Double Take
Author: Cara Bristol
Reviewer: Sophia Rose
Rating: B+
What I’m Talking About:
From blue aliens to cyborgs and now to clones, Cara Bristol brings another suspenseful sci-fi romance in her Cosmic Mates series of duet stories.
Double Take is the fifth book in the series and begins the third separate Cosmic Mates duet of stories. Like those before, each duet can be read standalone.
Faith Hammond has started over on a new earth colony world and is content producing her beautiful pottery without a gaslighting husband undermining her confidence and self-image. Everyone, including her best friend, thinks she was a grieving widow. On the contrary, she privately celebrated when she was informed of his death.
Meanwhile, in the shadows, John, the clone of Mark Hammond has concealed a secret love for Faith whilee acting as Mark’s perfect double for all the missions their deep dark ops organization. Now, with Mark thought to be dead by some, he has become Mark to the underworld of contacts and criminals. He’s tired of it all and when his boss drops the news that Faith is signed up for the Cosmic Mates program, he can’t stand not seeing her again. Then the temptation to present himself as John to her is too much. How can he ever get her to believe him?
Double Take was a creative story of intrigue and beautiful tones of strong connection. Faith has to figure out if she can believe a man who is made as a perfect copy. John has to go up against the organization that made him and drilled him on his function for the one thing they couldn’t expect. A clone fell in love. John was amazing as a romantic hero. I was really cheering for him to figure out how to convince Faith. Naturally, a dark ops group can’t let him go rogue and destroy their secrets so this got pulse-pounding exciting by the end.
I can’t wait to see what comes next with the second pair in this duology. Another big hit in the Cosmic Mates world.
My Rating: B+
Sophia Rose
About the Book:
The second time around is double or nothing…
Getting over the death of her husband has been a long, slow process for pottery artist Faith Hammond. But five years have passed, and she’s making a new life for herself, moving from Earth to planet Terra Nova and opening up a pottery shop. She’s finally finding the calm and focus she’s been seeking.
Until there’s a knock at her cottage door.
Standing there is her very-much-alive husband, Mark.
John Bragg is Mark Hammond’s clone. After the Dark Ops agent dies, Bragg takes his place, assuming all aspects of his life, except for one—his marriage. Faith is deemed off-limits. But in studying his progenitor to impersonate him, Bragg has fallen for the man’s widow.
He resigns himself to unrequited love until he hears Faith is looking to remarry—she has joined the interplanetary matchmaking service, Cosmic Mates.
He can’t bear to lose her again. He goes AWOL from Dark Ops in a last-ditch effort to claim the woman he desperately loves.
But can Bragg convince Faith he’s a clone? And if he can, will she be able to see him as a unique individual—or will he never be more than a dead ringer for her late husband?
* * * *
Double Take (Cosmic Mates 5) is the first book of a new Cosmic Mates duet. The series books are released in couplets, each its own mini-series. Books 1 & 2 are a set, books 3 & 4 are a new set, and books 5 and 6 are different set.
Release Date: February 24, 2025
Publisher: Cara Bristol
Series: Cosmic Mates #5
Genre: Sci-Fi Romance
Format(s): paperback (207 pages), e-book
Book Source: Author