BOOK REVIEW- The Morcai Battalion: The Recruit (Book 2 of 5) BY Diana Palmer

Diana Palmer's second installment in her thrilling space epic is a vast panorama of far-flung civilizations, interplanetary conflict and galaxy-spanning passion… 

THE MORCAI BATTALION: THE RECRUIT 

A prophecy foretold: 

Three years after the unprovoked attack on a peaceful colony, the war between the Rojok dynasty and the Tri-Galaxy Fleet rages on. Born of that war is the Morcai Battalion, a fleet comprised of Centaurians and humans—the first collaboration of its kind and a step toward an intergalactic alliance. But the fragile union is tested as their courageous commander in chief, Dtimun, is faced with the temptation of the forbidden—and human—Dr. Madeline Ruszel. 

A combat surgeon, Ruszel is aware of the danger of inciting a Centaurian's interest, even if he is the most intriguing of men. Besides putting their mission at risk, personal relations between their kinds are still outlawed. But a prophecy that touches on both their lives and the future of all alien nations hints that a greater unity may be theirs for the taking…if they, and their crew, survive in the battle for peace
AMAZON 5 STARS+

I saw the book cover and that made me stop and read the book information. And I thought, "Oh yeah, this could be good." I realized it wasn't the first book in this series (it's 2 of 5).  But I crossed my fingers, hoped for the best and jumped right in.  Man, I am so glad that I did.  It was terrific.  After I read the book, I realized there was a glossary at the back of the book.   It was pretty good and it was helpful.  But you know what?  As I got going in the book, it wasn't really that hard to figure out.  
This had great, multi-layered main characters, and good supporting ones too.  Keep your eye on Komak, he has secrets but helps a lot. So do a few other characters too.  The world building was excellent.  The different worlds and descriptive species and even the governments were detailed in a way that kept me interested without overwhelming me.  
Don't even get me started on Dtimun and Madeline Ruszel.  Their interactions were explosive!   And as time goes on it gets better and better! By just being herself Ruszel's actions have made her something of a legend; in more than one way and more than one place.  I loved how spunky she was. She makes for a good friend if you were one of the people she cares about.   But she was also a warrior..someone that was often called warwoman by a couple of other alien races.  She also was able to make friends of hostile people because of  that kind heart.  Not everyone loved her of course because she made her share of enemies too. 
Dtimun was quite the mix of alien, not just in genetics but in personality.  He was intriguing and it was fun to see the times of humor between Dtimun and Ruszel.  He was such a great leader that the people on his team both human, and non-human would follow him through fire, if need be.
The prophecy was interesting and will lead to new adventures for Madeline Ruszel and Dtimun.  There is very serious, dangerous decisions that must be made, so this part of the story ends with both of them considering them.  So some would say cliffhanger and I guess they would be right but I say adventures to be continued. And I want to follow into the next book called The Morcai Battalion: Invictus (which is already out).   To be honest I want to read ALL the books in the Series.