Review: Hope's Folly by Linnea Sinclair

Synopsis: Admiral Philip Guthrie is in an unprecedented position: on the wrong end of the law, leading a rag-tag band of rebels against the oppressive Imperial forces. Or would be, if he can reach his command ship—the intriguingly named Hope’s Folly—alive. Not much can rattle Philip’s legendary cool—but the woman who helps him foil an assassination attempt on Kirro Station will. She’s the daughter of his best friend and first commander—a man who died while under Philip’s command, and whose death is on Philip’s conscience.
Rya Bennton has been in love with Philip Guthrie since she was a girl. But can her childhood fantasies survive an encounter with the hardened man, and newly-minted rebel leader, who it seems has just become her new commanding officer? And will she still be willing follow him through the jaw of hell once she learns the truth about her father’s death?
It's an impossible mission on a derelict ship called HOPE'S FOLLY. A man who feels he can't love. A woman who believes she's unlovable. And an enemy who will stop at nothing to crush them both. (from the back of the book)
Review: This is the third in Sinclair's Dock Five series, and the second I've read. It vexes me I read them out of order, but my fault as I own the second of the series and didn't check to see which was which when I snatched this off the shelf.
Guthrie is a secondary character in the first two, and I am pleased he was given his own story. Rya is hilarious, and a character I connected with immediately. The world-building, as always, is fabulous. Sinclair has a talent for intrigue, raising the stakes, make each character unique (even the secondary), and make the reader unable to set the book down.
In this, I particularly like Rya's self doubt - it felt real, not the debilitating whining of your average beauty-who-thinks-she-isn't. Rya knows herself, her looks and her abilities and accepts who she is as she is. It's Guthrie who changes Rya's self-doubt - and it is Rya that shows Guthrie he can love.
The conflict they encounter had me on the edge of the seat (or, more accurately, staying up late into the night on work night to finish.)
Of the two I've read, I preferred this one. Not that the other was bad, but the previous was in first person and I do not always enjoy that. This was an excellent book and I highly recommend if you enjoy good science fiction with a strong romantic bent.

Bookmarks:  8 of 10

Awards: Several. See here for details.

Date Finished: 1-16-2012
Pages: 423