Rating: 4.5🌈
Jenn Burke is an auto read/buy author for me so I needed to read this novella I hadn’t gotten to before.
Varuna Das, half human half Dimeti, and Major Kerrick StarCourser, human UTS officer, have had an ongoing relationship whenever Kerrick’s path leads him back to Varuna’s space station. Now Varuna is transferring off, ready for a new life and a new job planet side as Sheriff of Shard Hills.
Surprisingly, a bruised Kerrick arrives from his last mission just as Varuna is shipping out, and somehow a companion is acquired.
Kerrick is seen through Varuna’s eyes, famous soldier for his war exploits, fabulous makeup and popularity. Yet he’s a layered figure with his own personality and surprises.
Varuna or Run as Kerrick refers to him, has had a tough life, rising up to the stage he’s in now. Half the species the humans have been warring, a lifetime of racism and hate on his path.
There’s a terrific town and population, great Sheriff’s Office and its staff, as well as a dramatic storyline with a surprising twist or two.
This is one of those books that I wished would have been longer or had a sequel to. I found everything about this engaging and fascinating.
Highly recommended.
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Blurb
Space station cop Varuna Das is different. He’s half-human, half-dimeti, and the mix of DNA has had some interesting consequences…like a tail he does his best to keep hidden. Well into middle age, he’s used to being treated badly because of his looks, and as much as he hates it, he understands it. Humans and dimeti just finished a twenty-year war, after all.
What he doesn’t understand is why Major Kerrick StarCourser, a young, beautiful war hero, keeps coming back to him for no-strings sexy fun. Or why Kerrick’s suddenly shown up, bruised and battered, just as Varuna transfers to Shard Hills, a small town on a nearby planet, to take over as sheriff. Kerrick doesn’t show any sign of leaving this time, settling into Varuna’s new home and cooking up a storm. It’s as though he was never a special forces officer.
Confused as he is, Varuna loves having Kerrick there. His life in Shard Hills is shaping up to provide everything he’s ever wanted: a home, a purpose, a family. But when Varuna’s dark past catches up to him, will Kerrick’s heroic integrity let him forgive and forget…and stay?
The Sheriff of Shard Hills is a 30,000 word novella with a middle-aged, half-alien cop who doesn’t see his own value, a young, fem war hero who does, and a happily ever after. Once the shooting stops, of course.
- Publisher: Jenn Burke (January 31, 2023)
- Publication date: January 31, 2023
- Language: English
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 