War’s End
by Imogene Nix
Genre: Sci-fiction
Romance
Forced apart by war
five years ago, Renjiro and Selina have another chance at love. Can they make
it work or does fate have other plans?
Without the
citizenship of the Federation, Indy pilot Selina Codecko is treated like a
second-class citizen. When she gets caught up in a bar brawl she's arrested and
finds herself in the hands of the Justice Officers.
Renjiro Ito has
dreamed of Selina for five long years. As the Commander of the Justice
Officers, the plight of this one woman will turn his life upside down.
But there's more going
on than just the fate of one woman—there's a seething underbelly that wants to
destroy their newly expanded Federation. The chances of a future together are
slim, but they'll take any chances that come their way. Will it be enough?
~Excerpt~
"Sit down."
Renjiro's terse words filled Selina with pain and sadness.
She acceded to his
request in silence, holding her throbbing hand against her breast. He squatted
before her, his face close to hers, his dark eyes shadowed. His touch was
gentle as his fingers traced the line of her jaw. They shook a little and she
felt the glancing caress. It warmed her.
He touched a raw spot
on her chin and she hissed involuntarily.
"Where else are
you injured?"
Selina shook her head.
"Captain Codecko?
Selina?"
His gentle words
nearly undid her. Tears burned in her eyes and she blinked, hoping to banish
them. It didn't work though. They dripped down her face, scalding her frozen
cheeks.
Now his hands dropped
to her shoulders. "Where else are you hurt, Selina?" His gaze was
hypnotic. It drew her words without thought.
"My hand, ribs,
and the top of my head."
He frowned and started
tugging at her shirt, pulling it free of the loose-fitting pants.
"What… What are
you doing?"
He glanced at her, his
face taut and strained. "I'm checking your injuries."
Selina blushed, the
heat creeping over her face as she pushed at his hands. "No! You can't do
that!"
"Just bloody
watch me." His rough words surprised her and her hands dropped away. He
continued his almost feverish work at her buttons and very quickly he had the
shirt open. Selina thanked whatever had made her fasten a bra over her very
tiny breasts. With gentle movements, he brushed the old material of her shirt
to one side. He hissed through clenched teeth at what he saw. "You need a
medic."
"I'm fine. I've
lived through this before. Of greater concern to me is whether I'm going to be
charged for causing the riot. I was just—"
"I know. Having a
quiet drink. We checked the spy eyes. You will be free to go, so long as we can
put together a suitable argument. But I have a proposition. One that would help
you, I think."
In her experience,
propositions never ended well, but she was desperate enough to listen to what
he had to say. So she watched in mute silence as he rose. He backed away as she
quickly refastened her shirt. Then he paced to the end of the room and back.
"I've just
received a communiqué that there's some Indies about to plan an attack on this
moon base. I need people I can trust to get information for me."
She waited. But as he
started pacing again, it seemed she would need to ask the question.
"What's in it for me?"
He stilled.
Selina held her
breath. Waiting.
"I might be able
to swing an official citizenship for you."
Just like that, he
could brush away all the difficulties she had faced since the end of the war.
But trusting people didn't come easily. Not for her. "You can just click
your fingers and make that happen?"
He faced her again.
His eyes shone almost feverishly bright under the lighting of the room.
"No. But I know someone who might be able to make it happen, if you
agree."
"Why? Why would
you help me?"
He smiled.
"Because I owe you."
This was an entertaining read. Selina is such a strong and interesting woman and I found myself almost immediately liking her. She is a pilot who struggles daily to eek out a living while being considered a second-class citizens. Renjiro has been searching for Selina for years, after she saved his life. They were just making a connections when she disappeared and now that he has finally found her he is not going to let her go again. This story is a shorter science fiction romance that has adventure, action and sexual chemistry. I enjoyed it but wish that is was a little longer, I would have liked more in the building of the relationship between Selina and Renjiro. I will definitely be keeping my reading eye on Imogene Nix and her future stories!
~About the
Author~
Imogene is a mother of
two, compulsive reader, and bookstore owner. She lives in regional Queensland,
Australia with her husband, two daughters, dog, cats, guinea pigs, and chooks.
She has a particular fondness for vampires, star ship captains, and things that
go bump in the night (especially vampire types).
Imogene has tried many
varied roles in her working life including kindergarten assistant, teacher,
principal, and kindergarten and child care director, but rates owning a
bookstore and writing her own novels as the absolute highlight.
In her mother and wife
alter ego, she has travelled widely and lived in some very unique places
including Far Western Queensland, Cape York, and even Tasmania. She loves to
travel and rates China and Hong Kong among her favorite destinations.
She blames Star Trek
Voyager, Firefly, and the works of Alexander Kent for her interest in naval
activities and later space fleet interest.
~Giveaway~
Imogen is
giving away 2 eCopies of Wars End.
For a
chance to win please fill out the rafflecopter below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What was your inspiration for Selina's character? Was it easy to tell her story or did you struggle to make their relationship work?
ReplyDeleteNice excerpt
ReplyDeleteHi Carly - sorry I missed your question. Selina was just kind of there - she sprang full figured into my mind. I felt that she was very fatalistic and (Well, I guess at the end of the day, I just wrote what came to me!)
ReplyDeleteI hope that helps. Sometimes my characters just seem to arrive with all their baggage and I have to try to work it to get to the HEA. :)