I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Capture the Sun closes out Jessie Mihalik’s second trilogy, and in my opinion, it’s one of her better books. While I often feel that Mihalik has struggled to straddle the line between sci-fi and romance, with some books feeling more the former than the latter, I felt this one captured all the feels, and being light on the tech stuff, while still offering a lot of fun world building. I particularly appreciate that, while this is very much escapist SFF, it felt very “burn the corrupt system down, eat the rich,” the exact energy we need in our current bleak political climate right now.
Lexi and Nilo have such an interesting dynamic, with Lexi being a bit of a “space Robin Hood,” and Nilo being someone with whom she has a bit of a contentious history. And while there are some elements here that I’m not always a fan of, like “banging to get it out of our systems,” I really liked the chemistry between the two overall, and how well they play off each other.
And something that always keeps me coming back is the way Mihalik interweaves action within her stories, creating a sense of danger to the backdrop amid which her characters fall in love. This story was so action-packed, and it kept me on the edge of my seat turning pages.
This is my favorite of Jessie Mihalik’s books so far, and I’d recommend it to readers of sci-fi romance.

Thanks Netgalley and Harper Voyager for this arc.

I’ve been enjoying your Starlight’s Shadow trilogy ever since Hunt the Stars first came out. In that book, readers got a taste of the attraction between Lexi and Nilo. They clearly had some history but there was no detail. I have been curious!

As it happens, one of the few things that didn’t work super great for me in Capture the Sun was that backstory. It didn’t quite match the prior tension between them or Lexi’s clear hurt. At least, not for me anyway.

However, the rest of the book was pretty great actually.

Nilo and Lexi have had a thing for each other ever since they first met, prior to the events in book one. But Lexi’s resentment over their first meeting meant that during Hunt the Stars, the pair’s relationship was fractious and reluctant, even while attraction simmered not far below the surface. Neither had any real part to play in Eclipse the Moon so we pick up their story only in Capture the Sun.

(That doesn’t mean that one could skip book two – the overarching plot about the threat between certain factions on both sides to restart the war between the FHP and the Valovian Empire advances in all three books and if one wants to understand it all, then it’s best not to skip anything. (Plus, Kee and Varro are good together.) That said, I admit that part of the story was a little bit too convoluted for me – lots of crossing and double-crossing and various other machinations – and I’m sure I missed some things or at least, the significance of them. I got the gist though and that was enough for me to enjoy the series.)

Everyone knows I’m in it for the romance though so what was really the catnip for me was Nilo and Lexi. Nilo, a Valoff, comes from a different culture to human Lexi and he’s naturally kind of reticent anyway so there are a number of misunderstandings between them. It’s true I’m generally not a fan of “big misunderstanding” books but I don’t think this book qualifies as having that trope. Rather, there are a series of perfectly understandable differences between the pair and part of their story is them learning how to communicate their needs and desires to one another and explaining how they feel rather than relying on guesswork. (Later in the book Nilo even suggests they both go to therapy to learn how to communicate better. I had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, that’s smart given their differences but also I guess I wanted the fairytale where everything is magically wonderful by the end. Overall though, I was more confident this couple would make it for the long haul because of their commitment to do whatever it took to make their relationship strong.)

Anywho, when Lexi goes to Valovia on a job (she’s a “recovery specialist” – aka thief) which turns out to be a setup, Nilo appears (literally) to save the day. He’s a teleporter so before Lexi knows it, she’s been whisked away from danger and is alone with Nilo. The Empress wants Torran back – not because she misses him – and will happily use Lexi to draw him home. Tavi will come for Lexi no matter what and where Tavi goes, so to Torran. Nilo, wants to protect Torran but also Lexi – so the pair plan how to get Lexi safely off Valovia. But then Tavi contacts Lexi to advise that Frank Morten and Sura Fev are on their way to Valovian airspace and the mission changes. Tavi and the rest of the crew of Starlight’s Shadow are heading through the wormhole in pursuit but it’s extremely risky notwithstanding Torran’s recently acquired writ of safe passage from the Empress. Lexi and Nilo want to be there to help and to act as backup/the rescue party if things go wrong.

As Lexi and Nilo spend 1:1 time together, their attraction becomes too much to ignore. Still, Lexi has reason to be mistrustful of others and tends to keep herself distant rather than risk getting hurt. Nilo wants more than a fling; Lexi isn’t sure she has more to offer. Besides, Nilo lives on Valovia and Lexi is a thief who travels the galaxy. It could never work long term, right…. right?

I won’t go into more of the plot other than to say there is a lot of action, things get very tense, with brief spates of calm, only to ramp up again and again until the final denouement.

And, Lexi and Nilo, of course, sort things out between them because after all, this is a romance.

From her experience in the war, Lexi is very wary of telepathy. Actually, that is a massive understatement. When Nilo first needs to shield for her, she has a panic attack. This fear also works as a metaphor for her fear of intimacy. She gets used to Nilo’s presence in her head and moves from grudging acceptance to positive desire for it and at the same time, her other barriers start to fall. What makes it work even better is that Nilo refuses to do anything he knows will hurt Lexi so if she’s upset he withdraws from her mind immediately. He explains what he’s doing and why and he gets her specific consent. He makes promises and keeps them. All of these things are big intimacy and trust builders.

It is mostly Lexi who has the emotional arc – for his part, Nilo is pretty much gone for Lexi from the start but hardly dares dream it’s even possible. I liked the way they made their way to one another. I liked the competitiveness between them but their protectiveness of each other when it came to anyone else.

It was also good to see all of the crew together and get more of the found family aspect of the series. Over the three books, the crew of Starlight’s shadow has grown and bonded with the Valoffs who joined them at the end of book one. They’re all one big happy family now.

I was a little curious about what might happen with Anja and with Prince Liang – perhaps there will be more in this universe even though this story arc is done?

Grade: B+

Rating: 4.5 Stars (rounded up for star rating)

CW: anxiety; death; war; violence

“Don’t think of me as in danger, think of me as dangerous.”

I’ve been dying for Lexi and Nilo’s story since it was teased in Hunt the Stars, but I’ve also been dreading it as it means the Starlight’s Shadow series is over. Why do good things have to end? But at least this send-off was more than worth it as Jessie Mihalik delivered another stunning sci-fi space romance that perfectly blends the action, intrigue, and romance in one story.

As a recovery specialist, Lexi Bowen’s jobs typically require more trickery and thievery than honest work. But it pays the bills, and Lexi’s had enough of war and death to last a lifetime. Unfortunately, her latest contract takes her to Valovia – the home planet of the enemies from the war – and back into the orbit of Nilo Shoren, a Valovian teleporter who already cost her one payday and nearly stole her heart. Determined to avoid him at all costs, Lexi plans to get in, get the job done and get out. But it seems fate has other plans as Lexi needs to team up with Nilo to help find her former crew who have gone missing in Valovian space and prevent another war.

Mihalik does a great job getting the reader up to speed at the beginning of this book on the world and plot without feeling like information dumping in case you forgot what happened in the previous book. This was super helpful as I remembered most of the overarching plot points and components of the world, but I needed a refresher on some of the finer details. I love when a book seamlessly weaves in a plot recap, as it seriously helps the reader out, especially when there are a lot of nuances to the plot to remember.

When it comes to the plot, Capture the Sun offers the perfect blend of action, adventure, romance, friends, and so much more. For most of this book, I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would happen next. I truly loved seeing all the pieces of the broader puzzle come together, and it felt like the stakes were higher in this book. The action scenes in this were perfection – Mihalik is a master at writing these scenes, as I feel like I can vividly picture action playing out in my head. I’m also seriously in awe of her ability to move from the slower, emotional, character-driven scenes to the fast-paced, action-driven scenes without the pacing of the story feeling off. She can write the heck out of both types of scenes, and I love that, as not every author can do both.

I loved the romance in this! There was so much chemistry and tension between Lexi and Nilo – they want each other so badly – yet you can also feel that the emotions go so much deeper than just attraction. There is a lot of love and feelings between them, and I wanted them to explore that. I loved the banter in this and the push and pull in their relationship. As much as they both want each other, Lexi is pretty guarded regarding her feelings and emotions, making it hard for her to open up – very relatable. This book is also filled with some of my favorite romance tropes as we get only one bed, it’s only a kiss, and let’s bang it out of our system along with some light enemies-to-lovers.

It took me a second to get a read on Lexi, but once I did, I became attached to her. I found her very relatable as we have a lot of similar flaws. She’s not the best communicator, especially when it comes to her own emotions. She also has trouble letting other people in and depending on them, which is why she’s held such a grudge against Nilo and struggles with pursuing anything romantic with him. She also has some trauma from the war, especially regarding the mental/telepathic abilities of the Valovians. Of the characters in this series, I felt she struggled the most with what happened in the war, and I liked the exploration of the impact that has on her. But I also appreciated that she could hold her own in a fight and doesn’t need a man to protect her (even though Nilo offers that support).

With Nilo, he was a bit hard to get a read on at first, but I’ve also realized, most Valovians are. However, he has so much emotional depth once you start to see behind the mask he wears. This man is so gentle and caring. He understands Lexi better than she understands herself. He tries hard to atone for his past actions and is not at all pushy regarding her affection. He lets her move at her own pace and time but doesn’t give up on her even when she tries to push him away. He’s protective, as all the Valovians are, but not in an overbearing way at all. Usually, he’s doing it for Lexi’s own good and is willing to sacrifice himself to protect her. He’s patient, caring, kind, and understanding. Seriously, he’s a gem!

As the last book in the series, the end felt rushed. As we got to the end of the book, I was seriously worried everything wouldn’t get wrapped up as there were very few pages left and a lot still to resolve at the series level. It felt like big series plot lines were wrapped up in a few sentences. Given it’s the final book in the series, I would have liked the story to spend a little more time wrapping up the big overarching political lines at the end, as it felt like some threads weren’t as neatly tied up as I would have liked.

Lexi and Nilo’s story truly lived up to my high expectations! I’m so sad this series is over, as honestly, no one writes space opera romances quite like Jessie Mihalik. I absolutely adore all the crew of Starlight’s Shadow (including Luna) and am sad to say goodbye to all of them. I know I will be revisiting this series in the future, as Mihalik is one of the writers who can deliver an action-packed romance when I’m in the mood for it. If you haven’t read this series, I highly recommend it, especially for fans of Ilona Andrews’ books, as the vibes feel very similar in so many ways.

Jessie Mihalik does is again with another amazing space adventure. If you were ever a fan of Firefly, Star Trek, or any space stuff as a kid, she really makes it even better with her books and Capture the sun is an amazing continuation of the series.

From the first book, we knew that Lexi and Nilo were going to happen but dannnnnng. Watching two sly retrieval specialists circle each other for 2 books was painful, but the payoff is worth it. I felt like this book had the most action (both in and out of the bedrooom haha) of the 3, but as such lost a lot of the mystery that Eclipse the Moon had. We're also introduced to a new Valovian power that didn't feel quite as fleshed out as the others. I wish we'd gotten to understand Lexi's trauma a bit more so that her character arc would feel more meaningful. In the previous books, she's always played her cards close to her chest but I thought it would be different once we were finally in her head. Maybe that's just me though.

Capture the Sun wraps up the Starlight's Shadow series quite nicely, with opportunities for a comeback for the crew. Am I sad that it seems like we won't get a throuple book? God yes. But it was nice to see the crew finally get their happily ever after. (This entire series is literally a romance novel in space, prove me wrong)

*Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Like the previous books in the trilogy, this is the love story of a telepathic space-elf hero and a strong warrior heroine. It's cute and fun, and there's enough sci-fi plot to keep the story going even when the love interest is gone for a few scenes. If you like the other books in the series, you'll like this one. It's just as strong.

I was impressed by how deeply this book explored the heroine, Lexi's, psyche. We get her dealing with her romantic hang-ups, and PTSD from a war. The hero, Nilo, helps her through it without being pushy or annoying, which was fun to see. Being with Lexi as she grew really helped me to like her and enjoy her story.

A video review including this book will be on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, @ChloeFrizzle.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for a copy to review. All opinions are my own.

I was excited for the third installment of this series and thrilled when things steamed up quickly in the book. But then it slowed down. Everything slowed down for me. The chemistry and tension found in the previous two books was missing this time. It was hard to get into and harder to get emotionally invested in these characters.

This is the ending of Starlight's Shadow trilogy, to say I was excited for this book is a massive understatement. This book finally gets to Lexi and Nilo's story! Jessie Mihalik has teased Lexi's story from book one and she hits a home run here. Lexi flies to meet a client on Vallovia and instead gets set up resulting in Nilo having to save her...and that's just the first twenty or so pages. I cannot recommend this book enough. The only caveat I would include is that you should read the other two in the series, these books do not work particularly well as standalone because of how interconnected they are.

A solid third entry in this series, but lacks some of the appeal of the first two books for me, partly because I did not enjoy the romance pairing in this one as much as the others. I felt we did not get as much character or relationship development. Still, it was good to spend time in this world again, and there was a lot of action and the pacing was generally good (although for a Supreme Badass Spy, the female lead made a lot of dumb mistakes, all in service of allowing the male lead plenty of opportunities to come to her rescue and advance the plot). I hope there will be more from this crew, as there are still a few relationship loose ends left hanging from previous books in the series...

This book. These characters. This series. Hearteyesemoji I’m not sure this review will be much more than fangirl gushing, but here it goes…

I love Jessie Mihalik’s type of science-fiction: expansive worlds and cool tech and suspenseful plots, all wrapped in swoony romances! The entire Starlight’s Shadow series is amazing, and the trilogy’s conclusion was the perfect ending. (That said, I do love a long-running series so my hope for a continuation will forever live on!)

I laughed and gasped and swooned and ohmygoshed and hugged my kindle more times than is probably socially acceptable. The way the characters communicate about their past scars (especially those related to trauma/war) was beautiful to read. The way my heart rate responded when the Starlight crew went missing…proof that reading is exercise!

I highly recommend this series to any of my romance fans, even if you aren’t normally a sci-fi reader. Grab Hunt The Stars soon (followed by Eclipse the Moon) and you’ll be ready for Capture the Sun when it releases June 20th!

Thank you to Harper Voyager for the e-arc!

Lexi is heading to Valovia for a job that turns out to be a nicely baited trap for the talented thief. Nilo, a competitor for jobs and maybe her heart intercepts her before the trap is sprung and then joins forces with her when they both find out their friends are on the same ship and it is heading their way with trouble on their tails
The third book in this SF based enemies to lovers’ series is a good wrap up to the overall story arc between the characters and a good chemistry between the two.

*** Thanks you to the Publishers and to Netgalley for providing with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***
This was a fitting end to a fun and action-packed series. The crew ended up all together and fighting for their lives and trying to save their worlds from an unwanted war.

OH MAN. We're back with the Starlight crew and Lexi and Nilo are AHHHHHHHHH. Which is to say they're just as intense and focused (both on the mission and one another) as the other couples we've met and I HEART THEM SO HARD.

That said...These two aren't in the best place in the beginning. Or maybe that's just Lexi. She's so used to keeping her emotions close and not trusting anyone but Tavi and crew that she questions practically every move Nilo makes. Given their first not-so-great meeting, she expects to be betrayed and hides her hurts under edged blades and murdery looks.

BUT...Nilo had his reasons for doing what he did at their first meeting and he never meant it as the betrayal she saw it as. With perseverance and patience, he slowly chips away at Lexi's armor to get her to see that he'll do anything he needs to do to keep her safe. While that sounds sweet and gooey, these two are soon heading directly into danger and no one's really safe when they're up against rogue FHP folks AND Valovian super soldiers (not their actual name, but those warriors can do A LOT of damage with the psychic gifts and technology they have access to) who might or might not be working with the Empress's blessing.

In other words, there's a whole lot of danger, a massive dose of potential treason and/or political maneuverings, and the crew and their special Valovian someones are right in the middle of it all. Did I mention the danger? Because there's danger. LOADS of danger.

I like my sci-fi novels a very specific way - light on the technical details and heavy on the world-building, adventure, romance, and political intrigue. Jessie Mihalik always delivers, and this is no exception. I really enjoyed the first two books in this series and this one was just as good. I definitely recommend reading this series in order, because even though Lexi was sort of a side character earlier in the series, there are tons of references to characters and plot points from the first two books that would have completely confused me without the background of the first two (they even confused me a little bit just because it's been a while since I read the first two). I really hope there's a fourth book in this series (and a fifth!) because there are other relationships I'd like to see explored. Overall this had lots of adventure, a solid romance, and a lot of lovely found family stuff all against the backdrop of what I found to be an interesting political landscape.

As always Jessie Mihalik books are my favorites. She packs everything in without it feeling overwhelming and this is no exception. A great balance of sci fi, action, and romance, this book offers great characters and plot. I have nothing negative to say about this book.

A wonderful to another great series from one of my favorite authors. This is the third book in a series, and needs to be read in order.

I LOVED Hunt the Stars and Eclipse the Moon, so I was SUPER excited to see that Jessie Mihalik was continuing her epic space opera with Lexi and Nilo's story! This series is so much fun, and so different from my usual alien romances.

This is the third book in an ongoing series, so I won't go into a ton of detail on the plot. These books follow the crew of Starlight's Shadow, a bunch of ex-military humans and powerful alien warriors called Valoffs, through epic missions in space and on various planets. Valoffs are human-like, telepathic aliens who all have impressive individual powers (telekinesis, telepathy, etc.). In Capture the Sun, "recovery specialist" Lexi takes a lucrative job on the Valoff's home planet of Valovia. She is nearly caught in an ambush when she is rescued by former fling (and powerful teleporter) Nilo. They realize they are embroiled in a much larger plot when the cannot contact their human and Valoff colleagues on Starlights Shadows - and things more quickly from there.

Lexi and Nilo already have some simmering tension between them from the outset. Though there is some discord due to differences between human and Valoff courting customs, their chemistry is pretty obvious. This book ends up being the spiciest yet of the series! Nilo is so earnest, and I LOVE how confident and unapologetic Lexi is most of the time. The female characters in this series all have amazing leadership and/or professional skills, and it's really refreshing.

If you love science fiction or alien romance, you really need to take a look at this series. Definitely a breath of fresh air to me after reading lots of fantasy and angsty contemporary! Capture the Sun releases on June 20, but you can start the series now!

Lexi is back on Valova doing what she does best: acquiring hard-to-find items for rich people. (In other words, she steals them from other rich people for her clients.) But this trip is different: she suspects that she's been betrayed from the moment she steps into her hotel room. Luckily, she's saved by Nilo, who's both an ally (he's a crewmate of her captain's husband) and an enemy (he betrayed her by stealing the item she was after the first time they met). They've always been ridiculously attracted to each other, so when she realizes she has to wait one evening before she can leave the system, she decides it's time for the "get each other out of our system" bang. But what happens with that kind of bang? It never works. In this case, it's because (in addition to the fact that they're perfect for each other) she DOESN'T get to leave, after all.

Like the other books in the series, this is action-packed sci-fi-lite romance that feels like it belongs on the big screen as a video game. It's told entirely from Lexi's perspective, which can sometimes be frustrating (Nilo is telepathic and offers to share his thoughts with her; he is literally the least opaque person on the planet, miscommunication issues should be off the table). It also lends itself to the video game feeling of the story, since there's always more action to distract from the relationship.

This is the third in the series, and we do not recommend that you read out of order! This wraps up the overarching intrigue and relies on a lot of previous relationship building. We've enjoyed our trip to Valovia, even though we're still trying to understand how the day works (5 hours of light, 5 hours of darkness that are added into one big "day" of 20 hours...). Would you rather wake up in the dark or go to bed when it's light outside?? We still can't decide...

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

Yes, we got Lexi's book, I'm so happy. This is the third book in the Starlight's Shadow series and the narrator is Lexi Bowen, the recovery specialist who is friends with the crew of Starlight's Shadow but not really a member of the crew. After a rough childhood, and experience as a soldier in the war between the humans and the valoffs, Lexi has let the scars from that turn her into a bit of a loner with trust issues, and questionable morals. She has directed a lot of that distrust and borderline hatred toward Nilo, her love interest, a rival, and the guy who stole one of her jobs from her.

Lexi and Nilo are forced into close proximity when one of Lexi's jobs goes awry on Nilo's home planet and her life is threatened by the Empress who would use her as a pawn to get to the rest of Starlight's Shadow. The pair are forced to confront their past, while also being drawn into a vast web of conspiracy to sacrifice the tenuous peace between the two civilizations.

Unlike the other two books in this series, this one was super action-packed! It also didn't really feature as much of a slow burn between the main characters romantically speaking. I enjoyed reading about Lexi's difficulty with trusting others and relying on others, and in being vulnerable enough to let someone get close to her.

I struggled with this one a bit. I would be super into it then I would be about ready to just not finish it. The pacing just didn't seem to work for me. The main characters were fine but also didn't really speak to me.

This is the 3rd in a sci-fi romance series. I would definitely recommend reading these books in order. Our heroine, a recovery specialist (thief) is getting ready for the job of a lifetime, however, things go sideways at the last minute and her nemesis swoops in to pick up the pieces. What started off as a simple job morphs into a "save the world from war". The story works and the action is entertaining.