What happens when an infamous Coalition admiral falls for one of her enemies?

Admiral Brit Bandar runs her starship with an iron fist… and a “Stone-Heart.” No one knows about the agony in her past that drove her to join the military and personally hunt down and destroy as many of the cruel Drakken Horde as she possibly can. Now the war is over and peace is the new rule, enforced by her new starship, Unity. A mixed crew of Coalition, Earthlings and Drakken is hard enough to adjust to but it gets worse when she discovers hew new second-in-command is former enemy “Scourge of the Bordelands” Drakken pirate, Finn Rorrkken! Even more surprising is the immediate attraction between Finn and Brit. They’ve both been Moonstruck….

However, many people do not want peace in The Borderlands and will do anything to stop the new Triad allegiance from growing. How far will they go to bring about another war? Can Stone-Heart Bandar and Scourge of the Borderlands Rorkken see past their differences in time to save the galaxy from all out war?

Susan Grant once again proves her brilliance for Sci Fi romance with Moonstruck. Fast paced and energetic, Brit and Finn’s story is not to be missed. This is a very moving story about overcoming personal demons and long held prejudices to find strength and renewal in unlikely places. The mystery and suspense is well done as we see the hints of trouble brewing, but don’t realize the full impact until we are shocked with the turns of events.

Brit was heartbroken over her loss so many years ago and she channeled that sorrow into an intense need for vengeance and hatred of a whole race. Her pain is very real and she has hidden her heart away in the box where she keeps her memories of happier times. She hides this behind her icy façade and her strict enforcement of the rules. We may not always agree with the choices she made, but we completely understand her reasons for them, empathize with her and admire her completely, just like her crew. A particular scene towards the end of the book brought tears to my eyes as I finally heard the whole story behind Stone-Heart Bandar.

Finn is a survivor. He has done only what he felt he had to do to keep himself and his small crew alive through the war years. Violence is in his nature and he struggles to control it on more than one occasion. While he may strike fear in his foes, his friends know him deeply and he has earned their respect many times over. We see glimpses of this part of his life through the many assimilation scenes where the former Horde members are trying so hard to fit in to their new world. He truly cares about his men and women and will do without if it means keeping them safe and healthy.

While Brit and Finn are the stars of the show, we cannot forget the supporting cast of characters. I love Hadley Keyran, Brit’s naive assistant, and hope we will get to see her get her own book later on in the series. She adores Brit and would die for her if necessary, often referring to Brit as her hero. Then there is the mysterious Bolivarr, former wraith who has lost a significant portion of his memory. His quiet strength hides a deep sorrow over his previous life. And of course we don’t want to forget the Earthling Tango, former Army Ranger, and his brother-at-arms Rothberg. Tango provides some humor to keep Moonstruck from getting too dark. His desire to share little pieces of Earth with others on the mission in the form of Rubik’s Cubes, Mood Rings, and beer made me chuckle more than once. And there are so many more memorable crew members of the Unity.

I loved my visit to The Borderlands with Brit, Finn, and company in Moonstruck and I can’t wait to come back and visit this fresh and exciting world of Susan Grant’s imagination.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, May 2008. All rights reserved.