Title: On A Cyborg Planet
Author: Anna Hackett
Series: Phoenix Adventures #6
Genre: Sci-Fi Adventure Romance
Length: Novella
Available: Now
After a vicious coup, cyborg Axton Saros, Prime of the planet of Centax, is trying to rebuild his world. Still recovering from his captivity and dark guilt, he won’t let anything get in his way. But a priceless artifact, stolen during the attack, is still missing and Axton wants it back. What he doesn’t want is the emotionless and infuriating Centax Security cyborg, Commander Xenia Alexander, heading the investigation.
Everybody knows CenSecs are the galaxy’s deadliest killers. So enhanced that their emotions are dampened to nothing. But Xenia’s been keeping a secret her entire life—her systems don’t work and she feels. Working with Axton to find the Codex Da Vinci, he makes every emotion in her flare to brilliant life, but to be the perfect CenSec, she must not succumb.
As they follow a trail of clues and booby traps, Axton vows to do everything he can to show his beautiful cyborg the pleasure she’s never experienced. Even if she fights him every step of the way. But as the hunt takes a deadly turn, their desire might be the only thing that can save Xenia from annihilation.
Source: Bought it
Since On A Rogue Planet is my favourite of the Phoenix Adventures so far, I was delighted that this novella went back to the cyborg planet of Centax. I love cyborgs, so another romantic adventure involving them was always going to win me over, add in a quest for a missing artifact, booby-trapped warehouses and general shenanigans and that’s all I need.
As Prime of Centax, Axton already has a lot on his plate, but in a quest to assuage the guilt he still feels following his own capture and torture at the hands of the vicious Rahl, he just wants to get the planet back to normal as soon as possible. That includes finding the missing Codex Da Vinci. The latest intelligence says it’s still on the planet, and who better to search for it than CenSec’s second-in-command, Xenia.
Xenia’s always known she was different from the other CenSecs because her emotional filters never worked. She can still feel, but in her quest to be perfect she tries not to. Yet there’s something about Axton that brings all her barriers down, and it’s not just because she pulled him bleeding and bloody from his cell after the coup. She’ll do anything to help him out, but when that means spending time with him 24-7, even this most perfect of cyborgs finds her heart malfunctioning.
This novella might be restricted to just one planet for its plot, but it’s every bit as enjoyable as the rest of the series. Once more the main characters are wonderfully balanced – they’re both strong and intelligent, raised and trained to protect people, but they also see beyond their roles to the people they are beneath. I love how Axton shows Xenia that she’s still human beneath her enhancements, while she treats him as a man, not just the Prime.
The adventure is fun, with lots of unexpected twists that work well within the short time frame of the story, although there was one moment I wish could have been expanded upon just because it was a great idea – but I can’t have everything I guess. It was also nice to see both Xander and Marin again. Another great addition to this brilliant series, adding yet more layers of detail to the whole universe. I can’t wait for the next one!
On a Cyborg Planet is Out Now!
Visit Anna Hackett for more details.
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