"More than love between an alien male and human female"
And what a wild ride it was! RIDE THE STARS is a science
fiction romance in keeping with the best SFR books around.
Jaide Calanarre is partnered with Sesame Calais, stationed
on the moon colony, and the women are the best ship
augmenters around, able to adjust, coax, and reconfigure a
ship to go well beyond its normal limits with ease. So, it
isn't that much of a surprise when a ship of Draconians, an
alien race that took over the continent of Antarctica, come
to the pair to offer a contract to fix up their Draconian
ship. What is a surprise is that Captain Nemesis offers double
the usual fee for the job, but the women still don't want
to work for them. Sesame gives them a contract to sign, but
withholds her own. But that doesn't stop the all male
Draconian crew from kidnapping the women when they fall
asleep after several hours on the job. After all, THEIR
signature was on the contract. Besides, Skye D'rath, the
leader of the Draconians, has decided that Jaide has a cute
backside. And thus begins one of the more tumultuous love affairs
ever put into a novel. No matter what the big alpha male
Skye does to hold on to her, Jaide manages to wriggle that
cute backside of hers out of reach. Of course, when in the
same room, this pair demonstrates just how compatible they
really are. Or should I say essential. This isn't just love
between an alien male and human female, it's a fait
accompli when they get together. The fact that Nemesis and
Sesame also find that they have a lot in common --
eventually -- just adds to the fun. This book had many really nice plot points. How does an
alien race of mostly males deal with their lack of females
and survive? How does a normal human woman deal with
becoming the unwitting wife of a Draconian male? What is
she going to do about her scumbag brother who is forever
getting her into debt? And how is she going to win the next
big spaceship drag race? The story wanders about the stars in the same way that a
Star Wars movie does, with equally detailed information
about each stop. We are treated to a travelogue of the
universe as our heroes visit the hot and not-so-hot spots
available to them both in the pursuit of business and
pleasure. There were some places mentioned that I wouldn't
mind visiting. Jaide is a strong female character, trying to overcome her
insecurities of the past, while all the faithful Skye wants
to do is overcome her reluctance to be his woman. He is
often angry with his little heartfire, when she's given him
the slip, but mostly he's simply hurt that she distrusts
his sincerity -- not that he lets that stop him from loving
her. RIDE THE STARS was a space romp of the first order, lots of
fun and a universal blast.
Reviewed by Janet Miller
Posted March 5, 2003
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