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Strange Little Band by Nancy Brauer and Vanessa Brooks

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Rated 7.47 out of 10 Statistics

Information

Chapters: 28

Genre: Sci-Fi / Romance

Audience: 18+

Updated: Completed

Content Advisory

Frequent Sexual Content

Occasional Coarse Language

Occasional Violence

Statistics

Overall Rating: 7.471

Average Rating: 9 (Guests), 7.63 (Members)

Ranking: #30

Rating Count: 10 (1 Guests, 10 members)

1 indicates a weighted rating.

Strange Little Band by Nancy Brauer and Vanessa Brooks product Read This

"two psychics, one baby, and a mega-corp that owns them all"

Rating: 8 / 10

The story follows the psychics Addison and Shane, who both work for the mega-corp Triptych, a mysterious company that seems to specialize in almost everything. Both of the main characters are strong and manipulative; it’s refreshing to read a story with such complex characters and so much hidden politics at play.

Addison is passionate, stubborn and controlling, oftentimes bitchy, teleporting pet psychic of Triptych’s boss, and a fiercely protective mother.

Shane is a part human, part alien supreme martial arts expert and workaholic, who has no friends by design. As a matter of fact, any time he seems to experience strong emotions, he retreats into his emotionless alien side, thus appearing heartless and uncaring.

...now imagine the two of them having a baby.

Technically, this is a dark paranormal romance, which is personally not my cup of tea. But this isn’t the PWP you’d expect from the genre, this is something slightly more twisted, set on a background of a corporation that is as mystifying as it is sinister.

The beginning is perhaps a little slow, more character-driven than anything else, but the setting is intriguing, and I look forward to discovering more about Triptych now that Addison and Shane have a tentative trust. There are a couple of typos as well, but nothing too serious.

And the website is professional & easy to navigate, which made me very envious!

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Strange Little Band by Nancy Brauer and Vanessa Brooks product Read This

"Going to Hell in a handbasket & loving the ride!"

Rating: 9 / 10

Strange Little Band is an engrossing love/hate story set in the heart of a cold-hearted megacorp.  The main players, Shane, an alien half-breed, and Addison, a psychic, are themselves both the players and the played in the elaborate game The Triptych Corporation is playing.

While I, too, would like to see more of the science that makes Triptych run, I find the interpersonal relationships more than enough to drive the story.  Neither Addison nor Shane are likeable people, and yet, living their lives vicariously through the story, they become sympathetic characters: they’re well-written, believable, and engaging.

The chapters are a little short, but compact, packing a lot of emotion and action into the short updates.  I found myself clicking “next” again and again.  The scenes with sexual overtones are intensely written, and, frankly, hot.  Overall, the writing is smooth and engaging.

I’d like to see a little more of the world Shane & Addison live in, but that’s my only complaint so far (and, as I’ve only read through the end of Chapter 5, might change later in the story).  This is my kind of romance story – no predestination and very little chance of a happily ever after, but a lot of fun getting there.

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Strange Little Band by Nancy Brauer and Vanessa Brooks product Read This

"Psychic plus alien equals trouble"

Rating: 8 / 10

I have never met two characters I wanted to slap more than Addison and Myers from Strange Little Band.  By god these people are unlikeable, self-centred, oblivious, arrogant, sex-crazed and not at all nice.  But they are well written and interesting, and while I would never sit down for a cup of coffee with either of them, I certainly like watching the chaos they cause.

I’m really enjoying the world that Brauer and Brooks have created.  They have dropped enough titbits of information to keep me reading on, dying to find out where the aliens came from, what’s up with Daniel, who Ashlynn’s father is and what the hell the Tryptich Corporation is all about. I have to admit to skimming large parts of the romance subplot, as that really isn’t my thing.  But there’s enough meat on the bones of the science fiction plot to make it interesting to readers who don’t care that much about the emotional dealings of the protagonists.

The writing is strong and direct, and not burdened with exposition.  It’s fast and easy reading, great for a quick fix, and easy to catch up with previous episodes.  The authors have done a great job with web design and marketing as well, and while that’s not relevant to the story, it’s worth studying for anyone who is writing a web serial, or thinking of starting one.

The only reason I didn’t wholeheartedly love the tale was the large romance component, but that’s personal taste.  Don’t let that put you off reading; it’s a tale well worth your time.

(Cross posted from the e-Fiction Book Club)

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Strange Little Band by Nancy Brauer and Vanessa Brooks product Read This

"not so strange (if you like sci-fi)"

Rating: 6 / 10

Addison and Shane are equally self-centered, and equally certain that they are going to get their own way. it is amusing to watch the two postulate, and try to manipulate each other, although in the end their son connects them.

The early chapters (all as of July 2009) are focused on the character building, and for me, what should have been the main focus - the Triptych agenda - was rather neglected. Hopefully later chapters will address this problem.

I felt like the sex (rather explicit in my opinion) got in the way of the story. Although it is perfectly reasonable that hormones may play a role, and that yes, the sex was important for illustrating how Addison and Shane’s relationship was progressing, I found it incongruous and distracting. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood when I read it.

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