Will they choose love? Or duty?
Crisis at Validor is a fast paced space opera with romantic tension woven through the action. It sits in the Ptorix Empire universe and can be read on its own.
Reviewers say:
“A heart-stopping ride with new alien species and a web of deceit.”
“The stories aren’t about teenagers but grown-ups with responsibility and children.”
About the book
Newly-promoted Captain Brett Butcher is about to achieve his life-long ambition to command a battle cruiser. But before he takes up his new posting, he goes home on leave, hoping to perhaps catch a glimpse of his first love, the unattainable Lady Tarlyn.
When the queen is assassinated in a terrorist attack, Tarlyn’s life is thrown into turmoil when she, too, becomes a target. The last person she expects to rescue her is her childhood sweetheart, Brett Butcher.
As Validor’s Ptorix and human populations face off over a group of islands neither owns, the calls for war grow louder. Torn between duty and ambition, Butcher and Tarlyn struggle to prevent an inter-species conflict, while the ember of love that has smouldered for so long bursts into flame. But with planetary peace at stake, both will be forced to choose; love or duty.
If you’re wondering whether Crisis at Validor is your kind of read, this will help.
This book is for you if:
- You enjoy science fiction that puts ordinary people in extraordinary moral crises.
- You like alien cultures that are genuinely alien.
- You like protagonists with scars and experience who still choose to do the right thing.
- You’re drawn to first-contact conflicts shaped by culture, fear, and misunderstanding.
- You appreciate stories where loyalty, duty, and conscience collide.
- You enjoy slow-burn connection forged under pressure.
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FAQ
No. Crisis at Validor is part of the Ptorix Empire universe, but it stands alone. You can start here without reading the other books.
The Ptorix are are not shifters or modified humans. They are fully non-humanoid aliens with their own biology, culture, and political agenda. See the series page for more information.
Brett Butcher served as Admiral Saahren’s adjutant in the Iron Admiral books. Recently divorced and raising a teenage daughter, he is a seasoned officer carrying personal and professional scars.
Tarlyn is a princess, a member of the ruling house on Validor. A widow with a ten year old daughter, her political decisions are shaped as much by motherhood as by duty.
The Bherzani are a native species living on disputed islands on Validor. They resemble dragons in some respects but possess abilities that complicate human and Ptorix interests on the planet. Find out more about the bherzani here.
Yes. Tarlyn and Brett share a long history, but their renewed connection is forged under danger and political strain.
Moderate spice. Story first, with explicit on-page intimacy.
Respect, prejudice, political responsibility, and the consequences of cultural misunderstanding.
Commoner and princess dynamic
Political treachery
Cultural misunderstanding
Moral crisis under pressure
Slow-burn rekindled connection