M. D. Waters has her Prototype deliver a powerhouse punch of entertainment

When M. D. Waters made her literary debut earlier this year with Archetype, a sci-fi suspense tale about a woman in a futuristic world found out the true secret of her supposed amnesia, it was a nice surprise to discover that it's concluding sequel would be released this summer.

Prototype picks up a year later from where we left off with Emma Wade, who knows that she's the Original Clone, the first in a sinister project designed to increase the scant number of fertile women in the dictatorial patriarchy that the USA has become.

 Emma has been on the run from both friends and foes, seeking out her true identity by searching for her parents who were once members of the resistance movement she joined up with. That journey has just become more difficult as the man who insisted upon being her husband,Declan Burke, makes a public announcement about her disappearance, including a huge financial reward to anyone who helps to bring his "wife" home. Emma's cover is quickly blown but she does manage to stay free long enough to make a new plan:

Emma decides that her best option is to return to the resistance, which offers quite a few dilemmas of it's own.

 Not only is there a lack of trust among the leadership about where her loyalties lie, Emma has to deal with her feelings about Noah, the man who loved her when she was fully human. He is willing to assist her in staying free but more than that intense involvement is a touchy issue.

Emma may not remember everything from her former life yet she does know that her ultimate goal is to live a peaceful life. That serenity is hard to achieve in the battle zone that is her life so despite her inner inclinations, Emma must take up her old warrior ways. Noah is reluctant to include her on spy missions but it is her chance at staying out of the hands of her would-be captors:

One of her worst enemies,however, is within the resistance. While Sonya was willing to use her medical skills to save the first Emma, she is far less inclined to keep the second version around.

Part of that motivation is due to Sonya's falling in love with Noah and becoming a mother figure to Adrienne, the daughter born to Emma and Noah as the transference between host and clone was completed. Emma is also determined to embrace motherhood as well as a new chance at love with Noah but torn as to do so without causing any lasting damage. Those choices become even more limited as a threat to the health of the clones could take Emma down before the bad guys close in. Nevertheless, being a part of her child's life makes Emma very willing to take whatever risks she can to do so:

I'm glad that M.D. Waters chose to make this a two part story instead of stringing this out over a series. I like a good series but some tales don't need to be told longer than they should, otherwise they lose their flavor like a stretched out piece of chewing gum.

 Fortunately, succinctness pays off in this instance. Both Archetype(which is now in paperback) and Prototype offer some good solid entertainment with engaging plot lines that only dip into low gear during the romantic portions. The love story is nicely done yet it's the hum of the action as Emma faces off against her enemies that keeps things going along at an agreeable clip.

I do look forward to what's next on the horizon for M. D. Waters, as her first and second impressions make a reader want to clear off space on her shelves for more smartly written female friendly adventure tales from her. Even if her next work goes off in a completely different direction, this is a literary lady to watch out for as her books make a powerful punch: