Sammy’s review of Polaris Rising (Consortium Rebellion, Book 1) by Jessie Mihalik
Sci-Fi Romance published by Harper Voyager 05 Feb 19
I noticed the summary of this book stating this is a three-book series. That gives me a very big sad. The world Jessie Mihalik created deserves an open-ended series. Yep, it’s that good. I am not saying there aren’t some small things that bothered me. I mean, is any book, even your favorites, without flaws? No. I enjoyed this book immensely and I absolutely loved the world building in this glorious Sci Fi space opera. This is a first-person POV, and I can’t lie, I missed being in the hero’s head, but the author pulled it off. I can tell you, even with my gripes that I will lay out, this book will be a re-read and a go-to comfort book. I can’t wait for October for the second book, Aurora Blazing, about Bianca (Ada’s sister) and Ian (the head of security for House von Hasenberg).
“There are moments in your life when you absolutely know what you should do and then you absolutely choose to do something else entirely.”
Ada von Hasenberg has been on the run for two years, hiding from her father and her jilted fiance, but her luck has run out and the Mercs are bringing her in for a nice sum of money. In the first few pages of the book you will know Ada is not going down without a fight. She manages to get in quite a few jabs. This pisses off the Mercs and they throw her into a tiny cell with a big, bad wolf. Meanwhile, they are gawking at her like a bunch of swines. She’s leery about the hulking dude chained to the wall and she needs an escape plan, because there is no way she’s going back home to marry the son of House Rockhurst. Richard Rockhurst pings the captain of the Merc ship and tells him he’s there to pick up Ada and pay him his finder’s fee. The clock is ticking and you are on the edge of your seat.
“Like what you see?” he asked with a smirk, “Yes,” I said after a few more seconds of frank appraisal. Surprise flashed across his face, but why would I lie?”
Marcus Loch aka The Devil of Fornax – I think the best way to describe him would be Riddick, but much hotter. He was picked up by the Mercs because all three houses want him dead for killing his entire chain of command on a mission gone wrong. We slowly find out what his story is, when he feels like opening up. He’s a badass and he’s finally met his match. While Ada is scared of him, she will be damned if she’ll show it. The two concoct an escape, and from the moment they set eyes on each other, the sparks and chemistry are flying. Ada sets the plan in motion and Loch is ready to get out there. They manage to escape in a small ship and get to the gate to jump to another planet. They semi crash land on a very cold planet and they make their way to the city to hide out and plan what they are going to do next. Mind you, when Ada made the deal with the devil, she offered him a lot of money to help her. Ada is on the brink of freezing to death, while Loch is walking around without a care in the world. While Ada has nanos in her body to help speed up her ailments, she is at zero. We find out that Loch is a super soldier with some Riddick-like qualities. He has genetically altered eyes, which means he can see in the dark. He also has the ability to level out his temperature, and he’s strong as hell.
“My, what big teeth you have.” “The better to eat you with my dear,” he replied without missing a beat.”
Ada is in bad shape, so Loch has her strip down and he gets into the bed with her to share his body heat. Did I mention that their chemistry is off the charts? Each day they grow closer, but neither one of them trusts the other. They share a few very hot kisses that will curl your reading toes. They manage to make some contacts on this planet that was once occupied by House of Yamado. They find a fencer and obtain some very needed supplies. They have their sights on stealing Richard Rockhurst’s ship to escape. Of course, nothing could go easy and Loch is taken by Rockhurst and he’s being held prisoner. Ada will not leave without him. She joins forces with the fencer Veronica, who has a plan of her own. That plan is that she will supply the weapons, but she’s joining Ada and Loch in getting off the planet. Ada manages to break out Loch,but he’s injured badly. Ada shoots him up with some street pain meds that have some funny side-effects. They make it to Rockhurst’s ship and Ada takes it over. Ada is badass and very smart. I really loved her and she’s on my top ten list of best heroines. It’s while Ada is programming the ship for space at the gate to make the jump that she notices this ship’s waiting time is only an hour, while her father’s ships and Yamado’s ships take six hours of cool-down time. It’s then she knows something is definitely amiss and starts questioning why Richard is so hell bent on marrying her.
“Just sleep, Ada, he murmured against the back of her neck. I’ve got you.”
Ada, Loch, Veronica, and two surprise stowaways make it to the next planet, where Ada and Loch need to find a bank, get supplies, and ammo up. Enter Rhys, someone who Ada has helped and who knows Loch very well. They all plan on meeting up for dinner and Ada brings Veronica along. Loch and Ada do the deed, and I was disappointed. While the kisses arre hot, the sex is not. It’s two or three paragraphs and it lacks any sort of heat above cool. I really wish after all that buildup to that moment there was a little more. The words are there, but they aren’t exactly used to match the chemistry and heat. That is a shame. Ada thinks that now that she’s paid him he’s going to take off in the morning. Boy, is she wrong. Things get weird between them and, of course, there’s the not communicating thing going on, but Loch has some serious feelings for her and he’s not going anywhere. They all figure out that something is up with Ada’s dowry and see that there’s a planet on the list. Ada wants to go there to check it out and see if this planet has the capability of mining the chemical that’s giving these ships faster recovery time. Ada and her merry band take to the stars and start snooping around. Ada makes her plea for going into Rockhurst’s mine on a planet that’s close to hers to see what’s what. Ada is captured and is being blackmailed into marrying Richard. Loch and crew rescue her and Ada knows she has to contact her father on Earth to let him know what’s going on. Loch is going with her, even though the Houses want his head on a platter. Ada makes some demands from her father before she lands on Earth.
Things come to a head. With the help of her sister Bianca and some help from Ian, things really heat up. There’s a showdown and Ada is taking names. The ending is amazing. Ada’s fierceness, Loch’s feelings, everything is at warp speed. I highly recommend this book. Even if you don’t like Sci Fi, I am telling you to give this book a chance. While the sex was eh, the emotional payoff between the two is out-of-this-world good. I can’t wait to be swept off to the stars in the next installment.
Grade:A
Summary:
A space princess on the run and a notorious outlaw soldier become unlikely allies in this imaginative, sexy space opera adventure—the first in an exciting science fiction trilogy.
In the far distant future, the universe is officially ruled by the Royal Consortium, but the High Councillors, the heads of the three High Houses, wield the true power. As the fifth of six children, Ada von Hasenberg has no authority; her only value to her High House is as a pawn in a political marriage. When her father arranges for her to wed a noble from House Rockhurst, a man she neither wants nor loves, Ada seizes control of her own destiny. The spirited princess flees before the betrothal ceremony and disappears among the stars.
Ada eluded her father’s forces for two years, but now her luck has run out. To ensure she cannot escape again, the fiery princess is thrown into a prison cell with Marcus Loch. Known as the Devil of Fornax Zero, Loch is rumored to have killed his entire chain of command during the Fornax Rebellion, and the Consortium wants his head.
When the ship returning them to Earth is attacked by a battle cruiser from rival House Rockhurst, Ada realizes that if her jilted fiancé captures her, she’ll become a political prisoner and a liability to her House. Her only hope is to strike a deal with the dangerous fugitive: a fortune if he helps her escape.
But when you make a deal with an irresistibly attractive Devil, you may lose more than you bargained for . . .
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
