Title: STARQUEST - The Destiny Trilogy (Book 1 (Each book is a complete story)
Author: Hywela Lyn
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Book Blurb:
When Jestine Darnell is rescued from her sabotaged starship by the crew of the Destiny her only objective is to complete her mission and keep her promise to save a world from slavery. Love is the last thing on her mind. However, she has not counted on losing her heart to Kerry Marchant the ship’s second in command, who makes his distrust of her painfully obvious, despite the chemistry between them. The completion of her mission has consequences that neither of them could have foreseen.
Enter Dahll Tarron, who becomes involved in a long and dangerous quest to find the Destiny. Fates become intertwined, perils shared, culminating in the realization that sometimes love may be so close that there is a danger it will not be recognized until it is too late…
Excerpt:
She made her way to the hydroponics section. She searched the leafy walkways between the trees and flowering plants and shrubs, until she found him. He was completing adjustments to a control panel hidden behind what was ostensibly a stone arch covered with foliage and a profusion of blue and purple blossom.
He turned when she spoke his name. "Jess, I thought you were asleep. I'd not expected to see you here."
"I couldn't sleep. I wanted to be with you." She paused. "Did you sort out the problem here?"
"Yes, it was nothing serious. A slight temperature fluctuation, that was all, although the malfunction that caused it could have become more serious. The computer woke me and alerted me to the situation. I've made sure it will not happen again."
He put his arm around her shoulder and drew her toward a low, comfortably padded seat, beneath a thicket of low bushes covered in a profusion of tiny, multi-coloured blossoms just emerging from bud. Their scent, which filled the air, reminded her of honeysuckle on Earth. A few metres away, a holographic fountain tinkled and splashed, near a discreetly placed observation scanner. On it, she saw Phidia growing almost imperceptibly larger as they hurtled toward the planet at just under light speed.
"You really love this ship, don't you, Kerry?"
"Yes," he agreed. "She is the culmination of years of work and planning, the fulfilment of a dream."
She looked at him quizzically. He seated himself beside her, pressing her head against his shoulder and stroking her hair.
"Oh, yes." He smiled, that rare, flashing smile, which made her senses reel. "I too have had dreams. Jon and I have been friends since we were boys, and long ago we decided we would build a ship as great as any seen on Earth. This ship...a ship to take us away from the stagnation and oppression of the Union."
"It must've cost—"
"The Earth?" he looked amused. "Not quite, although Jon came from one of the wealthiest families in the Union. The Destiny was built with his money, plus that of a few other interested parties."
"And your design?"
He nodded. "The initial design, anyway. I know every inch of her, every circuit, every detail down to the smallest component." He held her closer. "I saw her grow from an image in my mind to a ship faster and more advanced than anything in the Allied Planets. I thought it was all I needed...until now." He looked deep into her eyes. "Jess, the Destiny means a great deal to me, but I would give her up without a moment's hesitation, rather than lose you."
"That's a choice you'll never have to make." She as silent for several minutes, lost in her own thoughts.
After a while, he drew her attention to the scanner, the distinctive timbre of his voice breaking into her reverie. "We'll be there in just forty-seven hours."
"I know."
"You don't sound too happy about it. It is what you wanted, is it not? What you were considering hijacking the Destiny for?"
"Kerry, don't." She sat up and looked at him in concern, not sure if he was teasing her. "You know I would never have done anything to endanger the ship, even though it's so vital I bring help to Phidia."
"So what's wrong, Jess?"
She shook her head in confusion. "I...I don't know. That is...oh, I'm probably being irrational—"
He studied her solicitously for a moment. "You've not been sleeping well these last few nights, have you?"
She lowered her head quickly. "I've been having strange dreams—"
"Dreams...you mean nightmares?"
"No, not exactly. More like premonitions. I'm afraid."
His face did not alter expression although his eyes narrowed a little in surprise. "It is understandable. Being a missionary, you can't have had much experience of violence. You don't have to come with us, you can stay on the ship. No one will think any the less of you."
"No, you misunderstand. She shook her head, with a little half-smile. "You have a very old- fashioned idea of my profession, my love. I've seen plenty of violence. I don't hide from it because of my calling, and I've had to learn to fight and defend myself in times of danger. There's no way I'd let you fight Ayandos without me. I'm not unprepared for death, nor do I fear it. I'm not afraid for myself."
"Who, then?"
"You, of course, Kerry. If anything were to happen to you—"
"I am quite capable of handling an adversary like Ayandos, however nefarious."
She shuddered. "You don't know Ayandos. He's treacherous, and although you may not understand the concept, he is evil. And he has others with him."
"Not too many, from what you've told me. We will take him completely by surprise. From what you've said, it seems unlikely he is expecting you to return, with or without reinforcements."
"I know. Common sense tells me there's no reason why we shouldn't overcome Ayandos and his men. That everything will be all right. But in my dreams—I can never quite remember what happens—but I wake up feeling scared and alone. Terribly alone."
He held her in his arms, kissing her face and her hair. "I will never leave you Jess...and nothing's going to happen to me. Nothing. I'll never leave you," he repeated.
Her heart lurched as she looked into the eyes she had once thought cold, unable to hide the longing, or the anxiety in her own. "Do you mean that? Are you sure this is what you want?" she asked, torn between her desperate need for reassurance of his feelings toward her and a genuine desire to say nothing that would make him feel trapped into giving up the freedom she knew he
valued so highly.
He drew her close to him again. "How sure do you think I have to be? I love you, Jess."
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
AMAZON US (Available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback or Audio format)
What makes your featured book a must-read?
“The lovely, lovely descriptions never slow the action, but manage still to convey emotion and carry the narration forward. This is an incredibly original tale, and – for all the science fiction trappings – is truly a classic quest for love, and the romance, which at first seems very much at the periphery, will become not only a primary motivation, but the chief joy of the tale.” (Excerpt from LASR Review)
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $20 Amazon gift card:
Open Internationally.
Runs August 23 – August 31, 2023. Winner will be drawn on September 1, 2023.
Author Biography:
Award winning author, Hywela Lyn spent most of her life in Wales, whose beautiful landscapes and wealth of myths and legends inspired her to write. Together with fantasy tales, she weaves romantic Science Fiction adventures set in the future, and on distant, mysterious worlds, with characters who overcome great odds to find deep and enduring love: Stories she hopes will truly take you 'out of this world' and beyond. She writes under her real first two names which reflect her Welsh ancestry.
A keen animal lover, especially horses and dogs, she is pet-parent to a rescued terrier, Choccy, who manages to twist her round his little paw. When she is not writing, she can usually be found enjoying the outdoors with the horses and dog - or just eating chocolate! She is a member of The Romantic Novelists' Association and Chiltern Writers, her local writing group. Lyn loves to hear from readers, who can write to her at Hywelalyn@hywelalyn.co.uk and she will always reply if you leave contact details. To know a reader enjoyed her books and was able to escape for a little while 'out of this world' makes her happier than words can express.
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