About the Book
-
Author:
- Megan E. O'Keefe
Sub-Genres:
True Enemies To Lovers
What’s Your Type?
Slow Burn, Excellent Plotting With A Side Of Romance, Bodyguard Romance (But She’s The Bodyguard!), Hidden Identities, Forced Proximity
It feels more important than ever to celebrate love—in ALL its various forms—with the return of FYA’s annual Grown-Up Guide to Romance. Each week this February we’ll be discussing books that embody certain romantic tropes and do them well, and on the final Friday we’ll spill about our romance faves and fails.
Enemies-to-lovers has really been overplayed the last few years, but, in my personal opinion, that’s because it’s almost impossible to do it RIGHT, and what we’ve been seeing are weak interpretations of the trope. But when it hits, it hits, and the book below got all the notes right for me.
The Blighted Stars (The Devoured Worlds #1) by Megan E. O’Keefe
Fancy Dress to Fabio: Monet
At first glance, I really like this cover. The ship and the worlds in the background of space, the dying planet with bare trees. Zooming in closer I’m not sure I vibe with the little people…so I think I will keep my distance and just enjoy the overall aesthetic.
The Leading Woman: Tempting Traitor
Naira Sharp is the former exemplar (bodyguard) of Acaelus Mercator, the head of one of the most powerful family businesses in the galaxy. When she learned that the company’s mining operations were somehow causing the shroud—a world-destroying lichen—she turned to the Conservators, a group of revolutionaries who will do anything to protect the few remaining Cradle worlds that could house humanity.
The Leading Man: Bashful Boy-King
Tarquin Mercator is second-in-line and the only son of Acaelus, a man who would rather spend his time at the university geology department or out in the field away from the politics of being one the ruling families.
Meet Cute:
In the future, humanity has found a multi-use resource called relkatite, which, most importantly, allows them to live indefinitely, as you can “print” yourself a new body if you accidentally die as long as your neural map has been backed up. Five families make up MERIT, a governing organization that controls, well, everything in the galaxy. Most of humanity lives on space stations after the shroud killed multiple worlds, but there’s hope that the Sixth Cradle—a new planet where Tarquin, his father, and a team of researchers are heading—may still be untainted.
Acaelus kept Tarquin mostly ignorant about the family business, but because Tarquin is a geologist, he knows the ins and outs of the mining operations. So when revolutionary Naira Sharp was captured a while back and put on trial for whistle-blowing Mercator and calling them world-killers…Tarquin testified against her that nothing about their operations would release the shroud. Naira was found guilty and her neural map put “on ice” under Acaelus’s control.
So when Naira suddenly wakes up in a newly-printed body, on a dying ship, and is immediately tasked with taking Tarquin to safety, she realizes two things: one, she’s inhabiting the form of one of Tarquin’s new bodyguards, and she now has to protect the little shit with her life.
Risque Ranking: 5
This is not a dirty book, at least, not in the romantic sense. (After being stranded on a dead planet for days I doubt anyone smelled that great.) But as Naira and Tarquin fight the attraction (for her, the son of the person she hates, and for him, bodyguard/protectee romance is strictly verboten), there’s definitely some moments of banter and stolen glances; the things I honestly prefer to scene after scene of banging.
Ms. Perky’s Prize for Purplest Prose
O’Keefe’s writing is punchy and action-focused, and while characters have plenty of reflective moments it never stops the story from moving forward. The synopsis called this a “space opera” which kind of a cheesy phrase to me, but it does work. There’s multiple moving pieces, so if you want conspiracies, political machinations, action sequences and interesting world-building all wrapped up in a very readable package, this book is a must.
Was It Good For You?
I posit you really only can do enemies to lovers right in fantasy or science fiction, where there’s space for the characters to be actual ideological enemies. As a Mercator, one of the richest and most influential families around, Tarquin is everything Naira has grown to hate. While Tarquin doesn’t realize who he’s talking to isn’t his father’s bodyguard, he has his own preconceived notions about the “ruthless and cold-blooded” Conservators, which, of course, Naira likes to poke at that under the guise of Lockhart. Watching the pair come to mutual understanding was a treat, and it’s been too long since I’ve found a genuine E2L that works for me.
Non-romance-plot-wise, there’s so many turns and reveals that had me excited to see where this story will end up. But I really loved the characters, and for being a “space opera” it really was all about these two and their journeys. Tarquin is a soft-boy man who hasn’t really had his morals tested much, so even though he doesn’t completely prescribe to his father’s way of handling things, he hasn’t exactly been outspoken about stopping it. As he gets to know the badass that is Naira Sharp, he starts to think even if they WERE to be anything, he might not be worthy of her (which…he ain’t wrong). But he does have some excellent growth. Naira’s writing reminded me a bit of one of my favorite video game characters, Commander Shepard (we only acknowledge femShep in this house), in that she’s highly passionate, intelligent, and competent badass who cares about humanity to her own detriment.
This is the start of a series, so the romance is more slow-burn than others, especially with what happens at the end (my lips are sealed!), but it only made me more excited to continue. This was close to a five-star read for me, as it checked all the right boxes. Finally, a BookTok suggestion that panned out!
FTC Full Disclosure: I received this book from the library. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. The Blighted Stars is available now.
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