Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for this eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

Picking up where Hunt the Stars left off, Eclipse the Moon follows sunshiny hacker/bounty hunter Kee Ildez and gruff weapons expert Varro Runkow as they team up to try to prevent an interstellar war between the Valovians and the FHP. Determined to keep things platonic after Varro does not reciprocate her attempts at flirting, Kee leaves their ship, Starlight’s Shadow, to seek additional information about a rogue FHP commodore and to give herself time and space to deal with her feelings for Varro. Varro comes after her to provide additional protection, and, when their temporary base finds itself embroiled in a battle between the two federations, they must work together to make it off the base alive and to stop the galaxy from plunging into war.

Eclipse the Moon was a fantastic read and lived up to the amazing start Hunt the Stars made in this series. I loved Kee and Varro as characters, and their on-page respect and chemistry as they fought to survive and developed their relationship was excellent. The writing was tight, compelling, and well-plotted, and I was sucked in from the first page. For lovers of romance, science fiction, or romantic suspense, this series is a must-read and will go down as one of my personal favorite reads of 2022. We have purchased this title, and it has made a great addition to our collection. Already looking forward to book 3!

5 stars.

I absolutely love all of the Jessie Mihalik books I've read and this is no exception. Found family, and insidious plot, and yearning for someone you can't have drive Mihalik's newest novel Eclipse the Moon. This novel takes us back aboard the Starlight Shadow and then on to a space station, where Kee Ildezz - hacker and soldier - must stop a plot that could start another war between Valovians and humans. Helping her is Varro who, while irresistibly handsome, seems immune to her charm. They must work together, however reluctantly. to potentially save thousands of lives. Fast paced and fun, Eclipse the Moon is a must for fans of her Consortuim Rebellion series or Ilona Andrews.

After reading book 1 and really enjoying it I was very eager to read book 2. A romance sci-fi book. Sign me up. This book picks up right after book 1 ends. I really enjoyed this book's couple. This is book 2 but is also like a standalone story as well. The main character Kee, a hacker, is such a fun unique character. Emotionally strong and has rainbow colorful hair. This is a very fast-paced book but lacked a bit more action and plot. I still believe the first book was a bit better. If you enjoy romanctic sci-fi then definitely give this book and book 1 a chance.
*thank you to netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The first half of the book is just Kee and Varro on station away from the crew so you get the tension increased between them. Kee was going alone on the station to do some hacking so they crew could track down the former general that is trying to restart the war. But Varro goes on station and provides needed backup and his special talents do help. Things quickly get out of hand when there is an attack on joint culture fashion show and a surprise guest makes an amazing target for the baddies to restart the war. Now the two of them have bounties on them and their crew is trying to get them and rescue the hostage. With everything going on the tension is there if these two can open their hearts and share their thoughts to each other. A good middle book that keeps the story arc going and sets up the next book quite nicely.

Eclipse the Moon is a wonderful continuation of the characters and story that readers fell in love with in Hunt the Stars. This time, the focus is on Kee and Varro. This is a wonderful romance full of surprising turns and delightful encounters.

When I first read the first book in this series, Hunt the Stars, I immediately fell in love with the characters and the writing by Jessie Mihalik. I loved that book so much! I was so stoked to finally be able to read Kee and Varo's story. Sadly I had a hard time connecting with the storyline and the love story between the two and have decided to put down Eclipse the Moon for now.

I had no idea how much I would love Space Operas. If you don't know what this is, think soap opera taking place in space. And think of space as the last frontier. The authors get to be so creative in this genre. There's world building (like with the fantasy genre), paranormal abilities, different races (from different worlds) so an exploration of different cultures with different values, cool spaceship technology, and my favorites always have some romance.

Eclipse the Moon is the second in a trilogy and highlights two crew members and their part in saving the universe as they try and stop a war (I love the big storylines).

Kee and Varro have a slow burn romance and an adventure as the romance unfolds. I love getting to know them and their quirks and enjoy them getting to better understand each others' perspectives. There are great side characters (they are all members of the same crew), including the main characters from Hunt the Stars. The storyline continues from the first book. And I'm eager to see who will be the main characters in the next book. I definitely recommend reading these in order. And, if this genre is new to you, give it a try! It does get steamy; it's definitely a combination romance/adventure story.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own. I love this series!!

One of my favorite books of the year so far has been Hunt the Stars so you can say that I was more than a tad bit excited to get my hands on its sequel, Eclipse the Moon. And when I found it was going to be Kee's book I was even more exited! I may have squealed when I finally let myself read the synopsis and discovered who the likely love interest was going to be.

I was a little nervous going into this one based on a few of the ratings I saw on some of the early reviews but I loved this book so much! It was the grumpy/sunshine trope mixed with Jessie Mihalik's signature action-packed scenes and twisty mystery. This book picks up right where the first one left off with the Starlight's Shadow heading to Bastion station as the crew tries to dig up all the information they can to stop the powers that be from starting another war.

Y'all know how much I adore the found family trope and this book had it in spades. The tight-knit human crew and the Valoffs are becoming more and more of a family and it was everything! The standoffish Valovians from the first book have been settled in and taken their positions as part of the crew to heart. I loved seeing the crew interact with each other and to see how happy Tavi and Torran are. What really shined in this book was the romance though!

I wanted Kee and Varro to be paired with each other from the very start of their tumultuous relationship and Eli and Varro's subsequent sparring match. Kee is the heart of this small found family and is part of the glue that binds them together. She is sunshine incarnate and a genius hacker and gets to be a badass in a different way than Tavi. I too would rather eat cookies than train. She is convinced that Varro doesn't have feelings for her beyond being friends so she decides that she needs a vacation on the space station to get over him and do some sleuthing with a better connection.

Things on the station don't go as planned and Varro reveals himself at the first hint of Kee being in trouble and things just escalate from there in both the romance and the action. I'm not a big fan of the miscommunication trope but I enjoyed how Mihalik used it in this story. It made the romance even sweeter. I loved Varro and his grumpiness! Getting to know more about the different psychic abilities the Valoffs have was fascinating! And I loved getting to know more about his ability! One thing I do wish is that we got a bit more of both Kee and Varro's backstories beyond the vague hints we got in this book.

I adored so many things about this book! The action! The romance! The crew! The mystery and its twists! The tech! The fashion! This book grabbed my attention and kept me on the edge of my seat until I ran out of pages to read. Was this book perfect? No. Some of the miscommunication got a bit repetitive in my opinion but my enjoyment of the story as a whole made up for it.

I cannot wait for the next book! One, I need to know what happens next because HOLY COW! And two, THE NEXT BOOK IS LEXI'S ROMANCE! My body is ready! I have no idea how many books will be in this series but I am hoping this is going to more than a trilogy because I want to see some other crew mates ( *cough* Eli *cough*) get their happily ever afters as well! I'm totally on board with the polyamorous vibe that is going on. One thing is for sure, Jessie Mihalik is turning into my go to for sci-fi romance and has cemented her place on my auto-buy list.

With the immediate threat of war adverted, the crew of the Starlight and their Valoff compadres are searching for commodore Morton. Kee has been scouring the digital terrain and can't seem to pin him down. When a whiff of a possible covert meeting happening on a space station during a exclusive fashion show, Kee goes undercover to get more information and is followed by the hot Valoff Varro, who definitely does not return her feelings.

I liked this book. It was not as compelling as Hunt the Stars and there were parts where the plot slowed down. I also missed the other characters while Kee and Varro were on the space station making new friends. I didn't end up loving Kee as much as I wanted too. And I felt that we never got quite deep enough into Varro to really know and care about him.

This book did leave me with lots of questions. Liang is a new interesting character that I want to know more about. I am looking forward to Lexi's return and hopefully more Tavi and Torren.

If I could sacrifice a kidney for the found family trope in this series- I’d be dead, but happy.

Rating: ✨✨✨✨ 4.2

You know when you’re a teen with parents that asked what you read, finding a New Adult book that doesn’t make you want to cleanse thy mental space with copious amounts of venomous fluid and/or makes you slam the book shut whenever people enter your close vicinity (I did not shut it in time and it STOOD there, RIGHT BESIDE A FAMILY MEMBER ONCE. THE SCREEN- IT HAD WORDS-) and well, traumatize every passerby that just so happens to stumble upon my screeching self- you end up LOVING the book.

Or maybe that was me and this particular series, but let’s pretend things up there **motions dramatically toward scalp** function normally for the sake of this review and uh… people that read this? Let’s go with that.

See, the first book of this possible saga, was my soulmate. Still is, actually. And maybe I loved it more than this one because the MC of that one didn’t have amazing hacking skills I had to strive to comprehend- I’m sorry, I have limited intelligence I only use when specifically needed and while reading, I tend to close off that version of me in a cage with padlocks.

So first book? Amazing, show stopping- fabulous, delicious-

This book? Amazing, show stopping- fabulous, delicious- and incredibly difficult to understand at times.

YET I ENDED UP LOVING IT. My self-torture tendencies tend to shine in books that make me feel just as mediocre and useless as a bug in a windshield. Swipe, swipe, swipe that ish-

Did I just try to make a rhyming thing and failed spectacularly? **gasp** How dare you make that connection-

Okay, fine, I did.

But what’s fun without a little failure?

**me**

Anyway, back to the book in hand! I’m sure you’ve already gotten hydrated enough for the sort of fangirlnism that will take part in this… thingy magingy.

**Side eye**

Drink water and then come back, porfavor and thank you.

Beginning with the things that got me like ‘IT’S A CRRUEEEEELL SUMMMERRRRR- WITH YOUUUU-’ aka, the things that I really enjoyed. (if you got that reference- ayyyyyyy)

The plot

Although it was complicated and made me want to smash something against someone’s head (really my anger issues talking, but okay), I was so INVESTED in it, I simply couldn’t look away! This is a continuation of the previous book from a different character’s POV and at first, I thought that I wouldn’t like it just because the main character in Hunt The Stars was a queen of the highest DEGREE, but I grew to adore the MC in this one too. The pace was quick, and addictive, though at times got a little too info dump-y on me, if I’m being honest. I love when I get information about a new world, but not in an avalanche type of way, you know? I like it like I like my hot chocolate, in various sips so I don’t run out of it too quickly.

The characters

I would die for these characters. Periodddddd. I would kill for them, too! The dynamics, the relatability, the diversity, the friendships, the FOUND FAMILY. I shall never stop proclaiming how much I absolutely love that trope and everything added to it. Throughout the story I felt their love for each other, the caring nature they all developed and then grew into a more romantic state of matters. The COMMUNICATION evident between all parties made my inner, outer, sideways fangirling self to combust in sparkles because it made her that happy.

I felt like they were real people, not just letters organized for the convenience of the MC. They called her out, they helped her, they cried and suffered and would’ve perished for HER. And the main character felt the same exact way about them! There are way too many characters to properly mention, but just know that if you get into this series, expect your heart to be completely stolen by this cast of beings that are as perfect as they’re beautiful. Inside and out.

The tropes

Annoyance to lovers???? Grumpy- stoic- would sacrifice the world for everyone he cares for love interest and a wild- life loving- hacker- sunshine in a rainbow bucket main character? Found family? Everyoneishot? Love interest cooks for the MC when she’s too busy hacking to pay attention to if she has eaten or not?

LOVE INTEREST STOOD OUTSIDE AND WOULDN’T COME IN UNTIL THE MC WAS COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE WITH HIM HELPING HER- BUT SHE DIDN’T KNOW HE WAS THERE BECAUSE HE’S A TELEPATH AND HE STOOD OUTSIDE ALL NIGHT PROTECTING HER-

My standards have risen to unhealthy levels.

If that doesn’t make you want to read this book, I really don’t know what will.

And did I mention that he’s a weapon specialist who looks like a viking?

Hold me as I jump off a five-foot building with a spoon in hand, please- The spoon is for the dramatics.

The romance

Yes, I did fangirl a little in the ‘Trope’ section of this review, but I cannot contain the amount of enchantment I feel for the romance!

Literally, perfection.

If you thought you knew perfect- nope- THIS is perfect right here. The tension, the sizzling dialogue, the straying glances full of conflict, the CONVERSATIONS THEY HAD- THE FREAKING BANTER- On top of being the freaking cutest banter, they were also so mature and responsible and beautiful and ugh- I want to cry.

But I won’t, you know why?

The love interest

THIS MAN RIGHT HERE IS THE REASON I’M NOT SOBBING RIGHT NOW. Men written by women should be illegal and jailed for mental corruption of the species because I must now create a form for potential suitors to fill, since this MAN right here, he destroyed any possibility of me having a romance anytime soon.

He was selfless and mysterious and kind and strong and gorgeous and cared for people more than himself- HE COOKED AND BAKED COOKIES FOR THE MC-

I’ll go lie down in the highway with an umbrella as it rains, thank you very much.

Conclusion

On a closing note, this book right here is the reason why my reading life has taken a turn for the worst- after I finished this story?? DOWNHILL Y’ALL. DOWN-FREAKING-HILL. Forget about reading slump, this put me in a life slump. The storyline was action packed, compelling and riveting. The characters were enthralling and so so magnificent and the romance??

….

Yeah **intensely holding back tears**

Yeah.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2022/07/19/%f0%9f%8e%a7-eclipse-the-moon-by-jessie-mihalik/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

I enjoy all this author's series, which combine space opera adventures with romance.  In the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/319729-starlight-s-shadow" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Starlight's Shadow</strong> </em></a>series, there is a new couple in each book.  The style is urban fantasy with an overall story arc through the books.  <strong>Eclipse the Moon</strong> sets up the next book at the end, just as the previous book did for this one.   The situations are very much military,  space opera with plenty of tech.   The romance lightens the story.  Her female characters are strong and smart, and the story is from their point of view.

Our main characters are Kee,  a human, who is a tech hacker and information specialists, and  Varro, is a Valoff, and  his mind skills are very strong compared to most other Valoffs.  The story is a milder version of enemies-to-lovers since they were on opposing sides in the war, but now they are teammates on the ship.  Kee is attracted to Varro and he thinks he can't have a relationship with her, or anyone, because...

Kee decides to take time off on a station to gather more information about their enemies and get space from Varro to get control of her unrequited feelings.  Except Varro comes along to protect her.  Then she gets asked to participate in a fashion show with a combined design team of human and Valoff.   The fashion show is very fun and things don't go exactly as planned.

There are some dangerous battles with old enemies and the team makes some new friends.  It's a rough go with our main couple in serious danger at times.   I look forward to the next outing where they hopefully capture their old enemy and are able to avert a new war between humans and Valoffs.

After falling head over heels in love with the first book in the series, Hunt the Stars, I couldn't wait to get to Kee and Varro's story. It didn't quite have all the romance I was hoping for, but you definitely get the adventurous ride in this space opera.

I read Eclipse the Moon in one sitting, Jessie never fails to pull me into her stories. And there's more angst than I expected, which I loveeee, but Varro kept pushing Kee away one too many times. It was absolutely driving me up the wall. I understood the complexity that is Varro and his deep devotion to vows, but I couldn't quite get on board with how he was so focused on that instead of facing his feelings for Kee. Got close to me saying, "Kee can do better!".

The adventure, suspense and mystery aspects of this story were great. I was on edge wondering what was going to happen next, and the close calls had me gripping the pages. And forever in love with the found family they have throughout this series, loved seeing all the familiar characters from book 1.

Overall, I did enjoy this, just wished the romance was more balanced out and we got to see more of it.

3.75/5

4 stars = Great! Might re-read.

I loved getting another adventure in this world. I enjoyed the main characters in this one, and the ongoing quest. The emphasis on Kee and her resilience when others might dismiss her was enjoyable. The story overall was meaty and satisfying. I need book 3 asap! (Language, sex)

This is the second book in Jessie Mihalik’s Starlight Shadows space opera series, featuring a band for former military from opposite sides of the war trying to save the universe by a future war between their people.

Our heroines thus far, Kee Ildez and Octavia Zarola (Hunt the Stars) are human soldiers who were well known in the prior Human-Valoff war. Both of our heroes have been Valoff, a human plus species with telekinetic or other abilities. I have enjoyed watching this team overcome past prejudices from their experience in the war and come to trust one another.

Kee is our quirky nerdy girl, extremely capable with all things technological. She is deft and awe-inspiring when it comes to infiltrating systems, overriding technology, finding secret information. She acknowledges that physical fighting and prowess is not her strong suit, but she actually sells herself short in that regard. She may not be a powerhouse, but she holds her own and her heart and caring for her teammates overcome any shortcomings that she sees in herself. I wish I had half of her technical expertise and patience… but I can see that she gets so lost in her work that she really needs a keeper.

Kee’s Keeper is the perfect job for our hero, the broody and aloof Valoff, Varro. Varro was somewhat of a silent shadow in the previous book, we were not quite sure what his strengths and capabilities were. I was super happy to learn more about him in this installment, and his secrets were worth waiting for. I liked that his greatest strength was also causing his greatest vulnerability. He is full of honor, almost to the detriment of his health and external relationships. I was glad that Kee was able to sink beneath his shell and coax him into her life.

The teams are still trying to prevent a war between the FHP (human federales) and the Valoff empress. We still aren’t quite sure who is pulling the strings, but we learn more about their motivations and key players. There are also some additional tertiary characters introduced that were nice additions. I continue to commend Jessie Mihalik on her creativity and ability to craft such interesting and futuristic worlds.

I LOVE JESSIE MIHALIK!!! I loved her Consortium trilogy and was so excited when she released Hunt the Stars earlier this year. The first book in her new series didn't live up to my (admittedly very high) expectations, but I had high hopes for the second book (which I knew was centered around my favorite side character from book 1), and Jessie came through for me!

I loved Eclipse the Moon. I loved the characters. I loved their adventures. I loved their love. I just loved it.
Kee and Varro are so perfect for each other. Their difficulty communicating felt so real and relatable, and his protectiveness was endearing. I love that Kee is so self-aware and capable, but that she also allows Varro to help her when she needs it. And who wouldn't love Kee's rainbow hair?

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to experience this joy early through my advance review copy.

This is a well written space opera with romance, so if you enjoy that genre, you should love this book. The romance is between Kee Ildez and Varro Runkow, two characters who were introduced in the first book. They have a mission - to hunt down Commodore Merton, a character also introduced in the first book, who is trying to restart a war.

Kee decides to do research on him in a library located on a space station - and to get away from Varro, who she thinks does not return her feelings. Varro, however, joins her on the space station. I'd recommend reading the first book in the series before reading this one, to become more familiar with the universe and cultures. While I enjoyed reading it, there were a lot of things I didn't fully understand.

I received a review copy of this book from Avon and Harper Voyager via NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review it.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬—𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲.

“𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐢 𝐥𝐚𝐬,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞, “𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞.”
𝐈 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝. “𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭?”
“𝐋𝐨𝐭𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐤𝐨𝐯 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫. 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.
𝐌𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭. “𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞.”

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐫. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐝. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐧𝐞.”

“𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮,” 𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨 𝐯𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝. “𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬.”
“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲, 𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐭𝐨𝐨. 𝐖𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.”
“𝐖𝐞’𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐥𝐲. “𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤.”

_________________________

In the immediate aftermath of the first book, Kee Ildez needs a break. Namely from one Valovian weapons specialist name Varro Runkow. After convincing Tavi to allow her to stay on station after docking in order to further her research and hacking to locate and identify the individuals behind the events of the previous book, she steals the opportunity to also be alone and lick her wounds from her unrequited feelings for Varro. Except that he follows her. One thing leads to another and soon the pair finds themselves undercover at a joint Human-Valovian fashion and technology exhibition, which goes sideways extremely fast as a well planned attack leads them on a rescue mission deeper into the enemy ranks…and deeper into their feelings for each other.

Reading the first book I absolutely LOVED Kee. I loved her love for her friends and for her work and for life and for cookies and I could NOT wait to get inside her head, and let me tell you it was more than I hoped for!! Where the war had a drastic affect on Tavi’s PTSD and obsession with protecting her crew at all cost, the war wreaked havoc on Kee internally and on her self worth and how she perceived her worth to those around her. It was emotional, it was sweet, and I somehow adore her even more now than when I first started the book.

Varro’s grumpy to Kee’s sunshine most certainly superseded Torran’s grumpy in spades but with VERY good reason. Finding out it wasn’t personality, culture, or position, but a deeper identity and responsibility driving his stoic nature was a pleasant but also heartbreaking surprise. I loved how he and Kee, while very much opposites in many things, ended up being two sides of the same coin and watching Varro combat his power’s reputation and his sacrificial nature with Kee by his side also learning and growing through hers with his help and love was *chefs kiss*

There was the same amount of spice in this book as the first but when it did finally get spicy it was unrelenting and HOT. The mouth on Varro…you love to see it!! The action in this book was nearly non-stop and had me literally on the edge of my seat as much as any sci-fi movie has. It was a RIDE and SO intense, but I ate up every page and find myself still wanting more.

Overall I absolutely adored this book, as I knew I would. I cannot recommend this series enough and I am SO EXCITED to see who we follow next (please be Lexi, please be Lexi).

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and the author for sending me a copy of this book free in exchange for my honest review!

Read this book if you love:
Friends to lovers.
Self imposed forbidden romance.
I’m avoiding you because I like you too much.
Grumpy/Sunshine.
Overprotective MMC.
FMC in STEM.
Spies/Undercover.
Rescue Mission/Heist.
“I’m going to give you what you want and you’re going to take it.”
Cookies fix everything and are the only acceptable form of apology.

This is the second in a series. While I like this book, I felt that the characterizations were not wholly believable for me. It's a grumpy/sunshine trope but the sunshine-y Kee was angsty about Vollo the whole time. I didn't connect with his reasons for holding back either - he clearly was into her - so her lack of self-esteem also fell flat for me. However, it was an enjoyable read and I will continue with the series. This isn't my normal genre (sci-fi romance) and it's a nice change of pace.

It's a Romance! It's a Science Fiction! It's a Space Opera! It's just Divine.

Eclipse The Moon is Book 2 in Starlight's Shadow and follows up on Jessie Mahalik's Hunt The Stars.

Kee and Varro's awkward romance is surrounded by interspecies customs, hacking into space stations, hunting down old enemies, modeling in haute couture fashion shows, a girl rescue a prince, and a whole lot of action/fight scene. Oh and some serious slow buRN.

I highly recommend this fantastic sequel and hope you enjoyed as much as I did. I can't wait to read Book 3!

I received this ARC thanks to NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Eclipse the Moon is a worthy follow up to Hunt the Stars. The overall story arc is about our heroines and heroes doing everything in their power to avoid a return to the war between the Humans and the Valoffs.

To that end, a crew that includes multi-talented people of both species searches for a human traitor who seems to be in the thick of war-instigating activities. Kee, Starlight’s Shadow’s systems engineer, is an expert in digging up data (hacking) and had been spending most of her time looking for the traitor while simultaneously trying to avoid Varro.

Varro is the telepathic Valovian weapons expert that wants nothing to do with Kee, while she is strongly attracted to him. When they both end up on a space station digging for information, sparks will fly. Mix in a first-of-its-kind Human/Valoff collaborative fashion exhibition, an attack and kidnapping of several of the exhibition personalities, and you find Kee and Varro spending some quality time together, saving the universe and fighting/giving into attraction.

The relationship is challenged by a frustrating lack of understanding and communication. Kee and Varro must overcome this deficiency not only in their romantic relationship but also in the battles they will inevitably engage in before the happy ending. For most of the book, they are separated from their crew which was a little disappointing because the crew of Starlight’s Shadow make a great ensemble, story-wise. They all work best as a crew!

Kee, is a first-rate hacker. A lot of the story describes her activities in trying to dig up information. Let me just say this. Hacking. Is. Boring. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good geeky character. But reading about wires and data and signals and stuff like that is not interesting.

Reading about chasing the kidnappers, engaging the enemy, overcoming the enemy, and sorting out the intrigue is interesting. The romance between Kee and Varro that is nicely interwoven into the adventure is also great to read about.

Eclipse the Moon ends with a teaser about the crew’s next mission. The story continues! The Starlight’s Shadow series is for Sci-fi Romance lovers. Plenty of adventure and intrigue with a romance that enhances the story will have readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book. My review is my honest opinion.