In a dangerous future threatened by aliens and infiltrated by hybrids, archeologist Celene Dupres witnesses her father's murder. Vowing to avenge him and retrieve his precious alien relics, she finds the perfect ally and protector. But the man she trusts, the man with whom she is falling in love, is the secret agent sent to kill her.
Kin, however is more than a killing machine. Despite his love for Celene, can he accomplish his gruesome mission, and save humanity from the threat embedded in her DNA?
Celene found it difficult to breathe, as if the dot of a phaser gun heated her nape. Then she recognized the uneasy sensation. Someone was watching her!
Celene spun around and stared straight at her watcher. Twenty feet away, a tall oriental man in a tan Italian suit and black silk shirt leaned against the wall in an easy stance, sipping from a square glass. Who was he? An ORION hit man? Had he seen what happened to her? Was he watching her for personal or professional interest?
He looked Chinese, with a curtain of wavy black hair framing a serious face. What a magnificent specimen of raw animal sex appeal. His splendidly muscled frame turned away from her gaze, and the very gesture made her ache for his attention.
She hated herself for that weakness but could not help it. Although troubled by her emotional response to the handsome Chinese, Celene must find out why he watched her, so she walked toward the mysterious man who made her pulse quicken. Careful, there. She felt light-headed. Was it the aftermath of her near invisibility, the Champagne, or the adrenalin? She wanted him to look at her, she wanted to gaze into the depths of his wide almond eyes. Even from a distance, he looked dangerous, like a Bengal tiger, never to be tamed.
It took no effort to smile when she reached him. "My name is Celene Dupres, archeologist." She extended her free hand.
With a surprised and slightly embarrassed smile, the stranger faced her in a graceful motion. "Armand Dupres's daughter?" She detected a hint of Mandarin accent. When he took her offered hand in a warm grip, his dark gaze made her legs feel like pudding. "Kin Raidon, avid collector, at your service."
I wish.
"You said something?" His open grin bothered her as he caressed the magnificent jade medallion of an exquisite dragon on his muscled chest. Could he read her feelings?
Celene felt herself flush. "And what do you collect, Mr. Raidon?"
"Please, call me Kin. I specialize in Anaz-voohri artifacts. Found any lately?" His enigmatic expression made the question sound even more dangerous.
Celene cleared her throat. "These relics are rare and most of them have been appropriated by the Global Government. I know of none available for purchase at the moment." She paused. "Why were you watching me earlier?"
His dark brown eyes glinted with flecks of gold. "Maybe I was watching the same man you were watching."
"I wasn't watching anyone." How unsettling to discover she had been so obvious despite her efforts to look natural.
"Yes you were." Kin nodded in the direction the officer had gone. "He noticed you, and from him it's never a good thing. He's a dangerous man."
Professional Reviews
Fallen Angels Reviews - 5 angels rating
"among the best reads of the year!"
Relics is the story of Celene, one of seven little girls from Earth abducted by an alien race and returned to Earth genetically implanted with a trigger the aliens plan to use to conquer Earth.
Celene, an archaeologist, receives a call from her father pertaining to a find, a possible alien ship crash site and requests her assistance with the discovery. She arrives at the Carpathian mountain site just in time to witness a massacre of all involved at the dig and to see the parties responsible. Anxiety and terror trigger something in Celene which allows her to become invisible and therefore saves her own life. This invisibility also allows her to acquire one of the alien relics before they are taken away by the killers. Determined to bring her father's killer to justice Celene begins on a path which leads her to Kin Raidon, an operative for a secret organization whose mission is to stop the alien threat. Together they must race against time to solve the mystery of the relics before Celene herself becomes the next weapon of destruction the aliens use against earth.
Second book of the Pleiades series- Relics is a nonstop action packed adventure from start to finish. An exceptional tale full of unexpected plot twists and turns, action aplenty, and sexy heroic characters. Kin is a sizzling hot and powerful hero, a compelling blend of strength and tenderness, of light and darkness. The perfect counterpart to the brave and determined Celene. She is a heroine more than capable of taking care of herself with a sharp intelligence and good sense of self, which holds up even when the truth of her past unfolds. A fabulous plot, suspense, danger,steamy love scenes and a touching conclusion combine to equal a unparalleled story destined to achieve a place of honor on the 'keeper shelf'. I consider this to be among the best reads of the year!
Round Table Reviews
"It's an absolute page-turner and I could barely put it down."
Archaeologist and linguist Celene Dupres arrives at her father's groundbreaking dig at an alien crash site just in time to witness his murder and betrayal by his partner and best-friend. Clinging to the shadows, Celene watches as a government agency scours the area and removes all traces of the dig site. Still reeling from the scenes she has witnessed, Celene realizes that the reason she hasn't been apprehended by these sanctioned thugs is that she is invisible!
Celene vows to avenge her father, redeem his work, and discover the mysteries behind this violence and her own strange capabilities. On her quest, Celene meet Kin Raidon, a darkly dangerous and devastating handsome, Mythos operative. Kin seems to have the same goals as Celene, but could his motives be more sinister? As she is drawn closer to Kin and the mystery behind her father's death and her own past become clear, Celene begins to wonder just whose side the debonair Kin Raidon is on. Mystery, romance, action, and drama abound in this futuristic thriller.
Celene is Lara Croft, Agent Scully, and Betty Friedan all in one! This isn't your usual boy-rescues-girl action/adventure. Celene Dupres is a heroine who stands on her own two feet and manages to save the day and, indeed, the planet itself. Confronted with unpleasant secrets about her past and the persons she holds most dear, Celene bravely accepts grim truths and works to find solutions to her problems. She's a witty, intelligent modern-day woman who loves her cat and is as comfortable in a pair of fatigues and hiking boots as she is in heels.
Kin Raidon is likewise no typical muscle-bound hero--although he's certainly not lacking in the smoldering good looks department. He's a man who respects Celene, who makes decisions based on the facts, and who is willing to own up to his mistakes. Together, Celene and Kin, make a dynamic set of sleuths--discovering the dark plot behind Celene's father's death and the grim danger facing the planet with finesse and tons of romantic tension.
RELICS is a great book! The characters are compelling and the dialogue is sparkling. The villains (both human and alien) have foibles that make them seem real and even more dangerous for their everyday irrationalities. The Anaz-voohri Kavak's fits of pique at Wasaw and Carrick's obsession with his assistant, Flavia, give the bad guys dimension. By adding idiosyncrasies to the villains, Ms. Schartz gives us antagonists who live and breathe and are dynamic equals to the hero and heroine. Likewise, the support characters (including Isis the cat) are multi-dimensional and memorable. Blanchard's unexpected sacrifice and Wasaw's pleasure at infuriating Kavak add so much to the story. RELICS abounds with plot twists, comic turns of event, romantic interludes, and high-speed escapes. It has everything that a reader looks for in an action/adventure epic! The fact that RELICS is part of an exciting series of books is the icing on the cake.
Anyone looking for a great summer read should check out this book! It's an absolute page-turner and I could barely put it down. The ending is sweet and fulfilling, the romance is steamy, and the mystery never lets the reader down. I can't wait for the next book in this exciting series and I'm running to the bookstore for the first Operation: Pleiades book.
Readers of Tom Clancy, William Gibson, and Robert Ludlum will find this book enthralling--just don't expect the boys to save the day--as will sci-fi aficionados in general. Good work, Ms. Schartz!
Romance Reviews Today
"Oh boy, is it captivating."
hey are the seven sisters of Pleiades. Taken from their homes as small children, their DNA was altered by the Anaz-voohri, an alien race of people who want to destroy humans and take over the Earth. Buried deep within each girl is a triggering device, and when the time is right, they will each carry out their programmed mission.
Archeologist Celene Depres receives a call from her father, who has discovered what could quite possibly be the biggest find in years, an Anaz-voohri ship complete with alien bodies. Excited beyond belief, Celene hops a plane and heads to meet her father and examine the artifacts. When she arrives, it's just in time to see her father and everyone else at the dig site killed by a group known as ORION. Celene fears being seen but is amazed to discover she can become invisible. Only one other person survives the attack, her father's oldest friend, Emile Blanchard. Horror and anger fills Celene when she realizes that Blanchard betrayed her father. Why would he do such a thing? For the money? The artifacts? Celene follows the trail of the artifacts and they lead her straight to Russia, where she comes face to face with her father's killer, Jason Carrick, leader of ORION, and a very handsome man named Kin Raidon. Who is he and why is he watching Carrick?
Mythos operative Kin Raidon's latest assignment is to stop Celene Dupres before she is activated to carry out her part in the destruction of Earth. Interest sparks between the two when they first meet, and Kin wonders why she too is watching Carrick. Celene confides in him, telling him about her father's death and Carrick's part in it. She also tells him about the crystal shards found at the dig site. Kin soon learns there is more to Celene than meets the eye. When he finds out that she has the ability to become invisible, Kin wonders if that gift is to help her carry out her mission. The two agree to work together, and the attraction between them flares up providing a brief respite from the case. Will Kin be able to carry out his orders to kill Celene now that he's developed feelings for her?
The second book in the Operation: Pleiades series is RELICS, and oh, boy, is it captivating. From the first word, readers will be entranced by the multifaceted characters and the story-driven plotline. Celene is an intelligent, independent woman who has an inner strength that this reader grew to admire. Even in the face of untold danger, she does what needs to be done. Kin is a strong, admirable man who wants nothing more than to kill Carrick himself, especially since Carrick is the one who murdered his family and his first love. Kin's focus is two-fold: to save the world and hopefully the woman he loves. Hovering in space, the Anaz-voohri are watching and waiting for Celene to start the destruction process.
Without conscious thought or knowledge, Celene does exactly that and is horrified to discover what she is and what she quite possibly has done. She's distraught and angry when she learns the truth about herself and what she was created to do. But more devastating than that is her discovering the man she loves is the one sent to kill her.
Author Vijaya Schartz writes an entrancing tale filled with action-packed adventure, danger at every turn, and a romance all rolled up into a neat little package.
The AL-EX Project (ALternative EXistence) is my first foray into light science fiction, written under the name of C M Donaldson (my real name) with a tale that tells of what happens when our main character aims to explore the dream state and manipula
