Polaris Rising
Consortium Rebellion, Book #1
By Jessie Mihalik
ISBN: 9780062802408
Author’s Website: jessiemihalik.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar
Summary
A space princess on the run and a notorious outlaw soldier become unlikely allies in this imaginative, sexy space opera adventure—the first in an exciting science fiction trilogy.
In the far distant future, the universe is officially ruled by the Royal Consortium, but the High Councillors, the heads of the three High Houses, wield the true power. As the fifth of six children, Ada von Hasenberg has no authority; her only value to her High House is as a pawn in a political marriage. When her father arranges for her to wed a noble from House Rockhurst, a man she neither wants nor loves, Ada seizes control of her own destiny. The spirited princess flees before the betrothal ceremony and disappears among the stars.
Ada eluded her father’s forces for two years, but now her luck has run out. To ensure she cannot escape again, the fiery princess is thrown into a prison cell with Marcus Loch. Known as the Devil of Fornax Zero, Loch is rumored to have killed his entire chain of command during the Fornax Rebellion, and the Consortium wants his head.
When the ship returning them to Earth is attacked by a battle cruiser from rival House Rockhurst, Ada realizes that if her jilted fiancé captures her, she’ll become a political prisoner and a liability to her House. Her only hope is to strike a deal with the dangerous fugitive: a fortune if he helps her escape.
But when you make a deal with an irresistibly attractive Devil, you may lose more than you bargained for…
Review
After being in hiding for the last two years, Ada Von Hasenberg was finally captured and, on her way, back to Earth. The cell where she is kept contains another prisoner who is chained to the wall. Ada learns that that man is Marcus Loch, the most wanted man in the universe, who is wanted for murder. Neither of them wants to go back to Earth, so they partner up to escape, and if Marcus helps Ada, she will help him get away and pay him tremendously. Before they can escape, the mercenary ship is intercepted by a House Rockhurst ship pretending to be sent by Ada’s father, knowing that her father would never send an opposing house to retrieve her, they accelerate their plans and escape.
As they continue to run and spend more time together, sparks fly between Ada and Marcus, but the impending war between the houses looms over them. Now, it is up to Ada to find out why House Rockhurst wants her so much and what’s the truth to Marcus story.
I liked the story, it was an interesting blend of romance and space opera. It was refreshing, the combination to the other romance books in the genre, the space opera gave it a good boost and kept things interesting. I always liked to read the author’s interpretations of space travel and the technology that they use. Even more, was the combination of space royalty that reminds me of Princess Leia from Star Wars and she being a badass spy.
Ada and Marcus, I loved them. I liked Ada as the protagonist of this story and her determination to help her family and house, even though she doesn’t want to be used as a pawn and marry whoever she wants. Marcus was an interesting character, I wasn’t sure at the beginning what his story was or what history he had with the Consortium, but after a while, I became a fan and I wanted to see them together. I liked the rest of the characters and would love to read more about them, Ada’s siblings are the ones that I want to know more about and her mother which we didn’t meet.
I’m interested to know if there is truly a spy inside house Hasenberg and how the war would progress. Even more, I want to see if there are any other life form in this universe and if they would meet any of them.
I can’t wait to read the next book in this series and read Brenda and Ian’s story.
If you are a fan of Jessie Mihalik and her work, then I recommend you, Polaris Rising. In this story, a space princess makes a deal with the devil to flee from the law and find the information needed to stop a war and save innocent lives.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
