{Review} Riding the Odds by Lynda K. Scott

Posted by Melanie 
Release Date: February 2nd, 2015
Finished Date: January 21st, 2015

Publishers: Entangled: Select Otherworld
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adult
Source: For Review
Format: EBook

Pages: 368

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

An act of desperation and the beginning of seduction... 

Spaceship captain Tara Rowan has her secrets. One is her Rider, Zie. Zie is an organic symbiote—like a living tattoo—that enhances Tara's physical abilities, including superhuman strength and reflexes. The other is the past she's tried so hard to leave behind her. But it's not until oh-so-sexy Trace Munroe decides to blackmail Tara that she realizes her secrets aren't so secret after all...

Trace is a Holy Knight who does everything by the book. Desperate to find a missing princess, he'll do whatever it takes to rescue her and bring her kidnappers to justice. Including blackmail. Yet something about the feisty ship captain draws Trace in and stirs his desire—even if she is a wanted criminal. Because the last thing he needs is any complications...especially when he has his own secrets to hide.

The Review: Riding the Odds was a great Sci Fi/Space adventure read that features the awesome enemies to lovers scenario.
As the synopsis tells us – Tara Rowan has secrets, secrets that could mean death because of the past she wishes would just stay there. Tara is also the owner of a rider, a dragon like symbiote that lives in her body and gives her enhanced abilities, hers is called Zie and they have a close bond because they have been together a long time. Tara is also an independent trader who scrapes by making a living by transporting goods around the area with her trusty spaceship. She keeps people at arms length for fear they will find her secrets…. That is until Trace Monroe walks into her life and the problems begin.
Trace is a Holy Knight, he ekes out justice to those who break the laws and none will feel his wrath more than the ‘scum’ who have kidnapped his sister. He will stop at nothing to find her, even using a little blackmail to get Tara to help transport him and give him an ‘in’ with the lower class people….. he knows her secrets and is not afraid to use them…. But he has secrets of his own… and neither are prepared for the desire that their chemistry sparks in each other.

I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down. The characters were really good and easy to connect with; Tara had a hard live that is slowly revealed as the story goes on, her secret is pretty bad in a sense but understandable and until people have her side of the story, they shouldn’t judge as they have done. I love her connection to her Rider – Zie – I’m always wary of stories where two beings are inhabiting one body, most of the time because it’s some kind of domination issue and they spend the book trying to wrestle control from each other so I was pleased that this wasn’t the case here and they cohabited perfectly so that it was an asset rather than a disadvantage. Zie was sweet and funny, she was like a little childish conscience at times and always made me smile and I love how she was displayed on Tara’s body and how she could move around…. Very cool!
Trace was just what Tara needed to add some sweetness into her bleak life. He has it all going for him and boy do they clash, they both struggle with their want for each other, they argue over what to do, he surprises and challenges her in ways she has not been before and the sexual tension is rife! Trace struggles because the secrets he holds mean that he shouldn’t be with Tara but that’s not what his body is telling him. He is definitely a good match for her though, she challenges him too especially his need to do everything by the book but they complement each other immensely.
The storyline was really good, I often overlook this genre and I don’t know why because most of the time they are awesome and I love it even more when there’s romance. Some major points that made me love this story are; The world building – there are different planets, different atmospheres, different inhabitants and it was all very intriguing, the author did a really good job of explaining things about them that made it easy to read and get into; The Rider situation, I liked the idea of what they are and what they do, it was interesting and enjoyed the relationship between the Rider and the host; The secrets – who doesn’t love secrets in book? We know a couple from the start but that’s not to say the characters do and they keep you reading and involved in the story waiting for them to be revealed; The disappearance of Trace’s sister – you are never quite sure what’s happened to her, was she kidnapped? Did she run?.... and it’s the thread that ties everything together in the end. The action – there are plenty of skirmishes and life threatening situations throughout the story that really give it that danger factor and also an insight into how Tara/Zie work together and about who Trace really is…. It adds a big excitement to the story as we often wonder if they will make it out alive… and then there’s the romance to sweeten the pot and adds that right amount of love and hope so you can route for the characters in every single way. That is just the tip of the iceberg to what this book did for me, I loved it! And I hope there’ll be more from this world. 

4.5 flowers!

Thank to Entangled: Select Otherworld for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.