirate ship looking for drugs that heal the minds of brainwashed slaves who he has rescued from captivity. Torrie is a kickass heroine and I really liked her. I have this obsessive-compulsive problem about reading series books in order. It just makes me feel twitchy if I don't follow the plan. So when discovering about halfway through that this book must be part of a series, I wanted to cut and run. But I was too engrossed to take this thought seriously and I'm glad I finished. It stands alone just fine. It was very fast paced with some hot sex scenes. One quibble though... Torrie could kick some serious ass quite well but was afraid to stand up to her brothers who would like nothing better than to put her in a desk job. This just didn't sit well with my view of her. She could stand up to pirates but not her brothers? That part didn't work for me. My Grade: B- ( )