Sheerspace Series

Originally published as "Enslaved by Starlight" in HOTTER ON THE EDGE: Science Fiction Romance Anthology. Winner of the 2012 InD'Tale RONE Award for Novellas and a Night Owl Reviews 4 1/2 Stars Top Pick Her body is his prize, but he'll risk the stars for her love... Transformed by empathic crystals into the perfect paramour, Benedetta Galil is the last treasure of her fading world. When raiders attack—seeking to corrupt the crystals and conquer all of charted space—she gives herself as a prize to the one man in the universe who values freedom over power. Mercenary sheership Captain Corso Deynah left oppression behind him on a burning planet and has no use for a sex slave, even one as seductive as Benedetta. But while he stubbornly resists her body, her fierce spirit tempts him, and he will risk everything—his ship, his seclusion, the very stars—to win not just her passion but her love. *** “Sexy, steamy, and action packed, this novella will knock you off your feet! The fantastic Jessa Slade masterfully weaves romance and action into the lives of Corso and Benedetta–and pulls it off with a flourish!” – Bitten By Love Reviews “ENSLAVED BY STARLIGHT is a truly wonderful reading experience. Jessa packed more story into this novella than I’ve read in some full-length novels. I highly recommend this novella for anyone who has enjoyed science fiction romance in the past or would like to experience it for the first time now.” – Unwrapping Romance *** Queen of Starlight: Sheerspace Book 1 -- Originally published in HOTTER ON THE EDGE Prince of Passion: Sheerspace Book 2 -- Originally published in HOTTER ON THE EDGE 2 Assassin's Hunger: Sheerspace Book 3 -- COMING SOON! *** Excerpt Corso stepped outside, breathing out hard to clear the lingering sweet scent of pixberry from his lungs, and stared up at the sky. At the almost inaudible pad of bare feet behind him, he stiffened. Benedetta’s more subtle perfume teased him, and his heartbeat ramped even higher than it had that long-ago day when the sheer-ship plasma scorched the earth around him. “Is it strange to see the stars from this angle?” He glanced at the woman beside him. The silver l’auraly markings curled up the slender column of her neck to brush the points of her jaw, and the traceries glimmered even in the faint starlight. Every soldier knew, a sharp blow to those pressure points could disable. A kiss along those same lines could… He crushed the wayward thought. “What?” She gestured upward, and the inner skin of her wrist glinted. “In your ship, you’re so much closer to them. They are beautiful from here, even through the ice rings and the light of three moons. They must be utterly amazing when you are up there alone with them.” “You don’t see them at all in the sheerways. It’s all black. Unless you’re tangled, and then I’m told you see every star and moon and nebula at once in the nanosecond before your ship is shredded.” She blinked. “Well, Captain Deynah, and here I wondered if you had any music in your soul.” “Keep wondering.” *** Want to receive the New Release & 99¢ Alert from Jessa Slade? Sign up at http://bit.ly/Jessa-Slade-newsletter for breaking news on new books and sales.

Originally published in HOTTER ON THE EDGE 2: Science Fiction Romance Anthology, a Night Owl Reviews 4 1/2 Stars Top Pick Bred to be a legendary lover, he was untouched...until her When raiders targeted his homeworld, Icere—the last male l'auralyo in the universe—helped destroy the empathic crystals that were his destiny, rather than letting them be corrupted. Now he channels his passion into revenge. Tracking the raiders through the interstellar sheerways to a watery world infamous for its aphrodisiac liqueur, he finds a queen—as adrift and alone as he—forced for years into a fate she never desired. Saya-Rynn inherited command and control from her cruel grandfather and transformed her dangerous planet into a paradise—but the price was a poison that runs through her veins. Though she feels as ancient as the seas, she finds herself awash in the hot male potency of the young Icere. When the raiders strike again, Rynn must embrace her troubled legacy, and Icere will find his place as a lover and a fighter. Together, the reluctant ruler and the deposed prince of passion find common purpose, combating the mysterious entity seeking to rule the sheerways, and claim a love as bright as the infinite stars. *** Excerpt Rynn approved the last of the festival plans—everything under crunch deadlines with the early arrival of the spring storm season. She'd had no time to review the cruiseliner manifests, so she asked one of her assistants to run down details on the newly arrived Icere. While she welcomed outworld ideas along with outworld credits, she knew too well that outsiders could also bring trouble. If pretty Icere was nothing worse than the usual sycophant, making himself comfortable as a suckerfish around another world's aristocracy, she could let that pass. If he was a threat to those she loved… The barge had quieted for the night when she left her office. Though her primary residence was on one of the central atolls, she enjoyed the time on the barge. It was large enough to rival some of the islands for square footage and was stable in all but the worst seas, but she sensed the subtle rocking of the waves beneath the plasteel and it soothed her as nothing else could. Nothing else… Her restless steps took her down one of the guest room corridors: one with the room assigned to the stranger. She should have asked her assistant to stay until Rynn had confirmed that this Icere was harmless. She wouldn't be able to rest wondering if her son's latest companion was anything besides what he'd shown the world. Not that he'd shown much, considering the high-necked tunic and mysterious gloves. Without another moment's hesitation, she went to his room and knocked. It was late, she was being rude—even for a reigning monarch—but she didn't care. She would see what he was when he wasn't expecting to be attacked. "Yes?" His voice through the comm sounded sleepy. She entered the override code and the door slid open. He took a step back, blinking. "Saya. To what do I owe this…visit?" A quick glance showed her that the common area was empty. The bedroom and bath were enclosed separately, out of sight, but no other voice called out in curiosity. Still, she asked for confirmation, "You are alone?" The corner of his mouth kicked up in a lazy smile, showing off that dimple again. "Not now that you are here."

About the SHEERSPACE series: Hot as the suns... Cool and sharp as spun steel... The alpha male heroes of futuristic romance will take you to the stars! ASSASSIN'S HUNGER was first published in the science fiction romance novella anthology, SCI FI NIGHTS. ASSASSIN'S HUNGER Stripped of her identity by a cybernetic mercenary corporation, Shaxi was a mindless killer until the corporation was destroyed and set her free. Now lost and alone, she desperately needs to master her unlinked programming before she succumbs to the rogue madness. But the electromagnetic storm that might save her also blows in the Asphodel, a sheership with more mysteries and menaces than Shaxi has ever faced…including the enigmatic Eril Morav, a heartless assassin on a quest to save the sheerways, even at the cost of his own soul. Eril thinks he’ll use Shaxi to do his dirty work, but she might be the one being in the universe who can light his black-hole heart. WARNING: Includes a brooding hero who needs a conscience-adjustment, a kick-ass heroine who will definitely kick his ass, science fiction adventure, and steamy sex scenes. 55,000 words QUEEN OF STARLIGHT: Sheerspace 1 FREE! PRINCE OF PASSION: Sheerspace 2