In The Wreckage (Metahuman Files #1) ~ Hailey Turner; Narration ~ Greg Boudreaux

This was my first book by Hailey Turner and it was an excellent introduction to her writing. I read/listened to this book via the Kindle Whispersync function and the narration of the undoubtedly talented Greg Boudreaux added another element to the story.

This story takes place approximately 260 years into the future, as such there is a lot of world building and initial character development needed to bring the story to life. This world building is vital to the story, but unfortunately it slowed the story down and it almost felt like a bit of an info dump. However, at once Jamie and Kyle meet things speed up dramatically and I never looked back.

After finishing the book I can acknowledge that the first part of the story, even if it felt a bit slow, was vital to the fast paced action of the later chapters as it allowed the reader to enjoy the story without having to learn vital background information about the world in the middle of the action scenes. This ensured the electric atmosphere and tension of the scenes was uninterrupted for maximum enjoyment.

So, in short, slog through the first 10% or so, it is very much worth it!!

Jamie and Kyle’s relationship is very much insta-lust turned to insta-love, not that I’m complaining. They are both beautiful characters with well developed personalities, and their chemistry was off the charts. I just wish their relationship had been as developed as their individual personalities. There wasn’t much on page communication between the two to justify the quickly developed possessiveness and ‘love of my life’ feelings. There was a LOT of sex, and it was HOT, but actual interactions between them that didn’t involve the physical were few, and when they did occur, were primarily surface level only. There were a few deeper, more emotional moments, but these didn’t seem to warrant the depth of feeling they felt for each other. Jamie seemed to have deeper conversations with his second in command, Katie, than he did Kyle.

Don’t get me wrong, the relationship still worked, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I guess I was just looking for a more emotional connection. I get the feeling though that the emotional side of the relationship will be developed more in the second book.

I loved the whole cast of secondary characters. You could feel the emotional bonds between Jamie and his team, and between Kyle and his brother Alexei. In this book, Kyle and Alexei had certainly been accepted by Jamie’s team, and there were indications that this bond would be further developed in later books.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Kyle and Alexei, family through a bond other than blood, these boys couldn’t be closer. The narrator’s Russian accent for Alexei, and the Russian passages, certainly gave the text that little something extra.

I’m looking forward to getting to know the team more in later books; and this series looks like it will only get better. However, if extensive sex scenes are not for you, I’d probably give this series a miss. There were a lot of sex scenes and they were long and detailed.

I’d highly recommend In the Wreckage if you enjoy futuristic style military stories, and I’d certainly suggest the audio version to accompany the text. I love Greg Boudreaux’s vocal talents, and they were certainly put to good use here. I’m really looking forward to continuing the series.