The Two Towers by Jaime A. Waters

This is a sci-fi romance and the first of two books in the series.

Kayla is a ruin rat who loves nothing more than scavenging through places traders deem clear and finding artefacts that have been left behind. After the planet's devastation, Omnilabs controls those who search for lost pieces of history in the ruins via traders and their crews. Kayla doesn't play by the rules and prefers the freelancers she works with. When a trader named Carl wants to make a deal with her she is thrust into a life she had forgotten. A life she still doesn't want. Sometimes however, even reluctant heroes have to step up for the greater good. Will Kayla rise to the occasion?

This was a very entertaining novel to read but definitely focussed on the romantic aspect more than the sci-fi. Kayla is one of those characters that you really want to like but she seems too perfect. Even with her snarky attitude 95% of the book's characters were immediately drawn to her beauty and brains and wanted to be around her.  Veridian had such an important role in her life yet I felt his character lacked substance or a story. The conflict between Carl and Alec is, as well as the life she wants vs the life she is supposed to live, a great section of the story. Personally the energy and mind connection was explained to the reader too many times.

The story was well written and edited. Apart from the intimate scenes I would recommend it for YA and up but I would have preferred more of the sci-fi aspect to be elaborated on. A good, fun read.