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Tales of a Former Space Janitor #3
Waxing the Moon of Lewei
When the station board of directors sends former maintenance technician Triana Moore to Lewei, she expects to bump knuckles with a few dignitaries, tell a couple of white lies, and drink some substandard cocoa. Her friend—son of the former dictator—tells scary stories of the planet, but Triana’s not afraid of the Leweian secret police. She’ll be on her best behavior with Ty and Vanti to watch her back. With the might of SK2 behind her, Triana should be untouchable.
But when did Triana ever do what was expected? Although the meetings go well, the after-party spins out of control. While she manages to slip away from the Leweian police, her faithful companions don't. Triana must find new allies on an alien world and rescue her friends before the hot chocolate goes colder than interplanetary relations.
But when did Triana ever do what was expected? Although the meetings go well, the after-party spins out of control. While she manages to slip away from the Leweian police, her faithful companions don't. Triana must find new allies on an alien world and rescue her friends before the hot chocolate goes colder than interplanetary relations.
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 28, 2022
64 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Julia Huni
55 books169 followersAuthor of the Colonial Exploration Corps, Space Janitor, Recycled World, and Krimson Empire series.
I grew up in the US Pacific Northwest, and after twenty years roaming the country with the US Air Force, I'm back. I have a spouse, three kids, and a dog named Pippin.
I've been an IT guy, a choir director, an executive assistant, a stay-at-home mom, a college instructor, and that lady at the information booth in a tourist town. But writer is the best job ever, because I get to make stuff up. Stuff I wish were true; stuff I'm glad isn't true.
When I'm not writing, I like to knit, read, bake, and ski. I also love to travel.
I grew up in the US Pacific Northwest, and after twenty years roaming the country with the US Air Force, I'm back. I have a spouse, three kids, and a dog named Pippin.
I've been an IT guy, a choir director, an executive assistant, a stay-at-home mom, a college instructor, and that lady at the information booth in a tourist town. But writer is the best job ever, because I get to make stuff up. Stuff I wish were true; stuff I'm glad isn't true.
When I'm not writing, I like to knit, read, bake, and ski. I also love to travel.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 17, 2022
Funny and poignant
I like the series and I like this book. It is well written and has a good balance of world-building and character development. The dialog is tight, no typos. The cursing was hysterical.
The plot was a smooth continuation from the previous book, so that by book 9, it felt like one great story. I love how Annabelle/ Traina took back her wedding day! Sometimes family can be a bit much, and her mom is that times a thousand! So start at the beginning, and keep on until you reach the stars. You won't regret it.
I found a couple things a bit illogical. It's probably nitpicky of me, but here it is: security teams generally have rehearsals with their principles, especially when going into situations known to be dangerous. There didn't appear to be much communication between Ty & Annabelle on this. I know her character was very stubborn & likely not open to cooperation, but they really could have done more than say "run away, we will find you", which basically happened in EVERY book.
8/10 unicorns 🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄
Recommend to buy paperback or Kindle versions or borrow via KU or library.
Worth a few hours of giggles and relaxation.
I like the series and I like this book. It is well written and has a good balance of world-building and character development. The dialog is tight, no typos. The cursing was hysterical.
The plot was a smooth continuation from the previous book, so that by book 9, it felt like one great story. I love how Annabelle/ Traina took back her wedding day! Sometimes family can be a bit much, and her mom is that times a thousand! So start at the beginning, and keep on until you reach the stars. You won't regret it.
I found a couple things a bit illogical. It's probably nitpicky of me, but here it is: security teams generally have rehearsals with their principles, especially when going into situations known to be dangerous. There didn't appear to be much communication between Ty & Annabelle on this. I know her character was very stubborn & likely not open to cooperation, but they really could have done more than say "run away, we will find you", which basically happened in EVERY book.
8/10 unicorns 🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄
Recommend to buy paperback or Kindle versions or borrow via KU or library.
Worth a few hours of giggles and relaxation.
February 28, 2022
Another great book in this series. Triana's wedding is imminent, but first she is sent to Lewei as the Morgan representative in negotiations. She is slowly getting used to the social demands and behavior she ran away from years ago (see the Space Janitor books) and sometimes it's a real balancing act between being herself and being a public figure. Of course, being who she is, she also needs a break from the formalities and goes out one night with Vanti – and promptly gets involved with the Leweian insurgents. The descriptions of Lewei read like a good travelogue: the many differences (social interactions, dictator politics, technological standards) are well described and make you feel – well, not quite at home (since you probably wouldn't want to live there), but you know what I mean. Action, excitement, humor, and fun! Oh, and a very interesting cat named Apawllo turns up. And there's a lovely ending. I received this advance review copy and freely leave this honest review.
February 28, 2022
I really look forward to reading one of these books, as they are absolutely wonderful for escapism, and never fail to cheer me up!
This book was particularly fun as Triana had to spend time on Lewei, a rather scary place, and as usual she manages to get in rather sticky situations. I love the light hearted attitude to most things, and the author is very good at writing amusing and sarcastic sentences, some parts almost make me think she must have some British ancestry! We also have Triana's wedding - well, that is hardly going to go without a hitch, is it? I'm not normally a fan of reading about weddings, but this one was great!
Although not strictly necessary, a reader will get much more enjoyment from this book if they have read the preceding ones first, although I think most elements of the story are quite easy to pick up on.
This book was particularly fun as Triana had to spend time on Lewei, a rather scary place, and as usual she manages to get in rather sticky situations. I love the light hearted attitude to most things, and the author is very good at writing amusing and sarcastic sentences, some parts almost make me think she must have some British ancestry! We also have Triana's wedding - well, that is hardly going to go without a hitch, is it? I'm not normally a fan of reading about weddings, but this one was great!
Although not strictly necessary, a reader will get much more enjoyment from this book if they have read the preceding ones first, although I think most elements of the story are quite easy to pick up on.
February 28, 2022
Combine gravity belts, a PVD, a furry black cat, and a small/large marriage for a story - 3.5 stars
A PVD is a programmable visual disruption field that distorts the view of your body that others see. When the "I want a small marriage but my uber-powerful mom wants a mega event", Triana (Sera Morgan - soon to be Sera O'Neill) flies off to another planet to represent the Morgan family. It is chaos as usual with Triana's bodyguards needing to be rescued and a black cat providing the foil for human interest.
The Space Janitor series features a strong woman (Triana) who manages to get into trouble and escape at the last instant with her dignity and her friends completely safe and unperturbed. This is another humorous romp where the foreigners are hostile and Triana is mostly innocent as she uses her computer skills to enter restricted areas.
Trina's fiancé, Ty O'Neill, is a security expert, athletic "hunk" and totally devoted to Trina. They are going to get married. Trina wants a small ceremony of 30 close friends and family. Her mother, the "Ice Dame", wants the affair to be a huge affair that will be remembered on the social pages.
For those who like fancy weddings, this affair promises to be just what a queen would do hundreds of years in the future. For the participants, a return to a wedding in a small home or beach is ideal. Get this romantic comedy and enjoy. The side offering of spying and breaking and entering to spice up a marriage of two young people who have their eyes open and many family traditions to uphold makes it a fun read.
A PVD is a programmable visual disruption field that distorts the view of your body that others see. When the "I want a small marriage but my uber-powerful mom wants a mega event", Triana (Sera Morgan - soon to be Sera O'Neill) flies off to another planet to represent the Morgan family. It is chaos as usual with Triana's bodyguards needing to be rescued and a black cat providing the foil for human interest.
The Space Janitor series features a strong woman (Triana) who manages to get into trouble and escape at the last instant with her dignity and her friends completely safe and unperturbed. This is another humorous romp where the foreigners are hostile and Triana is mostly innocent as she uses her computer skills to enter restricted areas.
Trina's fiancé, Ty O'Neill, is a security expert, athletic "hunk" and totally devoted to Trina. They are going to get married. Trina wants a small ceremony of 30 close friends and family. Her mother, the "Ice Dame", wants the affair to be a huge affair that will be remembered on the social pages.
For those who like fancy weddings, this affair promises to be just what a queen would do hundreds of years in the future. For the participants, a return to a wedding in a small home or beach is ideal. Get this romantic comedy and enjoy. The side offering of spying and breaking and entering to spice up a marriage of two young people who have their eyes open and many family traditions to uphold makes it a fun read.
January 13, 2023
The adventure continues. Now an ex-space janitor, Triana Moore grapples with how to find her own identity and life now that her past has been exposed. The third book in the series grapples with more domestic concerns, but still deadly and still funny -- although at this point it starts to wear a little thin. (To be fair, after writing nine books -- incuding the prequel -- anything probably would start to get old...)
This part of the series was probably not aimed at my demographic -- the underlying theme running through it is Triana's mother interfering with her wedding plans. And yes, Huni’s writing could be sharper (using “smirk” 74 times across the nine current/former Space Janitor stories/novels suggests there’s an adjective/adverb shortage somewhere -- or a shortage of editors.) Who cares, though? This continues the first set of books’ trend line straight into good clean fun, albeit of a slightly YA-adjacent kind that’s an odd bedfellow to all the grimdark SF sitting next to it in my Kindle. Time well spent.
February 16, 2022
Triana Moore, aka Sera Morgan, aka the Space Janitor finally seems like she's getting her happy ending.... marrying Ty, but before doing so she has just one business trip to take to the planet Lewei for her corporate tycoon mother. As anyone who's read the previous books could guess... all does not go as smoothly as planned. There are stunning revelations about familiar characters, an uncanny cat... who's so very cat like, as any cat person will attest. Escapades, escapes and unplanned adventures, the usual fun and games, but also some big character developments all told with humor and wit. I loved this book, it was a joy to read and while it finishes the trilogy, there were hints that maybe there'll be more stories in this universe... I really hope so! I received an ARC and this is my voluntary review.
February 28, 2022
While none of the Space Janitor books have been as good as the first for me, that may be more because I'm not into romance aspects and the later books have a lot more of that. After getting through the first few chapters, Trina's penchant for rebellion against the norm and for getting into trouble again piqued my interest more and I kept reading. I'd like more of the science part of the fiction please, rather than complicated relationships and dealing with them. Trina, use your geeky abilities to foil enemies and save the day, please.
As always, I was thankful to receive a free advance copy to help clean up any typos or confusing info for the rest of you folks.
As always, I was thankful to receive a free advance copy to help clean up any typos or confusing info for the rest of you folks.
March 10, 2022
I received an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for posting my honest review. *No spoilers*.
This is another fun story in the Space Janitor (and Former Space Janitor) series. Triana, the main character, gets into unplanned situations while running an errand for her mother on Lewei. She ends up meeting new people and having to planning escapes from some of them. The series to date has been a fun and easy read with a good dose of humour thrown in. This book is no different. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and hope for the author to write more books in this series (hint, hint!). I gave it 5 stars as it as well written and an enjoyable read.
This is another fun story in the Space Janitor (and Former Space Janitor) series. Triana, the main character, gets into unplanned situations while running an errand for her mother on Lewei. She ends up meeting new people and having to planning escapes from some of them. The series to date has been a fun and easy read with a good dose of humour thrown in. This book is no different. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and hope for the author to write more books in this series (hint, hint!). I gave it 5 stars as it as well written and an enjoyable read.
July 23, 2022
A Fun Adventure
One of this author's best writing skills is to keep her characters simply human. No over-the-top, super human abilities needed to make their adventures fun and exciting. Clever plot twists and amazing things like anti-grav belts, autokitchens, and pills to alter your appearance (all of which are on my Christmas list), just add that extra flavor for their adventures. Add to all that the wonderful sense of humor woven into fabric of the stories and reading pleasure abounds.
Enjoy!
One of this author's best writing skills is to keep her characters simply human. No over-the-top, super human abilities needed to make their adventures fun and exciting. Clever plot twists and amazing things like anti-grav belts, autokitchens, and pills to alter your appearance (all of which are on my Christmas list), just add that extra flavor for their adventures. Add to all that the wonderful sense of humor woven into fabric of the stories and reading pleasure abounds.
Enjoy!
February 21, 2022
Read books in order.
It didn’t disappoint, Triana is always finding trouble.
As well as finding a “loop-hole” to get out of it as well!
Twisty, turning adventure that keeps you guessing.
Friends, allies, frenemies as well as enemies, and traitors?
Like how Hy-Mi was willing to put his job on the line for Triana.
That is a real friend indeed.
Liked the ending, who doesn’t have a small glitch or two at any wedding!
It didn’t disappoint, Triana is always finding trouble.
As well as finding a “loop-hole” to get out of it as well!
Twisty, turning adventure that keeps you guessing.
Friends, allies, frenemies as well as enemies, and traitors?
Like how Hy-Mi was willing to put his job on the line for Triana.
That is a real friend indeed.
Liked the ending, who doesn’t have a small glitch or two at any wedding!
February 13, 2022
There are some big reveals about some of the familiar characters. There is also even more growth and interaction with the rest of them. There is also a new character that I suspect will play a bigger part and is related to a similar character in the Krimson empire books, but you have haven't read those (and you should) you will probably not expect much from the cat.
March 1, 2022
Great sci fi adventure
The Space Janitor series is wonderful. Although bad things happen sometimes, the overall feeling of the books is happy. The humor is often laugh out loud, and the characters feel like friends. There are some major surprises in this book. And the wedding is a marvelous finale to this part of Triana's life.
The Space Janitor series is wonderful. Although bad things happen sometimes, the overall feeling of the books is happy. The humor is often laugh out loud, and the characters feel like friends. There are some major surprises in this book. And the wedding is a marvelous finale to this part of Triana's life.
February 28, 2022
This is an excellent third part to this brilliant, exciting sci fi adventure series!
Amazing ideas, love the characters & the overall style of the story, makes this a really good fun read! I do recommend!
Amazing ideas, love the characters & the overall style of the story, makes this a really good fun read! I do recommend!
February 28, 2022
Loved the book it was amazing a good ending for Annabelle Triana Moore Morgan . Well the space janitor is on holiday and does not clean a lot nor the laughs were as good. My favourite character was Sashelle or Agryello
March 2, 2022
What a great ride
Uber great story! Awesome story arcs with some epic reveals and friends from the past.
I wish I could tell you more but I can’t think of anything that won’t be a spoiler of some sort.
Just grab it and enjoy the ride!
Uber great story! Awesome story arcs with some epic reveals and friends from the past.
I wish I could tell you more but I can’t think of anything that won’t be a spoiler of some sort.
Just grab it and enjoy the ride!
March 3, 2022
Book 3 in the series
Triana, Ty, Vanti, and the rest of the crew are back. The Ice Dame is up to her usual tricks and then there’s Apawllo. Good world building and an interesting plot keep it moving. A great read.
Triana, Ty, Vanti, and the rest of the crew are back. The Ice Dame is up to her usual tricks and then there’s Apawllo. Good world building and an interesting plot keep it moving. A great read.
June 15, 2022
A great wrap-up (for now)
This tale concludes the Former Space Janitor series well. As usual, there is plenty of drama & action, but our protagonists find time for love as well. A good read.
This tale concludes the Former Space Janitor series well. As usual, there is plenty of drama & action, but our protagonists find time for love as well. A good read.
June 15, 2024
Another delightful chapter in the life of Runner.
The action that follows Annabelle and her friends leads you into more dangers and unbelievable events. Never lacking action in the adventures of stumbling through trouble that seems to follow her. What's next?
The action that follows Annabelle and her friends leads you into more dangers and unbelievable events. Never lacking action in the adventures of stumbling through trouble that seems to follow her. What's next?
March 9, 2022
The perfect ending (?) for the series. The storyline seemed to lag a few times but there were a LOT of lose ends to tie up. All things considered, I enjoyed the book immensely!
March 27, 2022
another fun one
Well done. Looking forward to more!
That is enough words. Well written love the characters and the story
Thank you
Well done. Looking forward to more!
That is enough words. Well written love the characters and the story
Thank you
April 15, 2022
Fantastic
What a great story! I couldn't put it down! Can not wait to get to the next one! So great!
What a great story! I couldn't put it down! Can not wait to get to the next one! So great!
May 21, 2022
Very good.
Enjoyed it quite a bit. However, it wasn't quite as good as the two previous volumes. Still, I wouldn't recommend passing it up. Quite the contrary.
Enjoyed it quite a bit. However, it wasn't quite as good as the two previous volumes. Still, I wouldn't recommend passing it up. Quite the contrary.
February 20, 2024
I love the humor and interactions of the characters. Strong sci fi women and lots of silly humor!
February 28, 2022
Another excellent book! Its finally time for Triana to get married, but of course there are some adventures and surprises along the way. If you haven't read any books about the main character Triana before, I would recommend you start elsewhere even though I think this one stands on its own well enough that you will enjoy it and not get lost or feel like you are missing much.
I checked the way I rate other books that I consider comparable... I noticed that the Lady Astronaut of Mars and Murder bot books often get 4 stars, and they deservedly win the Hugo or Nebula awards from time to time. These books are not the alternative history about travel to Mars shortly after WWII that Mary Robinette Kowal writes about, or the sarcastic and sometimes dark Murderbot of Martha Wells. While this book is more light hearted than those, I once again think these books are at about that level, but in their own humorous and quirky way. No book is perfect, and I don't honestly expect to read this one a dozen times or more, so it doesn't get 5 stars, but it is so much closer to that than the average book is, so I must give it at least 4 stars.
I checked the way I rate other books that I consider comparable... I noticed that the Lady Astronaut of Mars and Murder bot books often get 4 stars, and they deservedly win the Hugo or Nebula awards from time to time. These books are not the alternative history about travel to Mars shortly after WWII that Mary Robinette Kowal writes about, or the sarcastic and sometimes dark Murderbot of Martha Wells. While this book is more light hearted than those, I once again think these books are at about that level, but in their own humorous and quirky way. No book is perfect, and I don't honestly expect to read this one a dozen times or more, so it doesn't get 5 stars, but it is so much closer to that than the average book is, so I must give it at least 4 stars.
April 12, 2022
Ok, have to admit that I got hooked into the Space Janitor series even though I've had minor problems with different components. Have to say Waxing the Moon doesn't fail. This is a great continuation of the Space Janitor (or now Former Space Janitor) series.
As with the earlier books in this series Ms. Huni does a great job having fun with the characters and their environment. In this case Lewei is like a lighter version of an autocratic country where the haves and the have nots are highlighted. Ms. Huni does an excellent showing the constraints in a society like this (yes, a little lightly done but then much has been done in this series with a lighter touch) where the elites determine what people can and can't have and want to constrain the view the external world has of them. While this is not earth shaking or particually new it's fun and something people can learn from or maybe just smile about a little.
As with the earlier books in this series Ms. Huni does a great job having fun with the characters and their environment. In this case Lewei is like a lighter version of an autocratic country where the haves and the have nots are highlighted. Ms. Huni does an excellent showing the constraints in a society like this (yes, a little lightly done but then much has been done in this series with a lighter touch) where the elites determine what people can and can't have and want to constrain the view the external world has of them. While this is not earth shaking or particually new it's fun and something people can learn from or maybe just smile about a little.
March 29, 2023
Reviewed on Lili Lost in a Book
In this book, Triana's mother, the Ice Dame, continues to try to turn Triana's wedding into a whole political spectacle. Weddings are a rare thing in this futuristic world, and especially rare in high society, which is why Triana's mother is making such a big deal out of it. But it was frustrating! Triana just wanted to marry Ty in peace—she didn't want a giant spectacle of a wedding. And I felt so bad for her.
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Aside from all that, Triana is on the planet Lewei for business on behalf of her mother, and of course Ty is along as well. Vanti also comes along as security, which made me happy because I love her! Lol. Anyway, we all know that it doesn't take much for Triana to unwillingly find herself in some trouble, and this book was no different! Before she knew it, Triana was caught up with spies and double agents, and she and her new acquaintance/friend Katie, had to go and save their friends. I love that Triana always ends up doing the saving. Lol. But she is smart and resourceful and I love her!
I also liked Katie Li, but I feel like I would've appreciated her and Nick's character more had I read Luna City Limited first. It’s not necessary to read it, but I do recommend it. I really enjoyed it!
But overall, I really enjoyed this! I love this world, and the characters and their interactions. And the end was quite satisfactory—I'm so happy for Ty and Triana! I just love these cozy sci-fi mysteries!
In this book, Triana's mother, the Ice Dame, continues to try to turn Triana's wedding into a whole political spectacle. Weddings are a rare thing in this futuristic world, and especially rare in high society, which is why Triana's mother is making such a big deal out of it. But it was frustrating! Triana just wanted to marry Ty in peace—she didn't want a giant spectacle of a wedding. And I felt so bad for her.
[image error]
Aside from all that, Triana is on the planet Lewei for business on behalf of her mother, and of course Ty is along as well. Vanti also comes along as security, which made me happy because I love her! Lol. Anyway, we all know that it doesn't take much for Triana to unwillingly find herself in some trouble, and this book was no different! Before she knew it, Triana was caught up with spies and double agents, and she and her new acquaintance/friend Katie, had to go and save their friends. I love that Triana always ends up doing the saving. Lol. But she is smart and resourceful and I love her!
I also liked Katie Li, but I feel like I would've appreciated her and Nick's character more had I read Luna City Limited first. It’s not necessary to read it, but I do recommend it. I really enjoyed it!
But overall, I really enjoyed this! I love this world, and the characters and their interactions. And the end was quite satisfactory—I'm so happy for Ty and Triana! I just love these cozy sci-fi mysteries!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews