Reviewed by Carissa
TITLE: Tempting the Stars
SERIES: Red Dragon #3
AUTHOR: Becky Black
PUBLISHER: Loose Id
LENGTH: 268 pages
BLURB:
Marriage should be a happy ending, but for Alyn and Jarvez it’s only the start of a new set of problems as grief and guilt stir deeply buried desires in Jarvez. Will wedded bliss prove to be a myth?
The Red Dragon returns to Earth carrying the newly-married Captain Alyn Evans and Company Rep Jarvez Kashari. After promising to leave the Dragon, Jarvez expects confrontation when the grandfather he’s spent all his life trying to please learns he lied. But the showdown never happens—he arrives home to the news his grandfather is dead. While dealing with the shock and grief, the revelation of a terrible old secret changes Jarvez’s perceptions of his family and the company.
Coming to terms with what he learned at home, haunted by guilt for his unwitting part in it, Jarvez finds dark sexual urges surfacing. He longs for punishment, domination, and pain – longings Alyn finds hard to satisfy. The Dragon leaves Earth with a new mission and Jarvez has new ambitions. He wants to raise enough money to leave the company behind, buy a ship with Alyn and become independent traders. When a consignment of diamonds is stolen aboard the Dragon, they are not allowed to go on until the case is solved. With only a few days left to buy the ship he wants and start the new life he dreams of, Jarvez must find those diamonds.
REVIEW:
I’ve quite possibly reached the point in the night where it seems more reasonable to stay up and keep reading instead of going to bed and getting two hours of sleep–even if I totally wouldn’t be able to finish it if I stayed up for the next 24 hours straight. So, I’m a bit spacey right now (hehe, I said spacey, as in space. You get it? ‘Cause this is a book set in space? I’m hilarious!). But I have a feeling that if I don’t write this review before I go to bed (aka, start reading again) I’ll never get it done in time. The results may be a bit…odd. If I don’t fall asleep on my laptop, that is.
I absolutely loved the first two books in this series, which I read and reviewed earlier this year (I want to say in January, but I’m too lazy to check my calender, so let’s just go with earlier), and was thrilled to hear that a third book would be coming out not long after I posted my reviews. Unfortunately time constraints and scheduling issues meant that I wasn’t able to read the book till almost a month later then the release date. This made me sad. 🙁
Mostly because book two ended with some pretty big…I’m not sure if they can be called cliff-hangers, but certainly leaning-precariously-over-the-safetly-railing-ers. Jarvez had revealed that he hadn’t exactly been 100% honest with his grandfather. More like 0% honest, if he was telling the truth. Ok, maybe like 5% honest. Anyways…the truth was not being entirely truthful, and promise that were made were not going to be gone thru with. And Jarvez was 100% ok with that. Well, maybe 98%.
That wasn’t going to stop him from marrying Alyn, though. Because if there is one thing that Jarvez knows, it is that he loves Alyn and wherever Alyn goes, there shall Jarvez go as well. Which would be all fine and dandy, if comsmic forces and damned bad luck (and decsions) didn’t keep trying to tear the two apart. There is also the tiny problem of diamonds-gone-missing, and flirty unclad gladiators. All in all, these have not been the smoothest trade missions for the Red Dragon. But probably not the worst, either. Which really isn’t all that reassuring.
This is a very good book. I’m 100% sure of it. I’m also really hoping that it is not the last of Alyn and Jarvez, because I have completley fallen in love with these two characters. I love how their relationship is not perfect, how they have issues, but how they talk them out. The flaws they have make them so much more enjoyable to read about, because I don’t know what they are going to do. Or what is going to happen. There is something to be said for having the chance to thoroughly enjoy the buildup to the unknown.
And while the mystery of the diamonds was not the hardest to finger (*giggles*) there was enough there that I didn’t see coming. The characters, all of them, really make the whole mystery subplot a nice addition, but not the thing everything must hinge on. I truly read this series for the characters and their wonderful is somewhat touch-and-go relationship.
If you have not read the previous two book, you really need to in order to fully enjoy this. But seeing as how this is a wonderful series, and a great addition to m/m scifi, I would recommend you really give them all a try. They are not very angsty, they have great characters (both large and small), and are a joy to read.
Also, Alyn’s sword is really impressive. Just saying.
RATING:
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