Alex J. Cavanaugh – CassaSeries TRILOGY

Hey everyone! As I’m sure you’re aware from my earlier reviews of Alex J. Cavanaugh‘s space opera books CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm, I’ve become a fan of his work.

 I just want to let you all know that the entire Cassa Series Trilogy is now available! If you click on the individual titles above, you can read each of my reviews.  🙂

CassaSeries
By Alex J. Cavanaugh
ISBN 9781939844118
Price – $5.99 eBook boxed set
Science fiction/adventure (FIC028010)
Science fiction/space opera (FIC028030)

The Amazon Best-Selling Series!

CassaStar – Few options remain for Byron. Slated to train as a Cosbolt pilot, Byron is determined to prove his worth to his instructor, Bassa. As war brews on the edge of space, Bassa must make a decision that could decide the fate of both men. Will their skills be enough as they embark on a mission destined to stretch their abilities to the limit?

CassaFire – Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters behind him, the detection of alien ruins sends him to the planet of Tgren. Forced to train a Tgren named Athee and deal with an eager young scientist, he feels invaded. Tensions mount as the ruins reveal a potential weapon, plunging him further into the chaos. All Byron wanted was his privacy…

CassaStorm – Commanding the base on Tgren, Byron watches as a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the planet. When the war hits Tgren, it triggers nightmares in his son. The ancient alien ship begins transmitting a deadly code and the probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago returns. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

Find it at Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Goodreads

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. He is the author of the Amazon bestsellers, CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm.

 

BLOOD, BOOBS and CARNAGE BLOGFEST

Hey there bloggers! It seems that I’ve been a blogfest-aholic lately. I can’t seem to get enough. When I saw the badge: Blood, Boobs & Carnage Blogfest, I knew I had to join. It’s the brainchild of Heather Gardner and Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Visit Other Participants!

I was never into movies that included massive amounts of blood, boobs, or carnage. When Hostel came out, everyone I knew kept saying it was so gross, but realistic gross, that I had to see it.

I don’t know what I was thinking… Oh yeah, I do. I was a few years into my EMS career already and figured I could ‘analyze’ the film and put myself into a few ‘what if’ scenarios. Uh, not so much.

Click for Hostelfilm Website  Image (c) Lion’s Gate Entertainment All Rights Reserved

I thought I’d seen it all during my career: shootings, stabbings, evisceration, and severed limbs. I remember watching helplessly as a young man burned alive in his vehicle while police officers futilely tried to gain access until the fire department arrived. This happened only a few months after 9/11, so there was a brief investigation involved until the cause was finally determined. Sad, really.

Anyway, this movie made most of my bad calls look like a walk in the park. I watched most of it through my fingers; I’m not even kidding. I was so horrified by what I saw, it almost made me sick. But I liked the movie overall. Go figure. It must’ve been because one of the victims got ‘justice’ in the end.

I’m sure there were boobages galore, but the gore is all too vivid for me to remember those parts.

Have you seen any of the Hostel movies? Do you believe these ‘Elite Hunters’ exist in life? I’m curious to know your opinion.

That’s my submission for the BB and C blogfest. Until my next adventure…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dragon of the Stars – BOOK RELEASE BLITZ!

Good morning fellow bloggers and friends! I’ve got a special treat for you today. 🙂 Alex J. Cavanaugh, one of my mentors, fellow bloggers, friends, and virtually adopted brother has released his fourth book today – Dragon of the Stars! We’re celebrating it by having a book release BLITZ! Check out the Scavenger Hunt for details and make sure you visit Alex’s blog and all participants for the best shot at winning and autographed copy and some SWAG!

SCAVENGER HUNT!

Comment to win an autographed copy of Dragon of the Stars, tons of bookmarks & postcards, and a $20.00 iTunes gift card–where is Mini-Alex? Visit Alex HERE for a list of the participants. (Open through April 11 – winner announced April 13 at Alex’s blog.)

Available today!

Dragon of the Stars

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Science Fiction–Space Opera/Adventure/Military

Print ISBN 9781939844064

EBook ISBN 978193

 

The ship of legends…

The future is set for Lt. Commander Aden Pendar, son of a Hyrathian Duke. Poised to secure his own command and marriage to the queen’s daughter, he’ll stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

But when the Alliance denies Hyrath’s claim on the planet of Kavil and declares war on their world, Aden finds his plans in disarray. Entrenched in battle and told he won’t make captain, Aden’s world begins to collapse. How will he salvage his career and future during Hyrath’s darkest hour?

One chance remains–the Dragon. Lost many years prior, the legendary ship’s unique weapon is Hyrath’s only hope. Can Aden find the Dragon, save his people, and prove he’s capable of commanding his own ship?

Purchas

Amazon –  Barnes and Noble –  Kobo –  Chapters –  Amazon UK –  Goodreads – iTunes – Amazon print – Overdrive

 About the Author: Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design, graphics, and technical editing. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. He’s the author of Amazon Best-Sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm.

http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh  

I hope you take this opportunity to enjoy this Blitz. I know I am! I love trying to win stuff. 😀 As you probably already know, I already read and reviewed Alex’s first three books and CANNOT wait to read this one. I never thought I’d enjoy space opera this much.

CassaStorm – BOOK REVIEW

Hey bloggers! I’m trying to play a bit of catch up with my reviews, so today I’ll be reviewing CassaStorm by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Since I’m working the A-Z Challenge, there will be a few reviews set up in my queue through April. It’s a busy month for sure! Expect a couple more book reviews to pop up over the course of the month. 🙂

 

Book:  CassaStorm

Author:  Alex J. Cavanaugh

Genre:  Space Opera

Hearts:  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥/♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥   4.5/5.0

 

My Review:

I’m glad I was able to read all three books in the series. I enjoyed them immensely. If Mr. Cavanaugh’s books are indicative of the Space Opera genre, I’ll definitely be reading more of them.

Forty years earlier, Byron helped end the Vindicarn War and became a hero in the process. But it wasn’t without sacrifice and great personal loss. Twenty years after, he finds new friendship, a loving mate, and gets back in the pilot’s seat to prevent a catastrophe from eliminating the planet Tgren. I just summed up the first two books in two sentences.

Now Byron is twenty years older, married, and has a young, mixed-raced (half-Cassan/half-Tgren) son named Bassan. He no longer flies an explorer ship, and his days as a fighter pilot are over. As Commander of a Cassan base on Tgren, all he has to worry about are occasional stray attacks and appeasing the egos of the Tgren prefects and bureaucrats. Or so he thinks…

Bassan doesn’t have many friends because of his ‘half-breed’ status, so he is bullied often. Drent is his closest friend and mixed race, too. He is the son of Senior Science Officer Mevine, Byron’s close friend. Bassan doesn’t have an interest in flying like his parents do. He’s more interested in the scientific and technological aspect of things. He is excited beyond belief when his class takes a field trip to the alien ship where Officer Mevine works.

Parents can tell kids ‘Look, but don’t touch’, as much as they like, but…I guess they don’t listen in space either. Soon after the trip, Bassan starts having terrorizing nightmares; the alien ship on Tgren starts sending signals from a once dormant console. Soon the other planets in the system begin uncovering alien ships on their own planets too.

The uncomfortable truce between the Cassans and Vindicarn is gone and there is fighting again as other planets ally: some with the Cassans and some with the Vindicarns. It’s only a matter of time before an all out war galactic war takes place and it must be stopped. Byron figures out that Bassan is somehow connected to what is happening. I can’t say much more without giving away spoilers, but the ending DID NOT disappoint!

As always, Mr. Cavanaugh fleshed out his characters well and I was impressed with Bassan and how he handled his ‘growing pains’. I didn’t notice any grammatical or spelling errors in this final book of the trilogy.

What bothered me a little: Byron, Byron. I love him. I do. He’s come a long way since the first book; he still some issues he needs to work on. It may just be me, but I hoped personal connections would have been easier for him by now, particularly with Bassan. It was good watching their relationship evolve through the book, but having a closer relationship earlier would have been nice.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. It can been read as a stand alone, but if you truly want to know who Byron is as a person, I would suggest starting from Book 1.

FINAL RATING:    Hearts:  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥/♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥   4.5/5.0

About the author:

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design, graphics, and technical editing. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. He’s the author of Amazon Best-Sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm.

http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh  

P.S. #WhataretheKarGrandes

CassaStar – BOOK REVIEW

 

Hey everyone! Hope you’re all having a great day. I’m reviewing Book One of the Cassa Series (as promised), CassaStar, by Alex J. Cavanaugh. I mentioned in my earlier review of CassaFire that I’d inadvertently bought the second book by accident thinking it was the first. My bad! 🙂 Glad I picked it up!

Book Title:   CassaStar 

Author: Alex J. Cavanaugh

Genre:  Space Opera            

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥

What a great read!

Byron is a young, arrogant, and troubled young Cassan man who has issues with authority. He is sent to Guaard for Cosbolt fighter pilot training with a young man named Tindel as his navigator.

It seems to Byron that nothing his team does is good enough for his Senior Officer Bassa, though he and Tindel score remarkably well on their training missions. Some of his maneuvers are seen as reckless, but he and his navigator always come away unscathed. His special ‘gift’ plays a part also, but must be kept secret per the Commander’s orders. Some of the other trainees dislike him and he is fine with that. He is not at Guaard to make friends.

Towards the end of training, Byron feels betrayed when Tindel reveals that he no longer wants to be a navigator on a fighter after performing an exercise that haunts him. Their relationship remains mostly strained for what’s left in training. Senior Officer Bassa informs Byron that if he passes, a suitable navigator would be found for him.

Byron does pass his training and when he checks for his assignment, shock overwhelms him when he discovers he will be on the Cassan’s flagship, The Sorenthia. Only high-ranking officers and senior staff are given assignments on this ship. Needless to say, he wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms.

Byron is annoyed and flabbergasted the following day when he learns that is new navigator is none other than his former Senior Officer Bassa. He grudgingly accepts his ‘fate’, but soon realizes how well they work together as a team. After years of self-doubt and loneliness, Byron is finally able to make some connections, as well as a friendship or two.

Unfortunately, there is war in the air. Vindicarn fighters have infiltrated Cassan airspace and are getting bolder. The Cosbolt fighters mission train daily. After several skirmishes with the Vindicarn fighters, a large one ensues when it is discovered that the Vindicarn’s main ship has a weapon in its core that can take out the entire ship. In the end, only Byron can save the day.

I can’t give away much more without giving away a ton of spoilers. The story was interesting and the writing tight. I like how the characters were fleshed out and had their own distinct personalities. I prefer lighter science fiction reads rather than the hard-core, technically and physics based ones. That being said, there was still a good amount of action to propel the story forward. I also liked the emotional and social aspects of the story, too.

The only negative I found was that it took Byron so long to appreciate his friendships and the kindnesses of others. I guess that would be expected from someone who’s never had it and had to learn, I suppose. I’d recommend this book if you’d like to try something out of your normal genre.

Until next post…

 

 

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. He is the author of the Amazon bestsellers, CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm.

PS:  #whatarethekargrandes