It's my own fault for not paying attention to the fact that this is part of a series, which explains why I felt like I was tossed into the deep end with this book. That said, you know it's a good series when you end up caring for the characters even though you don't know every bit of their back story. This series gives off some major Firefly vibes, and that is a very high compliment - for that reason, I would recommend it to people that are looking for that specific type of science fiction, though I think this can very easily appeal to a broader audience.

Another great installment in the Atrophy series, further advancing the overall story arc and giving a complete romance for Kira and Varean. Lots of action and tension! I'm really enjoying the worldbuilding, with the alien Reidar species becoming more and more of an intergalactic threat (and seeing how their plot against humans has been so insidious). At times it seems like there won't be any way to defeat them, yet there is still hope and it comes in the form of Varean who has some mysterious abilities that could be key to the Reidar's defeat - if he can figure out how to use them. And as always, the captain of the starship Imojenna, Rian Sherron and his feelings and relationship with the telepathic princess Ella (whom he rescued in book 1) are a secondary story arc that I hope to see completed in the last book. Overall a compelling and interesting read!

I honestly don’t know where to start. I haven’t read the other books in the series and I HIGHLY suggest that you do. At times, I was a bit lost when it came to the world building. This series is all about science fiction and otherworlds; plus, its a genre that I typically don’t read. Otherwise, I really liked the book. It was different and took me out of my comfort zone.

I liked that this book had a familia atmosphere to it. It seems that most sci/fi books have that but with this series, I can really tell that Ms. Anastasi put a lot of thought into all the characters; lead or secondary. Again, since I didn’t read the other books, I was a little thrown when the crew gets seperated, I was torn. I realized that they had things to do but I was really starting to like them together.

Varean is a great hero. Trying to figure out what he is, his feelings for Kira and just generally being himself amongst the crew. He isn’t trusted and he knows it but with Kira, he has someone that he can trust and grow to love.

Kira has been in the other books but this is her story. I liked her. Strong, determined and will do whatever needs to be done for Varaen. Overall, though, don’t think that the romance is at the front. It’s not and that’s why I suggest reading the other books beforehand. The book never lets up either. It’s fast paced, has some series twists and truly, I didn’t want it to end.

I really need to read the other books in the series so I can have a better understanding of this one. Overall, I highly recommend this book because it’s different, took me out of my comfort zone and offered a hero and heroine that I fell in love with and you will too.

I read a free copy of this book for my honest opinion. This book was long but good. While I admit at times it seemed a little slow. I guess I should have started with book 1 instead to get a better understanding as to what was going on. Then it would not have seemed so slow. If you like futuristic type books with a little romance mixed it, I say this is a good book to read.

Trying to pick my current favorite series is like trying to decided with grandson I love best so just say the Atrophy series by Jess Anastasi is in my top 10 list of must be reads. It has the perfect combination of action, suspense and romance in a continuing story-line. This really is a series you need to read from the beginning. I'd all you're interested in is the romance part then be my guest. However you will lose out on Rian and the alien body snatcher aspect that really is the meat and bones to the story.

Anyhow, when last we seen, Rian and gang had found a weapon that helps identify Reidar. It seemed a sure fire beat except it didn't seem to work to well on Varean, well at least they weren't getting the same results as if he was Reidar so they brought him back the Imojenna to investigate. The ship's doctor, Kira, takes a bit of a shine to Varean as she tries to discover what he actually is. Varean has always known he was a bit different but isn't exactly sure he wants to know how different he is. What started out as patient/doctor, soon blossoms to so much more. And of course all of this is going on while Rian and his crew continue on his mission to destroy the Reidar...before they destroy all of humankind.

What I truly love about this story is it isn't all romance and it isn't all SciFi. It a prefect blend of both with a collection of not so perfect characters you can't help but want more of. This time around in Rian's not so stellar life, there are more interactions with Ella who we also get to learn more of. Oh boy, things definitely are getting pretty in-ter-est-ing! Is it Ella or Rian that is the problem. A book ago I would have given you a solid answer but now...hmmm.

Yes, it is somewhat hard to not compare this Atrophy series to Firefly, BUT, is that so wrong? That was a awesome series and so is what Ms. Anastasi has created here. Flawed characters, scary villains and an unpredictable outcome, completely loving it and I am into this SciFi romance for the long haul. Now to count the months until the next release.

reviewed by Jac

Another great installment in the Atrophy series.I've been hooked onto this series from the first book-Atrophy.I really love the world building and the imagination that the author has put into creating this series and the characters.Though Diffraction didn't surpass my expectations like the previous books did, I loved that it was unique in its own way.

Varean is accused of being a Reidar, as he was affected by the Reidar weapon, but not exactly in such a way that they could pinpoint.He is a puzzle that Rian is determined to unravel.Varean knows he is different, but he is sure he isnt a Reidar, so what is he?
Here comes in Kira, the doc on the Imojenna ship.She feels an instant connection to Varean and is horrified at the treatment that he receives.But, what will happen when she finds out the truth about him?

The romance between Kira and Varean was great, though a little insta-lovish, but I'm willing to let that slide.It was cute to watch their relationship unfold amidst the threats and dangerous situations.
They were both great main characters and willing to go to great lengths for each other.I loved Kira's protectiveness.Though it didn't induce the initial excitement that the first two books did, I really like where the author is taking the story-plot wise and let me just say I am excited to read more.
Can't wait for the next book in the series!I'm really curious whether Rian will get his own book because that would be a really interesting one! :D

Oh, but Jess Anastasi, you're killing me here! You give me an inch, then take away a mile! I'm so invested in this world you've made, and here you are spinning me out of control on this wild ride! Since obviously this poor “family” of crew members can't catch a break, we get to rejoin them as they take their exploits to even greater extremes in their fight for the human race. That's right, I said family. That's the one thing I think I love the most about this series. A group of “misfits” coming together with loyalty and love as so much more than crew members.

This time, we get to meet the enigmatic Varean. He's more than meets the eye, and with a history and lineage that the rest of the crew can't trust, his future seems rocky. Good thing he has the ship's doc, Kira to take care of him.

“The only anchor had been a voice. The sound of it like honey soothing bitter acid.”

There was so much going on in book three that my poor head was spinning and my poor heart didn't know how to react. Cheers for those kick -@$$ fight scenes? Cries for the lives lost? Swoons for a romance finding it's place in such difficult times? Oh my. So many times it felt like hope was lost. Watching Rian struggle with his inner darkness as he struggled with his ongoing attraction to Ella.

“I'm sorry I couldn't save you,” she whispered, her voice catching. “You tried, even though I didn't want it.” “Didn't you?”

Oh the heart wrenching feels! Of course this book opened up even more plotlines than it closed, but you won't hear me complaining. That just means that there is even more to anticipate. Bring it on!

The Atrophy series is still hitting my “I miss Firefly” button, but as the series goes on the linkages both get more obvious and more tenuous at the same time.

Let me explain.

The universe of the Atrophy series, along with its protagonists, feel very much like the crew of the Serenity, but with some significant differences.

Rian Sherron at first seemed like a ringer for Mal Reynolds, but a Reynolds who had gone way, way further into the Dark Side than even the gloomy and driven Reynolds seemed to have reached. As the series has continued, we learn a whole lot more about why, and the why is where things diverge.

The evil forces in Atrophy are not the mindless Reavers, but the sound-alike but not really do-alike Reidar in the Atrophy universe. The Reidar are shapeshifting aliens, and they have spent the last several decades, if not far longer, placing shapeshifted Reidar into positions of power and authority all over the human Alliance.

For several years, Rian Sherron, Alliance military hero, was a brainwashed captive of the Reidar, forced to act as one of their elite assassins. He escaped, with the help of Arynian priestess Ella (yes, think Inarra Sera, it’s close enough). Rian managed to claw some of himself back from the brink, and now the Reidar and all their operatives are hunting Rian and Ella across the galaxy.

In Diffraction, the Reidar manage to capture Rian’s ship Imojenna, and his crew is scattered as they attempt to continue their mission to expose and eliminate the Reidar. Meanwhile, Kira Sasaki, the Imojenna’s ship’s doctor, has managed to find her own version of River Tam, but she certainly doesn’t see Commando Varean Donnelly as a sibling.

She also doesn’t see him as someone she can keep in her life, no matter how much she wants to.

Escape Rating B: This is a solid entry in the series, but it doesn’t rise to the level of the first two books, Atrophy and Quantum. It mostly feels like a middle book, as in between all of the chases and captures, the arc of the story-as-a-whole is trending downwards.

The crew of the Imojenna have found a weapon against the Reidar, but no way to mass produce it, or even ship it. They’ve lost some of their own, and currently have more questions than answers to the mess they find themselves (and their galaxy) in.

In the middle of all the action is the romance between Kira and Varean. Varean is a mystery to the Imojenna crew. He reacts to the Reidar weapon, not exactly like a Reidar, but definitely not like a human. He’s something other, and they don’t know what. Under the circumstances, that they don’t trust what they don’t know is hardly surprising.

What is surprising is the doctor’s reaction. Kira is incensed at the way Varean is being treated, and it leads to an emotional involvement that springs just a bit out of nowhere, even in these desperate circumstances. There’s been a lot of insta-love in this series, and in this particular case it’s on a hair trigger. At the same time, there is absolutely no time for these two to fall in love. They just do. I hope the romance in the next book in the series takes just a bit longer to build.

This is a series that almost requires being read in order. While the romances in each book are separate, the overall story builds from one book to the next. Also, the relationship between Rian and Ella is something that we see glimpses of in each book, but is nowhere near any resolution – at least not yet. The long arc of the series is fascinating. How do you manage to defeat an enemy who could be anyone, anywhere, and can command all the resources of your own people against you at every turn? I definitely want to know what happens next.

OMG! My first read of the new year and wow. I love this series, it is best if you read all books in order because the main story arc that continues throughout all the books. Diffraction is no different from the first two books, it has a great emotional connection between all the characters and nice chemistry between the two main characters. There is great external conflict between Varean and various other characters and Varean's internal struggle with himself; what he's been hiding all of his life gave the character so much more depth. Kira much like everyone else on board the Imojenna has a past she'd rather not remember or think about. Continued through the story along with the silent war on the Reidar is Rian and Ella's hectic love/hate romance. Love that I hope their book is soon, stop teasing us Jess Anastasi, PLEASE!

Kira's path up 'till now has been clear keep everyone alive and help defeat the Reidar but when a soldier is brought on board because he reacts strangely to the new weapon the use to expose the shapeshifting Reidar. Rian and the crew automatically assume he's a spy and the enemy but to Kira she sees something different she thinks she knows what happened and why he reacts the way he does but she needs to keep him alive long enough to find out for sure; that's if Callen and Rian stop beating the crap out him long enough for her to run some tests. When Kira finally gets around to being able to convince Varean to give a blood sample and to start the test Rian is backstabbed and the crew must abandon the Imojenna. Split into two groups they each have their own missions to complete before meeting at the rendezvous point later. Kira knows this is her only chance to get to a real hospital and run the test, but what the tests say is something so completely different from what she thought. ( I was half right with my guess). With the new information Kira and Varean face a decision and even though both of them fell in love they make the wrong choice that they both realize days later. But another betrayal has Varean rushing to save her before he's had the chance to tell her he loves her.

This book is so jam packed with everything. I can't believe Jess Anastasi even went as far as she did it left me awestruck at what happened in this book. I can't wait for the next one! Overall this book just continues with the awesome.

This is my first time in reading this author which also happens to be third one in this series. I was attracted to it anyways by the storyline which looked to be a promising adventure. I probably should have read the others before it and if I had would of been able to give a 5. Ah well still a good adventure thanks to the writing skills of this author and the characters she has used to ensnare me. Varean should be glad he has crossed paths with Doc Kira or he would be singing a different tune. When you have hidden things sooner or later it leaks out then bamm. Attraction too will aid these two which in turn will have a part in why she goes to defense mode with others. Intriguing interaction is had on all parts with the characters and the twists and turns but fused with heat of romance. This will be brought to a well done wrap up satisfying reading needs with this one.

No one knows why Commando Varean Donnelly had such a strange reaction to a weapon meant to weed out dangerous shape shifting aliens but the captain of the Imojenna isn’t taking chances and locks Varean up until he comes clean about who and what he is. Varean isn’t talking, not even to doctor Kira Sasaki who knows he’s different but is certain he’s not a physical threat to her. When tests reveal Varean’s racial makeup, Kira is torn between defending him to the captain and helping him escape while he still can.

New to me author Jess Anastasi has a real winner with her sci-fi romance Diffraction. The set up was easy to jump right into even though I missed the first TWO books in the Atrophy series (Oh the horror because I really like this author’s style). Yeah it was clear that I missed certain things about this group of characters but the author made sure that enough facts were given so that I wasn’t completely lost.

It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the crew of the Imojenna. Even with all their rough edges, they were a likable lot. Varean was the newbie of the crew, the reluctant prisoner with a mysterious genetic background. Anastasi did a great job of making him a likable hero but at the same time an unknown variable among an already established group of characters. I love that Varean’s secret wasn’t immediately revealed as it was a big driving point of the plot but even when it was revealed the story didn’t slow down one bit.

Kira was definitely my type of heroine too. She may not have been a get in your face kind of character *cough* Lianna *cough* but Kira had her own kind of strength and an incredible calm in dangerous situations. No hysterics from her at all, plus she stood up to anyone and everyone when she believed in something or someone. She had a quick wit and a hidden sarcastic streak that made her a match for anyone in a scene with her.

Jess Anastasi knows how to create a balance between the sci-fi and the romance elements too. I didn’t feel overwhelmed by all the space talk going on (Because I’m still new to sci-fi romance) nor did I feel like the romance was dominating the sci-fi world the characters lived in. I loved both parts of the book and the healthy amount of action scenes or the bigger plot that seems to be going on in the book. I do feel that Diffraction was an ensemble cast type book where the secondary characters aren’t really secondary and sometimes that can make for too much going on but in this case it worked. I came into this series late so I felt like I got to know these characters really well and was happy to have them around. Varean and Kira still kept the spotlight on themselves when it came to their budding (and hot) romance but they didn’t seem to mind sharing it with others.

Overall, Diffraction was one of those rare sci-fi romances that a person can read without feeling like they themselves have been abandoned in the middle of space. The action is explosive, the romance is passionate, the plot is engaging, and the characters are unforgettable. Anastasi is going on my “Watch” list for sure.

My Review:

This is not going to be just a trilogy because the author has added a great twist to the world onboard the Imojenna, Captain Rian Sherron's spaceship. A twist that will most likely have far reaching effects.

Ms. Anastasi continues her wonderful space opera with this third love story. Kira, mild-mannered doctor of the Imojenna doesn't say "boo" to anyone except in defense of her patients. And Varean, their current prisoner, a commando who is accused of being one of the enemies, the Reidar. Varean's in pretty bad shape when they drag him onboard the Imojenna. And commandos are the toughest of the tough. Kira does her doctor thing and stands up to the security guards when they go too far with her patient. She just has a feeling about this man. And from that feeling comes a spark. And from that spark comes...trouble! But it wouldn't be any fun if there weren't some trouble!

And this book is fun! The crew runs into a whole lot of trouble this time, almost more than they can handle. They lose a lot this time, too. This third book is being released today, January 2, 2017. So pick it up and stay with the story! I strongly recommend it! Too good to miss!

This eARC was offered to me by Entangled in exchange for an honest review. I am not being compensated in any way. All opinions are fully my own.
~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review

In continuation of the adventures on aboard the Immojenna, the mysterious soldier who reacts to the stunner but does not turn into an alien is now a prisoner. Kira the ship's Doctor is appalled at the way he is being treated. And even though he may be dangerous, she can't help seeing beneath his veneer of aggression. After many hits and misses, many which endanger his life, she manages to hold them off by asking for time to run tests.

Those plans, of course, must be put on hold when things start turning hairy and the crew is forced to split up. Old enemies are too close for comfort and close allies are lost. New friendships are forged along with romantic encounters. This book too is as great at the last two and I can't wait until the next one is out.

The AF Commando Varean Donnelly has been dragged aboard the space ship Imojenna after failing a test to prove he is human. He didn't destruct like the shape shifting evil aliens do either. So what is he?
Dr. Kira Sasaki doesn't like how the prisoner is being treated and does her best to ensure fair treatment. He will not help himself by cooperating. He is far too stubborn.
This is the third book in a series that must be read in order. The stories each have a staring couple that need to solve their own problems within the main story. Each member of the crew is special in their own way. There is a lot of space adventure and danger with a little sex and a lot of self sacrifice. This didn't end the way I thought it would. It sets us up nicely for the next book in the series.
I have read all the books so far and they get better with each one. I am totally addicted to the series.

This is the third novel in this sci-fi series in which Captain Rian Sherron and his crew are striving to remove the threat posed by the shape shifting Reidar who are using their abilities to impersonate key personnel throughout human organisations. Rian has helped developed a weapon which forces the Reidar to reveal themselves but does nothing to true humans. When Commando Varean Donnelly has a weird reaction to the weapon, Rian imprisons him on his spaceship, Imojenna. Doctor Kira Sasaki knows there is something very different about Varean, suspecting he is a victim of Reidar experimentation, but doesn't believe he is a threat or that he should be mistreated by other crew on their spaceship. Are the crew correct and able to prove Varean is dangerous? Can Kira prove he isn't? What about the instant attraction between the two - should either of them succumb to the temptation provided by the other? As Rian and the crew continue to try to avoid the authorities, can they succeed in their fight to save mankind from the Reidar?

Diffraction is an easy-read sequel to the earlier novels. It has an intriguingly different take on the alien conspiracy to take over the human communities and there are some revelations and more hints regarding Rian's past when he worked for the aliens. Many of the crew on the Imojenna still seem dysfunctional, making them difficult to relate to and empathise with, but the action scenes are well portrayed, brought to life in the reader's imagination. There are plenty of twist and turns and the great ending will certainly encourage me to look out for more in this series in future.

I received an ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review.