5 Wine Glass Early #Review of Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik!

Title: Polaris Rising

Series: Polaris #1

Author: Jessie Mihalik

Genre: SciFi Romance

Format: ebook 448 pages

Published: February 5th, 2019 by Harper Voyager 

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Source: Edelweiss

Reviewer: Lexi

Rating: 5 out of  5 Wine Glasses

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 . . .

Lexi’s Review:

Polaris Rising was the best kind of surprise; a space princess, political machinations that span the universe, awesome tech, and a sizzling romance. 

Ada is a princess on the run, running away from a terrible forced engagement. She still has help from some siblings and access to her family’s money. Which comes in handy when she breaks herself, and her fellow prisoner, out of the bounty-hunters cell. 

Loch was locked up with Ada, he’s got a hefty price on his head thanks to a mysterious background that we slowly learn about along with Ada. All she knows right away is he’s dangerous, but that’s exactly what she needs to hide from her ex-fiancé. 

That’s the set-up but it quickly becomes clear that there’s more going on between the Houses, the powerful families that run the universe. Someone discovered a powerful tool and is working very hard to hide it from the other Houses. And of course Ada and Loch find themselves right in the uncomfortable middle of it. 

Ada is smart. One serious woman. Loch is beyond belief, he has good reason to be...sorry, no spoilers! And the two of them together is like watching two panthers play. But the secondary characters are also well written! Ada's siblings, a surprise of people from Loch's past, again, sorry no spoilers. Even Ada's ex, who fills the role of the villain, shows a bit of heart and makes you want things to work out for him, too. 

The story is quick-paced, the scenery, even though it changes from spaceships to various planets, is amazing, and the characters are strong, terrifying, and funny. 

Mihalik’s writing is so tight and her handle on action and tech on point. This is an author to watch and one that is firmly on my auto-buy list.