Eleanor Palmer of Earth has worked for years for the Alliance as a Companion. Her current (and recurring) assignment is with Crown Prince Naccar Hala on the planet Vimpyr. On this tour of duty, they are informed that a palace coup has taken the lives of Naccar’s father, the king, and his brother, leaving Naccar the only heir to the throne. Thinking fast, Eleanor calls upon her Alliance connections to find a safe refuge for Naccar and whisks him away just in time to avoid assassins. The loyal Commander Matias joins them in exile, and together they begin to prepare for a return to Vimpyr to challenge the usurper.

This story takes place in the same universe as Grace’s Champions of Terra series, which I enjoyed, and this book is no different. This is an excellent story for those who like science fiction romance. I particularly liked that the author makes the complex science fiction plot primary in importance, with the romance plot secondary. In her previous books, Grace has demonstrated a talent for developing interesting characters in the controlled length of a novella. This story is no different, and the characters of Eleanor, Naccar, and Matias are complex and well-rounded. The love scenes are very explicit, and include alien vampirism practices. The reader should be aware that there are also some fairly gory fight scenes in the story.

Reviewed by: Jean