Free Range Reading
Once again, my attention has been hijacked by the unexpected arrival of an e-book on my library account. I've been enjoying Estep's self-published stuff quite a bit. Yes, she has a formula, but it's a recipe that I like. This little novella gives us a peek into the world of Zane Zimmer, Regal bad boy and frequent opponent of Kyrion Calderan, love interest of Vesper Quill. Despite (or maybe because) they are both Arrows, Zane and Kyrion have despised each other for a long time.
Vesper has her own reasons to look askance at Zane, despite her desire to put some trust in him. But she realizes that if what he says is true, he is in a difficult spot—wanting to protect her but being ordered to capture Vesper and Kyrion to return them to the Imperium. Lack of success could mean his execution.
Estep does a good job of humanizing her part-time villain. Zane has some redeeming qualities: he truly loves his family, even when they disappoint him, and he is highly motivated to keep them safe in an uncertain world. He's developed a persona as an arrogant arse specifically to keep the other Arrows and the public at arm's length. No one quite knows how smart and sensitive he is under the disguise, just as he wants it. Being underestimated is his advantage, at least until he meets Asterin Armas, heiress to a mineral fortune. Everyone seems to be pushing them to get engaged and they both react poorly to being pressured. But as they are thrown together more often, Zane is softening on this issue. Maybe Asterin is too.
My next decision is whether to petition my library to purchase the next book? They've developed a pattern of rejecting my recommendations, so I'm scared of jinxing things. There seems to be a waiting list for this one, so perhaps I can count on other fans to make the request. Fingers crossed!
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