Genre: Science Fiction / Romance Reviewed by Haley Perry (small SPOILER alert!)
A sexy story following an unbreakable bond formed in the most unlikely circumstances.
High Prince Jarren Graf has been forced to flee his home planet, Lynta, after his father’s death leads to conflict over the ascent to rulership. He just wants to blend in among the Terrans and avoid his all-too-certain execution. He didn’t expect to find his boss’s high-achieving assistant Lissa Reyes. From the moment Jarren first smelled her, he knew they were perfect biological mates. He must be careful exchanging scents though; marking her with his scent could make her vulnerable to the bounty hunters tracking him.
After dancing around one another all of Jarren’s first week in the office, Jarren reveals his full scent to Lissa, sparking the first of many steamy moments. However, Lissa’s prior traumatic experience with office romances leads her to run. Now carrying his unmasked scent, she is attacked and has to be saved by Jarren.
Realizing that he has now put her life in danger, Jarren takes Lissa and her daughter Jasmine on the next adventure on his journey to break the corrupt caste-system plaguing Lynta.
To Desire the Stars is a novel to read in a frenzy. The novel’s high-stakes, intriguing setting, emotional intensity, and immediate action give you what you asked for from the very beginning. The worldbuilding is superb, from the creation of new alien species all the way down to human office politics. The characters are three-dimensional with clear motives, dynamic pasts, and humanizing details. Even the dual point of view is handled with great care and purpose as Jarren and Lissa engage with one another and their conflicts. Getting both of their perspectives allows readers to get a better grasp of the wider world, especially given their species’ different expectations.
And the romance! The book is infused with sexual chemistry, and as time passes, their passion takes root and extends beyond the concept of the biological mate. I loved the clever connection between smell and the lust-to-love storyline playing out.
The writing style is deliberate and makes the spicy scenes all the more intense. Campbell does a great job with galactic politics and the concept of fated mates as well. There’s a real emotional gravity to the mundane moments here.
If you couldn’t tell, I had a great time with To Desire the Stars and think you would too. Sci-fi romance readers: rejoice at the characters, the action, the spice, and the finely drawn world.
