5/5 Stars

I actually think I liked this one better than Hunt the Stars. I liked Kee a bit more than I liked Tavi. And Kee's relationship with Varro was a bit more challenging and harder to traverse with all of the action that happened which made it so much sweeter in the end.

I love that the story follows the same crew but different characters as they start their relationship while also trying to stop a war and save the universe. Definitely recommend these books!

A super cute, suspenseful romance in space. I didn’t read the first in the series but that doesn’t seem to matter much. We are thrown in with the characters. The book is written from one PoV, our bisexual female lead who is suffering from unrequited love, she decides to go on a solo mission to gain some distance only to have her crush follow her, seemingly for protection. This book is fast paced and reads a little like fan fiction, not in a bad way, but in a dramatic irony way. It’s quickly obvious her love is in fact requited and she’s an unreliable narrator. I thought it was light, cute, an easy, fun read.

While firmly in the sci-fi romance category - This series makes my space opera loving heart happy.

- Forced Proximity
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Hackers/Espionage

Kee our resident hacker was one of my favorite characters from book one (Hunt the Stars) with her bright spirit and crazy rainbow hair she felt like someone I would want to be besties with. I am so happy that Kee and Varro are the couple in this book. Their on page chemistry and angst was something I really enjoyed reading in book one and to get to see their story expanded beyond that was a treat. While not specifically mentioned, Kee's character could be on the spectrum. Her strengths, faults, and passions made me identify strongly with her.

Warning... this book will make you want to bake cookies and also dream of a sexy alien who will make you cookies.

While I enjoyed this book - it did suffer from some of the same issues I found with book one. The plot moves well but there is a lack of solid world building which threw off my true immersion into this world at times. I made a note while reading that it was difficult to believe these characters were ever truly in mortal danger due to the sheer number of heart to heart talks that happen when their supposed to be hiding, sneaking, on the run, or looking for hostages in hostile territory. But it was adorable how clueless these two were to how they other felt for half the book.

Listen, bottom line, it is a romance book (which I am HERE for) with an espionage space plot. Kee and Varro are ADORABLE. It hits so many great notes for me in the romance category - forced proximity, grumpy sunshine, fashion, space travel, found family. READ IT.

It was yet again the right book at the right time for me. I picked it up every chance that I got and will highly recommend to all romance and science fiction fans.

Spice Note: The spice in this is very low key until the end of the book. There is one sex dream somewhere in the middle, some kisses and then an open door scene later on

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review Eclipse the Moon. And, of course, thank you to Jessie Mihalik for writing it.

After reading Hunt the Stars, the 1st book in this series, I was excited to read the follow-up. I liked it, with a few caveats. I am a fan of science fiction and particularly like stories with found family, humor and romance. Hunt the Stars was right up my alley. However, the balance in Eclipse the Moon wasn't optimal for my tastes. There was less of the family vibe because the hero and heroine spent a sizeable portion of the book separated from the rest of the crew. The second half of the book focused so much on the technical aspects of hacking and repeated captures, escapes, fight scenes and strategizing that the relationships took a back seat. I like good action and adventure, but it became a bit repetitive.

Several new characters were introduced. I admit that I had to work at keeping them straight and found the goals of the various antagonists to be confusing. As for character development of the main couple? I liked Kee, but wish that we had time to dig a bit deeper into her history. As I think about Varro, I can say that he is stubborn, a strong telepath and is honorable to a fault. By the end of the book, I don't feel like I know him much better than I did at the beginning. I think this story might have benefited from his POV.

After the last action scene, there was a little interaction between Kee and the rest of the team, but it felt too brief, relative to the rest of the story. That was followed by a meeting and negotiation that went on too long, in my opinion. I ended up skim reading that and a final scene between Kee and Varro.

In summary, I wish the action/adventure had been more streamlined, the main characters and their romance had been better developed. But I like J. Mihalik's ideas and am still looking forward to book number three. Also, for anyone interested to read this story, I don't recommend skipping the first book. It will make more sense if you read the series in order.

I quite enjoyed Hunt the Stars - the found family/sci-fi romance vibe worked really well together - so I was excited to continue the story with a different set of characters.

As I started Eclipse the Moon, right away I noticed that this story felt more romantic comedy-ish than the first one. Kee is a unique, slightly quirky character, and her first-person narration includes a lot of insight into her sunshine personality. I really wanted to like Varro as the grumpy one in their relationship… but unfortunately he fell a little flat for me. I would have liked to see a better foundation for their romance in this book, instead of just relying on the minimal interactions that we saw in Book 1. They have some good slow-burn moments, but overall I wanted more depth from their romantic storyline.

The story/conflict picks up where it left off in HTS, and I’ll admit my eyes glazed over a little at some of the exposition and computer hacking descriptions (Kee’s specialty). The conflict felt a little weak at times, but I still had strong Aurora Cycle/Firefly vibes from the story and characters.

So while I liked Hunt the Stars more than Eclipse the Moon, I still think this is a fun sci-fi romance story that doesn’t take itself too seriously and that most readers would probably enjoy.

3/5⭐️
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: Adult
Content: mild language, 2.5 open-door scenes

I read Eclipse the Moon by Jessie Mihalik relatively quickly after finishing the first book in the series, Hunt the Stars, and I enjoyed them equally (and quite a lot). A lot of what I appreciate about the first book holds true here as well - it's sci-fi romance that holds its own as a space opera adventure and as a romance, which is rare. I really appreciate the ways Mihalik's "feminine" lens informs the space opera aspect, with attention paid to food, interior design, clothing, gardening, etc, which adds dimension to the story and has obviously been undervalued in sci-fi traditionally. This book features a fashion show, for example, with some of the imaginative use of tech that we love in SF being brought to bear on clothing design & art - very cool. I also really love that in this book, we have a neurodivergent heroine (not explicitly labeled as such but it's pretty clear that's what we've got) using her programming skills to save the day. Great representation, and it contributes to a unique relationship dynamic with her love interest.

Yay, we are back with more spicy space operas! This picks up soon after "Hunt the Stars" (and I highly recommend that you read these in order) and follows Kee, a secondary character from the first book. It's fun! It has space politics and adventure and things exploding and also a lot of characters pining for each other and smut. Basically, they are escapism. So, if that's what you're looking for, these books are a solid option.

Mihalik has done it again! Eclipse the Moon has solidified for me that Jessie Mihalik does found family, romance, and sci fi fantastically. The way she writes her characters is truly a masterpiece. Starlight's Shadow #2 has more conflict than the first, this time it really gets your heart pumping and there's no telling where the plot is heading. While Hunt the Stars developed the world we see in this series, Eclipse the Moon dove so much deeper into everything that I found most intriguing when it came to the science fiction aspect. If you like space stations being on moons and floating outside wormholes, this is definitely the world for you.

When I first started this book, I was worried that it would center around miscommunication but that was quickly proven to not be the case. I loved getting to see Starlight Shadow's new and old crew from the perspective of Kee. There was a lot to her that didn't meet the eye in Hunt the Stars, in the best way. I found myself sad that we may not get more from Kee's POV but also so excited for the books to come. There were so many hints of what might come in the future books and I love that I can't predict exactly what direction the storyline is heading.

Jessie Mihalik has defintely added herself to buy *buy anything from this author* list and I'm excited to dive into her backlog. I cannot wait for book three in the Starlight Shadow's series! I hope there are many more books to come.

Eclipse the Moon comes out July 12th and I highly recommend!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC.

This series has so much potential. The world's developmental ideas and plot lines hold so much promise but. It fails to deliver. It is SOOOOO boring. The fight scenes, the tech explanations, and even to romance scenes are just blah. Also, the 'aliens' culture is too good. I mean the honorable aliens who are interacting with our human protagonist. The 'honor and cultural' restrictions they live up to are too perfect. Especially as the 'bad' aliens have no issues breaking these norms. I had to force myself to finish this book because about halfway through, I just stopped caring what happened to the characters. I will finish the series. I need to know what happens but sadly I do not care about the people

I adored the first book and this one cemented this series as a new favorite for me. It felt very reminiscent of Firefly/Serenity, with it's own special flavor. I love everyone in this series and I cannot wait to see who the main characters are in the next one. (I'm guessing Lexi and Nilo, but I'd be down for an Eli book too.)

This book was such a roller coaster of emotion. It took me a long time to formulate my thoughts into a review. All in all I loved this book. The action was nonstop but what stood out was the fact the characters took the time to be honest with themselves and each other and really communicate where they each stood in the relationship. It’s something that’s pretty unique in this style book. It made me love the book more! I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series and I’ve recommended this to my friends.

I gave a DIK to the first book in Jessie Mihalik’s Starlight’s Shadow series, Hunt the Stars, when it came out earlier this year. This sequel, Eclipse the Moon, has not let me down.

Kee Ildez, the human hacker of Starlight’s crew, has an unrequited crush on Varro Runkow, a Valoff who works for General Torran Fletcher (the hero of the previous book, who is now in a relationship with Kee’s captain Tavi Zarola). At least, Kee thinks it’s unrequited. When she decides to leave the ship and spend some time on the space station Bastion, it’s as much to put some distance between herself and Varro as it is to hunt for data related to the villain of Hunt the Stars  To Kee’s surprise (and good fortune) Varro turns up - and isn’t perhaps as indifferent as she presumed. (Oh, and don’t worry; a Big Mis based around ‘He doesn’t like me’  is avoided by a spectacularly satisfying direct confession from Kee. I LOVE IT WHEN CHARACTERS TALK HONESTLY!).

Maybe it’s the author’s computer science credentials, but for once, a hacker character reads like an actual hacker with Kee spending hours trying to gain access to networks. Different things are possible when she has a physical, spliced-in computer link and wireless access. She gets a hotel room via a script that searches for a room that meets her requirements every ninety seconds. Many of her conclusions come from analysis of enormous piles of data - for instance, looking for patterns within ship docking and wormhole transit records. I loved the realism within the sci-fi here.

Kee’s skill with a computer makes her valuable to the crew, but she’s insecure about her physical weakness. She knows she only survived the human-Valoff war because her crewmates kept her safe, and it makes her feel like she doesn’t contribute equally. I liked her working through this and finding confidence, particularly by demonstrating mental toughness over physical strength. However, she’s called upon to perform physical tasks several times in the book, and to me it felt contrived in service of putting her together with Varro in bodyguard mode. Realistically, a captain like Tavi and a general like Torran would have allocated those tasks to different crew members.

Kee also reads as if she has ADHD. She falls into hyperfixation mode while in a data project and loses touch with her body’s needs like hunger (a lack of interoception is a hallmark ADHD trait), and at one point she makes herself read something multiple times in the hopes that it will convince her brain to remember it. I’ve seen more and more neuroatypical protagonists, but not specifically ones with ADHD, and I appreciated seeing it and how it’s handled here.

Varro is less personally engaging. He’s a strong, silent bodyguard type, and the author has a bit of a fumble with the classic sequel problem of ‘I made the hero the strongest ever in the last book, so what do I do with this hero in this book?’ He’s fine, but not as distinctive and engaging as Kee.

I adored Hunt the Stars, and I’m deeply grateful that Eclipse the Moon was another engaging, unputdownable read. The Starlight’s Shadow series continues to be strong, and I can’t wait for more.

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Eclipse of the Moon reads like a movie, face-paced, and dramatic in the best ways possible. It's a sci-fi espionage book with a lovely romance. Kee is a bubbly hacker and Varro a grumpy weapons expert and they are endearing and cute together. Varro and Kee are forced to stay in the same room and share the same bunkbed which is one of my favorite tropes. The tension was really well-written, This is my favorite sort of action sci-fi romance story with lots of action and romance woven in.

Big thanks to Harper Voyager for the ARC of this book via NetGalley.

I really hope this isn't trilogy, as I hate to think there is only one book left to enjoy these characters...

Eclipse the Moon is what you come to expect from Jessie Mihalik. The writing, the tone of the characters, the empathy, the romance and the adventure...all are pulled together to create cohesive and enjoyable story that will the reader both satisfied and wanting more.

I don't believe I need to recap the story, but I will say that Kee and Varro make great main characters, both strong and vulnerable, with weaknesses that one can relate to as well as strengths that can be appreciated.

Well done, Ms. Mihalik and I look forward to the next.

OK, get ready, and see if you can follow me here...the GRUMPY one is SOFT for the SUNSHINE one! THIS IS NOT A DRILL. WE HAVE A GRUMPY/SUNSHINE PAIRING. Also a lot of hyper-competent hacking and neuro-atypical stuff and friends appreciating your strengths and helping you compensate for your weaknesses and lasers shooting and space-walking, and all that good stuff.

I am struggling with this review. On the one hand, this is a solid standalone space opera. I don’t feel like you need to read the first book in the trilogy, which this story picks up right after, since it mostly takes place away from Kee’s crew and ship that was the focus of Book 1. That said, I really wanted this to be more connected to HUNT THE STARS, which is one of my favorite reads of the year. Instead, there’s a new cast of secondary characters introduced here who I never felt connected to like I did with the cast from the first book, and I think that’s partly why this story didn’t resonate with me as strongly.

Still, this is a Jessie Mihalik space opera, so *of course* ECLIPSE THE MOON was great, with that delicious mix of mystery/intrigue, action/adventure, and romance I’ve come to expect and love from her stories. Oh, it’s also got forced proximity, mutual pining, and bodyguard vibes. (Yep.)

While I enjoyed the character development for Kee, I felt like there were some pacing issues with this story, and the lack of communication between Kee and Varro got old. I also didn’t like how Varro’s character lacked agency, and there were some points toward the climax of the action that required (more) suspension of belief than usual, which took me out of the story a bit.

I’m nitpicking, though. I think if I reread this one, with some distance between my glom of all things Mihalik (I’d binged the Consortium Rebellion trilogy right after reading and loving Hunt the Stars), I might like/appreciate ECLIPSE THE MOON even more. Because there was a lot to love.

RATING: B+ (4½ stars)

This book was given to me by netgalley. My review is 100% honest and my own opinion.

This is an action packed scifi fantasy with a dash of romance. I really enjoyed how the author made new races and the way they described their abilities. I also enjoyed how the fmc was strong and didn't need a male to make her strong. However she was willing to allow a male to be helpful while having a mix of strong romantic attraction. I really loved the story there wasn't a drop in the story line which kept me wanting to read more.

This book had the perfect amount of action and romance while the author also created the characters to be really relatable. I loved how the mcs had a relationship and friendship beyond the romantic on and it was relatable and real feeling

I liked how the author was able to twist and turn the storyline and plot without ruining it or making it lag. Even with all the twist and turns it was easy to follow the story

Will be looking into other works from the author.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I just love the worlds that Jessie Mihalik creates! I actually haven’t read the first book in this series, so I’ll be circling back to read about Tavi and Torran’s story. I LOVED Kee and Varro!!! Kee is such a badass, and obviously Varro is too, but he’s also a big ol’ softie (my favorite kind of badass). The supporting characters are awesome and lovable, of course. At times, the technical jargon was little much for me keep up with, but overall, another amazing story by JM. She did make us wait for the spice, but it was worth it. 😉 I’m intrigued to see who the next book in the series is about, and where the plot will go, but I’ll for sure be looking out for it!

I'll read anything Jessie Mihalik writes. This second installment was more exciting than the first book in the series. Love the Cinnamon Roll and Mr. Grumpypants dynamic. Did overuse one common romance novel turn of phrase that made me roll my eyes a bit, but overall would highly recommend to romance/scifi readers. Early access provided by NetGalley and Harper Voyager.

3.5/5.

This is the second book in Mihalik's Starlight's Shadow series. I enjoyed this one more than the first. The main reason is that there was much less info-dumping. A lot of the universe-building had been done in the first book, so while there were still moments in this book to explain how things work to the reader, there was MUCH less of that. As a result, I felt like Kee, the narrator of this book, had her own voice and her characterization was able to shine throughout the narrative. It also allowed for more action, more development of the relationship between the main couple Kee and Varro, and the story really benefitted from that. The chemistry between Kee and Varro in my opinion was better and more believable than in the first book and I really loved them together (again, I think that all of this can be traced back to the fact that there was less info-dumping/exposition).

On the other hand, I still think the story could have benefitted from more consistency in pacing. There were moments while reading that dragged and I had to restrain myself from skimming. Depending on who the main narrator will be in the next book (hoping it's Lexi) then I may continue. Overall it's still a fun and easy read combining sci-fi and romance.