Let's begin the new year with the review of this military sci-fi romance.
A mysterious signal from a nebula attracts the attention of a space cow-girl and a secret agent of an opposing faction, putting together an improbable couple to uncover what looks like a mind-blowing conspiracy to maintain the galaxy in chaos.
Alex Solovy is an Earth Alliance renegade, daughter of a war hero and of an admiral. Caleb Marano is a Senecan spy. Their first meeting inside the Metis Nebula is exciting, to say the least—they almost kill one another. Their relationship is an uphill struggle, that risks to blow up at any time, especially when war between their planets transpires.
I mostly enjoyed this fast-paced adventure rich with technobabble. Smooth dialogues, fleshed-out characters, action, intrigue, and treason made Starshine: Aurora Rising Book 1 by G. S. Jennsen a good reading. I especially enjoyed all female characters. Strong but fragile at the same time, like real people.
However, I won’t be reading the other books of the series because, in the end, this is just a romance story, with too many love scenes for my tastes. So, if like me, you can’t be hassled to read about romance and sex in a sci-fi story, even if it’s a well written one, this book is not for you.
All in all I gave this novel 3 stars. I can't trash it because it's well written and it wouldn't be fair to the author. But the weight given to romance is just too much.