Back In Action by Elayne S. Venton
Changeling Press
Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Short Story, M/F
Review by Hibiscus

Once a prisoner of the Tai-Jor, ex-Colonel Dana Tangier now teaches recruits how to negotiate with the complex society where only couples are treated with dignity. When a female trainee falls ill and there's a Tai-Jor mission on the line, Dana must find a replacement fast or risk her life by returning to the place she'd sworn never to go again.

Lt. Gavin Moore has idolized war-hero Dana Tangier since his youth. Now he has a chance to work side-by-side with her and his libido is doing somersaults. Despite their age difference, convincing the Tai-Jor that Tangier is his lover shouldn't be a problem, but is he strong enough to protect her from her past?

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"Back in Action" is the story of a forty-four year old retired war-hero and a twenty-seven year old soldier. Dana and Gavin find themselves on a mission to save General Hamm and ultimately keep peace between several planets. The story moves at a good pace but the real story is the romance between Dana and Gavin.

I loved both of these characters. I found Dana to be a strong woman who has doubts about herself. Being an older woman, I really could get into her character and feel what she felt when faced with a younger  suitor. Her actions during the story when she wants to protect Gavin showed me how strong her feelings for him really were. Confronting Huthar after all that had previously happened to her at his hands showed an inner strength brought out by her love of Gavin, that I don't think Dana even realized she had.

Gavin is adorable. I enjoyed watching his innocent puppy love for Dana turn into a full blow romance. He fought against Huthar repeatedly even though I knew that he could not win. His convincing Dana of his feelings had me smiling at times.

This is a seriously hot book. With Ms. Venton's words, I could feel, touch-by-touch, the love scenes between Dana and Gavin. If you ever wondered what love would it be like with a younger man, try experiencing it through this steamy story in outer space.