I have looked to the stars my whole life… Sasha.
On the heels of their stolen weekend, a Soviet satellite—a relic from the Cold War that should never have existed—launches a devastating attack. An emergency mission is prepared, and NASA’s sole Russian astronaut is tapped to join the crew: Sasha Andreyev.
Go for autosequence start…
Sasha heads for the stars, where he and his crew must neutralize a long lost Soviet weapon before it drops its deadly cargo on America. Someone down below is working against them, someone who wants to bring the satellite—and its weapon—back to Earth.
But Earth’s orbit is hiding more than one secret history wanted to bury forever.
Soviet ghosts are supposed to stay dead…
How much will Sasha—and Sergey—sacrifice to save the world… again?
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I didn’t think there was a chance for the author to top the level of angst from the first book, but oh-em-effing-gee it was more intense, more thrilling and just more more more. I loved all the NASA everyday situations, their flight into space and all the lingo tickled me pink. Sasha and Sergey are so in love, so passionate and so sincere that I melted and sighed all through their scenes together. What made this book absolutely fantastic for me was the second part and avalanche of wteffery that Tal Bauer unleashed on the pages. Wow, I do love scary stories on occasion but this was something else. I loved the detailed gore and spewage both literal and figurative. I loved the political intrigue that reached the darkest corners of space. The emotions ran so high and were at times overwhelming. The author took her men to the brink and back. Reading about astronauts made think of the amount of courage and the balls of steel they have to do their job.
Many small things from Ascendant were connected and finally made sense. I am happy to say that Jack and Ethan returned and joined forces with those who needed help. There were some big surprises that I loved to have encountered and there were moments that I saw coming. I enjoyed them all. When everything reached a boiling point I honestly got scared for the guys. It was extreme. But I loved how the author concluded the story. Nothing was left unexplained, despite the carnage there was a silver lining in all that happened for most everyone involved. I enjoyed the story, the plot twists and the characters that deserved this story to be told. I am glad I started reading Tal Bauer’s works. Can’t get enough. I highly recommend it!
Seriously…this series is amazing. Tal Bauer is hands down, one of the best authors I have ever read. Not in just in gay romance but in any genre. The writing is outstanding with dynamic characters and complex storylines. The amount of research completed by the author is evident and astounding. While the story primarily focuses on the continuing relationship between Sasha and Sergey, there are glimpses of beloved characters from the Executive Office series. I can honestly say I had a white-knuckled grip on my Kindle through most of this book because it is that a tion packed. I loved the resolution each character gets at the end of Stars but I especially love that the author leaves the possibility of future stories with these characters. I desperately hope this is not the last we have seen of the crew from the Executive Office and Executive Powers series.
5 stars. Action starts on page 1. This book was so realistic, I felt like I was on the moon while reading it.
The continuing story and relationship of Sergey and Sasha .
Such a remarkable book your taken into their lives and then all hell brakes loose..
I took my time reading so I could completely devour every word, every sentence, and then sit and let it sink in my mind then I would go over it again.
So much research went into this book as Tal always does and it certainly shows.
Action from the beginning to the end with twists and turns that greet you along the way nothing is what it seems .
Words to describe this book are as follows …
unbelievable, fascinating, incredible, awesome, marvelous, stunning, wonderful, shocking.
What I Think: First, let me admit that this review came this late in the two week period allowed because this Author always drags me through all the feelings and I had to be mentally prepared for that. But he always promises happy endings so that lent me courage. Bear in mind that I haven’t read the prequel to this but it’s a universe that I know and love quite well. So, come with me !
I know I sound like a broken record by now but this author’s attention to detail always floors me, making me feel like I’m in a 3d movie that’s unraveling around me and not just in my head.
It opens in spectacular fashion, making my heart work a little harder as Sasha shows why he’s meant for the stars. My sigh of relief was so massive and I know this Author was humming to himself very happily as he wrote this scene, knowing how we would feel.
And oh, it was wonderful to reunite with old friends. Friends too brave to go off into the night, exchanging overt operations for covert and I felt like I’d missed them so much I could cry. Living in a country where I cannot be openly gay makes Sasha’s fears doubly real to me. Keeping silent as people I respected and admired spewed vitriol at gay people while I hid. I felt dirty from the inside out, could barely stand myself and would have given my very life to ensure that I was never born. Always wondering what would happen to my family if I was outed publicly and knowing I’d rather die than even let the shadow of my ”bad character” touch them. So when Sashunya trembles in fear, I tremble. When he waits for his dreams to be uprooted, I wait with him. And when he finds acceptance and courage, I cry tears of joy and hope, even as I pray that my goddess continues to give me the courage to be me no matter what demon I have to stare in the face.
And then the feels, the damn feelings! I was kept dangling, oscillating through despair and hope. As death began its insidious trek once more even as Sasha begins to realize that he too can have it all and not only dares to hope but knows when it will happen as sweet, sweet Seryozha gives him a timeline. I think I was lulled into thinking it couldn’t get worse because hell, I survived Soul on Fire, but then disaster strikes as the wicked show they have no chill and a two-pronged war begins. My heart begins to pulse in my head because I know this is a horror story in slow motion and it’s only just begun. Somehow the worst part of this was recovering from a flare that had my legs too inflamed to pace while still working and reading in between all this. Blyad, I almost lost my ever-loving mind!
I howled on Seryozha’s behalf as tears filled my eyes and we both hit on anger instead. The anger kept the pain at bay and gave something to focus on or we would burst like a supernova. It didn’t stop my tears from flowing through my pillow as Seryozha still managed to pull an act of romance truly made for the stars.
I couldn’t be prouder of Sashunya as he manages to still be a hero in spite of everything at stake. From this moment on, it was non-stop panic attack after panic attack, as everything that could possibly go wrong does and a nightmare unfolds before my eyes
I keep forgetting how young Sashunya is as he often seems so much older and more mature than his years but this tale reminded me. There’s a vulnerability in him that I’ve never noticed before and it made me want to wrap myself around him in the desire to shield him as Sergey would have loved to do. By chapter thirty-four, I wanted to throw up or shout or both as despair clutched my heart. How does a nightmare like this get fixed? Is it even possible? Or is this the tale in which the master puppeteer finally shatters my heart as he leaves me on the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers? I needed so many breaks and ended up spending twice my usual time, returning to the tale again and again because I know only the end would free me.
Only for victory to be snatched by hairbreadth out of nowhere, light blooming at the end of the world, in the densest of darkness. A light forged of pure will, love and hope that refused to cave in or bow. Again, how do we make this movie happen?
Verdict? A gripping testament to hope, faith, and above all, love of all kinds. Keep that box of tissues real close. Actually, don’t be cocky. Make it two!
There are not enough Stars to accurately rate this book! 10 stars!
Tal is a master of complex plotting and mixing dramatic suspense with poignant emotions. Every time I read one of his books I am impressed all over again. Stars is no exception! The dramatic story of Sergey and Sasha continues as Sasha moves forward with his astronaut training and Sergey tries to stabilize Russia in the aftermath of the failed coup. Some of the characters from the Executive Office series play parts here, which is wonderful for those who love that series also.
Stars is loaded with drama, suspense, action and the agony of lovers frustrated by circumstances. Beautiful, descriptive writing and obviously painstaking research combine to make a book you can’t put down. Don’t miss it! I’ll be re-reading this often, right along with the Executive Office books.
I received this as an ARC and chose to review it.
Tal is the kind of author who manages to surprise me every time I pick up one of his books: I think I know what I’m going to read, and instead he exceeds every one of my expectations.
Stars is everything I’ve come to expect from Tal: a fast-paced plot, international intrigue, a deep and breathtaking love story. And yet this book was different from the others: the descriptions of Sasha’s and Sergey’s love are poetic, almost magical. Tal has a way with words that is unique. And unique is also his skill in building up the suspense and making the reader feel the characters’ anguish: the events Sasha lives through were so upsetting that at times it was difficult for me to keep reading. But it was all worth in the end.
Astounding as always was also the technical research behind the story: it was a pleasure to read a book where you can see the author knows what he’s talking about.
Now I can’t wait to see there Tal is going to take us next in this universe!
***This review was based on a complimentary copy provided by the author.***