Lords of Kassis

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author S.E. Smith presents another adventure- and suspense-filled story to transport listeners out of this world. River Knight was looking forward to a peaceful vacation in the mountains with her two best friends, Jo and Star, sisters of the heart. When she travels up into the mountains of North Carolina to the cabin Star has rented for them, she is shocked when she finds the two sisters being abducted. Following them, she discovers their abductors are anything but human. Sneaking aboard the shuttle in an attempt to rescue them, she finds herself on an unplanned vacation to the stars. In a desperate attempt to save Jo and Star, River makes a deal with a group of other aliens who had also been captured: she'll release them if they promise to return the three girls to their home. Torak Ja Kel Coradon, leader of the House of Kassis and next ruler of the Kassis galaxy, has other plans when he sees the blue-eyed warrior woman-he wants her for himself. The three women are believed to be the prophesied warriors sent to join forces to bring peace to the House of Kassis. Worlds collide when the male-dominated world meets three circus performers who use their talents to fight for those they love. When an assassin threatens Torak's life, River has to show him even a circus performer can be a warrior when challenged. But the biggest challenge is to Torak's mind as he discovers women from other galaxies are more than they seem. Can their love overcome the chasm of a few million light years, or will an assassin end it all?

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author S.E. Smith presents another adventure- and suspense-filled story to transport listeners out of this world. Star Strauss has always been a fighter. From the time she was born prematurely to her life on the road as a circus performer, she has never let her small stature keep her from achieving her dreams. Her love of being up high and flying free has helped her overcome the challenges she faces when she is on the ground. But her life changes when she finds herself on a distant world where every creature seems to tower over her. Jazin Ja Kel Coradon is the third son of the ruling House of Kassis. He is known not only for his skills as a fierce warrior but also for his knowledge of communication, security, and weapons systems. This knowledge has increased the effectiveness of the Kassis defenses protecting their world from attack from a new group of rebels who threaten their very existence. He will fight until his last breath to protect his people. His life changes when he meets a tiny creature who is unlike anything he has ever seen. She is petite, delicate, and beautiful-and the strongest, most stubborn female he has ever met. She refuses to do what he tells her, she defies him at every turn, and she doesn't seem to understand that all he wants to do is protect her. If he could just get her to stay in the safe bubble he has created for her, his life would be so much simpler! Star had enough of people back home trying to put her in a glass box. But when the man she loves is kidnapped, she will do what she does best: use her skills as a performer to rescue him from the men determined to bring down the Kassis defense system. Sometimes being small has its advantages. The enemy never expects a pint-size female to have the strength of a warrior.

Jo Strauss is committed to two things in her life-her family and her life as an acrobat/high-wire performer; she takes both very seriously. Her life is orderly, in control, and she is finally settling down in one place so she can spend more time with her parents instead of moving all over the world every few weeks. To celebrate her and her younger sister Star's one-year anniversary away from the circus they have grown up with, they meet River Knight, their childhood friend and sister of the heart, for a vacation in the mountains of North Carolina. Everything is going as planned until she and her sisters are kidnapped. Now, she finds herself transported to another world. Aliens, warships, battles, and a certain male all were not in the carefully detailed plans she had mapped out for her life. Manota Ja Kel Coradon is the second son of the ruling House of Kassis. He is known as the dark brother, a reputation that he lives up to. He has fought hard to protect his family and the people of Kassis, at times sacrificing parts of his soul to do so. His knowledge, skills, and development of weaponry are legendary. His skill as a warrior brings shivers of fear to his opponents who know he never offers mercy to any who stand in his way. Manota is in total control of his world until one slender, feisty alien female crashes through the shields he has placed around his heart. She is fearless, determined, and stubborn. She absolutely refuses to cower before him, no matter how much he growls. He is determined to protect her and claim her as his own but there is one little problem-she will not agree to accept his claim unless he returns for her parents. Now, he has even bigger problems that come in all different shapes, sizes, and species. The return trip is fraught with enough dangers, but Jo and Star's parents aren't the only ones coming back to Kassis-so is the circus family who had gathered to help look for their missing family members. Traitors, pirates, and mimes are just the tip of the iceberg of trouble gliding through warp speed to his home world. Manota is about to learn that the prophecy that was foretold centuries before is true. His mate is just as much of a warrior as he is and she comes with backup when an old enemy attacks.

Mattie Abrams has always had a knack for training animals. Touring with the Cirque de Magik, she knows that she has finally found the home she so desperately craves. She would do anything to keep her small family of circus friends and her pets, including going where they go. When the owner of the circus announces he is taking the circus to the stars, she never expects it to be quite so far-or so dangerous. Jai t'Dubar never expected to find his mate among the menagerie of humans coming to his world, but when a delicate beauty jogs by him, his world changes. Internationally acclaimed author S.E. Smith presents a new action-packed story full of romance and adventure. Brimming with her signature humor, vivid scenes, and beloved characters, this book is sure to be another fan-favorite!

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of science fiction, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance brings another action-, adventure-, and suspense-filled story to transport listeners out of this world. Ristéard Roald is the powerful and deadly ruler of Elpidios, a planet that is slowly dying without the Blood Stones needed to absorb the radiation gradually destroying its stratosphere. He has sworn to do whatever it takes to protect his world and his people, but time is running out. Hope comes from an unexpected source, the Kassis. They have found a way to replicate the Blood Stones needed to save his world, but his first dealings with a traitorous Kassisan has left a deep distrust for the species. Ricki Bailey is used to dealing with diplomats and handling complex situations. After all, as the daughter of the owners of Cirque de Magik, the most spectacular circus to the stars, she is used to organizing their trips to foreign countries. Her life changes when her mother and father decide to take the circus to the real stars ... and to another star system! If she thought learning new laws and customs was going to be a challenge, it was nothing to the sudden interest she was getting from a huge blue male known as the Grand Ruler! Ricki discovers words that she didn't even realize were in her vocabulary, most of them not in the least polite. She decides the best way to deal with the arrogant male is to treat him like she did when encountering difficult Consuls during the circus' travels on Earth; stay cool, calm, and professional and only deal with the facts necessary to complete whatever business transaction was required. Ristéard is stunned when a strange, alien female, foretold in the ancient tablets as being the great empress who will save his world, appears. He is even more astonished when she refuses his attentions! With the life of his planet at stake, not to mention his own peace of mind and body, he will do whatever is necessary to ensure the female stays by his side. Yet, there are forces working against him and Ricki, powerful forces that do not want him to be successful. Dangers and traitors among his own council threaten not only him, but her. It will take all of Ristéard's resources, and a few unexpected allies, to complete the dangerous journey ahead of them. Can he keep his unwilling empress safe from those that would destroy her? Better yet, can he save his world when there are those that would destroy it for the treasure of precious Blood Stones hidden somewhere beneath its surface?

Madas's Unexpected Gift: A Lords of Kassis Novella Can a small reptile from another world save the Princess he has adopted? L'eon, a Chameleon Lightning Lizard, awakens to find that his planet was destroyed by an unidentified force. Trapped in an iron-ore prison hurtling through space, he is lost and alone until an unfamiliar planet's gravitational pull draws him to its surface-and he is freed by an enchanting alien who he quickly adopts. When a meteorite falls from the sky, Princess Madas Tralang rushes to claim the prized and potentially valuable space rock for herself. She is startled to discover an unusual creature huddled inside. Touched by the creature's soulful eyes and unique features, she vows to protect the extraordinary reptile. Madas is unaware that she has befriended one of the most ferocious and feared species in the known galaxies. After all, who would ever believe that something so cute could be so deadly? Perhaps, someone should have warned Madas's unwelcome suitor about L'eon before he decided to try and claim her! Madas's Falling Star Prince Gril Tal Mod is destined to be the next Supreme Leader of the Tearnats-if he survives long enough to ascend to the throne. Gril was supposed to be on a routine training exercise, but his flight goes horribly wrong when engine trouble forces him to land his fighter in a remote mountainous region. Once stranded on the ground, Gril discovers the malfunction was no accident-and he isn't alone. He can sense someone watching him from the shadows. Princess Madas Tralang's curiosity always seems to get her into trouble. When Madas spies an unusual object streaking across the sky before crashing near her location, she believes it is a good omen. After all, she found her pet, L'eon, the last time an object fell from the sky. Her hopes of finding something valuable are dashed when instead she sees a big, and rather ugly, Tearnat warrior. Though there is something about him ... something magnetic, it's his spaceship that she really wants. It is just what she has been searching for-a means to escape the dreary life expected of her! The giant warrior pilot of the spaceship isn't going to give it up easily, however, and Madas soon finds herself locked in a battle of wits and skill with the strange warrior, but they are not the only players on the field. Danger surrounds Madas and Gril-both from Madas's clan and from the saboteur who is determined to see Gril dead. Can the Prince of the Tearnats and a small, but deadly alien pet, defeat their foes and save Madas before time runs out, or will Gril's growing love for a curious Princess doom them both? Note: events of Unexpected Gift happen just before events in Falling Star.

He is a monster who discovers he had a heart; she is a woman who wants to remain unknown... Jarmen D'ju has no memories of his previous life. They were stolen in the lab that changed him into a monster. Though he was rescued, he knows he will never truly have the life he wants. As a being of half organic material and half cybernetic engineering, he will always need to hide, and finding a partner is not an option, for who could ever love a monster? Jane Doe awakes aboard an alien spaceship with haunting memories of her former life, a life filled with tragedy that almost killed her. Rescued and protected by her new circus family, she knows she has been given a second chance at life, but where she came from, chances are fleeting, and happiness is nothing more than an illusion. She thinks it will be the same here until she meets an alien who is more machine than he is man. In the most unlikely of places, Jarmen discovers he has a heart and Jane finds the only man in the galaxy who can take her nightmares away. A single moment in time changes their lives forever and forces Jarmen to make a decision that could change the history of the universe. With the help of some unusual friends, can Jarmen defy time? Or will a cheated death refuse to be denied?