The second installment of the pew pew space opera is fantastic! Fast paced and thrilling, Vesper and Kyrion team back up. This book should be read after finishing the first book. It is a nice continuation as the political intrigue, romance, sacrifice, and vengeance served as a cold dish. This story contained everything I loved about the first book AND MORE!
Vesper set it up so that Kyrion can live his life without being metaphysically tied to her. Unfortunately for both of them, their connection is outed. Not only is it outed, their favoured status with the Imperium ruler, Lord Holloway, is short lived. Now on the run, it is hard to determine who is an enemy and who may be an ally. Or as the saying goes, "the enemy of my enemy is a friend of mine."
I love both characters Vesper and Kyrion. Their moral standards work for me. Their loyalty and sense of what is right versus wrong meshes well for me. When they join forces, they can overcome amazing obstacles. Along the way to figuring how to bring the down Holloway, Vesper's past becomes a critical focal point. Ms. Estep does a great job of dropping hints about Vesper's past so that when the big reveals (there is more than one) occurs, I am prepared and braced for it. I love Vesper. I feel as though there are excellent scenes where Vesper's pain and suffering is righted with amazing confrontations. I feel so good seeing Vesper hitting back harder to those who have been cruel to her. Just thinking about those scenes makes me want to re-read the book again.
What is also delightful about this book is the plot movement forward as well as the world building. We are learning more about the psychic powers amongst the different groups. We also learn about the different warring factions. The motivations of both allies and enemies plus who is pushing which agenda is uncovered. The political intrigue is fascinating to see here and it really is a dog eat dog world. In this case, galaxy.
With all the fighting going on, we still have a slow burn romance between Vesper and Kyrion. It is just the right pace and depth for me. It does not overwhelm the storyline nor does it feel like an afterthought. It is a deepening of their bond that is wonderful to watch. This space opera is highly recommended to romance readers who love political intrigue and vengeance.
* I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
