The novella ONLY HARD PROBLEMS is book number 2.5 in the Galactic Bonds sci-fi / magical fantasy/ romance series by Jennifer Estep. This is a space opera series by an author who is primarily a romance writer, and while there is no full-on romance in ONLY HARD PROBLEMS, appears to be an upcoming romance between the narrator, Zane Zimmer and the woman his grandmother is trying to force him to marry, Asterin.

I originally picked this series up based on the highly positive review for book one, ONLY BAD OPTIONS, given by one of my favorite authors of all time, Ilona Andrews. I adored book one; but sadly, I did not care at all for book two, ONLY GOOD ENEMIES. With these wildly contrasting opinions, I was curious to see what I would make of this most recent (and more brief) offering, ONLY HARD PROBLEMS. This book gives us insight into Zane, who was presented as a bad guy earlier in the series. ONLY HARD PROBLEMS relies heavily on earlier works, so you’ll want to read these books in order.

There is lots of action here to keep the reader’s pulse racing. Those looking for competent villains or heroes, however, will have to be a little more flexible. Zane is the new head of the Arrows, the Imperium's elite fighting force. For someone described as a “powerful psion capable of telekinesis, telepathy, and telempathy”, with deadly skills and prowess with [a] stormsword”, he feels pretty amateur to me. The whole series reads like Young Adult, although it is not billed as such. Asterin is a capable heroine though- gutsy, smart, and deadly. I enjoyed seeing her shine!

One thing that always makes me chuckle when I read this series is the noise that the blasters make: “Pew, pew.” It sounds cartoonish and cutesy, but the damage these blasters and magical swords dish out is anything but. There are plenty of fights and a lot of soap opera angst. Those looking for a lighthearted romp through a dangerous universe will find plenty to entertain them in Estep’s ONLY HARD PROBLEMS.