She’s hiding from the government. He’s wanted across the galaxy. Teaming up could save a life…or spark a revolution.
Fenn Kensie just wants to stay invisible. Hiding from the corrupt Galactic Union on a dusty backwater planet, she keeps her head down as a shipyard tech. That is, until her best friend lands in the crosshairs of a brutal crime syndicate. To save him, Fenn agrees to one reckless job with a smug, frustrating, maddeningly attractive thief named Torren.
All she has to do? Fly to her home planet, use her ID chip to gain access, and help Torren pick up a package of highly illegal contraband. Easy.
But nothing about Torren is easy. He’s galaxy-famous for all the wrong reasons, infuriatingly good at what he does, and hiding scars of his own. As their uneasy alliance deepens into something more, Fenn finds herself pulled into a dangerous web of heists, undercover intrigue, and a slow-burn romance that threatens to crack her carefully built walls.
When the mission goes sideways, Fenn will have to Is she ready to stop running and start fighting back?
A sizzling sci-fi romance full of high-stakes action, enemies-to-lovers heat, and anti-authoritarian rebellion. Perfect for fans of Star Wars, space fantasy romance, and found-family stories.
Danielle Price is a Midwest native, California transplant, and current St. Louis resident, where she lives with her partner and cats. A lifelong storyteller, she’s worked in theater, special effects makeup, and the comic book industry. These days, you’ll find her watching sci-fi shows and horror films while snacking on a charcuterie board that has a higher cheese content than is medically advisable.
This book was such a fun, action-packed space romantasy! From the very beginning it felt like I was watching a movie play out in my head, blaster fights, daring rescues, stolen glances, all of it. I honestly think this would make an incredible film.
Fenn and Torren were super easy to love. Their banter had me smiling, and the chemistry between them was so good even though the romance stays closed-door. There’s still plenty of longing, tension, forced proximity, and fake marriage vibes to keep you hooked. I loved that both characters have their own secrets and burdens, but still manage to be witty, capable, and deeply human.
The world building hit the perfect balance, not overly complex, but vivid enough that I could picture the ships, planets, and resistance struggles clearly. It gave me just enough without slowing the story down.
Overall, this book just made me happy. It’s adventurous, romantic, and full of those found-family, we’re in this together moments that make sci-fi romance so satisfying. I really hope this becomes a series because I’m not ready to say goodbye to this universe.
If you love Star Wars-inspired space adventures, fake marriage, tension filled partnerships, and soft but sarcastic heroes, definitely pick this one up.
What a debut book! I absolutely loved this sci-fi romance!! I randomly saw this author post about her book on threads, saw the tropes, and ran to sign up for an eARC!
This one felt incredibly Star Wars inspired (which is one of my favorite series ever). Fun fact: I grew up a die hard Star Wars fan. For Halloween in kinder I was darth Vader. 1st grade I was darth maul. 2nd grade I was Leia. With this obsession aside, it’s no wonder I ate this one up.
Fenn is such a likable FMC. She is tenacious and smart. We know she is harboring a secret in her past as she is hiding out on Hadrin. Kad AKA Torren is our MMC and he has tons of secrets himself, but he also has a swagger that you just have to love. On the onset, he seems like a typical, morally grey MMC. But I truly loved the unveiling of his full character throughout the book. He ended up being a cinnamon roll with righteous beliefs rather than financially motivated with questionable morals like we initially believed.
As for the romance, we have delicious forced proximity and a fake marriage which is a fantastic combo resulting in TONS of tension between these two. The spice is closed door but I still really loved the romance between these two!
I’m excited to read more books in this universe! After I finished this one I RAN to sign up for Danielle’s email list so I can stay in the loop!
Read this one if you like:
🪐 sci-fi romance 🚀 forced proximity 🪐 fake marriage/dating 🚀 found family 🪐 loveable side characters 🚀 characters with complex backstories 🪐 he falls first 🚀 only one tent moment
Spice: 0/5 because it’s closed door but ALLLL the tension
Thank you so much to Danielle Price for the eARC! I appreciate the opportunity to read this one!
Fenn want to stay invisible but when her friend gets a bounty on his head, she has to help him.
Then she meets Torren, a thief. He can help her but he needs something in return. Their companionship evolves in something else and soon they are romantically involved.
This story has Star Wars vibes. The setting is a unique fantasy/ sci fi world, that is described very well.
The author wrote a closed door romance, woven into an action packed sci fi story!
Book 1 has set the stand art high for what is coming next. Looking forward to read more….
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I don't often read books that surprise me anymore and boy was this one a treat. Great plot, the pacing was excellent, solid throughline goal with the friend, the romance was so charming. Loved it! I am very impressed.
I stumbled upon this gem of a book on Threads, and I’m beyond happy I did!
This is a true sci-fi romantasy 🚀—if you love anything space-related (think Star Wars, Star Trek, Andromeda), you need this on your TBR.
We meet Fenn, a smart, quick-on-her-feet, anxious, and easily-angered woman who’s literally hiding in a bathroom when the story begins. She works as a docking technician, which is where she crosses paths with Torren—a handsome pilot who’s clearly lying about everything and most definitely dangerous. 👀
They’re forced to team up to help a mutual friend, kicking off a high-stakes space adventure together.
What I adore is how human they both feel—tragic pasts, real strengths and weaknesses, and plenty of vulnerability. Plus, Fenn saves Torrens’ life… multiple times. Queen behavior. 👑
This isn’t enemies-to-lovers but more reluctant allies ➡️ lovers. That whole “let’s just get this done and never speak again” vibe slowly melts into something deeper, and it’s chef’s kiss.
💔 My only gripe? The miscommunication trope. So many times I wanted to scream, “JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER.” Still, the sarcasm, tension, and emotional beats kept me hooked.
I stayed up way too late reading because I didn’t want to put it down. And the shower scene (not what you’re thinking) had me giggling, kicking my feet, and swooning. ✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 (would’ve been 5 without the miscommunication)
Tropes I loved: 🌌 Sci-Fi Romantasy 🤝 Reluctant Allies ➡️ Lovers 🫂Found Family / Ride-or-Die Friendships 🔥 Slow Burn Tension 🛸Space Adventure #BookReview #SciFiRomance #UnderCoverOfStars #Bookstagram #RomantasyReads
Been abandoning books left and right for two months but this one was exactly what I needed! It was fun. I was thinking about the characters when I was away from my book. The world building wasn’t exhausting or so confusing that the pacing suffered (tho I have questions). I want a book two already. Gonna add spoilers below . . . . . . . . . . Spoilers incoming . . . I liked FMC and MMC are political refugees but not from same place or reason. It’s interesting how FMC faced that alone and MMC had chosen family and I think you can see that in their risk taking. FMC is super risk adverse and paranoid (reasonably). MMC is bold, calculated, and believes there’s a way through. He has agency where the FMC believes herself responsible for her circumstances. Her shame and self blame restricts her.
I love seeing a character heal when they find care, safety, and connection. And not needing to be perfect to be deserving of love.
I love that it wasn’t dual POV cause being inside a man’s head is usually a way to ruin reading. Not always.
I have questions about the world and how things work. I would expect more dialects / languages to impact communication between species or groups from different planets. Also usually there’s some hierarchy or caste systems but it kind of seemed everyone and then the union. Maybe because of current collapse of democracy but I kind of expected propaganda cultivating in-group fighting to deflect from true power dynamics. But I’m hoping this is a book series and we get more and more to the story and world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A nice, sweet, enemies-to-lovers trope filled book, set against the world of Spaaaaace! It felt like a one off, or a one shot, yet there was a whole system set up in the front of the books. We ended up only visiting.... three of the places listed? The growth was spectacular and the only major major concern I have is that it was written only from her point of view, so while we do have a lot of mutual feelings, occasionally that is subjective on both thr author and the narrators part.
Nice dense yet fluffy feel good story. Like a layer cake!
Fenn makes it her aim to fly under the radar, and she's well positioned to do so - until a suspicious stranger turns up with the news that her best friend has a price on his head. And the only way to pay it off is to accompany him to the place she least wants to go: her home planet. Feeling she has no choice, she agrees to go, and soon discovers that she's let herself in for far more than she'd realised, and that there's much more to Torren than she guessed. As the danger grows, can they manage to save their friend? And what about their own hearts?
This kept me interested and eager to see what would happen next from the very first page. Both Fenn and Torren have plenty of secrets, not to mention similar histories they'd rather forget, and seeing them gradually uncover each other's secrets one way or another was intriguing, if sometimes tragic - and I appreciated their loyalty to their friend (and increasingly to each other, despite secrets and questions). All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable story with some good twists and interesting characters (and setting). I'd love to read more but probably won't because of some of the content - not enough to stop me reading a book I'd started but enough I'm less likely to pick up another by the author. Specifically, I was somewhat put off by (1) intermittent swearing (relatively little, but I still didn't like it), (2) a fade-to-black bedroom scene (tastefully done, my only quibble is that it's two people who aren't married), and (3) the normalisation of homosexual marriage, in the form of two such couples as secondary/background characters. However, I imagine that most people won't care about any of these, in which case I'd say give it a try!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
“What?” I stopped. He took half a step toward me and leaned in. “You should really stop thinking about that kiss.”
Not only was this sci-fi, dystopian book full of action sequences that made it so easy to play the movie in my head, but it was also incredibly romantic and full of emotional beats. The pacing of the story worked wonderfully, giving us a beautiful back-and-forth between Fenn and Torren, while still being reminded of why they were really there in the first place. I was so floored by how much I loved reading this!
We start with banter and tension, fully understanding who these characters are and getting their motivation upfront—their mission is bigger than them because, of course, it is. These are real-life HEROES fighting the resistance in their own ways and doing what they can to keep their people safe. During the course of this seemingly simple extraction, we witness many moments of love fully on display, from the one blanket suggestion to the Star Bonnets, to understanding how much a name truly means, and all the rescue missions. I felt the care between all these characters so intensely that I was so teary-eyed at the reunions and goodbyes.
Under Cover of Stars by Danielle Price is found-family embodied so completely. It's also the perfect setup for this universe because, yes, I want to read more. If you're looking for strong, well-established main characters, a plotline that moves you, and some action-packed scenes sprinkled in there, you should definitely not miss this one.
Thanks to Booksprout and Danielle Price for the ARC!
Some books make you appreciate the world-building. Others make you fall for the characters. Under Cover of Stars somehow does both—and does it with confidence you don’t usually see in a debut.
At the heart of the story is Fenn, a protagonist who feels capable without being untouchable. She’s careful because she has to be, shaped by a universe where politics are messy and survival isn’t guaranteed. Watching her navigate that space—strong on her own terms, yet open to connection—was deeply satisfying. Her relationship with Torren unfolds naturally, driven by shared purpose and sharp banter rather than convenience, and the emotional payoff feels earned every step of the way.
What really surprised me was how immersive this book is. The action sequences are vivid enough to feel cinematic, but they never overshadow the quieter moments that give the story its emotional weight. Even readers who typically shy away from sci-fi will find this world approachable; the setting is clear, grounded, and never overwhelming. Instead of getting lost in terminology, you’re pulled forward by momentum and character stakes.
This is a story about missions that matter—but also about the people behind them. Found family weaves through the narrative in subtle, heartfelt ways: small gestures, shared histories, sacrifices, and reunions that hit hard. By the time the goodbyes roll around, the emotional investment is undeniable.
Danielle Price has built a universe that feels lived-in and full of possibility, and Under Cover of Stars is a compelling foundation for what’s clearly meant to be a much bigger story. If you love character-driven sci-fi with romance, tension, and genuine heart, this one absolutely deserves a spot on your radar—and I, for one, am very ready for book two.
Star Wars has disappointed me for the last decade. Rogue One and Andor have hit closer to the mark, so when I heard about this book being inspired by Star Wars, and more specifically, Andor, I was in. I’ve been exploring the EU lately and honestly this was a better read than most of the EU books I’ve read. I really enjoyed the plot and development of the relationship. I don’t read a lot of romance and there were definitely some times during tense moments where the FMC would dwell just a bit too long on how the guy’s arm brushed hers, but listen, we all love romance, right?? Overall I enjoyed this book and would definitely read the next one.
Fenn is such an easy main character to root for - she’s fiercely loyal, cautious in all the right ways (especially in an intergalactic setting with corrupt politics), and is tough enough to survive on her own but our independent girlie of course finds love along the way without even looking for it. The chemistry was there, the setting was easy to follow even if you’re not usually comfortable with sci fi planet names etc. and the writing was so fun and ambitious considering this is a debut novel. I can’t wait for the next book!
I received this as an ARC, and but that I’m thankful. Thank you Danielle for allowing me to be on your team.
I really wanted to live this story. And I did love the romance between both characters, but I just couldn’t get into the space aspect. TBH I dislike sci-fi but I truly wanted to try again because this book sounded really good. And the cover is beautiful ❤️ Again, romance portion throughout, beautifully done. And the book was well written. No doubt about it. The description was excellent, the characters were so easy to relate with. This just wasn’t for me.
'Part slow-burn romance, part spacefaring heist, this sci-fi adventure is for fans of found family, enemies-to-lovers heat, and rebellion against the odds.'
The plot was intriguing and intense and exciting and well paced. World building was excellent and impressive. The characters carried the story and they were so very appealing and likeable and perfectly steamy together. Look forward to more from this world. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.
Grab a copy, kick back and enjoy!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I love SciFi as a genre but I am always hesitant to dip my toe into the book world with it as some are a little too long and boring for my taste. This book is nothing like that. Each world is vibrant and colourful in its own way. The characters are likable with deep backgrounds.
Honestly it's giving Star Wars in all the right ways. Who doesn't love a Roughish smuggler with a heart of gold and gorgeous smile.
If you grew up like I did, loving movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ice Pirates and The Mummy, you'll enjoy this book. The main characters Fenn and Torren have a an adorably abrasive dynamic with each other that makes you want to find out how they get where this sci-fi heist romantic adventure story is going. Looking forward to sequels!
Excellent young adult book. The writing was exceptional, the storyline was out of this world seeing as how it was space related with different planets and characters just like star wars. Two young characters with lots of friction between them had to get along and work together to help another friend out of a jam. I really enjoyed reading the book and highly recommend it.
A fun, romantic adventure with good pacing and lovable characters. You’re rooting for Fenn Kensie the whole way. I particularly liked the world building-You see a vibrant slice of Price’s thoughtfully-crafted universe.
As a lifelong mystery reader, this book was such an amazing introduction to the world of science fiction and romantasci. Characters you can’t help but fall in love with and a storyline with great tempo made it hard to set this book down!
This book got me out of my reading slump! I was immediately pulled into the world from the very first chapter. I honestly couldn’t wait to keep reading every night. I fell in love with the characters and now I need MORE!!!
I've enjoyed a lot reading this sci-fi romance book. The female main character is relatable, adorable and loyal. Torren (the MMC) is also as lovable as Fenn. Almost 4,5⭐