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Hot Cargo

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Capt. Strider Jackson is desperate.

New series from bestselling author Tom Shepherd.
STAR TRADERS Book 1 – HOT CARGO

Capt. Strider Jackson of the Cargo Ship Wiley Traveler is desperate.

He's broke, in the drunk tank on an alien planet. And the Bank of Rahjen is ready to seize his vessel for back debts.

Then a Scottish Baroness bails him out with a money-making scheme. Just ferry a boatload of mail-order brides across the galaxy to meet wealthy, potential husbands on frontier worlds.

Except the Baroness fails to mention bounty hunters dogging her steps to collect a huge price on her Celtic patootie. And they’re licensed to kill anyone who gets in their way.

Decision time for Captain Jackson. Run the pirate blockade, or dump his hot cargo and run?

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 9, 2023

127 people are currently reading
19 people want to read

About the author

Tom Shepherd

32 books41 followers
Tom Shepherd flew medical evacuation helicopters in Vietnam, where he received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Air Medal, and the Purple Heart. He has worked as a Japanese linguist, public school teacher, and graduate school instructor. Shepherd is originally from Reading, Pennsylvania, but lived in Alaska, Germany, Indochina, and the Republic of Korea. He spent the balance of of his professional career working with churches in the Deep South, California, and the Midwest and serving as Professor of Religious Studies at Unity Institute near Kansas City, Missouri. Author of a wide array of
articles and nonfiction books, plus more than twenty plays and two novels for the middle grades, Dr. Shepherd “retired” in 2016 to write novels full time.

Star Lawyers is his new series, which readers have described as “Star Trek meets Law&Order.” Tom Shepherd lives with his wife, Carol-Jean, and their genial pit bull, Riley, in Tucson, Arizona.

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5 stars
129 (61%)
4 stars
53 (25%)
3 stars
20 (9%)
2 stars
6 (2%)
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3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Meenaz Lodhi.
1,037 reviews89 followers
January 24, 2023
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“For all the girls I knew in my youth, who became women without kissing me first. ::sigh:: Their loss.—Capt. Strider Jackson.”


From the artistically creative and inspiringly innovative mind of Dr. Tom Shepherd comes This spin-off Star Traders series of The Star Lawyers universe. It is outrageous, fun, witty, with hilarious moments! An epic new SciFi world filled with dangers, adventure, and a charming protagonist.
I had so much fun reading Hot Cargo! Lol. Once again, Mr. Shepherd has outdone himself. Thank you, Dr. Tom!

“Dinna marry for money! ‘Tis cheaper in the long run to borrow money than marry for it.—Old Scottish Saying
13 reviews
January 13, 2023
This is a great read. Strider Jackson is my new favourite character. The story features a space trader captain, Strider Jackson, and his adventures. It starts with him in gaol, being bailed out by a beautiful woman. As you might expect, there’s a catch. The story follows the tribulations he encounters, and the loads of beautiful women as well.
There’s alien attacks, trading, space battles and numerous other twists and turns. As usual with this author the characterisation is very good.
Well worth reading.
71 reviews2 followers
January 22, 2023
Captain Strider Jackson wakes up in drunk tank, wondering how he got there.Then he remembers how — because of a bar fight. As his brain begins to function he remembers he is on the financial ropes — The Bank of Rahjin is ready to seize his ship for more back debts than he has money.
Then, like a deux ex machina, from the Greek, ἀπὸ μηχανῆς θεός, salvation appears in ther form of a red-haired Scottish Baroness who has a need for a semi-scrupulous ship’s captain to transport a boatlaod of women, mail order brides, across the galaxy to meet potential husbands. Only they have to be pregnant to be acceptable to the men to prove their fertility.
There are only a few problems. He will be the only man on board and his conjoint marriage with more than two conjoints has something to say about this need for him to service about 60 women. And then there are the trigger happy bounty hunters who are willing to waste whoever gets between them and the Baroness.
With all this, what could go wrong? Just everything.
Profile Image for Andrea Stoeckel.
3,209 reviews132 followers
January 29, 2023
Strider Jackson's in trouble again. This time he wakes in a drunk tank with barely a sous to his name and payments due on The Wylie Traveler. How in blazes will he extradite himself from this one?

And just who is this Baroness who's offered to give him enough money to bail himself out of the hole by ferrying a load for her. A load of mail-order brides to remote outposts....too easy right?

Well...yea. Turns out there's more to this than meets the eye. Will Strider get out of this one?

I have to tell you,I love "space opera" and Tom Shepherd is a great navigator for the genre. Great stories with just enough snark to keep me reading! Way to go Dr Tom...onward and beyond- ward! Highly Recommended 5/5

[ Disclaimer: I received this book from the author and voluntarily read and reviewed it]
269 reviews1 follower
January 21, 2023
I loved this book! I loved how Tom Shepherd is able to blend these characters into the world of Tyler Matthews IV and his Star Lawyers, yet are seperate from them. Just the thought of having to get married is enough to throw most guys into a dither. But throw in 30 more wives - all legally - what a daunting experience for sure. But that concept for Dr Tom isn't enough. So he throws in a bounty hunter out to get Wife Number One, his employer. I loved the hijinks of all this. Thanks Dr Tom. Really looking forward to the next book in this series.
Profile Image for Marcus Johnston.
Author 15 books38 followers
February 12, 2023
Some of the best Sci-fi humor ever!

It is really hard to write humor - doubly so in a sci-fi universe - but Tom nails it in this book. I had such a great time following the crew of the Wiley Traveler abd the many, many, MANY women who cross its path. I laughed out loud so many times. I would love to see more in this universe.
Profile Image for Mike.
14 reviews
January 15, 2023
Great read

I don't often post reviews but in this case I made an exception because of this book is a real Joy To Read I hope this is the first in a series I'll be looking forward to the next
3 reviews
January 15, 2023
STAR TRADERS

Book 1

HOT CARGO

                        BookBag Press
            Kansas City, MO / Tucson, AZ /
               Geneva, Switzerland

Assumed utter moronic (Terran normal ~ i.e. male) intelligence in the star rating:✨⭐️🌟🛸💫

                  Star Traders Book 1

                             Hot Cargo

                        Tom Shepherd


            The   Science Fiction Adventure

            Set in the Star Lawyers Universe


Disclaimer:
This was accepted by me to write an honest review of. Read and listened to on KyBook 1, 2, & 3; PocketBook, BookFunnel/PayHip, InstaFreebie/ProlificReads, iBook, and others as I find them. I also plan to purchase a copy (for comparison purposes,) whenever the author s publisher of choice finally releases it.

Started:     28 Novo 2022  
Finished:   4 Deco 2022
Amazon:                   ?

Jackass to Man ~~ attempt number ?


The main character starts out as a total pompous ass. He acquires an elfin slave during a card game and claims that “life is rough all over, and he s a lover not a fighter,” yet he remembers multiple times of waking up in various drunk tanks across the galaxy. Life may be rough, but to treat any woman as the slave that she was relegated to by slavers is reprehensible to me.

All my life s experience wants to do is see how much of a coward he is and how fast the idiot would run. I d even be willing to give the fool the choice of weapon(s) he would die by. He claims to be a man of the 32d century, but doesn t think that women can do anything but be “good in bed.”

After the Galaxy wide war with the NGE and their pro slaver constituents, I wonder why anyone would claim to have standards, then flaunt them as he does. In my time, you lived by your standards or you died by them. He needs to learn this truth.

His being only after whatever the job pays, leaves a lot of room for improvement. Some Beings are immensely happy working jobs that pay less than they could earn elsewhere. The work itself might have hidden benefits that balance the payment.

After finally agreeing to marry his first three wives, he starts to show a glimmer of hope. He actually manages to marry into a poly/harem style of marriage.

As for the three wives, the reasons given, seem to imply that the women were using just as much (or lack of) intelligence as their husband. Wife number one is being passed off as having political savvy, but she follows her own agenda and continues to deceive her husband. Wife number two grew up on a non humanoid world and follows her home world s culture. Wife number three, while being a physician acts very submissive. I find myself feeling for Liera (# 2), she s of a dying world and was raised in a poly/line marriage culture (I believe).

Line marriages can and have worked even on Terra, they offer stability, safety, and security for the children. Some families also call them generation (al) marriages. Usually alternating males and females marrying into them. Poly marriages have many of the same benefits as line marriages.

Leaving either style of these marriages may take a bit, but usually seems to be a matter of setting up a fund for the care of the children. Divorce seems to be unlikely in these marriages, but when it does occur it appears to be faster than normal Terran marriages. The rest of the adults usually want the one who is leaving >> GONE !

I m not sure how a poly/harem style of marriage would work. I wasn t raised, nor have I lived around harems. Just guessing that if the social dynamics were right amongst the adults, then it could be a good deal, at least to start the marriage. How they would progress, I haven t any idea.

By the end of the book, he has six wives and possibly more arriving in the future. Whether he grows either a backbone or a pair of cojones is yet to be determined.
72 reviews
January 15, 2023
What do you get when you combine a broke, down-on-his-luck star trader like Stryder Jackson, whose greatest strength may be running from a fight with a sizzling hot bevy of stellar beauties? Tom Shepherd's Hot Cargo!

Hot Cargo Introduces a new set of characters and a wonderful storyline into the Star Lawyers universe, with some cameo appearances by our favorite characters (namely TMIV).

But, instead of life-or-death legal cases, we deal with life-or-death situations in Hot Cargo. Jackson, captain of the small trading vessel Wiley Traveler, ends up in the drunk tank, but he can't buy his way out of this one. And the Bank of Rahjen is about to repossess the ship. He can't even pay the crew or really purchase fuel. Enter Scottish Baroness Luxury Whitlock, who bails him out and gives him the contract of a lifetime - or is it? The job - transporting winsome future human-compatible brides to lonely colonists and miners across the galaxy. The catch: Jackson has to PERSONALLY guarantee that the wives are capable of producing offspring. How must he do that? As I said, hotter than a supernova and very titillating to read.

While Star Lawyers books are mostly in a range of PG-R, this one is definitely R+ at least.

The trouble all starts when Luxury kills a bad guy, and there is now a huge bounty on her head that no star-faring denizen of deep space will pass up the chance to get it. And they are beholden to no one, and they will stop at nothing, including murder, to get that bounty. It would be like winning the greatest Powerball jackpot in the Galaxy.

That's not where the trouble ends, though! There's the small matter of Jackson's newly acquired slave-wife, who he really doesn't want. Well, till he finds out about her skills, both on the bridge and in the captain's quarters. Then there are the flesh and metal-consuming aliens that attack the space station of Luxury's ex-husband.

There are the non-stop canine-like pirates that turn up at every stargate to collect on Luxury! Not everyone will survive these encounters.

So what we are dealing with here is an adult-themed and hot, risque story in the Star Lawyers universe, with a moral - and randy - main character. All brought to life by Tom Shepherd's fabulous writing and storytelling abilities.

This is a definite can't-miss first book in the new series Star Traders,, and I'm hooked! I'm along for the ride on anything that Tom Shepherd writes! Bring on book two and more, Tom; I can't wait!

I highly recommend this book if you are a Tom Shepherd and Star Lawyers fan. You'll want to read Hot Cargo. Great for any fans of a good, fast-paced yarn. Likely not suitable for pre-teens, this one has many adult themes and scenes in it.
861 reviews16 followers
January 27, 2023
Captain Jackson never knew what hit him. Poor dude thinks he is in control when all the while he is the mark in a galaxy spanning game he doesn't begin to know the rules to. His generous benefactresses who only asked the one small cargo hauling favor - yeah, she's got some secrets. Every time he thinks he is catching a break it is time for yet a bigger disaster to unfold. He's got a wicked fast ship and a clever crew that are willing to take risks. That part of the story line is all old school space opera maverick fun.

It is also harem sci-fi, as opposed to sci-fi romance. The book is 3 person limited from the captain's POV and you get A LOT of his thoughts about the bevy of beautiful and brilliant women who are suddenly surrounding him and throwing themselves at him since he has up to this point been a bit of a cad player/womanizer but not so popular. Yes, the women are always described by their, ahem, prominent assets first, and their impressive capabilities second. That said, it does not get any more sensuous or graphic than the later Star Lawyer books. Scenes are all fade to black with the captain bragging about his prowess.

While I found him to be an extremely dislikable character at first, he does seem to grow and mature a bit over the course of the book and you get the feeling that there is a set of ethics and a heart of gold in there somewhere. This is not a romance, and there really isn't much love - but interestingly there is quite a bit of in-depth exploration of the concept of a family unit and how this crew comes to gel and bond and find their places amongst each other.

1st book in the Star Traders series and it ends with a bit of a cliffy. The major conflict of this book is resolved, but a bigger one is just starting to unfold. If you are familiar with the Star Lawyers book, there are a lot of fun Easter eggs and references to people, places and species that will be familiar.
6,726 reviews5 followers
May 13, 2024
Entertaining relationship listening 🎆🎎🎎😎🎵

This kindle e-book novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account book 1 of 1.

Hopefully Moe to come.

He is broke and in jail. A beautiful woman pays his bail. Now they are both on the run. The mission is to provide brides to bachelors in the out planets.

I would recommend this series and author to readers of space opera romantic relationships novels. 2024
11 reviews
February 10, 2025
A Captain with a conscious

I enjoyed this romp through space with Captain Strider Jackson. It kept me glued to my kindle and I finished the book in two days.
Anyone who enjoys a space adventure should like this book. I look forward to the next book to see how the story progresses.
176 reviews
January 29, 2023
The more wives you have, the better.

Dr. Tom has done it again. A lover of all females has fallen into a contract to deliver mail order brides to starting outposts and co!ones , and in the interim he gets multiple wives.
11 reviews
April 21, 2023
Definitely a hot cargo

This. Is situation that a lot of guys would like to be but not I think with these rules. It is really funny to see him in these situations. How he gets out of them is really quite hilarious. Can't wait for hot cargo two.

4 reviews
May 17, 2023
juvenile

All boobs and sex- I can’t imagine any female sci-fi fan liking this, especiallly one with body image issues. Disappointing, as the author didn’t need to go there, let alone every three pages.
Profile Image for Maggie Nikkel.
246 reviews6 followers
February 26, 2023
Awesome

First time with this author of and I'm loving it.
Great story line and character development
A real joy to read
Gotta have MORE.
318 reviews4 followers
February 27, 2023
Wow

This book is very risqué and not for the young’ s!!! It is a great story that will have you laughing out loud! Poor Striker! Just desserts?!!
17 reviews
April 11, 2023
Hilarious

Good read with a lot of humor. It's been a long time since I finished a book this quick. Can't wait for the next one.
Profile Image for Steve.
18 reviews7 followers
May 25, 2023
Fun romp

Delightful and a bit naughty! Enjoyable entertainment with action of several kinds including gambling, exploration, rescues, escapes, romance with * extras *!
109 reviews
June 21, 2023
Entertaining

I really enjoy this adventure. A little wacky at times but all in good fun. Looking forward to the next book and see where this crazy story goes.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews