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Lost in space? Ech, they'll survive. Losing their hearts? Not without a fight.

Lady Vedma wakes on an unknown spaceship with a tattooed mystery man beside her. There's a dead alien on the deck and empty cryo-bins nearby. When her bunkmate rouses, Vedma recognizes him. Just her luck, he's the one man who can ruin her plans, but only if he can capture her hardened heart.

Dyr's head throbs. Waking from cryo-sleep and getting kidnapped is bad enough. Add in Lady Vedma, the anathema of the Teras Dominion, and few things could be worse. But try telling that to his battered and aroused body—or his aching heart.

Left on a derelict ship in the outer reaches of known space, Vedma and Dyr must rescue each other before their kidnappers return and jeopardize their precious future.

Sarda is a prequel novella in The Ladyships series. This science fiction romance has action, humor, tender moments, and steamy close encounters. Contains explicit themes and is intended for adults only. No cheating. No cliffhangers. HEA guaranteed.

170 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 7, 2019

112 people are currently reading
84 people want to read

About the author

Bex McLynn

19 books170 followers
Bex loves to read all kinds of romance: science fiction, shifter, fantasy, regency, contemporary...(Seriously, all of it!) Currently she writes SFR and Fantasy/PNR. Her writing style—a mixture of action, humor, tenderness, and heat—features worlds and characters that captivate her readers.

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5 stars
101 (49%)
4 stars
68 (33%)
3 stars
27 (13%)
2 stars
6 (2%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for Cheesecake.
2,800 reviews509 followers
November 14, 2020
Vedma and Dyr are both black sheep... according to the powers that be.
And they don't think much of each other either, at first.

I had a hard time putting this one down.
Who snatched them? Why were they taken? How will they get away? Where will they go? Why is he lying?
And that ship...
Neither is human and I'm not even sure I want to know what undulating clyccana and anthers are...
But the story still manages to be sexy and the chemistry is hot.

The world building was nicely done. Kind of a caste system where people with psychic abilities are taken away from their families to be trained by the state. Vedma and Dyr are expected to fulfill their allotted roles in society... namely to procreate as much as possible.

My first time with this author and certainly won't be the last.
I would have given 5 stars, but I felt Dyr's transition to loving her was a little to quick. The book is pretty short though. So 4.5 stars! (and I kinda wish there was more about the ship at the end)

Safety is good
Profile Image for Celestine.
952 reviews132 followers
February 20, 2019
Unlike many other fans of this new series, I read the prequel (Sarda) before diving into book one, Thanemonger. It isn't often that I think a prequel is all that good, especially if I haven't read the story that inspired it, but I have to tell you, I was absorbed. I was a little lost, and it seemed to fit the story because the heroine (Vedma) and hero (Dyr) awakened from a cryo-sleep with a dead body next to them, and neither had much idea what was going on.

Vedma was a cranky lead character. She was grouchy, peeved, guarded and utterly perfect. Dyr was a hunk who had the bad boy outside vibe with the heart of gold on the inside. Their intimate scenes were really hot, and for once there is a little alien biology happening, too.

The novella length (approx 143 pgs) was just right for this story. There was good action, good character development, a few mysteries to solve, and solid sci-fi elements. McLynn packed a lot into a few pages. As soon as I finished Sarda, I downloaded Thanemonger, and I will be reading more from this talented author. If you enjoy SFR books with sometimes-cantakerous heroines by Anna Carven, Ruby Lionsdrake, Nicola Claire, Cathryn Cade or Nina Croft, you will enjoy this, too.

Book source: Kindle Unlimited
Profile Image for Laz the Sailor.
1,801 reviews80 followers
August 18, 2020
This is an engaging scifi romp where two alien people are kidnapped for their genetics, which they resist sharing for most of the book. The aliens have some unique characteristics that make them different enough from humans in a sexy way, without making them so outlandish that they are not relatable.

Huh, I guess this is a re-read, which explains why it seemed a bit familiar. Oh well, I'm not going to fix it now.
Profile Image for Amanda.
804 reviews184 followers
January 17, 2021
Hard as sard

I've put off reading Vedma's story for a long time, because—confession time—I tend to dislike romances that feature only alien characters. I have found a couple exceptions to this rule, and Sarda is now among them.

If you love Vedma as a crotchety, crass old woman, you'll love her as a crotchety, crass young woman. This story gives enough back story to understand where she comes from and why she is how she is. Getting a glimpse into what the Athela Academe actually teaches was also eye-opening, and made me wonder what really is the point of the training then? It seems most like a finishing school to groom them into breeder roles. We know what happens with the non-technopath men in their world, but what of the women? So many questions.

Overall, very enjoyable story with black sheep mains, a mystery, and falling for each other in spite of trying not to. You could read this before Thanemonger, but I think it would be best to read it after since there's a lot of world building you'll have missed if you choose to read this first.

And that glimpse of Great Grandaddy Borac? If Zver isn't a chip off that block, damn.
Profile Image for Mandapanda.
843 reviews296 followers
March 4, 2019
This is a novella prequel to one of my favourite SciFi romances "Thanemonger". It was nice to be back in the Ladyships world but the heroine was to brash for me to fully enjoy the story. The constant F bombs and unusual slang is not my taste. Don't let this put you off Thanemonger!
Profile Image for Jannie Cv.
1,080 reviews29 followers
January 5, 2019
An excellent novella!
I love Vedma! She’s gritty, grumbly, doesn’t like to cuddle (well, not much), yet endears herself to Dyr, a fine, handsome, clade-marked, unsworn technopath who loves to cuddle. You would think this might not work. You’d be in for a surprise! Great storytelling with mysteries to solve, enemies to battle, some revelations, and a delicious sense of humor. Reading “Thanemonger” first, provides a greater understanding of the people who inhabit this world.
Profile Image for Bubbles The Book Pimp.
955 reviews
January 7, 2019
First read by this new author.

This is a prequel novella ( the first in series Thanemonger is already available )

I won’t rehash the blurb as it does a great job of setting the story. Which was creative and interesting. I liked the chemistry between the two MC... the author wasn’t joking when she states that the female lead is hard... hence the title of this book.
This is quite lengthy for a novella ( which was fine by me ) and filled with lots of layers of world building.

My only problem was I struggled with some of the ‘alien’ dialect...a little more help from the author, with regard to meanings would be a great addition, as it did slightly interupt my reading flow. However not enough to put me off reading the next book. Which I plan to read ASAP.
Profile Image for Laz the Sailor.
1,801 reviews80 followers
December 18, 2019
This is quite strong as a prequel. I'm intrigued to read the rest of the series.

The blurb is pretty accurate. A nice balance of action, tension, characters, and sex.
Profile Image for LuDena .
2,413 reviews4 followers
February 13, 2019
Sarda

An entertaining romp with a kidnapped couple in a space-barge that became sentient . I hope the author expands on the idea in future books as the villain wasn't caught.
Profile Image for Leigh UK.
223 reviews2 followers
August 11, 2021
Gotta read them all!

I hadn't read Bex McLynn before this series and I've got to say, she's right up there with Amanda Milo for me. Excellent world-building, riveting plots, fascinating characters, wicked humour, and awesome I-can't-put-it-down writing. Now I need to read everything she's ever written because The Ladyships rock!
Profile Image for OneDayI'll.
1,592 reviews42 followers
December 1, 2020
Tongue like a viper

Vedma is no lady. Doesn't care about whatever nonsense handle they toss at Athela. Her goal is to dodge the idiots tossing themselves at her and try to live her life male free. The only one she cares about is her dad, and she's working on freeing him. But, the Anathema has woken up...not where she remembers going to sleep. And the next bunk over is some idiot male with class tattoos. And is this a scavenger pipe? Just what the heck did she miss out on?

Spoilers ahead.
Oh. How have I not read this till now??? I love the Ladyship series. I've read and reread them a half dozen times. And I adore Vedma and her daddy sardness. And after Bane I fell for the stalwart and serious Dyr. To go back to how they get is a treat for fans. Vedma has not changed. At all. She apparently always was a tough nut. How they discovered a certain something didn't even slow her down. She just nodded, adjusted a few thoughts and plans and went with it. Even when the darts appeared, she just kept on going. A lot of her personality from Thanemonger and Bane make sense now, too, seeing where she came from. It's a short read, but action packed. It has a little of her origins, a little of Prykimis, a little of How Gappa Met Gummy, and a lot of humor.
23 reviews
January 11, 2019
Fun backstory for the Thanemonger world

Hard to believe this is only the second book by this author. If she's written more, I'd love to read them! Here we learn how Vedma, the first Sheridan from Thanemonger joined house Borac. In the first book, I had trouble earning up to Vedma. She was so sharp, and didn't cut anyone any slack. Took awhile to see any caring from here. In this story, she is the same character, but just like Dyr I learned to see beyond her snark and rough ways. I'm not going to say she has a soft center, she doesn't. She's hard all the way through, and loves and cares for her family with all that strength and determination. It takes someone special to love her and still be strong in their own right, and Dyr fits the bill. Had to sit and this the whole story in one sitting. Definitely recommend reading Thanemonger first, or some of the language and situations will be hard to understand. Hope Babe comes out soon!
309 reviews5 followers
January 22, 2020
Torn!

I have read three in this series and loved each one but now torn to pick a favourite!

The first is where you need to start, the sequel i loved more, but this comes a really close second favourite and ironically this pre-series should be read after the first in the series to pick up all the threads... I hope you followed all that!

This book a stand-alone from the series but great addition and a brilliant read.

There are more books to follow and I will be keeping an eye out for these.

Bex, thank you! 💋
3,215 reviews67 followers
February 10, 2019
Another 10 stars from this amazing writer. Once again, we have an amazing adventure, wonderful characters all paced with wonderful teases that give context to the story and the couple's relationship. I read Thanemonger again before I read this and can't wait for the next book in this series. Awesome science fantasy.
117 reviews3 followers
June 10, 2019
I was a little surprised by how much I liked this story. I liked Vedma okay in Thanemonger despite how acerbic she was to Seph, but this book really managed to bring her to life. I hope there’s more of her interactions with Dyr in the coming books, that he’s still around and doting on his family.

5 stars, want more.
6 reviews
June 19, 2019
Original

I really enjoyed this and the other ladyship book. Bex has built an original world and the plotting is more complex than the usual derivative drivel of many books on similar themes. The characters are engaging and hold your interest. I rarely leave reviews but feel this author deserves encouragement as I am sure she has many future good novels to come.
Profile Image for Blue Rose.
1,531 reviews5 followers
February 14, 2020
Here comes gramma!

Vedma first grabbed my attention in Thanemonger and I was glad to see this short prequel about her. She loses one star for her crass mouth but her no nonsense attitude and snippy come backs were really endearing. And Dyr's cuddly nature was the perfect yin to her yang.
473 reviews
July 1, 2020
A very different kind of sci-fi

This is my first book by this author. It was very different from other sci-fi books I've read. I really enjoyed it. The author's strong point is her incredible characterizations. Dry is a caring protective hero while Vedma is a real spitfire. There is plenty of romance and a happy ending.
82 reviews1 follower
March 20, 2019
Loved It

The heroine is a grouchy badass and I love her. Vyr loves her despite her prickly exterior I live this same situation. Tha k God for good men like Vyr and my husband good, patient, understanding men
40 reviews
April 28, 2019
Can’T wait for the next book

Well written with characters that you can connect too. I don’t usually read novellas, but I couldn’t wait for Bane. This was as good as the full length novel. Well worth your time.
Profile Image for Vixen.
293 reviews
May 17, 2019
Loved it

That cankerous female was hilarious and the male so darn sweet that he completely decimated her. Loved the couple, although I kept wondering since she was mentioned in Thanemonger & he wasn’t if he had died? Or was just retired?
Profile Image for Carolyn.
339 reviews20 followers
August 16, 2019
Just buy all her books.

McLynn's characters have amazing depth and her world building is stellar. Vedma and Dyr grow into the perfect team. If there's any complaint to be made, it's that the book is too short, simply because I wanted to spend more time with them.
24 reviews2 followers
November 7, 2019
Truely a Fun Book to read

Be sure to read book one in the series first. It will make more sense to you. I plan on reading her future books.
Profile Image for Julie Sherman.
1,465 reviews22 followers
August 4, 2019
Different.

This book was very different for me. It he story itself was good but getting use to the lingo was a bit taxing.
3 reviews
October 6, 2019
I love this series

I love this series and this author. Eagerly awaiting the next book. What great world building and characterizations she has
Profile Image for Wild.
2,336 reviews2 followers
March 3, 2020
Great book

Why Amazon insist on 20 words for a review via kindle, I don't know. Especially when I just want to say that I really enjoyed this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews

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