There is a cast of minor characters, many of whom are beautifully characterized. That she falters at times gives real depth to her character and is one of the things that make her seem almost human. Her personal journey begins when she finds herself in a situation where, against all her instincts, she becomes reliant on Rae and she starts to learn how to overcome the issues that her background has created within her. Brooke has given Kellen a temper to match Rae’s, which gives some extra spice to the story. Kellen is a Gantharian and she is both stronger and taller than her human counterparts, with blue coloured blood cells and blue tears, which add to her uniqueness. We only learn this slowly because she is very close-mouthed about her background and is slow to trust. Kellen has similarly had a difficult upbringing, including a great deal of tragedy. We get to see how she slowly learns to love and then romance Kellen, and that she learns about the importance of parental love at the same time as her parents. I love that as the story progresses, she is on a personal journey that takes her forward very quickly. It is easy to see that her character traits result from her upbringing and the difficult relationship she had with her parents. At the start of the story, Rae obviously has little time for romance. Rae is a career officer, immaculate in dress and bearing, who values correctness and order. These two women are the central characters and they must learn to trust each other in order to solve a political and diplomatic problem that grows explosively in a short space of time. The vessel is commanded by Kellen O’Dal who is very suspicious of Rae and desperately tries to escape. When an unidentified vessel enters their sector and the frigate that Rae takes to investigate is fired upon, the story really begins. Rae has a difficult job protecting both the station and the homeworlds in the sector from violent and difficult races, in addition to running the station itself. The station is an outlier in a sector that is part of the Supreme Constellations. The story is based around the Gamma VI space station commanded by Commodore Rae Jacelon. The background of space and a politically charged atmosphere with some action and adventure is almost secondary, creating the circumstances that throw the two women together.

This is because it is primarily a romance between two intriguing women, who each have internal journeys that they need to make to allow them to get together. It is also much loved amongst romance readers, who wouldn’t read science fiction as a matter of course. She has written a number of contemporary romances and a thriller, but this book is the first of many sci-fi books she has written, and is the one many readers refer to as her best. Protector of the Realm by Gun Brooke is the first book in the Supreme Constellations series and I believe is one of the best examples of her work.