Introducing Admiral Branden Kel-Paten
My All-Time Favorite Hero
I've finally found the epitome of a Romance Genre Novel hero. He is smart, shy, sexy, awkward, a military great, and yet a victim of government-sanctioned abuse. He is also absolutely, head-over-heels, oh-so-in-love with his heroine. He is Branden Kel-Paten, the hero of Linnea Sinclair's Games of Command, and now the one character whom I believe all heroes in future romances must strive to emulate.
Imagine being born just to be an experiment. Imagine the physical agony as your arms and legs are transformed from mere flesh and blood to having implants, wiring, and ports. Imagine the loneliness as everyone knows who you are, admires what you are, fear what you've become, and shies away from contact with you.
Imagine loving a woman, when you should not feel love. In fact, you should not have any feelings except anger because the scientists programmed emo-inhibitors to prevent your feeling emotions.
This is just a little of what Branden Kel-Paten had endured. But as if that wasn't enough to make any reader feel for him, we quickly learn that Kel-Paten had turned the tables on the Triad. He was still one of their most loyal people, but he had learned to override his programming. He could feel emotions. He was able to shift through the programs they tried to download in him. Kel-Paten was in charge of who he was. He was an admiral dedicated to the Triad, he was a biocybe trying to hide the fact that his humanity was in control over his biocybernetics, but most of all, he was a man completely in love with a woman, by the name of Captain Tasha "Sass" Sebastian.
And it is this man who has become my epitome of a Romance Genre Novel hero.
I had not read any books by Linnea Sinclair prior to accepting Games of Command for review (Please see my review!). I did not know the history of the book, nor that many readers had been left hanging for many years. Apparently, in 2002, Command Performance was published. It introduced four characters, Admiral Branden Kel-Paten, Captain Tasha "Sass" Sebastian, Chief Medical Officer Eden Fynn, and rebel Captain Jace Serafino. Unfortunately, it left a cliffhanger, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the sequel was not published.
In steps Bantam Books, who decides to publish the story, but Ms Sinclair needs to rewrite it into one book. And I must extend my hearty appreciation to Bantam. This story is utterly amazing. The depth of back story Ms Sinclair creates is phenomenal. I actually thought that this was part of a series. For example, if you were to pick up any Star Wars novel, you know that there will be references to all sorts of characters, species, and worlds that you have learned about in other books, movies, comics, etc. However with Games of Command, there is all of those name dropping, and side comments, but no additional stories. Linnea Sinclair is an amazing storyteller, but I'm going to change gears from spotlighting Ms Sinclair, and return to my favorite hero - Kel-Paten.
He had conquered the programming, and was able to feel emotions, although he could block them when necessary - such as when he was around empaths. This was particularly important due to his feelings for Tasha. He loved her. Yet he couldn't tell her, and he had absolutely no idea how to interact with her on a personal level. They had been on opposite sides of the war for years, and she didn't fully trust him. He knew that what he was probably was an equal, if not more, cause for her to turn away from him. And not simply for distrust, but perhaps disgust as well.
Yet Kel-Paten always tried to find ways to be near her. During the war, he engineered battles so that they could spar, just to be near her. Then with peace, he was able to use his influence to bring her onboard his ship. Now he had her where he wanted her, with him, yet he had no idea what to do next.
My heart hurt so much for Kel-Paten. He was trying so hard to be more human than biocybe. He continually used terms like "learn" instead of "programmed". He also tried to avoid allowing Tasha to see the non-human side of him. Kel-Paten was so in love with Sass, and due to the emo-inhibitors she knew had been put in him, Sass had no idea that the comments she made, and the way she reacted with him, devastated him. There is one scene in this book that I have re-read so many times, there is actually (GASP) a crease in the spine. Sass devastates Kel-Paten. It is page 233, and Sass is justified in her fear that Kel-Paten may have betrayed them. However, it is her words, and our insight into him, that we know how much her words hurt.
I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Down Home Zombie Blues to read for review (Please see my review!). This story was exciting, and yet another great romance. However, it is not just romance readers who are her fans. She has a huge fan base of Science Fiction readers. I have joined her Yahoo Group (Link found on Linnea's website) and highly recommend any fan to join. There are many incentives to join that I can't share here!
Also, once you've read Games of Command, the adventure doesn't end. She has posted several deleted scenes on the blog she shares with several other writers. She included several deleted scenes, (Link found on Linnea's website) plus an interview with Kel-Paten! (I even got my question answered by him...SIGH) There were 2 postings from Kel-Paten. (Part 1) and (Part 2)
So, for all you Kel-Paten fans, and maybe even those of you who haven't read the book yet, I have a special surprise. Linnea Sinclair has given me a deleted scene that she hasn't yet posted on the blog. Be among the first to find out how Kel-Paten's friend Ralland Kel-Tyra learns about Kel-Paten's love of Sass by Clicking Here
This month, if you are a member of my Yahoo Announcement Group, you will be automatically entered to win an ARC of Games of Command provided by Ms Sinclair
I hope that you take my advice, and read Games of Command. And once you do, I'm sure you will love Kel-Paten as much as I do.
Then we'll just have to wait impatiently hoping for a sequel.
Welcome
I truly enjoy sharing my love of reading. This site was started to allow me to share some of my favorite books. I hope that if you look around and find that you agree with some of my selections (see my reviews), that you will return and hopefully find new authors. I plan on having periodic "Recommended Reads" lists that will include books I recommend, as well as suggestions by visitors to this site. I will also keep you up-to-date on different upcoming events, special offers, etc.
As you look around, I'm still learning my way around HTML, etc. If you see any errors, typos, please e-mail me.