Mercenary Instinct

I really enjoyed the characters in this book; Ankari and Viktor are a lot of fun. Plus there was an actual plot, and a competent main female character. This book really stood out from other sci-fi romances for me. Viktor doesn't make unilateral decisions to “protect” Ankari; he actually goes and talks to her and they come up with a plan together gasp. Ankari's talents are realistic and I particularly enjoyed her constant escapes and pick-pocketing. There were no TSTL moments. Every obstacle felt real and wasn't the result of a character overlooking an obvious-to-me eventuality. There was a little bit of an insta-love aspect, but it was couched as more insta-lust with feelings coming later. And I liked that the conclusion of the story ended up Spoilerwith Ankari working out a deal with Viktor so that she could continue her business.