This is a great book. The narrator is fantastic, Ada is a fun morally gray protagonist and the action is described in excellent detail. There's 2 reasons I'm giving this 4 starts instead of 5. Reason 1: Do we really need this to be portioned out into a series of novellas? I think this could've worked better in one novel. Reason 2: Giving away the ending in the synopsis.

Narrated by Dara Rosenberg and David Bendena

Genre: sci-fi romance

Picking up not long after the conclusion of Full Speed to a Crash Landing, Ada Lamarr, space looter with a conscience, is on another mission for a client. It takes her to a charity gala raising money for Sol Earth (her home, and ours) where an announcement about nanobot climate cleaners is scheduled to be announced... but also where she knows she'll find the sexy government agent Rian White.

The tone of these novellas works really well for me as audiobooks: the first person POV putting us in Ada's head as she tackles difficult situations and running internal monologue delivered by Dara Rosenberg makes me laugh and cuts the tension of high stakes heists. Ada felt more the daredevil in book one, while in book two, she's calculating. Because we're getting everything from Ada's perspective, we see her machinations to topple her foes and bask in her gleeful exultation. She's a main character I love to see in science fiction.

Like I said in my review for Crash Landing: Ada is snarky and unrepentant, making for a very fun POV who hit the spot. I love a heist, I love a romantic arc, and I love when that all clicks in a SF setting.

Just as good as book 1! This was a blast and I cannot wait for #3.

I continue to love Ada as a main character and her dynamic with Rian is so much fun! I also really like that this series doesn't shy away from difficult topics like climate change and capitalism while still remaining upbeat and fun.

Also the narration is perfect, Dara Rosenberg does an amazing job of bringing Ada to life.

I personally really adore this Sci-Fi Romantic novella series. I think it does really well in world building while making it easily digestible and not overwhelming despite how quickly it moves. I think this novella did really great with its characters and with the heist plot line. The romance and the yearning between the two main characters make me really looking forward to the eventual (hopefully) payoff.

I highly recommend this for a quick read and for those who enjoy Sci-Fi elements but don’t want to get overwhelmed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audio ARC of this novella in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book picked up right where the first book left off and I loved Ada even more in this book. I am dying for the next book! I need to know what Ada’s end game is and how this will all play out. I loved the idea of this book surrounding a very different heist than the first book.

These are so much shorter than what I am used to from this author but they are the perfect length to keep the story moving and get me hooked. The best part of these stories is Ada, who is smart, savvy, and snarky when she needs to be; her intended but unnoticed slights towards a few people are hilarious. Her need to do good (to an extent) seem to war with her mercenary tendencies but who doesn’t want the best for everything and to maybe profit if you can? Her chemistry with Rian is believable and fun to watch and I can’t wait to see how this all plays out.

I really enjoyed this zippy, fast-talking sequel! Ada continues to be the reluctant heroine/mastermind of my dreams and Rian is barely holding on for dear life in this one. I loved the development of their relationship, even just over the course of one night. I can't wait to see where these two end up once they're able to save Sol Earth! My only issue with these is that they're so short. I wish they were released as one big volume so I could really dig in rather than in three short volumes. These incredible space heist adventures are unbelievably fun, though.

This is such a fun, unique series.
Ada is a shar witted, morally grey delight of a protagonist. Is she doing the right thing for money? Because she believes it's right? Because it's fun? All three.. maybe?
While not as fast paced as the first novels in the series, this second installment follows Ada around a gala where she .. maybe?.. plots to steal something, insults an important rich man, torments Rian and just generally has a good time enjoying the amazing food.
Can't wait for the next book!

How to Steal a Galaxy is a fun, short sci-fi read. Giving very space pirate vibes.

The best part of these, in my opinion, has been the narrator. She is truly giving it 100%, she deserves a raise. It feels less like an audiobook and more like I'm listening to a friend tell me a story of a their crazy adventure.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

In the story, we have a female mercenary Ada -full of bravado à la Han Solo- she claims she just cares about getting paid. Story centers around earth that is dying and much of the population (at least the wealthy ones) have moved to other planets such as Rigel. The poor are living on a decimated earth coming to the end of its viability for life.
The villain is an “Elon Musk-ish” dude who is the richest man in the universe- runs, owns and controls everything. He has a plan to release nano bots to earth that will clean up the the toxic water and air. However, our heroine Ada, discovers that his plan is just to continue to enrich himself as the nano bots will fail and make earth in perpetuity on “a subscription plan” where the poor continuously pay to live.
To stop this evil plan, Ada enlists the help of Mr. stick up his butt/ government official hottie Ryan to help her change the code so the bots do what they’re supposed to do.
This is the 2nd book in a series and ends in a cliff hanger. It’s a pretty short story that takes place mostly at a party and I found it rather meh. I have a personal problem with cliff hanger books- feels like a $ grab.
Note- no streamy scenes but the F word is used constantly.

I just absolutely love this series. It's fun and quippy and quick-witted. There's a lot of seemingly chaotic thoughts and dialogue, but it's all part of Ada's master plan. I love the heists and the staying one step ahead of the love interest. This is quite everything I love in a sci-fi rom com. light romance in this, so don't expect there to be spice, but there are some swoony kisses.

Also, the audiobook narrator is PERFECT for this story. I couldn't imagine a better person to play Ada. She gets her mannerisms and quips perfectly. These audiobooks would be perfect for a road trip as they are shorter and keep you engaged the whole time.

Advanced copy kindly provided through Netgalley, though my enjoyment of this ride is entirely my own.

Murderbot meets Oceans 11 in book two of the Chaotic Orbits series. I loved being back for another fast paced adventure with the quick witted and jaded Ada, this time with a ploy to disrupt a charity auction with mysterious and dark purpose. This is the rare instance when I wish a book was longer. Would highly recommend this and the first book in this series, Full Speed to a Crash Landing for something quick and fun.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.

This series is incredibly enjoyable. For such a slim volume, the characters are well fleshed out, and the plot develops at a fast pace without feeling lackluster. Despite the moments of levity, the story still has heart and leaves the reader thinking about how our world is changing and developing and what could still come.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for an advanced listener copy. The audiobook is well done with an engaging narrator that catches the main character's voice perfectly.

The second installment of the Chaotic Orbits novella series, this time with more tension and kissing! And also space shenanigans, but that’s a given. I can’t decide if I like the first or second of this series the most as I feel they’re pretty equally balanced, despite being pretty different in plot execution/emphasis. Whereas the first feels more like classic science fiction with ships and a mysterious object, this is a little more glitz, glam, and romance. Still, Ada’s voice is so strong throughout, regardless. Overall, I think that this series in general and this novella particularly are fun, and I feel invested in the characters, and I’m interested to see where the rest of the series will go in both plot and relationships now that we’ve established the general thread.

As far as the audiobook goes, I actually think it’s how I prefer to read this series, which isn’t typical for science fiction. The narrators, especially Dara Rosenberg, infuse a lot of character into their narration and I think it helps build the characters themselves. It also works well with the relative lightness of the science fiction elements, while still feeling firmly in the genre. I would definitely recommend the book overall, and especially the audiobook!

Despite being a novella, How to Steal a Galaxy is a powerful book. This story slowly draws you in and takes you on an enjoyable science fiction journey. Different planets, heists, subtly romantic moments, and a little chaos in between are all included.

In the spirit of full-disclosure, not only had I not listened to the first book in the series before requesting this one, I had not even heard it, nor had the author been in my radar. I do not regret a single thing. I was able to listen to a copy of the first book, Full Speed to a Crash Landing, through the library and had such a good time listening to it, that I immediately started this one.
Given that this is a short listen, a mere 4 hours (and so is the other one), one may wonder how in-depth the world building and character development goes. I can assure you that there is no skimping here. Revis paints a very clear picture of the breadth of the Universe in this future, the modes of travel and in general how things work in terms of politics or inter-world relations. The plot is action-packed, but also way to follow. The characters have enough depth to make them believable and relatable. Ada is a multi-dimensional character with wit, but also a lot of heart. Rian’s character has been a little slower to develop since we haven’t seen much of him yet, but based on how book two ends, I am pretty sure the next book is where his character will really take off. I very eagerly look forward to the next instalment.
The narrator for Ada did an excellent job bringing her and the story to life. We do not get much of the narrator for Rian, except at the end, but my hope is that we will have a dual POV in the next book… here’s hoping.
I recommend this books to anyone looking for something to introduce them to the world of space and science fiction - this is a great start. This book is also great for someone looking for something short and fun to listen to.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an early listening copy of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Ok so this book is witty! The plot is science/fictiony and really very good - not typically a huge fan of science fiction - Ada is the main character and has a very important job... Rian complicates things a bit. Loved the narrator - would read another book by Beth Rivis again!

4 stars!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

Publish date: 12/03/2024

How to Steal a Galaxy is just as fun as the first book in this series. Ada Lamar is back and the listener is left guessing what kind of trouble she is up to now. The narrator does a great job conveying Lamar's spunky attitude. More is revealed in this story about the state of Earth and the current conditions that trigger Lamar and Ryan White's work. Since there is a lot of internal dialogue in this book I did sometimes have trouble being sure if Ada was thinking or speaking but overall that did not detract from the pace of the story.

This is a great follow up to Full Speed to a Crash Landing!

This is Book 2 of Chaotic Orbits, and it needs to be read in order. We're back with Ada and Rian and it's another heist but at a high end museum. We don't know what Ada is there to steal, but Rian is going to stay right by her side the entire night. Not because she's clever, confident and beautiful. No just for his job. He'll stay as close as he possibly can, and never take his eyes off her.

The tension! THE TENSION. It's crackling and I love it.

This is a fast-paced heist from a museum and we don't find out until the very end what Ada is there to steal. We have misdirects and red herrings.

Dara Rosenberg and David Bendena are back and I'm so glad they are. Dara does the character of Ada perfectly.

This book is best read in an art gallery. Don't forget your lip gloss.

This novella was so much fun! 'How to Steal a Galaxy' is book #2 in the Chaotic Orbits novella series. The first one was a bit more action packed since the story setting space. This time, they are on one of the Earth planets, primarily in a museum. This meant less action, but the spy energy was immaculate.

Just like in book #1, Ada is such a bold, smart, and fun character. I love that after 2 books I still can't predict what she's going to do next. And her counterpart Rian is steady, focused, and completely obsessed with her. (As he should be!) I can't wait to see what happens next between these two..