Safe Passage

Black Flag, Book 1

By: Rachel Ford

Narrated by: Barbara Rich

Go big or go home. For privateer Captain Magdalene Landon, it's all about going big. For Kay Ellis, it's about getting home. Together, they're about to architect the most daring heist in the galaxy.

Kay knows too much. She knows it’s a matter of time before a conglomerate hitman finds her. She’s desperate for safe passage back to Union space.

Then Magdalene shows up, promising a way home in exchange for that information. It’s a risky bet, but Kay is out of options. So she strikes a deal: the heist of the century for her freedom.

Kay is playing a dangerous game, and she knows it. She’s made herself enemy number one of the conglomerate. She’s relying on privateers for her safety. It’s a fool’s game. But the worst part is, her fool’s heart is starting to warm to the enigmatic captain. And that’s a risk for which she hadn’t planned.

©2019 Rachel Ford (P)2019 Rachel Ford

Love Rachel Ford

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an unbiased review. I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The narrator has a soothing voice. The plot has its twisting turns and the characters evolve over the course of the story. Some parts of the story are slow and other parts I rewound to hear it again. I recommend this audiobook.

Ocean’s Eleven in space

This is the ninth book I’ve read/listened to by this author and I would listen to another. This is a great start to what I’m sure will be an entertaining series. It is a lighthearted, nonviolent, comic story. It’s like an Ocean’s Eleven heist, space opera style.
Kay installed the security system for several conglomerate members and now they’ve stranded her on a planet so they know where to find her when they want to dispose of her. Desperate to leave, she accepts a ride with a ship and crew that make a risky deal with her- help them get through the security to ‘reappropriate’ the money in one of the conglomerate members vaults.

This is the second book I’ve listened to by this narrator ( Barbara Rich ) and I would listen to another. Despite the book is from the viewpoint of Kay, the narrative is done in once voice and Kay’s voice in another. This is not necessarily an issue. Kay’s voice is high and appropriate for when she was on edge and scared (which is a lot of the time), but this gives her a constant ‘freaked out’ sound.
She gives the characters all individual voices and varies their cadence. She does well performing this book so it’s like listening to a movie instead of a book being read.

There are no explicit sex scenes although there is a romance, no excessive violence. There is very occasional swearing.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

Story 4/5
Narration 4/5

Go Big!!

I received this audiobook free for an honest review. I really enjoed this audiobook. I found that i relate to the character so much by just going big or go home. It was a great story. Cant wait for the rest of the story.

Interesting Sci-Fi with Romance

What started as a Sci-Fi Thriller morphed into a Romance, then back into an action-packed adventure. Plenty of ups, downs, twists, and turns plot-wise. I enjoyed getting to know, and love, the crew of the Black Flag along with our main protagonist.

Space opera adventure romance

I was really excited for this one, as this book had a world somewhere between Firefly and Dark Matter (two of my favorite shows), lots of rich alien life, a fun corporate heist setup, and a lesbian romance! I was really looking forward to where the story was going, with the beginning off to a pretty great start, but I honestly had a hard time with the narration. The narrator read the main character as really shrill, even when it didn't seem like what she was saying should be shrill, and she came off sounding like a spoiled teenager--which wasn't the character. Her love interest was read with a huskiness that...honestly, as a queer person, felt stereotypical to me of how lesbian relationships are often portrayed where someone has to be the "man" in the relationship. This didn't seem to be in the story itself, though, where both characters seemed decently tough, and this voicing just made everything feel off. In the end, I ended up not caring for either character, though I suspect I might have liked them just fine with different narration. I tried, but the narration broke this one for me, unfortunately. I'd recommend reading the print or ebook versions instead of the audiobook. I might come back to one of those later, as I really did like the setup of the story.

I received a free review copy of this book and left my honest review.

Safe passage

I loved this book it was fun and funny and I would recommend it to my family and friends.
Even though I'm not into same sex relationships it was well written,not smutty.
I love Sydney the robot,he was funny.
The characters were well blended.
It reminded me that love can sometimes be scary,,,,,,,,but if you are with the right person love is safe too.
Also I was glad for the true friendship aspect.
Thank you
Mrs. Maria Keesler

Good story but bad acting

I had a hard time getting through this book because of the story, but because of the narrator. My main characters with something sound exactly like Morty from Rick and Morty and Katherine O’Hara’s character in Shit Creek.

interesting

Totally enjoyed this story, good imagination. Made me think of the story, actually being there.

LGBT Romance in a sci-fi setting

This book is an LGBT romance in an action packed sci-fi setting. The published description of the book does not adequately relate that this is mostly a romance that just happens to take place in space. I would like to have known what the book was truly about before I started reading it.

The narrator did not do this book any favors. I hated the way she voiced the main character. She used a very high, airy voice. Some of the male characters had off the charts deep voices that sounded like the narrator was straining to voice them.

The action and romance story lines were good. But not good enough to overcome the narrator. I am glad this book is over.

Space Opera romance & heist

Safe Passage (Black Flag, Book 1) by Rachel Ford and narrated by Barbara Rich is a fun space opera. Would recommend if you’re into space operas or looking for something new that has a light YA romance feel to it.

What’s it about? Kay has made some not good choices that left her fleeing from the conglomerate. Enter Maggie and her crew and the adventures begin. There’s a good amount of focus on romance (more of a YA feel to it) mixed with space elements. Other things you’ll come across: planets, different races, pirates, bots, space ships, betrayal, love, death, kidnapping, heists, and more. Four stars for story- at times the dialogue was a bit drawn out.

The narrator, Barbara Rich, was OK. I’m not sure she is a good fit for this series. I enjoyed her speaking voice (easy to listen to) but most of the character voices I struggled with in the long run. And maybe she’s just not for me and you’ll feel different? Three stars for narration.

Overall I recommend if you are looking for something new in the space opera genre, looking to venture in it, or for a light romance.

Parental guidance/trigger warnings: kidnapping, kissing and sex indicated (light romance/not in graphic details- a YA feel to it), forced touching of leg by bad guy to the MC- also grabbing of hair forcefully to remove MC from bar, death (multiple), stealing, black out drunk, and possibly more I’m forgetting. Going light on the warnings due to spoilers.

*I was given a free review copy of the audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you for allowing me to listen and review the book!