The universe is a tough place to make it as a female cargo ship captain, and Remington Hawthorne fights every day to scrape by. A sketchy deal goes south, and although she doesn’t want anyone else to touch her ship, she’s forced to accept help from the stranger who calls himself Max Fletcher. He’s hot. And he’s trouble. Big trouble. But she’s out of time, out of money, and every crooked cartel is … is on her tail.
Max Fletcher has spent his life running from his past. So he has no idea what makes him offer to bail out tall, gorgeous, sassy Remy when she needs a pilot to get her illegal cargo to its destination–the last place in the universe he ever wanted to land again.
One thing’s for sure, it’s gonna be a helluva ride.
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Captain Remington Hawthorne fights every day to scrape enough to get by and she’s hanging on by her fingernails. She doesn’t want to accept help from the stranger who calls himself Max Fletcher but life hasn’t give her a choice. Remy and Max have to find a way to trust each other, save the crew, and not get themselves killed in the process and it’s gonna be a helluva ride.
This story grabs readers’ attentions and holds on tight with strong, quirky and feisty characters that make it fun and exciting. It starts off a bit on the slow side but this gives readers a chance to get to know the characters and really get a feel for their lives, making it easy for readers to become enthralled. The romance between Remy and Max has sparks flying in every direction as Max tries to win her over and get past Remy resistance but both of these characters are tough and quite grumpy so this makes courtship fun and rocky all the way through.
The plot may start off a bit slow but quickly picks up and accelerates to warp speed as Remy and Max discover they have been caught up in some kind of complex web of intrigue that could destroy them all. With bad guys around coming from every direction, Max and Remy not only have to learn to trust each other but everyone on the ship if they want to survive. Once readers have begun this journey through space, they don’t want to miss one second of thrilling & suspenseful ride.
Original review: https://myshelfbooks.wordpress.com/2019/07/21/steel-coyote-beth-williamson/
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I love Space Opera. I know sometimes it is frown upon amog the hardcore Sci-Fi fans, but the genre is usually full of fun and craziness with heroes beating impossible odds and spaceships breaking all the laws of physics. And if you add to the mix a bit of romance with a charismatic character… you get a bomb!! The explosion of this book doesn’t have a big radius, but it is still a nice summer reading.
We jump into the ship of Remy, the captain of a rugged and very small crew of smugglers. They are down on their luck, so the job that is being offered by Cooper is sorely needed, even though it looks a bit seedy. But Remy is having trouble to close the deal, so Max inserts himself into the situation and uses his charm to convince the guy to give them the job. Remy is not very happy about a stranger getting in the middle of her business, but beggers… Now she has to share the ship with her new pilot. The very handsome, very muscular new pilot… What a rotten job!!
I had a good feeling about this book and it was utterly confirmed when I started reading it. I am very glad that the focus is on the story and not on the romance, so the reader can really enjoy the Universe the author creates as the board where the characters dwell. There are plenty of elements, but it is not overwhelming. Just enough details to explain everything that is needed to understand the characters and the situation. That makes the pace pretty light and fast, which is something I’m grateful for. It is not a long book, but it has plenty of room to make the story rather complex and with several twists. I know there are too many coincidences that make the whole deal a bit unbelievable, but in my opinion everything is compensated with the enjoyable characters and action packed adventure.
Both main characters are great, but Max wins by far the podium of the most awesome one. He is very sure of himself, but not in an annoying way. I would say his soft cockiness make him very charismatic and, why deny it, downrigth cute. And the author doesn’t miss a chance to tell us the guy is packing serious muscle. Sometimes the constant description of his chest and biceps gets a bit ridiculous, but that could be my jelousy talking. I like that Remy is capable of resisting Max’s charm (barely), which gifts us with many fun exchanges among them. It was obvious that the Captain was going to be able to resist a limited amount of tight T-Shirts and cocky grins, so when they end together is not that big of a surprise. When they delcare themselves a serious couple, the book loses some of its appealing. Remy goes from yelling at the poor guy to patting sweetly his head in just a matter of days, which I found a bit simple.
As I said before, the romance is not the most important part of the book, but it has its own good moments that will satiate most of the readers. There are several love/sex scenes during the ride to Haverty, but do not expect fireworks or something convulated. They are pretty simple, with a heavy factor of copy/paste that makes them less interesting. Don’t get me wrog. They are correct (Max naked… enough said), but I would tag them as unremarkable and just filling. Even though they are not great, that fact shouldn’t stop you from enjoying Remy and Max as a couple.
The hidden star of the book and one of the most amazing elements in the story is not other than Saint. The Moral Compass of Max. I love the idea of having an holographic companion in your shoulder acting as your speaking conscience, keeping you in the track of good morals and ethics and giving proper advice in moments of need. The bond of the pilot with Saint is spectacular and I am sad it wasn’t explored more thoroughly. I wanted the Moral Compass to have a much bigger role, because the idea of it is awesome and it fits in the story smoothly. Big kudos for it!!
I wouldn’t mind more adventures with this crew! Too bad it seems this is a standalone. There are still some threads that could be explored (Katie’s past, for example), so I wouldn’t be that surprsied if in the future is published another book following the Steel Coyote’s adventures.
Not my usual style to read, but it was interesting. It will be great for anyone who likes Star Wars or any such books or movies. Remy and Max find themselves in a tight situation running for their lives between galaxies. They both have secrets and have to find a way to trust each other in order to survive. The are powerfully attracted to each other and together they have explosive heat. With their motley crew the face the enemy head on as they look to their future.
Remington “Remy” flies a cargo ship, but she’s not just the pilot, she’s the captain, and a good one, she’s had to prove herself over and over. She needs jobs, there is fuel and food to buy for the crew. And a dubious job comes up, she doesn’t want to take it, but she doesn’t really have a choice.
Max is rather taken with a cute little pilot, but she’s not really giving him a chance. So when an opportunity arises, Max is on it. And maybe he can change her mind and her opinion of him.
Finding out the cargo is more than what they expected. Max and Remy need to decide on what course of action to take. But others are on their trail, they need to take action. And now….
Max has a past that haunts him, and he really doesn’t want to return to the planet they are going to. But a promise is a promise, so heading towards a past he’d rather forget, maybe Max needs to face it, rather than always running.
Lots of action, a few twists and lots of laughs. Throw in the chemistry between Remy and Max, and laugh with the colourful characters that make up the crew. Very well written, and really descriptive.
This book has it all action, adventure, humor, angst and love. I loved Remi she is doing the best that she can under bad circumstances and much better than she thinks she is. Max is a hunky flyboy pilot with a sketchy past and a heart of gold. Who knew? When these two get together the universe shifts and we get a heck of a story.
Beth has launched into the sci-fi world with a great book!
**I received a copy of Steel Coyote from Net Galley and Entangled Publishing in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. My opinions are mine alone and not solicited in any way.**
Steel Coyote by Beth Williamson was surprisingly good for a Sci-Fi story plus the author is new to me and I’m crossing my fingers that Katie the “Turtle’s” kick a** mechanic will get a book because I know there’s a good story to be told there. There’s the Corporation, “The Have’s” that rules the skies, The Great Family (Who strong but reward those who follow) but it’s the Have-Nots who have to find a way to fly under the radar and exist. There’s a very interesting way via a bio chip that provides money to everyone.
Remy Hawthorne needs this cargo job badly as her ship is out of fuel and food plus she has two of her best crew counting on her. When she meets the job enough to accept Max Fletcher as her new pilot little does she know that he knows Haverty very well. After adding Max to her crew of two Foley, just don’t let him arrange peppermint candy and Katie who can fix anything especially the Coyote and two twin teenagers, Max and Mason who are going to the same planet. They just need to deliver the cargo in 14 days to receive the rest of the payment without opening the box.
Max Fletcher escaped from the abuse of his father years ago and you guessed it he needs the transport job as much as Remy his Moral Compass, Saint, advises him to not get involved. He knows Haverty quite well and what goes on there with the cooperation of the Corporation/Military and wants to make sure Remy is safe delivering the cargo. But when the twins explain what’s inside the box everyone on the Coyote will do anything not to deliver it to the planet.
Remy has taken over as Captain of the Steel Coyote from her adoptice father. Whilst he was alive she got a modicum of respect, now she has to fight with everyone, who is not a member of her crew, for any work going. She meets Max when he somehow enviegles himself as the pilot of her ship and secures them a lucrative contract. Now lumbered with the far-too-hot-for-his-own-good pilot, she and the crew have to haul a secretive load and get paid on time.
Fabulously well written sci-fi romance. With charismatic leads and a great supporting cast in the crew, the plot fairly zipped along. Think a female Malcolm from Firefly with her hodge podge crew!
Want more now please!
This is my first time in reading this author but do not know how I missed her before. Having been drifting away from sci-fi romance this one though looked a bit different. That cover helps too I do believe. The characters will keep you entertained in this one as the story unravels. Remington and Max as they find their chemistry growing also have to deal with the pitfalls that come their way. Drama is high with you at the front seeing where this is ending up at. With other characters to fit in this one also this is a well rounded action romance even for a sci-fi giving you a excellent read.
I didn’t start out thinking that this was going to be worthy of a 5 Star rating on Amazon. In fact when it started out I thought, ” Okay, it seems like it could be a fairly decent story.” And then the language got a bit rough so this is definitely a story for the adult crowd. So was the fairly descriptive sex scenes that appear. But then I started falling in the love with the story. It’s wasn’t sex with a thin story pieces around it. It was a FULL story in which two adults get together sexually. The good thing is that it doesn’t take over the story.
Mainly the characters grabbed me first and then the action just kept getting better and better. It got to the point where it felt like just about everyone was after them for one reason or another. And of course the inevitable question comes up. How in the world are they going to get out of this alive? And are ALL of them going to make it out alive? And even if they do live is their lives going to be worse?
Remy had a collection of people who were what was left of her crew. But they were more than just a crew to her, they were family. Katie, and Foley are who are left and each were there when her father Gunner ran the ship. Foley was described as someone who is almost blind and often breaks the things he tries to fix but is and always has been faithful to this group of people. Katie is described as a tiny terror, a tough tiny adversary who doesn’t take any guff and knows how to kick butt.
Another VERY interesting and surprising character is Saint. I loved him! He is the Moral Compass for Max. I thought he made for a unusual but good addition to the story. The relationship between Max and Saint was quite entertaining. They also pick up two other people along the way. Their names are Morgan and Mason and they have quite a story too.
The world building in the story I thought was pretty well done.
Although it was sad I also liked the story about how Remy got her name.
Max has depths that he keeps really well hidden. He keeps it hidden by smiling and having an easy-going attitude hoping that people won’t look any deeper. It helps him keep people at arm’s length. But he’s also lonely not really finding anywhere that he can call home. The two main characters had such different childhoods but as time goes on they find they actually do have a lot in common.
Mysteries, dangers and surprises hit the fan as things come to a head during dangerous confrontations. It was great and a good Epilogue follows.
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”