Shooting Star

One of twenty-one sons of the all mighty all knowing Emperor Rashad DeMarco Monaco, Rubjikhan Benjamin, son of the ruler's fourth wife, feels honored that his sire is hosting a public birthday party for him. That is until his dad wishes the wrong son a happy birthday leading Ruben to realize his father does not know who he is. He vows to cut all ties with the Emperor as soon as possible. He becomes an interstellar trader who has nothing to do with empire politics until he learns he is the target of a mass manhunt for apparently committing patricide; the price on his head is 750,000 credits as reported by SNN news. As friends betray him, he suffers strange dreams that his brother Stefan is in trouble, but cannot stop to help him. On the run, Ruben crashes his ship the Shooting Star on a primitive orb where Tess the slave and her six years old son Boone save his life. He recognizes her from his weird dream, but fears something is not right as he senses evil especially with the Circe witches in the middle. Fans of romantic science fiction thrillers will want to read Colby Hodge's faster than the speed of light tale, SHOOTING STAR. Ruben is a fascinating lead character who learns a life lesson at his twelfth birthday party. Actually his sire eventually recognized him as the warrior amongst his offspring, but by then even with a gift of a blade Ruben severed all ties until he becomes galaxy-wide headline news for allegedly murdering his father. Ruben makes the story line fun to read as he learns who his friends are as the price on his head is a fortune. Tess is his ideal partner though she has trust issues. The audience will appreciate this entertaining story while afterward stargazing at the skills of this talented author. Harriet Klausner

The thrills of "Stargazer" continue in this first sequel! When "Stargazer" ended, hotshot pilot Reuben casually remarked that "he's a prince, too." More than that: he's also caught up in a deadly game of politics and interstellar drug trading. Has his luck run out when his ship is shot down? Slave Tess and her son seem destined for a life of drudgery and sexual abuse, but find their lives at risk from the traders of a mysterious, hypnotic drug. Has Tess found an escape and true love when she rescues Reuben from his crashed starship, or a dreadful fate at the hands of the Circe? If this book has a fault, it's that the story is less a romance than a science-fiction thriller. I was a bit turned off by Tess' role as a sex slave, and hoped for a bit more sensuality since Reuben really melted my butter in "Stargazer." The intrigue and action compensate,and hooked me for the rest of the series. The writer cleverly ties up enough loose ends to satisfy the reader on the last page while leaving the door ajar for more adventures. Hardcore fans of the genre will recognize elements of "Dune" and "Star Wars" as well as the influence of Marian Zimmer Bradley, Anne McCaffrey, and other classic female writers who truly defined sci-fi romance. More books are on the way, and fans of this series can entertain themselves with this author's other series in the interim. Colby Hodge is actually Cindy Holby, creator of the "Chase the Wind" western series, and Kassy Tayler of "Obsessing Orlando", the Young Adult bestseller.