Book picks similar to
The Daragh Deception by Kenley Davidson
sci-fi
science-fiction
romance
fantasy
Sky Raiders
Michelle Diener - 2016
Then they started attacking. Finally, they began to raid. Garek's one year of duty as a guard walking the walls of Garamundo was extended to two when the sky raiders appeared. Two long years away from home and his lover, Taya. When he finally returns, the town is empty. While Garek was protecting Garamundo, the sky raiders were taking their victims from his hometown.Taya can't bear looking into the night sky. All she can see is Barit, her home planet. Impossibly, the sky raiders have brought her and their other victims to Shadow, the planet that shadows her own, and looking up makes her aware of everything she's lost. Garek is out there somewhere. She knows he'll look, but he'll never find her.She and the other captives have to find a way to escape. Without the food and clothes the sky raiders bring them from their raids on Barit, they'll starve on the almost barren wastes of Shadow. And when they've given the sky raiders enough of what they want, that's exactly what the sky raiders will leave them to do.She does have an idea of how she can break free--the sky raiders have brought them to Shadow to mine for ore. A very special ore which Taya has worked out is as dangerous to the sky raiders as it is valuable.What she doesn't realize is she'll have some help with her plan. Because Garek isn't giving up. And he's even more resourceful than she could ever have imagined.Nothing is going to keep him from Taya. Not even space itself.
Gabriel's Ghost
Linnea Sinclair - 2002
. . . After a decade of piloting interstellar patrol ships, former captain Chasidah Bergren, onetime pride of the Sixth Fleet, finds herself court-martialed for a crime she didn' t commit-and shipped off to a remote prison planet from which no one ever escapes. But when she kills a brutal guard in an act of self-defense, someone even more dangerous emerges from the shadows.Gabriel Sullivan--alpha mercenary, smuggler, and rogue--is supposed to be dead. Yet now this seductive ghost from Chaz's past is offering her a ticket to freedom--for a price. Someone in the Empire is secretly breeding jukors: vicious and uncontrollable killing machines that have long been outlawed. Gabriel needs Chaz to help him stop the practice before it decimates Imperial space. The mission means putting their lives on the line--but the tensions that heat up between them may be the riskiest part of all.
Unexpected Hostage
Layla Stone - 2018
I was too, for about three seconds. He’s quiet, but once I get him talking he’s the most fascinating man I’ve ever known. He shouldn’t be in that cage. He didn’t do anything wrong. But good thing he is, because I would love to snuggle down for a long night with a body like his.Everyone thinks they're safe.Everyone is wrong.My race is known for being peaceful, and I was too…until I was electrocuted, kidnapped, sold, and then put in a cage. I’ll get out of here soon, but while I plot my escape, I’ll enjoy my cabin-mate’s attention. She thinks she has figured me out. She’s not even close.The ship is being attacked, a perfect diversion. There is only one problem…I want to take my cabin-mate with me.---Note to readers: This is a full length Sci-fi Romance Novel with action, adventure, adult humor and a steamy romance. Mature readers only.
Hunt the Stars
Jessie Mihalik - 2022
When Torran offers her enough credits to not only keep her crew afloat but also hire someone to fix her ship, Tavi knows that she can’t refuse—no matter how much she’d like to.With so much money on the line, Torran and his crew insist on joining the hunt. Tavi reluctantly agrees because while the handsome, stoic leader pushes all of her buttons—for both anger and desire—she’s endured worse, and the massive bonus payment he’s promised for a completed job is reason enough to shut up and deal.But when they uncover a deeper plot that threatens the delicate peace between humans and Valoffs, Tavi suspects that Torran has been using her as the impetus for a new war. With the fate of her crew balanced on a knife’s edge, Tavi must decide where her loyalties lie—with the quiet Valoff who’s been lying to her, or with the human leaders who left her squad to die on the battlefield. And this time, she’s put her heart on the line.
Grabbed by Vicious
Lolita Lopez - 2013
One of the frightening sky warriors from the warship Valiant is hot on her heels and intent on capturing her as his new bride. He takes her down and places his collar around her neck. With one word, he claims her.Mine.Born and bred for the military, Vicious has spent the last twenty-four years rising through the ranks. This dark-haired sprite ensnared him with one glance. Now she is his reward.Despite her fear of Vicious, Hallie surrenders under his skillful hands and mouth. Vicious makes a promise to her. If she’ll submit to him, she’ll know only pleasure and comfort. After a lifetime of hardship, his offer tempts her greatly.One night with Hallie and Vicious feels his protective instincts flaring. He’ll do anything to make her happy and keep her safe, even if that means surrendering his heart. Though he intended to master her, Vicious realizes it may be his sweet Hallie who masters him.Inside Scoop: Our heroine endures trials and violence with strength equal to that of her warrior mate. (She also witnesses F/F play, and endures a collar and light BDSM. Fortunately she likes that part.)Librarian Note: Per blog post from the author, this series has been put on hold and is unlikely to be completed. For more information, please see authors post.http://www.lolitalopezbooks.com/news/...
Warleader
Susan Grant - 2008
. .Admiral Brit Bandar is the Coalition's greatest starship commander. The outlaw known as the Scourge of the Borderlands taunted her in a galactic game of cat and mouse for years, but she never caught him. Now they're supposed to make peace and serve together on the same starship? Not so easy to do when her sworn enemy turns out to be the only man who can make her remember what it is to feel.Warleader and space pirate Finn Rorkken doesn't care how many medals “Stone-Heart” Bandar has. He's going to show her what it's like to be pursued and caught by a master. Intergalactic peace is on the line, and if she wants his cooperation, she'll have to surrender her heart. Challenge accepted, Admiral.The Borderlands Series:Book #1 WARLEADERBook #2 HUNTING THE WARLORD'S DAUGHTERBook #3 RAIDER BORNThree Borderlands prequels: (The Otherworldly Men Series)Book #1 GUARDIAN ALIENBook #2 ROYAL RECRUITBook #3 CYBORG AND THE SINGLE MOM
Ghost in the Machine
C.E. Kilgore - 2012
You stumble on to it blindly, it sucks you in and takes you somewhere completely unexpected. You can't fight it, because that would tear your ship apart. You can't control it, either. All you can do is set your thrusters on glide and let it take you where it's going to take you."Going against the rules of her Vesparian Sisterhood, which seeks to keep its entire existence a secret, Orynn is thrown into the open by a request for help that she could not refuse. Seeking to reconcile past mistakes and gain a forgiveness she feels she does not deserve, the fragile control over her empathic abilities is put to the test. The darkness that lives within her spirit has grown impatient and threatens to once again destroy any piece of happiness she allows herself to find.As a Mechatronic Automaton, Ethan navigates his world through a set of logically defined values and understandings. Encountering Orynn throws his system off balance as he tries to decide if he should trust the feelings he is developing, or if he should follow the logic telling him that she is trying to control him for some unknown purpose. As his understanding of her develops, he begins to question all of his preconceived notions about both himself and the universe around him.In his attempts to capture the Vesparian prey he has been hunting after for two decades, the First Commander of the Xen'dari fleet will stop at nothing and track Orynn to the ends of the universe. On a path of vengeance for a past he can't let go of, he will do everything in his power to burn her world down around her feet until nothing is left but ash and the bitter taste of regret.Ghosts of the past clash with hopes for the future in this first book of the series, set in a universe where nothing is as it seems at first glance and trust is a highly priced commodity.
Alternate Cover Edition ASIN B009UFHA0O
Knight Protector
Lindsay Buroker - 2019
An arranged marriage she can’t escape. A sexy bodyguard who will protect her at all cost. A forbidden love she can’t give in to…As one of the sultan’s fourteen daughters, and a successful businesswoman who puts money in the family’s coffers, Princess Nalini thought she would escape an arranged marriage. She thought wrong.Her father insists that an alliance with the savage and ambitious Star Kingdom is the only way to avoid a war at home, and for some reason, Prince Jorg—a man she’s never met—wants to marry her. As if that weren’t bad enough, her father believes the betrothal may make her a target and is assigning her a bodyguard, the victor of one of his odious gladiator matches. She doesn’t want some brutish stranger intruding on her privacy. But her new protector—Tristan—is not the brute she expected. He has a quick wit, a sexy smile, and even sexier things under the smile. Unfortunately, Nalini can't let herself fall in love with Tristan, not when she’s soon to be betrothed to another man. As her father’s daughter, it’s her duty to help her people by cementing this alliance. No matter how much she wishes otherwise...As Tristan grew up on the streets, his father a convict and his mother a drug addict, all he ever wanted was to become one of the Star Kingdom's elite knights, something that very few commoners ever achieve. After Tristan labors for years as a squire, the king is ready to appoint him a knight... if he accomplishes one simple task. He must infiltrate the sultan’s palace, gain the trust of Princess Nalini, and make sure she doesn’t run away from her marriage with Prince Jorg. There’s just one problem. Nalini isn’t the spoiled rich brat he expected—she spends her days working as hard as he does—and he soon develops feelings for her. With her betrothal looming, and the career he’s worked his whole life for at stake, Tristan can’t let himself act on those feelings.But can he stand back while a man who doesn’t deserve her claims her for his wife?
Mercenary Instinct
Ruby Lionsdrake - 2014
But Ankari Markovich needs a few archaeological samples for her latest business venture, a venture that might prove lucrative enough to move her family off the impoverished planet where she grew up. Unfortunately, she has no sooner collected her samples than she’s captured by a band of brawny mercenaries. The captain might be handsome, but he’s intent on turning her over to some finance lord who has, for reasons unknown, put a bounty on her head, a ridiculously large one at that. If she can’t figure out a way to escape before she’s delivered to the lord’s home world, she could be forced into a life of indentured servitude—or worse.Captain Viktor Mandrake doesn’t usually take on piddling bounty hunting gigs, but when his intelligence officer informs him of a criminal on a nearby planet, he decides it wouldn’t hurt to take a shuttle down to collect the woman. But Ankari Markovich is trouble from the start, nearly eluding his elite forces, then fighting and tricking his people left and right. He finds himself admiring her spirit, but according to her warrant, she’s a criminal. The safest thing is to keep her in the brig and ignore her until she can be handed off to the man who wants her.But the situation grows more complicated when other bounty hunters show up, wanting to claim Ankari for themselves. Thanks to this woman, Viktor’s ship is in danger, his crew members are going missing, and he’s fighting enemies he never asked for in a jungle in the middle of a hurricane. He’s either going to strangle Ankari… or fall in love. Either scenario could get him killed.Mercenary Instinct is a full-length, stand-alone novel of 90,000 words. It is part of the “Mandrake Company” series of science fiction romance stories and is recommended for readers who enjoy space-based adventure (such as Firefly) and steamy love stories (in the style of Linnea Sinclair).
Sarazen's Claim
Isabel Wroth - 2016
This book is PART OF A SERIES. Not a HEA and not a Cliffhanger...somewhere in between. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------One hundred and fifty years ago the most powerful countries of Earth built and launched five ships. Ships meant to carry what remained of humanity out into the space beyond their known galaxy to find a new home. As a third generation botanist, it never occurred to Clary Starborn that she might some day be in charge of anything other than her little lab. That changed the day their ship was attacked by an alien species straight out of myth. ----------As commander of the Sarazen armada, Tarek had seen some poor excuses for spacefaring vessels. The one currently being attacked by the Na'ah was to date, the worst. So primitive in its design, Commander Tarek was fascinated it had even survived the harsh vacuum of space. Or the time it had taken to launch it. The species was unfamiliar to him, but initial scans suggested the beings within here somewhat intelligent. Though the ship was outside Sarazen territory, it was his duty to eradicate the Na'ah wherever he encountered them. He had not anticipated that by his actions, the course of his life would be forever changed. By a soft, delicate being who studied flowers and trees. One scent, one touch, was all it took to be Claimed.
The Barbarian Before Christmas
Ruby Dixon - 2017
But all Elly wants is for her mate to be at her side before the brutal season arrives. All Bek wants is a way to quickly return to his female despite the mountains between them. Thanks to the talents of a newcomer… they're both about to get their wish and celebrate the happiest of holidays together. This novella features characters from prior Ice Planet Barbarians stories and DOES NOT stand alone.
Alien Tongues
Chloe Parker - 2021
Natalie Lewis may be an expert in alien languages, but there’s more to fluency than simple vocabulary.When Natalie arrives on the alien planet of Logos to study an ancient artifact, she expects to be welcomed by her Lyran hosts with open arms. But not all Lyrans like humans, and a violent faction of the alien race thinks of human culture more like an infection to be eradicated at any cost.Guardsman Kiran Va’shan is assigned to watch over Natalie as she conducts her research. From the moment they meet, he feels a sense of protectiveness toward her - an urge to be with her no matter the cost. Lyran legend speaks of a “cosmic bond” between two people that ties their fates together, but the archaic notion of fated mates flies in the face of Lyran culture, which emphasizes logic over love.A relationship with Natalie is forbidden, but Kiran can’t help but fall further into her orbit.Beyond all reason, Natalie and Kiran begin to explore their attraction, even as Lyran politics threaten to tear them apart. Physical relations between humans and Lyrans are strictly forbidden, but the two find it hard to resist their cosmic bond. As they’re drawn into a complex web of cultural relations and political turmoil, the starcrossed lovers fight for an impossible affair that is, somehow, destined to be.
Queen of Starlight
Jessa Slade - 2014
Transformed by empathic crystals into the perfect paramour, Benedetta Galil is the last treasure of her fading world. When raiders attack—seeking to corrupt the crystals and conquer all of charted space—she gives herself as a prize to the one man in the universe who values freedom over power. Mercenary sheership Captain Corso Deynah left oppression behind him on a burning planet and has no use for a sex slave, even one as seductive as Benedetta. But while he stubbornly resists her body, her fierce spirit tempts him, and he will risk everything—his ship, his seclusion, the very stars—to win not just her passion but her love. Originally published as "Enslaved by Starlight" in HOTTER ON THE EDGE: Science Fiction Romance Anthology.
Nightchaser
Amanda Bouchet - 2019
Pursued by a vicious military general who wants them dead or alive, Tess has to decide if she can trust Shade Ganavan, a tall, dark and arrogant stranger with ambiguous motivations.
Shade Ganavan had oodles of arrogance, oodles of charm, and oodles of something that made me want to kick him in the nuts.
What Tess and Shade don't know about each other might get them killed... unless they can set aside their differences and learn to trust each other - while ignoring their off-the-charts chemistry.
Shade swallowed the bad taste in his mouth. Two hundred million. He could buy back his birthright and live like a king forever on that.
Captain T. Bailey.
Beautiful. Ballsy. And Brave.
A wanted criminal.
Indecision clawed at his chest. He knew where she was.
The easiest nab and grab of his life was waiting for him. He could land two hundred million in his account. Double that if she still had the goods.
Faros
Layla Nash - 2019
Fleet lawyer Violet Newfield reluctantly agreed to defend a rogue pirate captain against murder charges, but never expected to be kidnapped in his dramatic prison escape. When Faros ignores all legal precedent and drags her into ungoverned space on his pirate ship, she'll do whatever it takes to get free and back to her friends on the Galaxos before she's implicated in any crimes. Xaravian captain Faros has a deadline: if he doesn't pay a debt in less than a week, his ship and crew are forfeit. And the Tyboli are not known for giving extensions. The last thing he needs is the sexy Earther distracting him from the mission, but he can't help noticing her fiery temper and strict adherence to the law. He's just waiting for the opportunity to corrupt her... When time runs out and they face the choice of saving themselves or an innocent crew, will Faros choose his love of the Earther over money and his ship, and do the right thing?