Phase Shift

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. The Chaos Station series comes to a close in a satisfying, if not exhilarating conclusion. The authors wrap up some loose ends but leave several questions unanswered about the omniscient Guardians and the morally-compromised AEF. The sci-fi plot takes a while to gather steam, meandering from one adventure to another before building to an exciting showdown between our heroes and a figure from Zed's past with a nefarious mission. The plot suffers from the absence of characters from other species (save for the ever-loyal Qek), most notably the recently discovered Resonance who made Inversion Point (#4 in the series) so fascinating. The relationship angle thankfully is fairly smooth, with little to none of the martyr-like “I must push you away for your own good” behavior of some of the previous books. There is some tension, but the two men manage to talk it through when they are not risking their lives, and the last chapter portrays the couple taking the next step to affirm their love for each other.

The Chaos Station series started strong, faltered a bit in the middle, hit its peak in Book 4, and then did a victory lap in Phase Shift. I don't know if these two authors will work together again, but they created a very rewarding, action-packed M/M sci-fi romance series that joins my short list of series I know I will keep on hand for a feel-good re-read.