Her planet also produces valuable gemstones that wash ashore on the beaches. The people consider these precious gems, called zhel, to be spiritually priceless but do not attach a monetary value to them. Each young person on Lyask receives a dream from Zsaylla revealing their life mate to them. The couple swims under the ocean together to find the gem stone that belongs only to them, their alykzhel. The alykzhel stone then breaks apart into two equal pieces which they each wear as a necklace. It symbolizes the fact that they are now literally two parts of the same soul. This is marriage on Lyask and it is forever. Dena was given a dream that told her this Krys is her life mate. This is very confusing. How is it possible for her life mate to be not of Lyask? How is it possible for Krys to be both her mate and the man that the Xama saw taking her to her death?

Dena's father was killed fourteen years ago when the Szarsa Command secretly attacked their planet, destroying their entire fleet of fishing vessels with weapons shot from space ships. Corrupt members of the command wanted the vast wealth the planet had to offer.

The Command set up a military occupation and began plundering the planet. They told the Federation that the planet was uninhabitable and their presence there was a scientific expedition.

Two young pilots in the Szarsa Command objected when they realized they'd attacked and killed thousands of unarmed people and decided to report to the Federation. Members of their families were murdered and the Command attempted to murder them too. It was believed that they'd been killed and they didn't let anyone know differently. They believed that the honorable, naive young men they once had been were dead and took new identities. They began working covertly to overthrow the corrupt Command to help right the wrong they'd unintentionally committed.

Now, fourteen years later, calling themselves Darian and Lyn, they are delivering weapons to the tiny planet on the fringes of the universe to help the people rebel against the Command. Dena meets them and she and Darian fall for each other but won't admit it. Dena doesn't understand how she can have such feelings for Darian when she knows her mate's name is Krys.

Dena goes with them in their ship to show them where to gather gemstones from the beach because their lives will be forfeit if they don't bring gems back to pay for the weapons they've delivered. When Dena realizes how many gems they need and that Szarsa Command will catch them trying to gather that much on the beach, she decides to take them to the underwater source of the gems. When she and Darian swim under the ocean to get payment for the weapons, they find their alykzhel instead. It breaks apart and Dena is now married to Darian. They share one soul!

How could things get any worse? But she receives a vision of her planet's destruction. Even though she promised not to leave in a space ship and even though her people need her to lead them she will do anything to save her world. That includes leaving even though it means her death.

STARLIT DESTINY is a complicated story of strangely different worlds, star pirates, political intrigue, destiny and of course, true love. Ms. Blysse does an amazing job of building her world so that we not only understand it, but see, feel and taste it as well. This is a swashbuckling tale of a tiny but valuable planet on the edge of the universe and the struggle to overthrow the oppression of the evil Szarsa Command. The destined lovers are thrown together for their cause but could never both decide at the same time that they belonged together. They fought it a little too long causing the story to drag just a bit, but the book is so good that it hardly mattered. Its a delightfully entertaining read.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: Karen H.
November 13, 2005