SURPRISE! My blurb for AN UNEXPECTED DEBT came early! I didn't think I'd get it until late September, so this was a pleasant surprise in my inbox today. So I'm going to share an (unedited) excerpt from the book and the blurb here today. Happy Friday!
I chose this particular excerpt from AN UNEXPECTED DEBT for a few reasons. In this excerpt, you see that Skylar is still close with Vivian and her network, but she's been hiding something from everyone her entire life, and it's making her feel isolated. Plus, you get a chance to hear about Skylar's first consort through Marcelo's dossier. Take a peek!
“So, this is who I have picked out for you,” Marcelo says, sitting next to me and handing me his datapad. He could just share the profile with me via my wristlet, but this way, everyone can lean over and read at the same time as me. Vivian leans over the couch’s arm and Jinzo and Gus peer over the top of my head. I reach back and squeeze Ilaria’s foot before I pay attention.
“I’m not sharing names or occupations of any of your men until you meet them in person. I don’t want anything coloring your first impressions except what I have researched and they’ve provided.”
I scan my eyes down the document before I get started.
“Comes from a prominent Rio family. He’s a second son, and he’s active in the family business,” I say, nodding my head. All good things. “The family business has a presence throughout the Duo Systems, on all the major planets.”
Hmmm, that must mean they trade in some kind of goods.
“That’s good,” Vivian says. She reaches out to scroll on the datapad, and I smack her hand away. “Ow.” She laughs.
“Blah blah blah. He works out. He’s creative. He has his own money, too, not just what the family provides.”
“That’s important,” Jinzo says, shifting Ilaria to his other arm. “You’ll want someone who can either invest in your business or invest in the family. If he can’t do either, then it becomes a problem.” Jinzo nods to Gus, and Gus nods as well.
He’s not wrong about that. Miguel is the only man who came into my mom’s network with his own money. My father was fairly poor and did the bare minimum for the family until he ‘retired.’ The rest? Dominic works for my mom, but it’s such an easy job, he might as well be bumming off of her. Communications Director means he answers calls and screens everything Mom has to deal with. A teenager could do that. Juan would have raised Cameron and Nolan if Dominic hadn’t convinced him that I would do it instead.
I clear my throat. “He’s looking for someone independent and skilled at their own job. Someone with strength and a will to get things done. That’s very me.”
I scroll down the dossier some more until I see the words I was looking for.
“Negatives. Should not be a pushover. Doesn’t let other people take advantage of her. ‘This is important because his family business must be protected at all costs.’” I look up at Marcelo, and he doesn’t seem perturbed by this.
“All in all, a pretty good fit, wouldn’t you say?” he asks.
I try to swallow through my dry throat as I scroll up and down the dossier. I believe I even meet the physical criteria for this man as well. I’m not too tall, I have curves, and I take good care of myself. Hell, I just survived being marooned in the desert, so obviously, I’m doing okay.
But the negatives? Doesn’t let other people take advantage of her? I’ve never admitted it out loud to anyone — not to Marcelo, not to Vivian, not even to my own mother — but that’s been my entire life. My heart beats at double speed in my chest, and my fingers shake.
“Yeah, a great fit,” I respond, my voice cracking a bit.
Yeah, Skylar has a lot of work to do in this series!
Hijacked dreams and a high-stakes gamble. Can a young woman secure suitors while trying to soar among the stars?
Skylar Kawabata has her future mapped out. Frustrated by years of misuse from her family, she’s got her Class Three pilot license firmly in hand and plans to take over her mother’s interstellar shipping business. But when she discovers it’s been sold right out from under her to a handsome but infuriating man, the outraged ex-heiress vows to make him pay.
Already struggling to feel worthy enough to attract top-notch men to build her relationship network, Skylar’s fight for her inheritance turns into a heart-stopping power play. But she’s up against long odds from a love-match setup with an old crush, an impulsive bet with the man controlling her legacy, and one of her many dads becoming a dangerous threat…
Can Skylar navigate to the destiny she desires, or will she get knocked off-course?
AN UNEXPECTED DEBT is the first book in The Amagi science fiction romance series. If you like mouthy heroines, an array of delicious men, and amazing world-building, then you’ll adore S. J. Pajonas’ action-packed adventure.
Available November 5, 2021!
Don't forget to pre-order this one! You don't want to miss this story!
