{"product_id":"blades-of-arris-ranse","title":"Blades of Arris: Ranse","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn an alien world, the Prince of Blades will do anything to possess me.\u003cbr\u003eI can make him an emperor.\u003cbr\u003eHe better treat me like a queen....\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"I really love this series. Characters I care about and worlds I want to explore. There is an actual story in this sci fi romance, not the predictable norm. I really hope we get stories for Erion, Jian and Cullus’s son.\" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Reader\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead if you love:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePrimal Mating Mark\/Bite\u003cspan\u003e💜\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlien Prince🔥\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProtective Hero\u003cspan\u003e⚔️\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDiverse Heroine\u003cspan\u003e🦋\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSpice 4 out of 5\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"What a fun story; I recommend it to anyone looking for a distraction because this is an intense and complicated story line. I am thankful that the horrors are kept at bay, enough information to understand what was done without the lingering details that bring nightmares. This is highly imaginative and suspenseful. The word play is fun. Thank you for the hard work.\" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Reader\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSample from Chapter 4:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpFirst\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e~RANSE~\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpFirst\"\u003eMovement above draws all eyes. I keep mine on Ishula—and she does the same with me—but we also angle to watch as Allie’s hand curls around the edge of the door and her shapely leg moves out of the pod. We can see it in the massive viewscreens that project my image on the walls of every level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eThe nightclub murmurs as she steps out of the pod onto her odd stilt-shoes, her curves such a contrast to our sensible flat shape. Her brown eyes rove over the gathered customers, tracing the heights and depths of her surroundings, but she doesn’t look intimidated or awed, just that she’s taking their measures. Her gaze continues downward and centers on me.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eShe gives me a warm smile, and it feels like being kissed by raw sunlight. “There you are.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“Here I am.” I walk jauntily toward her platform, even though she’s far above me, drawing out the interaction to prove the point to Ishula. “Did you hear? This covetous man wants to take you away from me.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eOrunfax seethes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eAllie’s brows lift, and she puts a hand on her hip, silently challenging anyone to try. “Oh, I heard everything.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“Did you?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“You have an amazing sound system. I feel like I’m right beside you.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“Ishula,” Orunfax snaps.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eThe captain of the guard ignores him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“Lesser.” Orunfax’s voice is filled with the order of doom, and it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I can’t imagine how scary it must be to Allie. “In the name of the empire, come down here.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eAllie’s eyes go wide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“You want me to come down? You want me to…” Allie glances around the throne area, then steps onto the small floating drink tray next to my throne. It’s barely big enough for her to stand with her feet spread apart, and it’s definitely not safe for a lesser who has no idea how to control her body. “…to fly on down and serve myself up to you? Is that what you want?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“Stay up there,” I encourage Allie. “Out of the way.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“But can I? Oh, goodness.” Allie makes her lips into lush “oh” and covers them with her studded nails, but there’s something a little off in her reaction. “So many conflicting commands. Oops.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eShe extends the long handle that controls the tray and begins to descend, then wobbles to a stop. “Ooh. I’m just unsure. I know Ranse, and he seems like a person I should listen to. Who do you think you are?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eOrunfax is a block of ice. “I am the leader of the high commanders and special adviser to the emperor.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“An adviser?” She wrinkles her nose in disdain. “That’s all?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“Come down, lesser.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“Hmm.” She moves the handle. The circular drink tray lifts, causing her to rock on her heels.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eMy stomach dips, but she corrects herself with a laugh and rises to what must be a dizzying height for a lesser.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eOrunfax snarls. “I ordered you to come down here.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“And Ranse ordered me to stay up here.” She looks down at him, peering between her feet. “You might think advising is important, honey, but he’s a prince.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“Arrisans have no princes. Lesser—”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“Next in line to inherit.” She rolls her eyes like he’s being pedantic, then chants in a little singsong. “He is a prince, you are a nobody, he’ll inherit everything, you’ll get nothing.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eHis jaw drops.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eI choke on a laugh. Even though I can’t strike him down where he stands, seeing him filled with incredulity is almost healing. I didn’t know how badly I needed this. My chest moves, and I give in to honest mirth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eOrunfax whips to me with a fury that he doesn’t normally show out in the open. To those beneath him, he inspires terror, but to people like me, he has to keep it behind the facade. He refocuses on Ishula, barely controlling himself. “Get her. Bring her down.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eIt would have been easy to capture her while Allie was on my throne, but now she’s swerving on a tiny unstable drink tray. Ishula’s shoulders lift and slump with a drawn-out, put-upon sigh.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“She’s a danger to the empire,” Orunfax reasons coldly. “She’s going to be taken by our enemies if we don’t take her first. And…”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eAllie’s singsong voice echoes down to us from the top of the nightclub. My sound manager must be on her as she flutters and poses in front of the rowdy crowds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“Am I dangerous?” Allie slides down the handle, then rises, puckering her lips. “Do I scare you? Am I frightening?” She trails one hand over her curves, accentuating them. “Do I terrify you?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eThe closest tier falls over themselves, and my staff fight to hold them back, but she floats the tray away, out of danger, and switches to an ordinary conversational tone. “Hello, Arris Central, my name is Allie and I’m a lesser from Humana. You’ve probably never heard of us. We’re out on the fringe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“And on that little planet of Humana, I never thought of myself as terrifying, but I’ll let you big, bad Arrisans decide. Where I’m from, I’m just an ordinary girl. I’m not even that sophisticated.” She laughs and descends to the next level eagerly awaiting her attention, then switches back to song with an undulating hip shake. “Do you want to touch me? Lick me? Breathe me in?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eThey swoon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eShe floats out of their reach, twirling to look over her shoulder. “I’ve driven plenty of men wild, but I never realized \u003ci style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\"\u003efeelings\u003c\/i\u003e could threaten the empire.” She sings in the middle of the nightclub, “I am dangerous. My love will burn you up. And I’ll just walk away. Because you’re nothing, nothing, \u003ci style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\"\u003enothing\u003c\/i\u003e.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eWith the last word of her song, she looks down at Orunfax again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eI think I love this woman.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eAllie asks the next tier of raving fans, “Have you ever been this close to a deadly weapon?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eThey raise their glasses and slosh drinks, simply captivated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eIshula still hesitates.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“Well, it’s time for you to go.” I clap my hands at the palace guards. “If you stay, you’re going to have to pay the cover. It’s triple for anyone from the palace.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eOrunfax glares at Ishula. “Her blood is needed for the security of the empire. Obey.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eThere’s a long pause.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“You know…” Ishula’s chin remains tilted up at her target, but her gaze slides over to Orunfax. “You never actually showed proof that this retrieval was ordered by the emperor.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eHe turns a darker shade of gray. “I order you—”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“We don’t obey the High Command.” Ishula straightens and jerks her chin at her guards. They pivot gracefully, wrists down, and exit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eHis argument trails off in shock.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eI’m going to send Ishula a nice liquor on the house. “You’re not allowed in under any circumstances.” I shoo Orunfax. “Out, out.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eHe holds my gaze with cold promise. “You know I’ll take her away from you.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eMy blades extend to the tips of my fingers. “Oh, do I know that?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“I’ll destroy her before I let an insignificant \u003ci style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\"\u003ething\u003c\/i\u003e like that threaten the empire.” A subtle breath note is on the last word, as if he’s suppressing the fury that’s quaking inside him. “And I…” He catches himself, frowns at his fingernails, then, when he looks up at me again, it’s with the false warmth that’s fooled so many others. “Your brother listens to me quite devoutly as his special adviser, unlike you, who are exiled to this pointless nightclub. Enjoy your time with your lesser, because it’s going to end far sooner than you think.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eThe dig about my brother hurts because it’s true.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e“Do I make you crazy?” Allie sings now as she sits on her drink tray and rides it. “Everybody wants me, but only one man can have me. I collect hearts. You give me all your stars. Baby, I’m queen of the universe. Give me wings and watch me fly.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eShe’s so alive. Acting like the rules don’t apply to her, like she’s not a lesser at the mercy of us, her rulers, in this empire. She’s surrounded on all sides, and the danger just makes her shine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eMy rage calms as I look back on the man I hate with everything I have. “You’ve been wrong about a lot of things lately. I wouldn’t be so certain.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eHe blinks, and there’s something in his face, some “caught” micro-expression that’s gone so fast, I can’t quite tell what it was. It almost looks like surprise, as if I discovered something about him that he was desperately trying to keep concealed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eHe hurries to the exit and is gone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eHuh.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003eI stretch. My shoulders are finally loose, chest no longer tight. This is the first time since my father’s assassination I’ve felt almost normal...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTRIGGER WARNINGS: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"What a rush!!! How can the author possibly TOP this one?? Oranfax and his political manipulations, intrigues and coveting of the Arrisan throne feature prominently in Ranse and Allie’s story but does not detract from their epic in scope storyline which begins to unravel the many diverse threads that are weaved into its extraordinary tapestry of action, adventure and love. YES, lots of steamy, passionate overwhelming love! This was a FANTASTIC read and I was immersed in every delicious larger-than-life well written word that pulls a reader in and WON’T release them until its imaginative high energy narrative has reached the final satisfying page. Allie, you surely are a kingmaker, Amante of Ranse.\" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Reader\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"As a woman of color, I feel seen and represented and in the deepest most apolitical, human way. This review took me days to write. This book shook me because people who look like me are not usually positive main characters in Western media. We're not usually the main love interests. We are not represented with the vulnerability, delicacy, or intelligence of others--as human, flawed, thoughtful, loving, capable of all the same human things as others. Our hair, skin, hands, and feet are not seen and touched as objects of beauty in mass media. This book did all of that in the most natural, human way and it means the world to me. I never grew up with that and the absence of that was healed some by this book. Thank you Starla.\" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Reader\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"I waited for months to read the story and as soon as it dropped, I immediately read it in one night. I was not disappointed in all I can say about this book is wow! There are so many things that go on in this book that you may have to read it two or three times to grasp just as much that happens in this book. Slow start but man once you get past about the fourth chapter? It turns up really fast! So much chaos and so much extenuating circumstances that it's worth it.\" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Reader\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Starla Night","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45620233961771,"sku":"BOA3EBDSSHOP","price":5.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0786\/0990\/8011\/files\/6_91e449bf-b0a9-4f36-9a89-a21e4551f5e8.png?v=1791846450","url":"https:\/\/www.thenightbookstore.com\/products\/blades-of-arris-ranse","provider":"The Night Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}