My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. When I first started reading this book, I thought to myself “this is BONKERS!” but in, like, a great way that kept me reading any chance I had. I very quickly acclimated to the genre-bending rom/com/adventure/space of Jess K Hardy’s new universe. So glad this will be a series!

Admittedly space romance is wayyyyy outside of my reading comfort zone, but I really like Jess K Hardy's novels so I thought I'd give it a shot. And while it wasn't my favorite, I still enjoyed the challenge that it provided. The 'world' Sunny and Freddie inhabited required me tapping into my imagination but the romance they had didn't and I think that's why I could read past the things that didn't always click in my brain. The thing I've really enjoyed about Hardy's characters is that they tend to be older, more experienced characters and she continued with that in this novel too.

Truth be told, this won't be everyone's jam, but I think many will really enjoy it; so if you're like me and you normally don't read space romance, maybe give it a shot and see what you think.

We love to see more scifi romance! When Sunny's one night stand shows up as her new crewmember, she has to confront personal hurts as well as navigating her much more complicated workplace. Think the Love Boat in space.

I'm sure fans of Jessie Mihalik and Ruby Dixon would enjoy this cute space love story.

Sunny has basically sworn off letting herself get close to anyone, but then along comes the one night stand she can’t forget. The two end up working together on the same ship and exploring whether they might be able to let each other in as they work closely to prevent disaster both on their ship and across the Known Universe.

This spicy sci-fi romance that doubles as a workplace romance was a fun read. It had spice but also a decent plot. The world they’re in isn’t explained very much, but that doesn’t take away from the enjoyability or understanding of the plot.

Thanks to the Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This cute and sweet. I liked that it took place in space on board basically a pleasure cruise. It was different and the story was heartfelt and cute. I would recommend this to others wanting to read something quick and sweet.

**4 Stars – A Fun and Steamy Space Romance!**

*Sunastara & the Venusian* by Jess K. Hardy is an exciting blend of humor, heat, and suspense set aboard an interstellar pleasure cruise. The chemistry between Sunastara, a no-nonsense hospitality specialist, and Freddie, her unforgettable one-night stand turned crew member, sizzles from start to finish. With witty writing, a thrilling plot, and a dash of danger, this romance kept me hooked. While the romance is the heart of the story, the high-stakes adventure adds just the right amount of excitement. If you love steamy, character-driven space adventures, this is a must-read!

I was excited to read this book as I love stories set in space! However, I was disappointed to find that I couldn't connect with the characters and the story wasn’t hitting. The world-building was also confusing and I found myself having to re-read passages multiple times. I was hoping for a more immersive experience, but this one fell short of my expectations.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC.

Well, this is quite the twist on the workplace romance - work-space romance? could that be a thing? - and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author strikes the perfect balance on the world-building: enough information woven in where appropriate without over-explaining or distracting from the plot. There's a cast of extremely well-drawn and disparate characters, there's an ongoing intrigue which builds up to a knuckle-biting conclusion, and at the centre of it all is a beautifully developed romance. Sunny is dedicated to her job and her own pleasures as a coping mechanism to deal with past tragedy and is determined to avoid anything deeper, but Freddie proves to be downright irresistible - and the various events and facilities on a pleasure cruise ship are deployed to great effect in, ahem, furthering their connection. Full of funny, emotional, spicy and tense moments in turn, this is a captivating read that will stay with me for a long time.

3.5⭐️. To escape a devastating event in her personal life, Sunny joined a pleasure cruise (which has a reputation as an “orgy-in-orbit” 😂), on which she’s been working for the last 5 years, doing her best to live a carefree life with no ties. She meets Freddie on Squee, an intergalactic dating app, where they use the names Phoebe and Joshua and have an intense, passionate night together (which includes achieving: “Simultaneous Orgasm Achievement Badge attained! Ultra-rare!” 🙈🤣). But Sunny’s one-night stand only stance is challenged when, several months later, Freddie joins the crew and pursues Sunny.

You’re thrown straight into this world and there isn’t really any explanation of what happened and how the old world became the new one. But if you’re willing to just go along for the ride, it’s good fun.

Something about Sunny (particularly at the start of the book) gave me Gideon the Ninth vibes (although the books themselves are very different). And I liked her bionic, Elanie, who Freddie described as follows: “She is a very unique bionic. Like a breath of fresh air that occasionally, for reasons unknown, slaps you hard across the face.”

Aside from the romance, there was a parallel plot involving a Senator, her wife and child who joined the boat, and were concerned about a possible security breach. This part of the story, which played out more in the latter half of the book, felt a little anticlimactic. It all happened pretty quickly and I never found myself worried about how it would turn out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC.

I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it. I read it in a day and I rate it five stars.

Firstly, I loved how immersive the world building is, in terms of life on the space cruiser and what planets and species there are in the 31st century.

Secondly I loved the characters of Sunastara (Sunny) and Freddie and their love story. The blend of spice and sensitivity was perfectly balanced and I adored their character development.

The book also had great humour around some of the guests on the cruise as well as an intriguing political plot line that added a bit of mystery and drama.

A trigger warning comes with this book, in terms of Sunny having lost a young child, and you follow her as she comes more to terms with her grief. It was sensitively done and I will admit that one scene did have my eyes welling up with tears.

If you want a book with romance, spice, strange alien species, hilarious dating apps and a journey of healing- this book is definitely for you.

Y’all I highly recommend this one. Do not let the space setting deter you. Sunny is an experienced employee on an outer space pleasure cruise ship. Think “The Love Boat” but space. She is not interested in a relationship and matches with someone for a one night stand on “space Tinder.” After the best night of sex ever, she says goodbye…

Until her mystery man shows up as a new crew member the next week. Meet a cast of interesting coworkers from various worlds, watch as Sunny tries to deal with being around the new guy, all while unraveling a political mystery and seriously laughing out loud multiple times.

The romance between the main characters is sweet *and* spicy and the pace is fast.

Review posted to Goodreads and Fable on 11/10/24


First, thanks to Victory Editing and NetGalley for letting me read and review this book!

I had such an enjoyable time reading this book! Sunny is such a fun yet complex character whose growth and character development are just *chef’s kiss*. Freddie has now set my standards too high. He’s so sweet and caring and devoted and overall just the perfect being. If he’s not like Freddie, then I don’t want him.

Hardy combined two of my favorite things and made it into a binge-worthy book: office romance and sci-fi! I was a little hesitant at first because how does one combine a contemporary romance troupe with space? But Jess K Hardy did it and did it well. I’m so glad that my curiosity lead me to such an amazing book!

Sunastara & the Venusian by Jess K. Hardy is a sci-fi romance set on a spaceship. Sunastara Nex, who works on a space cruise, is drawn to Freddie, a former one-night stand who unexpectedly joins her crew.

I loved the plot, and this is my first time reading a romance set on a spaceship. The author skillfully weaves humor into the story, mixing just the right amount of science and spice.

Fans of science fiction romance with humor and adventure may enjoy this space-centered love story, releasing in December 2024.

Jess is truly the queen of writing romances that are sexy, funny, immersive, and important, and this book is no exception. Sunastara and the Venusian was heartfelt, achingly real (you know, you a sci-fi novel), and beautifully inclusive.

Sunny was an incredibly fun and vibrant FMC, but she was also hurting deeply and (maybe not so secretly) struggling, which made her all the more easy to relate to. She was strong and brave and I'm so so glad I got to witness her growth. Then we have Freddie, whom I just want to keep forever. He was so patient, so kind, even when he was hurting, too. The depth of these two characters was beautiful, and watching them come together was mending.

Romance aside, the mysterious subplot of what was going on on and behind the scenes of the ship was also really well-done, in my opinion. I think it was important that it happen the way it did for a lot of reasons, the greatest of all obviously being for Sunny's character and what Sai had come to mean to her. (And oh my gosh, Sai was an absolute joy to my heart.)

Overall I am once again amazed by Jess' ability to write romance, even in space, with such depth and substance. Definitely another winner for me!

ARC review. Sunny’s working on a pleasure cruise drifting through space and definitely not looking for long-term romance at all, not even when she meets Freddie, who’s the greenest green flag to ever flutter in the Known Universe. I spent so much of this book wanting to scream at the main character not to let him get away, because he’s so adorable. This book is genuinely hilarious and has sooo many good things: a 40 year old FMC, men taking the pill (well done, Science, you got there in the end), the world’s most sophisticated dating app that gives badges for multiple orgasms, malfunctioning pleasure pods, and a reveal that will wrench your heart of your chest and smoosh it.

A space romance? Yes please!!
This was equal parts romance and sci-fi and now I need to dive into more from this series. I wasn’t aware this was a republishing of “Love in a Time of Wormholes” and I’m hoping we get a republishing of the rest of the series because I’m having a hard time finding copies of the other two books.

Sunastara “Sunny” was such a fun character yet complex emotionally with her healing process after losing her child. She’s a hospitality specialist on a space pleasure cruise, which is basically an intergalactic match maker, and she’s very good at connecting those around her. After a heart stopping, steamy start with a one night stand set up through an app that uses aliases for anonymity, she finds her partner from said night, Freddie, is actually the newest member hired for her crew. Thus ensues a forbidden workplace romance. But is it really forbidden because they work together, or is Sunny just scared to open herself up to love because she’s still dealing with her own grief from the loss of her child? Meanwhile, an external threat is looming over some very important passengers amongst their ship that threatens not just their passengers but the whole of the Known Universe.
The side characters played an important part in adding to the world building and creating a full plot line to keep the story pace moving in between the threatening and very spicy moments. And speaking of spicy moments, the pods malfunctioning had me cackling because poor Elanie had to endure fixing said problem while Sunny and Freddie had their hands full with each other.
I would also mention to check trigger warnings for loss of a child (in past history reference). This was a very integral part of Sunny’s storyline and healing process and it is referenced often.

This book was so good! The story was just what I wanted! It is such a unique book. I have never read a book set in space like this one and I would highly recommend it!

When Sunny is forced on a break from her job, she meets Joshua via the space equivalent of Tinder and they have an amazing one stand. While she finds him compelling and interesting, her one rule regarding relationships is basically, no feelings, no problems. So they go their separate ways.

Time passes and Sunny is working on the pleasure cruise, it's revealed that there is a new addition to their staff - Joshua who is actually Freddie. Freddie has been obsessed with Sunny since their one night stand. He's intent on convincing Sunny that they should be together, despite her rule against all feelings.

I really liked this book. I've enjoyed everything from Jess K. Hardy and this is no exception.

Sunastara & the Venusian was such an interesting book! Set centuries into the future, it features Sunastara, a hospitality specialist on a space cruise ship (imagine Royal Caribbean in space), and Freddie, the ship’s newest big time employee. Only they met once before on the future version of Tinder and had the best night either of them ever experienced, then went their separate ways.

Freddie fell HARD that first night and is thrilled to see Sunastara again—he wants it all with her. But she considers herself a broken person after the loss of her son, is completely self-destructive, and actively fights having meaningful relationships with anyone. The story follows their bumps and bruises, as well as other plotlines on the ship involving a senator and some guests considered barbarians throughout the galaxy.

Freddie is a kind, likeable, patient guy. Even though he had major losses and bad times in his life, he feels himself reawakening and knows Sunastara is for him. She’s not so sure. I had a really tough time with her. On one hand, her loss is the most devastating thing I can imagine and who knows how I would react. On the other hand, she’s so cruel to Freddie and purposely hurts him, and she thinks of no one other than herself for much of the story.

Jess K. Hardy’s writing style really works for me. I love how she puts everything together and really enjoy her writing. Unfortunately in this book, I didn’t connect as much with the characters as I did in her other books. There was a lot going on between the romantic plot, the senator, all the different side characters and events that it was hard to keep track of and feel like you knew the characters. Still, it was a really fun book and something completely different for me!

I love Jess K Hardy's Gen X romance novels and was pumped to see something that looked totally different. In her author's note, she refers to her initial idea as something like "Love Boat but in space" and that is pretty much exactly the vibe here. Our female main character is Sunastara (Sunny), a hospitality specialist on an interstellar pleasure cruise ship (where things seem to get pretty spicy, pretty often). While on some sort of required professional development break, she meets and hooks up with the titular Venusian and has a pretty amazing time. Grieving the loss of her young son five years ago, Sunny has some pretty strict boundaries that basically amount to - never catch feelings and don't let anyone get too close. But when Freddie (the Venusian) shows up as her newest crew colleague, things get a little messy. Meanwhile, there's an important political figure on the ship and Sunny is assigned to keep her and her family happy and safe while she continues to try to do her own job AND avoid her feelings for Freddie. I found this funny and fast-paced and I liked the adventure elements as well as the sci-fi romance of it all. I would highly recommend for fellow fans of Jessie Mihalik's sci-fi romances. Content warning for past loss of a child and of a partner (separate characters) as well as kidnapping and threatened violence.