Characters spill the heroine’s secrets in Cara Bristol’s Claimed by the Cyborg

I have a special treat for you today–a visit from science fiction romance author Cara Bristol, giving us glimpses into the heroine of her steamy new release Claimed by the Cyborg. (Disclaimer: I haven’t read this one yet, but I’ve read other books in the series and they’re terrific.) Without further ado, here’s Cara

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In one of my college sociology classes, I heard something to the effect that three sides exist to one’s personality: how you see yourself, how others see you, and how you think others see you.

The first and third can be quite different from the second. For instance, a person who is shy might think that others see him/her as quiet, but his/her reserved behavior can be perceived as aloof or standoffish by others.

In Claimed by the Cyborg, heroine Jules/Julietta is the heir to the Xenian empire. She’ll become empress after she bonds with Naimo and produces a child. She was an alien exchange student with the Terran Technical Institute.

I asked the characters of Claimed by the Cyborg to share something about Julietta, and this is what they said:

Aleta, mother of Julietta: “My daughter hasn’t said anything, but something happened when she went to school on Terra. I suspect a man was involved.”

Emperor Dusan, Julietta’s father: “My daughter cannot postpone bonding any longer. She must be bonded so she can rule when tradition decrees I pass the scepter next year.”

Naimo, her betrothed: “Julietta is very beautiful. We will make a great team. I will be loyal, faithful, and true. Of course, I’ll still have my paramours—that’s the Xenian way, but it won’t affect our bonding.”

Marji, Julietta’s younger sister: “I know it’s not right, but I’m so envious! I wish I were being bonded to my mate. I wish I were going to be empress! I don’t know why Julietta’s not more excited.”

March, the man from her past: “How could she have left me without so much as a goodbye?”

The villain: “Everything is coming together perfectly.”

Claimed by the Cyborg Description

March Fellows assumed he had all the time in the galaxy to pursue a relationship with Jules, an alien exchange student from Xenia, until she vanished without a trace. After years of searching, he finds his lost love on the eve of her arranged marriage.

The daughter of the Xenian emperor, Julietta never meant to fall in love with a Terran man while visiting Earth. Leaving to fulfill her responsibilities on her home planet opened up a hole in her heart that could never be filled. When March, now a cyborg, unexpectedly shows up just before she is to be bonded, she struggles to find the courage to turn him away a second time and follow through with her duty. Before she can act, the lovers are thrust into a political conspiracy that threatens the Xenian empire and their lives.

Buy Links

Amazon: http://hyperurl.co/Claimed-Amz

iBooks: http://hyperurl.co/Claimed-iBooks

Kobo: http://hyperurl.co/Claimed-Kobo

Barnes & Noble: http://hyperurl.co/Claimed-BN

 

Excerpt from Claimed by the Cyborg:

(In this scene, it’s the eve of Julietta’s bonding. Her completed bonding tunic has arrived and her sister wants her to try it on).

Marji’s eyes were wide. “You don’t want to see what it looks like? Come, on! I’ll help you.” She scooted off the bed. “Try it on, please?”

“All right,” she capitulated. The tailors had done an excellent job, but it wouldn’t hurt to verify the garment fit—and it would make Marji happy. At only sixteen solar cycles, her younger sister’s bonding wouldn’t occur for several years. Like most girls her age, she talked about her future ceremony constantly, planning what she would wear, who would attend—and wondering who her mate would be.

Julietta stripped down to her panties and a lacy bra. She’d adopted Terran undergarments when she’d attended school off planet. For the bonding ceremony—and thereafter for the rest of her life—she would wear the traditional one-piece Xenian undergarment. Her choice of underwear—one more thing bonding would force her to give up.

She pulled on the pantaloons sewn in the royal huber fabric. Shimmering threads of pale rose were woven throughout so that the garment sparkled. Marji undid the fastening of the shift and held it out. Julietta slipped her arms through it, and her sister did up the back.

The weight of her world rested on her shoulders.

Her sister reached for the headdress.

“That, too?” she protested, but bent at the knees so the crown could be settled on her head. Her legs threatened to buckle, but she shored up her strength and remained upright.

“You look beautiful. Just like an empress!” Marji gushed.

“How appropriate, considering,” she replied dryly.

The ceremony brought her closer to becoming the sovereign. The bonding—and production of an heir—were the only two hurdles left. Then, when her father passed the scepter upon his fifty-first solar cycle, she would rule with her consort at her side.

The last time she’d tried on the dress, the crystals hadn’t yet been sewn on. She took a few exploratory steps.

“How does it feel?”

Crushing. “Fine.”

“It’s perfect!” Marji said.

Could she walk down the aisle without toppling over, without bursting into tears, without making a spectacle of herself in front of thousands?

She would have to—what choice did she have? As firstborn, she was heir apparent. Her future had been decided on the day of her birth, twenty-five solar cycles ago. “Let’s take it off now.” She lifted the crown from her head and tilted her neck from side to side in relief. Marji undid the back of the shift and removed the garment. While she hung up the tunic, Julietta donned her clothing.

“I can’t sleep, I’m so excited for you,” Marji said. “Tomorrow night, you get to see your consort! I don’t know why you never chose to see him before this. As future empress, you receive special dispensation and could have seen him if you’d wanted to. I would have jumped at the chance!” She sighed. “But, like everyone else, I won’t see my future mate until the Sha’A’la and won’t meet him until the bonding ceremony.”

“Whether I see him or not, the future will proceed as scheduled,” Julietta said.

“Father says he’s very kind. Mother says he’s supernova!” she said. “That’s means handsome.”

“I know what it means. Mother has been watching too many Terran vids.”

Marji giggled, and, despite herself, Julietta smiled.

Though she hadn’t seen Earth herself, their mother loved Terran culture and had encouraged her eldest daughter to study there and explore the wonders of the Blue Planet before fulfilling her duty. Julietta had had two glorious years of freedom, two glorious years of being “Jules,” two glorious years of being just another Terran Technical Institute student, two glorious years with a man who most definitely qualified as supernova, two glorious years to pretend the future would never come.

Author Bio
USA Today bestselling author Cara Bristol has been the no. 1 best seller in science fiction romance, bdsm erotica, and holiday fiction on Amazon. She’s the author of two science fiction romance series featuring tough alpha heroes: the Cy-Ops Sci-fi Romance cyborg series and the Breeder science fiction romance series, which emphasize character-driven stories written with a touch of humor and sizzling chemistry between the hero and heroine. Cara lives in Missouri with her own alpha hero, her husband.

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