SFRB Recommends 59: Prince of Dragons and the Orion Series by Cathryn Cade #sfrom

Sirena Blaze has left a string of smiling males across the galaxy-but she's not smiling now. After two attempts to sabotage her ship, it's time to call for backup. Her warriors deserve the best, and that means recruiting a member of the elite Serpentian guard as co-commander. 

One look at Slyde Stone, and Sirena's smile returns. She sets out to indulge in the sensual delights for which his people are legendary. Slyde would like nothing more than to bed the famous beauty, but a secret binds the hands that burn to take her. He is a half-dragon shifter, a race thought to be nothing more than a myth. He's real, and so is the code he must live by-he can mate only once.

Sirena's fury at Slyde's refusal knows no bounds-until saboteurs loose a pair of deadly serpents on board the Orion. And the infuriating man has the gall to make a wager. If she finds them first, she can have him. But if he wins, she must agree to be his alone-for life.

Warning: Space cougar on the prowl, a handsome virgin in her sights. Hot love scenes, and even hotter dragon shape-shifting.

I have all four covers up of the Orion series because Prince of Dragons is probably best appreciated if you read the other books in the series. However, Prince of Dragons is by far my favorite because the couple start on equal terms, at least in their minds, and their tangling has some excellent kibbutzing. Sirena is a confident, independent heroine, and Slyde respects her for that.

Cade invents some interesting alien races, especially the Serpentians- humanoids with some snakey features. Fans of Star Trek Vulcans may also appreciate the Indigon, a highly logical psychic race. The books are erotic romances and are also related to the Lodestar series.

Author site: Cathryn Cade - Red Hot Romance

Recommendation by Lee Koven.

Why Sci-Fi Romance?

by Cathryn Cade

When people find out I’m an author, they ask what kind of stories I create.

When I say Sci Fi Romance, I receive a certain look. The listener blinks, then tips their head to one side and views me with narrowed eyes, like an art patron viewing a modern art piece and trying to figure out what the heck it’s supposed to mean.

They’re seeing a casual-classically dressed woman of a certain age with the lines of a happy outdoor life on her face and minimal jewelry, no tattoos, living in North Idaho with a DH, golden retriever, and SUV … and they’re struggling for context.

I used to attempt to explain the wonders of SFR, the incredible depth and breadth of the genre, and the many uber-talented writers. But anymore, I usually just stick with the short answer: Cowboys!

My SFR began with the ‘horse operas’ I watched as a young child, so called because the movie cowboys and gals would break into song as they rode along on their horses. In the 60’s and into the early 70’s, westerns ruled American TV.

My dad was a cowboy, mom was a cowgirl, and so were their parents. My great-grand-parents were settlers in Montana who built themselves a huge ranch and a town around it. Since these were my heroes and heroines, it seemed only natural to me that the history of the US West comprised so many of the popular TV shows.

Roy Rogers & Dale Evans, The Lone Ranger, Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Big Valley, Death Valley Days, Rin Tin Tin, The Rifleman, The Real McCoys … and the list went on. And yes, now we realize the cultural stereotypes rampant in historical productions of those days, but it was fabulous stuff for a kid to dream on.

The American West is no longer the wide-open frontier it was then, and we as Americans have realized the native cultures were treated extremely badly by many settlers (happy to say Gr-Grandad & Gr-mom were not among them) and by the early military. Such is the history of human civilization, sadly. But modern day North Americans now work together to right wrongs and celebrate native cultures, so although we now view our past through a clearer perspective, we can still enjoy the ‘High, Wide and Handsome’ possibilities of the frontier days.

And now we have a new frontier to dream in … space. My Cade-iverse is as wide and deep as my imagination, peopled by beings as wild as the cowboys, cowgirls and native tribes of my family’s past … okay, wilder—my beings have extra powers. But they all spring from the Old West.

Tyger and Dragolin shifters? Coyote, Raven and Fox are all Native American tales.

Dealing with space critters? Mountain lions + wild mustangs = catamount ponies.

Scary humanoid aliens such as Gorglons and Ingoes? Check out Pacific NorthWest Native American story-telling masks, brrr!

The LodeStar Corporation? Hudson Bay Fur Traders, the big cattle companies, the railroads

Planetary exploration with the TerraCon Expedition ? Lewis & Clark & Sacajawea

The InterGalactic Space Forces? The US Cavalry

Cyborgs? … okay, that one I can’t correlate. Cyborgs are just plain fun, so look for them in my next SFR!

Thanks for riding along with me. Join me in the Cade-iverse for some rollicking space opera … and you just may recognize a favorite historical character or two.

Start with LodeStar Series #1, STARK PLEASURE; the Space Magnate’s Mistress. FREE on all sales outlets!

 

Can she survive the perils of the galaxy on her wits … or will she have to use her body?

Kiri te Nawa will do anything to escape the perilous streets of New Seattle, Earth II and find the treasure for which she searches the galaxy, even become the mistress of space magnate Logan Stark. But is he her savior, or simply the man who wants to own her?

Just when she is ready to trust her heart to this powerful, magnetic man, she's kidnapped and thrown into her worst nightmare. Will he search for her, or believe she's betrayed him with an old lover?

Set in the futuristic galaxy of The Orion Series.

I’ll see you there!

Cathryn Cade

Best-selling author of sci fi romance

RT 4.5 Stars and Night Owl Reviews TOP PICK

… it’s hot in space, red hot!

Goodreads, My Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,

And sign up for My Newsletter for a chance to win goodies!

The Dark Secrets of Logan Stark – Anti-Heroes in SFR

by Cathryn Cade

Everyone loves a secret—especially when it comes to heroes.

The moment I learn a romance hero has a dark past, I want to know what tortures him. Especially if it's damaged him in some way. What molded him, twisted him into the man he is? And how can I (the heroine) save him??

If he has become an anti-hero (read alpha-hole) because of his past, I want to know why. And it had better be good! ‘Cause if he’s just a jerk … there’s no cure for that.

Luckily for us, there are so many ways to turn a sci fi hero dark and yet sympathetic.

Roarke in J.D. Robb’s IN DEATH series, rose from the absolute bottom of the gutter, to become the clandestine ruler of the underbelly of a futuristic NY City. Only his love for a stubborn cop might convince him to go straight.

Assassin Eril Morav in Jessa Slade’s SHEERSPACE series. This man has been brainwashed into believing he exists only to destroy rebels. Will he kill cyborg warrior Shaxi, or save her?

Rees in Allyson James’ TALES OF THE SHAREEM. Created to be an enhanced gigolo on a planet of women, this incredible male is willing to kill to escape—until he meets his heroine and decides he’d rather please her and then murder her.

Whoa, these men all have very good reason for their dark ways, and they’ll take us on a hard chase before we discover whether they have that essential spark of nobility deep inside.

Logan Stark, the hero of my LodeStar smexy sci fi futuristic romance series, is an anti-hero. He's a wealthy man, with employees at his beck and call across the galaxy. He owns factories, a fleet of new space cruise ships, and interests in exploratory industry on the new planet of Frontiera, including a mine full of precious irridium ore. He has people who do what it takes with savvy, experience and the latest tech.

He's also secretive, emotionally closed off, and manipulative, moving people around like holovid chess pieces. And when he feels betrayed, watch out! He does not forget or forgive easily.

How did Stark come to be this way? Why is he so obsessive with providing his two younger brothers with everything they need for happiness, while remaining aloof himself? Can he extend this protection and care to a woman? Or will she become just another acquisition, another mark that he’s a success?

Find out in Stark Pleasure; the Space Magnate’s Mistress, Book 1 of The LodeStar Series, FREE on all online sales outlets!

 

 

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And I KNOW you have a favorite dark SFR hero of your own! Who is he, and why do you love him so? Let us all know, won’t you?

Cathryn Cade

 

 

 

Best-selling author of sci fi romance

RT 4.5 Stars and Night Owl Reviews TOP PICK

... it's hot in space, red hot!

Goodreads, My Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, My Blog,

And sign up for My Newsletter for a chance to win goodies!

 

Take That Anti-Hero for a Fall

by Cathryn Cade

Some heroes are loveable right from the start, aren’t they? Stand-up guys who give their money to the local church instead of the bars, bring flowers to their sweetheart every Saturday night, love her cat and chew each bite twenty times before swallowing.

Yeah, I really don’t write those kind of heroes. Mine are more the kind that need to be tamed—by a heroine with a spine of iridium. Doesn’t hurt if she knows some fighting moves, too.

My SFR space opera heroes are as wild as the galaxy, barely tamable … even if they’re one of the wealthiest guys in that galaxy.

Logan Stark has been described as an ‘alpha-hole’, unsympathetic, aggravating and … well, you get the picture. He’s my SFR hero that readers love to hate.

And that’s okay! Because I wrote him that way. Yep, you read that correctly.

Stark is an Anti-Hero—one who can only be redeemed by suffering. And the more arrogant the man, the harder the fall.

In Book 1 of The LodeStar Series, ‘Stark Pleasure’, Logan Stark is a self-made man, a magnate not only of his world, but with businesses spread on civilized planets across the galaxy. When he meets Kiri te Nawa, he quickly decides she’ll be the next lovely woman to grace his bed. And he gets her there, because that’s how it works in his world. Did I mention he’s suave and sex on a stick?

But she doesn’t stay in her satin-lined boudoir. Because like any self-respecting heroine with a spine, she won’t put up with a man who thinks he always knows what’s best not only for himself, but for everyone in his sphere. She sets off to make her own way in the galaxy—and nearly loses her life in the process!

In Books 2 & 3, Creed of Pleasure and Captive of Pleasure, the space magnate manipulates both his younger brothers in turn into romantic relationships, setting off some mighty fun adventures in space. They get their ladies, but are not very happy with Big Bro.

And Kiri, who was teetering on the verge of coming back to him, decides she can’t watch him treat other people like pieces on a holodice board. He nearly loses his relationship with his brothers, and he does lose the woman he wants.

But notice I didn’t say ‘the woman he loves’. Oh, no. Because that would entail Stark admitting he needs this vulnerability-inducing emotion just as everyone else does. And he’s above all that.

Muwahahaha … evil author laugh. Love is the most powerful force in the Cade-iverse.

But we’ve got some work to do. Before he can have his HEA, this guy Stark must be made appreciative and deserving of love. And frankly, readers, you and I both want him to earn it the hard way. This arrogant alpha needs to lose everything to learn his lesson.

He’ll be burned to purity in the crucible of one of the most dangerous places in the galaxy—the slums of the city of his birth. Served with adversity that balances his arrogance.

Now watch as I flick my fingers and cause this titan of space travel to fall from his mighty perch. And readers, it’s a loooooong way to the bottom.

Stark Surrender; the Space Magnate’s Bride, Bk 4 in The LodeStar Series debuts April 28^th

 

 

 

 

He climbed from the slums of New Seattle to a life of power and wealth ... but now he must survive those cruel streets again, without even his memories to guide him.

Logan Stark has fallen from his throne at the pinnacle of a financial empire spanning the galaxy. He's lost in the filthy, crime-ridden streets of New Seattle, Earth II. Even worse, he has no memory of who he is, or how he got here. But the worst villain in the history of this city knows exactly who he is ... and Mordacity is after Stark.

Kiri te Nawa swore she'd never return to the place where she lost everything. But to help find the man she can't forget, she must put aside her new life on Frontiera and accompany his brothers back to New Seattle. Will they find Stark before he is claimed by the surging darkness in his mind, or by death? 

If you like to watch a good man fall, and then get up again, join me in the world of The LodeStar Series!

Best,

Cathryn Cade

Best-selling author of sci fi romance

RT 4.5 Stars and Night Owl Reviews TOP PICK

http://www.cathryncade.com

Goodreads, My Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,

And sign up for My Newsletter for a chance to win goodies!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this guest post are solely that of the author and not of the SFR Brigade.

SFRB Recommends 25: Stark Pleasure: The Space Magnate's Mistress by Cathryn Cade #sfr #sfrom #scifi

Today's recommendation comes from Sabine Priestley.

Book Description

Can she survive the perils of the galaxy on her wits … or will she have to use her body? Kiri te Nawa will do anything to escape the perilous streets of New Seattle, Earth II and find the treasure for which she searches the galaxy, even become the mistress of space magnate Logan Stark. But is he her savior, or simply the man who wants to own her sexually? Just when she is ready to submit more than her body to this powerful, magnetic man, she's kidnapped and thrown into her worst nightmare. Will he search for her, or believe she's betrayed him with an old lover? 

Set in the futuristic galaxy of The Orion Series.

Recommendation

Cathryn got me hook, line and spaceship with this one. Some technical issues, but I loved it. I've always had a weak spot for the bazillionare trope. Oh, the ending! You're killing me here! So, many questions. Does he stay twisty? Does he share her? What happens with Haassea?

 The aftertaste of this read was a hot HFN made fifty shades grey. :-)

Author site: Cathryn Cade | Red Hot Romance