The Adventures of Jack Laurens

The Adventures of Jack Laurens is a series of eight erotic romance novels written by Badenese author Bella Stark and published by Milton and Smythe. The books follow the exploits of the titular Jack Laurens and his faithful bodyguard, Snout, as they romance their way across the Universe as part of the fearsome Dormena mercenaries. Stark claims any resemblance to the Mordena's Jake Cartwright Lawrence is purely coincidental, though fans are convinced this is only for legal reasons. The series is currently ongoing, with at least five more books planned.

Titles

The Bodyguard's Secret (2304 EVT)
Blurb: Jack Laurens is the heir to the infamous Dormena mercenaries, travelling across the universe as their ambassador. Always at his side is his loyal bodyguard, Snout, a katanoj with a heart of gold. But Snout has a secret - a hidden desire for the man he calls 'sir'.

Snout's tail quivered as he watched Jack cross the room, muscles rippling across the human's bare back. He was wet from his bath, skin glistening with moisture, and it was all Snout could do not to follow him and lick up some of the tantilising drips.

A Heart in Bloom (2305 EVT)
Blurb: The Temptation, Jack Laurens's impressive ship, has a new recruit. Bess Warren has just finished her training as an Agrokinesiologist and has taken up her role in the Temptation's hydroponic bay. What she didn't expect, however, was for her feelings for the enigmatic Jack Laurens to grow faster than her plants.

He traced his fingers over her thighs, her petal-soft skin almost as dark as the Void that surrounded them, unfurling her like a flower.

The Singular Deception (2305 EVT)
Blurb: Captain Calum Godfrey of the Farsell Confederation has infiltrated the Temptation as a new Dormena recruit. His mission: gather as much intelligence as he can without being discovered. What he didn't expect was to capture the attention of Jack Laurens - the man who killed his father.

The Dormena uniform fit as though it was made for him, though Calum couldn't stop himself from fiddling with the golden buttons as he was led down one of the Temptation's long sleek hallways. He wasn't nervous, exactly; anticipation of what was to come curled menacingly in his stomach. Somewhere on this ship was the man who had murdered his father - a man who he would have to call Sir.

Bound to Temptation (2306 EVT)
Blurb: Selena Adams has been the Communications AI on the Temptation for over a decade. She knows everything that goes on aboard the ship - the gossip, the secrets, the torrid affairs. To many, she is just a voice in the walls. But Selena is no longer content to just listen. She wants to partake fully in ship life - and perhaps catch the eye of Jack Laurens, who she has long watched from afar.

"Communications?"
"Yes, Sir." Laurens's voice always made her heart flutter - or it would if she had one. "What can I do for you?"

Type

Text, Literature

Medium

Digital Recording, Text

Authoring Date

2304 EVT

Location

Baden

Authors

Bella Stark

The Woman in Blue (2308 EVT)
Blurb: The Temptation comes to the rescue of a Universe Protection Brigade ship under assault from the brutal Slydell Order. The Enamel is too badly damaged to travel back to Brigade space, so Jack Laurens invites the remaining crew aboard the Temptation to give them a ride - for a price, of course. One crewmember, an engineer called Ana Hart, feels that she can offer something far better than credits.

Ana took in a deep, calming breath before raising her fist to knock on Laurens's door. The man had a reputation as a hedonistic playboy, so she was pretty certain her plan would work; a few nights of fun in return for a heavy discount on the ride. She didn't want to admit to him that her crew was struggling for credits, was already in debt-
Her thoughts were interrupted as the door slid open, revealing a mostly-naked Laurens, a dark towel wrapped around his waist.

Romancing the Void (2309 EVT)
Blurb: The Farsell Confederation do not tolerate traitors - and they have finally caught up with their former captain, Calum Godfrey. Calum, with the help of Jack Laurens and Snout, must sever his ties to the Farsell Confederation once and for all.

The Necromancer smiled and the air seemed to grow several degrees colder; icy fear crept up Calum's spine.
"Of course I'm here for you," the man said. "Did you really think you could leave?"

Counting the Stars (2311 EVT)
Blurb: Jack Laurens is taking a well-earned vacation alongside his bodyguard, Snout. Unbeknownst to them, the intergalactically famous action star, Cliff Peril, is filming his latest holo at the same location. Once Peril discovers the pair of infamous Dormena mercenaries are staying at the same resort, he persuades them to show him some new tricks.

Jack approached the pool, towel slung over his shoulder. Cliff was already lounging on a deckchair, his modesty barely covered by the tiniest pink towel Jack had ever seen. He wasn't sure why the other man had bothered. A smattering of dark hair disappeared beneath the towel, a teasing hint as to what lay beneath.

The Reluctant Witness (2312 EVT)
Blurb: In the aftermath of a brutal murder, a terrified stowaway is discovered aboard the Temptation. Everyone, including Jack Laurens, is ready to judge the dracoling, Kava, guilty on strong evidence - but Snout is not so sure of their guilt.

Snout's whiskers bristled as he entered the brig, his tail lashing with frustration. The dracoling - Kava, he reminded himself - was curled up in one of the cells, the picture of abject misery behind the anti-magic field. Their scales seemed an even duller blue than he remembered, though he didn't see how that could be possible.
"I'm here to see if you want some food," he said, but the dracoling didn't even look up.

Public Reaction

The initial reception to 'The Bodyguard's Secret was lukewarm, with disappointingly mediocre sales. This was much to the chagrin of Milton and Smythe, the publishing house responsible for the novel, as they had already offered author Bella Stark a three book deal. For the second book, 'A Heart in Bloom', Stark threw herself into marketing, securing interviews with several top book blogs. Pre-orders skyrocketed following several of these interviews, with sales for the first book improving greatly as well. By the time book three, 'The Singular Deception' was published, The Adventures of Jack Laurens was Milton and Smythe's best-selling series. Like a lot of popular media, The Adventures of Jack Laurens has a strong, dedicated fanbase. The community, known colloquially as Temptationers, often create fanfiction and fanart, as well as theory-crafting about minor plot points and characters. Stark often features fanart on her social media, though she censors the more raunchy pictures with strategically placed Dormena logos. One notable example of fanfiction, titled 'Jack Laurens Goes to War', is currently at over a millions words. This story is markedly darker than the novels on which it is based, dealing with the brutal realities of war whilst exploring in depth the relationship between Jack and Snout. Despite Stark's claims to the contrary, it is hard to miss the connection to the Mordena mercenaries and, in particular, the Mordena's Navarch of public relations, Jake Cartwright Lawrence. Most Temptationers argue, however, that the books have grown away from their initial inspirational roots and should be taken on their own merit.