This is the first book in a series of six. It’s also available in a combo-pack of three audiobooks. I like science fiction, space opera, and even romance, but I didn’t much like this book. It reads like a bad romance with an absurd instant love I found impossible to credit. The main female character is supposedly a hotshot NASA starship commander. When a bridge officer forms an intimate relationship with another woman, she becomes childish, juvenile. She indulges in jealous tantrums and spiteful revenge. She is also inconsistent in other actions. All this behavior occurs while on a starship far from earth, with the looming threat of hostile aliens. As for Zack, at first he lost me when he used his super hack skills to terrorize a teacher he didn’t like. He’s irresponsible and judgmental. Later, he grows more likable.
Plot lines are not bad, but they lack depth. It all feels superficial, like a thin veneer of mystery, suspense, and adventure. Much of the story is conveyed via telling. The author telegraphs what’s coming and then retells what just happened, in case you missed it.
In this series there are aliens. I did like the Boxan alien species and the Nershals, too, but I noticed that they seemed just like humans, after describing their physical differences from us. There was almost nothing to differentiate their culture from various human cultures.
Narration is fine, with excellent flow and pronunciation, but his voice is just a bit monotone to my ears. So instead, I read the book, free from kindle unlimited. Just a few typos.