Showing results by narrator "J Arquin" in All Categories

Jaantzen may have brought stability to the city of Bulari, but not everyone’s grateful. Allegiances are shifting sand, and he’s made a miscalculation that earned him a deadly new enemy - one who plays a viciously different game than the one Jaantzen is used to winning. Jaantzen and his crew fight to gain the upper hand, but secrets buried in shallow graves are coming back to haunt them. And as Starla and Toshiyo edge closer to understanding the growing mystery that’s been dropped in their laps, their search is awakening darker things than any of them can imagine.

Trouble is dead. Long live trouble. Killing the leader of a violent cult was supposed to make the city a safer place, but instead it created a power imbalance that’s left a deadly war raging in the streets of Bulari. When Willem Jaantzen is approached for help by local casino magnate Phaera D, he has the sinking feeling the only way to end this war is to betray the people he loves the most. And he’s starting to suspect that Phaera wants more from him than just his help. Whatever decision he makes feels like the wrong one.

The beautiful Sally Anne has everyone fascinated, including Tommy's best friend, George, who kisses her the first chance he gets. But it isn't just a regular kiss! Sally Anne's kiss is ice cold. Even knowing her chilling gift, Tommy can't help but get close to her and ultimately discover her big secret.

Willem Jaantzen didn't ask to be a hero. He just wants to keep his family safe in the shifting sands of Bulari's underground - and to get the city's upper crust to acknowledge just how far he's come since his days as an orphaned street kid. With his businesses thriving and his dark past swept into the annals of history, it looks like he has everything he could ever ask for. Until, that is, his oldest rival turns up murdered and the blame - and champagne - begins to flow. 

In the final installment of the Core series, the Razznians are defeated, yet no one feels like a winner. New Lassa is devastated, Azrom is in shambles, and planet Razzna itself has had its surface razed, forcing the population to flee - which leaves a bad taste on everyone's palate. With so many secrets filled with animosity and shame now brought to light, both Azrom and New Lassa must face their own demons.

Twist’s parent’s died in a prison colony on a hostile planet. He has to save his sister from the same fate. To escape, he and his crew must do the impossible and defeat the children of the ruling class within the deadly world of The Game. Where the line between virtual and reality blurs and danger lurks around every corner. Fighting for his life, Twist uncovers dark secrets.

Martial arts master Lin Su Yoshimura is a force to be reckoned with. Now in the US after being shunned as a mixed-race Chinese-Japanese girl, then kidnapped as a teen and sold into the sex-trafficking trade, Lin Su is rescued from an abusive New York pimp by one of the city’s top-level cocaine dealers. Navigating both back alleys and opulent venues with lethal grace, Lin Su finds her way forward through the underbelly of the city, as she wrestles with the horrors of her past.

The Core Series continues with the second installment, where we see the battle on earth over and Chardon taking his place as the leader of New Lassa. Halfar returns to Azrom resuming his role as Supreme Ruler. A new conflict rises from the reptilian race, Razznians. Bitter about a broken deal set up long ago by Chardon’s mate, Sestis, they are coming to collect. Discontent among the Lassians and Azrominans rears its ugly head yet again as members in their trusted circle seem to have their own agendas. The two leaders have a lot of work to do as an enemy assault lurks in the horizon.

Captain James Henry has finally gained what he long desired - redemption. Yet not even his restored military honors and reputation can wipe away the bitter taste in his mouth after 15 years weighed down by guilt and shame. Before deep-seated betrayal sends Jim to the bottom of another whiskey bottle, the past again rears its ugly head when the Shadow Wolf’s first mate is kidnapped by an unholy enemy alliance. To rescue her from their clutches, Jim swallows his injured pride and accepts assistance from an unlikely source.

Five years have passed since Captain Maria Salus disobeyed orders by helping Ethan return planetside. But far from signaling the end of her military career, Maria’s actions opened the possibility of reconciliation between the UEC and GPS. But not everyone wants peace. Escaping planetside with the refugees, Maria again enlists the help of rangers, Ethan and Summer. Maria must find sanctuary from the planet’s deadly radiation, before Kurren’s crack military unit hunts her down. But the planetsiders have problems of their own.

Dozens have fallen before a mysterious menace hiding among them. Their only connection is the grisly condition of their bodies — hollowed-out chasms where their eyes used to be. Setting aside the aging case on his wife’s murder, Detective Greg Loren has returned to the city with the task of stopping the bearer of the Medusa coin — an artifact with power over Death himself — from continuing to slaughter the people of Portents.

It takes more than truth to serve justice. Captain James Henry is left stinging after the latest firefight. However, lost cargo and payments mean little as a disturbing message reaches into neutral space - his uncle is dying. Uncle Charlie was the one who saved his life after Jim’s disgraceful dismissal from the Coalition Defense Force. He owes the man an enormous debt for giving him renewed purpose.

The beasts Detective Loren and Soriya Greystone battled in Lou Paduano’s debut book Signs of Portents were just a hint of what lurks in the city. Tales from Portents explores the city’s immersive history, including stories of Loren’s descent after his wife’s death - and his opportunity to have her rise from the grave. Soriya battles gremlins, navigates lessons with Mentor, and meets the werewolf Luchik. Follow new characters with expansive histories as they come face to face with the horrors of Portents - both human and otherwise.

What once was his downfall becomes their saving grace. Hard-fought skirmishes leave Captain James Henry and the Shadow Wolf limping into Lusitania’s port. Payday awaits once the undercover operative is safely delivered planet-side to brief authorities on the League of Sol’s activities within neutral territory. But Jim learned long ago never to take anything at face value.

To save his family.... A boy must be quick. But can he survive the game? Twist’s parent’s died in a prison colony. He has to save his sister from the same fate. But to escape, Twist will need allies, and all of his speed and wits. He and his crew must do the impossible.... And defeat the children of the ruling class within the world of The Game.

A century ago, the world fell - but the war never ended. Now, the survivors of the apocalypse are reunited, and a new fight begins. A century after the war that destroyed the planet, the UEC and GPS remain locked in a generational conflict. Split between a vast orbital space station and a base on the moon, neither faction can return to the scorched and irradiated planet.

When you've lost everything, there's only one way to go...unless you find a new direction. Stranded in the scablands, Twist is lost in the dust again. To find his way out, he’ll have to make new allies, learn new skills, and overcome crippling self doubt. Will Twist find himself in time to save Canyon City?

Living in the country today is hard. Life was even harder over a century ago. Many families developed a healthy dose of faith and humor to deal with surviving their harsh conditions. Oral history and family traditions were passed down from these hardy pioneers. Lucius shares some mostly true stories about friends and family from the 1890s to the present day. Learn about how his forefathers and foremothers dealt with snakes, outdoor plumbing, the first automobiles, and local watering holes. Lucius brings it back to the house with more of his adventures. 

Portents is a city like no other - and one that Detective Greg Loren can’t wait to escape. Since his wife’s death years earlier, Loren has looked forward to the moment he can leave the city of Portents for good - and never look back. But fate has another plan for Loren. Called back to duty, Loren finds himself embroiled in a series of murders that has shaken the city. Together with Soriya Greystone, a young woman with unearthly powers, Loren must work quickly to find the otherworldly being that is killing citizens of Portents one at a time.

The key to their survival lies with one man - if they can find him. With the refugees safe planetside, Commander Maria Salus returns to the UEC moon base to put down General Kurren’s coup and restore peace. Meanwhile, with the help of their new allies, Ethan and Summer prepare to take the fight back to the Maddened. But in the face of overwhelming odds, they are forced to take a dangerous new direction. The key to their survival lies in wiping out the genetically-mutated savages that are pouring out of the derelict megacity.