Antibody (EBOOK)
Antibody (EBOOK)
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LOVE AND WAR BOOK THREE—PART OF A COMPLETED SCI-FI ROMANCE SERIES (EBOOK).
Vithii military cyborgs never go rogue.
At least, that’s the official line.
How could they, when their emotion centers have been ripped out and replaced with tech? No, cyborgs are only good at three things—following orders, destroying whatever target you point them at, and walking calmly into the vaporization chamber when it’s time for them to be decommissioned.
PX-12—better known to his friends as Pax—adequately performed two of those functions during his stint in the Ilarian military. D-8, his unit-sibling, performed all three exceptionally well. For that reason, when D-8’s unique distress beacon activates some seven years after Pax saw him destroyed, it would doubtless be quite surprising if Pax were still capable of being surprised.
Someone in the Regime is recycling the minds of decommissioned cyborgs, turning them into weapons even more horrific than they were before. To stop it, Pax will need the help of telepathic Vitharan ambassador—and part time spy—Nahleene Veila’ana, a woman whose motivations are as opaque as her past.
Since his escape from his military masters, Pax has operated using a strict self-imposed code based on logic. He never expected to experience emotion again—not even somebody else’s emotions. Can a fragile mental connection forged in crisis overcome the damage done by a ruthless military research team? To find out, Pax and Veila’ana will first have to prevent an atrocity born from the sins of the past.
Preferably, before it destroys the future.
* * *
From USA Today bestselling author R. A. Steffan comes a sizzling sci-fi romance series, perfect for readers who love complex characters and intricate plots along with their spice. Strap in tight, because all's fair in LOVE AND WAR.
- Publication date: August 31, 2018
- Language: English
- Print length: 246 pages
- File size: 321 KB
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“RYDER, I AM EXPERIENCING a possible system malfunction,” Pax said. “I need an objective observer to aid in assessment.”
Pax had to stoop to look through the door of the converted attic bedroom in the old farmhouse. Inside, it was almost completely dark. Only his enhanced cyborg senses allowed him to make out movement in the bed. Ryder stirred from where she had obviously been asleep moments before, wrapped in her new lover’s arms.
“Pax?” she murmured, her voice raspy from her prolonged expression of delayed grief the previous day. “Just a minute…”
Another figure rolled over and a bedside lamp flipped on, illuminating her bedmate’s groggy features. Temple blinked a few times, clearly trying to engage his brain after the unexpected awakening. “Is this an ‘all hands on deck’ kind of problem or a ‘don’t worry, this will just take a few minutes’ kind of problem?” the human asked.
“There is no immediate danger to the people in this house,” Pax told him. “Ryder, I would not disturb you so soon after the memorial ceremony—”
She cut him off. “Don’t, Pax.” He snapped his mouth closed and averted his eyes politely as she grabbed a pair of trousers, pulling them on. “If there’s a problem, I don’t want anyone else here trying to play doctor for you. That’s my job. And prophets know I don’t want you attempting to self-diagnose, either. Come on. Let’s go somewhere with better lighting.”
“Want me to tag along, you two?” Temple asked around a yawn.
Ryder hesitated for a bare moment. “Yeah… if you don’t mind.”
“Course I don’t,” Temple said, and rummaged for a shirt.
In the part of his brain that wasn’t preoccupied with the impossible distress call he’d received a few minutes ago, Pax was gratified to observe Ryder’s small—and uncharacteristic—act of reaching out. For too long, she had rebuffed all attempts by her friends to breach the protective walls with which she surrounded herself. While the change had clearly been a painful one for her, Pax thought it would almost certainly be healthier for her psyche in the long run.
When the pair was ready, he switched on the LED nestled amongst the implants at his left temple, using it to light the way down the cramped staircase leading to the main floor. The house was quiet, its timbers creaking as the temperature outside cooled more quickly than the temperature inside. Ryder indicated that they should enter the kitchen, where she turned on the overhead light.
She looked pale, her features drawn with the combination of recent injury and long-denied grief. Nevertheless, her movements were brusque and commanding as she gestured them to the table that dominated the center of the room. He followed the pair’s example and sat in one of the mismatched chairs, not because standing was a problem for him, but because he knew sitting would help put the others at ease. Temple, in particular, had seemed uncomfortable in his proximity since their somewhat unfortunate first meeting.
Self-indulgently, Pax spent a moment trying to recall what it had been like not to inspire terror in strangers by his very presence, and failed.
Ryder scrubbed a hand over her face, as if to rub away her exhaustion. “All right, Pax. Give me details. What are your symptoms?”
“I have experienced an occurrence which I know to be impossible,” Pax explained. “Either the present incident is not real, or my memory of the past is not accurate.”
Ryder mulled that over for a moment. Temple frowned.
“Can cyborgs experience hallucinations?” he asked, a bit warily.
The medic shrugged her uninjured shoulder. “Pax’s brain is a tangle of organic synapses and nanobot-constructed tech,” she said. “In some ways, it’s a delicate system. It’s certainly possible, but I suspect there are additional possibilities that may become apparent on further inspection. Now, what are the two contradictory facts?”
Pax cocked his head. “I received a unique internal distress call originating from one of my batch siblings twelve-point-three minutes ago. It lasted for thirty seconds and then discontinued.”
Ryder nodded. “And what’s the problem with that?”
“I watched my batch siblings march into the decommissioning chamber seven years, two months, and eleven days ago. I watched as unit D-8 was vaporized. Yet this was D-8’s embedded distress beacon. Both things cannot be true.”
Temple blinked. “They… made you watch your fellow cyborgs being killed?”
Ryder’s mouth twisted in displeasure, and if Pax could have felt regret, he would have regretted bringing up a subject he knew she found upsetting.
“Cyborgs have a distinct sell-by date, generally speaking,” she said, her unhappiness coming through in her tone.
Temple’s brows drew together in confusion.
“Early experimentation revealed that after a certain period of time, cyborg brains become unpredictable,” Pax explained, “and therefore either useless or dangerous to our military handlers.”
Ryder grunted. “To get around the problem, the military started ‘decommissioning’ them well before their expected failure date.”
The human went a bit gray beneath his dark skin. “And by ‘decommissioning,’ you mean…?”
“Vaporizing,” Pax confirmed.
Temple stared at him for a beat, his head shaking minutely back and forth as he sought words. “How in the hell did our society end up here?” he asked eventually. “How did our world… get like this?”
“Incrementally, and through effective use of psychological conditioning and propaganda,” Pax replied without hesitation. “The organic brain is easily shaped, given enough time and resources.”
The human sitting across from him pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to root out a headache. “Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “Shit. Isn’t that the truth? Okay, so—next question. And I apologize ahead of time for the bluntness. But, if the rest of your cyborg batch reached its sell-by date, and your handlers made you watch while they were vaped, then how are you still here?”
Pax affected a shrug. “My systems failed early. I regained free will, but I was cognizant of the realities of being a cyborg. I had no wish to face immediate termination, or to know that my system failure had condemned my batch-siblings to early termination as a precaution. So I hid it.”
Ryder’s face grew hard, and again, he would have felt regret. He’d never determined if her reaction to the next part of the story was because she was angry with him for his actions—well, more accurately, for his inaction—or because she was angry on his behalf. He had considered asking her to clarify on a few occasions, but it did not appear to be a subject she cared to discuss if it was at all avoidable.
“I often pondered ways to save myself and my siblings from being decommissioned,” he said instead. “But they would not have understood my desire to continue on after being ordered into the vaporization chamber, and I did not wish to be parted from them.”
Ryder shifted, and her voice was tight. “They were your family.”
Again, it might have been accusation or commiseration. He did not ask. “Yes,” he agreed. “They were.”
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- 5 stars: 10 (50%)
- 4 stars: 6 (30%)
- 3 stars: 3 (15%)
- 2 stars: 1 (5%)
- 1 star: 0 (0%)
BOOK REVIEW......I didn't like the book. The story did not hold my interest at all. In part because of the narrator.NARRATOR REVIEW.......Did not like the narrator. She sounded bored with the book. Which made it hard to pay attention to the story.
I got this along with the rest of the series and found them all to be un put downable - I gorged on the stories which were engaging, clever, and with great characters, about whom you really care before the end of the first book.Sci_fi isn't everyones cup of tea, but these are not a bad way to dip your toe into the genre if you feel like trying, but for the seasoned reader there is plenty to enjoy too.
I enjoyed reading this book , it has a good storyline. The book is entertaining and filled with action. Love the chemistry and interaction between the Pax and the other characters is wonderful. I can't wait for more from this author. I received this book as a FREE ARC copy to read and I voluntarily leave this review.
Struggled with the begging but soon picked up the story
This is a well written story. It grabs you from start and takes you far from home to a dissent world were the young women are taken a slaves o ly not quite what thy throught is ment.i hope the readers enjoy the story and the rest of them as i have. Thankyou for all your hard work and may good fortune smile on you always
Antibody is the third in the Love and War series, but the author gives the right amount of background and world building, so that this book could be read as a standalone. However, I highly recommend the first two books in the series, and this book is even better as part of the series. Love and War brings back the Shadow Wing crew, a group of rogue space dwellers fighting against evil forces trying to wipe out humans from the solar system. This book features Pax, a cyborg programmed to only obey orders and kill as directed. However, unlike his fellow cyborgs, Pax developed a free will and fled his creators when they ordered him to self-destruct. Pax joined the Shadow Wing group, and, although he has found friendship with them, he still feels alone in a world predisposed to fear him for his lack of feelings.Introduced in book two, when she comes to the aid of the Shadow Wing, Nahleene Veila’ana is a Vithian ambassador, part-time spy and secret telepath. It is this final skill that proves the saving of Pax in so many ways. While working together on a secret mission to destroy an army of essentially zombie cyborgs, Pax and Nahleene become very close physically and emotionally. By touching Nahleene, Pax can sense her emotions, and it is the closest he has come to feeling since being converted into a cyborg. Conversely, Nahleene finds Pax's lack of emotions soothing to her heightened senses. In other words, these two are exactly what the other needs. Of course, the author throws in some obstacles to them reaching their HEA (miscommunications, multiple life threatening missions, drama among the crew, etc.), but I certainly enjoyed the ride to them getting there.Gwendolyn Druyor's narration is sublime. She narrates all of the RA Steffan novels, and I can't imagine a better choice for these action-packed paranormal romances. She differentiates beautifully between the characters, she handles accents with great skill, and her emotion level is always perfect for the mood of the scene. Once again, a reader can't go wrong with the team of Steffan and Druyor.I received a copy of this audiobook at my request in exchange for this honest review.
I am in love with this series! I would have liked to have seen more growth or healing with Pax but the story is great just the same.I recommend that if you want to read this series that you start with book one.The rebel group asked Nahleene Veila’ana to get information on the cyborgs research when Pax received an alert from a brother cyborg that he saw get turned to particles.She discovered some frightening information. She is also compromised when it is dis overed that she used her mental powers to get inside the research facility.Pax hasn't felt anything since he was turned into a cyborg. When Nahleene links her mind to his he can feel emotions through her.Pax also does something stupid in order to try to save people from the newly created cyborgs.
I was looking forward to finding out what the heck was going to happen with Nahleene and learning Pax's backstory. I wasn't sure how their relationship was going to develop, but in learning how Pax managed to reconstruct the mental skeleton of his personality and forming a code of honor stemming from the military ideals he clung to in spite of his past...sigh...I can see why Nahleene would fall for him in spite of his lack of an emotional center. And in Nahleene, Pax is able to experience those emotions he has lacked.This was a really enjoyable and well-written series. This series is definitely at the higher end of KU options. Each book ends happily for now while contributing to a greater story arc with a satisfying conclusion. The characters are consistent, editing is good, world-building is adequate for a romance genre series.The merry band of misfits made up of Vithii aliens with a stray human and cyborg added into the mix. Each book focuses on one person (in one book it focuses on two) in the group of renegades. Their relationships develops as they fight against a genocidal regime. These books have plots. The plots are the reason for the book, not connectors between **** scenes. I appreciate that.Steffan is a generous author with free peaks available on her website. She also has links to a secret prologue at the end of the books. I look forward to seeing how she develops. I'm hoping for more books with a sci-fi / urban bent with even more character development and detail in the worlds.Hey, if you found this helpful, click that button below. It gives me an odd sense of satisfaction to know that someone actually read this.
I liked it. The narration was good and kept you entertained. The author did a good job with the characters and plot. I have read all the books in this series and enjoyed them as well. I really look forward to reading more books from this author. I was given a free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I am in this to the end, hook, line, and sinker. On to book four!
I love this series! Poor Pax. I hope he is able to rebuild his memory. Very exciting series with a lot of action and no boring parts! Highly recommend reading it.
I'll admit to some uncertainly on what to rate Antibody because while I enjoyed this next chapter in the series I had some problems with the book. Overall, I liked the action and suspense as Nahleene tried to infiltrate the cyborg program to determine what's going on. I found Nahleene to be a strong women who just wants to help her mother's people and stop a war from breaking out in the Seven Systems. Her compassion for Pax is there from the beginning and though he's used to people fearing him, Nahleene never does. Pax choose to become a cyborg but he never really understood what that would mean. He's hyper intelligent, super strong, and capable of deducing things that normal humans would need months to think about.On the surface Nahleene and Pax seem like they could be a great match and I was really looking forward to Pax's story. But this is where things get a little...confusing? Nahleene has some psychic abilities that allow her to influence people, read their minds through a touch, and even push emotions onto another person. When Nahleene psychically connects with Pax he realizes he can experience Nahleene's emotions. However, Pax's emotional center was destroyed when he became a cyborg so he's not expressing his own emotions, merely feeling what Nahleene feels. For me, this distinction created some confusion about their "love". I never felt like Pax did anything to inspire Nahleene to fall in love with him and since Pax doesn't have emotions he can't really love Nahleene back.Now that being said, I really liked both Pax and Nahleene as characters, I'm just not sure about their love story. I enjoyed seeing our previous couples and the tension to stop the Ilarian Regime is really ramping up. The epilogue especially sets the tone for future books. But my other big issue is that Antibody lacked a lot of depth for anyone who hasn't read the previous books. While I understood the characters and their motivations, the history of the Regime, and the customs surrounding the Vithii, I learned it all in the first book, Antidote . I would not recommend reading this series out of order because of this.
The Author is new to me and I did not know what to expect.Antidote: Love and War, book one by R.A. Steffan is the first book in a new series of science fiction romance.Featuring Skye Chantrell, an accountant, and a scientist's daughter who is carrying an antidote for a bioweapon that is shortly being unleashed against humans. She is unwillingly caught up in a political conspiracy against the Regime.The plot and storyline are original, but the story does lack depth.The characters, both the main and the supporting cast are complex and interesting but not developed fully.The ending seemed a little rushed as though the Author was in a hurry to finish the book. A pity really as the plot and storyline had a lot of promise.
3 stars - I liked itWhile I did enjoy this book overall, I have a few issues with it at the same time. Like the previous books I enjoyed the action and suspense. I really enjoyed learning about the cyborg programing, Pax, and more about how other planets view the Ilarian Regime. I am extremely glad that we are continuing to see world building with every book and are getting a better picture of what this small group of rebels is up against.Nahleene was a wonderful heroine who I instantly liked. She was a strong woman who took her job as a spy seriously. She jumps right into infiltrating the cyborg program and isn’t afraid to use her abilities to protect herself. I really enjoyed getting to learn more about her psychic abilities and how she can use them to influence people. Her compassion for Pax was wonderful and I liked that she never was afraid of him. Pax may have chosen to become a cyborg but at the time he didn’t understand what that meant, and by the time he did he couldn’t mourn the loss because of his lack of emotions. Pax’s story was very interesting and I liked that we finally are getting to learn more about him and the cyborg program.My main issue was with Nahleene and Pax’s relationship. While I did like these two, their relationship was a bit concerning. Pax cannot feel emotions but he can understand them. He only feels emotions when Nahleen is physically connected to him and is sharing her emotions. This didn’t really make their relationship seem like it was built on love. Also Pax never really did anything to inspire Nahleene’s feelings so I just felt like there wasn’t really a relationship there.Overall, while I did enjoy this book, the relationship didn’t really work for me. I did enjoy these two characters though. I am very interested in seeing what happens with the next book because things are really ramping up.
It's been a while since I read the other books in this series, so it's good for me that these can be read as stand-alones. This is firmly scifi romance in that there's a main scifi theme and mission while a couple falls in love. So far the couples have been mixed species. In this story, we get cyborg Pax and Nahleene, who had a big role in book 2.For those going for the romance, this was a great couple. It was one of those that shouldn't work, but it totally does. Each of the two leads have parallels with each other so it just makes sense that they fit together in the best possible ways.The specific scifi arc in this story involves shutting down a dangerous cyborg program. All the characters have to use their different talents (hacking, espionage, medicine, telepathy) to get the desired result. The band of rebels that might have started the story has growing ranks as we get closer to the desired end of toppling the regime.I did listen to this via audiobook, and while I normally have nothing but praise for Gwendolyn Druyor, there were three small things that bugged me.*One, she was inconsistent with Pax's voice. Sometimes he sounded like a female character speaking. It was only context that made it clear who it was supposed to be.*Two, her vocal choice for Cade was uncomfortable for me. He constantly sounded like he was growling. I realize it was likely a specific acting choice since he's an addict and regularly in a lot of pain. As a listener, though, it was was hard to experience so much of this character, and he has significant page time in the first half of the book.*Third, there isn't a lot of vocal difference between Cade and Draven.Druyor is normally very great at what she does, and this isn't necessarily a deal breaker.So who's this book for? Steffan fans. Those who like scifi romance. People who like a story where a band of rebels sticks it to the man (shades of Star Wars and Firefly). Those who just want to have a good time for a few hours to read or listen to a fun book.As for me, I'm ready for Ash's story... which should be book 4.
This series is so intriguing. I love all the characters. I like how The Shadow Wing group stick together and support each other even if they don't agree. I'm not so sure about Pax and Nahleen as a couple being he is a cyborg and she a Fitbit. The series contains romance adventure fighting and hope for a brighter future.
I loved this series and would have a difficult time choosing a favorite. I'm excited for the next release. I've read one other of her series and look forward to reading all of her books. Excellent author, exciting and thorough imagination! I mean really, how do you think this stuff up!
This book is the ongoing story of the vigilante group know as "The Shadow Wing". According to the hand fasting that took place in the first book they are all family now; bound by blood and honor. Our big cyborg, otherwise known as Pax is the brilliant one, not that any of the others are not smart as whips too, mind you. In the other books you see Pax as the big, scary cyborg that everyone fears because of their reputation as programed killers, yet he is not like that. He is kind and gentle and very protective of the group as a whole and individually. He was a commander in the regime's army and was very well respected and feared as both a soldier and a leader. It turns out that the regime several years back decided that they were getting too strong and possibly out of their control, so they decided to shut each of them down and destroy them individually in a procession of death. Pax had a very odd thing happen to him before he was decommissioned, he figured out what they were doing and why and turned on them and escaped. FREE WILL. FYI: before he was a cyborg he was a live being and volunteered for this covert mission. He was never informed before they converted him that they would remove his emotions or his free will or he would not have done it. What happened was some of his old self reemerged and he became a rebel. During the course of the last book it becomes known that the regime has been secretly starting a new program of cyborgs without any possibility of emotion, etc. Just straight out killers under the regimes rule. Pax cannot abide by this and sets out to stop it. He needs the help of Nahleene the Ambassador from the previous book. Therein lies the story. Pax and Nahleene have formed a bond and respect for each other which (although a little odd and maybe improbable) it is a sweet and believable connection. Remember this is ScFi and anything is possible. This is a tender and caring Pax that we see, which was there in previous books but much more so in this one because Nahleene is a psychic and mind melder. This is a unique and interesting view of this couple and I found it to be very endearing. You should read these stories in order for the best understanding overall. Enjoy!
I've binge read the series so far and this third installation did not let me down either, so really looking forward to part 4: Anthelion, which I suspect will be about Ash and Draven and gaining outside political support for the cause. I have rather high hopes on the themes on that one! Delicious.Character building is strong throughout the series of course concentrating most in the romantic pair of each current book, but much more indepth than usual for the supporting crew right from the start. It's more like the Shadow Wing as a group is an actual factor rather than just the usual back ground in romantic adventures. I really like it!I think I started reading the series in hopes of relatively good plot with **** alien-human interaction and what I got instead was a scifi/future backdrop for actionpacked antitotalitarian resistance fighters with nicely complex romantic and psychological issues. And I did get the **** part right too, and refreshingly different at that in the department of interspecies mating habits and physiology.I would go as far as say this is literature, not just entertainment.
OMG, I'm very much enjoying this series by R. A. Steffan. I first found her in the anthology Other Worlds and I can't get enough of the Shadow Wing house.This third book is for the character Pax, who is the awesome cyborg in the crew. It was fast paced and action packed from the beginning. There is all kinds of character interaction, in regards to the continuing plot of the series, but this books POV is mainly from Nahleene and Pax,since it their story.I have found myself totally taken in by the world and characters the author has created. I am eagerly awaiting the next two books in the series. I'm not one to give five stars, but this series is very engaging for me. I would highly recommend if you like romances that are not sappy, but do have a HEA.