Wednesday, August 06, 2008

REVIEW: Moonstruck by Susan Grant


SETTING/TYPE: Science Fiction Romance
COPYRIGHT: 2008
SERIES: Borderland series (Book 1)
SENSUALITY: Hot
SUMMARY:
Peace is for little girls.

And Coalition starship admiral Brit Bandar is one tough woman. A mere intergalactic treaty could never get her to trust the Drakken Horde. There was too much bad blood between the Coalition and the Horde and, for intensely personal reasons, Brit wasn’t sure that she was through spilling it! But now a peaceful accord has made Finn Rorkken, a notorious Drakken rogue, second-in command on her starship – and through some grand cosmic irony – front and center in her thoughts…and her heart.

Warleader. Pirate.

Either title sat easily on Finn’s battle-hardened shoulders. Though second-in-command to “Stone-Heart” Bandar? That would take some getting used to. Peace required as much sacrifice as war, so he’d comply even if his reaction to the gorgeous admiral fell decidedly outside protocol. But would he end up kissing or killing her if the galaxy’s tentative truce turned into all out war?

THOUGHTS/OPINION:

SF Romance is one of my favorite genres but I don't seem to read many of them lately. I'm glad I finally pulled this one out of my TBR pile because I found it thoroughly enjoyable. I have not read the previous series which leads up to this book and had no problem following the story.

This books begins at the end of the Horde war (and the previous "Otherworldly Men" series). After being at war for hundreds of years the Coalition, Drakken Horde, and Earth have united into The Triad Alliance. The transition to peace is a difficult one for any society. Coalition Admiral Brit "Stone-Heart" Bandar has spent her career hunting and killing the hated Drakken. But now she has a new assignment - command a new diplomatic ship called "Unity" and staff it with members of all three societies. Her second in command is her former Drakken enemy, Warleader Finnar Rorkken.

Brit has good reason to hate and distrust the Drakken and she has earned her nickname "Stone-Heart". But she is a complex and admirable character. I was struck by how fair she was to her former enemies trying to integrate them into her crew in leadership roles rather than relegate them to subservient roles. Finn is another well written character. He has had to struggle his whole life to advance to his present position, but he is very smart and loyal to his crew. I admired both the H/H very much. All the characters were 3 dimensional and the action adventure story was fast paced. Kind of like watching an old episode of Star Trek (one of my favorites). Someone is out to sabotage the peace and Brit and Finn must learn to trust each other as they finally explore their attraction. The spicy loves scenes and touches of light humor made this a memorable read ... you'll find yourself laughing, crying and having a hard time putting it down. I look forward to the next book in the series - The Warlord's Daughter - due out in March 2009.

GRADE: A-

5 comments:

Rosie said...

I haven't read Susan Grant in years. I overheard a couple of convos about her at RWA and she has a faithful and loyal following. Maybe I should give her a try?????

ReneeW said...

Oh, definitely. Have you read Contact? It's my favorite of hers. And this one is a close second. If you haven't read the Star series, those were good too. The Star King was a keeper too.

Kristie (J) said...

I'm constantly amazed and delighted at how close we are in book tastes. I loved this one too - and got a chance to tell her in person!!

Christine said...

I've picked up this book twice at the bookstore already and put it down not sure if I would like it. Now I added it to my wish list in hopes of getting it soon. Thanks for the review.

ReneeW said...

Kristie: Man, I suck. I disappeared for a while and missed your comment. You are such a lucky girl meeting the cool authors. Me jealous

Christine: Oh, good. It's a great read. I hope you like it.

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