This short novel runs the gamut from stark and lonely to warm and reassuring by way of tense and frantic. While the story is refreshingly original, it's the characters that will keep you turning the pages.

Mick's week goes from bad to worse when the captain orders him off the ship to sit in a shuttlecraft in the middle of nowhere, guarding the body of a deceased ship's heart.

The thing is dislike about romance is the endless longing and gazing and all the pointless will-they-won't-they. Oh, and the fact so many writers seem to use romance as a half-arsed stand-in for character development. By giving us an established couple (Mick and Eizen), the author bypasses that and shows us a loving, healthy relationship instead.

Readers who enjoy the sci-fi of Patrick Tomlinson and Charles Stross will love this one. ( )