The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles, by Malka Older, is the second installment in The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, a series of sapphic space operas centering cozy mysteries on Jupiter. As you can imagine, they are delightfully fun reads for anyone who enjoys sci fi, cozy mysteries, or both!

Despite being only 224 pages, I read this slowly over a week while traveling, and it was a story I genuinely enjoyed falling back into, even if it was only for a few pages at a time. Mossa, an investigator, once again ropes our classics-scholar-Pleiti (now her romantic partner) into an investigation. This time, it’s a missing persons case, though it once again revolves around academic drama, exposing the political fault lines among the scholars collaborating on a hypothetical return to Earth. Pleiti is still recovering from the traumatic events of the first mystery they solved together, and Mossa is concerned for Pleiti, even if she never knows *quite* how to communicate her feelings (oh, Mossa). Being inside Pleiti’s head and experiencing each mystery through her first-person narration adds to the humor of the story, because Pleiti is generally anxious and unsure of Mossa’s intentions, and, yet, still up for adventure (even if she feels a bit grumbly about it). 

I also have to note that these books read like love letters to sci fi readers. At one point, while gardening, Pleiti hums the “second aria of Murderbot” and my heart *sang* with delight. The meta political commentary on conspiracy theorists, conservatives and more bring the reader into the joke consistently, and round these off as just-right comfort reads. Thank you to Tordotcom and Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy. 

 

This was a remarkable conclusion to Alyssa Cole's Loyal League series, and established a new character dynamic among our main couple. Daniel, our male main character, is the friend and former lover of our female main character in An Extraordinary Union (Elle). His backstory was briefly captured there, but the full breadth of his trauma becomes a focal point in this installment. Born free in Massachusetts, Daniel was stolen into slavery as an adult, and survived significant torture and various forms of physical and emotional trauma before eventually being freed through the efforts of Malcolm McCall in book one. He is now an operative for the Loyal League paired with Janeta Sanchez, a Black Cuban woman and the daughter of a formerly enslaved woman and the plantation master who married her. Janeta's perspective is initially extremely narrow - she's clearly been emotionally abused by a former partner and has internalized deeply problematic lessons about herself and her role as the daughter of a plantation owner. She and Daniel circle each other slowly, learning how to overcome their various assumptions and deceptions to ultimately trust each other. This is a slow-burn romance that requires a lot of character development, which, of course, only Alyssa Cole could pull off as successfully as she does. Highly recommend this book and this series to historical romance readers.

As the second installment in Alyssa Cole's Loyal League series, this was a knock-out for me. I LOVE quieter slow-burn stories where the stakes gradually heighten until you are ready to scream from the on-page tension - this is that, both interpersonally between Marlie and Ewan AND externally as the increasingly invasive Confederate presence in Marlie's home drives her from her day-to-day life and family. Marlie, a free Black woman living with her white family in the South, is everything I love in a competent and self-protective heroine. She is inventive and reflective and knows when to take measured risks. And Ewan, neurodivergent and earnest and deeply traumatized by his role in the war, is so well-matched. Cole explores the impact of the war on free Black folks and poor white folks in divided territories and the various occupying factions, delivering a nuanced and compelling plot that drives this romantic suspense. This was 5/5 for me, I highly recommend to all historical romance readers!