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Supreme Constellations #1
Protector of the Realm
Book One: Supreme Constellations
With the fate of entire civilizations at risk, the galactic battleground makes for unusual alliances and unexpected passions as two women from very different worlds join forces. When Commodore Rae Jacelon of the Gamma VI space station apprehends the alluring but decidedly dangerous Kellen O'Dal, it is the start of a breathtaking love story, as well as a dangerous rescue mission. A space adventure filled with suspense and a daring intergalactic romance.
With the fate of entire civilizations at risk, the galactic battleground makes for unusual alliances and unexpected passions as two women from very different worlds join forces. When Commodore Rae Jacelon of the Gamma VI space station apprehends the alluring but decidedly dangerous Kellen O'Dal, it is the start of a breathtaking love story, as well as a dangerous rescue mission. A space adventure filled with suspense and a daring intergalactic romance.
360 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2005
24 people are currently reading
880 people want to read
About the author
Gun Brooke
44books220followersGun Brooke resides in the countryside in Sweden with her very patient family. A retired neonatal intensive care nurse, she now writes full time, only rarely taking a break to create web sites for herself or others and to do computer graphics. Gun writes both romances and sci-fi. She is the recipient of the 2009 Alice B. Medal for "body of work."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
January 25, 2019
“Protector of the Realm (Supreme Constellations, #1)� took itself pretty seriously, but I enjoyed it more once I began embracing the campiness of the story.
MC Commodore Rae Jacelon is supposed to be a by-the-book career military woman, yet she very quickly decides to bend lots of rules to protect the secretive MC Kellen O'Dal and 12yo Armeo, the boy Kellen has sworn to protect. Kellen, for her part, can’t trust Rae…but she trusts Rae…but she can’t trust Rae�.but she trusts Rae�.this cycle goes on for virtually the entire book, and yes, it gets annoying!
Armeo is at the center of a political battle between empires. Given that he’s been on the run with Kellen for seven years, you’d think he’d be a savvy kid�.but no, he pretty much acts like an 8yo kid.
Wanting to lend a hand (heh heh�.she later certainly lends a hand and more body parts!), Rae offers to marry Kellen to give her and Armeo sanctuary from the Disney supervillain Ambassador M’Ekar.
From here, the book would be quite fun listening to with a group. The drinking phrases are “my wife� and “her wife�. Be careful, though - they occur 86 times in the book!
There is a decent effort at world-building, we’ve got Onotharian occupation and politics galore, often as ridiculous and petty as we see in newspapers around the world IRL. There are a few space battles, which are always fun, but the over-the-top antics of Ambassador M’Ekar and some of the council members of the Supreme Constellation were so blatantly unsubtle I nearly injured my eyeballs with all the rolling.
While Rae and Kellen do eventually declare love for each other, the transition from a political arrangement to sex and love felt contrived, despite mutual physical attraction. The romance aspect took a back seat (figuratively - I don’t think any of the space vehicles had actual back seats) to the political skulduggery.
The narration was okay, but some of the accents added to the campiness of the material. This is the first of four books in the series, but is currently the only one available as an audiobook. At 12 hours and 15 minutes, it’s a longer book than most, and my interest waxed and waned over seven weeks. The book was interesting enough to finish, and I would listen to the sequels if released on audio, but I wouldn’t be able to sit down long enough to read the sequels on Kindle. I rate “Protector of the Realm� 3.4*
MC Commodore Rae Jacelon is supposed to be a by-the-book career military woman, yet she very quickly decides to bend lots of rules to protect the secretive MC Kellen O'Dal and 12yo Armeo, the boy Kellen has sworn to protect. Kellen, for her part, can’t trust Rae…but she trusts Rae…but she can’t trust Rae�.but she trusts Rae�.this cycle goes on for virtually the entire book, and yes, it gets annoying!
Armeo is at the center of a political battle between empires. Given that he’s been on the run with Kellen for seven years, you’d think he’d be a savvy kid�.but no, he pretty much acts like an 8yo kid.
Wanting to lend a hand (heh heh�.she later certainly lends a hand and more body parts!), Rae offers to marry Kellen to give her and Armeo sanctuary from the Disney supervillain Ambassador M’Ekar.
From here, the book would be quite fun listening to with a group. The drinking phrases are “my wife� and “her wife�. Be careful, though - they occur 86 times in the book!
There is a decent effort at world-building, we’ve got Onotharian occupation and politics galore, often as ridiculous and petty as we see in newspapers around the world IRL. There are a few space battles, which are always fun, but the over-the-top antics of Ambassador M’Ekar and some of the council members of the Supreme Constellation were so blatantly unsubtle I nearly injured my eyeballs with all the rolling.
While Rae and Kellen do eventually declare love for each other, the transition from a political arrangement to sex and love felt contrived, despite mutual physical attraction. The romance aspect took a back seat (figuratively - I don’t think any of the space vehicles had actual back seats) to the political skulduggery.
The narration was okay, but some of the accents added to the campiness of the material. This is the first of four books in the series, but is currently the only one available as an audiobook. At 12 hours and 15 minutes, it’s a longer book than most, and my interest waxed and waned over seven weeks. The book was interesting enough to finish, and I would listen to the sequels if released on audio, but I wouldn’t be able to sit down long enough to read the sequels on Kindle. I rate “Protector of the Realm� 3.4*
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March 28, 2010I'll leave that to others - since I wrote this one! :-)
February 1, 2023
One of my favorite f/f sci-fi rereads. Great characters, good story and the best fake-relationship to real vows.
October 14, 2018
This one has been on my books to read list for a long time. It was hard to put down once I started and I had to force myself to quit for sleep. The first chance I got after work and a few chores I went back to reading. The two mains were well written and I loved the mix of learning to trust each other that started out as a wary respect in a marriage that was for protection and reasons other than love. Their falling head over heels in love was a little fast, but I guess living life in dangerous times can draw you closer all the faster. The science fiction parts were easy to understand and to me served as a vehicle for the adventure and love story. The adventure of going behind enemy lines was exciting and moved right along. The sexy parts were sexy without going over the top. I will read the other books in this series. If you like adventure, strong characters with flaws, space battles, rotten evil doers that get theirs, and a good romance I would recommend this book.
December 5, 2015
It is been about two decades since I read a Sci-Fi, added to that f/f couple is a bonus!
September 10, 2016
"Protector of the Realm" is the story of a by-the-book Space Navy Commodore and the beautiful space refugee; over the course of the novel both thaw and remember how to love. The problem is that the Empire next door isn't particularly interested in giving them time to get to know one another slowly. Space battles, politics, and secrets all come up before the end of the story arrives.
I rather liked this book. It is pulp science fiction, and thus intrinsically stupid - but in this particular case, it is delightfully stupid. In some ways, the only overarching narrative is provided by the romance, which ties together a novel that otherwise opens and shuts plot arcs like people open and close curtains. Certainly the story is approached in a manner which seems almost episodic. An invasion is repulsed within the first quarter of the book (complete with epic space battles). A political and court drama occupies some of the middle. Finally, a desperate, cobbled-together spy mission is undertaken in the latter half, complete with ninja fight, completely superfluous sabotage, and one of the protagonists in a coma. None of these sections or themes fit particularly neatly together - I was always vaguely aware of my own confusion. And some of the internal inconsistencies that are hand-waved away make my head hurt. But no one can deny that it's not entertaining, and the characters are strong and sparkling in equal measure.
It is a good read despite its flaws - a solidly built world with entertaining characters who never lack for plans and motion. Although I would charactertise the plot as uneven, it is also charming and interesting. Definitely pick up this book if you're wanting something light for a weekend away.
I rather liked this book. It is pulp science fiction, and thus intrinsically stupid - but in this particular case, it is delightfully stupid. In some ways, the only overarching narrative is provided by the romance, which ties together a novel that otherwise opens and shuts plot arcs like people open and close curtains. Certainly the story is approached in a manner which seems almost episodic. An invasion is repulsed within the first quarter of the book (complete with epic space battles). A political and court drama occupies some of the middle. Finally, a desperate, cobbled-together spy mission is undertaken in the latter half, complete with ninja fight, completely superfluous sabotage, and one of the protagonists in a coma. None of these sections or themes fit particularly neatly together - I was always vaguely aware of my own confusion. And some of the internal inconsistencies that are hand-waved away make my head hurt. But no one can deny that it's not entertaining, and the characters are strong and sparkling in equal measure.
It is a good read despite its flaws - a solidly built world with entertaining characters who never lack for plans and motion. Although I would charactertise the plot as uneven, it is also charming and interesting. Definitely pick up this book if you're wanting something light for a weekend away.
June 19, 2014
Excellent start to the Supreme Constellations series. Space battles, aliens with cool names, intrigue, undercover missions...oh and did I mention a hot romance? I loved the unexpected twists and turns the story between Rae Jacelon and Kellen O'Dal took. I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series.
July 7, 2024
Loved it! Takes me back to fanfiction and the style of it. :) Books like these are my favorites! It is a great story and not even halfway during the first book I knew that I would love to finish the series so bought the second and reading it now!
January 23, 2015
I was surprised at how interested I was in this book! I am not normally a sci-fi / space fan and hence I had avoided this book for years. Then I relented one day and I have no regrets! Gun did a perfect job at hooking me into the story straight from the start till the end.
I truly felt for both characters in the story and related to both of them. Though I was critical of the romance at first (if you read it, you'll see why), by the end of the book I was thoroughly engrossed. I loved the politics between the planets and how the plot unravelled. I am looking forward to the next book!!
My bottom line - read it even if you're not a space fan because you will be surprised !
I truly felt for both characters in the story and related to both of them. Though I was critical of the romance at first (if you read it, you'll see why), by the end of the book I was thoroughly engrossed. I loved the politics between the planets and how the plot unravelled. I am looking forward to the next book!!
My bottom line - read it even if you're not a space fan because you will be surprised !
February 6, 2011
"Protector of the Realm" is solid science fiction, and by that I mean there are times when I've read "sci-fi" where the storyline and plot feel like contemporary fiction except for a few advanced gadgets or someone is flying a space ship instead of an airplane....
My full review can be found at .
My full review can be found at .
July 23, 2021
4.6 star rating
Intergalactic, political, suspence, romance and solid story thread and characters. This is likely my first Sci-Fi by this author and I love it. I had myself on the edge a couple of times with the suspense and just loved the way the romance and familial relationship formed and grew...very organic.
Intergalactic, political, suspence, romance and solid story thread and characters. This is likely my first Sci-Fi by this author and I love it. I had myself on the edge a couple of times with the suspense and just loved the way the romance and familial relationship formed and grew...very organic.
December 20, 2021
Oh, jeez, did I read this in 2021? I am pretty sure I did. I think it was pretty bad. I remember very little about it now. Must have been very early in the year.
August 13, 2021
It was kindof like reading a contemporary romance but with a sci fi setting. It was cheesy but still a fun ride.
March 3, 2021
I get the distinct impression that this started life as Star Trek fanfiction. The premise of the story is interesting enough, and the characters were likeable enough that I still wanted to know how it all turned out (although once it occurred to me who they were probably based on, I had a lot of trouble focusing on them as unique characters), but the writing was pretty rough overall. I think the best thing I can say about it is that I really wish I could read the book it could have been.
May 25, 2012
This is one of the few sci-fi that I have read so far, and it was amazing. It had great drama, amazing suspense, good action and great 'scenes'. The characters were great and the plot was always changing somehow. There was nothing wrong in it for me, this story didn't make it easy for the main characters to susrpass or avoid conflicts. I can't wait to read the sequel, if you don't mind lesbian stories, then I really recommend this book.
April 3, 2017
3.5 stars. I thought the battle scenes and action were good. The way the book was written I had a clear image of the station, space, etc. I enjoyed Commodore Rae's character but Kellen was off-putting to me in that she was so stiff and she'd flip back and forth. I kind of would like her to move one way or the other and stay there. The romance felt more forced than it should have been because of how Kellen was depicted but others may feel differently. Overall, a decent read.
August 6, 2015
I don't know. There's such a lack of feelings in this book. I'm much more of a romance fan than a sci-fi fan and I've yet to find a sci-fi/FF romance story with a good balance of action and affection. I think the context is just simply not romantic. Spaceships, aliens, politics between species...ugh. After this 3rd failed attempt at sci-fi romance, I think I'll stick to the old traditional "true love" on earth.
March 3, 2015
I didn't think I liked SciFi!!! But this one I loved!
July 2, 2017
"the two of us in the universe allow the planets to align" nice!!
August 20, 2014
This was surprisingly a very good book. It started out king of slowly but once the action started up this book only got better and better. I couldn't put it down.
January 7, 2015
Perfect mix of science fiction and LGBT romance! Loved it!
March 19, 2023
«Очевидно, що хлопчина сказав щось кумедне Келлен, яка відкинула голову назад і голосно розсміялася. Цей звук пробіг по венах Рей, спокушаючи її. Її соски затверділи, а м’яз� стегон напружилися.»
Так, я обрала саме цю цитату.
Частково через те, що не знайшла впродовж всієї книги хоч одної гарної фрази, яку б могла зацитувати на початку огляду. А частково й через те, що саме ця цитата описує книгу якнайкращим чином. Вся вона трохи недолуга і кринджова, але все ж достатньо цікава, аби хотілося дочитати.
Келлен (впродовж всієї історії я називала її Килиною) та її прийомному синові Армео доводиться втекти з рідної планети, коли одного дня влада окупантів вирішує почати полювання на них. Випадково вони знаходять притулок на космічній станції Гамма VI. А керує цією станцією Рей.
Виявляється, що Армео має вражаючий родовід, важливість якого і накликала на нього біду. Тепер вся галактика хоче отримати цю дитину та її титули в власне розпорядження. Але поряд з ним є Келлен, яка заприсяглася матері Армео перед її смертю охороняти його ціною власного життя.
Поступово Рей проникається симпатією до цих двох людей (насправді інопланетян), яким довелося тікати з власного дому і боятися кожної миті того, що їх знайдуть. Саме тому Рей і починає їх охороняти та використовувати всі деталі законів, які можуть їм допомогти.
Власне, якось так Рей і одружується з Келлен, аби та отримала громадянство центральної галактики, завдяки якому закон зможе хоч трохи захистити її та Армео від окупантів їхньої рідної планети.
Цей сюжет справді звучить дуже цікаво, допоки ви не почнете читати книгу. Я не кажу, що історія прямо погана, просто я очікувала більшого. Я очікувала епічності та політичних інтриг, а отримала більше сторінок доволі порнографічних секс сцен, аніж сторінок, які рухали сюжет. Так, я драматизую, але не дуже сильно. Криндж романтичної лінії змушував мене пирхати, а недоречні горні моменти змушували перелистувати сторінки, аби тільки не бачити як головні героїні знову бавляться в ліжку.
І все це псувало головну сюжетну лінію, яка була відносно цікава. Екшн сцени також були справді хорошими, наприклад сцени з боями на космічних кораблях було цікаво читати і вони були прописані зрозуміло, я зовсім не плуталася в тому, що саме зараз відбувається. Також мені сподобалося розкриття стосунків Рей з її батьками. Батьками, які все її дитинство провели будуючи власні кар'єри, а не піклуючись про власну доньку. Та все ж в кінці історії вони миряться й батьки поступово розуміють те, як вони глибоко ранили Раю і нарешті починають виправляти свої помилки.
Отож, книга отримує від мене три зірки. Довго вагалася яку саме оцінку поставити. Книга наче й непогана. Вона була достатньо цікавою, аби я її дочитала, але при цьому недостатньо якісною, аби я захопилася персонажами чи всесвітом і захотіла прочитати й інші книги в цій серії.
Так, я обрала саме цю цитату.
Частково через те, що не знайшла впродовж всієї книги хоч одної гарної фрази, яку б могла зацитувати на початку огляду. А частково й через те, що саме ця цитата описує книгу якнайкращим чином. Вся вона трохи недолуга і кринджова, але все ж достатньо цікава, аби хотілося дочитати.
Келлен (впродовж всієї історії я називала її Килиною) та її прийомному синові Армео доводиться втекти з рідної планети, коли одного дня влада окупантів вирішує почати полювання на них. Випадково вони знаходять притулок на космічній станції Гамма VI. А керує цією станцією Рей.
Виявляється, що Армео має вражаючий родовід, важливість якого і накликала на нього біду. Тепер вся галактика хоче отримати цю дитину та її титули в власне розпорядження. Але поряд з ним є Келлен, яка заприсяглася матері Армео перед її смертю охороняти його ціною власного життя.
Поступово Рей проникається симпатією до цих двох людей (насправді інопланетян), яким довелося тікати з власного дому і боятися кожної миті того, що їх знайдуть. Саме тому Рей і починає їх охороняти та використовувати всі деталі законів, які можуть їм допомогти.
Власне, якось так Рей і одружується з Келлен, аби та отримала громадянство центральної галактики, завдяки якому закон зможе хоч трохи захистити її та Армео від окупантів їхньої рідної планети.
Цей сюжет справді звучить дуже цікаво, допоки ви не почнете читати книгу. Я не кажу, що історія прямо погана, просто я очікувала більшого. Я очікувала епічності та політичних інтриг, а отримала більше сторінок доволі порнографічних секс сцен, аніж сторінок, які рухали сюжет. Так, я драматизую, але не дуже сильно. Криндж романтичної лінії змушував мене пирхати, а недоречні горні моменти змушували перелистувати сторінки, аби тільки не бачити як головні героїні знову бавляться в ліжку.
І все це псувало головну сюжетну лінію, яка була відносно цікава. Екшн сцени також були справді хорошими, наприклад сцени з боями на космічних кораблях було цікаво читати і вони були прописані зрозуміло, я зовсім не плуталася в тому, що саме зараз відбувається. Також мені сподобалося розкриття стосунків Рей з її батьками. Батьками, які все її дитинство провели будуючи власні кар'єри, а не піклуючись про власну доньку. Та все ж в кінці історії вони миряться й батьки поступово розуміють те, як вони глибоко ранили Раю і нарешті починають виправляти свої помилки.
Отож, книга отримує від мене три зірки. Довго вагалася яку саме оцінку поставити. Книга наче й непогана. Вона була достатньо цікавою, аби я її дочитала, але при цьому недостатньо якісною, аби я захопилася персонажами чи всесвітом і захотіла прочитати й інші книги в цій серії.
March 3, 2025
This book was great. There aren't nearly enough sapphic sci-fi stories, let alone ones so heavily focused on romance. This was a delight to read. While romance was probably the main plotline of the book, the political and more action packed plotlines weren't neglected. The final third of the book was especially action packed. The physical world building wasn't that strong, but the more political/cultural landscape got mapped out pretty well.
The romance between Kellen and Rae was pretty good. It starts off with mild attraction, then fake dating, then bam...angry kissing. The rest is history. The chemistry was pretty good, but I didn't feel like the emotional was neglected either. I really cared about both characters and Armeo and wanted everything to work out for all of them. I was really happy that Rae also got a chance to see her parents become more caring individuals.
There is no third act breakup. Most of the action driving the plot is exterior to the romance. There is quite a bit of added drama and action at the end of the story to keep you going after the relationship basically established itself.
The romance between Kellen and Rae was pretty good. It starts off with mild attraction, then fake dating, then bam...angry kissing. The rest is history. The chemistry was pretty good, but I didn't feel like the emotional was neglected either. I really cared about both characters and Armeo and wanted everything to work out for all of them. I was really happy that Rae also got a chance to see her parents become more caring individuals.
There is no third act breakup. Most of the action driving the plot is exterior to the romance. There is quite a bit of added drama and action at the end of the story to keep you going after the relationship basically established itself.
July 12, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. So much to like. I am hoping the rest of the series is as good as this one. Her writing is a good mix of romance, relationship building, conflict, adventure� Aaaah, a pleasure to read those page turner books. I really thought the author did a good job of developing the characters over time� and keeping them� different. Not always the case in this genre. . BTW� if you like this series, you probably will like Fletcher DeLancey’s writing. I loved her fan fiction series Past Imperfect (free at her website�.5 full novels� wow.) Also I recommend her Chronicles of Alsea series. Yum.
February 5, 2022
A decent story� the transitions between characters and time frames though was pretty tough to follow at first. I feel like the drama between the parents could have been a little less, especially since things just seemed to be tied off perfectly instead of actually addressing said family issues along with the rest of the the stories conflicts. A decently quick read, I’m curious to see where it goes from here. I honestly feels like a fanfic of Seven of Nine and Janeway though. Lol
July 25, 2022
Great start to SyFy/Romance Series
This is book one of a well written sci-fi/adventure and romance series. It's well paced with interesting and likeable main characters and strong secondary characters that makes for an overall great read. This book is actually one of the best lesbian/science fiction books I've enjoyed recently and while the world building is not quite up to Fletcher Delacey's "Chronicle of Alsea" series, it is very good. Highly recommended.
This is book one of a well written sci-fi/adventure and romance series. It's well paced with interesting and likeable main characters and strong secondary characters that makes for an overall great read. This book is actually one of the best lesbian/science fiction books I've enjoyed recently and while the world building is not quite up to Fletcher Delacey's "Chronicle of Alsea" series, it is very good. Highly recommended.
May 7, 2017
I enjoyed the plot and character development, however I felt like it was written in 4th grade English.
November 13, 2017
Technically only three stars but it is one of my comfort reads - so I'm rounding up to four stars ;-)
February 9, 2019
A good fanfiction; it lacks the writing maturity to make a good book.
March 17, 2019
Slow, typical and unfocused. My biggest issue was that after Kellen was married, everyone still called her Ms. even her wife. Why?
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