Book Review: Sweet Starfire by Jayne Ann Krentz

Sweet Starfire
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: Lost Colony (Book 1)
Publication: Purple Papaya LLC (December 14, 2012)

Description: Telepathic skills define the Harmonic people and without the gift of telepathy, Cidra will remain an outsider forever. She must discover the secret that will allow her mind to commune with others.

Teague Severance is the ultimate delivery man...he will deliver anything if the price is right. Mysterious, tough and dangerously sexy, Teague is trouble in more ways than one but he has an honorable reputation for fulfilling a contract.

Cidra approaches Teague with a business proposition…transport her safely to the rough outback of the Stanza Nine system. With a ship designed for cargo, not passengers, Teague reluctantly agrees to the job. Certain it won't be a problem because Cidra isn't his type, he soon discovers that he is wrong. The passion that flares between them puts both of their lives in jeopardy.

My Thoughts: This science fiction romance stars Cidra Rainforest and Teague Severance. Cidra was born among the Harmonics in the Stanza Nine system but she isn't a telepathic Harmonic herself. Determined to find the secret Ghost relic that will turn her into a Harmonic, she contracts with Teague Severance who is a Wolf and a courier pilot to take her with him when he makes his deliveries to other planets. 

Teague is intrigued by this beautiful fake Harmonic but that doesn't mean he wants to share the small living quarters on his courier ship with her. When she prevents his COD cargo from being stolen, he decides to take her along to Renaissance to deliver it.

Renaissance is a very green planet where most of the plant and animal life want to eat humans. It is very different from the serene environment where Cidra was raised. And the flora and fauna of Renaissance isn't the only thing that is trying to kill them. An old rival of Teague's named Racer would also like the package Teague is trying to deliver and would really like Teague dead. 

Stranded on Renaissance, Teague and Cidra discover both a Ghost safehold and an alien ship complete with monsters that will make them both rich if they can only survive and find their way out of the jungle. Teague and Cidra fall in love as they travel and survive together. But learning to trust each other might be the stumbling block to their relationship. 

This was an entertaining story. I love the romance between Cidra and Teague. I also enjoyed the worldbuilding which posits colonists from Earth shipwrecked on dangerous planets and needing to rebuild their society and technology to survive. 

Favorite Quote:

"I want to be one of them. All my life I have been trained in the ways of the Serene path. Surely I have some Harmonic sensitivity in me. I was born to the Harmonics. Yet tonight I used the ways of a beautiful dance to hurt someone else."

I bought this one recently as a Kindle copy of a book I already have in my collection in print. You can buy your copy here.