Insanely good start to a new scifi series.

We start with an alien telepath coming up to a war hero bounty hunter with a proposition. He's difficult to deal with, but she needs a contract. They push each other around as much as they can, but he eventually agrees to her terms and gets aboard her ship.

She gets information unveiled unwillingly all throughout the book, and the plot was full of unforeseen twists. I am really looking forward to more books in this series.

I loved this new series by Jessie Mihalik. The story is filled with humor, adventure and romance as we follow Octavia Zarola and her crew as they take their space ship into former enemy territory to find a prized stolen item of Torran Fletcher. On board as passengers are General Torran Fletcher and his trusted team. Torran guarantees Octavia and her crew's safety as they travel into Valorian space. As the two different teams begin to get to know one another, will they be able to trust each other as the situation becomes dangerous? And what exactly has been stolen and why is a human crew necessary to recover it? Read Hunt the Stars to find out. Highly recommended and the second book in the series, Eclipse the Moon is coming out in July!

Oh wow, this book has it all- adventure, romance, found family, a mildly telepathic cat (I want one so badly), I could not have asked for more (unless the book came with said mildly telepathic cat). I had such a good time reading this that, Jessie Mihalik has more than earned her place on my list of auto-buy authors. She just gets better and better with every book. I cannot wait to see what future books in the series have in store for these characters and look forward to getting to know the rest of the crew even better.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hunt the Stars is an adventure that travels through the galaxies aboard a rusty spaceship with a human bounty hunter, a Valovian General, and their crews. The war between the humans and Valovians is over, but the memories remain. Can these former enemies put aside their feelings to help search for a missing **spoiler**. Nothing is as it seems, but this is a delightful, non-stop adventure. My favorite character was Luna. Luna is a burba, a cat-like creature native to Valovia that can communicate telepathically. Valovians consider the animal a protected species. The cat chooses to live with the humans who saved her. It was touch-and-go until Luna communicates her preferences to the General.

This story is comfort food for the soul. Speaking of food, don't read this book hungry. The way the author describes vegetarian food will make a carnivore's mouth water.

Hunt for the Stars is an example in how consent can be sexy AF. It is a romance, a mystery, an adventure and a found family working together to take care of each other. I give it 5 stars and will be waiting impatiently for Eclipse the Moon, Kee's story set for July, 2022.

As I gather my thoughts about this book, I am focusing on not gushing... because all I really want to do is gush. I LOVED this book. It's the first book in a space opera trilogy. If you're not familiar with what a space opera is, think Star Wars. I used to think books in space were more science fiction-y- but, no, not really, at least not space operas. There is new and different tech and powers, but it's more like fantasy/paranormal than science fiction (in my opinion). This one also has a strong romantic storyline.

Octavia is a captain of a spaceship. She and her crew take missions. She is also a war hero. Torran was a general for the opposing side of the war. The war is over and there is a tense peace. Torran needs Tavi and her crew to find a missing object. Apparently it was stolen by a human, so they need a human crew to catch the thief. Torran's species is almost human, but with some different mental powers. Tavi, of course, says no, except money talks and the money offered just can't be turned down.

I loved the adventure, the different planets and cultures, the world building, the side characters (I immediately researched who will be in the second book!), the humor, and the slow burn enemies to lovers romance. If you like romance, paranormal, and/or fantasy, I recommend giving this a try. And, then, while you're eagerly waiting for the next book in the series, read the author's Consortium Rising trilogy. I loved that one too.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hunt the Stars is a slow-burn enemies-to-reluctant allies-to lovers/space opera. The main heroine, Octavia Zarola, is the captain of a ship and a bounty hunter who was formerly a war hero in a galactic war between humans and the Valoffs, an alien species with telekinetic and telepathic abilities. Her once enemy, General Torran Fletcher, seeks her out to assist with tracking down a valuable item that was stolen from him. What follows is a journey into enemy territory and a crew of humans and crew of Valoffs attempting to trust each other on a high-stakes mission.

The reason I haven't given this a higher rating is because of how slow-paced this is. I'm not referring to the romance aspect because I do enjoy a slow-burn romance, especially when it is two former enemies forced to work together, but the plot itself. Things are explained in sort of agonizing detail that this book could likely have done without. By the time we got to the angsty portion of the book I was like finally!! And then it kind of ended. I might be interested in continuing with this series depending on whether it follows the POV of the side characters. I did enjoy the relationship between Octavia and Torran, but the slowness of the plot put me off a bit. Never thought space could be boring but here we are. It's probably more of a 2.5 star read for me, but I rounded up. Also yes there's smut.

Jessie Mihalik has a new series and if you love sci-fi romance, you will NOT want to miss it! I absolutely devoured this super slow burn with A+ groveling and sweet found family vibes.

Octavia and Torran are on opposite sides of a tentative peace hard won after a decade long war between humans and Valoffs. After being paraded around as a war hero, Octavia is just trying to carve out a quiet life with the surviving members of her squad. Their bounty hunting gig is barely keeping the lights on and Octavia’s ship is in a constant state of disrepair because she cannot afford to employ a crew big enough to keep it maintained. When her sworn enemy and revered Valovian general, Torran Fletecher approaches her about a job and offers her enough credits to fix all of her current and future problems, she reluctantly accepts. Tensions are high between the two crews, now sharing a very small space as they venture into Valovian space to assist Torran in finding a stolen heirloom. Only, things aren’t quite what they seem, and Torran and his crew are definitely hiding something.

Octavia is thoughtful and selfless, always taking care of her crew and watching over them. Torran seems stern and ruthless on the outside, but inside he’s a caretaker too. One of my favorite parts of Mihalik’s books are the way she describes the spaceships and how she lists out all of the supplies the crew needs to stock up on when they visit new space ports. I quickly fell in love with both of the crews in this story as they learned to look past long held prejudices and start to trust each other. I also adored Luna who is basically a telekinetic cat who is obsessed with food that Octavia rescued from Valovia during the war. She’s funny and adorable and added a lot of joy to the story.

There were so many sweet moments between Octavia and Torran that had me grinning like an idiot. There is a pretty immediate attraction between them that they both fight due to the nature of their relationship. When they give in it’s VERY hot and their slow burn is worth the wait of the build up. I’m not doing this book justice because writing reviews has felt absolutely impossible lately. Just know that I loved every page and I cannot wait for the next book in the series. Thanks so much to Harper for the netgalley arc. Hunt the Stars is out February 1st!

Sci-fi romance. A mystery with adventure. A human bounty hunter is hired by her enemy, a Valorian general, to find something that has been stolen. But the hunt is not what it seems. Thanks Netgalley for an ARC of this book. I will definitely be looking into other books by this author. I would like to recommend this for my school library but the sex negates it.

3.5 stars

*Review will be published on my blog/Instagram January 30th, 2022*

PROGRESSIVELY BETTER.

A new to me author with an enjoyable first read from them! I liked the progression of this story and how the second half of it really leaned in well to the plot and romance aspects.

I liked Tavi as the main character. A heroine with a past who fiercely loves her crew and wants to protect them at all costs. Having to join up with her enemy to make some much needed credits (money) wasn’t in her plans, but sparks ignited between the two. At first I wasn’t that into Torran. He was too quiet. I wasn’t getting much background or interaction with him. As the story moved along I liked that he took a larger role and after some silly plot defects were out of the way he could speak more freely. I liked the chemistry between Torran and Tavi. I think there’s a higher chance of me loving them even more in book two.

One of the things I didn’t love was the weird obsession with food? Practically every meal was specifically covered. Preparation, cooking and eating. If it really played into the plot, cool. This was not the case and I skipped over many paragraphs of filler about their meals. I didn’t need that.

The second half was much faster and actually discussed (with action scenes at last) the true reason Torran needed Tavi and her crews help. I was happy to finally see some of the antagonists and what the larger viewpoint is regarding the series. I’m curious what the second book will hold. It wasn’t a bad start to a new series.

Overall audience notes:
- Sci-Fi/Fantasy Romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: two brief open door
- Violence: gun/weaponry violence, magical and physical altercations
- Trigger/Content Warnings: a kidnapped child, loss of loved ones, war themes

Octavia Zarola has gone to the wire with her close-knit bounty hunting crew. Thrown together in the war, got out and stay together. Times are tough which is why Tavi is tempted into accepting a job from her former enemy and ruthless alien general Torran Fletcher. It's going to taken an iron contract before she even thinks about letting him and his crew on her ship.

Why I started this book: Jumped at the chance to request an ARC from Netgalley.

Why I finished it: Sleeping is always optional when the book is this fun. And regrets are for the morning... great start to what I hope is a long series. Loved the interactions and found family between characters and the great pacing of forward plot and backwards background information/world building.

I have read everybook that this author has written and absolutely LOVED every single one... This one is just as amazing as all her other books, and if you love a sci-fi space adventure with some romance you should definitely read Jessie Mihalik...

Torran and Octavia are enemies.. they were on opposite sides of a war that caused many deaths on both sides.. but when Torran offers Tavia and her crew a crazy amount of money to find something that was stolen from him they from an uneasy truce.. at least for the 8 weeks they are going to be working together..

The longer both crews are together the more they realize that neither party is as horrible as they thought. Torran and Tavia begin to develop some strong chemistry and begin to trust each other.. Also those long smoldering looks between them (fans myself) were just so.. sexy.. the tension building between them made it so satisfying when they finally get together and reveal their feelings...

When they arrive on Torrans home planet and begin the search for what was taken.... well things take a turn.. Tavia and her crew uncover some secrets that make her realize that they are all in great danger.. and Tavias trust in Torran is rocked..

However Tavia and her crew are going to do what they came to do... Someone from her past during the war is involved and he is most definitely a bad person.. They need to figure out what exactly is going on, what this person is doing, and what the endgame is...

I loved Torran and Tavia together. .they are both bad ass fighters who can hold their own with each other.. Also there is one other character who also stole the show.. .and that is Luna, a small cat/fox like telepathic creature that Tavia rescued years ago while on a mission.. soo cute!!!

Im so happy that this is going to be a series!! I love Tavia and Torran, and every member of both crews and I can't wait to see how they are going to resolve the problems that were still left over after the ending of this book.. I will be buying a copy of this once its released and adding to it my Jessie Mihalik collection.!!

Y’all. Y’ALL. This author just gets better and better with each new release. I might have mentioned that my addiction of choice in these trying times is fantasy/science fiction romance and whoooboy, was I glad I picked Hunt the Stars up for review because it rocked my socks off.

This is the first book in the new Starlight’s Shadow series and features both enemies to lovers and found family tropes. Octavia Zarola is the Captain of the Starlight’s Shadow, she and her crew left the war behind and are now focusing their talents on bounty hunting. They don’t have a lot, and their ship could use some upgrades and actual parts to replace the duct tape keeping it together, but they have each other and that’s all that matters. That is until her sworn enemy, the powerful Valovian General Torran Fletcher shows up out of the blue and tries to hire them for a job to retrieve something important stolen from him.

Her first instinct is to tell him to go to hell, but after quite a bit of heated negotiating and a rather large down payment, she accepts the job… and he and his handpicked soldiers aboard her ship. They have 8 weeks to find…. whatever it is he is looking for. Hopefully, he’ll begin to trust her enough to actually tell her.

I enjoyed this book so much. Each of these characters, from main to supporting, was so well crafted, so competent, so integral to the plot and world-building. I was enthralled from the moment I read the first word. I absolutely loved this found family and how they quickly meshed from two different groups of people, once adversaries, into one big cohesive team. I will also admit to mentally pairing up the secondary characters in my head into what I hope are couples in future books. (Hint: I think there might be a polyam group in this series’ future and I AM HERE FOR IT.)

Torran and Tavi are up first though and let me tell you the chemistry and heated looks are to die for. This is exactly the kind of badass space general I needed in my life. And Tavia holds her own just fine with him. They go in hating each other after being on opposite sides of the war, to sharing leadership responsibilities, to respecting and liking each other. The fall into love is gradual and endearing. This is the kind of couple I root for the hardest.

They, of course, have something to locate and I won’t get too much into the plot, but suffice it to say it's way more complicated than Tavi and her crew expected it to be. Their old foe who betrayed them from their own government might be in on a plan to restart the old war and they can not let that happen. I have a feeling this will be a plot arc that runs through the entire series and is sure to only get more intricate and exciting.

Hunt the Stars is a gem of a space adventure and I can not wait to get my hands on book two. Highly recommend.

(Did I mention there is a fuzzy, always hungry, telepathic catlike pet that is sure to win your heart?)

Final grade- A

This book, Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik, is a stellar start to a wonderful new Sci-Fi series. I am still getting goose bumps from this story days after reading it. This book is the real deal, it has all the feels and you don’t want to miss out on it.
Octavia (Tavi) Zarola and her small, close knit crew are contracted by Torran Fletcher, a dangerous Valoff, to help him find out who stole something very important from him and recover it. He is very vague about the item and insists that humans are behind the thief and he needs a human to help him recover it. Despite her misgivings, Tavi takes the job because it is so lucrative and if she can find this stolen item in a short period of time there will be a bonus. Of course there is a caveat to the deal, Torran demands that he and his crew join forces with hers. Besides the hunt begins on the Valoff home world and Tavi will need him to provide safe passage there.
Once they get underway Tavi discovers there is much more to this ex-military commander than meets the eye. He infuriates and arouses her. In addition, she discovers there is a softer side to him that he keeps well-hidden and she is not the only feeling the attraction. As they work to recover the item, they both learn that there are secrets that their governments have keep from them as well as secrets they are keeping from each other. The question, when it comes down to it, will they trust each other?
I was drawn into this story before the end of the first chapter because the characters were well done and I was intrigued to see how the relationship between the two crews would develop. There was obvious chemistry between different characters and as you learn more about them you can’t help to become invested in the outcome.
The plot was good and I thought some of the ideas presented worked well to move the story forward. I especially was intrigued by one idea in particular, that humans were seeded on other worlds, sometime in the past, and that two distinct lines of humanity have evolved very differently. It got me to thinking, if this could have happened, how closely related and how much DNA would have to be shared before a species can be considered as human.
There is no cliffhanger; however, there is much more to this story and I am excited to see what happens next. I also want to know more about the other characters. Will any of those relationships bloom into something more? In addition, I get the impression that the various governments are not done meddling. Will we meet another race of aliens much more advanced? So many questions and so much to look forward to. I hope I am not kept waiting too long for the answers.
This is the perfect Space Opera for fans of The Interdependency series by John Scalzi. It is exciting and highly addictive. I highly recommend!
I received a free copy from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

I loved a lot about this book. The futuristic setting was fantastic and the main characters were interesting. The conflict and storyline were fascinating just like all of Jessie Mihalik's books. The action and mystery were great.

I took off one star because only one part of the story was a tiny bit icky to me- sex with an alien. The author is clear to assure the Valoffs look and act almost human but also their are clear differences. I guess I prefer reading human to human sexy times.

I voluntarily received this e-ARC from NetGalley and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review

Really enjoyed this. Good world building that wasn't too complicated but felt like it had some depth. The crew had good chemistry and the heat between the main characters was great. Good enemies to lovers tension. I got a bit of a Firefly vibe from it but that might just be me.

In 2020 I devoured Jessie Mihalik’s Consortium Rebellion series, Polaris Rising, Aurora Blazing, and Chaos Reigning. Mihalik writes a banger of a sci-fi romance with compelling characters, action, intrigue, and found family. As soon as I heard she was starting a new series with Hunt the Stars, it rocketed on to my most anticipated of 2022 list. It was as good as I thought it would be, and it looks like the second book, Eclipse the Moon, will be out in the summer. I love not having to wait a year for the next instalment.

The Consortium Rebellion focused on three sisters – daughters of one of the ruling families. Even on the run, their wealth made their adventures more possible. In contrast, the new series focuses on a crew of bounty hunters, led by Tavi Zarola. Tavi and her crew are former soldiers in the Federated Human Planet’s army, and their newest client, Torran Fletcher, is a Valovian general, and a squad of his soldiers. The war between the Federated Humans and the Valovians has ground to an uneasy peace/stalemate, and the enmity between Humans and Valovians is sharp. Despite the distrust and hostility, Torran desperately needs Tavi’s crew’s expertise, and Tavi desperately needs Torran’s money.

I’m a bounty hunter. I hunt criminals and murderers; I don’t work for them.”…

His piercing gaze seared me. “I know you. Lieutenant Octavia Zarola, hero of Rodeni,” he said with mocking reverence before his expression hardened. “Slaughterer. You are worth a lot in Valovian space.”
I love how delightfully domestic they get as the two groups, forced together by proximity and mutual dependence, bond. They form relationships through shared dinners, watching shows, and adoring the telepathic cat-fox who always wants food. I loved all the food scenes, there isn’t nearly enough cooking in sci-fi.
There is, of course, a conspiracy that may go all the way to the top and the imminent threat of restarting the unwinnable war. Hunt the Stars was a fun read and I am probably going to go reread it again right now. Jessie Mihalik is an autobuy author for me.

I received this as an advance reader copy from NetGalley and Harper Voyager. My opinions are my own.

The war between humans and Valoffs has been over for a few years, but Captain Tavi Zarola and her crew still carry the scars, physically and emotionally. When a group of Valoff led by General Torran Fletcher offer work to Tavi and her bounty hunting crew at a price to good to refuse, Tavi finds herself headed back into enemy territory, and possibly a trap. Torran Fletcher is definitely hiding something, but the more time Tavi spends with the handsome General, the more her heart opens to the possibility they have more in common than being wartime enemies would lead them to believe.
This is another winner from Jessie Mihalik, and the start of an exciting new series.

thank you netgalley for an eARC of this book!

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!! i picked it up randomly and read it in three hours. i could not put it down. the world is very interesting (gave me star wars vibes which i loved) but wasnt too difficult to understand. i loved all of the characters and the element of found family. tavi is such a powerful female lead which i always love, and the TENSION between her and torran- perfectly paced. i loved it. highly recommend!

You know when an author you like has a new series, and you hope it's as good as their first? But then you're blown away and the first book in the new series is somehow even better! I cannot wait until the follow up comes out. Jessie Mihalik has built a beautifully crafted world filled with three dimensional characters and a plot that kept me riveted the whole time.

Hunt the Stars. is the first book in an exciting new series by Jesse Mahalik. The story is well-paced and immersive, there’s a ton of action, and the enemies-to-lovers romance is fantastic! I really admire Tavi as a leader. She is so strong and intelligent, and she always has the best interest of her crew at heart. Plus, she is sarcastic and funny! Tavi’s fiercely loyal and super determined, and her compassion knows no bounds. Torran is a great leader as well, and he and his crew, much like Tavi’s, seem more like a family than a team. I think it says a lot about Tavi and Torran’s characters that they have this core group that is so completely loyal to them.

The crews separately are well oiled machines, but I love them best when they are all together. Putting together two crews who fought on opposite sides of a devastating war has many challenges, yet this crew makes it work. Tavi can take a lot of credit for that, as she does specific things to encourage a sense of community and comradery. The two teams form such a unique and interesting connection together, and I think they learn so much through this deepening relationship. And speaking of the crew, I’m really curious to find out what happened between Lexi and Nilo. They have something simmering between them, and their chemistry is so palpable. Hopefully, they’ll be the focus of a future book in the series!

The love story in this book focused on Tavi and Torran, and they have a great enemies-to-lovers romance. They have an undeniable chemistry even though they begin as strangers from opposite sides of a war. Because Torran can actually invade others’ minds, there is a strong emphasis on consent, which I liked. This includes his romantic and professional relationship with Tavi. There is a definite sense of respect and knowing one’s boundaries.

The story has a lot of action and suspense, and the political and military intrigue adds to them. Lies, betrayals, manipulations, and more are unraveled, and the situation that Ravi, Torran, and the others find themselves in proves way more complicated and dangerous than they initially realized. It’s even more intriguing because Torran is revered in his military, and Tavi was formerly in the military but left for ethical reasons. Seeing both characters explore their feelings about the government, politics, the military, and everything that entails weigh heavily on both characters as the story progresses.

This is a great start to what promises to be an action-packed and suspenseful sci-fi romance series. The world-building is immersive, the dialogue is on point, the found family aspect is strong, and the romance is swoon-tastic! Oh, and there’s a super adorable pet too! I can’t wait to continue the series and am so grateful to Harper Voyager, Netgalley, and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

*I will add links closer to pub. date