The critically acclaimed author of Polaris Rising takes readers on an exciting journey with the start of her brand-new series about a female bounty hunter and the man who is her sworn enemy.
Octavia Zarola would do anything to keep her tiny, close-knit bounty hunting crew together—even if it means accepting a job from Torran Fletcher, a ruthless former general and her sworn enemy. When Torran offers her enough credits to not only keep her crew afloat but also hire someone to fix her ship, Tavi knows that she can’t refuse—no matter how much she’d like to.
With so much money on the line, Torran and his crew insist on joining the hunt. Tavi reluctantly agrees because while the handsome, stoic leader pushes all of her buttons—for both anger and desire—she’s endured worse, and the massive bonus payment he’s promised for a completed job is reason enough to shut up and deal.
But when they uncover a deeper plot that threatens the delicate peace between humans and Valoffs, Tavi suspects that Torran has been using her as the impetus for a new war. With the fate of her crew balanced on a knife’s edge, Tavi must decide where her loyalties lie—with the quiet Valoff who’s been lying to her, or with the human leaders who left her squad to die on the battlefield. And this time, she’s put her heart on the line.
Buy Links
Disclaimer: I received an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review. Spoilers abound.
I do not normally read "space opera," but something about the way Jessie Mihalik weaves a story gets me. I've been a fan since her Consortium Rebellion trilogy. You can imagine how excited I was to read this book. The first thing that caught my attention was the backstory and worldbuilding. The book starts after an intergalactic war between the Valovians (humanoid beings with telepathic abilities) and the Federated Human Planets (a mix of normal humans and enhanced humans). Given the vastness of space, traveling from one end to the other end is made easier by wormhole-like gates that are highly prized. Captain Octavia Zarola (aka Tavi) and her team are working as bounty hunters after leaving the FHP military. Unfortunately, bounty hunting was not as lucrative as one might think. In need of cash, Tavi and her team are approached by the former general of the Valovian army, Torran Fletcher, with a job opportunity. Torran needs Tavi and her crew to locate a heirloom that was stolen from Fletcher's home. While the circumstances of the job are not ideal and peace between the two races is tenuous at best, Tavi and her crew agree to the job for the promised payout.
During this job, the human crew and the Valovian crew get to know each other and build grudging respect for each group. The prejudices and opinions of each other's races slowly dissipates. Subtle and some not so subtle hints of romances make themselves known. The romance between Torran and Tavi is more of a moving subplot to keep the story interesting. The main plot is about the alleged theft and subsequent retrieval with a big-ish plot twist near the end. I'm not a fan of the insta-love trope. The attraction between the two is obvious, but each are strong-willed characters with their priorities in check. I did appreciate that their relationship was a slow burn that was built of mutual respect. The character development for Tavi and insight into her military career provides readers with a better picture into who she is as a person. While she is a tough-as-nails captain, she's also smart, kind, generous, protective, and stubborn. The end of the book leaves much room for the secondary characters to continue the story. I look forward to it.
Final verdict...
4 stars.
But wait! You can pre-order Eclipse the Moon, book 2 of Starlight's Shadow trilogy!
Kee Ildez has been many things: hacker, soldier, bounty hunter. She never expected to be a hero, but when a shadowy group of traitors starts trying to goad the galaxy’s two superpowers into instigating an interstellar war, Kee throws herself into the search to find out who is responsible—and stop them.
Digging up hidden information is her job, so hunting traitors should be a piece of cake, but the primary suspect spent years in the military, and someone powerful is still covering his tracks. Disrupting their plans will require the help of her entire team, including Varro Runkow, a Valovian weapons expert who makes her pulse race.
Quiet, grumpy, and incredibly handsome, Varro watches her with hot eyes but ignores all of her flirting, so Kee silently vows to keep her feelings strictly platonic. But that vow will be put to the test when she and Varro are forced to leave the safety of their ship and venture into enemy territory alone.
Cut off from the rest of their team, they must figure out how to work together—and fast—because a single misstep will cost thousands of lives.
Pre-Order Links
ABOUT JESSIE MIHALIK:
Jessie Mihalik has a degree in Computer Science and a love of all things geeky. A software engineer by trade, Jessie now writes full-time from her home in Central Texas. When she’s not writing, she can be found playing co-op videogames with her husband, trying out new boardgames, hiking, or reading.
Social Links
U.S. Residents only. Giveaway ends on MARCH 27TH 2022. ONE winner will be contacted via email and have 48 hours to claim their prize. May the odds be in your favor.
0 comments:
Post a Comment