I really enjoy these space opera/heist novellas. Ada's machinations certainly keep me intrigued and entertained throughout, while Rian I did find a touch more frustrating in parts of this one but it will be really interesting to see how well they work together (or not) in the next installment which I believe will be the final one.

I do think the first one worked better for me, possibly because of the greater background cast in that one and you got more of sense of Ada's emotions, whereas in this her perspective feels more distant and it does feel frustrating at times that we're not getting a proper sense into her head and feelings, but I assume that's partly intentional as we know at this point that there's likely to be hidden cons that we're not privy to at this point as the reader.

It does make this one feel like much more of a bridging tale though, between the first novella where we had the reveal of Ada's character and plans, and the third which will have the final payoff. In that regard it may be better to read these close together if you can, and while I do enjoy the novella format and the satisfaction of quickly reading a book, I do feel like these could have been published together as one bigger novel, the first novella felt like it could have stood alone but this second one does not.

Overall though I had a fun time and I do recommend this series, particularly if you enjoy heist stories, space opera and also a bit of stick it to the climate destroying corporations/governments in general.

After Full Speed to Crash Landing launched this trilogy of high-octane futuristic heist sci-fi romance novellas, I was jazzed to pick up where things left off in Ada and Rian’s second eventful encounter.

Beth Revis combined a wise-cracking, savvy expert thief for heroine and straight arrow, capable government operative for hero playing a galactic-sized cat and mouse challenge with the continued existence of earth as their end game.

Only, readers are left wondering exactly who is the cat and who is the mouse…

How to Steal a Galaxy keeps up the twisty, suspenseful plot set up in the previous entry which, incidentally, really needs to be read first for this one to make much sense.

Ada returns to report in to the people who hired her and delivers the goods, but now they have an all new job for her to do. She gives her handler a hard time, but ultimately finds this task aligns well with her own inclination because it involves Rian White, the agent who got under her skin as much as she got under his. She must do the job at a high brow museum fundraiser where the galaxy’s elite will come to bit on Old Earth artifacts and donate to the cause of taking care of the aging, sagging planet that was nearly decimated by environmental issues and a super volcano fallout.

Ada’s Old Earth girl all the way and curls up her lip at these richy types‘ token efforts to look good and her home planet a little fascination piece. It’s cute to her how the head of security for the night’s gala, Rian White, is tracking her through the museum on alert for what she plans to stealth after her last heist left him holding the bag. If he only knew…

I enjoyed the twisty, turning plot style and Ada’s way of being flirtatious and mysterious. This time, with some idea of what motivates her and background of what is going on, I was onto much of her plotting so I enjoyed how she wound Rian up throughout the story. Their mutual attraction is a source of struggle for him because he’s a by-the-book type and Ada’s got a lot of larceny in her. But, she has a good heart and a strong heroic motive because the villain’s greed will destroy thousands of lives if successful.

In the end, I was left with a cliffie, but it wasn’t unexpected. Looking forward to the grand finale book that will be the biggest heist job of all if it can be pulled off.

For those who want playful and flirty with a heist caper sci-fi romance, this will hit the spot.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

So my rating is biased because I haven't read the first part of this series, mainly because I didn't know it was a sequel. But after reading a summary of #1 and paying attention to the recap clues in this one, I was fine story-wise. It's a nice heist novella, but I'm a bit unhappy that the story continues in #3, so there was no closure whatsoever. Overall enjoyable but I didn't really warm to the characters and found especially Ada a tid bit much.

3 stars

How to Steal a Galaxy is the second installment in author Beth Revis's Chaotic Orbits trilogy. Key Characters: Ada Lamar, and Rian White. This is dystopian series and is based in a universe where humans have destroyed Earth's environment. The story picks up not long after the ending of Full Speed to a Crash Landing. Ada had no intention whatsoever to continue working for the rebel group that hired her to retrieve the government’s plans for a nanobot climate cleaner if they weren’t willing to pay her for it, but then they offer a different an undercover mission to a charity gala where Rian will be in attendance.

Rian, meanwhile, has volunteered his services for the gala believing that the rare items up for auction will attract Ada’s eye. Hoping to catch her in the act and pin her with a punishable crime, Rian has no idea that Ada’s real mission is to convince him to join the rebels. And the rebels have no idea that Ada’s decided that kidnapping Rian is the most efficient means to an end. Ada will do whatever it takes to save Sol-Earth which has been abandoned and left to die thanks to greed, and people leaving for greener pastures.

Rian and Ada again have a curiously twisted chemistry, but lies, subterfuge, distrust, and opposing political views are some hefty obstacles for the pair to face. This series is a Space Opera with humorous dialogue. Ada isn't the most reliable narrator. She's always hiding something before we figure out what she's up to. I would love to see Rian get some narrative time to see what he is thinking besides the last pages of the books. I would love to see these books be a bit longer, but that's apparently the idea behind releasing 3 novella type novels.

This is book two in a series. You have to read book 1 before you read this book. This story picks up after the end of the prior story. It is the bridge between books 1 and 3.

Ada is on a mission to steal something. When she arrives at the party at the museum she is met by Rian. He is determined to stop her from stealing. The problem? He has no idea what she is trying to steal! The author gives a little bit about what drives Ada to do the dangerous things she does. The author introduces readers to “the big bad guy”. Rian in working as security for the function/celebration at the museum. The author ties all of Rian’s actions to Ada’s actions.

I thought this story was boring. It is definitely a bridge that is necessary to connect the entire story together but I struggled to finish it. I will definitely read the final book in the series to find out what happens. I think the author has an interesting idea but I wish this book was shorter and part of one of the other books.

Ahoy there mateys! This is the second novella in the Chaotic Orbits series. This was even better than the first. Ada is hired to steal something from one of the most exclusive galas in the galaxy. Rian is in charge of security for the event and certainly has his eye on her. The guest of honor is a tech billionaire. It was so fun to have Ada run circles around everyone. She is exasperating to others and a hoot. While, in general, I am not a romance fan, I have to admit that the tension between Ada and Rian is a lot of fun and I appreciate their banter. I was surprised by the twist! I wish I could talk more about the plot but it is best experienced without any spoilers. This is an excellent trilogy so far. The set up for the final novella (April 2025) has me super excited. Arrrr!

4.5 rounded up

Ada Lamarr is that stock character, the bounty hunter with a heart and integrity - think Hans Solo. A former inhabitant of Sol-Earth which is now almost uninhabitable.

The book opens after her last heist, to steal a prototype nanobot which the government intends to let loose on Earth. The nanobots are designed to clean up the polluted waters, however after Ada delivers the prototype her contact informs her that there is a secondary programme which is definitely not altruistic in nature. They need her to make contact with a government operative, Rian White, who has been shepherding the plans to release the nanobots through to delivery, without knowing that they are a Trojan Horse.

Ada's contact arranges for her to attend a swanky ball at the Museum of Intergalactic History on Rigel-Earth where the gazillionaire mogul Strom Fetor (think Elon Musk) is going to announce the launch of the nanobots and claim credit for saving Sol-Earth, whereas he is actually going to be holding the planet to ransom - very similar to what he did with the radiation sickness vaccine which he sold for exorbitant prices and thereby caused the unnecessary deaths and suffering of millions. Whew that was a long sentence. Rian will supervising security at the event where many priceless Earth artifacts will be auctioned off to raise funds to save Earth.

Think Ocean's Eleven (and any of the sequels) scenario. Misdirection, multiple players, multiple goals. Or maybe the film Out of Sight with George Clooney as the thief and Jennifer Lopez as the cop pursuing him.

I think I could have enjoyed this. However, this book is definitely part two, and at 144 pages it is more of a novella. I felt I had missed out by not having read the first book as there was no real context for the love/hate relationship between Ada and Rian. Also, the story ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger, not in a 'are they alive or dead?' kind of way, but more in a 'and what happens next?' way.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

I so enjoyed this novella. When I requested it, I didn’t realize it was the second in a trilogy. They are absolutely delightful.

The main character, Ada, is so clever and snarky and smart and unreliable. The other characters are fully developed and interesting. Rian is everything I love in a MMC to an FMC like Ada. He is frustrated and intrigued and hot and also smart. But is he smart enough?

The story is told in first POV by Ada and it reads like she’s just telling you verbally in a lot of ways which is so perfect for what’s happening and her personality. It’s such an easy read but it’s still complex.

It was the perfect dose of sci-fi that I needed.

I am eagerly awaiting the third novella. I met the author recently and told her I was reading this novella. She informed me that her YA series Across the Universe (which I did read the first book ages ago when there was just the one) is set in the same universe. So it’s time to go back and finish it out (I stopped reading for a time) and read it to tide me over.

I think I love this series. The first two novellas in the Chaotic Orbits series are fast, fun, science fiction reads, filled with tension and stakes. They feel episodic - more or less complete in themselves, but enhanced understanding that they're part of an arc. I didn't understand that going into book one, but I knew what to expect in book two and had just an immense amount of fun.

This is a heist novel. It's hardly even a space heist, because it mostly occurs at a museum, but it is satisfying. Ada and Rien are back. Ada is at this gala to heist something and Rien knows it, but he doesn't know what or how she's going to carry it off. So they just keep circling each other in the most delicious way (a chaotic orbit, some might say). The reader doesn't know what she's going to heist either, so we're on edge about what might happen.

I wish I had more reads like this - just super fun, with a sparkle of romance, and science fiction hijinks. And I can't wait to see where this trilogy lands us.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital arc.

Another great read from Beth Revis. Davis is quickly becoming a favorite.

The highly entertaining romp continues…

At the end of the first book in Beth Revis’ Chaotic Orbits series, Full Speed to a Crash Landing, we find out that protagonist Ada Lamarr is a galaxy-level expert in misdirection and dissimulation. And Ada’s somewhat illicit skills continue to get a mad – and highly entertaining - workout in the next book, How to Steal a Galaxy. Because it seems that, after a bit of back-and-forth with her clients from Crash Landing, she’s been hired again – this time to steal something at a high-society charity fundraiser hosted by the Museum of Intergalactic History on Rigel-Earth.

But what is she after? Is it the prized centerpiece of the benefit auction, the canopic chest made for the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, somehow still intact after thousands of years? A brick from the long-gone Great Wall of China? Feathers from the now-extinct North American bluebird? Even the supposedly not-for-sale original telephone from the Mission Control room for Apollo 11? Ava’s foe-in-chief and principal foil, the gorgeous and incorruptible (but slightly too naïve for his own good) Rian White, would dearly love to know. And he also would dearly like another kiss.

Of course, How to Steal a Galaxy wouldn’t be a true space opera without a villain, and the big baddie from Crash Landing, Storm Fetor, is suitably creepy and nasty. The evil Jarra have something going on too, which threatens to put paid to Ava’s plans before she even gets started. But eighteen rollicking chapters later, events at the Museum and in the book come to an end, and we get to find out what Ava was truly after. But perhaps not why she was after it, which seems to have been left for the final book in the series, Last Chance to Save the World, due out in April, 2025. And that is too many months away!

Finally, as always, my thanks to the publishers, DAW, and to NetGalley for the review copy. Oh yeah, and just as with Crash Landing, don’t forget to read the footnotes at the end…

How to Steal a Galaxy is book 2 in the Chaotic Orbits series. Like book 1 Full Speed to a Crash Landing, this is a novella.

Even though it is short, there is still plenty of time spent on character development. As with the first book, the focus is on the characters. In order to achieve this in less than 200 pages, there is only really one setting and not a lot of world-building. However we do get more information about what it is like on Sol Earth (the earth we inhabit) and a little look at Riselle Earth - a planet that was settled after Sol Earth is destroyed to the point of being almost inhabitable. It is a wealthy planet.

Pretty much the entire story takes place at a futuristic Met Gala that is a fundraiser for Sol Earth. It is also the place where the new nanotechnology that is supposed to clean up Sol Earth is unveiled. This is the tech Ada was sent to salvage in Book 1. If you are into fashion, you'll love the descriptions of the clothes.

While you could probably read this book without reading book 1, it would be better if you read the first book. Book 2 picks up where Book 1 ends, but the only carryover characters are Ada and Rian. It is kind of sad because I loved all the characters in book 1.

We do see things heat up between Ada and Rian. I thought this book felt more like a romance and less like an adventure story. But that might be because a lot of pieces needed to be put into place for the finale. Will Sol Earth be saved or totally destroyed.

So this is still being billed as a trilogy, but there are plenty of pieces of this world and characters to explore that this could be a much longer series or a larger "universe" with shoot-off series.

If you are looking for a fun, quick read check out this book.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Saturday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/12/how-to-steal-galaxy-by-beth-revis-review.html

When crazy money doesn’t get Ada to take a job but the prospect of seeing Rian does make her take the job you know sparks are going to fly. She shows up as a guest at a high society charity auction and Rian just knows she is there to steal something. But keeping constant attention on her still doesn’t stop her from getting the job done nor doing a few extra things that will show up in the next book. The chemistry between the two of them hopefully will have a great payoff in the next book.

In this arresting follow-up to the first book in the Chaotic Orbits trilogy, Full Speed to a Crash Landing, mercenary hacker/thief Ada Lamarr is on the trail of a much more interesting quarry than a mere locked data box. This time she’s not after treasure, she’s after the person who has set himself up as the guardian of a whole, entire museum full of priceless antiquities.

Agent Rian White has his eye on Ada from the moment she arrives at the Museum of Intergalactic History, absolutely certain she’s planning to steal one of the Sol-Earth artifacts no matter how many times she’s says that she’s there for him.

She’s not even lying. She’s certainly toying with the man – but she’s not lying. Not that she wouldn’t like to steal one of the artifacts – and not that she wouldn’t enjoy tweaking the ego of the rich rat bastard who’s the star of this particular charity gala – but she really, truly isn’t there for either of those things.

She really is there for Rian White – for considerably more reasons than she’s willing to admit, even to herself. So all of Rian’s operatives are busy watching her, while she has her eye on her prize all along.

And not that she doesn’t put the dominoes in motion for a couple of secondary prizes along her way.

Ada may not be fooling with White – but someone else already has. Her job – for which she is being paid very good money – – is to remove the scales from White’s eyes and get him to come in on her saving the world caper.

She may be in it for the money, but he’s a true believer. All she has to do is get him to believe – in her.

Escape Rating A-: The caper – and it absolutely is a caper every step of the way – is delightfully frothy, light and sparkling, and filled with witty banter covering plenty of wry undertones and more than a hint of forbidden romance.

Ada is, after all, a thief, and it’s Rian’s job to keep her from stealing anything. But she’s also, in this particular case, the misdirection. He – and his fellow agents – are so busy following Ada that they miss entirely too much of what’s going on around them.

Which is what underpins the whole story of the series – and it’s a doozy once all the sparkling bubbles have popped.

Because White and his fellow agents believe that they are protecting the plan to save a world. This world, in fact. Earth-Sol, the cradle of humanity. They believe that the government that they work for is more-or-less on the side of the angels. That they are doing good while Ada and her employers’ efforts are getting in the way of something both righteous and virtuous.

But that’s not the way the universe works. Especially not when doing good gets in the way of making a really huge, neverending, profit.

The way that this particular story works is that Ada’s seemingly aimless wandering through the Museum Gala is meant to misdirect Rian White, any of his agents, the reader AND the story, all at the same time.

It reads like a bit of light froth, that she’s playing with him, while he’s doing his damndest not to play with her, and that she’s then playing with the scene around her and filling in time while something happens in the background.

And that’s somewhat true and also a bit of a tease for the reader. It makes the story seem much lighter hearted than it really is and keeps White guessing as well. We know Ada is wearing a mask, she even admits as much, but we don’t really see what that mask is in service of.

When she rips it off at the end it’s an ‘aha!’ moment for the reader and an utter shock to White – and that’s when we all get the shape of things to come – or at least we think we do. Ada may have fooled us all again and we won’t learn in exactly what way until the final book in the trilogy, Last Chance to Save the World, coming April. I can’t wait to finally see Ada put all of her cards on the table – and to see if Rian picks them up.

A couple of final notes. Readers who have played Mass Effect may find Ada’s infiltration of the Museum reminiscent of Kasumi Goto’s infiltration of Donovan Hock’s party in Mass Effect 2 – complete with sexy, high-end wardrobe. However, in comparison to Strom Fetor, Hock is fairly penny-ante even if he bears a strong resemblance to a certain real world tech billionaire, amasser of tech companies that he claims to have invented but then destroys, and all around teflon coated, egotistical, arsehole.

Your reading mileage may vary on that bit, but seeing Ada obviously set him up for some comeuppance at a later date did add a bit of just desserts to the impending evil in both worlds that added just an extra fillip of deliciousness to the whole story so far. The ending in Last Chance to Save the World looks like it’s going to be a doozy!

A phenomenal Sci-Fi story, a perfect blend of heist, romance, and space opera. I was totally enraptured by this novella, and I was so disappointed when it was over! Revis has created excellent chemistry and tension between Ada and Rian, and the broader implications of her mission add depth and ethos to the story as a whole. I not only was cheering for Ada, I wanted to be Ada as I read this novella! I am going to buy the rest of the series!

I was hoping this one would be as entertaining as the first installment, and it didn't disappoint. I loved getting to see Ada and Rian continue to develop as characters. This title builds perfectly on book one of the series and Ada is as fun and clever as ever. The book was chock full of witty banter, action, adventure, and much more! There's never a dull moment and the author does a great job with pacing while making sure the reader isn't overwhelmed by all that's going on. I'm always down for a good heist story and this one is so fun. If you're looking for a quick and light heist story with lots of humor, this series is for you!

For only being a novella this book manages to pack in so much! We have Ada and Rian and their explosive chemistry and Rian can't take his eyes off of Ada.. That could also be partly because after the last book's events, he knows exactly what she is capable of, and since they are in a museum there are plenty of reasons to be watching her.
There is plenty of action, maybe a bit of kidnapping.. and I absolutely can't wait to see what kind of Chaos Ada is going to cause next when we get to the conclusion to this trilogy!

For a novella, I felt like this story had all the elements that wrapped up well. Perhaps this is one larger story that performs better broken off into segments in this way, to which I would not argue; it works. I greatly enjoyed revisiting our main characters in this sequel, and while the pacing seemed a bit slow for one night of adventure, the plot and secrets kept me hooked to finish the story. I've not yet figured out what the overarching plot is yet, although we've gotten a hint of it in this book, but I'm just along for the ride.

I'd also mention that for enemies-to-lovers that constantly butts heads with each other, the way the author develops their relationship is so fun to watch. Absolutely ready for the next in this series!

Ada Lamarr is admittedly not totally above board with everything she does, but hey, she cares, okay?! And luckily Rian White knows she’s not all bad… or he wouldn’t let her get away.

I hope this is the beginning of a 100-book series because that’s just the beginning of how many stories about Ada and Rian I’ll read. They’re excellently narrated, and full of adventure, stolen kisses, space theft, futuristic technology, and climate commentary. This one also has a gala heist of sorts and that’s a favorite moment for me 🤣 Dress in black tie and do something illegal? Say less.

This is one of my favorite novella series!

Beth Revis brings us another fun, fast-paced adventure with Ada back at the center of the action. This time, she’s caught up in a high-stakes auction on a ridiculously rich planet, with her old frenemy (and maybe something more), Rian, tailing her every move. The banter between these two is top-notch, full of sass, tension, and chemistry that’ll keep you hooked.

The story is packed with clever twists, heists, and a deeper dive into the politics of human-settled space, all while keeping things entertaining and sharp. Ada’s smart, snarky narration makes her such a blast to follow, and the mix of humor, action, and a bit of romance hits just right. If you’re into space adventures with strong characters and witty back-and-forths, you’re going to love this one.