Princess
Black Star, Book 1

Marteeka Karland

Publisher:
Changeling Press

Release Date:
December 2006

Genres:
Erotica
Futuristic
Romance
Sci-Fi

ISBN:
eBook
9781595964724

Bookmark Rating:

Reviewed by
Jennifer Ray

Review Posted:
May 2008

Nadira is the Vok’nair Empire’s only pilot flying a cyborg ship, though she has yet to bond with the Black Star.  Still, her skill as a pilot is unrivaled, a fact that is proven as she manages to elude the Asalian War Slavers attacking her ship.  Indeed, if it hadn’t been for one unfortunate blunder by the Black Star’s captain, the ship would not have been caught by the slavers at all. 

When the enemy captain, Mikiel, demands that Nadira be surrendered to him as part of an agreement to free the remaining crew of the Black Star, the noble Nadira is terrified, yet determined to sacrifice herself to save the crew, yet she can’t imagine why the powerful captain wishes her captivity.  She does know he is dangerous to her, not just as an enemy, but in the way he commands her body’s response without even trying. 

Mikiel has never seen a more skilled pilot, or a more irresistible woman.  As captain of the only Asalian cyborg vessel, he quickly determines that the beautiful Nadira is their best chance for a full bonding between pilot and ship.  He knows the bonding process will require her full attention, but it is all he can do to keep his hands off of her when everything inside him screams to claim her for himself.  Resolved to wait until she comes to him, his love for her only grows with each day. 

When the secrets harbored by both Nadira and the two governments start to unravel, they threaten to destroy both their love and their very lives!

You would not believe the number of authors on my auto-buy list these days, and Marteeka Karland is not helping me to shorten it at all.  From the very first book of hers I read, I was hooked, and I have since purchased every one of her books that is currently available.  None of those books have disappointed me yet. 

With Black Star Princess, Karland kicks off a brand new series guaranteed to thrill all of us science fiction nuts.  Pairing a beautiful love story with a suspense filled adventure, she weaves and intricate and captivating world – no, universe – that seizes the reader’s interest from page one and refuses to let go.  

Nadira is a sensitive young woman struggling to live in a man’s world.  As capable as she is beautiful, she has attained a position generally denied most women, and succeeded in surpassing most men with her piloting skills.  She has lived a tragic life, and has escaped its shackles to make her own way in the universe, despite the secrets that threaten to destroy everything she has worked for. 

The intense Mikiel is the epitome of dangerous Alpha Male, and he can’t help but be drawn like a magnet to steel to Nadira’s fortitude and beauty.  Showing strength of will and character few men possess, she impresses him beyond the physical, and ensnares him more surely than he has captured her. 

The author peppers tidbits throughout the story that seem innocuous, but make the reader curious, without hinting that they are part of a larger mystery.  When the first twist in the story is finally revealed, it is absolutely mind-boggling in the most delicious way!  As the pieces of the puzzle fall into place one by one, we see that there were no superfluous moments in the story, and see Karland for the craftsman she truly is. 

Since reading Black Star Princess, I’ve learned that Marteeka Karland shared my love of mysteries as a child, and in fact favored one of the series I did.  It is always interesting to learn about literary influences our favorite authors had, as they so often seem to coincide with our own.  Whether Karland’s talent at spinning a mystery plot was born of those early Trixie Belden books or came later in life is a question itself, but I can say that her undoubted love of a great mystery shines in this book, to each reader’s benefit.

Note:  This review was originally written by Jennifer Ray for another review site.  It is being reposted at Wild on Books.

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