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Executive Power #2
Stars
I have looked to the stars my whole life…
For two years, Sasha Andreyev has been in NASA astronaut training, the final step on his lifelong dream. During that time, he and Russian President Sergey Puchkov have kept their love hidden. But as graduation nears, secrets start to slip, and Sergey makes a dangerous trip to Houston for a weekend with Sasha.
On the heels of their stolen weekend, a Soviet satellite—a relic from the Cold War that should never have existed—launches a devastating attack. An emergency mission is prepared, and NASA’s sole Russian astronaut is tapped to join the Sasha Andreyev.
Go for autosequence start…
Sasha heads for the stars, where he and his crew must neutralize a long lost Soviet weapon before it drops its deadly cargo on America. Someone down below is working against them, someone who wants to bring the satellite—and its weapon—back to Earth.
But Earth's orbit is hiding more than one secret history wanted to bury forever.
Soviet ghosts are supposed to stay dead…
How much will Sasha—and Sergey—sacrifice to save the world… again?
For two years, Sasha Andreyev has been in NASA astronaut training, the final step on his lifelong dream. During that time, he and Russian President Sergey Puchkov have kept their love hidden. But as graduation nears, secrets start to slip, and Sergey makes a dangerous trip to Houston for a weekend with Sasha.
On the heels of their stolen weekend, a Soviet satellite—a relic from the Cold War that should never have existed—launches a devastating attack. An emergency mission is prepared, and NASA’s sole Russian astronaut is tapped to join the Sasha Andreyev.
Go for autosequence start…
Sasha heads for the stars, where he and his crew must neutralize a long lost Soviet weapon before it drops its deadly cargo on America. Someone down below is working against them, someone who wants to bring the satellite—and its weapon—back to Earth.
But Earth's orbit is hiding more than one secret history wanted to bury forever.
Soviet ghosts are supposed to stay dead…
How much will Sasha—and Sergey—sacrifice to save the world… again?
516 pages, Paperback
First published November 21, 2019
83 people are currently reading
708 people want to read
About the author
Tal Bauer
27 books5,721 followersTal Bauer writes breathtaking, heartfelt, and often action-packed gay romance novels. His characters are head over heels for each other and fight against all odds for their happy ending. Nothing stands in the way of love. Tal is best known for his romantic suspense novels, including the Executive Office series, The Murder Between Us, The Grave Between Us, The Night of, and his MM sports romance, The Jock.
Website - www.talbauerwrites.com
Amazon Author - http://amazon.com/author/talbauer
Instagram - @TalBauerWrites
Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/f1fd8baec198/talba...
Website - www.talbauerwrites.com
Amazon Author - http://amazon.com/author/talbauer
Instagram - @TalBauerWrites
Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/f1fd8baec198/talba...
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
April 24, 2022
I have no words for what this story is.
The sheer intensity of the plot.
The level of research this must have taken Tal to do.
The romance... GAWD the romance in this book.. I never thought Sergey and Sasha would steal my heart the way they did in this book. Their love transcends time and space. It was heartbreakimg to see what they went though. For Sergey, the Russian president, to say that he would choose Sasha over Russia was so powerful. And he wasn't all talk. He actually did it. His heart belonged to Sasha and he gave it freely.
Sasha... he was adorable with Sergey, powerful in space and childish with Kilaqqi.
Kilaqqi.... what a powerhouse of a character. His spirituality was so tangible. His love for Sasha had no border. Amazing character all around.
The cameos: Jack and Ethan...Levi Ilya and Scott it was a joy to read about them again.
Sure you have to suspend belief on some of it... but from what I've seen of humanity? What happened on this book isn't really that far-fetched.
I read somewhere that Humanity is a blight on Earth. I totally agree with this assessment. Power, money and Greed rule this world and Tal encompasses all of this in this book.
The sheer intensity of the plot.
The level of research this must have taken Tal to do.
The romance... GAWD the romance in this book.. I never thought Sergey and Sasha would steal my heart the way they did in this book. Their love transcends time and space. It was heartbreakimg to see what they went though. For Sergey, the Russian president, to say that he would choose Sasha over Russia was so powerful. And he wasn't all talk. He actually did it. His heart belonged to Sasha and he gave it freely.
Sasha... he was adorable with Sergey, powerful in space and childish with Kilaqqi.
Kilaqqi.... what a powerhouse of a character. His spirituality was so tangible. His love for Sasha had no border. Amazing character all around.
The cameos: Jack and Ethan...Levi Ilya and Scott it was a joy to read about them again.
Sure you have to suspend belief on some of it... but from what I've seen of humanity? What happened on this book isn't really that far-fetched.
I read somewhere that Humanity is a blight on Earth. I totally agree with this assessment. Power, money and Greed rule this world and Tal encompasses all of this in this book.
May 14, 2024
05/14/2024 reread
07/15/2023 reread
6/11/2022 reread.
7/3/2021 reread. This was a new level of intense and macabre and I loved it!!! Oh, the feels here were incredible!
I didn't think there was a chance for the author to top the level of angst from the first book, but oh-em-effing-gee it was more intense, more thrilling and just more more more. I loved all the NASA everyday situations, their flight into space and all the lingo tickled me pink. Sasha and Sergey are so in love, so passionate and so sincere that I melted and sighed all through their scenes together. What made this book absolutely fantastic for me was the second part and avalanche of wteffery that Tal Bauer unleashed on the pages. Wow, I do love scary stories on occasion but this was something else. I loved the detailed gore and spewage both literal and figurative. I loved the political intrigue that reached the darkest corners of space. The emotions ran so high and were at times overwhelming. The author took his men to the brink and back. Reading about astronauts made think of the amount of courage and the balls of steel they have to do their job.
Many small things from Ascendant were connected and finally made sense. I am happy to say that Jack and Ethan returned and joined forces with those who needed help. There were some big surprises that I loved to have encountered and there were moments that I saw coming. I enjoyed them all. When everything reached a boiling point I honestly got scared for the guys. It was extreme. But I loved how the author concluded the story. Nothing was left unexplained, despite the carnage there was a silver lining in all that happened for most everyone involved. I enjoyed the story, the plot twists and the characters that deserved this story to be told. I am glad I started reading Tal Bauer's works. Can't get enough. I highly recommend it!
07/15/2023 reread
6/11/2022 reread.
7/3/2021 reread. This was a new level of intense and macabre and I loved it!!! Oh, the feels here were incredible!
I didn't think there was a chance for the author to top the level of angst from the first book, but oh-em-effing-gee it was more intense, more thrilling and just more more more. I loved all the NASA everyday situations, their flight into space and all the lingo tickled me pink. Sasha and Sergey are so in love, so passionate and so sincere that I melted and sighed all through their scenes together. What made this book absolutely fantastic for me was the second part and avalanche of wteffery that Tal Bauer unleashed on the pages. Wow, I do love scary stories on occasion but this was something else. I loved the detailed gore and spewage both literal and figurative. I loved the political intrigue that reached the darkest corners of space. The emotions ran so high and were at times overwhelming. The author took his men to the brink and back. Reading about astronauts made think of the amount of courage and the balls of steel they have to do their job.
Many small things from Ascendant were connected and finally made sense. I am happy to say that Jack and Ethan returned and joined forces with those who needed help. There were some big surprises that I loved to have encountered and there were moments that I saw coming. I enjoyed them all. When everything reached a boiling point I honestly got scared for the guys. It was extreme. But I loved how the author concluded the story. Nothing was left unexplained, despite the carnage there was a silver lining in all that happened for most everyone involved. I enjoyed the story, the plot twists and the characters that deserved this story to be told. I am glad I started reading Tal Bauer's works. Can't get enough. I highly recommend it!
December 10, 2019
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.75 stars
This book is intense for many reasons, but the ultimate reason is the writing that author Tal Bauer has infused into every scene. Stars picks up after Ascendent in The Executive Power series, which is a spin off from The Executive Office series. Jack and Ethan are strong side characters here and while this book definitely should be read after Ascendent, knowing the entire history certainly makes this book work so much for the better.
The love story between Sasha and Sergey is already solid and there is never a doubt that these two will be together as long as they both shall live. However, they both certainly thought they would have many years together and this mission threatens to compromise that in ways they could never comprehend. The love story between these two is unique to what is found most often in this genre as it has a spiritual vibe of a love story written in the stars. The love between Sasha and Sergey is a strong component of the story, but the mission is also the focus.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
4.75 stars
This book is intense for many reasons, but the ultimate reason is the writing that author Tal Bauer has infused into every scene. Stars picks up after Ascendent in The Executive Power series, which is a spin off from The Executive Office series. Jack and Ethan are strong side characters here and while this book definitely should be read after Ascendent, knowing the entire history certainly makes this book work so much for the better.
The love story between Sasha and Sergey is already solid and there is never a doubt that these two will be together as long as they both shall live. However, they both certainly thought they would have many years together and this mission threatens to compromise that in ways they could never comprehend. The love story between these two is unique to what is found most often in this genre as it has a spiritual vibe of a love story written in the stars. The love between Sasha and Sergey is a strong component of the story, but the mission is also the focus.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
December 6, 2019
4.5 stars!
Wow, what a ride this was. Bauer always always is able to take us on these wild rides, that are somewhat fantastical but also still kind of rooted somewhat in reality?
Like, okay, the scary shit that happens in this is that there's a biologically mutated virus that can....basically wipe out the entire planet, and it is man made, something use for biological warfare, so all our heroes, especially Sergey and Sasha, have to stop it from landing on earth in a way that...it would basically be the apocalypse, essentially.
And on the space station that Sasha is on for the majority of this book, fellow astronauts infected with this horrible, deadly virus...some can basically turn into zombies, basically, so that is very apocalypse-ish.
Except, this is all with a man made virus...that honestly, it isn't impossible for this to ever happen. Although if a virus quite like this can ever be made, who knows, but biological warfare is a thing that exists in this world, so...not completely in the realm of sci-fi all the sudden or anything like that. But pretty close.
So I gave .5 off because it was a little bit of a slow start for me, and sometimes Bauer can include a LOT of info - important for later on, definitely - but the info dumps can be kinda boring, tbh...or the parts that talk really in detail about military bases or astronaut things...or anything under the sun that us ordinary folk do not understand lol.
But then this really started to pick up. I think there was a ton of romance in this even though Sasha and Sergey were separated for a lot of this book. But they were always thinking of each other, always thinking about how much they loved each other. They both had several paragraphs-long internal thoughts about the other or memories of the other and it was incredibly sweet and wonderful and amazing, and their love throughout this, even when things were horrible, was amazing.
And this novel gets major points for me because I feel like it kind of pushed me over the last hurdle of truly loving this couple. I've enjoyed them in the past and I've never hated them or anything like that, but I'd never felt like I truly loved them, and they were my least favorite couple from this series. I think in big part was because of just how stand-offish Sasha was with Sergey and how scared he was of anyone knowing about them, how scared he was of loving himself and Sergey.
And while I understood where Sasha was coming from...it didn't make feel any less frustrated with him. I also felt that Sergey was all in and Sasha always had one foot out the door in some ways. Even when he went through his whole weird spiritual journey...while he was ready to accept himself and be with Sergey, he still wasn't ready to be out and even in the beginning of this novel he still had a very big fear of people knowing about him, and about Sergey.
But this book really did make me love these two. Sasha got to such a good place in this book - even though....it kinda took him going to outer space to get there .
These two were truly the focal point of this book. (Ethan and Jack, my faves, were in this, but we didn't get to really see any romance or anything with them, which is unfortunate :() Their love was the center of the story, really, and it flowed throughout the pages.
The plot was really quite exciting too, all said and done. Also scary as fuck too, but still a crazy ride. I couldn't put this down for the last half last night once it really got going on everything.
Also, these two ended up in the perfect place for each other, and I hope this is truly their HEA and they get to live their lives happily and peacefully (relatively...) together. They definitely deserve it.
I was so so happy with this book, what a wild ride. Definitely worth a read if you've loved this series as well. Definitely solidified my love of this couple, when I hadn't before (and that even made me a tad reluctant to read this. But I needn't have been.)
I also can't wait for the next book, which is hopefully focus on Adam and Faisal *crosses fingers* we barely got them in the little short stories Tal released, so I definitely want a book focused on them and their love, for sure. <3
On to the next!
Wow, what a ride this was. Bauer always always is able to take us on these wild rides, that are somewhat fantastical but also still kind of rooted somewhat in reality?
Like, okay, the scary shit that happens in this is that there's a biologically mutated virus that can....basically wipe out the entire planet, and it is man made, something use for biological warfare, so all our heroes, especially Sergey and Sasha, have to stop it from landing on earth in a way that...it would basically be the apocalypse, essentially.
And on the space station that Sasha is on for the majority of this book, fellow astronauts infected with this horrible, deadly virus...some can basically turn into zombies, basically, so that is very apocalypse-ish.
Except, this is all with a man made virus...that honestly, it isn't impossible for this to ever happen. Although if a virus quite like this can ever be made, who knows, but biological warfare is a thing that exists in this world, so...not completely in the realm of sci-fi all the sudden or anything like that. But pretty close.
So I gave .5 off because it was a little bit of a slow start for me, and sometimes Bauer can include a LOT of info - important for later on, definitely - but the info dumps can be kinda boring, tbh...or the parts that talk really in detail about military bases or astronaut things...or anything under the sun that us ordinary folk do not understand lol.
But then this really started to pick up. I think there was a ton of romance in this even though Sasha and Sergey were separated for a lot of this book. But they were always thinking of each other, always thinking about how much they loved each other. They both had several paragraphs-long internal thoughts about the other or memories of the other and it was incredibly sweet and wonderful and amazing, and their love throughout this, even when things were horrible, was amazing.
And this novel gets major points for me because I feel like it kind of pushed me over the last hurdle of truly loving this couple. I've enjoyed them in the past and I've never hated them or anything like that, but I'd never felt like I truly loved them, and they were my least favorite couple from this series. I think in big part was because of just how stand-offish Sasha was with Sergey and how scared he was of anyone knowing about them, how scared he was of loving himself and Sergey.
And while I understood where Sasha was coming from...it didn't make feel any less frustrated with him. I also felt that Sergey was all in and Sasha always had one foot out the door in some ways. Even when he went through his whole weird spiritual journey...while he was ready to accept himself and be with Sergey, he still wasn't ready to be out and even in the beginning of this novel he still had a very big fear of people knowing about him, and about Sergey.
But this book really did make me love these two. Sasha got to such a good place in this book - even though....it kinda took him going to outer space to get there .
These two were truly the focal point of this book. (Ethan and Jack, my faves, were in this, but we didn't get to really see any romance or anything with them, which is unfortunate :() Their love was the center of the story, really, and it flowed throughout the pages.
The plot was really quite exciting too, all said and done. Also scary as fuck too, but still a crazy ride. I couldn't put this down for the last half last night once it really got going on everything.
Also, these two ended up in the perfect place for each other, and I hope this is truly their HEA and they get to live their lives happily and peacefully (relatively...) together. They definitely deserve it.
I was so so happy with this book, what a wild ride. Definitely worth a read if you've loved this series as well. Definitely solidified my love of this couple, when I hadn't before (and that even made me a tad reluctant to read this. But I needn't have been.)
I also can't wait for the next book, which is hopefully focus on Adam and Faisal *crosses fingers* we barely got them in the little short stories Tal released, so I definitely want a book focused on them and their love, for sure. <3
On to the next!
January 20, 2020
4,5 stars
Can you call in sick to work from a book-hangover? You know that punch-drunk feeling you get after finishing a great book? Especially a long one with lots going on, where the intensity just keeps building until you might explode from the pressure? Well, that’s me right now. My mind is fried from everything that happened in this book, yet somehow I still need to be somewhat coherent and write a review.
Tal Bauer has done it again. Once again he delivered one incredible book. It’s well crafted, with layers upon layers details, plots and subplots and players. I also want to say flawless writing, but honestly I wouldn’t have the first clue if it was or not. I was too preoccupied with the story to pay any kind of attention to Bauer’s writing, but that in itself is also a sign of great talent. I was truly swept away in this crazy adventure, my pulse raced, tears leaked and my eyes shone with happiness and love.
His books are never what you’d call a light read. I mean the size alone of this one tells you that, but the subject matters even more so. Most of his stories are very political, this series included. And it’s not just one county’s politics, it’s the world’s, the push and pull, how one decision leads to a reaction, partnerships formed and broken and the myriad and myriads of agendas. It’s enough to have my mind spinning for a week and be very glad I never ventured into politics. But enough about that.
For the past two years Sasha has been at NASA in training and he’s finally about to graduate the program. He’s put everything he has into his training, into learning and absorbing everything he possibly can, in the hopes of one day fulfilling his dream; travelling out in space. He’s still struggling with himself and his sexuality. He loves Sergey, but he also loves the stars, being an astronaut. He can’t imagine a world where he’d be allowed to have them both, and choosing might shatter him.
Not long after graduation, and old, believed to be dead satellite becomes active – too active – nuclear active. Sasha and some of his new-found friends are tasked to go up and deactivate it in a highly dangerous mission. What they find poses an even bigger threat than they ever could imagine and it has the power to wipe out most of mankind. People on earth across the globe are scrambling for answers, solutions – and we even meet some old friends; Jack and Ethan.
Stars was an incredible story, a bit slow in the take-off, but now I can appreciate that after the sheer intensity for the rest of it. At times this book almost had this apocalyptic, zombie attack feeling to it and personally it was a bit much for me, but it also kind of fit the doomsday narrative these guys always seem to find themselves in. Bauer is very detailed and descriptive in his narration so sensitive readers might get a nightmare or to from reading, but it was well worth it.
Highly recommended to anyone that have followed these guys though hell and back.
A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
Can you call in sick to work from a book-hangover? You know that punch-drunk feeling you get after finishing a great book? Especially a long one with lots going on, where the intensity just keeps building until you might explode from the pressure? Well, that’s me right now. My mind is fried from everything that happened in this book, yet somehow I still need to be somewhat coherent and write a review.
Tal Bauer has done it again. Once again he delivered one incredible book. It’s well crafted, with layers upon layers details, plots and subplots and players. I also want to say flawless writing, but honestly I wouldn’t have the first clue if it was or not. I was too preoccupied with the story to pay any kind of attention to Bauer’s writing, but that in itself is also a sign of great talent. I was truly swept away in this crazy adventure, my pulse raced, tears leaked and my eyes shone with happiness and love.
His books are never what you’d call a light read. I mean the size alone of this one tells you that, but the subject matters even more so. Most of his stories are very political, this series included. And it’s not just one county’s politics, it’s the world’s, the push and pull, how one decision leads to a reaction, partnerships formed and broken and the myriad and myriads of agendas. It’s enough to have my mind spinning for a week and be very glad I never ventured into politics. But enough about that.
For the past two years Sasha has been at NASA in training and he’s finally about to graduate the program. He’s put everything he has into his training, into learning and absorbing everything he possibly can, in the hopes of one day fulfilling his dream; travelling out in space. He’s still struggling with himself and his sexuality. He loves Sergey, but he also loves the stars, being an astronaut. He can’t imagine a world where he’d be allowed to have them both, and choosing might shatter him.
I’m flying home to you.
Not long after graduation, and old, believed to be dead satellite becomes active – too active – nuclear active. Sasha and some of his new-found friends are tasked to go up and deactivate it in a highly dangerous mission. What they find poses an even bigger threat than they ever could imagine and it has the power to wipe out most of mankind. People on earth across the globe are scrambling for answers, solutions – and we even meet some old friends; Jack and Ethan.
Stars was an incredible story, a bit slow in the take-off, but now I can appreciate that after the sheer intensity for the rest of it. At times this book almost had this apocalyptic, zombie attack feeling to it and personally it was a bit much for me, but it also kind of fit the doomsday narrative these guys always seem to find themselves in. Bauer is very detailed and descriptive in his narration so sensitive readers might get a nightmare or to from reading, but it was well worth it.
Highly recommended to anyone that have followed these guys though hell and back.
A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
October 30, 2022
This book is classified. It’s not safe to read it or to talk about it. You did not hear about this book from me.
September 7, 2023
Whoa only Tal could juggle so many plot lines and have them all intersect perfectly. This was a masterclass in how to write a suspenseful book. Damn. I was on the edge of my seat for over 500 pages. That is very difficult to do.
Jack and Ethan are back and helping Sergey and Sasha one more. Sasha finally makes it to space but it comes at a very steep cost.
NASA must disarm a nuclear bomb while in space plus the plague is unleashed on the ISS. Everything that could go wrong did. Yikes. Those were some intense moments.
In the end, the world is saved AGAIN. I still want more books with these characters. What adventures await Jack, Ethan, Sasha and Sergey?
Jack and Ethan are back and helping Sergey and Sasha one more. Sasha finally makes it to space but it comes at a very steep cost.
NASA must disarm a nuclear bomb while in space plus the plague is unleashed on the ISS. Everything that could go wrong did. Yikes. Those were some intense moments.
In the end, the world is saved AGAIN. I still want more books with these characters. What adventures await Jack, Ethan, Sasha and Sergey?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2021
Ho trovato una gioia ma veramente piccola😂😅
February 25, 2025
Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.
Your love is imprinted on this universe, in all its intricacies, all its perfections, its imperfections, all the ways it twists and turns. And when you reach the end of time, your love will still be there with you. Because he is of you, and you are of him.
How do you even review something as huge and epic as this book? The whole series and Sasha and Sergey’s journey has been filled with challenges, heartbreak, incredibly strong love, spiritual journeys, literal space adventures, and so much more. Even the cast of characters is huge and epic, with so many beloved people showing up again and again.
Sasha and Sergey’s love story started during the Executive Office series (remember to read that first), and it positively ripped my heart out. I didn’t think there was any way they could have a happy ending. A lot of hurts were healed in Ascendent, and it became clear that these men were pretty much soulmates. Which is probably why I struggled in the beginning of this book. That is in large parts because of me projecting my own feelings and insecurities on the MCs. The kind of long distance situation they’ve got going on would wreck me. It’s slowly wrecking Sergey and Sasha as well, but they know it’s not forever, and it’s giving Sasha his dream. It’s all worth it in the end.
How, after billions of years, had he been graced with a life entwined with Sergey’s, given seconds and minutes and days and hours and years to love him?
Not long after all of the relationship-related pain, the action kicks in and you won’t have time to worry about any long-distance trouble. I really loved watching the various loose threads slowly come together and finally explain everything going on. It was so fucking neat and well done, and it made me happy.
The book is also magically graphic, gory and violent, and I fucking loved it. The best, most gruesome scenes made me smile because it was so well written.
Again. This book and the couple’s entire story is so epic and I can’t possibly recommend it enough. So happy I finally read this.
Kissing Sergey was touching the stars, losing gravity’s hold on his soul.
Picking quotes for this review made me cry.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Established couple
Astronaut MC
Space travel
President of Russia
Suspense & action
Long-distance relationship
Age gap
Thriller
Political thriller
Hard-fought HEA
Soulmates
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Gun violence
Themes of terrorism
Alcohol consumption
Mention of mass murders (off page, past)
Graphic corpse details
Themes of biological warfare
Vomiting
On-page autopsy
Graphic gory details
MC sedated by SC (panic attack)
Medical emergency
Death of side characters (on page, traumatic and graphic)
SC shot on page
Homophobia (societal and individual)
MCs forcibly outed against their will
Homophobic slurs
Injured and sick MC
Non-explicit sexual content
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, multi
Genre: Romantic suspense
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 34 and 54
Series: Duology, connected series
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 512
Happy ending: Yes
Sergey blew a toothpaste kiss at the screen and bent to spit. “And I came out.” Sergey froze. Sasha had the brain-splittingly annoying habit of blurting out gigantic news at the most inopportune time, with no preparation and no forewarning.
Sasha opened his eyes. He nodded, a hopefully miserable twist to his face. It was a uniquely Sasha expression that was the closest to a pout Sergey had ever seen on his lover. As if Sasha didn’t know how to be optimistic—he tried, but he could only imagine everything that could go wrong.
I will return to you, Seryozha. I will return to you in any way I can, even if that is only dust and atoms when my orbit decays and I fracture apart, my body burning through the sky as my soul tumbles free. I will gather my ashes and bring them down to you, wipe your tears and kiss your lips with what is left of me. And I will nestle in your hands and live there for the rest of your life. Until you are dust once more and we are together again, our particles conjoined until they are one.
*sobs uncontrollably*
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?...
Your love is imprinted on this universe, in all its intricacies, all its perfections, its imperfections, all the ways it twists and turns. And when you reach the end of time, your love will still be there with you. Because he is of you, and you are of him.
How do you even review something as huge and epic as this book? The whole series and Sasha and Sergey’s journey has been filled with challenges, heartbreak, incredibly strong love, spiritual journeys, literal space adventures, and so much more. Even the cast of characters is huge and epic, with so many beloved people showing up again and again.
Sasha and Sergey’s love story started during the Executive Office series (remember to read that first), and it positively ripped my heart out. I didn’t think there was any way they could have a happy ending. A lot of hurts were healed in Ascendent, and it became clear that these men were pretty much soulmates. Which is probably why I struggled in the beginning of this book. That is in large parts because of me projecting my own feelings and insecurities on the MCs. The kind of long distance situation they’ve got going on would wreck me. It’s slowly wrecking Sergey and Sasha as well, but they know it’s not forever, and it’s giving Sasha his dream. It’s all worth it in the end.
How, after billions of years, had he been graced with a life entwined with Sergey’s, given seconds and minutes and days and hours and years to love him?
Not long after all of the relationship-related pain, the action kicks in and you won’t have time to worry about any long-distance trouble. I really loved watching the various loose threads slowly come together and finally explain everything going on. It was so fucking neat and well done, and it made me happy.
The book is also magically graphic, gory and violent, and I fucking loved it. The best, most gruesome scenes made me smile because it was so well written.
Again. This book and the couple’s entire story is so epic and I can’t possibly recommend it enough. So happy I finally read this.
Kissing Sergey was touching the stars, losing gravity’s hold on his soul.
Picking quotes for this review made me cry.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Established couple
Astronaut MC
Space travel
President of Russia
Suspense & action
Long-distance relationship
Age gap
Thriller
Political thriller
Hard-fought HEA
Soulmates
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Gun violence
Themes of terrorism
Alcohol consumption
Mention of mass murders (off page, past)
Graphic corpse details
Themes of biological warfare
Vomiting
On-page autopsy
Graphic gory details
MC sedated by SC (panic attack)
Medical emergency
Death of side characters (on page, traumatic and graphic)
SC shot on page
Homophobia (societal and individual)
MCs forcibly outed against their will
Homophobic slurs
Injured and sick MC
Non-explicit sexual content
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, multi
Genre: Romantic suspense
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 34 and 54
Series: Duology, connected series
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 512
Happy ending: Yes
Sergey blew a toothpaste kiss at the screen and bent to spit. “And I came out.” Sergey froze. Sasha had the brain-splittingly annoying habit of blurting out gigantic news at the most inopportune time, with no preparation and no forewarning.
Sasha opened his eyes. He nodded, a hopefully miserable twist to his face. It was a uniquely Sasha expression that was the closest to a pout Sergey had ever seen on his lover. As if Sasha didn’t know how to be optimistic—he tried, but he could only imagine everything that could go wrong.
I will return to you, Seryozha. I will return to you in any way I can, even if that is only dust and atoms when my orbit decays and I fracture apart, my body burning through the sky as my soul tumbles free. I will gather my ashes and bring them down to you, wipe your tears and kiss your lips with what is left of me. And I will nestle in your hands and live there for the rest of your life. Until you are dust once more and we are together again, our particles conjoined until they are one.
*sobs uncontrollably*
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?...
August 14, 2020
More excitement from our future !
Tal Bauer is a magnificent writer ! We get breathtaking descriptions, lyrical language, marvelous thoughts, extreme science and technology, with stunning scenarios. You will hold your breath, get tears-eyed, and you will be transported.
A futuristic, adventure filled tale, including Sci-Fi fantasy with many thrills. Our guys were in Enemy of My Enemy in Tal’s “State” series.
Sasha the Astronaut and Sergei the President of Russia, plus Ethan and Jack’s team are on a new mission. Two major issues are in their focus; the illegal satellite launch from Russia, and the fierce and fatal biochemical warfare agent that’s loose.
Jack and Ethan are in Siberia, where they are discovering shocking scenes. Sasha is on the ISS, International Space Station, and after finding the rogue satellite, the astronauts are compromised.
What will happen to Sasha? What will anyone be able to do about the spreading contagion? Chaos is closing in on land and in space.
This superb thriller, and edge-of-your-seat ride, will be everything you could want. Of course there is everything in between; sex, deep thoughts, evil and humanity.
Highly recommended !
ENJOY !
======<\strong>
Tal Bauer is a magnificent writer ! We get breathtaking descriptions, lyrical language, marvelous thoughts, extreme science and technology, with stunning scenarios. You will hold your breath, get tears-eyed, and you will be transported.
A futuristic, adventure filled tale, including Sci-Fi fantasy with many thrills. Our guys were in Enemy of My Enemy in Tal’s “State” series.
Sasha the Astronaut and Sergei the President of Russia, plus Ethan and Jack’s team are on a new mission. Two major issues are in their focus; the illegal satellite launch from Russia, and the fierce and fatal biochemical warfare agent that’s loose.
Jack and Ethan are in Siberia, where they are discovering shocking scenes. Sasha is on the ISS, International Space Station, and after finding the rogue satellite, the astronauts are compromised.
What will happen to Sasha? What will anyone be able to do about the spreading contagion? Chaos is closing in on land and in space.
This superb thriller, and edge-of-your-seat ride, will be everything you could want. Of course there is everything in between; sex, deep thoughts, evil and humanity.
Highly recommended !
ENJOY !
======<\strong>
October 12, 2023
Space, they said, was empty, but in that moment Sasha knew they were wrong. This darkness had weight.
(DEUTSCH WEITER UNTEN)
The book starts slowly and turned into a space horror trip that I didn’t expect. Holy heck, that was intense!
And it was so different from book one of „Executive Power“. Of course there were strong metaphors and images in the language from time to time, but this book was much closer to other Tal Bauer books. And it was violent and intense and if I hadn’t cut my fingernails just a few days ago, I probably would have chewed them off!
I liked that although Sergey and Sasha are also very soft, we didn’t see them throwing compliments and endearments at each other all the time. Why? Because they just weren’t in the same place for most of the book. xD
But hey, that didn’t bother me at all, because the plot was so intense and cruel that anything else would have ruined it.
So if you were put off by the first „Executive Power“ book and didn’t want to read on, you should really reconsider. This book was incredibly good!
I could hardly take breaks after all the shit kicked into high gear because it was claustrophobic, dark, creepy, uncertain and just disgusting. It was human, because only humans can dream up shit like what happened in this book.
The ending was of course „uhlala“ again, but I liked it so much.
I don’t even have words ... my eyes are still burning from all the crying and I’m slightly sick.
Wonderful!
(DEUTSCH)
Das Buch find langsam an und hat sich zu einem Space Horror Trip entwickelt, den ich nicht erwartet hatte. Holy heck, das war intense!
Und es war so ganz anders, als Buch eins von „Executive Power“. Natürlich gab es auch diesmal von Zeit zu Zeit starke Metaphern und Bilder in der Sprache, aber dieses Buch war viel näher an anderen Tal Bauer Büchern dran. Und es war heftig und intensiv und hätte ich mir nicht erst die Fingernägel geschnitten, hätte ich sie wahrscheinlich abgekaut!
Ich mochte es, dass obwohl Sergey und Sasha auch sehr soft sind, wir sie nicht die ganze Zeit erlebt haben, wie sie sich Komplimente und Liebe an den Kopf geworfen haben. Warum? Weil sie einfach den Großteil des Buches nicht am selben Ort sein konnten. xD
Aber hey, das hat überhaupt nicht gestört, denn der Plot war so intensiv und grausam, dass alles andere diesen auch kaputtgemacht hätte.
Wer sich also vom ersten „Executive Power“ Buch hat abschrecken lassen und nicht weiterlesen wollte, der sollte sich das echt nochmal überlegen. Dieses Buch war unheimlich gut!
Ich konnte kaum Pausen einlegen, nachdem der ganze Shit richtig fahrt aufgenommen hatte, denn es war klaustrophobisch, dunkel, gruselig, ungewiss und einfach abartig. Es war menschlich, denn nur Menschen können sich so eine Scheiße ausdenken, wie sie in diesem Buch geschehen ist.
Das Ende war natürlich wieder „uhlala“, aber ich mochte es so sehr.
Ich hab gar keine Worte ... meine Augen brennen noch vom ganzen Heulen und mir ist dezent schlecht.
Wundervoll!
(DEUTSCH WEITER UNTEN)
The book starts slowly and turned into a space horror trip that I didn’t expect. Holy heck, that was intense!
And it was so different from book one of „Executive Power“. Of course there were strong metaphors and images in the language from time to time, but this book was much closer to other Tal Bauer books. And it was violent and intense and if I hadn’t cut my fingernails just a few days ago, I probably would have chewed them off!
I liked that although Sergey and Sasha are also very soft, we didn’t see them throwing compliments and endearments at each other all the time. Why? Because they just weren’t in the same place for most of the book. xD
But hey, that didn’t bother me at all, because the plot was so intense and cruel that anything else would have ruined it.
So if you were put off by the first „Executive Power“ book and didn’t want to read on, you should really reconsider. This book was incredibly good!
I could hardly take breaks after all the shit kicked into high gear because it was claustrophobic, dark, creepy, uncertain and just disgusting. It was human, because only humans can dream up shit like what happened in this book.
The ending was of course „uhlala“ again, but I liked it so much.
I don’t even have words ... my eyes are still burning from all the crying and I’m slightly sick.
Wonderful!
(DEUTSCH)
Das Buch find langsam an und hat sich zu einem Space Horror Trip entwickelt, den ich nicht erwartet hatte. Holy heck, das war intense!
Und es war so ganz anders, als Buch eins von „Executive Power“. Natürlich gab es auch diesmal von Zeit zu Zeit starke Metaphern und Bilder in der Sprache, aber dieses Buch war viel näher an anderen Tal Bauer Büchern dran. Und es war heftig und intensiv und hätte ich mir nicht erst die Fingernägel geschnitten, hätte ich sie wahrscheinlich abgekaut!
Ich mochte es, dass obwohl Sergey und Sasha auch sehr soft sind, wir sie nicht die ganze Zeit erlebt haben, wie sie sich Komplimente und Liebe an den Kopf geworfen haben. Warum? Weil sie einfach den Großteil des Buches nicht am selben Ort sein konnten. xD
Aber hey, das hat überhaupt nicht gestört, denn der Plot war so intensiv und grausam, dass alles andere diesen auch kaputtgemacht hätte.
Wer sich also vom ersten „Executive Power“ Buch hat abschrecken lassen und nicht weiterlesen wollte, der sollte sich das echt nochmal überlegen. Dieses Buch war unheimlich gut!
Ich konnte kaum Pausen einlegen, nachdem der ganze Shit richtig fahrt aufgenommen hatte, denn es war klaustrophobisch, dunkel, gruselig, ungewiss und einfach abartig. Es war menschlich, denn nur Menschen können sich so eine Scheiße ausdenken, wie sie in diesem Buch geschehen ist.
Das Ende war natürlich wieder „uhlala“, aber ich mochte es so sehr.
Ich hab gar keine Worte ... meine Augen brennen noch vom ganzen Heulen und mir ist dezent schlecht.
Wundervoll!
November 24, 2019
Stars is breathtaking. I’m utterly speechless, I devoured this book whole and for the first time ever I immediately started re reading it.
'For a moment, a fraction of time, their souls seemed to slip, slide free of their bodies and merge. Atoms joining, dancing around each other in joyous orbits, reunited for an instant since their separation at the formation of the solar system. Sergey felt, in a breath, everything of Sasha, all the parts and pieces that built him, formed out of the same quarks and gluons and protons and neutrons that built Sergey. Two bodies and one soul, split at the start of time, forever seeking out their other half and trying to recombine, make their lives whole once more'
5 extremely sparkly, blindingly bright stars for ..... Stars. If I could give it more I would.
'He loved Sergey like he loved the stars. Sergey’s soul was wound with his, streaked with moonlight and made of atoms from the beginning of time. He’d carried Sergey’s soul home in his heart'
For those who fell in love with Tal Bauer’s writing in the Executive Office series this book is for you. It’s Tal Bauer at his brilliant best. This in essence is the story of Sergey and Sasha, but it’s so so much more than that. There’s a plethora of wonderful and complex secondary characters that make this book truly ‘out of this world’. There's the characters we have met before and already fallen in love with, the characters we have briefly met previously and brand new characters, this book is full of an interesting and intricately written cast.
'Sergey had it all wrong. The happiest day of his life wasn’t the day he launched into space. It was the morning he woke in Sergey’s arms . And the afternoon they spent laughing together, and the evenings over dinner, the nights they lay in bed, sometimes making love, sometimes just holding each other close. And then it was the next day, and the day after that, a lifetime of perfect days in an imperfect world— their universe, their world orbiting a joy that was theirs alone.'
The story telling is as ever impeccable. As I have come to expect from a Bauer book there’s breathtaking descriptive writing and edge of your seat angst and mayhem throughout. It’s all written so seamlessly you can’t help but get totally immersed in the world he has created here. There’s some truly heart stopping moments within this book, moments where I couldn’t for the life of me predict what would happen next and I just ADORE a story like that. Tal’s ability to rip your heart out one moment then have you crying tears of joy the next is nothing short of magnificent.
“I told you once before. In a choice between Russia and you, I pick you. I will always pick you.”
I know I have said it many times before but i can’t write this review without bringing it up again. Aside from Tal’s unrivalled writing beauty, the level of detail throughout this book is outstanding and for me is what sets Tal apart. The depth of research needed to write this book as intricately as he has is quite literally exceptional. You’re not just reading an enthralling story but feel that you are actually learning about the world and beyond.
'His happiness lived inside Sergey, in the same place Sergey kept Sasha’s heart and part of his soul'
Sergey and Sasha in particular have always intrigued me and I fell in love with them both from Executive Office. But having their own books (Ascendant and now Stars) I really feel I’ve been able to explore the depths and nuances of each of them. Not just their relationship but them as individuals and it was such a pleasure to read their story and witness them grow and develop.
'Without Sasha, how could his world continue? How could a man live without his soul? The world was a held breath, the clench of a gut, waiting for impact. Come back to me, Sashunya. Come home'
Now. Jack and Ethan. Our first loves. No spoilers but I am so happy to report they make an appearance in this book. I adored catching up with them and I cannot help but feel Tal Bauer is not finished with these two yet! Part of me wants them to sail off in to retirement and for Tal to leave them well alone but the other part of me wants more more more!
“Forever,” Sasha whispered, “is only our beginning.”
This is a truly marvellous book. A remarkably written story of love, adversity and strength. It’s about friendship, love and the bonds we create and cultivate with each other. You will not be able to put this book down, and why would you want to?
'For a moment, a fraction of time, their souls seemed to slip, slide free of their bodies and merge. Atoms joining, dancing around each other in joyous orbits, reunited for an instant since their separation at the formation of the solar system. Sergey felt, in a breath, everything of Sasha, all the parts and pieces that built him, formed out of the same quarks and gluons and protons and neutrons that built Sergey. Two bodies and one soul, split at the start of time, forever seeking out their other half and trying to recombine, make their lives whole once more'
5 extremely sparkly, blindingly bright stars for ..... Stars. If I could give it more I would.
'He loved Sergey like he loved the stars. Sergey’s soul was wound with his, streaked with moonlight and made of atoms from the beginning of time. He’d carried Sergey’s soul home in his heart'
For those who fell in love with Tal Bauer’s writing in the Executive Office series this book is for you. It’s Tal Bauer at his brilliant best. This in essence is the story of Sergey and Sasha, but it’s so so much more than that. There’s a plethora of wonderful and complex secondary characters that make this book truly ‘out of this world’. There's the characters we have met before and already fallen in love with, the characters we have briefly met previously and brand new characters, this book is full of an interesting and intricately written cast.
'Sergey had it all wrong. The happiest day of his life wasn’t the day he launched into space. It was the morning he woke in Sergey’s arms . And the afternoon they spent laughing together, and the evenings over dinner, the nights they lay in bed, sometimes making love, sometimes just holding each other close. And then it was the next day, and the day after that, a lifetime of perfect days in an imperfect world— their universe, their world orbiting a joy that was theirs alone.'
The story telling is as ever impeccable. As I have come to expect from a Bauer book there’s breathtaking descriptive writing and edge of your seat angst and mayhem throughout. It’s all written so seamlessly you can’t help but get totally immersed in the world he has created here. There’s some truly heart stopping moments within this book, moments where I couldn’t for the life of me predict what would happen next and I just ADORE a story like that. Tal’s ability to rip your heart out one moment then have you crying tears of joy the next is nothing short of magnificent.
“I told you once before. In a choice between Russia and you, I pick you. I will always pick you.”
I know I have said it many times before but i can’t write this review without bringing it up again. Aside from Tal’s unrivalled writing beauty, the level of detail throughout this book is outstanding and for me is what sets Tal apart. The depth of research needed to write this book as intricately as he has is quite literally exceptional. You’re not just reading an enthralling story but feel that you are actually learning about the world and beyond.
'His happiness lived inside Sergey, in the same place Sergey kept Sasha’s heart and part of his soul'
Sergey and Sasha in particular have always intrigued me and I fell in love with them both from Executive Office. But having their own books (Ascendant and now Stars) I really feel I’ve been able to explore the depths and nuances of each of them. Not just their relationship but them as individuals and it was such a pleasure to read their story and witness them grow and develop.
'Without Sasha, how could his world continue? How could a man live without his soul? The world was a held breath, the clench of a gut, waiting for impact. Come back to me, Sashunya. Come home'
Now. Jack and Ethan. Our first loves. No spoilers but I am so happy to report they make an appearance in this book. I adored catching up with them and I cannot help but feel Tal Bauer is not finished with these two yet! Part of me wants them to sail off in to retirement and for Tal to leave them well alone but the other part of me wants more more more!
“Forever,” Sasha whispered, “is only our beginning.”
This is a truly marvellous book. A remarkably written story of love, adversity and strength. It’s about friendship, love and the bonds we create and cultivate with each other. You will not be able to put this book down, and why would you want to?
August 31, 2022
honestly, words can't express the absolute emotional roller-coaster that i just experienced.
October 10, 2022
“I would stay with you until the universe goes cold.”
Sasha Andreyev has been with NASA's astronaut training program for two years, becoming an astronaut has been his lifelong dream, he never thought it was even a remote possibility.
I have looked to the stars my whole life…
Between training and being in a secret committed relationship with no other than the Russian President Sergey Puchkov, Sasha is happier than ever before, especially when Sergey manages to spent a weekend with him in Houston, albeit in a bad disguise.
When there is trouble in space, Sasha is part of a mission that needs to dissolve the threat. But than things go massively wrong.
This was a very engaging read, with the stage set in Ascendent.
Sergey is dealing with a Russia that is rapidly falling apart, Sasha is fighting an unknown space enemy but they have powerfull allies fighting with them.
Jack & Ethan are also on the hunt for the Russian terrorist, trying to not only destroy President Sergey Puchkov, but also blackmailing the world.
Tal Bauer, again has weaved a gripping tale that had me engrossed and enjoying every bit of it. I do hope he will write a epilogue one day, where Sasha will be able to visit Kilaqqi, when he becomes a shaman.
Part of the Executive Power Series and must be read in order:
Read Shooting Stars
This series is a spin-off from The Executive Office Series and must be read after these:
June 19, 2023
Ok but this book was so stressful. Sergey and Sasha finally decided they're going to be together and it's a big old secret. Sasha is in the NASA astronaut program and doing well enough to get called up for additional training. They have an extremely sweet moment at Family Day with Sergey incognito of course and bam. Sasha has to go to the international space center and Sergey has to try to figure out how people have his nuclear warhead codes.
Sergey is dealing with all sorts of political mutiny because it's Russia and has his hands full. Then there are biological weapons on the ISS and Sasha can't come home.
I hated that all the work Sergey and Jack did as their time as presidents was immediately undone. I get it but I don't like it. They were both left in dishonor but after six books about these guys, we know it was anything but.
Sergey is dealing with all sorts of political mutiny because it's Russia and has his hands full. Then there are biological weapons on the ISS and Sasha can't come home.
I hated that all the work Sergey and Jack did as their time as presidents was immediately undone. I get it but I don't like it. They were both left in dishonor but after six books about these guys, we know it was anything but.
September 10, 2023
I want to be really clear that my 3 star rating is not a reflection on Sergey and Sasha’s romance, which is absolutely stellar, nor on Tal Bauer’s writing skills which are also stellar. It’s also not a reflection on the outrageously impressive amount of research that Bauer must have done to be able to write this book. It’s just that, like The Enemy Within, the plot is such over-the-top bonkers, brightest-banana-on-the-tree whackadoodle craziness that all my eye-rolling made it hard to stay present in the story.
January 11, 2020
Let me tell you in a nutshell what I did in the first 10 days of January... read the entire Executive series (except Enemies of the State) which probably comes to a few thousand pages! Because a month ago I saw the cover of this book, read the blurb and just had to know what happens with Sasha and Sergey asap. Tal Bauer really blows my mind every single time! I don’t know how I’m going to recover after living in the world of this story for two weeks... oh I know how! By rereading Enemies of the State cause you know, it’s been a couple of years since I finished that book and clearly need a refresher! Bottom line, Tal Bauer is an auto-buy for me and I can’t get enough. Can we please get Doc’s story??
May 18, 2022
“Forever,” Sasha whispered, “is only our beginning.”
What an emotional roller coaster ride this was! Especially if you are as invested in these characters as I am.
Stars picks up 2 years after Ascendent, but I will not talk about any main plot points in this review because there were so many twists and turns, many that I just did not see coming, and it really is best to go in only knowing what is in the blurb. But, out of context and as a warning...
Tal was not kidding when he said he was getting the band back together in his newsletter. All the main characters from the Executive Office series are back: Jack, Ethan, Ilya, Elizabeth, Levi, Scott, Welby, Pete and Kilaqqi. Only Faisal and Adam are missing, though they are mentioned. I was also so happy to see Blake again. He was really the only person in Iowa who even really acknowledged Ethan when he was exiled there at the end of Enemies of the State. Blake has only appeared in the Interlude novella, and it was so nice to see him finally out of Iowa and on Jack and Ethans team. I was also super surprised to see Jack's former press secretary Pete also part of that team and being a complete badass!
Ultimately, whilst the book is technically part of a separate series and primarily Sasha and Sergey’s story, it is also a continuation of Jack and Ethan’s story. Jack and Ethan are an integral part of this book. It cannot be read as a stand alone, and reading the prequel Ascendent is an absolute must.
This book was very reminiscent of movies like Gravity and Alien. Just reading the launch sequence was like watching Apollo 13... your just know SOMETHING is going to go wrong. The whole book read like a movie and I could visualise the whole thing in my head. It genuinely had me on the edge of my seat the whole time and if you thought the stakes were high in the original series, then buckle up, because somehow Tal has managed to raise them even higher.
I went into this book barely trusting any character besides our main MC's. I was suspicious of just about everyone! I was worrying like crazy for Sasha and there were several points where I genuinely thought he was going to die. But, of course, he is a true survivor, and the unwavering desire to get back to Sergey kept him going in the most hopeless of circumstances, and this tenacity even led to him saving another astronauts life.
But in nine days, he was going to be rocketed as far from Sergey as he’d ever been. His heart hammered, his chest hollow and aching, and that old, familiar feeling began to crawl back into Sasha’s soul. Run. Only this time it was different. Run back to Sergey.
Sasha has come a long way since we first met him in the EO series. His character development from then to now is stunning. It's so amazing to see him fully realise how much he deserves Sergey, how much he deserves to love and be loved unconditionally. It's quite something for a character like Sasha, who has spent his whole life looking up to the Stars, desperate to escape Earth and reality, to finally get up to Space and only to wish more than anything to immediately go back to Sergey’s side. Part of Sasha’s life long love for space and the stars, has been because of his need to run away from it all and just disappear. Sasha realising that the one thing he always needed, was right beside him on earth and not up in the stars brought tears to my eyes and every time Sasha said “I’m gay” when coming out to his fellow astronauts, I was so proud of him. He’s come a really REALLY long way.
Thirty years of yearning—of always looking up, of wanting to stand between the sun and the moon and feel starlight on his skin—and now that he was in orbit, the first thing he did was crane his neck and search the Earth for Sergey.
What had Sergey been thinking, encouraging the love of his life to become an astronaut? He didn’t like it when Irina flew to Brussels and left him for a week thirty years ago. What did he think would happen when Sasha left the planet?
On the other hand, Sergey feels a lot more vulnerable here. In Ascendant, Sasha was the one drowning in self doubt and hatred of himself. Now, Sasha is so reassured and happy in his feelings for Sergey, and instead it is Sergey who is the one filled with doubt. Sergey almost drives himself crazy doubting and worrying about whether he can truly have both the Russian presidency and a relationship with Sasha. In the first 25%, Sergey is so confident, and this slowly slips away over the course of the novel to the point where he doesn’t care about the presidency or anything else. All he wants is to be by Sasha’s side, no matter the consequences. Sergey has a really hard time in this book.
Whose brilliant idea was it to have Sasha chase his damn dreams? Who thought it would be good for Sasha to be an astronaut? It was supposed to be his goodbye gift. Sasha was supposed to find his happiness in space, away from Sergey.
Family Weekend at NASA was one of my favourite moments of the whole book, and it comes right before it all starts going to hell. It was the calm before the storm. Just seeing Sasha living his dream, and Sergey covertly visiting him in Houston was amazing. Seeing them so happy and in love was everything. I loved that they got to have some semblance of "normal" here, and that they had the chance, albeit momentarily, to be open with their love and affections for one another. It was a glimpse of them as a normal couple, and with everything stripped away. Without Sergey being President, and without Sasha being Russia’s first astronaut in decades… they’re just two people desperately in love with each other.
Always and forever, his life led to Sergey. All his lives, all of his existence, every part of him desperate to reunite with the other half of his being. His life would lead back to Sergey in every permutation of his existence, no matter what.
Also, its worth mentioning that Ilya, Oleg and Kilaqqi are the real MVP's here, but all for different reasons.
This was a great book, and is a genuinely good political thriller. I will read anything with these characters because I love them so much, but I only have one request… Can Ilya please have some love? He needs someone too!
What happened in the Executive Office series circled back and had very real consequences in this book. Stars is the fallout of the previous series. I have no idea how Tal will raise the stakes again for Sand (Book 3- Adam and Faisal), but after reading Stars, I have no doubt that he’ll find a way… and that makes me both excited and completely terrified at the same time.
What an emotional roller coaster ride this was! Especially if you are as invested in these characters as I am.
Stars picks up 2 years after Ascendent, but I will not talk about any main plot points in this review because there were so many twists and turns, many that I just did not see coming, and it really is best to go in only knowing what is in the blurb. But, out of context and as a warning...
Tal was not kidding when he said he was getting the band back together in his newsletter. All the main characters from the Executive Office series are back: Jack, Ethan, Ilya, Elizabeth, Levi, Scott, Welby, Pete and Kilaqqi. Only Faisal and Adam are missing, though they are mentioned. I was also so happy to see Blake again. He was really the only person in Iowa who even really acknowledged Ethan when he was exiled there at the end of Enemies of the State. Blake has only appeared in the Interlude novella, and it was so nice to see him finally out of Iowa and on Jack and Ethans team. I was also super surprised to see Jack's former press secretary Pete also part of that team and being a complete badass!
Ultimately, whilst the book is technically part of a separate series and primarily Sasha and Sergey’s story, it is also a continuation of Jack and Ethan’s story. Jack and Ethan are an integral part of this book. It cannot be read as a stand alone, and reading the prequel Ascendent is an absolute must.
This book was very reminiscent of movies like Gravity and Alien. Just reading the launch sequence was like watching Apollo 13... your just know SOMETHING is going to go wrong. The whole book read like a movie and I could visualise the whole thing in my head. It genuinely had me on the edge of my seat the whole time and if you thought the stakes were high in the original series, then buckle up, because somehow Tal has managed to raise them even higher.
I went into this book barely trusting any character besides our main MC's. I was suspicious of just about everyone! I was worrying like crazy for Sasha and there were several points where I genuinely thought he was going to die. But, of course, he is a true survivor, and the unwavering desire to get back to Sergey kept him going in the most hopeless of circumstances, and this tenacity even led to him saving another astronauts life.
But in nine days, he was going to be rocketed as far from Sergey as he’d ever been. His heart hammered, his chest hollow and aching, and that old, familiar feeling began to crawl back into Sasha’s soul. Run. Only this time it was different. Run back to Sergey.
Sasha has come a long way since we first met him in the EO series. His character development from then to now is stunning. It's so amazing to see him fully realise how much he deserves Sergey, how much he deserves to love and be loved unconditionally. It's quite something for a character like Sasha, who has spent his whole life looking up to the Stars, desperate to escape Earth and reality, to finally get up to Space and only to wish more than anything to immediately go back to Sergey’s side. Part of Sasha’s life long love for space and the stars, has been because of his need to run away from it all and just disappear. Sasha realising that the one thing he always needed, was right beside him on earth and not up in the stars brought tears to my eyes and every time Sasha said “I’m gay” when coming out to his fellow astronauts, I was so proud of him. He’s come a really REALLY long way.
Thirty years of yearning—of always looking up, of wanting to stand between the sun and the moon and feel starlight on his skin—and now that he was in orbit, the first thing he did was crane his neck and search the Earth for Sergey.
What had Sergey been thinking, encouraging the love of his life to become an astronaut? He didn’t like it when Irina flew to Brussels and left him for a week thirty years ago. What did he think would happen when Sasha left the planet?
On the other hand, Sergey feels a lot more vulnerable here. In Ascendant, Sasha was the one drowning in self doubt and hatred of himself. Now, Sasha is so reassured and happy in his feelings for Sergey, and instead it is Sergey who is the one filled with doubt. Sergey almost drives himself crazy doubting and worrying about whether he can truly have both the Russian presidency and a relationship with Sasha. In the first 25%, Sergey is so confident, and this slowly slips away over the course of the novel to the point where he doesn’t care about the presidency or anything else. All he wants is to be by Sasha’s side, no matter the consequences. Sergey has a really hard time in this book.
Whose brilliant idea was it to have Sasha chase his damn dreams? Who thought it would be good for Sasha to be an astronaut? It was supposed to be his goodbye gift. Sasha was supposed to find his happiness in space, away from Sergey.
Family Weekend at NASA was one of my favourite moments of the whole book, and it comes right before it all starts going to hell. It was the calm before the storm. Just seeing Sasha living his dream, and Sergey covertly visiting him in Houston was amazing. Seeing them so happy and in love was everything. I loved that they got to have some semblance of "normal" here, and that they had the chance, albeit momentarily, to be open with their love and affections for one another. It was a glimpse of them as a normal couple, and with everything stripped away. Without Sergey being President, and without Sasha being Russia’s first astronaut in decades… they’re just two people desperately in love with each other.
Always and forever, his life led to Sergey. All his lives, all of his existence, every part of him desperate to reunite with the other half of his being. His life would lead back to Sergey in every permutation of his existence, no matter what.
Also, its worth mentioning that Ilya, Oleg and Kilaqqi are the real MVP's here, but all for different reasons.
This was a great book, and is a genuinely good political thriller. I will read anything with these characters because I love them so much, but I only have one request… Can Ilya please have some love? He needs someone too!
What happened in the Executive Office series circled back and had very real consequences in this book. Stars is the fallout of the previous series. I have no idea how Tal will raise the stakes again for Sand (Book 3- Adam and Faisal), but after reading Stars, I have no doubt that he’ll find a way… and that makes me both excited and completely terrified at the same time.
July 15, 2025
Good grief, my emotions. This one hurt me bad, maybe as bad as Whisper. The sheer terror I had at points in this book was astounding - terrifying biological warfare? IN SPACE? I thought it was bleak when they were trapped on a submarine in Enemy Within, let me feel you it is NOTHING in comparison to being trapped on the freaking International Space Station.
I loved the return of Jack and Ethan in this one - these guys just cannot chill when the world is in danger and we love them for it. Sasha and Sergey were glorious and bloody hell (pun absolutely intended) I was so afraid they weren’t gonna get their HEA (but it’s Tal… so they do, but it HURT getting there).
This book has SO MUCH PINING. Sasha is up in space after a rogue soviet satellite from 40 years ago mysteriously activates and his mission is pulled forward. Sergey is trapped on the ground, desperately trying to keep a handle on his rapidly deteriorating government. And really all the both of them truly want is to be with each other.
Honestly this book wrecked me and I would recommend it to literally everyone 🥹
Read for:
✨ In space no one can hear you scream
✨ So much pining
✨ Political disaster
✨ Jack flirting with terrorist to get answers
✨ SPACE IS TERRIFYING
✨ Sasha makes and saves a new best friend
✨ Turns out Russia does suck. Boo Russia.
✨ Blood from the eyeballs is bad. Who knew?
✨ Did I mention I hate space now?
I loved the return of Jack and Ethan in this one - these guys just cannot chill when the world is in danger and we love them for it. Sasha and Sergey were glorious and bloody hell (pun absolutely intended) I was so afraid they weren’t gonna get their HEA (but it’s Tal… so they do, but it HURT getting there).
This book has SO MUCH PINING. Sasha is up in space after a rogue soviet satellite from 40 years ago mysteriously activates and his mission is pulled forward. Sergey is trapped on the ground, desperately trying to keep a handle on his rapidly deteriorating government. And really all the both of them truly want is to be with each other.
Honestly this book wrecked me and I would recommend it to literally everyone 🥹
Read for:
✨ In space no one can hear you scream
✨ So much pining
✨ Political disaster
✨ Jack flirting with terrorist to get answers
✨ SPACE IS TERRIFYING
✨ Sasha makes and saves a new best friend
✨ Turns out Russia does suck. Boo Russia.
✨ Blood from the eyeballs is bad. Who knew?
✨ Did I mention I hate space now?
March 31, 2023
na takie książki zwyczajnie brakuje gwiazdek. w tej części autor nam dorzucił do swojego zwyczajowego sosu dodatkowe składniki w postaci metafizycznej. ciekawe jaka byłaby książka gdyby Tal się pokusił o taką historię:) łykałabym jak bocian żaby na łące.
milion milion gwiazd które Saszunia oglądał na niebie.
to musiał być widok! i mam nadziej, że jak najszybciej się spotkają z Adam i Faisalem;)
seria w mojej pierwszej dziesiątce wszystkich serii.
milion milion gwiazd które Saszunia oglądał na niebie.
to musiał być widok! i mam nadziej, że jak najszybciej się spotkają z Adam i Faisalem;)
seria w mojej pierwszej dziesiątce wszystkich serii.
January 21, 2023
You and your love were created in the same moment of the same atom, and then scattered for a billion years. You knew him once inside a star. You know him again now on Earth. You will know him again in the future in another form. And when you reach the end of time, your love will still be there with you. Because he is of you, and you are of him.
While ‘Ascendent’ focused on strengthening Sergey and Sasha’s relationship, ‘Stars’ focuses on the political intrigue from Tal Bauer that I love so much. Sasha has now been training at NASA for two years and his dreams to go to the stars are closer than ever. While initially cautious, he finds friends with his mentor, Mark and another gay astronaut Dan. His team loves and supports him and when they find out he’s dating the Russian president, they keep that information to themselves.
Trouble brews when enemy rebels take control of an old Russian spacecraft that no one knew existed. It’s heading towards USA and tensions arise between the two countries. Jack and Ethan make it their mission to figure out what’s happening. Yes, you read that right. Jack and Ethan! They played a significant part in this book and I was so happy to see them. To prevent potential war, NASA sends up a team to figure out what was happening. Sasha being among the team. Sergey is understandably nervous. The mission is dangerous but Sergey can’t stop him,all he can hope for is Sasha coming home safe.
“I will be useless for the next week. I will spend every moment looking up, watching the stars for you.”
“Every ninety minutes, the ISS will pass overhead.”
“Wave down to me?”
“I will. Every time. Wave up to me?”
“I will blow you a kiss every orbit.”
The relationships here were so good. Aside from Sasha and Sergey, Jack and Ethan and Sergey and Jack, there were other notable relationships. Ilya and Sergey are besties for life. And Ilya, who dares fight against all that raw Russian energy.
“How—” Sergey started. “Zeytsev said he killed you.”
Ilya spat when Sergey said Zeytsev’s name. “That rat,” he growled. “How fucking dare he imagine he could best me. Is he dead? I will relish ending his life if not. Give me six weeks and I’ll be slitting his throat as he sleeps.”
Sasha and Kilaqqi, the shaman introduced earlier on, have the most beautiful father-son relationship. They both refer to each as as father and son and the miles they would go for each other, especially Kilaqqi for his hutechi, made me want to weep
“He is here with us,” Kilaqqi said again. “And I will bleed my entire life out for my hutechi. I will give him every drop of blood I have, every cell in my body, every portion of my spirit, for him to open his eyes and look upon us again. I will give everything of me. So what I said was true.” He smiled. “My love—our love—will heal him and bring him back to us.”
Sasha and Sergey do get their happily ever after but to the detriment of their careers. They don’t care, they just want to be together. Jack and Ethan made a career out of being brokers and the ending shows them wanting to go help Adam and Faisal. The way I screamed. I can’t wait for the next instalment.
“I don’t need a ring to carry you with me into space. You are always inside of me. Every day. Every moment. I am never without you.”
“I am never without you,” Sergey said softly. “Forever—”
“Is only our beginning,” Sasha finished.
September 6, 2021
Tal Bauer ci ha abituati a leggere i suoi libri con qualche genere di conforto a portata di mano, perché è difficile smettere quando la storia ti prende e non ti lascia più andare.
Come sempre, l’amore (questa volta fra Sasha Andreyev, l’astronauta, e Sergey Puchkov, il presidente della Russia) si mescola alla parte suspense: il pericolo stavolta è costituito da un satellite dell’ex Unione Sovietica con a bordo una bomba atomica, che verrà sganciata sugli Stati Uniti, a meno che…
Adrenalina a fiumi, ve lo assicuro, con la spy story che surclassa non poche volte la storia d’amore. Come sempre, faranno la loro parte anche Ethan e Jack, il cui legame si è consolidato e viaggia a gonfie vele. Buon per loro, e anche per noi, visto che per il lieto fine di Sasha e Sergey toccherà penare a lungo.
Di Tal Bauer apprezzo la profonda conoscenza dei meccanismi del potere e la capacità di rendere a portata di mano (e di comprensione, cosa di cui sono grata) la politica e gli uomini che la gestiscono in entrambi i Paesi interessati a questa nuova avventura mozzafiato.
Cinque stelline.
Copia fornita dalla Casa Editrice.
Come sempre, l’amore (questa volta fra Sasha Andreyev, l’astronauta, e Sergey Puchkov, il presidente della Russia) si mescola alla parte suspense: il pericolo stavolta è costituito da un satellite dell’ex Unione Sovietica con a bordo una bomba atomica, che verrà sganciata sugli Stati Uniti, a meno che…
Adrenalina a fiumi, ve lo assicuro, con la spy story che surclassa non poche volte la storia d’amore. Come sempre, faranno la loro parte anche Ethan e Jack, il cui legame si è consolidato e viaggia a gonfie vele. Buon per loro, e anche per noi, visto che per il lieto fine di Sasha e Sergey toccherà penare a lungo.
Di Tal Bauer apprezzo la profonda conoscenza dei meccanismi del potere e la capacità di rendere a portata di mano (e di comprensione, cosa di cui sono grata) la politica e gli uomini che la gestiscono in entrambi i Paesi interessati a questa nuova avventura mozzafiato.
Cinque stelline.
Copia fornita dalla Casa Editrice.
August 27, 2021
i desperately wanted to love this as much as the first book and the Executive Office series, esp bc Sergey/Sasha are my fave couple, but maybe _because_ they're my fave couple i was more sensitive to how fragmented the story seemed at times. i loved the horror elements and i'm a huge sucker for sci-fi/space things, but this just wouldn't fit together smh. i was also sad that Sergey and Sasha spent so much time apart, esp during the climax of the story. i admit i very much prefer the couples fighting together. i also find Sergey was incredibly under-utilised here, which is a true shame.
i was very happy to see Jack and Ethan again, but a little disappointed that Jack and Sergey's friendship took a backseat. Iliya was the best tho!
all in all, even thought i know the author always delivers happy endings, this was altogether quite depressing and left me with a heavy heart. it does pave the road for an Adam and Faisal spin-off, however, which ofc i'll be very happy to jump into when the time comes.
i was very happy to see Jack and Ethan again, but a little disappointed that Jack and Sergey's friendship took a backseat. Iliya was the best tho!
all in all, even thought i know the author always delivers happy endings, this was altogether quite depressing and left me with a heavy heart. it does pave the road for an Adam and Faisal spin-off, however, which ofc i'll be very happy to jump into when the time comes.
December 31, 2019
What does the crazy woman do on Christmas Day? She says to hell with all this peaceful, festive harmony crap, give me a pulsepounding thriller that'll give me a minimum of three heart attacks with a sizzling hot romance, enough emotional rollercoaster drama to really put my heart through the wringer, high stakes action, a dash of seriously creepy shivers-down-your-spine horror and an abundance of OMFG, what just happened?!? moments, all of it involving some of my favourite fictional characters of all time instead! Obviously, the crazy lady is me, this is the book in question, and oh, it was all kinds of epically, awesomely, brilliantly perfect, making me forget to breathe, cry both sad and happy tears, smile blissfully, and reducing me to an all-around satisfied, completely exhausted emotional wreck already demanding to know the release date of the next book because I. NEED. IT. NOW. - a.k.a. the always highly anticipated and never disappointing Tal Bauer effect.
December 2, 2019
An other outsanding book of my favorite author. 5 star are not enough to rate this book ...
From the EO sereis Serghei and Sasha were and still are my favorite couple. May it be that im also from eastern europe, and i can relate to their inner struggle and all the social prejudiece and conditionings, or maybe the fact that Sasha is the stronegst most fragile of all the characters.
This book had me in tears almost for the entire time i enjoyed reading it. Tal has a way with words... they just resonates with all the emotions inside me. There are no words that i could use to express how much i love EO and now EP as well!
The next in the series can't come soon enough!
Thank you my dear Tal for this amazing book!
From the EO sereis Serghei and Sasha were and still are my favorite couple. May it be that im also from eastern europe, and i can relate to their inner struggle and all the social prejudiece and conditionings, or maybe the fact that Sasha is the stronegst most fragile of all the characters.
This book had me in tears almost for the entire time i enjoyed reading it. Tal has a way with words... they just resonates with all the emotions inside me. There are no words that i could use to express how much i love EO and now EP as well!
The next in the series can't come soon enough!
Thank you my dear Tal for this amazing book!
August 19, 2021
I'm numb
I have been on Tal Bauer journeys before, but this one...I don't even know how to put words together to review it.
So I will just say start with the Executive Office series, a work your way through, or you'll miss many of the nuances in this epic ride. If you enjoy action suspense, and dictionary definition angst at almost unbearable levels, you won't regret it.
I have been on Tal Bauer journeys before, but this one...I don't even know how to put words together to review it.
So I will just say start with the Executive Office series, a work your way through, or you'll miss many of the nuances in this epic ride. If you enjoy action suspense, and dictionary definition angst at almost unbearable levels, you won't regret it.
September 6, 2021
Sergey y Sasha han hecho funcionar y crecer su relacion entre las sombras de la politica de Rusia, y su entrenamiento en la NASA, y aunque la distancia y la poca interaccion fisica entre ellos es lo mas dificil de superar, su amor es tan grande que ambos estan dispuestos a enfrentar a todos por eso.
Pero Rusia no esta preparada para el futuro de paz e integracion que esta intentando crear Sergey, y un grupo de insurgentes nacionalistas dentro de sus propias filas lanzan un ataque que puede poner en peligro no solo a Rusia sino a todo el mundo.
Con la activacion de un satelite de la epoca de la Guerra Fria, el tiempo parece acortarse para las relaciones entre Rusia y Estados Unidos, y la unica forma de deterlo es enviar a un grupo al espacio a desactivarlo manualmente, y dentro de ese grupo ira el unico astronauta ruso, Sasha. Pero la mision no es nada de lo que esperaban, y un extrano virus comienza a diezmar a los tripulantes del satelite, mientras en la tierra Sergey junto a Jack y su gente intentan descubrir contra que se enfrentan y la manera de devolver a Sasha a la tierra y salvar su vida.
Al ser un spin-off de the Excutive Office, vemos a varios de los personajes de esa serie tomar relevancia y protagonismo en este libro, cosa que extrane en el libro anterior, pero que ahora entiendo porque el autor lo hizo. La trama es rapida, llena de intriga drama y sobre todo mucha tension, pero donde los culpables son facilmente identificables y la solucion del problema viene de un ente que el autor usa como comodin en todos los otros libros.
Y aunque este libro tambien esta lleno de muchisimos detalles tecnicos e historicos sobre los lanzamientos de cohetes y la vida dentro de un satelite, pierde mucho lo que seria la relacion entre los integrantes dentro de la estacion espacial y el piloto Mark, por lo que cuando este ultimo intenta salvarlos no logran conectarte con la emocion que deberia transmitir.
Ahora con lo que tiene que ver con la descripcion espiritual de los sentimientos de Sasha, se vuelve muy muy repetitivo y eso causo que tambien me aburriera un poco en varias partes.
Sin embargo, el libro es una buena continuacion, y nos permite tener un mejor cierre de estos personajes, que fue lo que estaba esperando al terminar de leer Enemy Whitin (The Executive Office 03).
Claro, tambien da a entender que el autor tiene pensado escribir otro libro agrupando de nuevo estos personajes, pero tambien agregando a la pareja Arabe, David y Faisal, ya vere si me llama la atencion leerlo cuando salga.
Pero Rusia no esta preparada para el futuro de paz e integracion que esta intentando crear Sergey, y un grupo de insurgentes nacionalistas dentro de sus propias filas lanzan un ataque que puede poner en peligro no solo a Rusia sino a todo el mundo.
Con la activacion de un satelite de la epoca de la Guerra Fria, el tiempo parece acortarse para las relaciones entre Rusia y Estados Unidos, y la unica forma de deterlo es enviar a un grupo al espacio a desactivarlo manualmente, y dentro de ese grupo ira el unico astronauta ruso, Sasha. Pero la mision no es nada de lo que esperaban, y un extrano virus comienza a diezmar a los tripulantes del satelite, mientras en la tierra Sergey junto a Jack y su gente intentan descubrir contra que se enfrentan y la manera de devolver a Sasha a la tierra y salvar su vida.
Al ser un spin-off de the Excutive Office, vemos a varios de los personajes de esa serie tomar relevancia y protagonismo en este libro, cosa que extrane en el libro anterior, pero que ahora entiendo porque el autor lo hizo. La trama es rapida, llena de intriga drama y sobre todo mucha tension, pero donde los culpables son facilmente identificables y la solucion del problema viene de un ente que el autor usa como comodin en todos los otros libros.
Y aunque este libro tambien esta lleno de muchisimos detalles tecnicos e historicos sobre los lanzamientos de cohetes y la vida dentro de un satelite, pierde mucho lo que seria la relacion entre los integrantes dentro de la estacion espacial y el piloto Mark, por lo que cuando este ultimo intenta salvarlos no logran conectarte con la emocion que deberia transmitir.
Ahora con lo que tiene que ver con la descripcion espiritual de los sentimientos de Sasha, se vuelve muy muy repetitivo y eso causo que tambien me aburriera un poco en varias partes.
Sin embargo, el libro es una buena continuacion, y nos permite tener un mejor cierre de estos personajes, que fue lo que estaba esperando al terminar de leer Enemy Whitin (The Executive Office 03).
Claro, tambien da a entender que el autor tiene pensado escribir otro libro agrupando de nuevo estos personajes, pero tambien agregando a la pareja Arabe, David y Faisal, ya vere si me llama la atencion leerlo cuando salga.
October 20, 2021
Recensione completa sul blog All Colours of Romance
Tal Bauer torna con un romanzo in cui l'azione è adrenalina pura, in cui gli eventi corrono veloci, lasciando il lettore attonito, senza fiato, con il cuore a mille e una miriade di catastrofici scenari nella testa.
Se le primissime pagine permettono di vedere quanto Sasha sia maturato rispetto al primo libro della serie, "Executive Power" e di godere di questi momenti placidi ma intensi, improvvisamente, con un colpo di scena inaspettato, tutto precipita e da lì in poi le situazioni collassano in continuo, a un ritmo rocambolesco, che non dà scampo.
....
Ci sono due linee di azione diverse che velocemente collidono diventando un unico apocalittico scenario. Mentre tutto crasha, l'autore è stato diabolicamente magistrale perché mi ha fornito un numero sufficiente di informazioni per permettermi di sapere con esattezza quello che sarebbe successo nell'immediato futuro, ma lasciandomi brancolare nel buio su come si sarebbe risolto il tutto.
.....
Ovvimante, neanche a dirlo, Bauer ha districato l'intera trama con stile e con una svolta impeccabile, che mi ha lasciata piacevolmente esterrefatta.
Altrettanto ovviamente non dovete dubitare per un attimo che, in mezzo a tutta questa adrenalina, l'autore non abbia lasciato spazio ai sentimenti. Ci sono momenti, tratti, pagine, colorate da una poesia toccante e struggente. Tutte le emozioni palpitanti dei vari personaggi mi sono arrivate addosso come un treno in corsa, in una storia più corale dell'atteso ed estremamente coinvolgente.
...
È stato esaltante vedere con quanto ingegno i fili tirati nel capitolo precedente andavano tutti al loro posto, come intelligentemente lo scenario si muoveva e si ribaltava, creando una realtà nuova e inattesa, che apre le porte, sicuramente, a un terzo libro della serie.
Non posso che ribadire ciò che ho sempre detto riguardo a quanto scrive questo autore. Un libro travolgente, appassionante, elettrizzante e stordente insieme, impeccabilmente scritto e argutamente costruito. Insomma, è sempre un piacere immenso leggere Tal Bauer
Hugs&kisses
Tal Bauer torna con un romanzo in cui l'azione è adrenalina pura, in cui gli eventi corrono veloci, lasciando il lettore attonito, senza fiato, con il cuore a mille e una miriade di catastrofici scenari nella testa.
Se le primissime pagine permettono di vedere quanto Sasha sia maturato rispetto al primo libro della serie, "Executive Power" e di godere di questi momenti placidi ma intensi, improvvisamente, con un colpo di scena inaspettato, tutto precipita e da lì in poi le situazioni collassano in continuo, a un ritmo rocambolesco, che non dà scampo.
....
Ci sono due linee di azione diverse che velocemente collidono diventando un unico apocalittico scenario. Mentre tutto crasha, l'autore è stato diabolicamente magistrale perché mi ha fornito un numero sufficiente di informazioni per permettermi di sapere con esattezza quello che sarebbe successo nell'immediato futuro, ma lasciandomi brancolare nel buio su come si sarebbe risolto il tutto.
.....
Ovvimante, neanche a dirlo, Bauer ha districato l'intera trama con stile e con una svolta impeccabile, che mi ha lasciata piacevolmente esterrefatta.
Altrettanto ovviamente non dovete dubitare per un attimo che, in mezzo a tutta questa adrenalina, l'autore non abbia lasciato spazio ai sentimenti. Ci sono momenti, tratti, pagine, colorate da una poesia toccante e struggente. Tutte le emozioni palpitanti dei vari personaggi mi sono arrivate addosso come un treno in corsa, in una storia più corale dell'atteso ed estremamente coinvolgente.
...
È stato esaltante vedere con quanto ingegno i fili tirati nel capitolo precedente andavano tutti al loro posto, come intelligentemente lo scenario si muoveva e si ribaltava, creando una realtà nuova e inattesa, che apre le porte, sicuramente, a un terzo libro della serie.
Non posso che ribadire ciò che ho sempre detto riguardo a quanto scrive questo autore. Un libro travolgente, appassionante, elettrizzante e stordente insieme, impeccabilmente scritto e argutamente costruito. Insomma, è sempre un piacere immenso leggere Tal Bauer
Hugs&kisses
May 11, 2021
Came for Sasha and Sergey, stayed for the exitential sci-fi horror/thriller, I guess?
I was a little weary to pick up this book, since I didn't enjoy the first book in the series as much as I wanted to. I'm happy to say, though, that this book hit me in just the right places. I picked this up, because Sasha and Sergey was my favorite couple from the Executive Office series and like every Tal Bauer book, I came for the romance, and was then absorbed by the political thriller, this time with a huge heap of sci-fi horror mixed in. I don't think I've been this stressed out reading a book since I read Enemy Within.
Not only did this book deal with yet another political intrigue, but there was also a highly infectious deadly virus involved, and I think we can all agree that this just hits a little different in 2021. This plot thread was not mentioned in the description, so I was a little taken aback, but needless to say, it was very engaging. If you enjoyed this book or sci-fi thriller in general, I highly recommend the movie "Life" (2017).
While I really enjoyed seeing Sasha work at NASA and everything that entailed, I will say that you can tell Tal Bauer always puts a lot of work into his research, but sometimes the writing gets a little too scientific. I understand wanting to make everything sound authentic, but sometimes there would be page after page of scientific jargon that obviously went right over my head, because I'm not an astronaut. I don't know about everyone else, but I don't really enjoy reading sentences where I can't understand any of the words being said.
The fact that we all know a lot more about viruses and pandemics in 2021 also meant that I had a hard time believing some of the things that happened in this book. And I know this is fiction, but for how much research and realism Tal Bauer tries to include in his book, there were just some things I couldn't get over.
While I was happy with the ending in some aspects, it also kind of rubbed me the wrong way in others.
Overall, I definitely recommend it for fans of the other books in the series. Be prepared for a very stressful reading experience, though!
I was a little weary to pick up this book, since I didn't enjoy the first book in the series as much as I wanted to. I'm happy to say, though, that this book hit me in just the right places. I picked this up, because Sasha and Sergey was my favorite couple from the Executive Office series and like every Tal Bauer book, I came for the romance, and was then absorbed by the political thriller, this time with a huge heap of sci-fi horror mixed in. I don't think I've been this stressed out reading a book since I read Enemy Within.
Not only did this book deal with yet another political intrigue, but there was also a highly infectious deadly virus involved, and I think we can all agree that this just hits a little different in 2021. This plot thread was not mentioned in the description, so I was a little taken aback, but needless to say, it was very engaging. If you enjoyed this book or sci-fi thriller in general, I highly recommend the movie "Life" (2017).
While I really enjoyed seeing Sasha work at NASA and everything that entailed, I will say that you can tell Tal Bauer always puts a lot of work into his research, but sometimes the writing gets a little too scientific. I understand wanting to make everything sound authentic, but sometimes there would be page after page of scientific jargon that obviously went right over my head, because I'm not an astronaut. I don't know about everyone else, but I don't really enjoy reading sentences where I can't understand any of the words being said.
The fact that we all know a lot more about viruses and pandemics in 2021 also meant that I had a hard time believing some of the things that happened in this book. And I know this is fiction, but for how much research and realism Tal Bauer tries to include in his book, there were just some things I couldn't get over.
While I was happy with the ending in some aspects, it also kind of rubbed me the wrong way in others.
Overall, I definitely recommend it for fans of the other books in the series. Be prepared for a very stressful reading experience, though!
September 7, 2022
It took me a really long time to go through with reading the Executive Power books. I even don't know anymore why I abandoned Ascendent after reading the first two or three chapters. I loved Sergey and Sasha in the Executive Office books but I first couldn't connect with them again in Ascendent.
I put it on the backburner and I guess this was the best decision I made. After re-reading the Executive Office books I finally went through with it and read Ascendent and Stars... and was swept away by Sergey and Sasha's story.
I loved Stars a bit more than Ascendent, though. Wow... this book took me through the wringer... over and over again! I just couldn't put it down and was afraid to read it at the same time.
Now I need something light and sweet... a book that doesn't give me nightmares. ;)
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