
And sometimes I read a book that makes me wish I had written it! This 2 book series is like that.
Race to Redemption, Green Rising Book 1.
Elaina Carteret is an intergalactic storm-racing champion. She also started an intergalactic company with her brother Jimmy, with some backing from her Uncle Sam. Racing is in her blood, and she's damn good at it. But inside she's suffering tremendous guilt, since one of her two nephews was killed in a ship she was piloting a few years ago. She blames herself for his death, and like most perfectionists, will never forgive herself. She's also still hurting over Noah's betrayal. He was her childhood best friend, co-founder of her company, and her lover, before a Magaran, a being from a race that can change sex at will, was added to the board. When Noah and the Magaran threaten her, trying to steal her company out from under her control, she takes their offer to "disappear" for a short time--to act as a pilot for medical supplies on another planet, while in disguise. That way she'll be able to train, and if she wins the next big competition, she can over-rule them. Of course she knows they'll cheat--they always do, which is why she lost the last race.
Erik Johansen is a medical researcher and a doctor. He's driven by the twin demons of crushing guilt and a woman's betrayal, so he's closed himself off to any emotions at all--and he rarely allows himself to even relax enough to sleep. When the sexy new pilot appears in his medical facility, his libido notices, but he works very hard to be immune to her charms. It doesn't work, so he counters her flirting with rudeness and arrogance. Of course she sees through that, but doesn't understand why he won't agree to share temporary pleasures of the flesh with her, since he's the first man she's been interested in since Noah betrayed her.
WOW! I read this book in one sitting last night! When I finished it, I felt deep sadness. Why? For starters, because the book was done, and I think there are only these 2 books in the Green Rising series. The second reason was because as an author, when I enjoy a book this much, I'm jealous and wish I had written it. The third reason was because I glanced at the clock and it was almost 2 in the morning! I've been a very tired puppy all day due to lack of sleep. I should have put the book down about half-way through it, but I kept reading "just one more chapter!" Then it got so gripping that I knew there was no way I could sleep without finishing it.
If you like sci-fi romance, with a comprehensively described future world--with unforgettable characters, steamy sex scenes, fascinating aliens, and a battle between good and evil--you will love this book! I certainly did.

Marisol Martinez is a widow with an eleven-year-old daughter who never met her father. He died in a mining accident right before Marisol found out she was pregnant. She's spent the past twelve years being a part of an inter-planetary resistance, trying to find proof that these accidents are being staged by an evil coalition--for nefarious purposes that no one can discover.
Captain, or Cap is a cyborg programmed to be a leader. He's spent the past decade protecting all of the members of his cyborg unit. On his way to a pleasure planet that even provides relief for the partly-human cyborgs, there is an explosion aboard their spaceship, and all are forced to eject in pods
WOW! This book hit all of my buttons! Futuristic sci-fi, steamy-hot romance, and strong independent heroine meets strong, sexy hero. When brought to Marisol's planet, it turns out that two of the cyborgs are people who were presumed lost in the mining explosion--and one of them is Marisol's fiancé, Aren. Except that Cap has no memories of having been Aren. He does, however, still react to the scent of Marisol's perfume, and eventually, her body. I love that scents are the trigger to such powerful and repressed memories. Cap's cyborg enhancements are not gross, but not designed to be attractive either. The romance between Marisol and Cap grows slowly, brought on by their intense sexual attraction. Could it be that his cells remember hers? Because he doesn't. These two characters both grow during the story, and learn how to love again. And along the way the story of the resistance is told, and the nefarious plot is revealed. There is a HEA for Marisol and Cap. It won't be easy for them to live in peace but they will live to fight another day.