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Starlight's Shadow #3
Capture the Sun
Acclaimed author Jessie Mihalik returns with the thrilling conclusion to her Starlight’s Shadow trilogy. An intergalactic thief must join forces with the charming teleporter who stole her last job—and may now be her only hope for saving her former crew.
As a recovery specialist, Lexi Bowen’s jobs typically require more trickery and thievery than honest work. Her former captain might not approve of her flexible morals, but stealing artifacts for rich assholes pays the bills, and Lexi’s had enough of war and death. The FHP left her to die once; she doesn’t plan to give them a chance to finish the job.
Unfortunately, her latest contract takes her to Valovia itself—and right back into the orbit of Nilo Shoren, a Valovian teleporter who already cost her one payday and nearly stole her heart.
Armored against his clever charm, Lexi plans to get in, get the job done, and get out. But when her former crew goes missing in Valovian space, Lexi will have to work with Nilo to figure out what happened—and stop it—before the galaxy’s two superpowers can use the disappearance as an excuse to return to war.
As a recovery specialist, Lexi Bowen’s jobs typically require more trickery and thievery than honest work. Her former captain might not approve of her flexible morals, but stealing artifacts for rich assholes pays the bills, and Lexi’s had enough of war and death. The FHP left her to die once; she doesn’t plan to give them a chance to finish the job.
Unfortunately, her latest contract takes her to Valovia itself—and right back into the orbit of Nilo Shoren, a Valovian teleporter who already cost her one payday and nearly stole her heart.
Armored against his clever charm, Lexi plans to get in, get the job done, and get out. But when her former crew goes missing in Valovian space, Lexi will have to work with Nilo to figure out what happened—and stop it—before the galaxy’s two superpowers can use the disappearance as an excuse to return to war.
419 pages, Paperback
First published June 20, 2023
239 people are currently reading
4973 people want to read
About the author
Jessie Mihalik
13 books2,150 followersJessie Mihalik has a degree in Computer Science and a love of all things geeky. A software engineer by trade, Jessie now writes full time from her home in Texas. When she’s not writing, she can be found playing co-op video games with her husband, trying out new board games, or reading books pulled from her overflowing bookshelves.
Sample chapters of all of my books are available on my website!
The Consortium Rebellion trilogy: Polaris Rising, Aurora Blazing, Chaos Reigning.
The Rogue Queen novellas: The Queen's Gambit, The Queen's Advantage, The Queen's Triumph.
Sample chapters of all of my books are available on my website!
The Consortium Rebellion trilogy: Polaris Rising, Aurora Blazing, Chaos Reigning.
The Rogue Queen novellas: The Queen's Gambit, The Queen's Advantage, The Queen's Triumph.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 416 reviews
August 26, 2023
This is part of a sci-if romance series that is loosely connected. I didn’t make it far enough to know how connected this one is. Read the others first because they’re pretty good.
I ditched this really early. A couple chapters. I just can’t stand the viewpoint character, Lexi. She’s being stupid. The hot guy is doing his best to help her, but she’s letting past embarrassment run the show and ignoring all his advice and offer of help. Frankly, I want to strangle her. She’s all tough talk about how competent she is, but so far, we’ve seen her be nothing but stupid.
This is disappointing as I enjoyed the others in this series. But I kind of suspected I’d find this one a challenge because everything we know about Lexi from the other books has her being irresponsible and getting in over her head. So it’s sad to see that confirmed only more so.
I ditched this really early. A couple chapters. I just can’t stand the viewpoint character, Lexi. She’s being stupid. The hot guy is doing his best to help her, but she’s letting past embarrassment run the show and ignoring all his advice and offer of help. Frankly, I want to strangle her. She’s all tough talk about how competent she is, but so far, we’ve seen her be nothing but stupid.
This is disappointing as I enjoyed the others in this series. But I kind of suspected I’d find this one a challenge because everything we know about Lexi from the other books has her being irresponsible and getting in over her head. So it’s sad to see that confirmed only more so.
February 4, 2025
3.5 stars
***100 Days of Summer Reading***
Reading prompt: Book published in June 2023
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 8
I enjoyed the first two books of this trilogy enough that I purchased my own copies of them. Now when I need a hit of speculative fiction romance, I have these at my fingertips. So I was determined to read this third book when it was published. I recommended that my library purchase it, but they hesitated for a couple of months, prompting me to lose patience and order a personal copy.
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this excursion as much as the first two. I didn't find Lexi as engaging as a main character as Tavi and Kee were in their books. Maybe because Lexi was a con woman and a thief? I don't usually hold that against a character, so I'm not sure if that was actually my problem. Whatever my issue, I just didn't feel this one in the same way. The plot was still jam-packed with action, but the rest of Starlight's crew didn't get as much page time as before and I missed them. I would have enjoyed more of Prince Liang, getting to know this member of the Valoff imperial family. He had such potential but didn't get to strut his stuff.
Unless, of course, there are more books coming? After all, Commodore Morton's trial hasn't commenced yet and war between humans and Valoffs hasn't been decisively deterred. If the author is matching up the crew members, Eli's fate is not yet been sealed and Anja's (unrequited?) feelings for the Prince would be an excellent jumping off point for a fourth volume. Time will tell, but despite my vague disappointment with this book, I would definitely read another.
***100 Days of Summer Reading***
Reading prompt: Book published in June 2023
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 8
I enjoyed the first two books of this trilogy enough that I purchased my own copies of them. Now when I need a hit of speculative fiction romance, I have these at my fingertips. So I was determined to read this third book when it was published. I recommended that my library purchase it, but they hesitated for a couple of months, prompting me to lose patience and order a personal copy.
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this excursion as much as the first two. I didn't find Lexi as engaging as a main character as Tavi and Kee were in their books. Maybe because Lexi was a con woman and a thief? I don't usually hold that against a character, so I'm not sure if that was actually my problem. Whatever my issue, I just didn't feel this one in the same way. The plot was still jam-packed with action, but the rest of Starlight's crew didn't get as much page time as before and I missed them. I would have enjoyed more of Prince Liang, getting to know this member of the Valoff imperial family. He had such potential but didn't get to strut his stuff.
Unless, of course, there are more books coming? After all, Commodore Morton's trial hasn't commenced yet and war between humans and Valoffs hasn't been decisively deterred. If the author is matching up the crew members, Eli's fate is not yet been sealed and Anja's (unrequited?) feelings for the Prince would be an excellent jumping off point for a fourth volume. Time will tell, but despite my vague disappointment with this book, I would definitely read another.
March 5, 2023
I devoured the first book and really enjoyed the second book in this series so I may have squealed a little when I got this copy of this third book from Netgalley. I enjoyed the story, but of the three I probably enjoyed it the least. I liked the dynamic between Nilo and Lexi, but the rest of the story felt slower than the other books. That isn’t to say I didn’t like it, the other books amazed me and this one I liked a lot. I am sad it’s the conclusion. I like books like this with an arc and a love story for all the characters, but I dislike that they are almost always trilogies. I want a series with the potential to be infinite, and honestly the first book in this series felt like that to me. Tavi is a great captain and there could totally be a series in her story with her crew. Lexi knows she shouldn’t return to the planet that wants her dead, but she is tempted by a large pay day and believes she’ll be secure with a new identity. When things turn fishy she is shocked to see Nilo again and even though he flirted with her only to steal her job and ditch her years before it seems like he is prepared to assist and defend her now.
June 22, 2023
Uuuugh.
Okay, so I guess what I ***really*** liked about the 1st book was the telepathic cat. There were other things I enjoyed, like all the enthusiastic consent, found family, and food as love. But really, it's the cat.
So now, three books in, not *nearly* enough cat. Can the cat have a three book spin-off?
Three books. Three human female / valov male pairings. The first two were fine, especially bc the characters in the second book were distinctly different than in the first. But now, honestly, I'm just sick of valov men. All the formal vowing and apologizing and they all sound the same now. This guy was supposed to be...different? Somehow? But no. His dialogue was copy / paste from the other two books.
I liked the group as a whole. I'd love to spend time on Starlight's Shadow. But this couple didn't do it for me. Lexi was a little annoying and manipulative (which, to be fair, was her superpower) and Nilo was just...valov. He was supposed to be a bad guy, but we only know that from the occasional smirk. Otherwise he had no discernible personality. So much vowing.
It was fine. Whatever. But as usual, it just makes me want to go re-read The Edge series by Ilona Andrews. Four - completely - different men. You would ***never*** mistake Kalder's dialogue for William's or Richard's, and Richard is his damn bother. I mention Kalder specifically bc he and Audrey are a perfect analogy to (uh, did these people have names?) Lexi and Nilo: thief pairings, for whom a locked door is no barrier.
Okay, so I guess what I ***really*** liked about the 1st book was the telepathic cat. There were other things I enjoyed, like all the enthusiastic consent, found family, and food as love. But really, it's the cat.
So now, three books in, not *nearly* enough cat. Can the cat have a three book spin-off?
Three books. Three human female / valov male pairings. The first two were fine, especially bc the characters in the second book were distinctly different than in the first. But now, honestly, I'm just sick of valov men. All the formal vowing and apologizing and they all sound the same now. This guy was supposed to be...different? Somehow? But no. His dialogue was copy / paste from the other two books.
I liked the group as a whole. I'd love to spend time on Starlight's Shadow. But this couple didn't do it for me. Lexi was a little annoying and manipulative (which, to be fair, was her superpower) and Nilo was just...valov. He was supposed to be a bad guy, but we only know that from the occasional smirk. Otherwise he had no discernible personality. So much vowing.
It was fine. Whatever. But as usual, it just makes me want to go re-read The Edge series by Ilona Andrews. Four - completely - different men. You would ***never*** mistake Kalder's dialogue for William's or Richard's, and Richard is his damn bother. I mention Kalder specifically bc he and Audrey are a perfect analogy to (uh, did these people have names?) Lexi and Nilo: thief pairings, for whom a locked door is no barrier.
July 16, 2023
I'm not sure why I didn't DNF this book. Ultimately, I wanted to see how the overarching plot of the series was resolved. I won't say it was unresolved, however, it was such a teeny tiny bit of the book that it felt unsatisfying.
The series started as cozy space opera with a bit of spice. I very much enjoyed the first book.
The second book was more romance and spice, less cozy, less space opera, less plot.
The final book was all romance/spice. It was boring, repetitive, and I skimmed through pretty much the entire book just to get to the end.
The series started as cozy space opera with a bit of spice. I very much enjoyed the first book.
The second book was more romance and spice, less cozy, less space opera, less plot.
The final book was all romance/spice. It was boring, repetitive, and I skimmed through pretty much the entire book just to get to the end.
May 26, 2023
Like the previous books in the trilogy, this is the love story of a telepathic space-elf hero and a strong warrior heroine. It's cute and fun, and there's enough sci-fi plot to keep the story going even when the love interest is gone for a few scenes. If you like the other books in the series, you'll like this one. It's just as strong.
I was impressed by how deeply this book explored the heroine, Lexi's, psyche. We get her dealing with her romantic hang-ups, and PTSD from a war. The hero, Nilo, helps her through it without being pushy or annoying, which was fun to see. Being with Lexi as she grew really helped me to like her and enjoy her story.
A video review including this book will be on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, @ChloeFrizzle.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for a copy to review. All opinions are my own.
I was impressed by how deeply this book explored the heroine, Lexi's, psyche. We get her dealing with her romantic hang-ups, and PTSD from a war. The hero, Nilo, helps her through it without being pushy or annoying, which was fun to see. Being with Lexi as she grew really helped me to like her and enjoy her story.
A video review including this book will be on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, @ChloeFrizzle.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for a copy to review. All opinions are my own.
December 10, 2023
On one hand, it actually hurts to hit that two star button, as I have read and thoroughly enjoyed almost all previous books from this author. On the other hand, there are just so many things that are wrong or didn’t work in this story that I truly feel the two stars are warranted (from a completely personal viewpoint, of course). So, here are the basic problems as I see them.
1. The book takes off in the middle of a storyline we know nothing about! I’ve read the two previous books in this series and I was STILL clueless! Those books introduced Lexi and Nilo but unless I have lost considerable brain cells in the last year, nothing has ever been explained about their previous relationship enough to give us any clue as to WHY all the angst. And, what exactly is the problem that they need to run to fix? We are given nothing more than “somebody kidnapped Martin and we must get him or there will be war”… Uh… why? What exactly are the reasons behind this? And the whole Tavi, et all storyline is so convoluted I can’t see day. Somebody took them, they’re being held… ‘kay? Again, we have NO idea how or why. It was just dumped on the reader expecting we would received immaculate revelation to understand. This left me totally confused and supremely frustrated throughout most of the book because the entire plot surrounds elusive something’s we have never known!
2. SO much of the book (and almost all of the first 2/3) is nothing more than Lexi drooling over, fantasizing over, yearning for, getting hot around (and on and on and on) Nilo. BUT acting cold, rude and schizo towards him. Even after Nilo does all in his power to help her AND after she has hot, steamy sex (multiple times) with him, she is still nasty ice. Good grief, it was scream inducing! Add to it, the above mentioned no idea WHY she is acting the way she is and…. I really should have dnf’d the book.
3. Lexi’s entire character is just so off-putting and impossible to like that I never could find any reason to even care about her. Not even ONCE could I say I liked her! And that begs the fact as to why I even continued. Never have I resented my OCD in finishing a story as much as now. Even near the end when Nilo has shown and proven his love and devotion to her over and OVER again, and when he has even SAID IT, she STILL doesn’t respond! She just can’t “say the words”. Seriously, at this point there are no words to express what an idiot I was to continue reading.
There are SO many other things that tie into these three main complaints (rants). But suffice it to say the entire story was just a frustrating, hair-pulling, eye-rolling mess. So why the two stars? Well, the action scenes were good… And did I mention, in spite of this seriously one-off of a book, I really like the author’s other offerings. *shrugs*
1. The book takes off in the middle of a storyline we know nothing about! I’ve read the two previous books in this series and I was STILL clueless! Those books introduced Lexi and Nilo but unless I have lost considerable brain cells in the last year, nothing has ever been explained about their previous relationship enough to give us any clue as to WHY all the angst. And, what exactly is the problem that they need to run to fix? We are given nothing more than “somebody kidnapped Martin and we must get him or there will be war”… Uh… why? What exactly are the reasons behind this? And the whole Tavi, et all storyline is so convoluted I can’t see day. Somebody took them, they’re being held… ‘kay? Again, we have NO idea how or why. It was just dumped on the reader expecting we would received immaculate revelation to understand. This left me totally confused and supremely frustrated throughout most of the book because the entire plot surrounds elusive something’s we have never known!
2. SO much of the book (and almost all of the first 2/3) is nothing more than Lexi drooling over, fantasizing over, yearning for, getting hot around (and on and on and on) Nilo. BUT acting cold, rude and schizo towards him. Even after Nilo does all in his power to help her AND after she has hot, steamy sex (multiple times) with him, she is still nasty ice. Good grief, it was scream inducing! Add to it, the above mentioned no idea WHY she is acting the way she is and…. I really should have dnf’d the book.
3. Lexi’s entire character is just so off-putting and impossible to like that I never could find any reason to even care about her. Not even ONCE could I say I liked her! And that begs the fact as to why I even continued. Never have I resented my OCD in finishing a story as much as now. Even near the end when Nilo has shown and proven his love and devotion to her over and OVER again, and when he has even SAID IT, she STILL doesn’t respond! She just can’t “say the words”. Seriously, at this point there are no words to express what an idiot I was to continue reading.
There are SO many other things that tie into these three main complaints (rants). But suffice it to say the entire story was just a frustrating, hair-pulling, eye-rolling mess. So why the two stars? Well, the action scenes were good… And did I mention, in spite of this seriously one-off of a book, I really like the author’s other offerings. *shrugs*
March 28, 2023
Lexi is back on Valova doing what she does best: acquiring hard-to-find items for rich people. (In other words, she steals them from other rich people for her clients.) But this trip is different: she suspects that she's been betrayed from the moment she steps into her hotel room. Luckily, she's saved by Nilo, who's both an ally (he's a crewmate of her captain's husband) and an enemy (he betrayed her by stealing the item she was after the first time they met). They've always been ridiculously attracted to each other, so when she realizes she has to wait one evening before she can leave the system, she decides it's time for the "get each other out of our system" bang. But what happens with that kind of bang? It never works. In this case, it's because (in addition to the fact that they're perfect for each other) she DOESN'T get to leave, after all.
Like the other books in the series, this is action-packed sci-fi-lite romance that feels like it belongs on the big screen as a video game. It's told entirely from Lexi's perspective, which can sometimes be frustrating (Nilo is telepathic and offers to share his thoughts with her; he is literally the least opaque person on the planet, miscommunication issues should be off the table). It also lends itself to the video game feeling of the story, since there's always more action to distract from the relationship.
This is the third in the series, and we do not recommend that you read out of order! This wraps up the overarching intrigue and relies on a lot of previous relationship building. We've enjoyed our trip to Valovia, even though we're still trying to understand how the day works (5 hours of light, 5 hours of darkness that are added into one big "day" of 20 hours...). Would you rather wake up in the dark or go to bed when it's light outside?? We still can't decide...
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
Like the other books in the series, this is action-packed sci-fi-lite romance that feels like it belongs on the big screen as a video game. It's told entirely from Lexi's perspective, which can sometimes be frustrating (Nilo is telepathic and offers to share his thoughts with her; he is literally the least opaque person on the planet, miscommunication issues should be off the table). It also lends itself to the video game feeling of the story, since there's always more action to distract from the relationship.
This is the third in the series, and we do not recommend that you read out of order! This wraps up the overarching intrigue and relies on a lot of previous relationship building. We've enjoyed our trip to Valovia, even though we're still trying to understand how the day works (5 hours of light, 5 hours of darkness that are added into one big "day" of 20 hours...). Would you rather wake up in the dark or go to bed when it's light outside?? We still can't decide...
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
July 31, 2023
HE FALLS FIRST AND FALLS HARD <3
I think my heart exploded when I found out book 3 in this series that I love so much was going to be the Lexi/Nilo book- my two favorite characters! (how does she know I was desperate for more of them?!) Then my heart exploded AGAIN when I was approved for the eARC and AGAIN when I got a finished copy in the mail (it's SO gorgeous!) Then, believe it or not, I was terrified to start it for fear it wouldn't live up to my expectations.
Guess what? IT DID. Guys, this was a rocking and rolling, action-packed, totally swoon-worthy end to what's been a great series so far. Mihalik really knows how to craft a scifi that has a great world, complicated politics, and supremely high stakes and still be able to zoom in to the heart of her characters. Nilo and Lexi (NILOOOOO) stole my heart, and this is definitely my favorite of the series. Have to love a hate to love.
full (rambly) review on spinebreaker
pre-review
LEXI BOOK ASDJFHALSKDJFLKDSJBLAFJDSLKJHFLAKSJDHF
I think my heart exploded when I found out book 3 in this series that I love so much was going to be the Lexi/Nilo book- my two favorite characters! (how does she know I was desperate for more of them?!) Then my heart exploded AGAIN when I was approved for the eARC and AGAIN when I got a finished copy in the mail (it's SO gorgeous!) Then, believe it or not, I was terrified to start it for fear it wouldn't live up to my expectations.
Guess what? IT DID. Guys, this was a rocking and rolling, action-packed, totally swoon-worthy end to what's been a great series so far. Mihalik really knows how to craft a scifi that has a great world, complicated politics, and supremely high stakes and still be able to zoom in to the heart of her characters. Nilo and Lexi (NILOOOOO) stole my heart, and this is definitely my favorite of the series. Have to love a hate to love.
full (rambly) review on spinebreaker
pre-review
LEXI BOOK ASDJFHALSKDJFLKDSJBLAFJDSLKJHFLAKSJDHF
March 5, 2023
I really loved the first book in the series and really really liked the second - but this one left me feeling flat! I don’t know if it’s just that I didn’t vibe with Lexi, but other than her and Nilo’s relationship this one just felt repetitive, slow, and frankly boring. I felt very on the outside of the conflict and not engaged - I just wanted to get through the action scenes as fast as possible. I really don’t know what was missing for me - again, it might have just been a main character mismatch. I would definitely continue reading the series if there will be more - it seems like there could be, but also it wrapped up enough if Mihalik wanted to leave it here. I would be really interested in the throuple book, though!
June 20, 2023
This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
This was great! I really liked Lexi and Nilo and thought that the chemistry between them was incredibly well done. I loved getting a closer look at Nilo’s abilities and I thought that it was obvious very early on just how much he cared about Lexi. The story had its fair share of action and excitement and I was worried about the characters more than once. I believe that this book did a wonderful job of wrapping up a very enjoyable trilogy.
Lexi basically works as a thief when she is not on a mission with the crew of the Starlight. She finds herself in trouble on a job and Nilo is there to whisk her away to the safety of his home. When she learns that her friends aboard the Starlight might be in trouble she is determined to do what she can to help. Nilo also wants to help his friends but is equally focused on keeping Lexi safe. I thought that they made a fantastic pair and loved watching Lexi learn to trust Nilo.
I would definitely recommend this book to others. I thought that it was a very entertaining read. It is the third book in the Starlight’s Shadow series which ideally should be read in order. This book features a different couple than the two previous books so it could work as a stand-alone if necessary. I enjoyed getting a chance to catch up with this fun group of characters and was thrilled by Lexi and Nilo’s happily ever after. I cannot wait to read more of this author’s work.
I received a review copy of this book from Harper Voyager.
This was great! I really liked Lexi and Nilo and thought that the chemistry between them was incredibly well done. I loved getting a closer look at Nilo’s abilities and I thought that it was obvious very early on just how much he cared about Lexi. The story had its fair share of action and excitement and I was worried about the characters more than once. I believe that this book did a wonderful job of wrapping up a very enjoyable trilogy.
Lexi basically works as a thief when she is not on a mission with the crew of the Starlight. She finds herself in trouble on a job and Nilo is there to whisk her away to the safety of his home. When she learns that her friends aboard the Starlight might be in trouble she is determined to do what she can to help. Nilo also wants to help his friends but is equally focused on keeping Lexi safe. I thought that they made a fantastic pair and loved watching Lexi learn to trust Nilo.
I would definitely recommend this book to others. I thought that it was a very entertaining read. It is the third book in the Starlight’s Shadow series which ideally should be read in order. This book features a different couple than the two previous books so it could work as a stand-alone if necessary. I enjoyed getting a chance to catch up with this fun group of characters and was thrilled by Lexi and Nilo’s happily ever after. I cannot wait to read more of this author’s work.
I received a review copy of this book from Harper Voyager.
July 5, 2023
Once again Frankie Corzo narrates and brings the characters, their emotions and the story to life. Corzo uses unique voices and sets the tone for the story. I highly recommend listening to the series. While each book features a complete romance, I highly recommend listening in the order of release for the overall story arc, friendships and spoilers.
Lexi is a recovery specialist and aids the crew of the Starlight Shadow. When she isn’t working with them, she uses her skills as a thief to recover things. I was excited to get her story.
Her latest gig has her returning to Valovia. Here she has a run-in with Nilo Shoren, a Valovian teleporter who not only stole a profitable gig from her, but almost stole her heart. When her crew goes missing, she’ll have to work with Nilo to save them. The tale that unfolds quickly pulled me in from their heated chemistry to the rescue mission.
From the start, it was obvious Nilo had it bad for Lexi, but as wildly attracted as she is to him and as hot as he is in bed, she cocoons her heart and cannot see what it is in front of her. I loved watching their relationship deepen and seeing the trust build. Both vow to protect the other even as Lexi denies the reasons.
The suspense angle was well done, with twists, climatic scenes bringing a fitting end to the series. We get closure for the trilogy as we see villains brought to justice and catch a glimpse at what lies ahead for the crew. It was good to see the crew of Starlight Shadow and I’d love to fly with them again. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Lexi is a recovery specialist and aids the crew of the Starlight Shadow. When she isn’t working with them, she uses her skills as a thief to recover things. I was excited to get her story.
Her latest gig has her returning to Valovia. Here she has a run-in with Nilo Shoren, a Valovian teleporter who not only stole a profitable gig from her, but almost stole her heart. When her crew goes missing, she’ll have to work with Nilo to save them. The tale that unfolds quickly pulled me in from their heated chemistry to the rescue mission.
From the start, it was obvious Nilo had it bad for Lexi, but as wildly attracted as she is to him and as hot as he is in bed, she cocoons her heart and cannot see what it is in front of her. I loved watching their relationship deepen and seeing the trust build. Both vow to protect the other even as Lexi denies the reasons.
The suspense angle was well done, with twists, climatic scenes bringing a fitting end to the series. We get closure for the trilogy as we see villains brought to justice and catch a glimpse at what lies ahead for the crew. It was good to see the crew of Starlight Shadow and I’d love to fly with them again. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
March 3, 2025
Clearly we were not going to be able to fuck our way to a working relationship, no matter how nice trying that might be. We were going to have to communicate.
If that doesn't describe 90% of any story that involves romance, I don't know what does 😂
4.25 stars
This was a nice conclusion to the trilogy! I wish Eli was getting a book but it's fine, everything's fine.
If that doesn't describe 90% of any story that involves romance, I don't know what does 😂
4.25 stars
This was a nice conclusion to the trilogy! I wish Eli was getting a book but it's fine, everything's fine.
June 22, 2023
In my mind Jessie Mihalik’s books are more space adventure stories with some romantic plot. Sometimes the adventure overtakes the romance but in this case the balance between the two felt just right.
I really liked the main characters and found their romance both very engaging and convincing. I loved the dynamics between, the push and pull. Her concerns, his secrets they felt very real and relatable.
We are already familiar with some elements of the culture of the Valoffs and I liked how they were further developed here. The idea of cooking for someone as their love language hits home for me.
In previous books I was put off by the sense of obligation to protect your partner that is a central element in the moral code of the Valoff. I felt it did create a very unequal footing between the heroes (all Valoffs so far) and the heroines (human women).
This aspect felt more balanced here. Don’t get me wrong, Nilo still felt he had an obligation to protect Lexi and felt like a failure when she got hurt, but Lexi pretty much acted in the same way. They both were ready to sacrifice their lives for each other.
The space adventures were dynamic and tense, there was treason and fights and manipulation and next-level technologies.
We get the whole team together and it was nice seeing everyone again, the couples from the previous two books and new relationships in the making (a potential trouple, though I don’t know if we will get to see their romance on the page).
In short, I quite enjoyed this installment in the series, I would say it’s my favourite so far.
CW: violence, life-threatening injuries, kidnapping,
I really liked the main characters and found their romance both very engaging and convincing. I loved the dynamics between, the push and pull. Her concerns, his secrets they felt very real and relatable.
We are already familiar with some elements of the culture of the Valoffs and I liked how they were further developed here. The idea of cooking for someone as their love language hits home for me.
In previous books I was put off by the sense of obligation to protect your partner that is a central element in the moral code of the Valoff. I felt it did create a very unequal footing between the heroes (all Valoffs so far) and the heroines (human women).
This aspect felt more balanced here. Don’t get me wrong, Nilo still felt he had an obligation to protect Lexi and felt like a failure when she got hurt, but Lexi pretty much acted in the same way. They both were ready to sacrifice their lives for each other.
The space adventures were dynamic and tense, there was treason and fights and manipulation and next-level technologies.
We get the whole team together and it was nice seeing everyone again, the couples from the previous two books and new relationships in the making (a potential trouple, though I don’t know if we will get to see their romance on the page).
In short, I quite enjoyed this installment in the series, I would say it’s my favourite so far.
CW: violence, life-threatening injuries, kidnapping,
September 28, 2023
Safe
Review to come
Review to come
June 23, 2023
lust-fest with a weak plot, the weakest installment by far.
July 12, 2023
Read this review on Got Fiction? Book Blog
I am a big fan of this author, and this series. A very quick backstory is that this series is about a ragtag group of bounty hunters who work together with their enemies to retrieve a stolen thing which may or may not be a "thing," find out they aren't so different, they aren't enemies, and that they do have a common enemy (this is book 1 Hunt the Stars). Then we see them working together and furthering the cause, learning to live with the aftermath of the war that made them enemies, and learning to trust once more (book 2 Eclipse the Moon).
This book is about Lexi and Nilo who from the first scene together in the firs book had some intense chemistry. But to Lexi, Nilo betrayed her. My favorite trope is that betrayal/ enemies to lovers type trope. I had high hopes for this book.
Lexi is a thief. Nilo is a warrior. His race has powers, telekinesis, teleportation, telepathy, healing...you get the idea. Well Nilo can teleport. The original meeting, the original betrayal, came when Lexi was taking a job, she and Nilo flirted, had a moment, and he stole the job right from under her nose. He's spent two books trying to apologize, but Lexi isn't just mad. She's hurt. She doesn't want to listen. She hardens her heart and stays pleasantly cordial. Until this book.
Lexi has come to a hotel on Nilo's home planet, knowing the Sun Empress is looking for her (based on events from the last books), knowing that it's dangerous, but also, really wanting the job. She's just walked in to her hotel when she's made. She's walking quickly, reaching for a weapon, hoping to escape before the guards catch up to her, when it seems she'll have to fight her way out. And in the second, Nilo ports in, grabs her, and ports out. He saves her butt, and she's grumpy.
Nilo has been doing his own recon in this area, and he knew when Lexi got planetside. He knew she'd be a target, and he wants her safe...he knows she can take care of herself, but really, he wants to keep her safe. They make an uneasy truce, and it is super obvious that from the get-go Nilo is 100% all-in with Lexi. But Lexi is prickly, still hurt, and keeps her emotions out of all of her relationships at the best of times, let alone with Nilo. And she starts to realize that the reason she's so angry about his betrayal is because she liked him. And she wasn't really angry, just hurt. But Nilo is patient. And persistent. I love Nilo.
This book was a little different than the previous ones in the sense that the first half of this book really concentrates on the Lexi/Nilo relationship. The hiding out and forced proximity allows them to learn more about each other, to understand each other, and to let those sparks fly. And through it all, they're plotting. Neither of them can contact Starlight's Shadow, their friends' ship. That means one of two things: their friends have been captured/killed, or they're in hiding. But how do you hide a whole ship?
The second half of this book was the wild, zany, and harebrained ideas that ragtag teams in Space Operas are famous for. This author excels in that. At one point, Lexi is planning something crazy and it worries Nilo. He tells her she's running into danger She smiles and reminds him that she is dangerous. I loved that!
I liked seeing everyone together. I enjoyed the battles, the outsmarting, the romance, and the learning to trust again. It's a fabulous series, and a fantastic book. I'm not happy that this is the end, though I'd like to hold on to hope that there will be more stories to tell. There are some threads left untied, so maybe we'll get to visit this universe again some day. For now, though, I love this series, and highly recommend both this series and this author.
***ARC provided by the publisher
I am a big fan of this author, and this series. A very quick backstory is that this series is about a ragtag group of bounty hunters who work together with their enemies to retrieve a stolen thing which may or may not be a "thing," find out they aren't so different, they aren't enemies, and that they do have a common enemy (this is book 1 Hunt the Stars). Then we see them working together and furthering the cause, learning to live with the aftermath of the war that made them enemies, and learning to trust once more (book 2 Eclipse the Moon).
This book is about Lexi and Nilo who from the first scene together in the firs book had some intense chemistry. But to Lexi, Nilo betrayed her. My favorite trope is that betrayal/ enemies to lovers type trope. I had high hopes for this book.
Lexi is a thief. Nilo is a warrior. His race has powers, telekinesis, teleportation, telepathy, healing...you get the idea. Well Nilo can teleport. The original meeting, the original betrayal, came when Lexi was taking a job, she and Nilo flirted, had a moment, and he stole the job right from under her nose. He's spent two books trying to apologize, but Lexi isn't just mad. She's hurt. She doesn't want to listen. She hardens her heart and stays pleasantly cordial. Until this book.
Lexi has come to a hotel on Nilo's home planet, knowing the Sun Empress is looking for her (based on events from the last books), knowing that it's dangerous, but also, really wanting the job. She's just walked in to her hotel when she's made. She's walking quickly, reaching for a weapon, hoping to escape before the guards catch up to her, when it seems she'll have to fight her way out. And in the second, Nilo ports in, grabs her, and ports out. He saves her butt, and she's grumpy.
Nilo has been doing his own recon in this area, and he knew when Lexi got planetside. He knew she'd be a target, and he wants her safe...he knows she can take care of herself, but really, he wants to keep her safe. They make an uneasy truce, and it is super obvious that from the get-go Nilo is 100% all-in with Lexi. But Lexi is prickly, still hurt, and keeps her emotions out of all of her relationships at the best of times, let alone with Nilo. And she starts to realize that the reason she's so angry about his betrayal is because she liked him. And she wasn't really angry, just hurt. But Nilo is patient. And persistent. I love Nilo.
This book was a little different than the previous ones in the sense that the first half of this book really concentrates on the Lexi/Nilo relationship. The hiding out and forced proximity allows them to learn more about each other, to understand each other, and to let those sparks fly. And through it all, they're plotting. Neither of them can contact Starlight's Shadow, their friends' ship. That means one of two things: their friends have been captured/killed, or they're in hiding. But how do you hide a whole ship?
The second half of this book was the wild, zany, and harebrained ideas that ragtag teams in Space Operas are famous for. This author excels in that. At one point, Lexi is planning something crazy and it worries Nilo. He tells her she's running into danger She smiles and reminds him that she is dangerous. I loved that!
I liked seeing everyone together. I enjoyed the battles, the outsmarting, the romance, and the learning to trust again. It's a fabulous series, and a fantastic book. I'm not happy that this is the end, though I'd like to hold on to hope that there will be more stories to tell. There are some threads left untied, so maybe we'll get to visit this universe again some day. For now, though, I love this series, and highly recommend both this series and this author.
***ARC provided by the publisher
July 2, 2023
I really enjoy this author's work so it's painful to say that this book was HARD for me to lose myself into the story. I was completely engaged in the overall story arc but struggled to relate/like Lexi and Nilo. Their origin happened off page and I really think that hindered my ability to connect to their story, which felt like it started in the middle. While we get a 360 view of Lexi and her MASSIVE issues, we barely learn anything about Nilo. He's just a cardboard cut-out of the other Valoff love interests. Even after the previous 2 books. I felt zero chemistry between them and just... ugh so frustrating. It took me until I got past 55% to really "click into" the story and I mostly skimmed the Lexi/Nilo drama because blegh... stop slowing down the action with your crap. Still love love the Found Family though.
Anyway, while I can't say this one was a winner for me, I really like this author and will be looking forward to her next release.
Anyway, while I can't say this one was a winner for me, I really like this author and will be looking forward to her next release.
June 25, 2023
DNF at chapter 33 with 50 minutes left in the audiobook. The FMC has more baggage than an airport. I just can’t….
dnf
June 25, 2023I can't handle a heroine who repeatedly puts herself in danger while saying she can look after herself... when she so obviously can't and keeps getting rescued...
July 11, 2023
Picking up roughly midway through the timeline of the second book, Eclipse the Moon, Capture the Sun follows recovery specialist (aka thief), Lexi, as she returns to Voloff for a potentially lucrative job. However, as soon as she arrives, she’s being hunted by the Empress’s agents, a move the Empress hopes will bring back one of her inner circle (book 1). When her nemesis Nilo shows up to save her, Lexi isn’t sure who to trust.
As the book progresses, the timelines of book 2 and 3 merge, and the gang reunites to rescue Starlight’s captain and Voloff crew. I liked how the story first focuses on Lexi and Nilo, giving the pair time to build trust, and then brings the group all together to deal with Morton, Fev, and a potential war. There is a lot of action and romance. Lexi doesn’t trust easily, and Nilo is willing to put in the time to earn her confidence and love. They do experience a few communication failures which leads to some unnecessary drama, but overall, they build a solid relationship.
Narration: The story is shared via the first person POV of Lexi. The narrator uses a strong and upbeat feminine voice which suits Lexi, who is fiercely independent. The narrator utilizes various inflections and tone changes for emotions. Dialogue is slightly adjusted for gender, race, and age, making each character unique. She gives the Valloffs a slight accent to differentiate their race. Her males are deeper and masculine. Overall, it is a solid performance and enjoyable to listen to.
Although there are more stories from this universe that could be shared, Capture the Sun wraps up the Starlight’s Shadow series with the promise of hope that all good things will come. Overall, I enjoyed the series and recommend to fans who enjoy romance with their space adventures.
My Ratings:
Story: B
Narration: B
Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About
As the book progresses, the timelines of book 2 and 3 merge, and the gang reunites to rescue Starlight’s captain and Voloff crew. I liked how the story first focuses on Lexi and Nilo, giving the pair time to build trust, and then brings the group all together to deal with Morton, Fev, and a potential war. There is a lot of action and romance. Lexi doesn’t trust easily, and Nilo is willing to put in the time to earn her confidence and love. They do experience a few communication failures which leads to some unnecessary drama, but overall, they build a solid relationship.
Narration: The story is shared via the first person POV of Lexi. The narrator uses a strong and upbeat feminine voice which suits Lexi, who is fiercely independent. The narrator utilizes various inflections and tone changes for emotions. Dialogue is slightly adjusted for gender, race, and age, making each character unique. She gives the Valloffs a slight accent to differentiate their race. Her males are deeper and masculine. Overall, it is a solid performance and enjoyable to listen to.
Although there are more stories from this universe that could be shared, Capture the Sun wraps up the Starlight’s Shadow series with the promise of hope that all good things will come. Overall, I enjoyed the series and recommend to fans who enjoy romance with their space adventures.
My Ratings:
Story: B
Narration: B
Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About
June 13, 2023
I feel like this series has been a bit uneven. One of the problems I had reading this book is that I remembered nothing at all from the previous 2 books and that's a me problem, obviously, that could have been easily rectified had I reread the 1st 2 books before starting this one. However, that aside, I do think this book had some pacing issues and could have easily been 50-60 pages shorter. It lagged in certain places and there were scenes that felt unnecessary to the overall plot and also didn't really serve to further the romance in any meaningful way. I mean, it took me almost a whole week to read this book, mostly because I was a bit bored by it.
I liked the 2 main characters a lot, obviously they had been set up from book 1 but I wanted more from their romance. I don't know if this is the final book in this series, but if it is, I would be disappointed because there are several characters whose romantic storylines were left unresolved, including a potential triad that has promise to be very very good.
ARC from publisher, review is all mine.
I liked the 2 main characters a lot, obviously they had been set up from book 1 but I wanted more from their romance. I don't know if this is the final book in this series, but if it is, I would be disappointed because there are several characters whose romantic storylines were left unresolved, including a potential triad that has promise to be very very good.
ARC from publisher, review is all mine.
May 11, 2024
Wow isn't it crazy that when I actually read the books I've been hoarding I really enjoy them???
This was SO GOOD, such a fantastic wrap up tho this series, though as with the Polaris Rising one, I would happily go back to this world any day. But something about Lexi and Nilo just connected with me from page 1 (them in particular had real Hidden Legacy Nevada/Rogan vibes?)
This was SO GOOD, such a fantastic wrap up tho this series, though as with the Polaris Rising one, I would happily go back to this world any day. But something about Lexi and Nilo just connected with me from page 1 (them in particular had real Hidden Legacy Nevada/Rogan vibes?)
June 8, 2023
Reviewed for Dear Author.
Link to come.
Link to come.
September 24, 2023
I didn't like this book. The reasons for my dislike are below.
1. The plot played second fiddle the the lust and sex sequences. After pages and pages of thighs and shoulders and beautiful eyes, those anatomic descriptions got tedious, but there were so many of them, I wanted to spit in frustration. The story seemed to stumble upon those irritating erotic insets every few paragraphs.
2. The story that finally did emerge from all that lust-filled bog was too brutal. Too much danger and pain and hostility assaulted the protagonists from all sides. The more sophisticated reviewers might call it 'gritty', but I tend to use simpler words.
3. Too much nasty politics and too many psychopathic politicians. Gah!
4. I disliked the heroine, Lexi. She is a professional thief, mistrustful, prickly and vicious, more inclined to lash out than to understand and accept. She totally lacks kindness and compassion. I don't know what the hero sees in her, but she grated on my nerves for the entire book. I didn't sympathize with her at all. I never wanted to be any closer to a toxic personality like her than I had to be. She was unsympathetic in the extreme and she destroyed any chance for me to enjoy this novel.
Besides, Lexi is a thief, and I abhor thieves. They are all villains in my view. I don't know why some writers try to portray them as noble sufferers or some such. They take what doesn't belong to them. Robbing people is a filthy crime and should be punished by law, not rhapsodized about in fiction.
1. The plot played second fiddle the the lust and sex sequences. After pages and pages of thighs and shoulders and beautiful eyes, those anatomic descriptions got tedious, but there were so many of them, I wanted to spit in frustration. The story seemed to stumble upon those irritating erotic insets every few paragraphs.
2. The story that finally did emerge from all that lust-filled bog was too brutal. Too much danger and pain and hostility assaulted the protagonists from all sides. The more sophisticated reviewers might call it 'gritty', but I tend to use simpler words.
3. Too much nasty politics and too many psychopathic politicians. Gah!
4. I disliked the heroine, Lexi. She is a professional thief, mistrustful, prickly and vicious, more inclined to lash out than to understand and accept. She totally lacks kindness and compassion. I don't know what the hero sees in her, but she grated on my nerves for the entire book. I didn't sympathize with her at all. I never wanted to be any closer to a toxic personality like her than I had to be. She was unsympathetic in the extreme and she destroyed any chance for me to enjoy this novel.
Besides, Lexi is a thief, and I abhor thieves. They are all villains in my view. I don't know why some writers try to portray them as noble sufferers or some such. They take what doesn't belong to them. Robbing people is a filthy crime and should be punished by law, not rhapsodized about in fiction.
June 26, 2023
I don’t like to write negative reviews and I usually like this author, but this book just wasn’t for me. Too much of a lust fest imo. I didn’t finish, not sure if I will as the plot didn’t grab me either, nor did the MC.
July 12, 2023
Jessie Mihalik’s ‘Starlight Shadow’ Universe is one that I do think of fondly from time to time, but it’s also a series that hasn’t quite hit stratospheric heights for me as I waded through the series. Unfortunately, ‘Capture the Sun’ felt like the weakest link of all the three books, even though the pairing of Nilo/Lexi was signalled quite obviously from the start.
I think it’s probably mainly because Nilo’s and Lexi felt like ‘outsider characters'—characters that slipped more out of the pages than stayed in their margins in the first two books. To have a story focusing on this pairing seemed almost like an afterthought for someone who couldn’t quite get invested in them.
Not that the story is hard to get into, mind you, because Mihalik does make it fairly easy to follow along Lexi Bowen’s very individual (and solitary) journey until she gets intercepted by Nilo Shoren in the middle of a mission.
These two have a history that’s somewhat brief but fractious because of job that Nilo had stolen from her a while ago. But beneath the glitzy glamour of the sci-fi world building and the conflict, Lexi/Nilo felt very much like a contemporary New Adult pairing revolving around the ‘afraid of commitment’ trope. In an earth-bound N/A read, there’d typically be a lot more exploration of the deep-seated issues in both characters; in ‘Capture the Sun’, there’s a lot less of it in spite of the first-person N/A flavour given to it, with Mihalik choosing instead to push on with plot and keeping the characters at bay rather than flaying them open.
In short, if you’re here for the general space opera shenanigans—great, because there’s a sufficiently large arc to keep everything moving with mini cliffhanger moments and knots to unravel in the whole journey. Overall character development did feel a little impeded however, but that could be less of a concern if you want to prefer your eyes on the action instead and say that lighthearted goodbye at the end of it all without thinking too much about it.
I think it’s probably mainly because Nilo’s and Lexi felt like ‘outsider characters'—characters that slipped more out of the pages than stayed in their margins in the first two books. To have a story focusing on this pairing seemed almost like an afterthought for someone who couldn’t quite get invested in them.
Not that the story is hard to get into, mind you, because Mihalik does make it fairly easy to follow along Lexi Bowen’s very individual (and solitary) journey until she gets intercepted by Nilo Shoren in the middle of a mission.
These two have a history that’s somewhat brief but fractious because of job that Nilo had stolen from her a while ago. But beneath the glitzy glamour of the sci-fi world building and the conflict, Lexi/Nilo felt very much like a contemporary New Adult pairing revolving around the ‘afraid of commitment’ trope. In an earth-bound N/A read, there’d typically be a lot more exploration of the deep-seated issues in both characters; in ‘Capture the Sun’, there’s a lot less of it in spite of the first-person N/A flavour given to it, with Mihalik choosing instead to push on with plot and keeping the characters at bay rather than flaying them open.
In short, if you’re here for the general space opera shenanigans—great, because there’s a sufficiently large arc to keep everything moving with mini cliffhanger moments and knots to unravel in the whole journey. Overall character development did feel a little impeded however, but that could be less of a concern if you want to prefer your eyes on the action instead and say that lighthearted goodbye at the end of it all without thinking too much about it.
July 24, 2023
- professional thief x a professional spy
- Second chance
- I trust nobody, and I trust you less than that… that turns into I want you to trust me and I’ll do anything to make that possible … so groveling…
-soft spice
-PTSD rep
I really liked this book series. It was a solid four stars all around. It was a great mix of fantasy and sci-fi, and scratched the little itch inside my brain that I was hoping this niche genre would.
That being said, I’m really sad that this is the end of the series considering there are still couples that didn’t get to finish or we didn’t get closure on … and there’s a poly group that was starting to form and I’m BUMMED I won’t see that happpen.
This author also left places where she could’ve gone deeper but I kind of respect in a way that she didn’t. I know that kind of sounds counterintuitive, but she didn’t try to make it something that it wasn’t and I respect that even if I wish she would’ve explored some of the stuff that she had brought up in the first book regarding species & histories .
I’ll definitely be reading more from this author and I enjoyed my time …recommend
- Second chance
- I trust nobody, and I trust you less than that… that turns into I want you to trust me and I’ll do anything to make that possible … so groveling…
-soft spice
-PTSD rep
I really liked this book series. It was a solid four stars all around. It was a great mix of fantasy and sci-fi, and scratched the little itch inside my brain that I was hoping this niche genre would.
That being said, I’m really sad that this is the end of the series considering there are still couples that didn’t get to finish or we didn’t get closure on … and there’s a poly group that was starting to form and I’m BUMMED I won’t see that happpen.
This author also left places where she could’ve gone deeper but I kind of respect in a way that she didn’t. I know that kind of sounds counterintuitive, but she didn’t try to make it something that it wasn’t and I respect that even if I wish she would’ve explored some of the stuff that she had brought up in the first book regarding species & histories .
I’ll definitely be reading more from this author and I enjoyed my time …recommend
April 14, 2024
All of the ingredients were there—I liked the MCs, great high stakes action—but this didn’t have the chokehold Mihalik’s books usually have on me.
Characters: Lexi is a 31 year old white recovery specialist and former soldier. Nilo is a Valovian teleporter and former soldier.
Content notes: PTSD, nightmare, panic attack, near-death experiences, physical assault of prisoner by FMC and secondary characters, murder, attempted murder, explosion, physical assault, missing team, imprisonment, torture (broken bones), misogynist slur, lacerations, vomit, past war, past death of MMC’s sister (combat), past death of FMC’s adoptive parents at 9 years old, past foster care, FMC ran away at 13 (gained access to trust at 18), unsafe sex practices (no condom for penetrative sex without discussion of STI or pregnancy prevention; unclear if STIs exist in this world or cross-species pregnancy is possible), on page sex, bondage, erotic daydream, alcohol, pain medication, casual ableism, ableist language, MMC compared to an addiction
Characters: Lexi is a 31 year old white recovery specialist and former soldier. Nilo is a Valovian teleporter and former soldier.
Content notes: PTSD, nightmare, panic attack, near-death experiences, physical assault of prisoner by FMC and secondary characters, murder, attempted murder, explosion, physical assault, missing team, imprisonment, torture (broken bones), misogynist slur, lacerations, vomit, past war, past death of MMC’s sister (combat), past death of FMC’s adoptive parents at 9 years old, past foster care, FMC ran away at 13 (gained access to trust at 18), unsafe sex practices (no condom for penetrative sex without discussion of STI or pregnancy prevention; unclear if STIs exist in this world or cross-species pregnancy is possible), on page sex, bondage, erotic daydream, alcohol, pain medication, casual ableism, ableist language, MMC compared to an addiction
July 29, 2023
Jessie Mihalik continues to be one of my absolutely favorite romance writers, deftly marrying the genre with space opera in a fantastically consumable way! I think my main qualm with this book is that it coasted a little too much on context established in the previous books in the series, and the pacing felt a little less urgent for it. I’m excited to see what will happen in her next series!
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