New Release | Lost Among the Stars by @vickyburkholder #futuristicromance #romance #bookboost
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    • Apr 6, 2022
    • 4 min read

New Release | Lost Among the Stars by @vickyburkholder #futuristicromance #romance #bookboost



Title: Lost Among the Stars

Author: Vicky Burkholder

Genre: Futuristic Romance

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press


Book Blurb:


Amanda Ki's humanitarian trip to Xy-Three is fraught with assassins and saboteurs who are popping up faster than she can deal with them. Caught up in a web of intrigue, kidnapping, and terror, Mandy joins forces with the captain of the Phoenix, Declan Chalmers. Declan is tall, dark, handsome, and probably the most arrogant, dictatorial man she has ever met. He's also one of the few people she can trust. Declan doesn't know what to expect from the VIP who heads up a million-dollar enterprise, when she boards his ship. The tiny, exotic, and packed full of grit woman is not only drop dead gorgeous and smart, she's also deadly when it comes to martial arts. A skill he wants on his side when the space craft is sabotaged. Thrown together, the two form a tight bond, but if they aren't careful, they could end up dead.


Excerpt:


Declan took in the woman sitting in front of him, from the long, coal-black hair held back with a tie, to the expensive, but practical jumpsuit. She was everything Declan disliked—a bureaucrat of the worst type—stubborn, fiery, and determined. Revising his earlier thoughts, she was neither old, nor wrinkled, but Dec wasn’t sure about the coddling yet. “There’s no need to thank me. You handled the situation exceedingly well. However,” his voice changed from silky smooth to one of warning, “in the future, please don’t give my crew any orders without checking with me first.”


Miss Ki stared at him. He could see the muscles in her jaw working. Fine, so she was angry. Dec wasn’t exactly happy with the way this trip was starting out either.


“I wasn’t aware I needed your permission to do my job. These people are my responsibility.”


“And this ship and her crew are mine. While you’re on my ship, you will follow my orders. Is that clear, Ms. Ki?”


Mandy stood, bracing her hands on the desk. “Like hell I will. You may be in charge of this ship, but I am in charge of this mission. Is that clear, Captain?” Without waiting for an answer, she stalked from the room.


Declan followed her from the room and stared at Mandy’s retreating back as she marched down the corridor, a thoughtful expression on his face. He didn’t know whether he wanted to kiss her or kill her. Of the two, the first definitely held more intrigue. He shook his head. The last thing he needed was to get involved with another woman, especially after the last one. The station manager could have his former companion, although from the way the two of them were entwined when he’d walked in on them, he already had. He quit his musings as Sarah joined him in the office.


“Hermes? Better send fire control up here,” Sarah said.


“My censors don’t detect any problems.”


Sarah laughed. “Cancel the order, Hermes.” She turned to Declan. “From the sparks flying off you two, I thought we’d have a blazing inferno. Looks like you struck a nerve.”


Declan ignored her and turned as an older man joined them. He wore a Warrior uniform of black tunic, trousers, and knee-high boots, but his braids and beads encompassed all color combinations, showing his status over all Warriors. “Sarah, I’d like you to meet Master General Tyler Davis. General Davis, our Comm-Officer and my second-in-command, Lt. Cmdr. Sarah Thompson.”


He bit back a grin when Sarah pulled her nearly perfect posture into even straighter alignment. He could tell from the way her eyes widened when he introduced the general that she recognized the name, if not the man. Amanda Ki and Taka Yu weren’t the only VIPs they had on this trip. You didn’t get any higher in the Warrior class than Master General Davis. But then, who better to guard someone of Ki’s importance?


“Sir.”


“Lieutenant Commander.” The general’s voice came out deep and raspy, as if abused for many years. He nodded at Sarah and turned to watch Mandy’s retreating back.


“Sirs, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get up to the bridge,” Sarah said.


“Go ahead. I’ll be up shortly,” Declan said.


“Quite the spitfire, isn’t she?” Davis asked.


“Excuse me?” Declan wasn’t exactly sure to whom the general was referring.


“Your mission commander, Amanda Ki.”


“That’s an understatement,” he muttered, then paused. Something in Davis’s tone told him he knew Ki on more than the surface level. He’d known the general for years, but their paths only crossed on rare occasions. “You know her?”


“Mandy does have her moments.” The way he’d said the name helped Declan remember. He’d known Davis had been a foster father to a young girl, the daughter of a friend, but Ki? He’d never known that. The general traveled in extremely high circles, he thought.


“Mandy? General, you don’t mean to tell me that—”he paused as Davis raised a warning eyebrow“—woman is the little girl you’ve been telling everyone about for years.”


Davis chuckled. “I never said she didn’t have a temper. Her father was my best friend. We remained friends even after he left the service. My one regret is I haven’t been able to catch Alvarez.”


“Does she know Alvarez might have been on the station?” Declan asked. John’s message had filled him in on the background between Ki and Alvarez. She was definitely not someone who needed coddling. He cocked his head. But maybe she could use a friend.


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Author Biography


As her alter-ego, Vicky has multiple homes all over the universe. She looks human - for the most part - but when she starts writing about characters being able to move things or flicking fire from their fingertips, or changing the course of rivers, people tend to get a little freaked out. She found the one guy out there in the universe who loves her for who she is and they've been together forever and raised four wonderful (now) adults. Her career includes work as a technical writer/editor, a stringer for the local newspaper, and an editor and copy editor for various publishers. At various times in her life, she has been a teacher, a secretary, a short-order cook, a computer specialist, a DJ, and a librarian. When not editing or writing, she can be found in the kitchen creating gluten free goodies for her family.


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