Erik Cain, Augustus Garret, and the rest of the high command are grimly satisfied that humanity has been saved from the First Imperium menace. There is no joy, however…no elation at the “victory.” The losses this time were too heavy…too personal…to bear. They had done what was necessary to win the war. Now they had to find a way to live with the gut wrenching decisions that victory had required. Garret needed time. Time for repairs, to replace losses, to learn how to go on in the aftermath of what he’d done. But the fleet wasn’t heading for a well-deserved rest…they were moving into another firestorm. A new menace, one as deadly as the First Imperium, was waiting, and it threatened to shatter the fragile alliance of the Earth powers and throw all human space into another desperate war…one that might be the final confrontation. On world after world, mysterious forces are invading, taking control of the most vital colonies. The invaders are well-drilled powered infantry, veteran forces that quickly shattered the planetary militias and established brutal occupation regimes. The leaders of the Alliance’s forces must rally themselves once again to face this new threat…an unknown enemy that is as well trained, experienced, and equipped as the Marines. Indeed, on some colony worlds rumors are already spreading that the invaders are the Marines themselves, that they have come to conquer, to rule… Even Legends Die Gavin Stark, the ex-head of Alliance Intelligence, and the bitter foe of the Marine Corps, has made his bid for power. The clone soldiers of his Shadow Legions have seized control of dozens of colony worlds, imposing his brutal rule over millions. His plan is no less than to subjugate all mankind. On Earth, Stark’s manipulations have brought the Superpowers to the brink of war, threatening the Treaty of Paris and its prohibition against terrestrial warfare. For a century, man had restricted his wars to space, but now the Powers are sliding closer to the brink…the final battle that could kill billions, and turn Earth into a wasteland. On a few key colony worlds, Erik Cain, Elias Holm, and the remnants of the shattered Marine Corps struggle against Stark’s vast armies…the only hope of turning back the tide of destruction and despair that threatens to engulf all mankind. They are outnumbered and outgunned, but they will fight nevertheless, standing grimly in the breach, holding back Stark and his dark legions. The Marines will fight with the last of their strength and resolve. But this time the cost will be too high to bear, too personal. Even Marines need their heroes, their legends. But even legends die. The Fall The Epic Conclusion to the Crimson Worlds Series… Erik Cain has left the Corps, driven to near madness by an overwhelming need for vengeance. He has sworn to kill Gavin Stark, the madman responsible for his mentor’s death and, with a small band of dedicated followers, he is pursuing his prey across occupied space. Meanwhile, on a dozen colony worlds, Marines land to face the occupying forces of Stark’s Shadow Legions. They are supported by the Janissaries, their longtime enemies, now turned allies, but they are facing a vastly superior enemy entrenched and waiting. But they know what is at stake, and they are determined to prevail.

    Siobhan Monahan is back in Seattle raising the daughter they conceived that night. When she accidentally overhears her emergency room patients speaking about a planned attack on her city, she’s on alert and scared for herself, her daughter and the people of the city. Her first instinct is to get her daughter to safety and then call and old friend she’d met on active duty, Hank Patterson who owns a security firm, Brotherhood Protectors. He sends some of his men to keep her safe and to help thwart the attack before people are killed. One of his men just happens to be her one-night-stand from six years. Boy is he surprised. J.B. Wayne, aka Atlas, has been with the brotherhood for five years after an injury sidelined him from the Navy SEALs. When his boss sends him to protect a woman and her family in Seattle, he’s surprised to find the woman he could never forget and she has a daughter with blue eyes, just like his. Temporarily setting aside his anger that Siobhan didn’t tell him he had a daughter, Atlas joins forces with Siobhan to discover the source and target of the pending attack, racing against time to stop the mercenaries before someone gets hurt. Working together rekindles their attraction and gives Atlas a chance to know his daughter. When the job is done, he’s determined to remain a part of their lives.

    Trevor Stone has survived the invasion of alien armies and creatures, cut off their conduits to Earth, and built a small Empire that has turned the tide of the war, but victory has come at a high personal cost. When Nina Forest disappears, Trevor makes the reckless decision to personally lead a rescue team. What follows is a trip down the proverbial rabbit-hole, one that brings him face to face with the most terrifying monster in a changed world: himself. Parallels is a mature journey to a place where inhibitions are stripped, desires indulged, and where Trevor Stone may be eclipsed by the darkness within.

     The Telford family’s independent trading vessel, the Belinda is captured by Pruessen slavers and the crew forced into a life of brutal servitude. Their desperate bid for freedom succeeds but a tragic price is paid. Years pass and Nathan Telford, fighting the nightmares of his past and yearning for revenge, joins the Athenian Navy. His first posting is aboard the warship Truculent, patrolling the northern quarantine zone beyond which lurks the Empire. Answering a distress call from a beleaguered freighter, the routine mission becomes a desperate fight for survival. The Pruessans are once again testing the defenses of the Republic and this time they have technology far in advance of the last war. It is left to Nathan, three untried middies and a disgruntled petty officer to try and avert a looming disaster. With their high tech weapons rendered useless and facing overwhelming odds, Nathan risks everything on a brave, hastily conceived gamble. ........................................................................................................................

      Lime Peak Ranch is home to the Dumont and Ruggles families who raise cattle, train horses, and compete in PRCA rodeos. Life down the dirt road isn’t as perfect as it seems and secrets have roots deeper than the maple trees.   Bonnie Ruggles has to leave the Lime Peak Ranch but her marriage is in pieces scattered from the house to the barn. Dallas isn’t speaking to her, his hurt bigger than any words. When tragedy strikes, Bonnie is called home to be with her husband. Their relationship is changing and only by revealing the truth can they start anew. Tearing up secrets with roots this deep can cause more damage than these two might be able to handle.  Ellie Dumont Labrum should be living in wedded bliss, but with the death of his father, Logan pulls farther and farther away. Missing the closeness they’d barley glimpsed, Ellie tries desperately to pull her husband out of his grief, Porter Dumont is destined for greatness. He sells his plot on Lime Peak Ranch—his inheritance—and leaves the ranch and family behind to chase the music to Nashville. If he can make this work, he’ll be the biggest name to come out of the ranch. George and Carol Dumont struggle to make a new life out of the ashes of their old love. They want the same things, but Carol has to trust—a task that isn’t easy when she’s been singed. If she can find confidence in her new situation, their love can finally be free from the fears that hold them back. Olivia Dumont is falling in love with Dr. Robert Canton. They would be a perfect fit if it weren’t for the fact that he is leaving at the end of the month. Not wanting to give him an ultimatum, Olivia steps back from their budding relationship. But without incentive to stay, Robert struggles to decide if he and his son, Jax, should go back to Seattle or make a home on the ranch.    Follow this family full of heart and love and loyalty as they work to navigate the revelation of long-buried secrets, bitter disappointments, new and old love, and trust in the third book in the Lime Peak Ranch series.

    They have fought a war for 35 years against the insectoid Kadan that they have no intention of ending. It’s too essential to a society where the only social movement is via battle promotion. Then it all changes when the Kadan nearly annihilate the front lines. Vasilov Officer Colonel Cole Clarke has just returned home from service with the Sigg Military. Now that he has learned how the Sigg fight, he's bringing that knowledge to the Vasilov Military, plus an entire battalion of second hand Sigg Armor purchased on the scrap market. But instead of a fresh battalion of troops, he’s assigned a penal battalion filled with convicts. The Vasilov Military doesn't accept change easily, even when they need it. What would happen if an entirely new style of warfare came onto the battlefield? Could a strike force of second hand armor trump the defensive doctrines they’d used for thirty five years or would they be doomed to failure and death on the icy planet Lishun Delta? One squadron of armor. One Colonel. A thousand of the worst convicts in the Vasilov Military. Will they be up to the task?

    He’d gone on more Runs and killed more aliens than any single Human alive. He’d been one of the early volunteers for the NT-4 Program, which used a powerful performance-enhancing drug to turn ordinary Marines into super killing machines. Affectionately called REV, the drug wasn’t for everyone. Few made it through the screening process, and fewer still into the Fleet.Zac was the most-senior REV alive, a miracle of science and a legend in the Corps. His job was to be the battering ram for the Marines, the first in while revved up on NT-4. During a Run he was a mindless killing machine, dangerous to both foe and friend alike. That’s why his fellow Marines gave him a wide berth until he could be put down by the Twilight drug. At that point he was somewhat manageable.But something was happening to Zac. Long after most other REVs were dead, burned out or ‘retired,’ he was growing stronger, more powerful.He was also doing something else unheard of for a REV on a Run. He was beginning to think.

    If you like fun, adventure, and interesting tech, you’ll be sure to love something within this collection. Comprising three full length novels, and two novellas, these stories will keep you entertained for many hours. Warning: Readers might not want to come back to the real world after adventuring through these stories. Hollow Space: Venture Forced to hyperjump during a brutal ambush, Sara Lorelle, navigator of the the last human colony ship, discovers they’ve jumped to somewhere that shouldn’t exist. Trapped inside a pocket universe known only as Hollow Space, where technology inexplicably fails, Sara and her crew have to face the lethal politics of their only destination: Haven—a decrepit space station, home to hostile aliens and rival factions that soon sees the Venture crew up to their necks in trouble. With their only hope placed in Tairon Cauder, a reckless scoundrel, they will battle impossible species, confront their fears, and uncover ancient and terrible secrets. In a place where those who shoot first live the longest, the Venture crew will have to push their limits if they are to save themselves and the human race from extinction. Hollow Space: Shadowkill Kina wants to be an assassin—to join the mysterious Wraiths and secure her future on the space station of Haven. A place where it’s kill or be killed and career options are limited. But Haven is not your granddad’s space station. It’s rotten to the core and every scumbag is out for one thing only: themselves. With just her two daggers for protection, Kina is thrown into the darkness to confront a pack of bounty hunters eager to end her ambitions—and life. Code Breakers: Alpha In a post-apocalyptic future, humanity survives within a single domed city run by a shadowy benefactor known only as The Family. Each week the death lottery claims more lives and Gerry Cardle, head of the lottery, inexplicably finds himself the next on the list. Something's wrong with the system. A deadly artificial intelligence has breached security. Gerry has just 7 days to live. Forced off the grid, Gerry has to do the unthinkable: willingly leave the city. What he finds in the abandoned lands will shatter his perception of what it means to be human. Everything he had been told before was a lie. Code Breakers: Beta The fanatical Red Widows sweep destruction across the abandoned lands. Their aggression threatens to destroy the city Gerry had risked his life to save. Petal, the woman Gerry has come to love is dying. The despotic cabal, The Family, demand he brings her to them, but she's missing, running from the Widows, searching for the truth of her origins before it's too late. When their paths cross, Petal and Gerry will hold the fate of humankind in their hands—if they can survive the malevolent digital entity that stalks them from the shadows. The Daedalus Code When agents Phaedra and Aegeus of New Crete's Intelligent Data Enforcement Agency are tasked to find five missing Artificial Intelligence students, their single lead takes them to a notorious hacker known as 'The Cretian.' With his help, they uncover a terrible truth: Ariadne, one of the students, is involved with a rogue AI program called The Daedalus Project. The AI is out of control, people are going missing, and a great swathe of the world’s data is being secured within its digital labyrinth.

    He is living in rural Sitra Falls, Oregon trying to deal with hyper-vigilance and ease back into civilian life.When an unusual looking young woman enters his favorite breakfast place he befriends her. Little does he know he'll kill for her before lunch and start an adventure that will take him around the world and off planet.When you have every sort of alphabet agency human and alien hunting for you survival is the hard part. But you might as well get rich too.

    These are tales involving the Kobani people and Koban. Reading the series is NOT required to understand and enjoy these stand-alone tales. Australian Krall: (Novelette) A fully gene enhanced Kobani woman finds herself trapped in total darkness and underground, pursued by hundreds of slavering, semi-sentient, maniacally aggressive and hungry aliens. Let’s take a walk on the dark side! Bats of a Leather Flock Together: (Short story) The wolfbat Flock Leader takes his colony to an unexplored Koban continent to set up a nest in virgin territory. The wily leader uses his cooperative experience with humans to forge similar alliances with other native creatures. Not everyone wants to play nice. Kobani Kiddie Capers: (Novella) How do Kobani parents cope with children that are born with the contact telepathy gene, and have eidetic memory? Adults who think teenagers act like they know everything never had an overconfident four-year old super child, with a ripper cub as his partner in crime. Living to reach his teens seems doubtful. The Smuggler and the Crime Lord: (Novelette) When you land a known smuggler’s ship in a ruthless Crime Lord’s city using false registry, it’s hard to convince a platoon of armed thugs that you’re only shopping, that you don’t owe the boss his cut of your take. If the Kobani captain is buying drinks for friends in a spaceport bar, spoiling his evening and making threats is ill advised, and could prove fatal.

    In order to get free of it, he'll need to use every bit of his trader cunning. If he does it just right, he might stay out of prison. With a little luck, he'll even manage to turn a profit.He's given up his old ways--mostly--thanks to his cushy life on a PAC space station. But behind his mild-mannered shopkeeper's facade, he's hiding a whole lot more.Sometimes you have to break the rules to do the right thing.The Cost of Business is a quiet story of cleverness and empathy. For some heroes, wits are much stronger than firepower.Books in the Dragonfire Station universe in written order: (each series is self-contained and need not be read in order)Dragonfire Station Book 1: Translucid Dragonfire Station Book 2: Fragments Dragonfire Station Book 3: Coalescence (series complete) Intersections: Dragonfire Station Short Stories Mercenary Warfare Book 1: Selling Out Mercenary Warfare Book 2: Blood Money Mercenary Warfare Book 3: Hell to Pay Mercenary Warfare Book 4: Calculated Risk Mercenary Warfare Book 5: Going for Broke (series complete) Chains of Command Book 1: New Blood Chains of Command Book 2: Blood and Bone Chains of Command Book 3: Cut to the Bone Chains of Command Book 4: Out for Blood(series complete)

    Much to their surprise, Captain Garrett Heskan and his officers discover sabotaged navigation buoys and suspicious freighter activity that suggest a sinister presence in the system. Soon Anelace finds herself outnumbered and outgunned in a race against time to save the civilians operating Renard’s lone ore processing station from the threat that would drive the Republic from the valuable asteroid fields orbiting the Skathi star.

    

    His search for the truth soon becomes a fight for survival and a race against evil, with any chance of correcting the timeline slowly slipping away.*** Time Split is also available in paperback. Also by Patricia Smith: Distant Suns, Distant Suns - The Journey Home, Islands - The Epidemic and Nebathan.

    I swore I'd never forge a relationship with an alien. I’m not like those flighty starlets in Hollywood who only go for the physical. I can't possibly have actual feelings for this barbaric alien.All I want is to go home, but he wants to claim me as his mate and I don't know if I can say no to his desirous gaze, his rousing touch, and his muscled body.What you get in this standalone book:A Sexy AlienAn HEANo CliffhangersNo Cheating