These Broken Stars by Annie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Imagine the newest, fanciest, luxury spaceliner to come out of orbital docks!  Icarus is so massive it has been compared to the size of a large city. With over 50,000 souls on board, it is the best spaceship in the universe. Created by the wealthiest man in the entire universe, Roderick LaRoux, it has decks for the privileged class, lower decks for military and service decks.

Major Tarver Merendsen would never have had the privilege of seeing the upper, elite deck if he wasn’t being honored for his heroism.

Nothing about the upper deck is real—the smells, the views, the people who populate the deck with their redone faces and bodies. It has all been created to appear perfect. The string quartet is really a hologram! The hover trays deliver food or drink as you summon them.

Tarver sees a beautiful redhead--a real knockout! But he can’t place her. Her face is so familiar. Later he realizes that she is Lilac LaRoux, the only child of Roderick. Tarver is smart enough to know that he has no right to pursue such a woman. He is low born, a military man—not suitable for the class of society to which Lilac has been born.

In a cruel twist of fate, the two star crossed lovers are the only survivors from the crash of the Icarus. How will they begin to trust each other in order to survive the terraformed planet upon which they have crashed?

I especially liked how each chapter was preceded with the interrogation of Tarver Merendsen. The story unfolds as each character, Lilac and Tarver, tell the story of their exploration of the planet, the discovery of the wreck of Icarus and their unfolding relationship.

If you like science fiction, don’t miss this first book of a planned three part series.