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The Light-Years Trilogy #3
Starlight Child
Psychic Mara Hendricks joins the rescue team after aliens from Yanura kidnap her best friend’s infant daughter. Not only will her special ability aid in tracking the baby’s location, but she’s also familiar with the Yanurans through her job as a cultural specialist. She runs into a snag when the arrogant mission leader accuses her of being too trusting, but she believes the Yanurans might have been set up to take the blame.
Commander Deke Sage knows the aliens are hiding more than the missing child. There’s something fishy regarding their claims about an age-preserving drug made from seaweed, and he’s been ordered to investigate. Mara is too naïve to see the truth but too captivating for him to ignore. As their mission progresses, they realize there’s a bigger conspiracy than either of them suspected. They’ll both have to open their hearts and their minds to save the missing child.
Commander Deke Sage knows the aliens are hiding more than the missing child. There’s something fishy regarding their claims about an age-preserving drug made from seaweed, and he’s been ordered to investigate. Mara is too naïve to see the truth but too captivating for him to ignore. As their mission progresses, they realize there’s a bigger conspiracy than either of them suspected. They’ll both have to open their hearts and their minds to save the missing child.
348 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 1995
2 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Nancy J. Cohen
41 books669 followersNancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have been named Best Cozy Mystery by Suspense Magazine, won the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and the RONE Award, placed first in the Chanticleer International Book Awards and third in the Arizona Literary Awards. Her nonfiction titles, Writing the Cozy Mystery and A Bad Hair Day Cookbook, have won the FAPA President’s Book Award, the Royal Palm Literary Award, and IAN Book of the Year. Nancy’s imaginative romances have proven popular with fans as well. These books have won the HOLT Medallion and Best Book in Romantic SciFi/Fantasy at The Romance Reviews. Active in the writing community, Nancy is a past president of Florida Romance Writers and Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. When not busy writing, she enjoys reading, fine dining, cruising, and visiting Disney World. Visit her at NancyJCohen.com
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 23, 2020
In this third book of the trilogy we meet Mara Hendricks, a cultural specialist who is off on a mission to save her best friends daughter who has been taken. You see she's psychic and using this gift will help aid her in locating the child. Mara isn't alone on this mission though the man leading it is Commander Deke Sage. Deke doesn't seem to care much for Mara or the gifts she claims to have. The two are at odds from the beginning but Mara can't help the attraction she feels for the obstinate man. As the two carry out their mission feelings spark between the two. Deke tries to keep Mara at a distance, the two can't see to agree on much, but the feelings flying between them can only be denied so long. Follow along as the two try to rescue a child and at the same time figure out just what it is between them. Can they save the child and will love win in the end?
September 22, 2020
Starlight Child is the third book in The Light-Years Series trilogy. Just like Circle of Light and Moonlight Rhapsody before it, it’s the perfect blend of science fiction and romance, an exciting story that is strange and familiar at the same time. Author Nancy J. Cohen has created a world populated by well-developed, fascinating characters – human and not-so-human – that are mysterious and dangerous, sometimes appealing, sometimes repulsive, but always keeping you turning the pages to find out what will happen to them next.
Four main characters introduced in the first two stories of the trilogy now take center stage. They are brave and determined and strong willed and sometimes dangerously stubborn. They have varied skills and backstories, unfinished business, old slights and hurts, needs to prove themselves, and desires and fears that they can’t always control. Some of them are otherworldly enough to satisfy your science fiction urge, but they are all sexy and sensual enough to make you sigh (and maybe blush!) and satisfy your romance needs. The search for the kidnapped child tugs at your heartstrings.
Author Cohen has a real knack for blending the amazing with the routine, mixing the exotic with normal everyday phrases and actions. One moment you feel as if you’ve stepped aboard Star Trek’s USS Enterprise, on a ship with transporters, beaming, and cloaking devices. Or maybe the ship isn’t really a ship at all but rather some sort of winged beast, with a security bar lowering over the lap of the rider that feels like a Disney World ride. Some of the characters look and act like you and me, but some are more like frogs, dogs, birds or bendy beings with a long, long reach. The next moment, as the adventure begins, you suddenly forget about all of these oddities and it’s just a story of a crew hunting for a missing child, unsure of who to trust and where danger will come from. Relationships form with all the pleasure and difficulties that go with them. You are absorbed in the action, the excitement, the romance. The plot is smooth and fast-paced with twists, turns and surprises.
Mara and Deke and Wren and Hedy are an interesting group in this third story. They are talented and capable but most of them have bought a lot of pre-conceived notions and baggage with them, and at times it’s hard for them to get past that and their behavior is immature and childish. Stubbornness becomes intractability and they refuse to listen to conflicting viewpoints. These faults also contribute to their strengths, but emotions – and sexual attraction – are strong, so much so that at times it seems they are like teenagers, stopping for a (very heated) romantic interlude before getting on with the rescue or the rest of their mission. It’s very well written and quite entertaining. This is a likeable, highly-charged group that argues a lot, and it was fun to go on this journey with them. I wish it would continue; I’d like to follow them through their lives.
As always in a book by this author, you can count on descriptions of ships, tools, weapons and environments that are detailed and technical. The pictures are rich and well-drawn: reeds and cattails swaying in the breeze at the water’s surface, gnarled tree roots, broad leaves of tropical plants, tangles of vines. It is easy to get lost in this world, and apparent that a lot of thought and research and imagination has gone into creating it.
Thanks to author Nancy J. Cohen for providing a copy of Starlight Child. This is a delightful science fiction romance story and series that grabs you and keeps you engaged all the way through. I am sorry to see it end. Read it – I loved it and highly recommend it. All opinions are my own.
Four main characters introduced in the first two stories of the trilogy now take center stage. They are brave and determined and strong willed and sometimes dangerously stubborn. They have varied skills and backstories, unfinished business, old slights and hurts, needs to prove themselves, and desires and fears that they can’t always control. Some of them are otherworldly enough to satisfy your science fiction urge, but they are all sexy and sensual enough to make you sigh (and maybe blush!) and satisfy your romance needs. The search for the kidnapped child tugs at your heartstrings.
Author Cohen has a real knack for blending the amazing with the routine, mixing the exotic with normal everyday phrases and actions. One moment you feel as if you’ve stepped aboard Star Trek’s USS Enterprise, on a ship with transporters, beaming, and cloaking devices. Or maybe the ship isn’t really a ship at all but rather some sort of winged beast, with a security bar lowering over the lap of the rider that feels like a Disney World ride. Some of the characters look and act like you and me, but some are more like frogs, dogs, birds or bendy beings with a long, long reach. The next moment, as the adventure begins, you suddenly forget about all of these oddities and it’s just a story of a crew hunting for a missing child, unsure of who to trust and where danger will come from. Relationships form with all the pleasure and difficulties that go with them. You are absorbed in the action, the excitement, the romance. The plot is smooth and fast-paced with twists, turns and surprises.
Mara and Deke and Wren and Hedy are an interesting group in this third story. They are talented and capable but most of them have bought a lot of pre-conceived notions and baggage with them, and at times it’s hard for them to get past that and their behavior is immature and childish. Stubbornness becomes intractability and they refuse to listen to conflicting viewpoints. These faults also contribute to their strengths, but emotions – and sexual attraction – are strong, so much so that at times it seems they are like teenagers, stopping for a (very heated) romantic interlude before getting on with the rescue or the rest of their mission. It’s very well written and quite entertaining. This is a likeable, highly-charged group that argues a lot, and it was fun to go on this journey with them. I wish it would continue; I’d like to follow them through their lives.
As always in a book by this author, you can count on descriptions of ships, tools, weapons and environments that are detailed and technical. The pictures are rich and well-drawn: reeds and cattails swaying in the breeze at the water’s surface, gnarled tree roots, broad leaves of tropical plants, tangles of vines. It is easy to get lost in this world, and apparent that a lot of thought and research and imagination has gone into creating it.
Thanks to author Nancy J. Cohen for providing a copy of Starlight Child. This is a delightful science fiction romance story and series that grabs you and keeps you engaged all the way through. I am sorry to see it end. Read it – I loved it and highly recommend it. All opinions are my own.
September 14, 2020
When Mara gets a call in the middle of the night, she knows something is wrong. Someone has kidnapped her god daughter. There are only three ships that left during the kidnapping window and one of them is someone Mara knows. She can't believe they would kidnap a child. The delegation wants to be admitted to the coalition so she knows they wouldn't jeopardize that. She is sent to their planet to check things out. The problem is that Deke, who is in charge of the expedition, has a pre-conceived notion of the people. They butt heads the whole way to the planet while they are very attracted to each other. Neither will give in. Can they find out what is really going on and find the baby before they are all killed? Will either of them bend in their beliefs?
September 22, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this series! Interesting characters and details. lots of twists and turns! A must read!
September 5, 2015
Starlight Child by Nancy Cane
I enjoyed this futuristic romance story. The book I have is from 1995 so the cover and original authors name are different than the Goodreads one.
The description of the book I am listing below is from the back jacket of the book. I'm adding it because I believe the one on the Goodreads page does not depict this story.
STARLIGHT DESIRE
Gifted with extrasensory powers, Mara had always been loath to use her special talents. But when offworlders kidnapped the Great Healer's daughter, she willingly volunteered to help rescue the child. Little did she know that her mission would take her across the universe--and into the mind and heart of a rakishly attractive commander.
From the moment Mara boarded his starship, Deke Sage knew she was going to be trouble. She was too naive and too trusting for her own good, and too captivating for his. He refused to open himself, body and soul, to the raven-haired temptress until he realized that without Mara's skills he'd never defeat his enemies—or savor the sweet delight of her love.
I enjoyed this futuristic romance story. The book I have is from 1995 so the cover and original authors name are different than the Goodreads one.
The description of the book I am listing below is from the back jacket of the book. I'm adding it because I believe the one on the Goodreads page does not depict this story.
STARLIGHT DESIRE
Gifted with extrasensory powers, Mara had always been loath to use her special talents. But when offworlders kidnapped the Great Healer's daughter, she willingly volunteered to help rescue the child. Little did she know that her mission would take her across the universe--and into the mind and heart of a rakishly attractive commander.
From the moment Mara boarded his starship, Deke Sage knew she was going to be trouble. She was too naive and too trusting for her own good, and too captivating for his. He refused to open himself, body and soul, to the raven-haired temptress until he realized that without Mara's skills he'd never defeat his enemies—or savor the sweet delight of her love.
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April 23, 2017I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14515077
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14515077
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews