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This should truly be a five star review. However, there are a few extenuating circumstance is that keep me from leaving it as such.

Jack and Ethan's story is probably the most intriguing story that I have ever read, and probably will ever read. The author's ability to grab your attention and hold onto it is truly second to none. Throughout this entire series your heart grows and breaks over and over again. The way that all of the disparate storylines came together was masterfully crafted, and it made for a truly enjoyable series to read.

My only problem with this book was that the suspense was so intense at times that I had to put the book down and walk away. It took me seven days to finish this book when it really should've only taken me three. But Bauer's ability to get you to the edge of your seat and keep you there for, in some cases a far too extended period of time, left me exhausted.

I do truly love this series! And I don't think that it would have been as effective if it didn't have all of the suspense and intrigue. It was just a little too nerve-racking to me at times.

I actually listened to the audiobook, which in a way was much more productive for me than actually reading the book itself. Why? Because I was able to listen to [author:Natalie Goldberg|25189] as she talked about what you should be doing to help yourself develop ideas, hone your craft, where you should write and just about every aspect of the writing process, as I wandered through our neighborhoods. Just that simple act was able to get my creative juices flowing, and connected with me so powerfully that I ache to write. I want to better myself, but I know I need to practice. I've seen how powerful her lessons can be; I recently wrote, "I need to give myself permission to write what I want, and not necessarily what other people want to read!" It's something I honestly wouldn't have considered had I not listened to this audiobook.

And now, every time I start to jot a note to myself about something I want to write, or even start on a new story, I have Natalie's voice in my head. And that's a good thing.

I read somewhere on Amazon that another reader jokingly said that they wanted to "punch Tal Bauer in the face - in the nicest possible way, of course." And after I finished this book last night, I totally know where they were coming from.

I don't often read sequels, because the first trilogy that ever grabbed me (the [book:First Evidence|1232921] series) ended up having a decade between books two and three, so I honestly didn't want to fall into that trap again. Especially after the cliffhanger that we were left with in [book:Enemy of My Enemy|32065756]. I know that Bauer is writing right now, after a tweet I read - so I hope the sequel to this book comes soon.

That said, I really enjoyed this. At first, I thought that Bauer was trying to do too much, with a few too storylines. But the fact that Bauer was able to tie each and every one together in a good way, instead of haphazard like many authors end up doing, really had me going. The sense of intrigue and unexpected turns keeps you on the edge of your seat from just a few pages in.

Ethan and Jack are a couple that you truly pull for, even though they end up breaking each other's hearts from time to time. Bauer is a master at crafting the impossible situation, and it shows. And while I thought I might get tired of the Sergey/Sasha and Cooper/Prince storylines, each one provided their own suspense and intrigue that really kept the story going.

In all, I adore this series, and hope Bauer gets me off the edge of my seat soon!

If I could, I would make this 4.5 stars, not a full 5 - but I'll give the author a bit more this time.

I started this book on the day CHEETUS took office, because I wanted a distraction. Political thrillers are one of my favorite genres, so I loved the thought of this book. It was a little slow to start, but as it grew on me, I watched Ethan and Jack's friendship grow, and Ethan's infatuation with Jack grow. The political side and especially the thriller side really, really enthralled me. I got to the African trip when I started reading last night, and stayed up way too late to finish it. Once [a:Tal Bauer|14930584|Tal Bauer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1475360311p2/14930584.jpg] captured my imagination with that trip, he didn't let go until the last page.

All praise aside, the reason I wanted to do a half star was just because of some of the emotional side of the writing. I personally thought that there was a little bit too much feeling, in inappropriate situations.

That part aside, I thought this was an incredible book. I can't wait to start the next book in the series!

I'm going to preface this with the fact that I cannot stand to read first person written pieces of fiction. There are not many people who can pull this off. And having said that, [a:Peter Cawdron|5252525|Peter Cawdron|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1320085669p2/5252525.jpg] is now one of those on a very short list of authors that I will actually read a first person POV.

[b:Starship Mine|29734396|Starship Mine|Peter Cawdron|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459724357s/29734396.jpg|49787405] inspired me, broke my heart, shattered it further, and then put me back together again. The very way of how Cawdron described alien contact is truly something that I believe could happen one day. Because we are creatures of both energy and mass, and because moving our mass between two distant stars would take eons, the thought of traveling via energy is just an amazing concept. It was inspiring that three people out of this planets 7+ billion could make it.

And then... Oh, the heartbreak. I won't give a lot of it away, other than to say my heart broke when James woke up in the hospital and realized what they had done to him - all because they didn't understand. That thing that made him so special that he could make the trip, not understood and cut out of him; it was like we were back to using medicinal practices from the 1700s.

I was truly not expecting the ending, however. That truly touched me, and left me with hope.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Please, please take the time to read it.