JEALOUS JEALOUS JEALOUS

A little edit cause I'm stuck with my actual one.

Round 1 - Match 68

Scorpion (S3E26+S4E1) vs Fair Haven (S6E11)

Voyager encounters lots of Borg cubes, but they aren’t after Voyager. Soon, Voyager discovers that they are being destroyed by aliens from fluidic space, who want to eliminate all life in this galaxy. So, what does Janeway do? She makes a deal with the Borg…

Tom Paris has created a totally accurate and not at all stereotypical holodeck simulation of a small Irish town, and what does Janeway find there? A hunky bartender who flirts with her. The only problem is that he has a wife… But that’s actually not a problem, because she can be deleted!

Let's just say I'd rather stick to reality right now.

Back on my reread of Wendy Palmer's backlist, because I've enjoyed everything of hers I've read so far. In Fair Haven, Hazel's comfortable life as a Mancer guard in the stronghold of Fair Haven is upended when fugitive Mancer Ash asks for sanctuary. Ash has obviously been mistreated, and is hiding secrets that could destroy Hazel's home, from the Lady to resident Mancer Abermarle to the lowliest scullery maid.

Despite both my synopsis and the cover copy, this is actually a dual romance novel, one between Hazel and Ash and one focused on Hazel's best friend/ex Holly and the castle's uptight steward. Palmer's two flavors of relationship are on full display here, and I liked the contrast between sweet and oblivious Hazel compared to Holly's fiery, contentious romance. I also think it was a nice touch that Ash is deaf and Hazel initially connects with zhem because he's the most sign-fluent person in the castle due to his deaf sister. Hazel speaks a slightly different dialect of sign, not to mention decades of personal shorthand, which he sometimes has to explain to Ash. Kudos also for writing Hazel as acespec--I'm frequently unhappy about the depiction of demi people in romance novels, but I think this book did a good job.

Overall, the worldbuilding was engaging and more detailed than usual for a romance or even for a standalone. Mancers are effectively, to be crude, nonbinary autism wizards, and highly prized because very few of them are born and they can create powerful magic inventions. Mancers have a symbiotic relationship with strongholds, which provide the supplies they need and protect them from inter-castle poaching. Fair Haven is one of the kinder strongholds, but the system gives mancers very little power, and the setup is rife with abuse. It's a juicy scenario, particularly once you throw in a fugitive Mancer of mysterious origins. Sorta a cross between a lost nuke and a lost 300 carat diamond.