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Time Brokers #1
Staked
Ava Valentine is a time-traveling bounty hunter from the distant future. She’s chased her fugitive back to present-day New York City, where she hopes her new contact will lead her to an uneventful capture. What she’s not expecting is to get mixed up with a man she suspects is a vampire. Dexter Stone is a mysterious soldier of fortune. He holds an allegiance to few, and has a reputation for selling out anyone if the price is right. His word is good though, and once he chooses a side, it’ll take more than monetary gain to sway him to the other. A run-in with an unsavory person from Ava’s past forces the pair into an uneasy alliance. And soon, Ava will discover that she could be Stone’s saving grace—or his downfall. Please Staked is a 25,000-word novella.
65 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2011
6 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
About the author
Sandra Edwards
97 books544 followersNEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY Bestselling Author Sandra Edwards writes award-winning romance in a variety of subgenres such as paranormal (mostly time travel and reincarnation), contemporary, and suspense. She lives in the U.S. (west coast) with her husband, two kids, four dogs and one very temperamental feline. Sandra's books often push the envelope and step outside the boundaries of conventional romance. For more info on Sandra's books, visit her website at sandrawrites.com.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 13, 2011
Staked
, the first in Edwards' new Time Brokers paranormal romance series, includes vampires, a legend, bounty hunters, time brokers, aliens, "damned vampire voodoo shit", Chakra energy and an unwanted attraction.
As a short eNovella, this story whets your appetite for what is in store in the future for Ava, Mickey, Stone and Lucien.
Ava, a 29th century time traveling, half Karellian half Mortal, bounty hunter, is in the 21st century after a bounty along with Mickey, her apprentice and karate black belt, where she needs to meet up with her new contact while hoping not to run into Lucien, her ex, a full blooded Karellian with excellent tracking skills. He has occasionally stolen a bounty from her as she has stolen his. He plays dirty when it comes to finding and taking in a bounty.
Dexter Stone, Ava's new contact for this bounty, was an unknown and that makes her nervous. When she meets him in the bar, she strongly suspects he is a vampire. Who/what could make her lose her composure and make her want him like that - granted he was very sexy and handsome - but this, and he, was gonna be trouble. She is sure he is using some kind of vampire spell on her, there is just no way she'd feel like this toward a vamp.
At first, as with many novellas, it was a little hard to get into the story with so much going on and so little space to explain it all. But after a few chapters, it drew me in and kept me captivated until the heartbreaking ending. While there is a sensual background to the story, there is no real time during the fast paced action for any of the romance and attraction to ramp up to sex.
While there is no HEA in this story, the stage has been set for a great series and a riveting paranormal romance in future books and novellas. One could also wonder if this might be the "how they met" prequel type novella for a lasting series.
Paranormal romance fans who don't care for Sci-Fi need not worry about the Sci-Fi taking over the story. I think fans of both genres, as well as the vampire genre, will enjoy this.
As a short eNovella, this story whets your appetite for what is in store in the future for Ava, Mickey, Stone and Lucien.
Ava, a 29th century time traveling, half Karellian half Mortal, bounty hunter, is in the 21st century after a bounty along with Mickey, her apprentice and karate black belt, where she needs to meet up with her new contact while hoping not to run into Lucien, her ex, a full blooded Karellian with excellent tracking skills. He has occasionally stolen a bounty from her as she has stolen his. He plays dirty when it comes to finding and taking in a bounty.
Dexter Stone, Ava's new contact for this bounty, was an unknown and that makes her nervous. When she meets him in the bar, she strongly suspects he is a vampire. Who/what could make her lose her composure and make her want him like that - granted he was very sexy and handsome - but this, and he, was gonna be trouble. She is sure he is using some kind of vampire spell on her, there is just no way she'd feel like this toward a vamp.
At first, as with many novellas, it was a little hard to get into the story with so much going on and so little space to explain it all. But after a few chapters, it drew me in and kept me captivated until the heartbreaking ending. While there is a sensual background to the story, there is no real time during the fast paced action for any of the romance and attraction to ramp up to sex.
While there is no HEA in this story, the stage has been set for a great series and a riveting paranormal romance in future books and novellas. One could also wonder if this might be the "how they met" prequel type novella for a lasting series.
Paranormal romance fans who don't care for Sci-Fi need not worry about the Sci-Fi taking over the story. I think fans of both genres, as well as the vampire genre, will enjoy this.
September 7, 2011
Good plot but not well written. Lacked details on most big questions and kinda felt rushed through. More like a draft instead of a novella. Could have spend more time to expand on the characters and plot.
November 20, 2011
Interesting idea but badly written. People and objects would just appear in the middle of a scene, with the author obviously thinking she'd already introduced them. Made it a bit hard to follow at times and kept really jarring me out of the story
June 12, 2022
Ava is a female from the future who is half of an alien culture who settled on planet Earth. Her past is about to meet up with her future and it scares her to death as she is tracking down a fugitive. She meets someone who will change her life and treat scares her more than she will admit to. Derek Stone is a vampire who is assisting Ava in obtaining her fugitive and he bargains for more than he thought he was asked to do. In the process of helping Ava he gets staked and learns things about her she had no intention on telling him at any time. The book leaves you wondering if these two will ever solve their congenial meaning to each other.
September 3, 2011
This is another one of those books where I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. I thought the idea was cool because, you know, time traveling bounty hunters ROCK! At the same time I thought the characters could have been a little better developed. Now, this isn't a terribly long story, so I don't expect oodles of backstory and whatnot but it seemed like Ava and Dex got smacked upside the head with their wild attraction to one another and then they were being torn apart. I like wild attraction. Everybody knows that. Or, they should know that. I guess I'm trying to say that everything moved so quickly, from their attraction to one another to the resolution on this part of the story arc, that I never felt a real connection to either of them.
That said, this part of the story has a pretty open-ended... uh, ending. There's definitely more in store for Dex and Ava and I'd expect that their characters will deepen as the overall arc progresses. I hope that Ava's past is explored a bit more and we're given answers about her mother and why she tried to do what she did.
Overall, it's an interesting but too-brief look into a world where some people have the ability to time travel and vampires and aliens are commonplace.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
That said, this part of the story has a pretty open-ended... uh, ending. There's definitely more in store for Dex and Ava and I'd expect that their characters will deepen as the overall arc progresses. I hope that Ava's past is explored a bit more and we're given answers about her mother and why she tried to do what she did.
Overall, it's an interesting but too-brief look into a world where some people have the ability to time travel and vampires and aliens are commonplace.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
October 8, 2011
Ava Valentine is a 29th-century bounty hunter who time travels back to modern day New York City to apprehend a criminal from her century. She's been here before, but this time she's meeting a new contact. Ava hates new contacts and from the first moment she meets Dexter Stone, the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Stone is a tall, dark and handsome biker who wears trouble with a capital T with an air of nonchalance. Exactly the kind of contact Ava should stay away from, but what fun would that be? When a rival bounty hunter swoops in and steal's Ava's mark, she's not sure if Stone set her up and if he was the one betrayed? The two are forced into an uneasy alliance. Ava needs to find her mark and Stone needs to help her if he wants to get paid.
The story is inventive and creative and moves along at a fast pace. For as many questions as are answered, a slew of new ones pop up. I found myself intrigued with Ava and her heritage. I definitely want to know more about her, but it was Stone who raised the most questions. I would have liked to have more revealed about this hunky soldier of fortune, but I guess I'll have to wait for the next volume to come out. If you like paranormal stories that are smart and entertaining, you'll definitely want to pick up STAKED. Recommended.
The story is inventive and creative and moves along at a fast pace. For as many questions as are answered, a slew of new ones pop up. I found myself intrigued with Ava and her heritage. I definitely want to know more about her, but it was Stone who raised the most questions. I would have liked to have more revealed about this hunky soldier of fortune, but I guess I'll have to wait for the next volume to come out. If you like paranormal stories that are smart and entertaining, you'll definitely want to pick up STAKED. Recommended.
November 26, 2015
Cliffhanger But Hopeful Start
The start of the story got my attention, and the plot line, I thought, was pretty intriguing. This installation introduces us to one, kick-ass time traveling bounty hunter, Ava Valentine, and Micky, her assistant. Dexter Stone, the contact she is to meet in locating her bounty is one tall, dangerous, and sexy biker and she’s way distracted by the allure he exudes whenever he’s near. The prey she’s hunting is stolen right from under her by Lucien, another bounty hunter. At this point, we only know that he is her competition. The pacing is fast and there are a lot of twists so far, but beware this does end in a cliffhanger, so there are a few loose ends. I think it’s a good start, but hopefully it’s a story that won’t be butchered into many installations by this author. I for one, will always wait when a serial is offered as a complete story.
Copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4
The start of the story got my attention, and the plot line, I thought, was pretty intriguing. This installation introduces us to one, kick-ass time traveling bounty hunter, Ava Valentine, and Micky, her assistant. Dexter Stone, the contact she is to meet in locating her bounty is one tall, dangerous, and sexy biker and she’s way distracted by the allure he exudes whenever he’s near. The prey she’s hunting is stolen right from under her by Lucien, another bounty hunter. At this point, we only know that he is her competition. The pacing is fast and there are a lot of twists so far, but beware this does end in a cliffhanger, so there are a few loose ends. I think it’s a good start, but hopefully it’s a story that won’t be butchered into many installations by this author. I for one, will always wait when a serial is offered as a complete story.
Copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4
March 28, 2016
Staked
By Sandra Edwards
Staked is a novella and a quick read because it grips you from the beginning. This story is about a time-traveling bounty hunter from the future who has chased her bounty back to the present in New York City. While in New York, Ava Valentine, the bounty hunter, meets up with a vampire, Dexter Stone, who quickly becomes part of Ava’a life. She tries to hold him at arm’s reach but they soon become entwined and she could very well be his savior.
I read Staked so I could become part of Ms. Edwards reading group for Hot Commodity, the story that picks up where Staked left off. I am excited to be part of this special group, not just because I enjoy editing and reviewing new work, but because I can’t wait to find out what happens to Ava and Dexter.
Ms. Edwards writes in a manner that is easy to follow. She lets you truly get to know her characters so you are part of their lives and can almost anticipate what they will do next; but do you?
03/27/16
By Sandra Edwards
Staked is a novella and a quick read because it grips you from the beginning. This story is about a time-traveling bounty hunter from the future who has chased her bounty back to the present in New York City. While in New York, Ava Valentine, the bounty hunter, meets up with a vampire, Dexter Stone, who quickly becomes part of Ava’a life. She tries to hold him at arm’s reach but they soon become entwined and she could very well be his savior.
I read Staked so I could become part of Ms. Edwards reading group for Hot Commodity, the story that picks up where Staked left off. I am excited to be part of this special group, not just because I enjoy editing and reviewing new work, but because I can’t wait to find out what happens to Ava and Dexter.
Ms. Edwards writes in a manner that is easy to follow. She lets you truly get to know her characters so you are part of their lives and can almost anticipate what they will do next; but do you?
03/27/16
July 8, 2011
This is an excellent start of a new series. Ava is a strong, capable, and intelligent heroine. Stone is a vampire she meets when she travels back to the 20th century to capture a criminal from her time, the 27th century. She is half human and half alien. In this short series introduction, Ms. Edwards introduces us to Ava, Stone, and a few key characters. So far, Ava is the only female. While helping Ava track down the criminal Cole, Stone begins to bond with Ava. A bond that Ava understands will lead to all kinds of problems.
Ms. Edwards has taken a fresh approach to vampires and mating. Ava's species and backstory hold a great deal of promise. I am looking forward to future installments.
Ms. Edwards has taken a fresh approach to vampires and mating. Ava's species and backstory hold a great deal of promise. I am looking forward to future installments.
February 7, 2012
This did not read like a finished book. It read like a series of scenes instead of a unified story. At least one character appeared without being introduced at all. He just magically started escorting the main character's partner.
It was also hard to feel much empathy for the main character, since really the only emotional connection she had was for with the love interest of the story.
The plot itself was nothing exciting and did not really add any new twists to either the typical vampire or time travel romance story.
All said, you ended up with an average plot in a sub-par book.
This book is for you if like any and all vampire romance novels you have ever read.
It was also hard to feel much empathy for the main character, since really the only emotional connection she had was for with the love interest of the story.
The plot itself was nothing exciting and did not really add any new twists to either the typical vampire or time travel romance story.
All said, you ended up with an average plot in a sub-par book.
This book is for you if like any and all vampire romance novels you have ever read.
March 27, 2012
I loved this book, I read the 1st book in the Time Broker series back in Sept and every month I go and check in with Sandra to see when Hot Commodity is coming out. I love the story line and the time traveling in this book. I am so into the characters Ava and Dexter I love reading about them and how their relationship is starting to form itself. It is a wonderful book, I could not put it down read it in about a day and a half. I recommend this book to everyone who loves a great romance with a little twist of vamps (paranormal) in it. Awesome book, a must read
September 30, 2011
This is a well-written and conceptualized story. It's creative and I really enjoyed the characters. The one flaw is the vampire was not "revealed" enough. I just didn't get a "sense" of him. I'm guessing the author will evolve him more in subsequent books (which I'll buy). Loved the time-travel angle and would [also] love to read more about the MC's mixed blood and what that means for her future.
April 29, 2012
Quick paced, interesting novella with lots of good moments. Definitely a good intro to whatever comes next.
You don't learn everything right away; and in fact I felt like I was dropped in to an existing/on-going story...but this wasn't overwhelming or confusing. The author did a great job of explaining things throughout the story while moving at a good speed. Characters are intriguing and mysterious and leave you wanting more.
You don't learn everything right away; and in fact I felt like I was dropped in to an existing/on-going story...but this wasn't overwhelming or confusing. The author did a great job of explaining things throughout the story while moving at a good speed. Characters are intriguing and mysterious and leave you wanting more.
May 28, 2011
Wonderful story! Time travel and vampires, the perfect combination. I couldn't wait to find out if Ava could really trust Dexter Stone. (I really wanted to like him. A lot!) Is he a vampire? Will she risk everything to save him? Great characters, descriptions and an emotional twist at the end that will leave you begging for more.
Read
January 30, 2013A novella that introduces the series well with a strong female character who is a bounty hunter with various supernatural powers along with accompanying angst & paranormal backstory. Vampires factor into the mix, bounty hunting not so much. Decided to read because of the time travel element, but really it's more of a paranormal story with time travel as a minor factor.
August 25, 2011
I was drawn in by the great premise. The characters are strong and pacing was good but I did not care for the writing style. Could become an interesting series.
November 16, 2011
Fast read and well written. It could have used a bit more depth. I'll be looking forward to more.
September 15, 2011
Looking forward to the second.
Very interesting
Very interesting
December 15, 2011
I definitely wanted more of this story. There were so many things left to explain. I guess that is where future books in the series come in.
July 19, 2015
I enjoyed the novella but was thinking there would already be a 2nd book out since it was published in 2011. Disappointed that there isn't.
August 5, 2015
I recieved this short novel because i signed up for a newsletter. I enjoyed this book. I thought it was a nice short introduction to a series. Easy to read. Good characters. Overall good book
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews