Shades of Allegiance: A Science Fiction Romance Adventure (An Anomaly Novel Book 3)

Shades of Allegiance by Sandy Williams is the 3rd and final book in her Anomaly series. I have read and loved the first two books in this series, but I worried that after a 4-year absence, that I would not remember much. No worry, since I just needed to read my previous reviews, and once I started this book, I could not put it down. Refresher: Ramie Ashdyn (Ash), our fantastic heroine, is an Anomaly, a human who is smarter mentally and physically than the normal person, which makes her an elite soldier, who is faster, stronger, with phenomenal endurance then the regular soldiers. Because of her training, though she is close to her friends and team, she can be difficult to get along with, as she is very tough, brash and independent.Ash returns home to Glory, after being away for 5 years, and assumed dead. She is determined to use her old contacts to find a crime lord to get information to fight a conspiracy trying to destroy the Coalition. As Ash meets some of her old friends, who are shocked and upset not knowing she was still alive; she also must face many of her enemies who hate her and want her dead for real.Rykus, our hero, is a well-known commander for the Coalition and is Ash’s fail safe, and lover. Over the first two books, we know about the strong chemistry and feelings they have for each other, and us loving them together. Rykus follows Ash, making sure to have her back, since she is always getting into terrible situations. Some of our old friends, Hauch, Chance, Mira are back, but not pleased about her return.What follows is an all-out battle that will put their lives constantly in danger during this non- stop, exciting, intense, wild adventure. Ash also tends to keeps things secret from her friends, as she is determined to find the people who were responsible for the deaths of her team years before, as well as learning more about the conspiracy. As they continually face battles, Ash & Rykus‘s love for each other, continues to be hot and heavy. I do love them together, but with Ash’s penchant for putting her life on the line, we worry about their future. Ash and Rykus will accept some help to get where they need to go, even if they can’t trust the source. To say too much more would be spoilers, as a lot happens.Sandy Williams does a fantastic job in continuing the flow of this complex world , and she has created some great characters. Most of all, I love Ash, and her chemistry with Rykus is off the wall. Shades of Allegiance was an action packed, exciting, dangerous, pulse pounding story that had me unable to put the book down, especially as we raced to the tense climax. I was very happy with Williams giving us a fitting end to this series. If you like Sci-fi, lots of action, great romance, and twists and turns along the way, then you should be reading this series.

This series does a good job building a partnership among equals. So few authors let the female be stronger than her male partner in any respect. This wasn't a pairing where she was always weaker and less than him. I appreciate that she could be stronger in some areas, and vice versa. I also appreciated the way consent played into their relationship, and particularly his concerns about her consent being given freely. He knew there was a dynamic calling it into question, and they both had to address it.One of the few things I disliked was that Ash was the only female to make it through the training. I know this is to make her feel like a special snowflake but it implied women in general were too weak to pass. That blatant sexism was offensive and disappointing to see. I am so tired of this way of storytelling where women only shine when another woman, or women in general, is/are torn down.On another note, while the pacing of the plot in the first two books is good, in the third its way off. For about 85% of the book, it moved slow enough I was expecting at least another book or two would be needed to wrap it up. Then suddenly the ending speeds through the last 15% or so and bam. So many things are left unanswered. What happens on Glory? How will the situation on Jevery get resolved? And what's the plan foe the telepaths? We get glimpses into those things but I think the story would have been better served by extending the plot to address some of these things.Overall, a good read and would recommend.

This is a great book. I was rooting for Ash the whole time I was reading this story. I couldn't put this page turner down. Please don't sleep on Sandy Williams. Her writing is on par with my other favorite writers Lindsay Buroker and Shayne Silvers. I've added Sandy as one of my always go to authors. Thank you , Sandy for these great books. Keep 'em comin'😍

This is my first SciFi series and I am so glad that I decided to give it a go. Sandy Williams is a superb author and this was an enthralling third addition to the Anomaly series that I couldn’t put down.

Oh my goodness, what an intense, emotional rollercoaster to round out the Anomaly series. Lieutenant Ramie Ashdyn returns to her home world Glory to search for a crime lord that she hopes will help her with the telepathic conspiracy threatening the Coalition. She’s not sure who she can trust in the dangerous world she escaped from years ago, and there are people who want to settle old scores. When the man she loves, Rhys (RIP) Rykus shows up she’s happy to see him, but doesn’t want him to stay in the hellhole that is Glory. He’ll do anything to keep her safe, and she will do the same for him, but when they’re together they’re a force to be reckoned with. With non-stop danger, attacks from unexpected places, secrets and lies, it’s going to take a miracle to get through this mission in one piece. There are times when neither Ash or Rip know what is going on with the other, and it is heartbreaking for them as they fear the worst. I loved the conclusion because although it was what I hoped would happen, I wasn’t sure how everything was going to turn out until I was finished reading. And then of course, I was sorry it was over because I enjoyed it so much.I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

I googled to confirm that this was the last book. There are so many unanswered questions and another book or two would be needed to finish the story. The first two books were good.