Jessie Mihalik

The critically acclaimed author of Polaris Rising takes readers on an exciting journey with the start of her brand-new series about a female bounty hunter and the man who is her sworn enemy. "Jessie Mihalik is an author to watch." -- Ilona Andrews, #1 New York Times bestselling author Octavia Zarola would do anything to keep her tiny, close-knit bounty hunting crew together--even if it means accepting a job from Torran Fletcher, a ruthless former general and her sworn enemy. When Torran offers her enough credits to not only keep her crew afloat but also hire someone to fix her ship, Tavi knows that she can't refuse--no matter how much she'd like to. With so much money on the line, Torran and his crew insist on joining the hunt. Tavi reluctantly agrees because while the handsome, stoic leader pushes all of her buttons--for both anger and desire--she's endured worse, and the massive bonus payment he's promised for a completed job is reason enough to shut up and deal. But when they uncover a deeper plot that threatens the delicate peace between humans and Valoffs, Tavi suspects that Torran has been using her as the impetus for a new war. With the fate of her crew balanced on a knife's edge, Tavi must decide where her loyalties lie--with the quiet Valoff who's been lying to her, or with the human leaders who left her squad to die on the battlefield. And this time, she's put her heart on the line.

A Novel

Hunt the Stars

The critically acclaimed author of Polaris Rising takes readers on an exciting journey with the start of her brand-new series about a female bounty hunter and the man who is her sworn enemy. “Jessie Mihalik is an author to watch.” — Ilona Andrews, #1 New York Times bestselling author Octavia Zarola would do anything to keep her tiny, close-knit bounty hunting crew together—even if it means accepting a job from Torran Fletcher, a ruthless former general and her sworn enemy. When Torran offers her enough credits to not only keep her crew afloat but also hire someone to fix her ship, Tavi knows that she can’t refuse—no matter how much she’d like to. With so much money on the line, Torran and his crew insist on joining the hunt. Tavi reluctantly agrees because while the handsome, stoic leader pushes all of her buttons—for both anger and desire—she’s endured worse, and the massive bonus payment he’s promised for a completed job is reason enough to shut up and deal. But when they uncover a deeper plot that threatens the delicate peace between humans and Valoffs, Tavi suspects that Torran has been using her as the impetus for a new war. With the fate of her crew balanced on a knife’s edge, Tavi must decide where her loyalties lie—with the quiet Valoff who’s been lying to her, or with the human leaders who left her squad to die on the battlefield. And this time, she’s put her heart on the line.

Wendy Weiler

This is the first time I have read a sciFi romance type and at first wasn't sure if I'd like it. It was actually really good and grabbed me at the first chapter.

This is such a great sci-fi romance. The story line is compelling enough and the romance is well developed. I love Tavi, Torran, Luna and all the crew. Such a great cast of characters. Overall, it hit the spot. It was fun and sweet and a little bit spicy. 

Megan BV

Gillian Rose

4.25 stars

This ticked so many of my boxes. It was a fast-paced space adventure with great characters and an interesting and twisty plot. I also really appreciated the chemistry between Tavi and Torran. Honestly, I wish it didn't have to end because I found it so much fun!

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
 

  
    My life is mine, but my heart is yours.
  



  First Impressions

Hunt The Stars is the first book in the newest series by Jessie Mihalik. I have been meaning to read this book since early this year when it was first released. As many of you know, I have a weakness for science fiction romance, and especially in trad published, it’s just not common as it used to be. I have really loved to see how popular this author has become and her books are such fun! There is always a level of angst, but the angst is so well written. I can be picky about angst at times, but this author handles it with care so it balances out with the story and isn’t dragged all the way through the book. You also get a fascinating world that she creates that will suck you right into the story. Every time I have picked up this author I have been highly entertained and “Hunt The Stars” is no different. It had so much well built slow-burn chemistry, plenty of adventure, some sassy characters and lots of delicious alphamellow vibes and completely balanced on both ends in the romance, you can’t go wrong with this author


  
    It was incredibly adorable. I hardened my heart against all the soft emotions that tried to rise. No. He’d threatened me earlier. He was not adorable; he was a stone-cold killer wrapped in a pretty package.
  



  Summary

Octavia Zarola is determined to protect her crew, they work as bounty hunters and their galaxy is recovering from a war and Octavia is a person of interest that many would like to get a hold of. But they are desperate for a job, and even though she hates having to accept a job, she can’t resist the offer from Torran Fletcher, who is her enemy and a elite general whom she fought so hard against. But she knows that she will have to give and let her feelings not cloud her judgment knowing how much her family needs the funds from this job. She is hired on when Torran has a missing jewel that is needed to be found. Torran and his crew join forces with Tavi and her crew, and even though there is mistrust between all parties, there is also a joint effort to discover the thief involved. But through their journey, Torran and Tavi discover a love worth fighting for, but when it matters most will Tavis be able to trust Torran or will her past cloud what they have built?


  
    Family is important, and even if they’re not your family by blood, they’re still family. 
  



  What I Loved

Hunt The Stars was such a superb read and I absolutely adored every single moment. I just couldn’t get enough of these two and their sassy moments. This was such a entertaining sci fi romance and I had such fun with it. It was less heat than I was expecting, but it was a really really slow burn haha so that comes with the territory of that type of set up. I did love the way the chemistry is slowly built between Torran and Tavi though. I adored both of them individually. Seeing them work around their issue while being respectful despite the fact that they are enemies was such perfection. Jessie Mihalik is one of those authors that can pull you in so quickly and you become so invested in the characters. There is also a level of healthy consent on both sides that I really admired. I love how her writing just shows how relationships can and should be in how men and women should treat each other. So fi you have certain consensual sensibilities than this will also work for you. I found the plot to be stimulating and keeps you on your toes, and when the reveal happens, yeah I didn’t see that coming and I do respect the writing style of this author, that delivers such a solid story.


  
    “I apologize,” he said. “I am trying.” He dipped his head, until his mouth was near my ear. “And I am not having an affair with anyone.” He slid back and slanted a heated glance at me. “At the moment.”
  



  What I Struggled With

There wasn’t much that I struggled with, I just wanted more steam in this book, it just felt like there needed to be more moments between our couple and the ending was a bit too abrupt for my liking so would have liked to see more couple page time.


  The Narration

The narration was done so well, and this narrator really handled the personalities so well. Her voice is also so lovely to listen to.


  Overall View

Hunt the Stars was a sensational read that really evoked so many adventures that will knock you out of the world, It’s an space-filled adventure that will immediately pull you in and endear you to this beautiful world this author has crafted!

Cindy Lieberman

A sci-fi romance book? Not sure what constitutes romance genre these days, but if it's predictable "will they/won't they" teasing and steamy consummation, then this is a romance book - in space. And why not? Certainly better from my perspective than the misogynistic tropes in much of the classic (and sadly some contemporary) sci-fi. The romance was the most predictable part of the book that involves two species (one human, the other human-like), years after they fought a devastating war. The story is driven by the human team accepting a commission to assist their former enemies in recovering something priceless. It works because of the strong moral code of both the human Captain and the other species' General. I enjoyed their discovering each other's technology, strengths, cuisines etc., and I look forward to reading the next volume.

I really loved this book so much I almost read it in two nights. The plot is great, and while I wish the sci-go world was a bit more fleshed out as well as the history, the book gripped me quite quickly. The characters are interesting and diverse and the background characters aren’t just one dimensional. The tension between the love interests was top tier and I loved everything about their relationship. I’m actually sad they only get the one book to be featured. I also got The Bookish Box version and the reversible cover is just stunning in my opinion. I will be re-reading and will probably continue on with the series!

Katie Allard

Aditi

Rating: 2.5 stars
 
Trigger Warnings: panic attacks, death of loved ones, war

This one was fine. None of the aspects of the book, from the world building to the characters and the romance, were developed enough to be fully enjoyed. The bare bones of a good story are there but sadly it wasn't enough. The world is barely explained and leaves a lot to be desired in terms of how these people are dealing with the aftermath of a war which ended not that long ago. There's a lot of telling with very little showing for the character relationships. I'm meant to believe these people are this found family with a deep level of trust between them but I just don't see it. 

The romance was very rushed. There is definitely lust between Tavi and Torran but that isn't enough for me to believe that they're each other's one true loves or whatever given that they're from the opposite sides of this war, especially not with the added betrayals. This was a very quick read, it took me a day but I didn't really care about any of it.

Maggie Hepditch

This was delightful! I really liked Tavi, she was a great captain and I thought her character was well developed. I love her team so much too!! I love the banter between the humans and the valoffs and I'm especially intrigued to learn more about the politics of this world. I honestly didn't realize there would be a sequel so I spent the last 100 pages in a pure panic about how they were going to tie everything up. The only reason this isn't 5 stars is because I feel like it could have benefitted from another 100 or so pages, perhaps one action scene with conflict besides the third act conflict. It would've elevated the stakes more. Very excited for the sequel!!!

Jessica Mechlowitz

I usually stick to books like high fantasy, but I got this book from a Goodreads giveaway and decided to give it a shot. Overall, I loved the book. It has the enemies to lovers trope, but it’s not overwhelming like other books (I’d say it’s more like a side plot) but it was still interesting either way. I highly recommend reading this if you want to dip into this genre a little bit more, since it’s not too intense but it still kept me engaged and I didn’t want to put it down.

Kathryn

“You want me to make you a more dangerous enemy”.
“I want you to make me a more dangerous ally,” I corrected.

What a fun ride! Hunt the Stars delivers the best aspects of a sci-fi novel without losing its readers along the way. You get a nice dose of sexual tension between our leads but the shining star, for me, was the crew as a whole: I LOVED THEM. 

This was a light, entertaining space heist that has me eager to pick up the next book, which, thank the universe, comes out this year!

4/5 ⭐️

Lauren Sullivan

Color me impressed. This author's plots keep getting twistier and more delightful and I LOVE IT. Plus, all the found family feels and a fun romance.

Full review to come once I've calmed down.

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I have basically two responses to a book I absolutely, ridiculously love. I either make tons of highlights because I just love every single line of prose, or I highlight almost nothing because I’m too caught up in the story. This book is definitely of the second variety. It also hits all of the right notes for me, with a focus on found family, a twisty plot, and just enough romance to keep my HEA-loving heart interested.

“I’m a bounty hunter. I hunt criminals and murderers; I don’t work for them.”

In the few years since the decades-spanning war between the Valovians and the Federated Human Planets ended, Tavi and the remainder of her squad have made a life as bounty hunters. Considering they’re not willing to take the morally grey missions, it keeps them fed – barely – so when a Valovian general offers a ridiculous amount of money for them to recover a missing item, they agree, despite having to enter Valovian space to find it. And while things get off to a rocky start, Torran and his crew seem like generally good people. But Tavi isn’t a fool, and she knows that Torran isn’t telling them the whole story. When the reality turns out to be even worse than they anticipated, will the consequences of their actions lead to a new war?

Hunting down the item is the focus of much of the twisty plot, but it takes about half of the book before Tavi and crew are able to start the job they’re hired for in earnest. Those pages aren’t wasted, though. They’re used to build the relationship between Tavi’s crew and the Volvians, to show us what kind of people Tavi and Torran are and all the rough edges the war has left on all of them. And while this book is full of enough action to warm my scifi-battle-loving heart, where it really excels is these character relationships. Through chores, binge-watching shows and communal meals, the two crews bond and figure out that while cultural differences can still trip them up, they’re a lot more similar than they thought. I especially loved the focus on food as a source of community, on how cooking is a form of care and how that care can form the basis of trust and (just maybe) love.

“If I needed help burying a body, Eli would silently grab a shovel and start digging while Kee erased all evidence of the crime.
I would do the same for them.”

As for the individual characters, I especially loved Tavi’s crew. Kee and Eli are polar opposites, with Kee being a rainbow-haired ray of sunshine while Eli’s the smoldering pessimist, but there’s no doubt they care deeply for each other even if they disagree. As for Luna, the fourth member of the crew? Well, Kee beat her out as my favorite, but just barely. Torran’s crew also had some interesting characters, but as the story is told solely from Tavi’s first person POV, we don’t get the same depth of familiarity with them as with her crew.

As for the romance, like the recovery plot, it’s extremely slow burn. After all, at the start of the book, they’re essentially mortal enemies, as both are considered heroes by their people and war criminals (at best) by the other’s. It takes a lot of work to build up the level of trust necessary to turn that into a believable HEA, and the author did that phenomenally well. Valovian culture has an interesting take on apologies, one that forces Tavi to confront some of her own issues, and there’s also a focus on consent that was seamless and quite sweet.

Overall, I adored this book, and I am beyond glad that the next in the series is coming out this year. This author gets better with every book and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

Content notes: (view spoiler)[violence and death (mostly of a scifi type), PTSD, kidnapping, child in danger, discussion of war crimes (including civilian deaths) (hide spoiler)]

Hunt the Stars A Novel

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