Starflight by Melissa Landers

Solara Brooks needs a fresh start, someplace where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. The outer realm may be lawless, but it's not like the law has ever been on her side. Still, off-world travel doesn't come cheap; Solara is left with no choice but to indenture herself in exchange for passage to the outer realm. She just wishes it could have been to anyone besides Doran Spaulding, the rich, pretty-boy quarterback who made her life miserable in school. The tables suddenly turn when Doran is framed for conspiracy on Earth, and Solara cons him into playing the role of her servant on board the Banshee, a ship manned by an eccentric crew with their own secrets. Given the price on both Doran and Solara's heads, it may just be the safest place in the universe. It's been a long time since Solara has believed in anyone, and Doran is the last person she expected to trust. But when the Banshee's dangerous enemies catch up to them, Solara and Doran must come together to protect the ship that has become their home--and the eccentric crew that feels like family.I came across Starflight randomly when I was looking through available e-books at my library (or, rather, Dux's library, since hers is so much better stocked than mine). The first line of the blurb on Amazon hooked me. Engine grease and felony tattoos? I thought. This chick sounds cool!So I checked out the book, proceeded to zip through it, and then scoured the Internetz for the second book in the duology. I still haven't read that because I am a slacker.Solara is a daring character, who's just trying to make a life for herself after she gets caught up with the wrong crowd. When her tenuous freedom is threatened, she takes a risk and forces Doran to help her. The two of them end up on a ship with some interesting crew members. But as they make their way to the outer rim of the system, they encounter obstacles that make them question everything they thought they knew.Things I liked: That Doran stopped being a tremendous jerk. That Solara was an ace mechanic and kept the ship together when necessary. That not everyone immediately trusted everyone (with good reason, it turns out, but also because that's unrealistic given the somewhat questionable day job of this ship and its crew). The growth of Solara and Doran's friendship.Things I didn't like: The fact that this book is the only one about Solara and Doran specifically (the second one focuses mainly on different characters, though everyone comes into play). That sometimes people were really stupid, and didn't pay attention to obvious signs that people were bad.This book is definitely not a MUST read, but it was a good read. If you're into an adventure story set in space, check this out. It reminded me of a less-developed Fortune's Pawn in terms of the interesting cast of characters. Definitely a good rainy-day read (it's currently pouring out and the book I need to read is not what I want to read on a rainy day). I will get around to reading and reviewing the second book, as well, and tell you more about Cassie and Kane!-Hawk-Amazon: http://amzn.to/2Fn29ihGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21793182-starflight?from_search=trueMelissa Landers books: http://melissa-landers.com/