That was such a good time read. I could not have enjoyed that book more. Maybe it was just my multiverse loving self, but it had me hooked right from the beginning. If I could give over 5 stars I absolutely would.

This book was a wild ride that was difficult to put down. As soon as I was done, I realized I was going to have to wait a year for the sequel. The microdrones are supposed to save the earth, but the best-laid plans of scientists and entrepreneurs go very wrong. The final act of the survivors leads to an unexpected consequence with a timeline shift. I am anxious to see the direction the author takes the characters in the next book. One thing is very clear, this book should be adapted for television.

Hive is a thrilling time-traveling/doomsday/romantic adventure and I am so glad I went along for the ride. I’ve never read DL Orton's work before so I went into this not knowing what to expect. What I found is a solid and well crafted sci-fi story revolving around three compelling characters that I genuinely became invested in. The science fiction is great — complex enough to make one think but not so dense that it can’t be understood. The romance is well written and while it is a big part of the story, it’s far from the whole story. DL Orton does a beautiful job telling her unique tale and really took me through the whole range of human emotions from start to finish. I look forward to reading book two to see where the story takes these characters next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Rocky Mountain Press and DL Orton for the e-ARC!

I love this book! I am glad to hear it is going to be followed up with a series. I really love a good multiverse story and this one was great, I recommend it!!! I am excited for the rest of the books to come out!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

I discovered the Between Two Evils books back in 2019, and have since listened to or read them all many times.

The possibilities for these stories and these characters are endless, passionate, and tragic in so many ways. Time travel is always tricky, but fun, to use in a story, and not only do these stories have fun with it, it’s engaging, too.

Coming into reading Hive, I could see the skeleton structure of the BTE story, and the ways it’s changed and evolved with her writing experience. There are deeper connections, more details filling in the moments we ride along with each character’s new experience of the timeline. The pacing is well done, not too slow that you lose interest, but not so fast I’m left with questions and my shoes still in the middle of the road. Honestly, it's like coming into a better telling of the original story, but with my whole heart, I also think it’s not meant to *only* be a better version of the original. No, it’s a whole new timeline, whole new telling of their lives and how it could change for the better or worse, in this possibly endless multiverse of domino-effect actions to undo the ending of the world as they know it.

The relationships feel genuine and meaningful, their actions and feelings guided by forces humanity barely understands, through love and the need to protect and provide happiness to the people they love. The tone of this book has a stronger beat of hope through the endless darkness of dystopian times, the weight of tragedy as it strikes is still impactful, but held back by the determination to make things right, like Diego saving the woman he loves, no matter what. (And Matt, that sweet, sweet man, he’s my favorite character, and his love and care for his niece got my heart in a chokehold!)

I get the best of both worlds, seeing the new story, and recalling back to the first series, seeing the differences and wondering how it could possibly all link together in the future, if it does. It’s as gripping to me as all the other books, and I’m already impatiently waiting for the official release, and then the 2nd book, too, of course!!

I’ll be thinking through all the little hints and mysteries, and speculating on the next book’s direction for months to come. I’ve cried and laughed over these characters and their lives, and I can’t wait to do so again.

We have time travel, the multiverse, a romance that spans decades, and an evil billionaire who is trying to conquer the world with his technology. There is something in this sci-fi novel for everyone, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The couple at the center of the plot finds themselves in dire circumstances, trapped in an biosphere-like structure with a snappy AI companion that is part HAL, part Hitchhiker's Marvin, only in much better moods. There are cameo references to that and other seminal sci-fi works to further delight readers. I won't tell you how it ends, but the couple's journey through multiple universes and space time is interesting, and delightful Highly recommended.

Hive blends dystopian survival with time travel, delivering emotional depth through its central characters, Isabel and Diego. While the pacing starts slow, the complex relationships and intriguing sci-fi concepts pick up momentum, making it a solid read for fans of character-driven, high-stakes fiction.

WOW - this book was incredible. From literally the first page, I was sucked in and couldn’t put the book down. DL Orton is an incredibly talented author and I’m definitely going to be reading some of her other books while I wait for the sequel to Hive. The writing style is engaging and evocative and the subtle worldbuilding that permeates the book is some of the best I’ve read recently. The pacing of the book keeps you engaged and the steady building of the stakes - both personal and global - makes every choice the characters make feel like it has weight and importance. Orton also does a great job of giving the reader the necessary scientific background while still maintaining realism - almost every info-dump in the book feels immersive and a part of the natural conversation. The characters feel authentic, and their relationships add emotional weight to a high-stakes story about saving the world.
The one critique I do have is that every single chapter changes the POV between the three main protagonists, which felt a bit jarring and pulled me out of the story a bit. That said, it's a minor critique and this book was certainly a 5/5 read.
If done wrong, alternate timeline stories can get really confusing and messy. This book is a perfect example of how to do it right. I can’t wait to read the sequel!

this was a strong start to the Madders of Time series, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from this type of book. The characters had that element that I expected and was invested in what was going on. DL Orton wrote this well and was glad I was able to go through this story. I'm excited to read more in this series and from DL Orton.

4.5 / 5

Had such a fun time reading this book, and was rooting for / invested in each of the characters POV’s. There were plenty of times that I was laughing out loud, and stressed out for Madders, Diego and Isabel. I’m curious to see how big of an impact the bees will have in the next book especially the way this one ended. There are still a few questions left unanswered but I guess I will have to pick up the next book when it comes out. The book itself started out slow, but picked up pretty quickly and each chapter kept the plot progressing forward and ramped up nicely at the end. Any level of sci-fi reader could enjoy this, I just wish some of the plans that the scientists were working on were explained a little more at the end, but that didn’t hinder my reading enjoyment.
Has elements of time travel, government secrets, black holes / wormholes and different timelines.
Trigger warnings: miscarriages

Thank you to NetGally and Rocky Mountain Press for this ARC.

Wow. Just wow. I'm honestly not sure what to say. It had comedy, romance and it almost made me shed tears. It made me feel all kinds of emotions.

I'm quite the fan of time-travel and have enjoyed TV series with it as a topic (Timeless and Loki). Hive is the first book I've read that has it as a topic and it definitely won't be the last.

I'm super excited for the next part in this series, Jump, and I have already added the Between Two Evils series to my TBR! I'm curious to read more about Matthew, Isabel and Diego.

I definitely recommend it for people curious about the multiverse, time-travel and changing fate for the good... or bad.

P.S. Could I lend the machine to go to another universe where the second book is already out?

Going into “Hive”, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve read a couple of D.L. Orton’s books before and remember enjoying them, so I was excited to leap in, and I was not disappointed!

One of the main reasons I absolutely loved “Hive” was the sweet, pure love story that is set in the realistic world Orton has created. Sometimes it’s hard to find a couple like Diego and Isabel in books. These two have made mistakes, but that doesn’t change how they feel about one another and it never had even after so many years of not seeing one another. Even when Isabel becomes hurt and Diego volunteers to help her, he never takes advantage of the situation, and he makes her feel cared for. I also love how pure and honest they are with each other. Nothing hidden, nothing exaggerated; just honesty and love. Reading from both perspectives gives the reader reassurance that their love is true and wholesome.

Within the other chapters, the reader follows Professor Matthew Hudson and I simply adore his character. He’s scientific, knowledgeable, cares for his niece like his own daughter, and has a lovable sense of dry humor. I loved these chapters where we meet other characters (like Sam and Cassie, Matt’s niece) who add not only a level intelligence to the text (so does Isabel!), but also a balance of lightness and severity of the situation they are in. Time travel and wormholes are not a joking matter, but they personalities were so fun and entertaining to read.

The pacing of the plot was excellent. I never found myself bored. I actually was sad to finish reading because I didn’t want to leave Orton’s world. The time travel and the set up to a dystopian world was perfect! The beginning chapter lured me in to what the future would look like and the time travel back to the past was captivating to find out where it all begin.

I simply cannot wait for the next installment of the “Madders of Time” series!

Orton is a talented author with the ability to create characters you care about, a world where every single aspect is well-thought-out and captivating, and themes that are so relatable to our world today that I found it all easy to connect with and wanted more. I will obviously rate “Hive” a 5 out of 5 stars!

My opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher (Rocky Mountain Press) for giving me the opportunity to read “Hive”.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rocky Mountain Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Full disclosure: I had never heard of D.L. Orton nor any of her other books prior to stumbling upon this ARC and being completely intrigued by the summary and cover. After reading it... well, frankly, I think that EVERYONE should have heard of D.L. Orton! This author is a phenomenal writer.

First of all, the premise of this book (and presumably the series) is just really cool. I found it to be a believable future, which I can't often say for time travel books. There are three character POVs that we jump between, and while this is occasionally confusing, I was able to reorient myself within the first few sentences of each new POV. For the first time in a long time, I connected with all three of these main characters, and found myself internally and enthusiastically rooting for some characters and booing others.

Second of all, the writing itself is beautifully done. Descriptions are eloquent and not overly flowery. Dialogue is easy to follow. While I would prefer less cursing (personal taste), I did not feel that the cursing was out of place considering the environment and situations in which these characters found themselves.

I'll admit that I was disappointed to "lose" Madders, a very intriguing character, near the beginning, but the inclusion of log entries connecting the timelines gives me hope that Madders might again become a player later in the series.

Overall I really enjoyed this, and I eagerly await Madders of Time #2!

Content Warnings:
- Terminal illness
- Violence
- Miscarriage
- Cursing
- Alcohol

Let me say right off, I loved this book, and had a hard time putting it down. Shall we look at why?

First off, I’m always intrigued by dystopian time travel stories. But this is a difficult topic to do well, so I always have a certain amount of trepidation in starting these types of books. I needn’t have worried.

So how did the author handle it? She did not bog down the story with made up physics. Instead, it’s told through the experiences of the characters. And she has some really great characters - three very likable viewpoint characters - all scientists - a narcissistic billionaire, a reasonable military man who wants to save the world, and a paranoid government agent.

The chapters switch between the three viewpoint characters, Diego Nadales, Matt Hudson, and Isabel Sanborn. Each chapter is written in first person - my preferred viewpoint to read.

The book begins near end of human time on Earth. There are only two humans - Diego Nadales and Isabel Sanborn - and a AI called Madders, who holds the consciousness of Matt Hudson, left. They decide to send Diego Nadales back in time to see if he can change the timeline. And it is Madders who will watch events unfold to determine if Diego was successful.

Pros

- The viewpoint characters are very likable. It’s easy to become invested in their well being.

- A profound setting: the end of humanity on Earth.

- “May you live in interesting times,” purported to be a curse whose provenance has never been established, is a great description for the events in this book. Terrible for the characters, but a great plot.

- DL Orton is an excellent writer.

Cons

- Maybe I'm quibbling, because this is the first book in a series, but rather than drawing this book to a close, it just seems to stop. I was left feeling rather frustrated. It is why I gave the book a 4.5 rather than a 5.0. (However since you can only provide whole numbers on NetGalley, I will round up to 5.0.)

That said, I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series and plan to add her earlier series to my TBR list. So obviously, I’m not too put off.

Trigger warning: miscarriage

Will I read more of this author? Yes!