Books like 'Dexta'
Readers who enjoyed Dexta by C.J. Ryan also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
sc-fi space action / adventure mystery military, war & conflict steamy space-opera space-travel female-mc pulp
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Fields of Fire by J.N. Chaney, Terry Maggert
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsVan's next mission has begun, and at the heart of it is the power to save lives.Meanwhile, a hungry galaxy looks to a brilliant young scientist for answers, making her the most wanted person in known space.After years of research, Adayluh Creel perfects a resource to feed sixteen races--or more, all with one golden plant capable of growing on the most hostile worlds... -
The Pandora Paradox by Joshua Dalzelle
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsIt started with a revolution nobody had even realized occurred…Its cruelty sparked a rebellion that everyone refused to admit existed…Now, the Machine—a terrifying and relentless enemy—reigns supreme in the galaxy, and the real fight is just beginning... -
Mountain of Mars by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe Mage-King of Mars is deadChaos rocks Olympus MonsA new monarch must rise – but she does not stand alone!As the celebration of the victory at Legatus cools, a shuttle accident claims the lives of the Mage-King of Mars and his heir. The Crown and the Mountain fall to the Mage-King’s daughter, seventeen-year-old Kiera Alexander... -
Sword of Mars by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA defector with a dangerous leadA chance to speak for the silentA perilous quest into enemy starsWhen the star system of Legatus was preparing to secede from the Protectorate of the Mage-King of Mars, it was the secret agents of the Legatan Military Intelligence Directorate that laid the groundwork and fought the covert war to make it happen... -
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Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsRobust, peaceful, and confident, the Commonwealth dispatched a ship to investigate the mystery of a disappearing star, only to inadvertently unleash a predatory alien species that turned on its liberators, striking hard, fast, and utterly without mercy. The Prime are the Commonwealth's worst nightmare... -
Vorkosigan's Game: The Vor Game \ Borders of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOmnibus of The Vor Game and the novella "Borders of Infinity"... -
Judgment of Mars by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsA war fought in the shadowsA conspiracy shattered in fireA moment of weakness… When politics are played for blood. The destruction of the secret archive of the Royal Order of Keepers on Mars has left Damien Montgomery, Hand of the Mage-King, with his enemies defeated, his lover dead—and his questions unanswered... -
The Red Admiral by C.R. Daems
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAnna's success as the Eastar NIA station chief has catapulted her into the position of Director of NIA Stations. Anna is uncomfortable with the promotion and bored. She has a master chief secretary, a lieutenant aide-de-camp, and fifteen commanders and their staff to do the work. But she suspects not all of her commanders are happy with their new, very young admiral or are doing their jobs... -
Bane of Worlds by Anthony James
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFollowing his successful mission to recover the missing warship ESS Crimson, Captain John Duggan finds himself unredeemed in the eyes of his superiors. His duties resume and this time he’s given something easy - escort a cargo ship to a distant planet and bring it home safely. But war is never so predictable and a straightforward mission becomes something much more important... -
Winged Hussars by Mark Wandrey
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFor more than a century, Winged Hussars has been the richest of Earth's mercenary companies, as well as the only one to specialize in space warfare. Led by Alexis Cromwell, they have carved out a reputation in the galaxy for being dependable, unflappable, and lethally efficient. Until people began shooting at them everywhere they went...Categorized as:
first-contact military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens audiobook -
Hijackers by C.R. Daems
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAnna's nice comfortable world is in turmoil. Because of their success in destroying the foreign Raiders, Anna, Kris, and Adrian were promoted to full commander, and the project team was disbanded. Kris and Adrian were given NIA offices to manage on Stone Ring and Westar, and Anna is being pressured to move to Eastar to manage the NIA station... -
Deep Black by Miles Cameron
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMarca Nbaro had always dreamed of serving aboard the Greatships, with their vast cargo holds and a crew that could fill a city.They are the lifeblood of human-occupied space, transporting an unimaginable volume - and value - of goods from City, the greatest human orbital, all the way to Tradepoint at the other, to trade for xenoglas with an unknowable alien species... -
Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsA rich Komarran merchant fleet has been impounded at Graf Station, in distant Quaddiespace, after a bloody incident on the station docks involving a security officer from the convoy's Barrayaran military escort. Lord Miles Vorkosigan of Barrayar and his wife, Lady Ekaterin, have other things on their minds, such as getting home in time to attend the long-awaited births of their first children... -
Earth Below, Sky Above by John Scalzi
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAt last, the Earth and the Colonial Union have begun formal discussions about their relationship in the futurea chance for the divisions in humanity to be repaired. The diplomats and crew of the Clarke are on hand to help with the process, including Ambassador Ode Abumwe and CDF Lieutenant Harry Wilson, both of whom were born on Earth. But not everyone wants The Human Division to be repaired..Categorized as:
first-contact military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens audiobook -
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Mage-Provocateur by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsVengeance hunts them. Rebellion seeks them. Loyalty commands them. The shadows will fear them. Captain David Rice and Mage Maria Soprano have made their choice, signing up with the Martian Interstellar Security Agency and converting Red Falcon into a covert operations ship for the Protectorate... -
The Silent Fleet by J.N. Chaney, Terry Maggert
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRecruit. Fight. Build. As Dash and his team begin expanding the Forge, they must focus on Dark Metal as the one thing that can give them an advantage in the coming war.Using drones and a map from an ancient library, Dash and Leira must seek out the source of a transmission coming from far away... -
Salvage System by Kevin Steverson
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThey couldn’t afford a ship or a fleet…and now they have a whole system to defend! Harmon Tomeral, along with friends Clip, Zerith, and the artificial intelligence Jayneen, were heroes. They’d brought back the battlecruiser Salvage Title from an unknown system and had defeated the alien Squilla and saved their home system of Tretrayon, not once, but twice... -
Cyborg Legacy by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsFormer Cyborg Corps soldier Jasim Antar was relieved to come out of the war alive and looked forward to switching to a less violent line of work. But nobody wants to hire a brawny cyborg to do anything that doesn’t involve brutalizing people on a daily basis... -
Hero to the Rescue by Timothy Ellis
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"I'm not in the rescue business," states Jonathon Hunter, to the amusement of his crew. But rescues are the least of his concerns. Darkness is coming, and there are still people out there who don’t like him. The Sirius system has always fascinated Jon, and he is drawn to solve its mysteries...Categorized as:
cyberpunk military space-opera space-travel action-adventure book coming-of-age epic -
A Pocket Full of Lies by Kirsten Beyer, Martin Frei
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Full Circle Fleet has resumed its unprecedented explorations of the Delta Quadrant and former Borg space. Commander Liam O'Donnell of the U.S.S. Demeter makes a promising first contact with the Nihydron—humanoid aliens that are collectors of history... -
Chains of Duty by Anthony James
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFor Captain John Duggan, it seems like war never ends. Each success brings another mission and more death. Following events at the Helius Blackstar, Duggan is given the Space Corps’ newest warship – a heavy cruiser armed to the teeth with the latest weapons and technology... -
Raiders by C.R. Daems
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAnna and her Naval Intelligence Agency, NIA, teammates have a new high-priority assignment: foreign raiders who are wreaking havoc within the United Alliance of Stars. They hit high value targets, have access to inside information, kill the security guards, and leave no witnesses. The NIA team soon discovers the raiders' system has been well thought out and has no weak links to exploit... -
Ravenor by Dan Abnett
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsDan Abnett's action-packed novel leaps into the fray as genius psyker Gideon Ravenor and his trusted war-band of desperados hunt down the secretive enemies of mankind... -
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsIn 3016, the 2nd Empire of Man spans hundreds of star systems, thanks to faster-than-light Alderson Drive. Intelligent beings are finally found from the Mote, an isolated star in a thick dust cloud. The bottled-up ancient civilization, at least one million years old, are welcoming, kind, yet evasive, with a dark problem they have not solved in over a million years...Categorized as:
classics first-contact magic military space-opera space-travel 20th-century action-adventure -
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Agents of Mars by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAn enemy hidden in the shadowsA crack in the armor of secrecyOne chance to find an answerCaptain David Rice and the crew of Red Falcon have spent two years infiltrating the arms smuggling underworld of the Protectorate of the Mage-King of Mars. When the co-opted rebellion on Ardennes reveals a supply chain of weapons intended to fight Mars, this makes them the perfect team to investigate... -
Méridien by S.H. Jucha
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe Méridiens are fleeing to their far colonies—and they have reason to run. Over the course of decades, they have lost hundreds of ships, billions of people, and seven Confederation colonies to an alien enemy: an advancing swarm of silver ships transported in the bowels of a gigantic, spherical vessel... -
Discovery by Ken Lozito
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsExploring New Earth should be a thrilling undertaking. Instead, the more the colonists learn about the planet, the more alarmed they become. Alien ruins hint at a species who fought great wars among themselves and disappeared centuries ago.When Connor Gates discovers a hidden bunker, he finds something he never expected...Categorized as:
first-contact military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens audiobook -
Unidentified: A Science-Fiction Thriller by Douglas E. Richards, Dan Bittner
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsUFOs are real. When Jason Ridley discovers their shocking agenda, his actions will either transform humanity...or destroy it entirely. Unidentified details the actual evidence that UFOs are here, while offering a mind-blowing fictional take on the reasons why. A riveting pause-resister packed with nonstop action, epic ideas, and astonishing twists...Categorized as:
classics first-contact military space-travel action-adventure adult aliens audiobook -
Ravenor Returned by Dan Abnett
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsFollowing the adventures of Imperial Inquisitor Ravenor and his warband of the dark and gothic future, this title is the second in 'Ravenor' series... -
Zero Day Threat by R.M. Olson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFour ex-convicts. One charismatic mastermind. And the most dangerous heist the System has ever seen.Jez is a damn good pilot, and she’s always worked alone. Until she got picked up for smuggling, that is.Now she’s lost her ship, lost her job, lost her reputation, and is on the run from the law... -
Space Murder by N.L. Haverstock, Nikki Haverstock
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFor everything there is a season…Once the star student of her training class, Captain Liz Laika is now an outcast, a casualty of family scandal. Now stuck in the worst post in the Fleet, she should keep her head down. But when a Cerulean passenger is found decapitated, and Liz is framed for the murder, she has no choice but to fight for her life... -
Blood Ties by K. Gorman
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTogether again, and ready to bring the system to its knees.Karin Makos has spent the last two months running from one thing or another—but all that's about to change. Her sister's back, and Nomiki's ready to grab their problems by the horns, throw them on their backs, and rip into them with her modified carbon steel blades... -
Orion Uncharted by J.N. Chaney, Jonathan Yanez
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Orion has fallen.After barely escaping with their lives, the crew of the Orion has scattered across an unknown world. With a diminishing hope of returning home, they have no choice but to band together.But between the local wildlife, lack of supplies, a missing crew, and a strange, ominous door that can't be opened, Dean and his new friends will need everything at their disposal to survive...Categorized as:
cyberpunk first-contact space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens audiobook -
The Bronze Skies by Catherine Asaro
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMajor Bhaajan achieved the impossible. Born Undercity, the slums below the City of Cries on the planet Raylicon, she broke free to become a military officer with Imperial Space Command. Now retired from military duty, she works as a private investigator on retainer to the Majda Family.Hired by The Ruby Pharaoh herself, Major Bhaajan is tasked with finding a killer... -
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Mere Mortals by David Mack
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsOn Earth, Federation President Nanietta Bacco gathers allies and adversaries to form a desperate last line of defense against an impending Borg invasion. In deep space, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Captain Ezri Dax join together to cut off the Collective's route to the Alpha Quadrant...Categorized as:
first-contact military space-opera space-travel 21st-century action-adventure adult aliens -
23 Years on Fire by Joel Shepherd
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCommander Cassandra Kresnov has her hands full. She must lead an assault against the Federation world of Pyeongwha, where a terrible sociological phenomenon has unleashed hell against the civilian population... -
Building Victoria by M.D. Cooper
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Intrepid is drifting slowly between the stars. After near calamity at LHS 1565, the ship is headed for Kapteyn's Star to make repairs. There, the crew will need to spend decades building a temporary industrial base. Across the void, the Noctus prepare to leave Sirius for the same destination. Their plan is to colonize the system and forge a new lives for themselves ..Categorized as:
cyberpunk female-mc military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult alpha-mc -
Hail the Hero by Timothy Ellis
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis is an alternate cover edition for ASIN: B015AYA7CGAs the war comes to an end, Jonathon Hunter sees the good and bad sides to being considered the hero, but which is which? All he wants to do is go home, but home isn’t any closer than it was a month ago, and this time, he's going the long way around...Categorized as:
crime cyberpunk military space-opera space-travel action-adventure book coming-of-age -
Homeward by Jerry Aubin
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLife on the Ship has changed, and for Zax it means a return to the top. The Pilot Academy finally beckons and Zax battles for position against a competitor who brings a fascinating advantage. Meanwhile, his friendship with Kalare remains strained as he refuses to drop his suspicions about the Flight Boss and the officer's knowledge of the mysterious humans...Categorized as:
military space-opera space-travel action-adventure audiobook book colonization exploration -
Chaos Vector by Megan E. O'Keefe
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDazzling space battles, intergalactic politics, and rogue AI collide in the second book in this epic space opera by award-winning author Megan O'Keefe.Sanda and Tomas are fleeing for their lives after letting the most dangerous smartship in the universe run free... -
Crimson Tempest by Anthony James
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFifty-three years after it vanished, Earth's only Super-Devastator warship, the ESS Crimson sends out a distress signal... Humanity is fighting against an implacable foe. The Ghasts – a ruthless alien race - seem hell-bent on wiping out mankind. They have a vast warfleet and their technology is advancing at a terrible rate... -
Red Angel by C.R. Daems
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAnna nearly dies, along with all her family, at age four from the deadly Cacao virus. But she survives, thanks to a poisonous red-headed krait. The medical community is excited since there is no known cure for the virus, but Anna and her snake, Red, have a symbiotic relationship—containment, not cure. If she is ever separated from Red, she will die.Anna struggles through foster homes... -
Damnation by Jean Johnson
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt began with a terrible vision of the future. Compelled by her precognitive abilities, Ia must somehow save her home galaxy long after she’s gone...Categorized as:
female-mc first-contact magic military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
The Observers by John Scalzi
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn an effort to improve relations with the Earth, the Colonial Union has invited a contingent of diplomats from that planet to observe Ambassador Abumwe negotiate a trade deal with an alien species. Then something very bad happens to one of the Earthings, and with that, the relationship between humanitys two factions is on the cusp of disruption once more...Categorized as:
first-contact military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens audiobook -
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The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads by John Scalzi
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsUnited States Diplomat Danielle Lowen was there when one of her fellow diplomats committed an unthinkable act, which had consequences for the entire planet. Now shes trying to figure out how it happened before it can happen again. Putting the puzzle pieces together could solve the mystery or it could threaten her own life...Categorized as:
first-contact military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens audiobook -
Legacy by Ken Lozito
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsHold the line. After narrowly defeating the invading enemy fleet, there is evidence that the attack isn’t over. Thousands have died and all that stands between human extinction and the invaders are the remnants of the colonial military. Connor must find a way to rally the colony using every scrap of ingenuity to stop the invaders...Categorized as:
first-contact military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens audiobook -
The Sound of Rebellion by John Scalzi
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe Colonial Defense Forces usually protect humanity from alien attack, but now the stability of the Colonial Union has been threatened, and Lieutenant Heather Lee and her squad are called to squash a rebellion on a colony world. It seems simple enoughbut theres a second act to the rebellion that finds Lee captive, alone, and armed with only her brains to survive...Categorized as:
first-contact military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens audiobook -
This Alien Shore by C.S. Friedman
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsSheltered all her life in a corporate satellite in Earth's outer orbit, Jamisia must face the truth about her origins and her role in the power struggle between the Guerans who dominate intergalactic transportation and the rest of Earth's far-flung and genetically mutated colonies who are trying to break the Guera Guild's monopoly...Categorized as:
classics cyberpunk first-contact military space-opera space-travel action-adventure aliens -
Valor's Trial by Tanya Huff
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe rousing military adventure (Locus) continues with a brand new Valor novel. Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr is a Confederation Marines marine. She's survived more deadly encounters and kept more of her officers and enlistees alive than anyone in the Corps... -
Alien by Alan Dean Foster
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBased on the screenplay by Dan O'Bannon. The crew of the spaceship Nostromo wake from cryogenic sleep to distress signals from an unknown planet. One is attacked when they investigate a derelict alien craft. Safely on their way back to Sol, none foresee the real horror about to begin...
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