I picked up this book at a local SF/F convention at the author's table.  It was a very pretty book with professional artwork on the cover and quality paper.  And it had a really good synopsis.  I mention all this to illustrate that not all self-published work is dreck; some of it just hasn't yet been "discovered." But I am glad I discovered this one; it did not disappoint.  The book is a collection of three separately published stories of the adventures of Cass (short for Cassidy) and Kendra.  I think the author liked the alliteration.

Set in 2113, the United States has fractured into some dozen and more separate countries.  Travel and trade happens both unrestrictedly in some regions and highly restricted in others.  The politics of this changed landscape are not much part of this story, to this reader's relief.

Aiyana and Kendra, aka Cass and Ken, are a genius physicist, and a retired movie (porn) star with some really 'special' skills.  They are about to be married when Cass spots something amiss with the officiating minister, grabs both her bride and groom and runs like hell.  From that moment on, the three are struggling to understand why they were about to be assassinated and by whom.  On the run, the three are accosted by assailants which Kendra handily dispatches. Unfortunately, it seemed to be the final straw for poor Derek who simply couldn't comprehend what was happening to him.  In the end, Cass and Ken had to run, leaving him to his own devices.

Kendra takes them to an old acquaintance from her previous profession in order to get identification papers.  Discussion of Cass' work reveals one possible reason for the wild events they encountered.  She described a new type of quantum teleportation - otherwise known as 'beaming up' which I think everyone will recognize.  She had never gotten to the design or experimental stages but someone obviously believed in her research and now wanted to be the only one with it.  With this in mind, both Cass and Ken are wary of trusting their employers; which turned out to be a good idea.

The book is mostly about their travels and schemes to fool the authorities and discover the who behind all of it.  They are also concerned about the whereabouts and safety of their erstwhile groom, Derek; whom they finally reunite with.  The author relies heavily on dialogue and snarky quips and it was enjoyable to read.  He also employed a satisfyingly ironic ending.

The worldbuilding occurs in snippets; not really enough to get a comprehensive picture of the continent but I was okay with that.  He did better with the characters but, as I said, he preferred the dialogue to tell the story.  It wasn't a terribly complex plot but I enjoyed the ride because he made it so fun.  The author delighted in sprinkling in a ton of inside jokes; I know I only caught some of them.  Watch for the references to Buck Rogers, Eureka, The Munsters, Methuselah's Children, A Fish Called Wanda, and my favorite:  D.D. Harriman.  There are some transparently lame references to New York currency being Cuomos, and a reference to Daley's Chicago but the obscure ones were way more fun.

I could quibble about the book's formatting but it isn't any worse than so many others I've seen; it could benefit from a little editing.  The biggest problem was the length of chapters; too many of them were incomprehensibly short - one wasn't even a full page.  Kudos to the author for good grammar, attention to spelling and paragraph structuring.  Altogether, a good value for both my money and my time. And there are, apparently, more stories about them out there or still to be published.  I'll probably look for them at the next convention.  ~~ Catherine Book