Jaq's Harp by Ella Drake (Carina Press, 2011)

4 ½ Stars! A stimulating futuristic twist on Jack and the Beanstalk! With a kick-ass heroine, and a fabulous title, you can’t go wrong grabbing this one up! And I so love the cover :D

Jaq’s main plight in this novella is to get the cure her younger sister needs to live. She must find a way to get to the floating islands, sneak into Giant’s secure headquarters and steal the antidote. Oh, and then get out. Adding to the mix, a year ago her fiance went deep undercover in the same place, leaving Jaq behind brokenhearted. And he is still there, somewhere. Will she run into Harp while searching for the antidote?

Ella Drake kept this reader glued to the page with her well paced plot, with lots of action! I really liked both of the characters. I also felt Drake did a great job of world building and creating the romance within a shorter word count. Perhaps because the couple had a previous relationship, I found their current attraction quite believable. Highly recommended whether you like sci-fi or not. Jaq’s Harp is an exceedingly entertaining novella with a conclusion much different than the original fairy tale. I hope that Ms. Drake revisits this world, as I would love to learn more about it! I will be watching for more stories by this creative author!

Copied Blurb:

In a world of floating islands and bio-engineered beans, the bad guys are taken down by agents of the MOTHER organization-agents like Jacqueline "Jaq" Robinson. Instead of accepting her next routine assignment, she sets out on a mission of her own-to destroy Giant Corp, the company responsible for her sister's wasting illness. Jaq must steal her cure from Giant's headquarters high above the city...even though she'll be brought face-to-face with Harper English, the man who left her to go deep undercover at Giant.

For Harp, Jaq had been a distraction the mercenary thought he couldn't afford. But once he sees her again, Harp knows he's made a mistake. Even though she vowed he won't have her again, it's clear they still have a powerful attraction. Harp's determined to get a second chance with Jaq-if they can escape Giant Corp and get back to solid ground in one piece...

My Rating: 4.5