Starhub Speakeasy

The Messier Starhub

by M.D. Engel

Marin never met her brother's best friend, and yet somehow, in the middle of a dark, crowded speakeasy, she ends up sitting on his lap. The accidental encounter leaves them both undeniably turned on. Zarek knows he’s not supposed to be into her, his best friend said no—he doesn’t listen. Her brother said he’s off limits—she doesn’t care. What starts as a sizzling moment quickly sparks a forbidden romance neither can ignore.

51 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 5, 2026

About the author

M.D. Engel writes at the intersection of science fiction and romance, leaning into everyday conversational tones, familiar tropes, and flawed but lovable characters. Because let’s be honest, not every book needs to be deep to be enjoyable.

By day, they work at a fast-paced start-up, which makes stress management a must. To stay balanced, M.D. Engel turns to reading, gaming, physical fitness, and now, writing. Their stories pull from real-life experiences and are filled with the humor and heart of everyday moments. At the end of the day, they write for one simple reason: fun.

My Books on the ZON: https://tinyurl.com/MDEngelAuthor

Reviews

[Tara B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

instalove fun

This short, instalove, brother’s best friend novella was a fast-paced, read from start to finish. All the steam, some decent tension, and good resolution

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A snack

Starlight and Zaddy were cute. It’s instalust but with just enough plot that it works. Resh (the brother) can pound sand with his nonsense. But the real MVP is the speakeasy attendant who shall remain nameless who’s made a boatload of money off their impulsiveness.

[Kamiye · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/4.5

That was a fun short read. This was my first book by the author (I found the ARC form while doom scrolling on Threads), and of course, I had to read it because it has aliens.

Pick it up for:
Curvy Heroine
Alien MMC (this is a short story so the description is not overly extended)
Protective/Stupid brother (comeeee on, grow up!)
Spice (quite spicy for such a short book)
HEA

Thank you again to the author for the eARC. I had fun reading.

[El Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starhub Speakeasy is a spicy sci-fi novelette set on a spaceship in the Messier galaxy. It has the brother’s best friend and instalove tropes and is such a great read! Highly recommend.