<

While on assignment sketching ancient relics, Irisa Degennio lost herself in the woods again. She was so excited to finally be free from the confinement of the camp that she wandered too far. It did not help that there was a sudden summer snowstorm and she was on a strange planet. The expedition’s leader, Bob Darrow was going to be furious. He already made her life miserable with his snide remarks and repeated reminders of her innate clumsiness. When Irisa came upon a large cat-like creature, it seemed to beckon her to follow. The beast led her to a primitive lean-to occupied by a gorgeous man with long, purple hair.

Naillan was on a self-imposed exile. He had failed his last mission and was trying to cleanse himself of the failure. He has been searching for an inhabitable planet to move his people to before the Planet Eater nebula destroys his world. On a mission to search a prospective planet, the barbaric natives murdered one of his crew. He was unable to save her without sacrificing the rest of his team. Niallan was entranced with Irisa. He felt that she was the one who could heal him. She was the one he was meant to spend his life with.
When Bob Darrow learns of Irisa’s secret, alien lover, he is intent on capturing him to study. The fame and fortune that comes with the discovery of alien life was beyond temptation, it become his obsession. When Irisa and Niallan escape to his planet, Bob is not far behind. He offers the Planet Council a way to save their world from the nebula in return for Irisa and Niallan. Will they be able to save the civilization of Niallan’s planet without sacrificing themselves and their family?

This book was a joy to read. Niallan and Irisa were great together. They are flawed, as we all are, and it helped to add to the story. Being extremely hard on themselves, they find must learn to accept their own imperfections. The world Ms. Starr created was very imaginative and interesting. It’s a world where plain brown hair was an oddity to the very colorful people of Niallan’s planet and the cat-like companions can summon a snowstorm when you are feeling homesick. The action and romance flowed smoothly in this story and the secondary characters added plenty of entertainment along the way. This reviewer would definitely recommend Lizzie Starr to those who are fans of the romantic fantasy genre.

Reviewed by: Kathi