Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Releasing Friday - Clans of Europa: Bernadette

 

An awkward reunion between Dramok and Nobek

Who had Halmiko become during those lost years? He was more careworn than Tumsa remembered. Still handsome, still in great shape, though he’d lost some definition since leaving the game.

He felt as if he were drowning in uncertainty that hadn’t been present when they’d lived as a clan. Halmiko wore doubt as a second skin. It hurt to witness it.

Tumsa cast about for something to break the heavy silence. “I understand the captain is transporting cargo that’ll pay for the trip to Lobam. She’s only charging me for food and any medical issues that come up. She says I can work it off if I want by helping to offload the freight.”

“I’ve found her to be fair for the most part. I’m still unhappy about her insisting on speaking to Doljen without me. Us. Sorry.”

Tumsa tried on a weak smile. “She might be right that it would be a bad idea.”

He opened his mouth as if to argue, then reconsidered. “How do you figure that?”

“You and I are attempting to work out our own shit. Our uncertainty with each other could be a valid reason to hold off confronting Doljen for a day or two. If we aren’t on the same page, how can we convince him to listen to us?”

Halmiko considered him. “Still smart, aren’t you? You always have been the voice of reason.”

Tumsa barked a bitter laugh. His vision blurred. “The fuck I have.”

Halmiko started to rise, reaching for Tumsa for an instant. He paled and sank back onto his bunk. “Ah, hell. This is hard. Fuck, Tumsa. We want to figure this out, but I have no idea what I’m supposed to say to you, or even how to act.”

“Same here. How bad will it be with Doljen? He made it abundantly clear he won’t try.”

They gazed at each other helplessly. They’d barely left port, and Tumsa already felt failure looming over him.

Releasing October 7. Pre-order at Amazon, Amazon UK, Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords. Purchase now in print.

 

She searched for the man she couldn’t forget and found a shattered clan she couldn’t resist.

Captain Bernadette Miller was a nun on the moon Europa, hiding from a painful past. Now she hunts the galaxy for the Kalquorian who made her stop running from herself. When she gets a lead on his clanmates, she thinks her search is finally over. What she finds, however, is a clan devastated by broken promises.

Nobek Halmiko was once a star kurble player. Now he wanders space aimlessly, picking up jobs where he can find them, trying to forget the clanmates he let down. When Bernadette shows up asking questions about his missing Imdiko, he has nothing to say. But some women get in a man’s head. Some women don’t take no for an answer.

Dramok Tumsa had it all: a career he loved, the perfect clan, a troubled but talented brother he’d do anything for. Tragedy on the kurble field destroyed it all. Now his estranged Nobek is back, with a beautiful, hardnosed Earther captain who offers him an opportunity to make amends. Can he piece his clan together again? Does he deserve the chance?

Imdiko Doljen is wracked by guilt. He’s hidden from those he let down…including a woman he couldn’t keep. When she shows up in the company of his clanmates, old hurts ignite anew. It doesn’t matter what he wants; he can’t fix the mistakes he made.

The only path to regaining the love Bernadette lost means healing this shattered clan. Is she ready to commit to three men instead of the one she came for? When disaster strikes, she has to call on all the strength she possesses to stop them from falling apart for good.

Releasing October 7. Pre-order at Amazon, Amazon UK, Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords. Purchase now in print.

 

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