The second book in Lauren Dane’s Phantom Corps series takes readers on an adventure through a unique futuristic world of parallel universes. The Federation Universes are about to be overtaken by the evil Imperialists, and now the Imperium has discovered a device to collapse portals, by which means travel between universes is achieved, in a way that would kill thousands and seal the territory from any outside travel.

One of the key ingredients for the device, a mineral, is located in Asphodel, Piper Roundtree’s home. When Imperialist soldiers approach Piper, a civilian cargo runner, and ask her to run cargo for them, she recognizes that something nefarious is afoot. Enter Andrei Solace, a member of an elite military organization. Andrei has been assigned to discover and put a stop to the Imperium’s brutal tactics. Though Piper is a civilian, her flying skill and quick thinking allow her to work with Andrei to try to recover the minerals before the Imperium destroys another territory in the Federation Universes.

I appreciated the unique setting of the story. The author captures the atmosphere of a futuristic world very well. Asphodel is a bleak, desolate place where Piper and her family are attempting to eke out a living. I was as interested in the day-to-day struggles of her people as I was the broader storyline. At times though, I really needed more description to properly conceptualize the setting, particularly when the characters traveled from one universe to another.

My other criticism stems from the dialogue. Some of it is well done, while some of it felt forced to me. At times the dialogue lacked a natural flow and I felt like the author was trying to impart too much information to the reader through the characters’ conversations, particularly in the first third or so of the novel. Ultimately, this kept me from becoming as invested in the story initially as I would have liked to have been.

But once I became engaged in the story, the book worked for me. I commend Dane for managing to balance an interesting, complex storyline with a steamy romance, never sacrificing one for the other. The love scenes are hot, made all the more so by the emotional connection the main characters have. Piper and Andrei are well-drawn characters who share good chemistry.

One of the highlights of the novel for me is Andrei’s character, who is the quintessential tough guy with a tender side. He treats Piper with respect and is in tune with her needs. Piper in turn holds Andrei in high regard and, while they occasionally have differences of opinion, they do not devolve into the petty bickering that mars so many romance novels for me.

For these reasons, I found Mesmerized to be an enjoyable sci-fi erotic romance. If you’re a fan of science fiction and hot, alpha, non-jerk heroes you may want to put Mesmerized on your summer reading list.