Book picks similar to
Cats of War by Carol Van Natta


sci-fi-romance
romance
science-fiction
short-stories

Pilot Error


Dan Moren - 2020
    But instead of being swept up in a new life of intrigue and excitement, Eli has instead been tasked with sharpening his rusty piloting skills on routine asteroid mining missions.But, as he’s about to discover, those missions can quickly become anything but routine…

The Cold Between


Elizabeth Bonesteel - 2016
    She knows Trey is innocent—he was with her when Danny was killed. So who is the real killer and why are the cops framing an innocent man?While retracing Danny’s last hours, they discover that his death may be tied to a mystery from the past: the destruction of a Central Corps starship at a wormhole near Volhynia. For twenty-five years, Central Gov has been lying about the tragedy, even willing to go to war with the outlaw tribe PSI to protect their secrets.With the authorities closing in, Elena and Trey head to the wormhole, certain they’ll find answers on the other side. But the truth that awaits them is far more terrifying than they ever imagined—a conspiracy deep within Central Gov that threatens all of human civilization throughout the inhabited reaches of the galaxy . . . and beyond.

Pulsar Race


Glynn Stewart - 2020
    He has returned to his homeworld to rest, but his only real plan is to avoid the war he sees coming to the Protectorate.Captain Karl Charpentier is his oldest friend—Captain and pilot of an interstellar jump-courier. Crewless and drowning in debt due to a series of mistakes, Karl turns to his newly unemployed friend with a desperate plan to solve all his problems.To save his friend’s ship and career, Ivan must help him take his courier into an illegal race through a deadly region of space—a race run by the very people Karl Charpentier owes money to.How could it possibly go wrong?

Born to Darkness


Suzanne Brockmann - 2012
    These “Greater-Thans” undergo rigorous training to master unique abilities—including telekinesis, super strength, and reversal of the aging process—by accessing untapped regions of the brain. But for the rich and reckless, there’s a quick, seductive alternative: Destiny, a highly addictive designer drug that can make anyone a Greater-Than—for a lethal price. Michelle “Mac” Mackenzie is determined to end the scourge of Destiny. As one of OI’s crack operatives, she’s learned to wield her powers responsibly. But she’s knocked for a loop when she meets the new test subject: Shane, the same smoldering stranger who just rocked her world in a one-night stand. Mac’s got reasons to keep her distance from him—and reasons that are just as strong to want him close. She’s used to risking her life, but now, in the midst of the ultimate war on drugs, she must face sacrificing her heart.BONUS: This edition includes Suzanne Brockmann's short story Shane's Last Stand.

The Pirate Captain's Daughter


Ruby Lionsdrake - 2015
    Alas, she turns out to be more than she appears and does not appreciate his interference. In an attempt to redeem himself—and perhaps win her regard—he concocts a plot that even his grenade-flinging colleague Striker deems unwise. Soon, he’s blowing up androids, being shot at by pirates, and earning the wrath of his own boss, and he’s not even sure if the woman likes him. Some days, it doesn’t pay to be a mercenary.

Break and Enter


Rachel Haimowitz - 2011
    He’s a good guy, a “white hat” hacker for hire. He’s also more teched out than the Bionic Man, though his ailing ’ware creates as many problems as it solves.His latest series of break-ins are proving…difficult. Sentinel Tech’s security is cutting-edge, and the cops are hounding his ass. He sees only one reason why his employer hasn’t called off the dogs: someone inside is stealing data for real and setting him up to take the fall.Paramedic-cum-tech-phreak Bear keeps scooping an increasingly battered Cyke off the sidewalk, and each time, his fascination for the fugitive and his mysterious ’ware grows. So does the attraction that makes him reluctant to turn Cyke in. Every time they touch, barriers fall. Before long, they're both laid bare.Cyke can handle losing blood, even losing consciousness. What he can’t afford is to lose his heart. Distractions like that get people killed—and if he succeeds in unlocking Sentinel Tech’s ugly secrets, he won’t be the only one in the line of fire.Warning: This book contains mechanical eyeballs, multimillion-dollar hand warmers, pushy mind probes, a man too stubborn to quit when he’s bleeding, an underpaid paramedic whose services are needed entirely too often, and circuit-scorching cybersex…without a computer.

King of Swords


Bianca D'Arc - 2007
    His first step is to visit an old friend, the owner of a bar called The Rabbit Hole on a distant space station. While there, he meets an intriguing woman who holds the keys to his future.Adele has a special ability, handed down through her family. Adele can sometimes see the future. She doesn't know exactly why she's been drawn to the space station where her aunt deals cards in a bar that caters to station workers and ex-military. She only knows that she needs to be there. When she meets David, sparks of desire fly between them and she begins to suspect that he is part of the reason she traveled halfway across the galaxy.Pirates gas the inhabitants of the station while Adele and David are safe inside a transport tube and it's up to them to repel the invaders. Passion flares while they wait for the right moment to overcome the alien threat and retake the station. But what good can one retired soldier and a civilian do against a ship full of alien pirates?Note: This novella was previously available in an anthology titled Fortune's Fool, which is now out of print. It has been revised and re-edited for this edition.Warning: This book contains adult situations and language, romance, adventure, and intimacy described in frank terms. There may also be some buckling of swashes, piracy and heroism in the vastness of space.

The Alien's Mail-Order Bride


Ruby Dixon - 2017
    He doesn’t even mind that most nights are lonely on remote Cassa, but he does need help around his farm. A mail-order bride from his homeworld seems like the perfect solution. She’ll be a tall, sturdy female to help with the chores and bear his children. Unfortunately, the person that arrives is Nicola. She’s small, delicate… and human. She also knows nothing about farming, and she's lied and deceived her way across the galaxy to get to Cassa so she can hide from those that would capture her. She's a problem, and also the most enticing thing he's ever seen. Now Emvor has to decide… can he keep the woman who’s nothing like what he asked for but is everything he needs?

Star Hero


Susan Grant - 2017
    Things change when Bang-Bang leads Lukas to starpilot Captain Carlynn Riga. The tough war hero learns what it means to surrender--his heart.Lukas's struggles with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, threaten to tear the three of them apart, but nothing threatens them more than when Carlynn goes missing in action. Now the rugged Marine and his K-9 partner must find Carlynn and bring her home, or risk losing everything he has finally found worth fighting for.

Michael


Lisa Renee Jones - 2011
    One of an army of human soldiers injected with alien DNA, Michael is a legend within this new race, split between good and evil. Untamable, he has walked on the dark side and returned to the light. Feared and misunderstood, he leaves everything behind, including the one woman destined to be his mate. HE IS HER ENEMY...AND HER DESTINY... Cassandra holds the key to Michael's power, and his pain. With loyalties divided and against insurmountable odds, Cassandra's heart propels her to Michael's side-but can her love do anything but destroy him... No ordinary woman can control a creature such as Michael, and only one thing is clear-the world will never be the same...Originally published as The Legend of Michael by SourceBooks.

Predictive (The Predictive: Deep Fringe Wars Book 1)


L.V. Lane - 2020
    I predict about the future, about our civilization, And I've predicted that we are going to lose the war. I'm not afraid to use predictive skills to break the rules--to break people--if it's necessary for the greater good.My relationship with my brother may be strained, but he's in trouble, And I'm going to get him out...whatever it takes.Publishers note: Predictive is a science fiction, action-thriller set against a backdrop of a colonization war.

Solar Storm


Mina Carter - 2013
    Now she’s uncharted territory… Ten years after rich-girl life fell apart, Rhys Devin is a changed woman—her name, her face, and her attitude. Now the fast-talking, hard-as-nails captain of the Grey Lady sails the most dangerous solar roads in the universe. Times are tough, but she gets the job done, sailing alone. Always watching over her shoulder. The last thing she needs is a delay, but when she runs across a stranded sailor, she has no choice. The law of the road demands she rescue him. Kelwin Sayeed is a soldier without a war. The retired War Commander’s latest and most ambitious hobby, the solar flyer Artemis, was supposed to prove him worthy of the famously reclusive Solar Sailors. Instead a catastrophic computer failure has him at the mercy of the most hazardous road of all: Icaria.Confident he won’t be left to die in the golden spray, he waits for another sailor to come along. One that’s born and bred to the roads, with skin wizened like beaten gold. What he gets is a woman whose voice does things to his body that should be illegal. Whose golden-tinted skin sparks erotic fantasies. The bride who ran from him a decade ago…Product WarningsContains a self re-invented woman with a low tolerance for B.S. and a tendency to snark, a hot former soldier with a brutal approach to protecting what’s his, and a solar-kissed romance that spans years.

Collision Course


Zoe Archer - 2011
    Blackmailed into helping Commander Kell Frayne infiltrate a treacherous corner of the galaxy, Mara learns that her biggest danger is from her sexy, by-the-book partner. She's a loner with more than a few battle scars on her heart, but something about Commander Frayne stirs up her long-buried need for an intimate connection.An ace pilot for the elite Black Wraith Squadron, Kell's mission is to rescue a lost pilot and ship. Unable to deny his attraction to the beautiful, rebellious Mara, he decides bedding her would cool his ardor. But one taste is not nearly enough, and he finds himself sharing more of his real self with her than he has with anyone.With deadly criminals on their heels and an increasingly dangerous assignment to complete, he's starting to wonder...if they survived, could he let her go? And will Mara want to stay?46,390 words

Finders Keepers


Linnea Sinclair - 2002
    You might get it... Her ship's in shambles, her boyfriend's dumped her and she's frankly out of funds. Captain Trilby Elliot hopes her luck has changed when a high-tech fightercraft crash lands at her repair site. Finders keepers. She can sell the ship as salvage, pocket the profits. Except for one small problem: the pilot, Rhis, is still alive and intent on commandeering her ship. And another much larger problem: someone very powerful and very important wants Trilby Elliot dead.

Inside Job


Connie Willis - 2005
    Smart, dedicated, gorgeous, and, thanks to her last movie before she hung up on Hollywood, rich, she's a pleasure to oblige when she says Rob has to witness this channeler Ariaura's act--on her, not the Eye's, nickel--despite channelers being so last year. It's quite a show, all right, for in the midst of Ariaura's particular ancient wise guy's basso spiel, a gravelly baritone interrupts (both voices emanate from the channeler's female mouth) to berate the audience as "yaps" and the act as "claptrap." Why is Ariaura undermining herself? Or is she? After all, she angrily accuses Rob and Kildy of scheming to destroy her. Could the baritone belong to a genuine channeled spirit? Willis, one of sf's most spirited writers, rounds on the New Age; pays tribute to a great, skeptical journalist; and affectionately parodies pulp fiction at its best in this irresistible entertainment.