Kee is a the mastermind hacker on her ship. The ship's crew is hunting a general who is trying to bring a peace between humans and valoffs to an end. Kee, struggling with unrequited feelings for a Valoff weapons expert, Varro, on the ship, decides to kill two birds with one stone. On a solo trip to track down information, unbeknownst to Kee, a certain Valoff comes along to protect her, with a smoldering fire between them.

This was a super fun second book in the series. There isn't too much time rehashing the first book, so this one hits the ground running. It's a fun military/political scifi story with lots of action and politicking! I definitely enjoyed the story, but it does feel odd to have the focus shift from the captain to Kee and still have the same kind of leadership perspective. But definitely enjoyed the chemistry between Kee and Varro, even though grumpy chivalrous men who grunt are not my favorite, aka sunshine/grumpy not always a good trope for me. Still really looking forward to the next book and seeing some more kicking butt.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager and Avon Books for the advanced copy of the ebook.

I was really looking forward to Kee and Varro's story, but unfortunately this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. The story started off strong and I liked the set up and initial forced proximity, but as the story progressed, it shifted more towards the sci-fi side and less towards romance. The amount of technical detail in the novel was overwhelming. So much page time was devoted to describing what Kee was doing to hack into the systems or the different technology she was using/encountering. It made the pacing of the book very slow and I found myself eventually skimming these sections.

The chemistry between grumpy Varro and sunshine Kee never really took off and I found the romance overall really lacking. I enjoyed the "protect you at any cost" drama at first, but I grew tired of the repeated push away. The romance just didn't flow naturally for me. I was happy to finally have some spicy scenes at the end, but it took so long to get there that they felt almost like they were thrown in so that the romance box could be checked.

I both read the ebook and listened to the audiobook and Frankie Corzo did a great job with the narration. I did have a little trouble distinguishing between Tavi and Kee as well as Torran and Varro at times, but overall it was an enjoyable listening experience. The book doesn't end on a cliffhanger, but there is a plotline that continues from book 1. I really wanted to love this one, but sadly it ended up being just OK.

Audiobook Review
Overall 3.5 stars
Performance 4 stars
Story 3 stars

CW: mentions/descriptions of: fighting, death, kidnapping, torture, explosions, computer hacking, healing from extensive injuries, war/the threat of war, etc.

*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book*

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<p>This is the second book in Jessie Mihalik's Starlight's Shadow series. In the first book, we learned that a long war has finally subsided and there is a tentative peace between the Valoffs and the humans. However there is a small faction of people who want to restart the war. The main villain is a general who has gone rogue and is not only after our main characters, but wants to kill some high ranking people on both sides making it look like the Valoffs have started the war again.</p>
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<p>Kee is one of the humans on the ship Starlight's Shadow. Her captain is in love with a Valoff general (this was book 1, Hunt the Stars). And while the two crews have learned to live together and have become friends and crewmates, Kee is desperately in love with Varro. He is faultlessly polite, and an excellent friend, if a bit quiet. But in her quest to hack into some super protected systems to help find the general they're looking for, she's constantly distracted by the fact that Varro doesn't return her love, and she's totally okay with that, but she needs a bit of time to heal and process. So in a two birds, one stone situation, Kee lets her captain know that she will be staying on the station where they're resupplying. She can have a two week break from Varro, she can have better access to the systems being at a base rather than on a ship, and there's one last thing. A certain fashion show using a very famous human designer, and a very famous Valoff designer will be held on this base. Nothing Kee has found has said anything will happen...however she has a feeling something big is going down. And the fact that she can't find anything at all makes that feeling worse.</p>
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<p>From the second Kee arrives on the station, she feels as if she's being followed. She never sees anyone, but she can feel them. And her hunch is correct when she's boxed in by some local thugs trying to rob her, she's saved by Varro! He doesn't want her left alone so his big plan was to stay in the hallways and ensure her safety, but Kee obviously isn't on board with this and they share her tiny room. While they are in this forced proximity (one of my favorite tropes!), Kee is still constantly on her tablet searching and hacking and trying to figure out why the general has disappeared from everything. And then...her hunch is proved correct. Something big happened and she and Varro are caught up in the middle of it all. </p>
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<p>I love this author, and I really love her characters and this series. I think Kee was a fun and light heroine, which sometimes our grumpy and strong silent type heroes need. She presents as if she has ADD, and he is so sweet and caring. He makes sure she eats, and pulls her from her tablet when she hyperfocuses through her alarms. These two are a good couple, and each spent a good portion of the book trying to save the other. I really think the best part of this whole book was Kee realizing she's a whole lot stronger than she had ever given herself credit for. </p>
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<p>I think the overarching plot driving the series has gotten a whole heck of a lot messier, and definitely more dangerous. I'm enjoying the characters, and the captain taking on strays, so to speak. I can't wait for what comes next. This author has made me love Space Opera/Sci Fi Romance. </p>
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<p>***ARC courtesy of Harper Voyager via Netgalley</p>
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Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Voyager, and Ms. Mihalik for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I was super excited to be granted an ARC of this as I have been steadily enjoying Ms. Mihalik's works since House Andrews' recommendation. I'm particularly enjoying the amount of plot and characterization: typically sci-fi/fantasy/romance falls heavily into the romance side. Here, the romance is another SLOW slow burn (think, 96% or so of the book) and there is plenty of action, politics, plotting, sneaking around, and sleuthing to keep a reader occupied.

The author does a commendable job of keeping a hacker's job interesting: sitting for hours mining data from digital systems does not exactly provide scintillating reading. Somehow Ms. Mihalik keeps the reader so engaged during these portions that they're barely noticeable. The only thing that irritated me was that Varro (and Kee too, tbh, but Varro more so) are so absolutely lousy at communicating. Varro makes decisions on what he *thinks* Kee wants or needs, and Kee reads his every (alien) behavior through a human filter and gets her feelings hurt repeatedly. I also have to question the amount of cookies people are baking, if I'm going to be really picky. I thought resources and time are measured quantities on-ship? And how many cookies can a person really eat?! But I digress.

Overall I really enjoyed this and I'm as interested by the politics as the relationships, which is a commendable feat. Looking forward to seeing what role the latest addition to the ship (no spoilers here!) will play going forward.

Eclipse the Moon by Jessie Mihalik is the sequel to sci-fi romance Hunt the Stars. Similar to its predecessor, it has a fast-paced plot and a tension-filled romance. I loved Kee and Varro, who we meet in the first book but get to really delve into here. I was so excited to get a copy of this book as an arc as I was counting down the days until its release. It didn't disappoint and I absolutely loved it!

Eclipse the Moon continues the conflict set up in Hunt the Stars with the crew attempting to thwart an old nemesis from sparking an intergalactic war, but they desperately need more information to do so. The story follows hacker Kee Ildez who decides to post up on a space station to investigate a fashion event she suspects is a cover for an illicit meeting. It also has the added benefit of giving her a break from Valoff weapons expert Varro Runkow for whom she has unrequited feelings. Of course, things don't go as planned as Kee and Varro are forced to work together.

Kee is charismatic, determined and resourceful, striving to do everything she can to get the crew the information they need and keep her feelings in check. Varro is determined to make sure she takes care of herself and keeps her safe from anyone else that would do her harm. I loved the dynamic between Kee and Varro. He starts off as caring but stoic, and the readers get to see him open up in time with Kee. They both care so deeply, realizing they are more alike than they initially realized - despite being the epitome of grumpy/sunshine dynamic.

Mihalik's female characters are always strong and intelligent. It was great to see how Tavi and Kee are equally strong but in different ways. I also enjoyed seeing more of the crew's dynamic and how the original team has grown tighter with the Valovian additions. I'm excited to see where the story goes next, learn more about the crew and see what characters will be the focus in the third book.

Thanks to Harper Voyage and Netgalley for the arc!

Flatlay Friday + Review
Night Skies

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

Anytime anyone is asking for recs in the Ilona Andrews-ish mode, I rush in shouting *Jessie Mihalik’s series.*

Hunt the Stars was a fun introduction to the crew of Starlight’s Shadow & to the general tension that lingers post-intergalactic war & Eclipse the Moon, this upcoming release out 07/12, continues both of those trends with a sunshine & the grump story this time.

Sunshiney data genius Kee has had feelings for grumpy Varro, a Valovan, since after he arrived on her ship in the last book. But he’s apparently resistant to her charms.

So in an effort to remove herself from (supposedly) Unrequited Pining Central & also to get some much-needed data regarding the intergalactic threat they all used to work for, Kee stays on a planet by herself.

Which prompts Varro to risk his own life if he isn’t also allowed off-ship by their Captain so that he can protect her. Me-ow.

This story, with its confessions of mutual pining & feeling, with his multiple displays of protective feeling (including him sleeping outside of her room & the aforementioned threat of airwalking through space to chase after her!), does satisfy romantically on an emotional level.

Their mutual care for the other comes in handy when his honor as a protector comes into question & the slow burn is always a nice touch!

But I do wish that in addition to the romance that plays out on the pages they also established more of their past with the other. & with me 🥴😆. As it is, it just feels a little superficial to me, like a lost opportunity.

This series has been entertaining & interesting. Check it out if you’re looking for something with high stakes & quite the (anticipatory) wait for spice!

4 ⭐️. Release date: 07/12.

Please check out CWs from a trusted reviewer.

[ID: an ebook rests on an open hardback surrounded by various covers featuring moon & stars.]

I loved this book and getting to know more about the characters on this starship. It takes place shortly after the first book ends. One of my complaints is I needed more Luna.

I loved Kee and her sunshiny, chaotic personality. She clearly has ADHD complete with hyper focus. I enjoyed seeing her gain confidence in herself and convincing her crew mates that she could take care of herself and be the hero.

Varro had a great silent grumpy vibe. I wish the book was dual POV as I wanted inside his head a bit more than I got.

This book has a really hot dream sequence that I adored. Most of the sexual action occurs at the end and I wish it had happened a bit soon. The fighting scenes and storyline action were intense but supported by the great characters. I look forward to reading book 3 and finding out who is next to get a HEA.

Although I was initially annoyed to have to read the first book in the series in order to read my ARC, I enjoyed my time with both of these books. They were both 3.5-4 star reads, CAWPILE had them just eking out 4 stars.

The first book was a good introduction to the world and these characters. It is very character driven with a fairly typical space/sci-fi plot. The plot was nothing too memorable on the first one. They’re trying to find something that was lost and have to partner up with Valoffs (the humanlike alien race that they recently warred against) to do so. This was all fine although I wasn’t exactly riveted. I did get annoyed that multiple times there was a plot twist because the humans uncovered something the Valoffs were hiding, this just seemed lazy to do over and over again.

The characters made it really fun though. I enjoyed the found-family feel to the main three humans on the ship and the additions of other Valoffs and humans added a nice layer to get to know the characters more. The romance is slow-burn and really well done. It’s not quite fade to black but really just gives some peeks. The character who I loved in this one was Luna, the telepathic white fluff ball I never knew I needed in space opera. She reminded me so much of my westie who was equally food obsessed and sassy, it was great.

Overall, this first book was a great time with some really good characters and I was not unhappy to jump right into the second one.

The second book had a stronger plot and lost some of what I loved about the characters. This one follows a different main character and her love interest. I really liked following Kee and thought her perspective was a nice switch. However, a good chunk of this book took place away from the bulk of the other characters. Since one of the things I really enjoyed about the first book was the way the characters played off each other, this was a bit of a bummer. But I did like Kee and there were still some good scenes with everyone so the characters were still good, just maybe not as strong as the first. It definitely could have used a lot more of Luna.

The good news is that the plot was better in this one. It was a little more detailed and just had more to it. It easily kept my interest and I wanted to know what would happen next. The politics did get a little muddy at times but I got enough of the general idea that I could live with glossing over the details in this type of book.
I also like the romance a lot more in this one, there’s just something about the grumpy/sunshine pairing that really worked and the more I read about Varro, the more intrigued I was about his character. There is definitely more smut in this one too but it wasn’t a huge part of the book and stayed more in talking about feeling than anatomy which I appreciated.

So I have to say that I’m glad I picked up this ARC even though I had to read two books. It is a very fun, easy read if you’re in the mood for a sci-fi romance. I think I’ll pick up the next one when it’s released.

* I received a free ARC of Eclipse the Moon from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Eclipse the Moon is the second book in Jessie Mihalik’s Starlight’s Shadow series. It can be read as a stand-alone and has a self-contained story. I also found it to be an improvement on the first book, particularly in the romance department.
Kee and Varro are a compelling pair to follow, and I love how both are strong and competent in their work, but are also battling with their feelings for each other. The story is from Kee’s perspective, and I felt for her as she was perplexed at the mixed reception to her flirting, and struggling with pining while trying to maintain a platonic/professional relationship. For Varro’s part, some of his nobility may be a bit misplaced, but I love that even an advanced society like this one in other aspects still has room for chivalry. Seeing them figure out how to reconcile their feelings with working out how to accomplish their mission creates compelling stakes.
Speaking of which, I enjoyed getting more of a sense of the danger they’re dealing with, what with the brisk pace to the plot and constant intrigue and danger. The juxtaposition between that and the quiet introspection of the romance is navigated well for the most part, and is an improvement on the first book.
I really enjoyed this one, and regardless of your opinions on the first book, I think it’s worth giving a chance if you enjoy sci-fi romance with political intrigue, space battles, swoony moments in equal measure.

Eclipse the Moon picks up right after the action in Hunt the Stars and follows Kee, the Starlight Shadow’s hacker extraordinaire, and Varro, a weapons expert and strong telepath who joined the crew in the previous book. The author did a great job making this a complete, self-contained story that follows Kee and Varro pretty tightly for much of the book, while also advancing the overarching plot (hard to do for the second book in a trilogy), so I think new readers could start here. That said, if you are new to this series you would be missing out a lot of back story and will probably want to go back and read the first book.

This is a classic grumpy/sunshine pairing. Kee is a brilliant, focused, and dedicated hacker, but she’s also open and big with her emotions, has often been underestimated because of her personality, and tends to feel like she doesn’t pull her own weight in the crew because she’s so emotional. However, she is clearly the emotional center of her team. Varro is the strong, silent type who carefully guards his own emotions because he is an extremely strong telepath who can push into others’ minds with ease, not just humans, but other Valoffs who normally have shields against telepathy. In Hunt the Stars, they got off on the wrong foot when they initially met, but there’s no denying the sparks between them. When Kee leaves the ship for a few weeks to do some electronic reconnaissance on a space station, Varro follows to protect her and they both get swept up in a plot to re-ignite the ruinous war between humans and Valoffs.

As with Hunt the Stars, the pace of the book was a bit slow initially as Kee follows up on various leads, but doesn’t make much headway. However, it soon picks up and we are swept away on a fun space adventure. The author has done a good job integrating romance with the main plot and action and showing how much the main characters are attracted to each other, but also how dedicated they are to their mission of preventing a new interstellar war and how competent they are at their jobs. I’m looking forward to the final book and to a resolution for the main conflict. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Loved it just as much as the first. Kee and Varro have a wonderful, heartfelt romance where the obstacle to overcome really comes from how similar, yet different they are. They're both complete sweethearts and make a great team when they work together. I love Kee's technical skills and her impulsive nature and the way it balanced with Varro's steadiness. And both are so full of pining, determination, love for their friends, and desire to do the right thing. And naturally, they're grappling with all this while they're trying to deal with Morton and his latest attempts to start a war. This book is action-packed, with fun space-station details, futuristic fashion, and some new Valovian abilities. Even as the tension ramps up, we also get cozy details of the crew we got to know and love from book one, and several new characters who fit right in to the eccentric mix. And so many cookies! Kee loves cookies, and this book made me crave them too. With such great worldbuilding, engaging writing, and fantastic characters, I will happily keep reading books in this world for as long as Jessie Mihalik keeps writing them!

If you like adventures in space, romance, political intrigue, espionage with futuristic gadgetry and cool paranormal powers thrown into the mix, you’ll enjoy the second installment of Jessie Mihalik’s “Starlight’s Shadow” series. You’ll enjoy reading more about the tight spots the crew of this ship continues to find themselves in as Kee and Varro’s story unfolds. Mihalik creates a good blend of genres to keep the story interesting with just enough technical terms and details to not be too heavy on sci fi, enough, political intrigue and espionage to keep you in suspense and guessing, and enough insight into characters’ back stories and personal troubles to make you care about them. Fun read all around! I’m looking forward to the third book!

4.5 rounded up. While I still loved book 1 more (that’s usually the case for me in these standalone type series), I did really enjoy this next installment as well and am looking forward to book 3. I hope we’ll get to see Lexi and Nilo’s story.

This book had a lot of action - I found myself having to reread a few sections to make sure I was following along because so much was happening at once. Even though we only had it from Kee’s POV.

⇢ Forced Proximity
⇢ Grumpy x Sunshine
⇢ Found Family
⇢ Spice: 0.5🌶

Thank you Netgally and Avon Harper Voyager for access to this arc.

Warning: Spoilers for book 1 follow


The Starlight’s Shadow trilogy, which kicked off with Hunt the Stars, continues with this second installment, Eclipse the Moon. The romantic pairing this time round is Kee Ildez (human, hacker and systems expert) and Varro Runkow (Valoff, telepath, weapons expert), who met in the first book and who clearly had some chemistry. When they first met, Varro messed up and had to grovel big time to Kee but right from the start, Kee thought he was hot. After that, they settled into a good friendship but each believed the other wasn’t interested romantically (even though they both were).

At the end of Hunt the Stars, the crew of Starlight’s Shadow (which now includes Valoffs, Torran, Varro, Chira and Havil, in addition to humans, Tavi, Kee, Eli and Anja) have rescued Cien, the Valovian Empress’s grandson and Torran’s nephew. They have also realised that someone is trying to break the peace treaty between Valovia and the Federation of Human Planets (FHP) and restart the war. Having all been soldiers in that war, none of the crew want that to happen. It is unclear exactly how involved the Empress is but what is certain is that FHP Commodore Frank Morten is a leading player in the conspiracy. Just how deep it goes and how high is as yet unknown. As Eclipse the Moon begins, Kee and the crew are searching for Morten.

Kee comes up with a plan to take a break on Bastion, the last space station in FHP territory before the wormhole to Valovia. She wants to do some hacking to try and find more information on the conspiracy and would prefer to do it without implicating Tavi in any way. On Bastion she can be anonymous. She wants to splice into Bastian’s systems and dig around in their data. There’s also a fashion show about to happen – a collaboration three years in the making between two haute couture designers – one Valovian and one human. Kee wonders if the show could be a front for something. The other big reason for her trip is that she wants to get away from Varro. She needs to pack her feelings away because (she thinks) it’s clear that they will never be anything more than friends. She wants to re-set her brain so that hopefully, when she rejoins the crew, she will not be constantly heartbroken about what cannot be.

I don’t think it will be a surprise to anyone that the deeply protective Varro is most unhappy that Kee left the ship alone. (He threatens to “go out the airlock” if Tavi doesn’t take him to Bastian so he can ensure Kee’s safety.) Kee doesn’t initially know he’s there but when she needs him, voila, there he is.

After that, Kee and Varro are together for most of the book and the adventure truly begins.

I won’t go into much more of the plot because I think it’s best experienced when reading but suffice it to say that there is a spectacular disaster which causes both to have to stretch their abilities to the max in order to escape alive. And after that, there is more rescuing to do, including more daring, adventure and risk, while also trying to piece together more information about the plan to break the peace and put a stop to it.

The overall story arc regarding the conspiracy is not solved in this book – that will be for the final book in the trilogy (which I believe will feature Lexi and Nilo as the romantic pairing – this pair are pseudo crew but are not on Starlight’s Shadow this time round). There is further information though, some of which I admit was a bit lost on me. I still don’t really understand what the Empress is doing and if/how it relates to what Morten is planning (and I think I was supposed to more than I did). I expect all will be revealed later on but it did get pretty twisty in there and some of it went over my head a bit I think.

Eclipse the Moon has a bit of a slow start. The first three chapters are about getting Kee to Bastion but once Varro and she are together on the space station the action is largely non-stop from there. This series does not suffer from the second book sag which can sometimes happen in trilogies. Having the benefit of the previous characterisations and relationship and backstory, it can get into the meat of the adventure more quickly and it does more with it than the first book did.

The difficulty perhaps with such a story is finding bits of “downtime” where the romance arc can develop. I liked that Kee and Varro, for the most part, talked openly about what they felt and what they wanted. Once they started to do that (something they did not do in Hunt the Stars) it is clear that they are both deeply into one another. Kee tends to overthink things and finds the best way forward it just to blurt out a question so she knows the answer rather than ruminate. Which did make me wonder why she took so long to ask in the first place but there you go.

There were a couple of other things I noted about Kee. She refers often to writing things down on her tablet so that she remembers them, setting alarms for herself to do things because she’s so often buried in her current task, about how she might repeat something to herself a number of times to try and recall it later if she couldn’t write it down but there was no guarantee it would work. However, later in the book Tavi talks about Kee’s memory as if it’s a steel trap and Kee agrees. I couldn’t quite square that circle.

Once Kee and Varro decide to give things a try there isn’t anything (other than the external drama going on around them) which would really keep them apart and the story introduces something which felt a little artificial to me. Perhaps because there was a similar thing about Valoff honour in book one (not the whole romantic conflict but a part of it), I saw this as a deliberate obstacle put in the way by the author rather than it being organic to the story. Really, the shooting, kidnapping and explosions were enough to slow things down but I suppose the romantic arc needed a barrier for them to overcome as a couple rather than just surviving to the end to get their HEA. Still there were similarities to book 1 so it didn’t feel quite as fresh as the other storyline.

I liked Kee and Varro together very much. The strong silent protector is very much my jam. Varro feels things deeply but is very reserved outwardly.

Tavi and Torran, while having pivotal roles in this book, are not the focus and Tavi’s willingness to let Kee lead here so much sometimes seemed a little convenient.

Much of the book does not take place on Starlight’s Shadow however and Kee and Varro are (effectively) alone to deal with what Morten (and maybe the Empress but maybe not?) is throwing at them. It was those sections of the book which shone the brightest as it made complete sense they were relying on their own wits and skills and each other to prevail. Later in the book the way the rest of the crew joined the adventure fit much better.

Eclipse the Moon is a rollicking good space adventure story. I enjoyed the way Kee and Varro worked together, how they deferred to one another as appropriate, how I saw their romance bloom as they were fighting the bad guys but the romance itself is secondary to the rest of the story. And it works just fine that way.

For anyone who loves believable science fiction with a great blend of romance, this is absolutely the book to choose! And, although it is the second in a series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone (although it would be a shame because the first book is just as exciting and sets-up much of the backstory).
Kee is the spark that lights this story. Her optimistic and open attitude is the refreshing counter-balance to both the heavy story-line and the closed personality of Varro. Together, however, these two are magic! Varro does not express himself at all and holds his emotions strictly tied down. Kee cries easily, loves hard and opens herself to those around her. Neither understand the other but both desperately want to. It's a dance that is a delight to experience. There are times that the non-communication gets frustrating, as each assumes, rather than speak, to the point of redundancy. But as the story progresses, the layers unfold and readers are gifted with a love that is not only claimed but deeply understood.
The Sci-Fi action and intrigue is no less engaging, as well! The worlds are believable, the intrigues and danger is nail-biting and the action is edge of your seat! There are rescues gone awry, traitors at every turn and above all, loyalty and family among devoted and determined friends that overcome all adversity. With only a few small glitches, this is truly a story not to miss!

4 stars

Love this series interweaving fun sci fi with irresistible romance. This space adventure picks up
as the second in a planned trilogy of Hunt the Stars. You just can’t help but smile as you anticipate the human/humanoid alien relationship unfolding, at the same time that you have an intrepid team on a small spaceship doing highly skilled bounty hunting that keeps the plot moving along at a clip.

Here we have two new lead characters from the crew of the ship Starlight’s Shadow: Kee, an intrepid hacker, and Varro, a weapon’s expert. They get thrown together in a dangerous operation to discover and stop the instigator of an interstellar war between humans and Valovians. Varro struggles in his duties to protect Kee, who wildly independent ventures into enemy territory on the space station Bastian alone. You cheer on both their budding resentment turned romance, and their heroics to save both their crew and interspecies peace.

Can’t wait to see which two new protagonists emerge for the end of the trilogy!

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

Goodreads review:
The first book in the Starlight's Shadow series, Hunt the Stars, is one of the best books I've read so far this year so I was SO EXCITED to receive an ARC of Eclipse the Moon, the second book! I would highly suggest reading Hunt the Stars before starting in on Eclipse the Moon. The books are told from different characters' POVs but Hunt the Stars introduces us to all of the characters and has a lot of background on the overall plot and political intrigue that is ramped up in Eclipse the Moon - so these are not stand alone books.

Eclipse the Moon is focused on Kee Ildez, who is in charge of Starlight's systems and is the resident hacker. She is bubbly and whip smart, but doesn't realize how much of an asset she is to Tavi and the team. Varro is the Valovian team's weapons expert. He's stoic and grumpy. There were sparks flying between the two in the first book, and this book picks up where it left off. This is a classic grumpy/sunshine, but set in space - what's not to love?!

In an attempt to put some distance between herself and Varro, who she believes doesn't return her feelings, Kee volunteers to go stay in Bastion and hack into their systems to try to find out more about the plot to bring the Federation and the Valovians back into war. But of course Varro ends up on the mission with her, and the forced proximity is almost too much for Kee to bear! But as they spend more time together, they realize that they are a good team and they're both strong enough to protect each other, working better together than apart. There is so much action as Kee, Varro, and the rest of the team fly around the galaxy trying to stop a war that seems imminent and figure out how high up the plotting goes.

I will say that sometimes it wasn't totally clear to me WHY Varro was hesitant to show how much he cares about Kee. Also some of the technical scenes and fight scenes were a bit convoluted and overly detailed. However Kee was such a good protagonist and their love story was so sweet, and I really enjoyed how the overall political intrigue plotline moved along so that more than made up for it and made this a 5 star book for me! The ending has me so excited for the third book, I can't wait to see which couple the next book will focus on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC! Eclipse the Moon will be out on July 12, 2022!

Instagram post:
The first book of this series, Hunt the Stars, is one of the best books I’ve read this year so I was SO EXCITED to snag an ARC of Eclipse the Moon, the second book in the series. It’s grumpy/sunshine romance in space with tons of action - what’s not to love?!

Book 📚: Eclipse the Moon by @jessmihalik
Genre 🚀: sci-fi romance
Rating ⭐️: 5/5
Spice 🌶: lots of tension and some spicy open door scenes!

Synopsis: I highly recommend reading Hunt the Stars before diving in to Eclipse the Moon, as this book picks up right where the first one left off. This book is focused on Kee, the ship’s resident hacker. She is bubbly and whip smart but doesn’t realize how much of an asset she is to her team. Varro is the Valovian team’s weapons expert and is stoic and grumpy. There were sparks flying between the two in the first book and that continues in this book as they end up on a mission together to get more information about the plot to bring the Federation and the Valovians back into a war. With all the forced proximity they realize they are a good team and work through their feelings for each other. There is so much action as they and the rest of the team fly around the galaxy trying to stop a war that seems imminent and figure out how high up the plotting goes.

Review: This series is action and romance packed and I think it’s such a good balance! This book moved along the political intrigue plot nicely and the ending has me so excited for the next book. The love story between Kee and Varro was so sweet - they needed to figure out how to stop worrying about one another and become a team. I can’t wait to find out which potential couple book three will focus on!

Thank you to @netgalley and @harpervoyagerus for this ARC! Eclipse the Moon will be out on July 12!

Space adventure! Eeee! This book is action packed science fiction adventure with a healthy dose of romance. Kee and Varro have been avoiding each other because they like each other too much and don't realize it's reciprocated. When Kee takes a dangerous solo mission, Varro secretly follows to keep her safe.

Kee is super sunshine and Varro is taciturn grumpy. They're both very good at their jobs. I really enjoyed their dynamic and was relieved that they uncover their mutual attraction earlier in the story rather than later. There's a memorable dream sequence...

It's heavier on space adventure/survival/rescue than it is on romance, and I'm totally fine with that. The character's connection, however, remains central. This is book two in the series, and I think it could be read as a standalone, though you'll get more out of it if you read book one.

If you want world building, action, and grumpy-sunshine where one's a hacker and the other is the most powerful telepath in the universe (probably), this is the book for you.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Jessie Mihalik was was excited to see this on NetGalley. This is the sequel to last year's Hunt the Stars, and it features the human crew of the Starlight, with a few recent additions from Hunt the Stars - Valoffs Torran, Havil, Chira, and Varro. The first book in the series was all Tavi and Torran, and this one is all about Kee and Varro. They're a sunshine-grump pairing, with sweet, rainbow-haired ex-soldier/current bounty hunter/hacker Kee and stoic, unreadable weapons expert Varro. I liked that this took a pretty different approach to the first one, with most of the action being on a space station (Bastion) rather than actually in space. There's still plenty of time on the Starlight, but Kee and Varro get wrapped up in a major kidnapping/assassination plot on Bastion and end up spending a lot of time there. I really like Mihalik's heroines, who never feel one-dimensional, and Kee was no exception. I love that she's a sweet optimist who is also a total badass hacker. The romantic storyline was solid but I was really most into the adventure-filled plot. I can't wait for the next installment.

This was basically everything I wanted! The action continues without a break from book 1, with the crew tracking their nemesis through space. Kee is intrepid and her character arc is maybe the best part of this book. She doesn't hold back, and even though I didn't like her too terribly much at the start, by the end of this book she had grown into a favorite character. Seeing how she deals with Varro and his Very Determined Protection was really entertaining, too, because two strong characters butting heads? Perfection.

Also, I am obsessedwith the way the Valoff customs and traditions play a huge role in these books. It's not just "oh they're not human" but their entire culture plays a part, both in the romance and the action. It made the repetitiveness of some of the arguments fade some, because it really emphasized what's important to their people. The telepathic connection adds a lot, because even though we didn't get a Varro POV, the feelings that bled through when he had strong reactions or emotions added EXTREME depth to his character.

The rest of the crew was a little more in the background here, but with good reason, because a lot of the action happened off the ship. The plot itself moved along at a good clip, with lots of story development and twists that I didn't see coming, and I think it did a really great job setting up for the conclusion without falling into the 'bridge' trap that a lot of middle books do.

Definitely a great second book and I can't wait for book 3!