Space Mac

This is a story that you will like if you enjoy Guardians of the Galaxy. It doesn't have talking animals or trees, but a lot of the comradely feels the same, as well as the moral grey areas some of the characters choose to operate in. The main character Mac is a cocky escort who somehow finds himself abducted by aliens, and then goes on a series of wacky adventures to try and get home again. I'm not really sure how the pin that transports him works, and neither does he. A lot of the plot moves very quickly, and events are sometimes described in mere sentences and then quickly rushed to get to the next plot point. The sex scenes in the book are also touched upon quickly, and not very in depth. The main focus of the story is not on the romance between Mac and Teevar, but on the adventure as a whole, which I liked. The group is willing to commit crimes like a bank heist in order to get home, and make sure that all of the crew involved is not left behind. The story would make a decent sci-fi movie, just for the typical set-up/ payoff of the medical problems, and the many adventurous schemes and battles depicted.
But the main reason I rated this as high as I did is for the sexuality of Mac. He is openly bisexual and no one tells him he is wrong, confused, or promiscuous. I mean his job is as an escort, but he isn't shamed for it. Teevar never judges him for his sexuality, or confesses that he can't trust him, and we see Mac show interest in both sexes equally. It's great representation, and even more fun that Mac is a cocky, charmer like Starlord or Han Solo. If this book was four pages long double spaced and filled with typos, I would still rate it highly because Mac is just a normal guy with a normal sexuality, which is all too rare. That he is also a charming rogue is just icing on the cake.
It does end with a bit of an open ended cliffhanger, which was disappointing, but I suppose means that there is room for a sequel.

3.5 stars

Synopsis: Mac is an escort/grifter on Earth, and one night at one of his customer's place, he picks up an unusual looking pin, thinking that maybe he can hock it. When he accidentally pricks his thumb with it, he is transported to a different galaxy. The beings there look human, but until they put a translator chip in him, Mac can't understand them. Then they take a sample, and, rather than have them continue experiments on him, Mac runs away. He gets caught by the law for public indecency and is sitting there with no hope of getting out because he doesn't know anyone, or have money, when a being next to him makes her own escape and takes Mac with her.
Lenara takes him to her ship, which has one other occupant: Teevar. Both Teevar and Lenara are on the run from bounty hunters, and take Mac with them. Along the way, Teevar frees another species, and Ral joins their rag tag band of runners as well. Mac really wants to go home, but no one seems to know where Earth is, so they face alien life forms on other planets and bounty hunters in order to live freely.

What I liked: The world building. This was a very fun and light story. Mac had his good and his bad moments, making him seem more realistic. When Mac and Teevar had disagreements, they did talk things out, but nothing was forgiven right away, as is often the case. They didn't let their feelings for each other blind them to the fact that they were wronged, but they also didn't hold grudges for long periods of time, either. The friendships that developed between the four characters felt true to all of them, and I liked that they didn't leave anyone behind. Everyone had their own strengths, and they worked well together.

What I didn't like: There wasn't a lot of attention put on building the romantic relationship between Mac and Teevar, as most of the story was focused on the adventures that the crew members were having, and how they all got out of the situations that they found themselves in.

Overall impression: Third person POV from Mac's POV. This was an amusing, adventurous romp, with romantic elements. I was really impressed with the development of the friendships, and with the story telling.

*I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*