From the books by Kayelle Allen. Includes At the Mercy of Her Pleasure, For Her Only, and Her Crystal Clear Truth.
In this scene, Senth and NarrAy have just met. She's considering whether to hire him to help her steal back the designs for a prototype her murdered parents designed. Because she's a Better, an enhanced human with addictive pheromones, she's not permitted to touch anyone skin-to-skin. Senth puts on gloves and prepares to shake her hand. All her life, she has been isolated from touch, so this moment is important to her.
NarrAy offered her hand. She'd practiced this with her father as a girl. "A gentleman doesn't try to overpower a lady's hand, NarrAy. But he isn't afraid to be firm either."
She held his gloved hand between both of hers. "I can see you're a gentleman, Mr. Antonello."
His cheeks reddened. "Just Senth, ma'am."
She squeezed Senth's hand. "And I'm NarrAy. Never Ms. Jorlan, nor ma'am. Not on this job. Understood?"
He met her gaze. "Does that mean you want me?" He blushed again and glanced down at their still-joined hands. "For the job, I mean."
She bit back a laugh. What an innocent. "So long as we're clear on who's in charge."
"When it comes to theft, I am. For everything else, you are, in every way."
He had no idea. But, he had never once looked at her body. Maybe this red dress would be okay after all.
"Come sit." She gestured toward an adjacent room. "Let's talk business."
Click covers for the buy link. Click text for the website page and excerpts.
#SciFi #Romance
You'll find these characters mentioned in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.
Download a printable book list or a list of trigger warnings for all books. Claim your immortality by signing up for my newsletter
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~ Copyright ©2025 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!
My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay.
Welcome to Book Hooks!
Book Hooks is a weekly cooperative meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
The Thieves' Guild tech Senth is about to claim will make him invisible.
There's just one problem.
It can't hide him from the truth...
In this scene, Khyff is about to bolt for freedom when his client says one word that stops him cold.
As usual, Khyff's master hadn't allowed him to eat until he'd met his quota. First up: shower, clean clothes, food. Not necessarily in that order. He kept a few stale crackers hidden in his room for emergencies. He'd satisfied his last client, and was unscheduled the rest of the day. Or at least the next six hours.
Khyff bolted toward freedom.
"So you're an Antonello."
The way the client said it drew Khyff's attention. This particular client was one of the less odious. He didn't grab or cling, he was--thankfully--clean, and he tipped well. Still, the guy was paying for sex and Khyff had no choice. Being a pleasure slave meant you serviced the clients sent to you, or you suffered for it. In Khyff's case, refusing meant risking prison.
He would never go back there, no matter what they made him do here.
Khyff clenched his teeth and pasted on a smile. "Pardon?"
"Your last name." The guy continued getting dressed, seemingly in no hurry. "It's Antonello, right?"
"Why?"
"I never noticed before. It's right here on my receipt." He picked up his mobile and turned the screen toward Khyff. "I mean I've been here what... five times now?" He poked at the screen. "Whoa! Seven. Huh. I should have a free visit after three more."
Khyff choked back a retort. His master was giving away free visits with him? It would take hundreds of client visits to earn enough in his Freedom Savings Account so Khyff could buy himself. If his master was giving him away, it would take forever.
Khyff jerked open the door.
"You don't look like the other one."
Half a step into the hall, Khyff's heart stuttered. He made a slow pivot. "Other one?"
"The other Antonello. You look different."
The world went silent. Khyff came inside, shut the door and leaned against it. "So I'm sure I heard right. You know another Antonello."
"Yeah. I saw the name, and figured you had to be related. Antonello's not common. Not on Kelthia. I'm guessing you don't have much family here."
Good guess. More than three quarters of the world's population was black-skinned. Khyff had blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin.
Could this be a link to his missing mother? Did the client know her? Khyff fought the hope that rose within him. It had been how many years? No, he would not allow himself to hope. When you hoped, people could hurt you more.
#SciFi #WriteLGBTQ #MMRomance
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~ Copyright ©2025 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!
My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay.
In this scene, Senth has just gotten a password protected message from his father and is looking for a private place to hear it. Background - Senth is a professional thief and a student at the Thieves' Guild Academy.
Folks in this town never referred to his father by name. You heard the capital letters when they called him the Man or the Harbinger. Luc Saint-Cyr was the daddy crime lord all the baby crime lords wanted to be like when they grew up.
"Ooh, big scary Man." Senth thumbed off the device. "Please let this be a job and not him finding out I hacked Planet Fun."
He crossed the street and entered the Miraj City Bakery Café. No crowd this early, though a group of professors shared drinks at one of the tables in the back. There were no undergraduate classes this week. Cloak distribution had overturned the beehive.
A clean smell of freshly brewed coffee pulled him deeper into the room.
The android on duty rolled up to him. "Welcome. How may I serve you?"
"Like to use your storeroom a minute." He flashed his father's hand sign. "Private business."
"Of course, sir." The droid offered a keycard.
"Oh, please. I've broken into that room so many times, I prolly owe you guys rent."
On the droid's nametag, a bar of yellow lights indicated confusion. "Pardon, sir?"
"It was a joke. Owing rent for--" Senth held up both hands. "Never mind. No key needed."
He followed the maze of corridors to the back. At the door, he pulled out his lockpick and adjusted the settings. When he pointed it at the lock, the device signaled a lockout error and the tiny screen flashed nonsense letters at him.
What in the worlds did probata mean?
He twisted the tip of the pick and floated the stats as a holovid. Probata Corporation. Wasn't that the system his prof in Premium Fingersmithing ranted about? Something about useless upgrades and pointless codes. What did she say about a bypass trick?
"Think, Senth. You sat there listening to the woman fume for two solid wasted hours."
Oh, no he hadn't.
No, that was the day Senth had flaked out of classes and spent a full day at Planet Fun with his mates. He'd recorded it instead. But had he transcribed it to his code book?
Of course not. And didn't that make this encounter so much more fun? He pinched the bridge of his nose, but his father always did that so Senth stopped it at once.
Why was a lock on a coffee shop's storeroom door harder than a security system at the planet's busiest amusement park? What were they storing in there? The Empress's private coffee stash?
Curiosity over the message from his far-from-patient father burned through his mental pockets. Wait. His father. Surely, he'd have the new codes.
Yes, and then he'd want to know why Senth didn't and no way was he explaining to dear old Dad how he hacked into Planet Fun for "a planetful of fun" instead of going to class.
That fortune Dad paid for Senth to attend classes at the guild academy? Yeah, wasted a full day of it to impress a few girls, which was why he was calling needing a bail out.
And no way was he going back to the droid, stand right in front of a table full of Guild professors, and do the Hey can I borrow your key thing.
Riiight.
#SciFi #WriteLGBTQ #MMRomance
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~ Copyright ©2025 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!
My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay.
In this scene, Luc had rescued a little girl who'd been kidnapped. Only afterward did he discover that her going missing was part of a grand scheme for Pietas to control her scientist-parents. When Pietas shows up unannounced and acts as if nothing happened, Luc confronts him about the kidnapping. Pietas denies it, and when pressed, loses his temper.
Hot-headed doesn't fit Pietas. When angry, his ability to create cold goes into overdrive.
"Remember life when you and Dessy were that age? Genius children. Intelligence off the charts. Abilities no one had ever seen. Yet your father routinely beat and starved you both and for sixteen years kept you in isolation. Dessy for twenty. Is that harm?"
Pietas crossed his arms over his chest. "My father..." He shuddered.
"Mahikos is a brutal, bloodthirsty monster."
Pietas looked at him, naked pain in his eyes.
"You can admit what your father did to you, especially to me. More than anyone, you know what it's like to be isolated and abused. Yet that's the environment you subjected this girl to."
"Have a care, Cyken." Pietas straightened and turned aside. "Do not say that. I didn't know."
"If you'd known, would you have cared that you put a child in harm's way to get what you wanted? No, I think not. Not if you got your way."
"That's not true. I'm warning you." The air chilled. Unlike Luc's gift of Pyro, Pietas created ice, not fire. "You're pushing me."
"Pushing you? If I don't, who will? Yes, I'm pushing you, and why shouldn't I? You put that girl into an abusive situation to get what you wanted." The room's temperature dropped so fast Luc saw his own breath.
"Stop!"
"Why? Because it's cold?" When would Pietas ever see the truth? "If you don't like what you're feeling, then stop. Only you can control yourself. I'm not responsible for how you react."
"That's not true. My father made me this way."
"That's childish and you know it. You're thousands of years old, Pietas. When are you going to grow up?"
"You will not speak to me like that."
"No, I'll talk to you this way because no one else will tell you the truth. You can't face what you are. That's why you don't control yourself. Go ahead. Lose control. I'm not afraid of you. I will not back down. I refuse to allow you to misuse a child. If you aren't man enough to accept the truth, go ahead and freeze me." Luc leaned closer. "I dare you."
Face contorted, Pietas trembled. Frost coated everything within reach. "Cyken, please!"
"Go ahead! Blame your father." He threw up his hands. "That's what you do, isn't it? Condemn Mahikos for creating you with this ability, but you're the one who's ruthless. You demonize your father when it's you who's bloodthirsty."
"Stop." The wineglasses shattered. "Please."
"No! Do it!" Fists balled, Luc took two steps and planted himself in front of Pietas. "Freeze me solid. I don't care. Nothing I say or do will ever reach you, will it? No. Because you"-- He punctuated his words with a finger jab into Pietas's chest --"are just like your father."
Ice crackled over Luc's skin and frigid air leeched every vestige of heat from his lungs.
Click covers for the buy link. Click text for the website page and excerpts.
#SciFi #Romance
Welcome to Book Hooks!
Book Hooks is a weekly cooperative meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
You'll find these characters mentioned in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.
Download a printable book list or a list of trigger warnings for all books. Claim your immortality by signing up for my newsletter
Immortal Reviews Rock & Rule - Join the Review Team
~ Copyright ©2025 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!
My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay.
In this scene, Luc had rescued a little girl who'd been kidnapped. Only afterward did he discover that her going missing was part of a grand scheme for Pietas to control her scientist-parents. When Pietas shows up unannounced and acts as if nothing happened, Luc confronts him about the kidnapping. Pietas denies it.
With Pietas, the truth was often in what wasn't said as much as what was. "Then you hired some lackey to do it."
"A king has no need for lackeys." Pietas drew back a lock of silver hair and flipped it behind his shoulder. "I command soldiers. Or if needed, I ask a favor. Like I did you."
"You asked someone to kidnap this child for you, then you put her into the Guild and asked me to find her."
"I told you. I did not kidnap her."
"If you asked someone to do it, it's kidnapping!" He snapped the wineglass stem, stabbing his hand. He dropped the pieces and pressed a thumb against the cut. The blood staunched. The cut healed within seconds. "Don't skirt the truth. You thrust that child into danger to get what you wanted."
"Spare me the theatrics." Pietas flipped a hand. "The girl wasn't harmed."
"The Guild told her that her parents were dead. They isolated her! She's a Better. Are you aware what the Guild does to non-humans?"
"Betters are human."
"Not to the Guild."
"They are human." Pietas turned his back. "I should know. I designed them. Genetic manipulation is my role in this lifetime."
"As I said, not to the Guild. I rescued a HalfKin child today. They'd been locking him in a windowless room in the dark as punishment. They fed him from a bowl on the floor. He's three. Was that harmless?"
"That's barbaric." Pietas grimaced. "Why would the Guild do that?"
"Because he isn't human. Imagine what they'd do if they discovered what I am."
Click covers for the buy link. Click text for the website page and excerpts.
#SciFi #Romance
Welcome to Book Hooks!
Book Hooks is a weekly cooperative meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
You'll find these characters mentioned in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.
Download a printable book list or a list of trigger warnings for all books. Claim your immortality by signing up for my newsletter
Immortal Reviews Rock & Rule - Join the Review Team
~ Copyright ©2025 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!
My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay.
A slow-burn, forced proximity scifi alien romance
His mission: firestorms
Her mission: protect him.
She just fell in love with her work...
This scene takes place after Joe was rescued by Shohn and taken to her home for safekeeping. He'd awakened to find an intruder in his hotel room. Shohn received an alert and decided he needed a safer place. After all, this man holds the possible key to two conflicting missions that Shohn must deal with. This part is right after she settled him in and then left the room.
Hands behind his head, Joe lay on the bed. He couldn't sleep if he tried, so he hadn't bothered pulling down the sheets. Faint light from around the door cast a bit of light on the ceiling. Before long, that went out, and he found himself in darkness.
He pulled out his mobile and brought up Imperinet. "Search people," he told the device. "Basic background on Kin Shohn Lexius."
The unit made an answering ping. "Full name Lexius, Shohnahki, born 4624 on Felidae, Lexius Township, age forty-four years. Employed by idBot 4645. Volunteer at Kin Kids Healthcare. Do you require current address?"
"Think I've got that pretty well covered. What's her position at idBot?"
"Ms. Lexius is the Senior Liaison on the Lucsondis security team."
"What is Lucsondis?"
"Lucsondis is an umbrella company owned by Luc Saint-Cyr."
"Saint-Cyr?" Joe rubbed the tight spot between his eyes. Wasn't that just great? "Is there a civilian world equivalent of her position?"
"Comparative titles include Senior Vice President of Security, Senior Vice President of Security and Transport Division, Executive Director of--"
"Okay. I get it. She's powerful and she works for Saint-Cyr." Hadn't his father often lamented not being able to seek research grants outside the TCF? Saint-Cyr's interests in firestorms was a matter of public record. More specifically, in the crystals created during firestorms. "Okay, idBot. Is Ms. Lexius married or dating anyone?" He gritted his teeth, waiting for the answer.
"According to Idle Time Ezine, Ms. Lexius is not and has never been married. She is listed as number seven on a list of the ten 'Most Sought After Businesswomen of Tarth City.'"
And why did that give him such a feeling of satisfaction? Joe set aside his mobile.
So she worked for Saint-Cyr. What would it take to get Shohn to set up a meeting with the man? And if she did, what would it take to keep the TCF from firing him on the spot?
She might be helping him at Saint-Cyr's behest, or because of the research of Joe's father. Maybe even his own. After all, why would an executive that high up in the company take on a missing person case like his? And then bring him right into her own home?
What were her ulterior motives? Was she planning corporate espionage on Saint-Cyr's behalf? But how would she have known Joe would end up in a vulnerable position, the victim of a break-in?
Unless she set it up in order to gain access to him. Or had herself been the one in that room.
No. He'd felt the vibes. Definitely male.
If she was spying on him, why did she have to be so damned attractive?
Joe swallowed. He'd been right. He wouldn't sleep for a week.
Click covers for the buy link. Click text for the website page and excerpts.
#SciFi #Romance
You'll find these characters mentioned in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.
Download a printable book list or a list of trigger warnings for all books. Claim your immortality by signing up for my newsletter
Immortal Reviews Rock & Rule - Join the Review Team
~ Copyright ©2025 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!
My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay.
Welcome to Book Hooks!
Book Hooks is a weekly cooperative meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
Crystal Clear Truth is supposed to be the final* book in the Antonello Brothers series.
I said that when I wrote book #2 also, so there's that.
This excerpt introduces the hero, Joe Townsend.
In this excerpt, we meet him at the start of his journey in Crystal Clear Truth.
*Subject to character approval 😉
Tarthian Empire, Kyrenie
Fenris City, Taskya District
Birit 53
The barren house echoed the void inside. Empty places looked back, demanding a reaction. But Joe Townsend the third had nothing left to give.
From the moment he'd learned of his folks' accidental death, life had screamed past him like a banshee. The never-ending whirlwind of people needing around-the-clock decisions sucked his energy dry. He leaned against the inside of his parents' front door and slid down.
Today, he'd said his formal goodbyes at their memorial. He'd smiled like a wooden soldier at the unending I'm-so-sorrys and the non-stop oh-poor-Joe-how-are-you-doings.
How did they think he was doing?
Life had plunged him into a lightless, inescapable world of sympathetic platitudes.
How could he move forward when everywhere he looked, the past held him fast?
How could he move forward when every step led him further away from the people he'd loved most?
How could he move forward and lever past this pain?
There had to be a better way to handle heartbreak. A saner way.
Joe stood and dusted himself off. He would throw himself into his work. That's what his dad always--
A fresh ache swept over him.
"Whatever you can't change, accept and work through, Son. Focus on what you can do, what you have to do, and don't waste time looking back."
Joe braced an arm across his stomach. Would he ever think of his father's words of wisdom again without this foreboding sensation of loss? This sense that part of himself was missing? Or of his mother and her strength? Her abiding belief in him, encouraging him, guiding the way?
Dragging his feet, Joe staggered through the house, back to the room that had been his when he lived here as a boy, now stripped bare. His parents had put the house on the market and accepted an offer weeks prior to their deaths. They'd put everything in storage, preparing to move. The new owners would arrive tomorrow.
Nothing remained of the place Joe had once called his haven.
There was no home to go to. Starting tomorrow, this place would be someone else's. Not his parents'. Not his. Not anymore.
This sterile room symbolized everything he'd lost.
He couldn't think about this tonight. Couldn't think about work, even work he'd been preparing for his whole life.
Joe had longed for the opportunity to work at his father's side. The pride he'd felt when appointed had rivaled the thrill of collaborating with him. The joy of raw discovery, uncovering new truths while pushing the frontiers of knowledge to the nth degree.
Now, he was taking his father's place instead. Trying to fill shoes he would never be worthy to wear.
Right this moment, success was a meaningless distraction.
Exhausted, he curled up in the middle of the floor, surrounded by nothing but loss. He'd spend one last night in this empty shell of a place he'd once considered home.
Come morning, he'd walk away forever.
Click covers for the buy link. Click text for the website page and excerpts.
#SciFi #Romance
Welcome to Book Hooks!
Book Hooks is a weekly cooperative meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
You'll find these characters mentioned in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.
Download a printable book list or a list of trigger warnings for all books. Claim your immortality by signing up for my newsletter
Immortal Reviews Rock & Rule - Join the Review Team
~ Copyright ©2025 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!
My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay.
Shohn Lexius is a Kin, a catlike alien who looks mostly human. She's been in multiple books, but always as a supporting character. She has a major supporting role in A Stolen Heart, the first book in the Antonello Brothers series. It seemed fitting she should get a starring role in the final* book of the series.
This is her first time having a point-of-view role, and she was full of surprises.
In this excerpt, we meet her at the start of her journey in Crystal Clear Truth.
*"Final" subject to character approval 😉
Excerpt edited for most current content - Mar 2022
Though she ached to slam it, Shohn Lexius eased her office door shut, then took a civil and polite step back. Hissing, she swiped the air with her claws and stuck the smallest ones straight up.
Claws retracted, she stalked to the narrow window, braced her hands on the sill and pressed her forehead to the glass. The spring sun offered no heat. And why? Because on human worlds, builders installed special glass so their precious little sun wouldn't hurt their precious fragile skin.
Humans. Honestly.
Oh, all right, she'd admit human skin was sleek. Nice to stroke. She even liked its smoothness against her tongue, but come on. Would it hurt so much to let in a little heat?
Humans protected themselves from such trivial 'dangers' as sunbeams. On this world, indoor temperatures never fluctuated. And forget opening a window.
Not on the seventieth floor of the city's tallest building.
She laid back her ears, aching for the fresh air of her homeworld. The freedom of a hynder beneath her, galloping full speed in sunshine along the beach. Charging through the forests, cantering in the rain. A purr rumbled in her chest at the memories.
Working up an honest sweat mucking out stalls, tending the stock, shoulder to shoulder with family, everyone laughing and singing. Accepting her word that when she asked for something, she should get it. No one telling her how much money she could spend or asking why she needed it. She reined in her thoughts. That was her old self talking.
The person of privilege her family had reared her to be, not the fighter for equality she'd become. Sometimes, though, living off-world rankled. Here she was, a Kin warrior with the honor blade at her side to prove it, stuck working in a human-oriented office on the capitol planet of what she'd once considered her people's enemy.
Well, she'd brought this on herself, hadn't she? She'd left her homeworld of her own accord. It was her fault she spent every day with round-eyed humans whose ears could hear a third less than her own. A race oblivious to the overpowering reek of its own species.
Not that humans stank, individually. At least, not once they shed themselves of the cloud of cleaners and so-called deodorizers that added more scent to what was already there. But put a crowd of 'clean' humans in a room?
She hissed at the thought.
A Kin's sense of kahlah caught the scent of human lies no matter how small. A handy skill during interrogations. She knew before a human spoke if they would try to pull a fast one, and they all tried. As for the tartness of their fear, well, a clawed Kin had better get used to that pretty fast, because a fanged smile was no help whatsoever.
A knock at the door pulled her back to here and now. She picked up a notereader tablet and fanned herself, dispersing any scent of frustration she might have released.
After straightening her green-and-black uniform jacket, she squared her shoulders. "Come."
Here's the blurb so far for the new book. I plan for this to be the last book in the Antonello Brothers series. We'll see! Sometimes characters have other plans.
His entire life, Joe worked for this moment: Terraforming Specialist First Class, assigned to the firestorm planet. Yet tragedy mars the day with the accidental death of both parents. Grief-stricken, he plods through family decisions and moves forward, surviving day by day. While reading his mother's handwritten diary, he discovers a folded flatpic of a teenaged girl and the cryptic words, "our son's mother." He searches for details, determined to know more.
When a friend asks Shohn to help a locate someone, she jumps at the chance. She's researching the firestorm planet for her employer, who seeks access to eyes-only information. Helping Joe might be her opportunity to uncover long-hidden secrets.
As their unexpected friendship deepens into more, each mystery they solve reveals yet another hidden layer. The truth they seek could immobilize interstellar commerce in the empire. To protect the Empire they both love, they must solve the riddle behind the elusive young woman in the picture, and trust one another.
But how can they trust when the "truth" they've been fed is a lie?
A slow-burn, forced proximity romance set in the far, far future in an empire full of treachery, mystery, and long-hidden secrets...
Click covers for the buy link. Click text for the website page and excerpts.
#SciFi #Romance
JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly cooperative meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
You'll find these characters mentioned in many books in my story universe.
Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.
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~ Copyright ©2025 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!
My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay.
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Download a printable book list or a list of trigger warnings for all books. Claim your immortality by signing up for my newsletter
Immortal Reviews Rock & Rule - Join the Review Team
~ Copyright ©2025 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!
My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay.
One of the fun things about writing a series is that you get to use some of the same settings in different books.
The Royal Arms Hotel has played host to characters in two books and the one I'm writing now features it as well.
In each of these scenes, a character is looking out a window toward Tarth City Park, a wide stretch of park that splits the entire city.
Once they reached the Royal District, the car pulled up to the front of the luxurious Royal Arms Hotel. Shaped like a giant arrow being driven into the ground, it displayed Tyran engineering at its finest. Like their suite on the ship, the empire-class suite at the top sported a common living area and four bedrooms with private baths.
NarrAy's corner room had a breathtaking view of vast Tarth City, showcase of the empire. Impossibly tall spires drove through the clouds. Steady shuttle traffic climbed into the sky to the west, near the starport. The wide swath of Tarth City Park divided the metropolis in half all the way to the horizon, and the Cyr de Typhin River meandered through the center, its bright blue water glinting in the sun.
Mehfawni's hotel room overlooked Tarth City Park, a green strip of manicured garden that cut the city in half as far as the eye could see. The family servants unpacked her belongings while she stood at the window and gawked like a child. Seventy stories below, ground traffic crawled, and trains snaked out of holes and zipped halfway up the sides of buildings into more holes. In the distance, shuttle traffic cluttered the sky. Slender towering structures speared the clouds. Closer in, right on the edge of the park, a massive black building towered over all the others, dominating the view.
Why didn't it fall over? It looked too big, too flat. Mehfawni went to another window, straining to get a better view. The tallest building on Felidae rose six stories. Her family still used horse-drawn carriages, even though all of them owned modern hovers too. She'd marveled at the starport in Ruh Township, a provincial outpost compared to vast Empire Central on Tarth. She'd slept through the jump to Sanity IV and missed the wonders of seeing the vast array of habdrills taking the planet apart.
By the time Joe reached his room, darkness blanketed the world outside. Out on the balcony, he braced his hands on the railing and drew the moist evening air deep into his lungs. It had been ages since he'd experienced Tarth City's cool evenings. Every bit as good as he remembered. If he had to live anywhere other than Kyrenie, he'd pick here. A whisper of wind shivered across his skin, and he rubbed his arms.
His room lay on the one hundred and tenth floor of a building shaped like the letter V. Tyran engineering ensured it stayed upright, even during the worst storms and earthquakes. Nothing ramshackle. Pure genius, especially considering they designed for people with legs, while they, themselves possessed haunches and hooves.
Lights along the outside raced from the topmost floor downward, giving it the appearance of some gigantic arrow, burying itself. Up here, with fog starting, the light created an ambient glow.
Considering the size and population of Tarth City, the fact that he smelled fresh air and not filtered blankness spoke to an outstanding municipal plan. Creating a city that harmonized with nature began with masterful terraforming.
The major drawback of a megalopolis -- lights stretched from horizon to horizon, blotting out the stars, with the single moon making no more than a thin crescent of silver.
A vibrating rumble tickled his chest. Off to the west, a sleepliner descended toward the starport. That it made only this much sound meant powerful buffers held vibrations at bay. No matter how many times he visited this city or where he went within it, the sight of a massive ship landing almost soundlessly never ceased to amaze.
He'd have stayed out here all night, but he had a workshop to teach the next day, so he dragged himself back inside.
Here's the blurb so far for the new book. I plan for this to be the last book in the Antonello Brothers series. We'll see! Sometimes characters have other plans.
His entire life, Joe worked for this moment: Terraforming Specialist First Class, assigned to the firestorm planet. Yet tragedy mars the day with the accidental death of both parents. Grief-stricken, he plods through family decisions and moves forward, surviving day by day. While reading his mother's handwritten diary, he discovers a folded flatpic of a teenaged girl and the cryptic words, "our son's mother." He searches for details, determined to know more.
When a friend asks Shohn to help a locate someone, she jumps at the chance. She's researching the firestorm planet for her employer, who seeks access to eyes-only information. Helping Joe might be her opportunity to uncover long-hidden secrets.
As their unexpected friendship deepens into more, each mystery they solve reveals yet another hidden layer. The truth they seek could immobilize interstellar commerce in the empire. To protect the Empire they both love, they must solve the riddle behind the elusive young woman in the picture, and trust one another.
But how can they trust when the "truth" they've been fed is a lie?
A slow-burn, forced proximity romance set in the far, far future in an empire full of treachery, mystery, and long-hidden secrets...
Click covers for the buy link. Click text for the website page and excerpts.
#SciFi #Romance
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You'll find these characters mentioned in many books in my story universe.
Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.
Download a printable book list or a list of trigger warnings for all books. Claim your immortality by signing up for my newsletter
Immortal Reviews Rock & Rule - Join the Review Team
~ Copyright ©2025 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!
My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay.
