Infala: Prisoner’s Gambit
Mark of the Infala 2
Kira Quinn
Solid Action and Friendship, but the Repetition Drags It Down
Blurb:
Being taken prisoner by ravenous green-skinned aliens was not cool, but when the Raxxian ship fell under attack, breaking apart and crashing on a planet in a galaxy far from home, Maureen realized that was only the beginning.
There was one bright side though. She had made a friend. A thickly muscled, blue-skinned hunk of a friend at that.
Stranded and alone, the pair’s attraction was obvious from the start, but much as they wanted to see where things might go between them, a new ordeal was spoon thrust upon them. One that threatened to separate them just as things were getting interesting.
It would be a struggle, but with their attraction growing by the minute it was a fight worth having. It would be hard, but if they managed to succeed, perhaps life as a survivor on an alien world wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all. Judging by the chemistry between the human woman and rugged alien male, it looked like it could be quite enjoyable indeed.
I liked the first book in the Infala series enough to continue, so I picked up The Prisoner’s Gambit. Right away, though, I noticed a fair amount of repetition—whole sections from the first book reappear nearly word for word, which was frustrating. It made the beginning feel like déjà vu instead of a fresh continuation.
That said, I still really like the overall premise of this series. The Infala universe, with its living pigments and tattoo-based abilities, remains an interesting and original concept. It’s one of the more creative takes on alien technology and culture I’ve read in a while.
I appreciated the friendship-first relationship between Maureen and Bodok. Their bond develops with a nice emotional foundation before turning romantic, which makes them believable as partners. I also found the action scenes engaging and well-paced—Kira Quinn does a great job with movement and tension in those moments.
Where the story falls short, again, is in the romantic and sexual writing. The sex scenes are short and lack emotional or verbal connection; there’s little dialogue, which tends to be the most compelling part for me. The repeated use of the same descriptions and the constant, almost comedic number of orgasms for the FMCs pull me out of the moment. It’s not sensual so much as redundant.
Overall, The Prisoner’s Gambit continues an imaginative series with solid action and likable leads, but the repetition—both in reused content and sexual phrasing—keeps it from standing out. I’m still curious enough to continue to book three and hope the storytelling balances out a bit more there.
Contains graphic sex scenes.
Occasional foul language.
3rd person past tense, omnipresent voice.
Errors: 5 – 2 misspelled words, an extra word, a repeated word, and a missing ending quotation mark. Totally readable.
272 Pages
$3.99 at Amazon and part of Kindle Unlimited.











