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Princess-in-exile, Aja Bokinan, is the Thousand Year Empress. While her family has remained in forced isolation for nearly thirty years, women throughout the empire have been banned from public life. Females have no legal standing and they have become little better than property. The restoration of the monarchy is their only hope. Revolution threatens the male dominated Coalition. Resistance forces expect the Princess to be the salvation of the empire. The ruling generals fear she will be its destruction.
Kyr Aram, is a smuggler and secret Resistance sympathizer. He must find a way to protect the Princess from both the general who plans her assassination and a traitor on his own ship who wishes to see her dead. Kyr believes she is no more than valuable cargo. With the Thousand Year Empress, he gets more than he bargained for.
Kyr Aram, is a smuggler and secret Resistance sympathizer. He must find a way to protect the Princess from both the general who plans her assassination and a traitor on his own ship who wishes to see her dead. Kyr believes she is no more than valuable cargo. With the Thousand Year Empress, he gets more than he bargained for.
86 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 20, 2012
12 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
J.R. Barrett
35 books11 followersThis author also writes as Julia Rachel Barrett and Julia Barrett.
If one word describes me, it's eclectic. Or so my friends say. I'm a lover of books, poetry, art, history, baseball, barbecue, chocolate, coffee, children, animals and the great outdoors. I'm a hospice nurse as well as a writer, but I got my first job at the age of twelve so believe me when I tell you if my heroines are doing it, I've probably done it. At the heart of every one of my stories is a real life event. (Even in Captured!)
If I was pressed to brand my romances, I guess I'd say I write romance for the thinking woman. Or I try. I layer my stories with meaning - I have fun, yes, but I draw on my literary background and I love nothing more than to sprinkle a special pixie dust composed of one part mythos, one part symbolism. I'm quite fond of Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung.
Family is everything to me. I keep my kids private, but my mom and dad and my poor husband are occasionally fair game! And I talk about my German shepherd, Jake, all the time.
I am also a hospice nurse and I write nonfiction-- articles for medical and nursing journals. I have a full-length work of nonfiction regarding my experiences with hospice: One Foot In Heaven, Journey of a Hospice Nurse.
Come by and visit anytime! juliarachelbarrett(dot)net
If one word describes me, it's eclectic. Or so my friends say. I'm a lover of books, poetry, art, history, baseball, barbecue, chocolate, coffee, children, animals and the great outdoors. I'm a hospice nurse as well as a writer, but I got my first job at the age of twelve so believe me when I tell you if my heroines are doing it, I've probably done it. At the heart of every one of my stories is a real life event. (Even in Captured!)
If I was pressed to brand my romances, I guess I'd say I write romance for the thinking woman. Or I try. I layer my stories with meaning - I have fun, yes, but I draw on my literary background and I love nothing more than to sprinkle a special pixie dust composed of one part mythos, one part symbolism. I'm quite fond of Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung.
Family is everything to me. I keep my kids private, but my mom and dad and my poor husband are occasionally fair game! And I talk about my German shepherd, Jake, all the time.
I am also a hospice nurse and I write nonfiction-- articles for medical and nursing journals. I have a full-length work of nonfiction regarding my experiences with hospice: One Foot In Heaven, Journey of a Hospice Nurse.
Come by and visit anytime! juliarachelbarrett(dot)net
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 18, 2017
Couldn't connect with the story or characters - personal choice and no reflection on the author. Be a dull world if we all liked the same thing.
February 28, 2014
The story's main appeal to me is that both the plot and characters are not riddled with unnecessary drama to propel it forward. It's been a while since I read characters the does not depend on attitude to be interesting and a manipulative plot to propel it forward. I liked this author already.
The Plot: While it, in itself, is not one of a kind, it has its own unique twist to make it worth reading. I love that the the story advances without subterfuge - it kept me reading not with effort to manipulate me but with a straight forward story.
The Characters: While I understand why their coming together seemed rush (nature of a short story), I also appreciate that they are at least distinguishable from each other. The hero, though an alpha himself, was also presented with his own vulnerability, flaw and male charm. I love that his posturing is not over the top to be a jerk, yet loving enough to endear him as a true hero.
The heroine herself, is a strong woman on her own. Though she had a tough life growing up, it was not plastered all over the place as an in your face pity party. Instead it was presented as the reason why she is a strong and deadly woman. I love that she is presented as a smart character and her actions supported the description. She knew when to insist her way and knew when to let the hero's way. In short, she is not just smart and deadly, she is also a very wise heroine. No dramatics or bratty antics just to prove she's independent and strong. Instead, her pull as a character was the mystery of her gift and her honest struggle to find a way to use it for good. A heavy burden to such a young sheltered woman. Still, she came out remarkable and worth reading.
As a book, this is a stand alone. The romance between the main characters can be considered HEA. However, the book also introduced us about a bigger than the characters enemy that they still have to fight against.
I enjoy this story and I can leave it at that. However, I liked the author's style and enjoyed this story enough to look for the other books in the series.
The Plot: While it, in itself, is not one of a kind, it has its own unique twist to make it worth reading. I love that the the story advances without subterfuge - it kept me reading not with effort to manipulate me but with a straight forward story.
The Characters: While I understand why their coming together seemed rush (nature of a short story), I also appreciate that they are at least distinguishable from each other. The hero, though an alpha himself, was also presented with his own vulnerability, flaw and male charm. I love that his posturing is not over the top to be a jerk, yet loving enough to endear him as a true hero.
The heroine herself, is a strong woman on her own. Though she had a tough life growing up, it was not plastered all over the place as an in your face pity party. Instead it was presented as the reason why she is a strong and deadly woman. I love that she is presented as a smart character and her actions supported the description. She knew when to insist her way and knew when to let the hero's way. In short, she is not just smart and deadly, she is also a very wise heroine. No dramatics or bratty antics just to prove she's independent and strong. Instead, her pull as a character was the mystery of her gift and her honest struggle to find a way to use it for good. A heavy burden to such a young sheltered woman. Still, she came out remarkable and worth reading.
As a book, this is a stand alone. The romance between the main characters can be considered HEA. However, the book also introduced us about a bigger than the characters enemy that they still have to fight against.
I enjoy this story and I can leave it at that. However, I liked the author's style and enjoyed this story enough to look for the other books in the series.
January 11, 2016
Guilty Pleasure.
I bought the first three of the series novellas back in 2014. It looked interesting but I never had a chance to read it. They were lost in my huge collection of kindle books. I was pleasantly surprised. This is a sci-fi story about saving a princess and her family. This isn't just any princess but a kick-ass fighter in the resistance, a Princess of the Blood. The Empress and her daughters are feared by the Coalition and the Coalition makes everyone fearful of the Empress and her kind. Women are looked down upon. They are suppose to be mindless drones just to cook, clean, sex and do the tasks the men don't want. The females aren't allowed to think or have any skills. So, when starting this book I knew I'd be pissed off about the roles of females and I'd have my feminist side screaming out. I didn't have that. Instead I found the story fast paces and really about a story about survival and very involved in the characters and their situation. Of, course there are sex times in the book but that's not the main focus. I'm going to continue on in the series.
I bought the first three of the series novellas back in 2014. It looked interesting but I never had a chance to read it. They were lost in my huge collection of kindle books. I was pleasantly surprised. This is a sci-fi story about saving a princess and her family. This isn't just any princess but a kick-ass fighter in the resistance, a Princess of the Blood. The Empress and her daughters are feared by the Coalition and the Coalition makes everyone fearful of the Empress and her kind. Women are looked down upon. They are suppose to be mindless drones just to cook, clean, sex and do the tasks the men don't want. The females aren't allowed to think or have any skills. So, when starting this book I knew I'd be pissed off about the roles of females and I'd have my feminist side screaming out. I didn't have that. Instead I found the story fast paces and really about a story about survival and very involved in the characters and their situation. Of, course there are sex times in the book but that's not the main focus. I'm going to continue on in the series.
April 21, 2013
This story grabbed my attention from the very beginning. It's like you are dropped onto the story and then it takes off. There isn't any of that slow build up stuff. Yeah, I'm referring to having to read half of the story before the action starts. The author doesn't bore us with mindless words just to make the story longer. Every word is equally important and there is lots of action. I'm loving the relationship between Kyr and Aja. They make a good team. I have the feeling those two are in for quite the adventure. It's a good thing I own the series because you need the other books to find out what happens next.
March 5, 2014
This story really pleased me. The characters are well formed for a short novel (I think it is technically a novella, but don't quote me on that). The premise is interesting and the dangers seem quite real. Definitely a good read for someone who likes a little sci fi with their romance or vice versa. But sci fi first, I think.
December 31, 2013
A good and fast read. I really like the characters and the story is interesting. I will definitely be reading the other books in this series.
January 24, 2015
A fast paced, adventurous Sci-Fi fantasy with an intriguing plot, strong characters and a believable story-world.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews