Title: The Key: Project Enterprise 1
Author: Pauline Baird Jones
Genre: Romantic SciFi
Book Blurb:
Experience a riveting interstellar romance amidst an epic galactic conflict in the thrilling novel, The Key.
Embark on a thrilling journey of love, danger, and war across the galaxy in The Key, an exhilarating sci-fi romance saga by award-winning author Pauline Baird Jones. Stranded on an alien planet, daredevil pilot Sara Donovan is forced to align with Kiernan Fyn, a resolute resistance fighter haunted by a tragic past.
Sara, concealing her enigmatic abilities since her youth, must trust Fyn in the face of escalating threats from hostile forces targeting her. With the stakes rising, Fyn sees Sara as his opportunity to exact revenge on the warlord who destroyed his life, while potentially offering a new, brighter future. Their intertwined fates revolve around a mysterious key that holds immense power—the same power that their ruthless enemies seek to manipulate for universal domination.
Discover the burgeoning romance between Sara and Fyn as they unravel their cryptic link to the formidable key while trying to thwart their adversaries' malevolent plans. If you are enthralled by electrifying chemistry, fast-paced action, and expansive space operas, "The Key" from the Project Enterprise series is the perfect reading choice.
Embark on a captivating romantic adventure across the cosmos with The Key today!
Excerpt:
A vague throbbing in her right temple towed Sara back to a consciousness she didn’t want to face, though she was a bit fuzzy on why…
She opened her eyes to zero dark thirty—a darkness somewhat lightened by an eerie orange glow.
Okay, starting to remember.
She not only wasn’t in Kansas anymore, she wasn’t in the cockpit of her bird. The roughhewn rock over head seemed to indicate she was in some kind of a cave, but how did she get from Dauntless to a cave?
She remembered…
…the dog fight.
…the double hit to her six.
…heading for the closest planet like a fast falling star.
…doing bat turns to slow her descent.
…seeing the long stretch of flat, white beach between tangled mass of jungle and sparkling ocean.
…endless feet-wet finally giving way to feet- dry.
The narrow beach had skimmed past way too fast as she struggled to manage her uncontrolled descent.
She remembered pulling her nose up long enough to clear a rugged tumble of rock spilling from high bluff into ocean, but on the other side ground was ground and no landing is a good one that ends against a tree.
Yeah, she remembered the tree.
But she didn’t remember a cave.
Her head didn’t seem to like all the remembering. She touched the complaining spot, finding something that felt like a bandage at the apex of the pain.
Okay, didn’t remember that either.
She tried moving various body parts. Everything was a bit banged up, but still worked, which was good. And she knew it would get better. It always did.
Her zoombag had been loosened and her gloves were gone. Add that to the list of things she couldn’t remember, with an asterisk for slightly creepy.
As the rest of her senses began to come back on line she inhaled a warm, metallic scent that seemed to be emanating from a circle of rocks, the source of the orange glow. It was mixed with a warm, earthy smell and some scents she couldn’t begin to identify.
There was a bit of a nip in the air, the edge taken off by the…fire? Was it a fire? It didn’t flicker like a fire.
It was deeply quiet in the cave, quiet enough to hear her own breathing. And someone else’s.
An icy trickle made its way down her back.
Who, or what, was sharing this cave with her?
Sara sat up, stifling a groan when various bruises and bangs registered formal protests to her brain housing group.
She’d planned to stand up next, but something stirred across from her. Who—or what—ever it was rose, throwing an ill-formed and very large shadow against the wall and roof of the cave.
Maybe it was the bad light, but the outline was very Sasquatch-ish—shaggy and kind of ominous.
The icy trickle turned to a rushing stream. It moved toward her, passing into the half light cast by the sort of fire.
Not Sasquatch, though he could have been a second cousin.
He had a head full of dreads, he bristled with armament, and he bulged with muscles wrapped in what appeared to be tight fitting leather.
It was hard to find features—his face was darkened by dirt or camo, or both—but his eyes were deeply, sharply green.
And he was really, really tall.
Sara had to tip her head way back to look up at him. He didn’t speak, which upped the eerie factor a few more degrees.
She somehow managed to get her legs under her and stand. She was a tall girl—Tall Girl was actually her call sign—but the top of her head didn’t reach his chin. He’d have to be around seven feet to top her by that much.
He looked like a ragged cave man, but there was a sharp intelligence in his eyes. And he’d managed to get her clear of her bird. Not exactly cro-mag man skills.
She wanted to say something, but all she could think of was, crap.
Not particularly useful.
After a moment, she realized he was holding something out to her. A wooden-ish…thing. She took it, since he seemed to expect it.
“Thanks.” Her voice sounded a bit loud, and a bit too bright, breaking the deep silence.
He blinked, just the once, the green of his eyes disappearing, then slowly reappearing. It was very Cheshire Cat—one channeling Tim Burton.
Not a good combo.
Sara looked down at the bowl. The assortment of dingy pieces in the curved center could have been fruit—fruit having a really bad day. She picked out a piece. It felt slimy and a bit gritty, but she’d eaten worse than that in survival training.
She hoped.
She sniffed it. The pungent aroma made her eyes water. She slid it between reluctant lips and chewed.
Okay, this was worse than anything she’d eaten anywhere. Her eyes watered some more. When she swallowed, nasty lingered like thick oil in her mouth. She looked up, blinking and wincing, and said, her voice a thin croak, “It’s... good.”
Not her most convincing performance.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Store eBook: https://payhip.com/b/We5u
Store AUDIOBOOK: https://payhip.com/b/e0E5N
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-key/id814556674/
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Pauline_Baird_Jones_The_Key_Book_1?id=HA-CDwAAQBAJ
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1198706
What makes your featured book a must-read?
The Key delivers all the feels of an accessible romantic space opera. There is a sweet romance, high-octane adventure, humor, and a really great space battle. Seriously, the space battle is awesome.
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $15 Amazon gift card:
Open Internationally.
Runs October 11 – October 19, 2023.
Winner will be drawn on October 20, 2023.
Author Biography:
USA Today Bestselling Author, Pauline never liked reality, so she writes books. She likes to wander among the genres, rampaging like Godzilla, because she does love peril mixed in her romance.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://paulinebairdjones.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/paulinebjones
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/perilouspauline/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulinebairdjones/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/paulinebjones
My fave scifi right now is Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
Thank you, Pauline, for sharing your book in our Science Fiction and Fantasy Bookish Event!