Cold Victory by Fiona Jayde

Publisher: Loose Id LLC

Pages:  104 (Novella)

From the Cover: 

Intergalactic warfare has not been kind to humans. Convicted pilot Zoya Scott has the chance to avenge her family, redeem an act of desperation with that of sacrifice. She’ll end this war if she betrays the man whose touch burns through her soul, the man whose ship and crew she must destroy. The man who is her bloodmate.

Commander Galen Stark never expected the convicted pilot on his ship to be anything more then a good looking inconvenience. A small brush of their hands grips him with vicious lust, a need he can’t control. She is his bloodmate – a biological reaction burning through his veins.

Except she carries an explosive. And Stark may have to give the order to destroy them all.

Zoya Scott has seen her share of war.  When her small colony is ignored and left to be invaded, she has to watch her sister and young nephew died, and for what, did it stop the war?  Then, when she tries to right the wrong committed, help those who can't help themselves, she's convict of stealing. Now, she's being controlled by the one thing she has come to hate.

Commander Galen Stark is desperate for pilots, he has to take the green pilots without any real training under the belts.  When he's forced to accept the convicted pilot, Zoya Scott, it's the last thing he needs.  His ship is being held together with patches, he has a real shortage of supplies and ammunition, and now an undisciplined convict pilot, can his luck get any better?

But when Galen brushes against Zoya, his blood sings, his body demands hers, Bloodmates.  Zoya never thought to make a Bloodmate connection, and it's so not what she needs, a DNA complication.  Bloodmates always know one another and the connection never lies.

Heat Warning Level:  Back away from the flames, sure to get singed.

Cold Victory by Fiona Jayde is an exciting paranormal/scifi fantasy romance that rocks through and through.  While the title of the book, Cold Victory, gives the reader an opportunity to understand the psyche of the heroine Zoya (she has to remain detached, unfeeling, cold if she going to complete her mission), but the story within the pages is anything but cool.  It is bound in strong emotions.  While our hero, powerful alpha male Commander Galen Stark, isn't looking for any more complications in his life, he hasn't counted on the red-headed beauty who is assigned to his faltering ship either.  From the moment his fingertips touches hers, he longs to see the lush red hair unbound and heat burning in her eyes.  If only they weren't in a fight for their lives.  Zoya, our fiesty heroine, is being asked to complete a mission that goes against just about everything she believes in, but maybe the deaths of a few can bring an end of the killing of the many, bring an end to the Godless war, and relieve her suffering and guilt she feels at letting her family die.  She isn't counting on making a Bloodmate connection with the one man she has to use if her mission is to succeed.  Cold Victory is also about what happens when war drives people to the brink.  A war that was started by an unknown enemy with an unknown cause that won't end until one side can no longer annihilate the other.  Something has to be done to stop it.

Cold Victory was anything but cold.  From the moment the hero and heroine encounter each other, the pages heat up, and not only do the characters bring heat to the story, but find themselves inexplicably drawn together beyond their ability to stop, even when they know the situation may lead to their own deaths.  Galen is such a strong figure, but not opposed to sharing his strength and gaining strength from Zoya, they fit together perfectly.  Fiona Jayde is a new author for me, but this won't be the last on her stories that I pick up.  I love finding new authors, especially ones who capture my attention completely.  Cold Victory was a very quick, intense read that I found difficult to put down, read in one sitting.  I recommend it for readers who like some red-hot romance and space fantasy readers, well worth your time.

I bought this book for my own enjoy, hope you will too.  All opinions expressed are my own.