Showing results by narrator "J.S Arquin" in All Categories

Admiral James Henry has traded a war of weapons for one cloaked in diplomacy as leader of the fledgling Independent Systems Fleet. Fighting alongside the Terran Coalition to rid the Sagittarius Arm of tyranny was the easy part. Now forced into the political arena, he’s never missed the freewheeling spacer’s life more.

Charles is a low level drug runner with a small crew. While taking a lunch break at a strip mall, they end up in a bizarre fight with their German Shepard morphing into a manbeast and the old lady at the pizza parlor opening a vortex to escape with one of his crewmembers. As he searches for answers he learns the organization he works for is run by aliens. When an extraction team shows up to save him from near death, he finds himself on a different planet; and the leader of an almost extinct race.

The common people have become the currency, outlaws have shifted to mercenaries, and freedom is no more than a thought of the past. Fear, violence, slavery—throughout his adult life, Barloc has known no other way. A quarter of a century has passed since King Sclavus decreed slavery legal in the Kingdom of Kuldaire, certain it was the only way to keep the economy strong. When Barloc is sold to Lord Harbor, his new owner offers queer promises of freedom, promises only King Sclavus can honor after a thirty-day trial.

The Space Race of the Sixties, at the height of the Cold War, had been nail-biting—until the Soviet Union forfeited. In the thirties—amid a second Cold War—China is not about to lose the race to Mars. Nor is the United States. Nor, quite the wildcard, is a secretive cabal drawn from among the world's multi-billionaires. All of them are scrambling to launch deep-space missions on a schedule that makes the Sixties contest appear lackadaisical. This competition could only continue on the Red Planet.

Hundreds of deadly miles stand between Kate and her sister fighting for her life back home. Kate fights through the desperate people and a terrain that becomes more treacherous by the day. No longer waiting to be rescued, Alisa braves the powerful cabal that has taken over their small town and risks her own life to protect the innocent. The sisters can’t give up. They won’t. No matter the cost.

Hirrus Callabryn has gotten his revenge against the players who unleashed the Merciless Plague and killed his wife. He's happy to wait for the weekly reset to rejoin his wife in their quiet small-town life. But he isn't the only freed NPC. Far to the west, an unscrupulous evil builds an army of disillusioned NPCs, and Hirrus is tasked to stop it...or else face deletion. Aided by the boisterous adventurer, Alric, Hirrus must find and stop the manipulator before it's too late.

Helping a holy order find a missing sister should be a simple enough job—and Ruby owes the Aymaya Apostles everything after they took her and her brother in as children. Simple enough, until the missing holy sister's trail takes an unexpected turn, landing Ruby and the rest of the crew in the middle of a high-society soirée—and into the crosshairs of Ruby's ex, Kitty. Something sinister is lurking beneath the surface of whatever Kitty and the holy sister are caught up in, and the skills of the entire crew are put to the test when they go head-to-head with the ultimate con artist.

When a ghost from Lasadi’s past hires the crew of the Nanshe to find a crashed plane with mysterious origins, they take the job despite the troubling client. The good news? The cover story is Lasadi's childhood dream: flying in the Liluri Star Run, a wildly popular off-the-grid race through the Liluri Mountains. Soaring through emerald jungle canyons in search of their prize—and the fabled Blood River—this job has the potential to do more than net these five misfits a payday. It could turn them into a real crew.

In this, the final chapter of the Bulari Saga: Willem Jaantzen has never wanted fame and never wanted notoriety. All he’s ever wanted is to keep the people he loves safe, but now the fate of Bulari - and the rest of humanity - rests on his shoulders. And he has one final play to end this game once and for all.

With a warrant out for his arrest and a price on his head, Willem Jaantzen has gone to ground, but he and his crew aren't out of the game. If they’re going to take down an opponent as powerful as a Chief Justice, they need a bulletproof plan — and that's going to take time. But as their rival’s net tightens around them, time is the one thing Jaantzen and his crew don’t have. And his goddaughter Starla is about to head out on her own on an adventure that could shake the foundations of human understanding — if it doesn’t get her killed first.

Jaantzen may have brought stability to the city of Bulari, but not everyone’s grateful. Allegiances are shifting sand, and he’s made a miscalculation that earned him a deadly new enemy - one who plays a viciously different game than the one Jaantzen is used to winning. Jaantzen and his crew fight to gain the upper hand, but secrets buried in shallow graves are coming back to haunt them. And as Starla and Toshiyo edge closer to understanding the growing mystery that’s been dropped in their laps, their search is awakening darker things than any of them can imagine.

Trouble is dead. Long live trouble. Killing the leader of a violent cult was supposed to make the city a safer place, but instead it created a power imbalance that’s left a deadly war raging in the streets of Bulari. When Willem Jaantzen is approached for help by local casino magnate Phaera D, he has the sinking feeling the only way to end this war is to betray the people he loves the most. And he’s starting to suspect that Phaera wants more from him than just his help. Whatever decision he makes feels like the wrong one.

The beautiful Sally Anne has everyone fascinated, including Tommy's best friend, George, who kisses her the first chance he gets. But it isn't just a regular kiss! Sally Anne's kiss is ice cold. Even knowing her chilling gift, Tommy can't help but get close to her and ultimately discover her big secret.

In the final installment of the Core series, the Razznians are defeated, yet no one feels like a winner. New Lassa is devastated, Azrom is in shambles, and planet Razzna itself has had its surface razed, forcing the population to flee - which leaves a bad taste on everyone's palate. With so many secrets filled with animosity and shame now brought to light, both Azrom and New Lassa must face their own demons.

Sex. Horror. Discomfort. In five stories and one poem, you'll find questions and answers, and you might learn something about yourself along the way. Something uncomfortable. Something dark. Come on in and join us. Lean back, open up, and let us take a look at that tickle. We're sure it's nothing serious. Just...something in your mouth.

The Core Series continues with the second installment, where we see the battle on earth over and Chardon taking his place as the leader of New Lassa. Halfar returns to Azrom resuming his role as Supreme Ruler. A new conflict rises from the reptilian race, Razznians. Bitter about a broken deal set up long ago by Chardon’s mate, Sestis, they are coming to collect. Discontent among the Lassians and Azrominans rears its ugly head yet again as members in their trusted circle seem to have their own agendas. The two leaders have a lot of work to do as an enemy assault lurks in the horizon.

Dozens have fallen before a mysterious menace hiding among them. Their only connection is the grisly condition of their bodies — hollowed-out chasms where their eyes used to be. Setting aside the aging case on his wife’s murder, Detective Greg Loren has returned to the city with the task of stopping the bearer of the Medusa coin — an artifact with power over Death himself — from continuing to slaughter the people of Portents.

The beasts Detective Loren and Soriya Greystone battled in Lou Paduano’s debut book Signs of Portents were just a hint of what lurks in the city. Tales from Portents explores the city’s immersive history, including stories of Loren’s descent after his wife’s death - and his opportunity to have her rise from the grave. Soriya battles gremlins, navigates lessons with Mentor, and meets the werewolf Luchik. Follow new characters with expansive histories as they come face to face with the horrors of Portents - both human and otherwise.

To save his family.... A boy must be quick. But can he survive the game? Twist’s parent’s died in a prison colony. He has to save his sister from the same fate. But to escape, Twist will need allies, and all of his speed and wits. He and his crew must do the impossible.... And defeat the children of the ruling class within the world of The Game.

When you've lost everything, there's only one way to go...unless you find a new direction. Stranded in the scablands, Twist is lost in the dust again. To find his way out, he’ll have to make new allies, learn new skills, and overcome crippling self doubt. Will Twist find himself in time to save Canyon City?