Only Hard Problems by Jennifer Estep
Galactic Bonds #3
Science Fiction Romance
February 20, 2024- Self-Published
ARC

Review by Angela

I was so excited when Jennifer Estep announced plans to release a novella from Zane Zimmer’s POV. After the events in book two, I suspected she might and even called it in my review.

Zane Zimmer, of House Zimmer, is still reeling from the news that Vesper Quill is his sister. With the escape of Vesper and Kyrion Caldaren, he’s now the leader of the Arrows and has been tasked with finding their hideout and bringing them back to the Imperium. Even with all of that on his mind, he is still worried about the Techwave and what their plans are going forward. For now, he’s traveling with his family to the country estate of another House and celebrating the Summer Solstice.

The Galactic Bonds series is an action-packed good time set in space. The previous two books featured the same protagonists–Vesper and Kyrion–bonded and now on the run. Now it’s Zane’s turn to defeat The Techwave terrorists and maybe connect with the woman who will eventually own his heart. He also has some serious realizations about his family and himself. The sarcastic, good-time playboy is more than meets the eye and what you see in the press.

While this book is novella length, it does move the overall series plot arc along by giving hints at what The Techwave as planned and why they infiltrated the Spring Solstice celebration. I think the building up of Zane’s relationship with Asterin, and her friendship with Vesper and Caldaren are foreshadowing what is to come in the next book in the series. Will Zane travel to her home world to locate the missing couple? Is there a bond in the future for him and Lady Asterin? I’m beyond excited to find out.

Final grade- B