Moonstruck

The war is over. Finally there is peace in the galaxy. The Coalition, Drakken Horde and Earth are now united (The Triad Alliance). But Admiral Britasha Bandar doesn't like it one bit. She's made a career out of capturing and killing the vile Drakken. The same people who made her into the emotionless leader of the Coalition forces she is today. Brit didn't get the nickname 'Stone Heart' for nothing. Now the alliance wants her to command a diplomatic ship called Unity bringing stabilization and reorganization. If that wasn't bad enough, her ships crew will be a mixture of those peoples. And her second in command is none other than the former Imperial Fleet warleader (and sometimes pirate) the Hordish Finnar Rorkken -her nemesis. The one man she was never able to capture. Their attraction is immediate. Soon Finn finds that under Birts icy exterior lies a woman who needs to be healed and loved. But will she ever allow him close enough? I loved this book. A nice change having the heroine be the alpha instead of the hero. Brit is a fearless, somewhat emotionless and controlled leader. And just like in other romances (except of course its usually the hero), she needs the perfect someone who will show her unconditional love and patience. Finn is that man. But don't be fooled, he's not the shrinking violet type. He provides the support and love Brit needs while giving her the space to make her own decisions. And boy! are they smoking HOT together! Just a really great couple. There is also an interesting secondary romance with Brit's assistant and another member of the crew. That one had me guessing and hopefully Grant will expand on it in future books. Admittedly I don't read sci-fi (something about Star Trek makes me want to burst out laughing) so I can't compare this to that genre. But I do read a lot of contemporary, historical and paranormal romance. And I found Moonstruck to be way above average compared to a typical romance (especially anything harlequinn). The sci-fi part is just right IMHO. Not overly detailed (eyes glazing over) but enough to be intriguing. And I loved the romance mixed with a bit of space adventure. I'm not sure I'd recommend Moonstruck to strictly sci-fi readers -not meaty enough. But romance readers should enjoy this lite sci-fi romance book.

I loved this book. Moonstruck reminded me of all those classic space epics I adored in my youth - things like Asimov's Foundation series. Two galactic empires have fought a long and bitter war. When one empire collapses and sues for peace, an uneasy truce results. Admiral Brit Bandar has made vengeance against the Drakken her life's work, so she's pretty ticked off when she's given command of a diplomatic vessel that will boast a combined crew of Coalition and Drakken forces. The name of the ship is Unity and the very idea is so repugnant to Brit, she can't even say the ship's name out loud. Imagine how annoyed she is when she learns that her first officer is Drakken. And not just any Drakken, either. It's Finn Rorkken, a Drakken Warleader and pirate she chased all over the galaxy and never managed to capture. Brit can't stand the idea of the guy being anywhere near her ship. Until she finally lays eyes on him and discovers he resembles her long-dead husband. Finn knows the Admiral wants him, because hey, what woman wouldn't? He's good-looking, powerful and smart. But unlike the Admiral, he's also tired to death of war. He welcomes the truce, hoping it will bring luxuries like adequate food and medicine to his people. So far, it's certainly worked out well for him. He's got a cushy new job as Brit's second-in-command; and soon he's moonlighting as her personal boy toy. But along the way, is he selling out his own people for comfort and security? Susan Grant's story goes beyond the superficial love story to explore what makes these two complicated people tick. Both Brit and Finn have known war for so long, they have no clue how to cope with peace. When a nation's whole identity revolves around defeating the enemy, what's the point of life when the war ends? Brit especially is not sure about the answer. Grant does a beautiful job of gradually unfolding Brit's complicated feelings as she tries to relearn what it means to be a woman and not just a soldier. Moonstruck offers a vivid, believable science fiction universe combined with a sensitive, sexy love story. A great discovery!

Admiral Brit Bandar, aka `Admiral Stone-Heart', of the CSS Vengeance, hunts down desperate Hurdish Pirates hiding in the Borderlands. Now the galaxy is heading to a time of peace. A peace she is just not sure of. On shore leave, she is informed that she is `trading up' from her beloved Vengeance. Under orders from Prime Admiral Zaafran, she will go to `the Ring of the Goddess' for the trade. War leader Finnar Rorkken, `the Scourge of the Borderlands', an Imperial Fleet War leader, was tired - tired of being tired. After the end of the Great War had reduced his people's `scrip' currency to nothing, he was forced to pay his crew out of his own funds and to liquidate whatever was not needed or necessary on his ship. He was reduced to the `old ways' of pirating. Now Prime Admiral Zaafran has requested his presence at `the Ring of the Goddess'. Life is becoming surreal. These two warriors have developed a grudging respect of each other, even though they have never met. The treaty between the Coalition, the Drakken's and the Earthlings brought these two warriors together after years of battles and sparring. What does the future hold? Susan Grant's Moonstruck is a fantastic read. She has written a descriptive story of two people who are working towards the future by attempting to control, not forget, their pasts. From the first chapter I was drawn in by Ms. Grant's descriptive writing style. Her characters are drawn as fallible, normal beings. No matter what the character's background is, the reader finds themselves drawn to each one. Also, thrown in is humor for when things start to get intense. I found myself along for the ride in a wonderful adventure. I enjoyed Moonstruck to the point I have to Joyfully Recommend it. Emma Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Trust me, you don't want to find this volume missing when you stumble across the rest of the series. So much happens in this first volume! You want to savour it before the next one. MOONSTRUCK explores the ways in which having sex changes a person -- the first time with a given partner or the first time ever. It explores what it means to be the only virgin on a starship full of tough customers. The story delves into a peculiar type of "first time" when a jaded Captain used to "only sex" falls in love for the second time in her life, and discovers the unique experience of making love instead of "just sex." Love is more disturbing than she could ever imagine -- because it is with her enemy, her nemesis, the symbol of all that's despicable in her world. Oh, Star Trek fans will love Grant's BORDERLANDS series. It's just what we've all been waiting for. This starship captain is a woman with a sexual appetite and a lust for definitive action. She's carrying a huge emotional load that leads her to obsessive behavior and has distanced herself from all human contact because of that. Now, all of that has to change - fast - because she's been given a new ship to command and a First Officer (you guessed it) who was her enemy, her nemesis, the symbol of all that's despicable in her world. But that was before the war ended. MOONSTRUCK is an independent study in the reconstruction of a society fragmented for centuries by war. This novel introduces you gently to the universe that is so fraught with complexity you will live in it for years to come. In fact, the Borderlands saga may owe as much to the turmoil in the Middle East as it does to Star Trek -- it is about Nation Building seen from within. Grant takes us on a love-venture (loventure?) into a relationship forbidden by religious and cultural rules, and forbidden by the common sense rule of the Service that sexual relationships up and down the chain of command do more harm than good, and forbidden by emotional rules about sleeping with the enemy. This starship captain has few qualms about "just sex" with anything male, enemies included (remind you of James Kirk?). So no harm done? Right? uh-oh. But after it dawns on her that it ISN'T "just sex" -- what then? Doing something forbidden may have a certain spice to it -- but afterwards, is it worth it? What are the consequences and upon whom does the toll fall? If the cost is only to yourself, then it's nobody else's business. But if it involves another - that's a problem. If it involves two interstellar civilizations, that's something else entirely. But if it weren't "forbidden" then there wouldn't be any consequences, right? It's crossing the line of "forbidden" that causes all the trouble -- not the act itself. Hmmm? Or are things "forbidden" because some ancient ancestors got into trouble doing that thing? Well, then but that was then and this is now -- rules have to change, right? The "forbidden line" has to move from generation to gene

I'm a total fan of this author's work. One hundred percent gaga. And yet, I did not really expect that she could further surpass my expectations and blast them completely out of the galaxy. Moonstruck embodies for me everything that is necessary when it comes to reading romance. I was in fact moonstruck in the sense it has in this book: totally in love with everything about it. Admiral Britasha Bandar (Brit for short) isn't thrilled with the turn of events. She's not ready to give up the ghosts and despair that drove her to become one of the most successful women in the Coalition. However, the Coaltion is no more, but rather the Triad, a conglomerate of Coalition, Earthling and Drakken soldiers. Brit's been chosen to command the symbolic accord amongst all of them aboard the new ship, Unity. For a woman that believes the only good Drakken is a dead one, it'll be a challenge to say the least. And when she meets her new second-in-command, her emotional barriers will be stretched to the limit. Warleader Finnar Rorkken of the former Drakken Horde is grateful in the extreme for the opportunity that comes his way. To serve aboard the Unity, even if under one of his biggest rivals, means a better life for him and his ragtag crew. But can the former Scourge of the Borderlands assimilate successfully into such a foreign culture? Brit certainly has her doubts, but Finn is determined to prove his and his crew's worth, indeed the worth of the Drakken people as a whole. The beautiful woman is an incentive too like no other. As they tumble into a raging attraction, they'll have to deal with terrorists that threaten the new Triad efforts, Brit's past horrors that cripple her emotionally and Finn's struggle to find himself in the face of a new culture. This first in Grant's Borderlands series is a spin off of her Otherworldly Men series (Your Planet or Mine, My Favorite Earthling, How to Lose an Extraterrestrial in 10 Days). This book was amazing -- I could not put it down. It was a fast read due to pure unfiltered enjoyment. Brit and Finn were a scorching couple. Their attraction isn't sweet and simple; rather it's heated, raw and conflicted due to a horrible tragedy Brit suffered. In other words, they have wonderful conflict to draw from and have to work at slowly building up and exposing their feelings for one another. Brit is as hardened a warrior as they come. She's known for her ruthlessness in destroying enemies, yet she works through the trials given her and earned a new respect, one on a different and deeper level than war hero. Finn was a true romance hero, strong and loyal, even in the face of a one-time enemy. He's the perfect person to command alongside Brit, who was laid bare and vulnerable by the new Triad circumstances at times. And he has his own set of conflicts, that of how to become Triad instead of Drakken and bind the two. The progression of their relationship was absolutely beautiful to read and it engaged me on a very emotional level.