Title: Shadow Crossing
Author: Catherine Spangler
Published in April 2003 by LoveSpell
Genre: Futuristic
IBSN: 0-505-52524-0
Related Books: (1) Shielder (2) Shadower (3) Shamara
(5) Shadow Fires
Space is truly the final frontier, and it keeps expanding for Celie Cameron. Since they found Shamara, and Eirene had found the rest of the Enhancer population, the Shielders had settled. Life in the new quadrant is fairly dull now, for a pilot who was used to the dangers of the Controller's prisons, their Anteks, the Shadowers, and constant predation of the pirates that plagued their old quadrant of space. Here, the peace was almost boring, and the smuggling was no longer, but now the open trade was encouraged throughout this new sector. The term "smuggler" and Celie Cameron were not the same, not anymore. Mariah had taught her well though, and she is equipped to handle any thing this new quadrant of space has to offer.
The problem of the new sector? The excitement is now gone from the work, and until she arrived on Joba, she thought the Interstellar Council had regulated and eliminated the grinding poverty in the Verante Sector. That she had seen too much of before, and so the conditions on Joba were a surprise to her. This delivery had seemed to be so normal, and now, she is not quite sure where it all went wrong. The android at her side, and the enigmatic ship's captain have her puzzled. Then there is Nessa's daughter, her stow-away, Raven McKnight. Raven has her worried because she has been mooning over the ship's captain, Max. Although he has been nothing but kind, attentive, and polite, the girl is infatuated and so Celie worries...what will go wrong next? After all, her ship is still on Joba, and her ship is her life....she needs to get back to it and get it out of there.....soon.
Maximilian Rurickko Riordan never counted on the pilot of the supply ship to be a woman, let alone the woman of his dreams. The tall, leggy, statuesque blond is different from the women he's used to having around. This ship's captain stirs something in him that he thought no one could. He is a man of experience, yet he feels as though she was made just for him. Too bad that it won't work. She thinks he is and android, and he cannot tell her any different. He is on a mission, and the loss of the supplies that they had to leave when they escaped from Joba is a big blow. Conditions in the ninth sector of the Verante quadrant were appalling and the secret well kept by higher authorities. Rurick is certain that members of the Interstellar Council are behind this, but he needs proof and he needs it fast.
The promise that he made to his father, to use his android Max as a double when he traveled like this was a serious crimp in the action for him. There is nothing he would like more than the distractions that Celie could give him, but she is a unique puzzle for him. She is a puzzle where some of the pieces just don't seem to fit. She is all woman, soft, feminine, alluring, but there is another quality there that eludes him. Under the tough exterior is something else, a fleeting vulnerability that she conceals quite well. He has glimpsed it several times. It attracts him, brings out the protector in him and he wishes very much that he could take her away from whatever is troubling her for a while....a few cycles...or seasons...maybe a lifetime?
Once again, Catherine Spangler weaves a wonderful tale that takes us to the stars with Shadow Crossing. The Shielders have settled well into the Verante quadrant, and Celie has been kept busy shuttling supplies and delivering cargoes around the quadrant. The peace and prosperity of the places she visits are astounding, and yet her entire vision of the "perfect quadrant" is blown when she runs into Maximillian Rior, android extraordinaire. Mistaking the android for human and the human for android has been a ploy that has worked so often, but now Rurick, the "android" of the pair, finds himself wishing things could be different. Darn the promises made.
Join Rurick and Celie as they explore their very own Shadow Crossing in the Verante quadrant. Come along as they seek the answers to the problems that plague the ninth sector and the House of Riordan. Follow along as they sail through the treacherous shoals of space, enduring ambush, shipwreck, Tobals, and betrayal, only to find a love that will transcend the problems. This April release from Dorchester publishing is a must buy for those who have the others and an excellent initiation into the future as written by Catherine Spangler. Shadow Crossing has been present in a bookstore near you since April....Keep you eyes open so you don't miss it!
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
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