Indomitable: The Chronicles of Promise Paen, Book 2

The second in Bauers’s Chronicles of Promise Paen (after 2015’s Unbreakable), set some 800 years from now in the far-flung Republic of Aligned Worlds, is packed to the gills with visceral action scenes and military jargon. Following a battlefield promotion and a disastrous mission that left most of her previous team dead, the newly minted First Lieutenant Promise Paen is tasked to whip Victor Company and its new batch of untested marines into shape. However, Promise, with her reputation for impulsive behavior and daredevil antics, has to overcome the reservations of her commanders and the public. Whether defying the odds during an impossible training exercise or stumbling across a sex-trafficking operation while on vacation, Promise refuses to play by the rules or conform to expectations, which threatens to derail her career. But when Victor Company is deployed to the hellish mining planet of Sheol to confront belligerents, Promise is tested like never before. The attention to detail and atmosphere brings the combat to life, though the plot itself is meandering and unfocused. The through line of Promise’s checkered career takes a few detours, giving this book a rushed, episodic feel as it leads into the next stage of her exploits. Agent: Cherry Weiner, Cherry Weiner Literary Agency. (Aug.)