About the Book:
Title: Eclipse the Moon
Author: Jessie Mihalik
Series: Starlight’s Shadow #2
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: July 12, 2022
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Synopsis: 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.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon, and I may earn a small commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through my links.
My Review:
I was excited to read Kee and Varro’s story after their explosive chemistry in Hunt the Stars. They have that grumpy/sunshine dynamic that always makes for a fun romance, and their high-stakes journey is a wild ride.
Kee is such a fantastic protagonist. She is so smart and a super talented hacker, and she is an enormous asset to her team, though she doesn’t realize it. She goes through a lot over the course of the story, and I like that she starts to see herself differently. Kee is a crier, but that doesn’t mean she’s weak. She feels deeply, and that isn’t a liability. I love that Kee starts to see that these qualities she always thought were faults are actually some of her best strengths.
Varro is the grumpy to Kee’s sunshine personality. Opposite to Kee in many ways. Varro rarely shows his emotions. He has a powerful ability that forces him to keep a tight leash on his feelings so that he doesn’t impose on other people’s will. Because of this, he is difficult to read, as Kee learns throughout the story.
Kee and Varro have a great romance. They have so much chemistry, and their feelings for each other are intense. I love the forced proximity scenes when the couple shares a very confined room. The tension is off the charts! Plus, the little ways that Varro shows Kee he cares are so sweet, and his nickname for her is lovely. Personally, I think everyone deserves a sexy alien who bakes delicious cookies. However, some of their conversations felt repetitive, and I wanted to shake Varro and make him explain things to Kee. They both struggle to communicate their feelings, and they rehash the same argument several times with little change, which is frustrating. That being said, their sexy scenes overall love story more than made up for it.
The story also has a ton of action, epic space adventure, and a lot of nail-biting intensity, which I loved. Set in a place that is tentatively at peace after decades of war, there is a lot at stake, and it’s clear that there are some who want to break the hard-fought truce. The Starlight crew is determined to help maintain peace and root out the people intent on destroying it. Espionage, kidnappings, daring and dangerous rescue missions, and more had me eagerly turning the pages to find out where Kee and Varro and the rest of the crew’s journey would lead. Speaking of the crew, I adore the Starlight members and the found family vibes. They are an amazing unit, and I love that we learn more about them and how they are meshing as a team.
Overall, I thought this was a great addition to the Starlight’s Shadow series, and I can’t wait to read the next book. There are several potential love stories that I would love to see, and I can’t get enough of the characters and intriguing space politics and intrigue. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Rating:
Favorite Parts:
- The characters.
- The intrigue.
- The romance.
Recommendations:
I would definitely recommend this book to readers of sci-fi romance.
I just finished this over the weekend and LOVED it! I wish there were more romance novels like this. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!
Right! It’s such a great series! Glad to hear you enjoyed it too! 🙂