I received an eARC of this book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Fools Rush In by Donna Frelick is the third book in Interstellar Rescue but it is also a prequel of sorts. In this installment we get Rayna and Sam’s story, how they met and events that are alluded to in previous books are played out in full. Captain Murphy is an easy going man who loves women, his ship and crew, and profit (he is a pirate after all), but there is one thing he hates…slavers. When he takes down a slaver ship with an undercover Rayna on board, he gets more than he bargained for.

I’ve always liked Rayna. She’s the epitome of bada**! She takes no crap from anybody, isn’t afraid to put the captain in his place and she’s fearless. Did I mention she kicks butt? Because the woman can fight!

Like Rayna, I’ve always liked Sam, but I think I’m in love now! He’s like a cross between Capt. Kirk in the new Star Trek movies and my favorite space cowboy Capt. Reynolds from Firefly. In fact I so pictured Nathan Fillion the entire time I was reading. I couldn’t help it. (On that same note Rayna was Zoe in my mind!) Okay back to why I like Sam. I loved that we finally get his backstory in this book. I always liked him, but knowing now what he came from helps to understand his previous actions, his weaknesses and his strengths. But what I truly loved was how he treated Rayna. I was full on expecting an alpha relationship, but instead he treats her as his equal. He doesn’t look down on her or believe that she shouldn’t do something. Instead he supports her and yes is a little protective.

I love the world-building in this series and this book in particular. It’s the first that is set entirely off Earth and in space. It’s a space opera so if that’s not your thing, consider yourself warned. The cast of characters are believable and a diverse bunch of aliens. I love how the author explains the differences by not pointing them out but allowing them to naturally come up (like with their size, skin color, even their language). I was fully immersed! AND I loved the plot! The plot centers around Sam’s ship rescuing a large group from slavers. Unfortunately for Sam there are spies on that ship hellbent on getting to the location they were being sent and basically starting a war. Intense and highly suspenseful!

Overall I really enjoyed this book! I love a good sci fi and this one with it’s dry humor, dash of romance and adventure, I couldn’t resist it. If you’ve enjoyed the series or you’re looking for a good sci fi read, I highly recommend you start this one ASAP!