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Apexian Warriors #1
Ruled
A mission that can't fail. A wounded alien warrior with a dark past. A woman determined to protect her heart.
Wren Tulloch needs a win. If this mission to capture a rare sapo explosivo fails, she's out. She has to prove she's good enough. If she doesn't, she knows the cost of failure.
But Wren has a problem. All six foot six inches of smoldering, purple-eyed, Apexian. Her work partner is a rule breaker. A good time alien, with abs to die for and an attitude that makes her blood boil. If only he wasn't so toe-curlingly gorgeous. But she won't fall for him. If she does, he'll mess her around, and her fragile heart will shatter.
Striker Bandidar lives in the moment. Screw tomorrow. He could be dead by then. And rules are for morons. But there's one adorable Human rule keeper who's making him have second thoughts. He won't go there. He's faced soul shattering loss and betrayal from people he trusted. Have fun, live for today, and everything will be fine.
But when his gorgeous, frustratingly sexy partner is taken, Striker learns some rules have to be obeyed if you're to find meaning, joy, and a happily ever after in the stars. Will he overcome his fears and lose his heart to Wren? And if he does, will she let him in?
This standalone action-romance novel has a crew of feisty, smart women; hot, gorgeous Apexian alien warriors; action-packed battles; funny, quirky alien critters, and steamy scenes set in space.
If you like muscled alien warriors, women who know how to throw a punch, and steamy romance, you’ll love Ruled, book one in Arcadia Shield's sci-fi romance series.
Wren Tulloch needs a win. If this mission to capture a rare sapo explosivo fails, she's out. She has to prove she's good enough. If she doesn't, she knows the cost of failure.
But Wren has a problem. All six foot six inches of smoldering, purple-eyed, Apexian. Her work partner is a rule breaker. A good time alien, with abs to die for and an attitude that makes her blood boil. If only he wasn't so toe-curlingly gorgeous. But she won't fall for him. If she does, he'll mess her around, and her fragile heart will shatter.
Striker Bandidar lives in the moment. Screw tomorrow. He could be dead by then. And rules are for morons. But there's one adorable Human rule keeper who's making him have second thoughts. He won't go there. He's faced soul shattering loss and betrayal from people he trusted. Have fun, live for today, and everything will be fine.
But when his gorgeous, frustratingly sexy partner is taken, Striker learns some rules have to be obeyed if you're to find meaning, joy, and a happily ever after in the stars. Will he overcome his fears and lose his heart to Wren? And if he does, will she let him in?
This standalone action-romance novel has a crew of feisty, smart women; hot, gorgeous Apexian alien warriors; action-packed battles; funny, quirky alien critters, and steamy scenes set in space.
If you like muscled alien warriors, women who know how to throw a punch, and steamy romance, you’ll love Ruled, book one in Arcadia Shield's sci-fi romance series.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 23, 2020
169 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 14, 2025
You know what? Hell yeah! This was surprisingly sweet and cute! I haven’t read alien romance in a minute, but the quest for a short pallet cleanser lead me here, and I’m not mad about it! Wren is human, and she is fed up with her squirrelly Apexian partner, Striker.
The pair are tasked with endangered animal repopulation efforts, and while they’re hunting a species of exploding toad, Striker does what he does best…he screws it up. He can’t help it. He’s down for a good time, not a long time, and that applies to every area of his life. No matter how much he cares about Wren.
But then a mission goes sideways, and they’re forced together in harrowing circumstances. Striker is so sweet and silly, and Wren loves her animals and is a softy. Super cute slow burn, I had a great time.
The pair are tasked with endangered animal repopulation efforts, and while they’re hunting a species of exploding toad, Striker does what he does best…he screws it up. He can’t help it. He’s down for a good time, not a long time, and that applies to every area of his life. No matter how much he cares about Wren.
But then a mission goes sideways, and they’re forced together in harrowing circumstances. Striker is so sweet and silly, and Wren loves her animals and is a softy. Super cute slow burn, I had a great time.
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May 20, 2025🎁 FREE on Amazon today (8/26/2021)! 🎁
May 28, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. First of all, the story is original and lengthy. Apexians are warriors assigned to human scientists as bodyguards in order to protect endangered species on different planets. The book is really full of adventures and non-stop action. There is great world building, all characters (not just the couple) have depth and Wren and Striker have great chemistry. I liked the fact that we had a look at their pasts and what made them the way they are. I believe we could do with some more romance and bedroom scenes, as there is only one towards the end of the book. There is some hot action in-between, but it seems that the couple gets interrupted many times! I really laughed at those times and I think Striker deserves Kudos for his patience! :D I gave 4 stars, because I think the fact that 3 women overpowered 10 Gente was a bit too much and unrealistic. I really look forward to Rexx's story. I liked him from the first moment and I hope we get to see his thoughts when he rescued Daisy from the Gente.
I received an ARC copy and I voluntarily leave this review.
I received an ARC copy and I voluntarily leave this review.
April 28, 2024
This has a lot of my pet peeves when it comes to alien romances. One, the aliens aren’t described. I don’t know how they look except they are hot, have purple eyes, and are muscular. Two, the aliens aren’t very alien (I assume, based on the cover, because, pet peeve number one). Three, there isn’t much worldbuilding. I have no idea how the Apexians came to work with the humans, I mean, is it a diplomatic effort? What do both parties get from the conservation initiative? Why aren’t there aliens from other planets, if the creatures they protect are from many different galaxies? How do they get there? Who gives them the info to retrieve animals? Who else is in the freaking ship? At times it seems it’s just the twelve of them (Six biologists, human females, of course, and six Apexians, male, clearly, because we need pairings, and the author is lazy enough not to think too hard about it), but there are mentions of other crew here and there, though we never see anyone besides the main twelve. Also, why do the warriors listen to the stupidly stubborn humans who have absolutely no battle experience and go along with a mission that puts everyone at risk? Put them in a freaking cell and throw away the key, if that’s what it takes to stop them from being idiots! And why would this Council (I have no idea who the hell they are) put a non-combatant biologist at the helm of a dangerous government initiative, when they felt the need of having warriors there for protection? Tough, if you believe the women (I don’t, they’re stupid) they didn’t need them to begin with (yes, they did. For all their “I can take care of myself” talk, they are quite the damsels in distress). Which is another pet peeve of mine. Show me the heroine is a badass, don’t tell me she is and then have her do the most stupid things.
September 10, 2021
Fun read
Loved the fact that the female of the species is deadlier than the male. In this series I really enjoyed the very feminine nature of the women but when they met the enemy, they did not flinch and have as good as they got! Great story! Not much description of the female scientists on this spaceship but we do know of their passion for saving the rare furry creatures throughout the known universe. But they had to deal with the unscrupulous low life Gente who take some of these rare breeds from their natural habitats and sell them for money.b But they did not expect a bunch of female scientists to stop them. Alongside each scientist is a brawny Apexian warrior tasked with keeping their partner safe. A great story. I do hope that some of the female scientists are women of colour as it does become rather boring but I shall wait and withhold judgement!! But a promising series!
Loved the fact that the female of the species is deadlier than the male. In this series I really enjoyed the very feminine nature of the women but when they met the enemy, they did not flinch and have as good as they got! Great story! Not much description of the female scientists on this spaceship but we do know of their passion for saving the rare furry creatures throughout the known universe. But they had to deal with the unscrupulous low life Gente who take some of these rare breeds from their natural habitats and sell them for money.b But they did not expect a bunch of female scientists to stop them. Alongside each scientist is a brawny Apexian warrior tasked with keeping their partner safe. A great story. I do hope that some of the female scientists are women of colour as it does become rather boring but I shall wait and withhold judgement!! But a promising series!
December 3, 2024
2.5 stars. An average SFR in many ways, but the MMC is described as an alien while basically being human in every way except that he’s got extra stamina and alpha-ness, that is to say, just like every other MMC in every other romance >.> Look, he’s a space marine and I don’t like being lied to, mmkay? When I go for alien romance, I want a culture clash and weird alien 🍆 , not just muscle men in space!
The plot itself kind of annoyed me also, just because I really felt like it was beating me over the head with the “personality clash” thing. She likes rules, he hates rules. It’s the name of the book. We get it.
The plot itself kind of annoyed me also, just because I really felt like it was beating me over the head with the “personality clash” thing. She likes rules, he hates rules. It’s the name of the book. We get it.
May 19, 2020
Great start to a new series. Sci-fi job romance with co-workers to lovers who work as animal conservationists on different planets while they work and live in a spaceship who's AI is called Elvis. And wait the women are human and the men are humanoid alien warriors and they have to battle other alien poachers. This book has wonderful characters with realistic feelings and emotions. They have understandable damage from past hurts and events. Worth a read.
August 30, 2021
Scientists from Earth trying to conserve rare animals
A scientific mission wit a mixed crew of humans and aliens. Apexians are hired as bodyguards for the human scientists. Formerly part of an elite fighting force decimated by treachery, the Apexians suffer from the emotional scars of betrayal and loss of their fellows. Beyond that there isn’t a lot of background on the Apexians. Naturally the aliens are big, attractive and physically compatible with human females.
A scientific mission wit a mixed crew of humans and aliens. Apexians are hired as bodyguards for the human scientists. Formerly part of an elite fighting force decimated by treachery, the Apexians suffer from the emotional scars of betrayal and loss of their fellows. Beyond that there isn’t a lot of background on the Apexians. Naturally the aliens are big, attractive and physically compatible with human females.
May 28, 2022
Awesome angst alien action
I enjoyed all the tension, action, and banter in this book... But was so absolutely livid at the very end and how everyone just ignored the Apexians as if that's not what they were hired for and kept saying Cleo knew what she was doing when she obviously didn't. Good book, but the ending pissed me off so much that I won't read another as long as they're on this team.
I enjoyed all the tension, action, and banter in this book... But was so absolutely livid at the very end and how everyone just ignored the Apexians as if that's not what they were hired for and kept saying Cleo knew what she was doing when she obviously didn't. Good book, but the ending pissed me off so much that I won't read another as long as they're on this team.
December 31, 2022
Focused
I title my review ‘Focused’ because that should have been Wren’s name. She was feisty, dedicated and focused on her job. So much so, she didn’t realize just how much Striker adored her, of course, him acting like a playboy hot dog didn’t help! I love the world building and the unique aspect of the human female’s job. I’m looking forward to reading Rex and Daisy’s story.
I title my review ‘Focused’ because that should have been Wren’s name. She was feisty, dedicated and focused on her job. So much so, she didn’t realize just how much Striker adored her, of course, him acting like a playboy hot dog didn’t help! I love the world building and the unique aspect of the human female’s job. I’m looking forward to reading Rex and Daisy’s story.
September 17, 2021
Thrilling
Talk about an exciting start to a series. A noble mission for geeks and warriors, very scary situations that get your blood pumping, and a bit of romance that seems impossible. Can't wait to read more.
Talk about an exciting start to a series. A noble mission for geeks and warriors, very scary situations that get your blood pumping, and a bit of romance that seems impossible. Can't wait to read more.
December 21, 2021
Interesting read
I am so glad they finally mated but the story was definitely interesting, gathering almost extinct alien animals and then being kidnapped and fighting their way out and still getting a happy ending. Can't wait to read the other books in the series.
I am so glad they finally mated but the story was definitely interesting, gathering almost extinct alien animals and then being kidnapped and fighting their way out and still getting a happy ending. Can't wait to read the other books in the series.
May 3, 2022
it’s good
It’s good. It’s not great. I read the whole thing. I bought it. I had higher hopes. Even if it was KU I don’t think I would continue on. It’s a complete story on its own relatively and I am all good with that.
It’s good. It’s not great. I read the whole thing. I bought it. I had higher hopes. Even if it was KU I don’t think I would continue on. It’s a complete story on its own relatively and I am all good with that.
April 3, 2021
Wren's obsession
Wren lost her temper with her hot partner Striker after he messed up another mission. Striker wanted Wren but aLways said the wrong thing.
Wren lost her temper with her hot partner Striker after he messed up another mission. Striker wanted Wren but aLways said the wrong thing.
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March 31, 2023Amazon Purch. March 31, 2023
November 19, 2023
The writing wasn't great, a lot of tell rather than show in terms of character development.
1 spice
1 spice
March 16, 2026
This was fine. I liked their jobs a lot but the whole thing didn’t wow me.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews