A solid debut sci-fi romance! Calamity draws from the sci-fi romance well:

Let's start out with a hotheaded starship captain forced to take on an unwanted (HOT) crew member to complete a mission she's pretty sure has some hidden aspects. Then we'll add a tight-knit crew made up of quirky (HOT) people with different specialties (the assassin, the scientist, and the medic). And they're all operating within a galactic oligarchic government of "Families," each of which have a defined role to maintain checks and balances.

Like Jessie Mihalik's Consortium Rebellion series, the book is told in first person, present tense, from the FMC's POV. This is basically a non-stop sci-fi action movie of a novel, complete with planetary exploration, plots within plots, lots of family drama, and - oh yeah - a sexy romance. Don't look for deep world building or speculative themes, but if you know that going in, you should be good. We had a ton of fun reading it and will definitely pick up the next one.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

This is a true mix of science fiction and romance and I enjoyed the romance part but the science fiction is not really my thing. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This was one amazing read. I’m so excited to see where Ms. Fay takes this series. I don’t have any ideas of what’s going to potentially happen in book two, but I’m ready to see how the dynamics change and how the events of this book shape the events of the next one.

Calamity is a science fiction romance that has a very solid story, a fun gang of characters, and a great narrator. This is a debut novel with a lot of potential and I hope to see more books by this author. I really enjoyed the main plot of the story, the found family vibes and there is lots of action, but there were a couple of things that didn’t really work for me, namely the romance. Which is a shame, because that was one of the reasons I picked the book up, but I do think it might be me in this case, as most of the reviews I’ve read all talk about the steamy romance.

Temperance is the leader of this rag tag bunch of space explorers and the sole narrator of the story. She is a very complex character, smart and loyal, and will put her life on the line to save her crew. She does lack confidence at times and even makes some mistakes, so she isn’t perfect, she is just human. Her backstory is also complex and it is slowly revealed over the course of the book. She had an awful childhood, but that just made her stronger.

Arcadio is the love interest, and unfortunately I never felt like we truly got to know him well. He is just sort of there, at times a little on the overbearing side, but you could tell he has deep feelings for his family and eventually for Temperance. But as much as I liked the two of them as individuals, I never felt the heat between them.

The rest of the crew was awesome, each having their own skills that contribute to the team. You could also tell that they all really liked each other even when they were annoying each other.

The plot was solid, though typical light science fiction fare. There could have been a bit more world building as I never quite got a handle on how the whole system worked. Also some of the tech was a little over the edge and not as believable as it could be. Science fiction needs to be grounded in the science of our universe to be believable and this wasn’t at times. The pacing was good, but the dialogue could have been a bit better, especially some of the banter. There are a few scenes of pretty steamy sex, but they weren’t essential to the story, so could have just as easily been left out.

Overall I liked this story enough that I am willing to give the author another try when the next book comes out. I really do think my issues with the romance was more on me, as I haven’t liked any romances lately. But if you like light science fiction with a side of romance than this is a book you should give a chance.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

I must agree with the blurb about this book being attractive to fans of both the Firefly tv show and the sci-fi/fantasy/romance author(s) Ilona Andrews. And if you haven't experienced both of those, you should go do so right this minute.

This book has lots of action, truly bad bad guys, unseen enemies, crew members with mysterious pasts, and lots of Family drama. While this book wraps up pretty nicely, it also begs for more books to delve into all of the crew members, including more about those who were the focus of this first book. I'll be here and waiting for those books when they come.

I was so excited when I heard that Tor was rolling out a new imprint, Bramble, a smaller offshoot that would focus on romantic SFF. And this book is exactly why! While there is a whole subgenre now called “romantasy” due to the popularity of romantic fantasy fiction, there seems to be some strange hold out on the science fiction front. Where are my love stories in space? I mean, I get that “romantascific” doesn’t roll off the tongue in quite the same way, but c’mon! But here we are, a good example of just what we’re all missing out on by forgetting that romance can also happen in space.

Honestly, it’s pretty impressive that this book works at all. It’s trying to do a lot of things all at once, many of which are hard to accomplish well even on their own. We have Temper’s story, that of a captain coming into her own as a leader, but we also have that paired against a romance, something that too often ends up hindering the strength of its female member. Beyond that, the story is introducing us to an entire universe with its own political structures that definitely do play into the plot of the book. And lastly, this is the first book in a series, so the story must do a lot of heavy lifting to properly lay out the various crew members of the ship who are likely to feature in their own stories going forward. It’s like black magic (except that’s the wrong genre, sooo) that it all works, but it does!

So, in that order, let’s start with Temper. I really loved this main character! Seriously, she was checking all of the right boxes for me. She was a strong woman, but we also see her make mistakes, and her journey is one of both learning to trust those around her, but also letting others help her when she is prone to going-it-alone. The development of the romance was paced perfectly, neither falling into any insta-love/lust traps or being too drawn out to feel complete. Just when I was beginning to become concerned that her distrust was going to be played up one too many times, the story would swerve into moments of vulnerability and honesty. I also loved the fact that the natural chemistry between the two was first seen in their instant ability to work together as a team under high pressure situations, rather than on the romance front which came later. There was also all of the required quippiness that we love to see in a romance, but this levity also didn’t cut away from the deeper, more heartfelt moments.

For all that this is a romance, there was also a solid plot to this book with all of the requisite world-building that comes with it. I was honestly surprised by just how into the actual plot of the book I became. There was one action-packed scene after another, plus a lot of comedy gold interspersed within as we saw the team tackle the challenges before them. Which leads me to the last aspect of the book that truly impressed me: the crew themselves.

This book was billed as a read-alike for “Firefly.” Now, that’s a big claim to make and, honestly, one that has been tossed around quite a lot for science fiction new releases, mostly without any basis in reality. But I have to say, this is probably the first time where I truly feel like that comparison is warranted! This truly had the same level of group dynamics and chemistry for which “Firefly” was best known. I understood who all of these characters were individually, but I loved them best when they were interacting with each other. The book was also successful in making me very interested in all of their individual romances that are sure to come. I have a pretty good guess as to who the next couple will be (just checked Goodreads, and I see that it’s been updated since I originally read this book and, indeed, the next book is about this couple!) and I can’t wait to check out their story!

Overall, this was a blast of a book to read! It’s definitely not “hard” science fiction, but I was also surprised to find just how much excellent plotting and world-building went into a book that was being released from a romance imprint. I feel like that sounds like a backhand insult to romance, but, let’s be honest, the love story is the primary bit of romance novels, with the plot coming in sometimes as an after thought. But here, the balance is perfect between love story and, well, actual story. Definitely check this one out if you enjoy science fiction adventures and space opera with an emphasis on romance!

Rating 8: If comparisons to “Firefly” are ever warranted, this is it! A romp of an adventure paired with a swoon-worthy romance, I can’t wait to see what this crew gets up to next time!

Link will go live on The Library Ladies on Nov 8

This was such a fun, sexy and action-packed read! Perfect if you like snarky banter, a steamy romance, and some amazing fight scenes.

Temper is captain of a shakey but well loved ship, The Quest. When a member of one of the Families temporarily joins the crew for a mission, Temper's strengths and weaknesses both are tested. In this hot enemies-to-lovers romance, the author also builds an amazing story that continued to surprise me. This quick read is more than meets the eye!

I was caught up in this in so many ways. The romance was romancing, the other members of the crew were giving such good found family vibes, and the scifi , the world, was so fun to read about.

Definitely recommend this!

Out November 14, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Calamity was entertaining but ultimately pretty unmemorable. I found the romance pretty boring (the two leads had almost no chemistry) and there wasn't anything unique about the world building or plot to keep me super invested.

Unfortunately this one did not work for me and I had to DNF. I couldn’t connect with the characters, and the plot just wasn’t giving what I wanted it to. I will try to pick it back up again at some point, but I found myself not wanting to read, so it was time to DNF. I look forward to Bramble’s next book! I give it a 3 star rating simply because I think the right audience will enjoy this. I’m just not the riding audience, so I don’t feel right rating it poorly!

Sci-fi with found family elements? *grabby hands*

I am just recently getting into sci-fi, usually fantasy is what drives my interest but this was a really great time and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It is really entertaining, nice and steamy, and has an excellent plot and romance balance, which is exactly what I prefer. It is chaotic in all the right ways and hard to believe this is a debut novel for Constance Fay. I also really liked the humor elements. It wasn't perfect, but this was just a grand time and fun read.

Romance, hijinks, science fiction, and a huge dose of vibes like Firefly? Sign me up and hopefully you too!

This book was equal parts engaging, spicy, and rich.

This is a promising start to a new series. Temperance and her band of misfits are on a scouting mission and to make matters worse she must be accompanied by Arcadio Escajeda. The two loathed each other until they found themselves needing each other in the mission. The angsty vibes and their banter had me laughing. I adored the crew, they literally had me laughing. There are plenty of action scenes to keep the reader engaged. Arcadio wormed himself into my heart. That man says some swoon worthy lines!

This is perfect for fans of enemies to lovers, action, found family, and sci-fi.

A very special thanks to Bramble for the gifted copy.

When Temperance Reed decides to strike out on her own, she needs a job that will fund all her dreams. After her ship Captain deserts her and her crew, Temperance must take a job for one of the 15 families.

Forced to take a 2nd son with her, Temperance strikes out to a backward desert plant of Herschel 2. As the mysterious happenings on the planet unfold, both Temperance and Arcadio Escajeda (2nd son to one of the most powerful families) fight to figure out what is going on. Both of them collide off each other in every way possible.

The Science Fiction portion of this romance was excellent. I loved the set up of this new world. The friction between the main characters was incredibly juicy. Every character was well thought out and entertaining. If you love Science Fiction and Romance this book is for you. 4 out of 5 stars

An enemies to lovers romcom in SPACE?!? Dream. Book.

CALAMITY was fast-paced, exciting, snarky, funny, and just spicy enough for the likes of me, with well-developed, complicated characters, an interesting plot, excellent world-building, and SO MUCH action. I absolutely loved every minute of this book and am already officially dying to read book two in the series. READ THIS, especially if you're a fan of Firefly.

A classic case of "it's not you, it's me" in book form, "Calamity" will make a lot of romance lovers very happy. It's a fun, zippily written, science fiction novel with a steamy romance... or is that a romance novel with a side of science fiction...? It was just a little too much the last one for me, unfortunately - the worldbuilding didn't work for me and the tone was very flippant. While some parts were quite humorous, I just didn't really get invested in the overall plot - and thought the romance moved waaaay too fast.

Still, I would recommend this to anyone who wants a romance with its feet in a fun, Firefly-esque world. There's found family, adventure, and of course - lots of spice.

I absolutely loved this story! The slow progression to allies, then friends, and then lovers so well written. The plot was a bit complex at times but I was still very invested in the characters, their mission and most of all, in their romance. Overall really enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone who likes sci-fi.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this Advanced Readers Copy of Calamity by Constance Fay!

I was so excited to get my hands on Calamity by debut author Constance Fay. There for sure are not enough action-packed, space-themed romances out there and this book did not disappoint!

Who doesn’t love a crew of found family misfit outcasts, a crazy cult, and a mysterious love interest who may be up to way more than we think.

I loved how easy it was to fall into this story. There was action right from the beginning and it just kept coming. Temper is such a fun and witty character, I thought that banter between her and her crew was wonderful and you could really tell that these characters really care for each other.

I also found it super refreshing to have a main character who gives in to her desires with the love interest instead of fighting with them and herself about it for most of the book. Definitely a great read!

A fun debut that feels like a Firefly crew that day drank with Battlestar Galactica and high fived Star Trek… with a bit of spice, but veers more on the adventure scifi with a romance sub plot (I wouldn’t classify this as spicy, it was mild and fun).
While this was fun I found it slogged in a few areas; too detailed in passing items/locations/tech that didn’t need it or not detailed enough in very important parts of an action sequence/adventure. I felt like it could have been a bit shorter.
The character development was really solid and I enjoyed the connections they all had with each other.
I am unsure if I’ll continue the series but overall it was enjoyable.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

An enemies to lovers space opera with an uptight hero?! Say less. Say more. Whatever, I want more details.

Calamity by Constance Fay is such a fun ride & gave me those thrills of discovering a new author that I clicked with.

Captain Temperance Reed has been banished from her family & from certain parts of space. But she’s offered a job she can’t refuse, as much as she would like to. She’s going on a scouting mission of a planet for a powerful family & she has to take their hot son, a prince named Arcadio Escajeda, with her.

Now we’re talking.

Also he’s their security & he’s uptight & he believes the mean rumors her brother started about her, something he learns are false pretty quickly. Now we’re talking again.

With lots of action, a strong hero who “rumbles” a lot, some humor & , & those enemies to lovers dynamics I love so hard, Calamity is sure to please so many of you.

4.5⭐️. Out 11/14.

Please reads the CWs of a trusted reviewer.

[ID: Jess, a white woman wearing a white shirt that says “totally checking out your book,” holds the ebook while standing in front of a yellow wall.]