Tuesday, May 31, 2016

ARC REVIEW Blood Lust by Alexandra Ivy

Book three to Alexandra Ivy's Sentinel series Blood Lust follows Bas and his adorable daughter Molly (whom we meet in the last book). Waiting a year for each book is worth the wait, this is one of those series I keep on eye out for, I stalk Netgalley and Facebook for any information the newest book. Bas was just dark and mysterious enough in Blood Assassin to make my anticipation for this book pretty intense. It was worth it.

Bas was raised an assassin, trained not like the others but more lethal than his sentinel counterparts. Bas had a difference of opinion with The Mage, Lana, a former friend and lover and was cast out of the high blood society. Bas is willing to go to any lengths to get what he wants and he succeeds in business but five years ago he met an irresistible young woman had one glorious night with her; he was willing to give her everything only to find her missing the next morning. Nine months later there is a baby girl on his doorstep. Bas assumed the worst about Myst and never expects to see her again.

Unbeknownst to Bas during Molly's kidnapping she was so scared she reached out to her mother and found her since then they have been in telepathic contact. Myst knowing her daughter needs her returns but trouble follows Myst where ever she goes that is why she stayed gone for so long. Myst finally confides the truth to Bas of why she disappeared and why she left Molly behind. Bas does the only thing he can to keep Myst and Molly safe he calls in Lana and the Sentinels for help.  

Overall, this was a great read. I love Bas and Myst together they compliment each other well and Molly is such an adorable.

REVIEW & EXCERPT TOUR The Fallen Prince by Amalie Howard






We hope you're ready to be transported by Amalie Howard's THE FALLEN PRINCE, a Young Adult Science Fiction novel and the sequel to THE ALMOST GIRL! Publishers Weekly calls the first in the series “a high-octane thriller.” Grab your copy of this amazing novel today!








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About THE FALLEN PRINCE:

Riven has fought for a hard-won peace in her world, and has come to shaky terms with who and what she is—a human with cyborg DNA. Now that the rightful ruler of Neospes has been reinstated, Riven is on the hunt for her father in the Otherworld to bring him to justice for his crimes against her people. But when she receives an unwelcome visit from two former allies, she knows that trouble is brewing once again in Neospes. The army has been decimated and there are precious few left to fight this mysterious new threat. To muster a first line of defense, her people need help from the one person Riven loathes most—her father. But what he wants in return is her complete surrender. And now Riven must choose: save Neospes or save herself.





Once I found out this was the sequel to The Almost Girl, which I had the privilege to read an ARC of the year before last, I jumped on this so fast. OMG so worth the wait. I loved this just as much as the first book ( Goodreads Review of The Almost Girl ). I freakin' loved the science fiction especially the all the cybernetics it gave it a cyber-punk feel to it like Universal Solider meets Blade Runner in a post apocalyptic alternate dimension. The action, just about non-stop, from the very start I was hooked. It took a bit for me to recall everything from the last book but it soon came rushing back to me and I recommend reading The Almost Girl first but believe me it is worth it. Amalie Howard has a way with words, she's like a magician with words tying me up in impossible knots only to to pull the ends out and end up with a beautifully packaged book, with maybe one loose end.  

It's been a year since Riven left Caden behind in their world to rule as is his birth right. One year Riven has been hunting down her Father for the atrocities he committed not only against the throne and their world but particularly because what he did to her, her sister and their mother. Just when Riven is getting ready for the kill The Guardians find her. The Guardians are the protectors of the worlds bound to keep them separate and  safe from each other. The Guardians have their reasons Caden is back and he needs her help. Neospes is in danger it's being attacked by reptiles, mutated animals. But these attacks are strange and oddly strategic. Caden needs Riven to help escort him to a recently discovered city to the south, where an alliance as been arranged and if all goes well Caden must marry their Princess; as much as it hurts Riven as much as she loves Caden she knows he must in order to save Neospes. Worst of all Riven has to work along side her father to help the people of Neospes and reactivate the Vectors and become the Legion General once again. But all is not what it seems, enemies hide in plain sight as well as in the dark recesses of the barren wasteland.    

Overall, I'm sad that it's over but it was such a fantastic journey. 




Cale and I used to dare each other to go outside the dome as kids, knowing we’d get into trouble if we were ever caught. Leaving the safety zone had been illicit and thrilling. It had been our secret spot, a tunnel in the bedrock carved by a long-dried underground stream when Neospes had fresh running water. I stare at the old access hole, now filled with titanium, as the memories rush back. 
It was the first time I’d seen a Reptile. Cale had just turned eleven. Thinking himself braver than ever, he’d dared me to accompany him on an early morning adventure beyond the dome. As much as I hadn’t wanted to go, he was my responsibility. 
“Come on, Cale. This is far enough. We need to get back.” We’d turned around only to see a horse standing between our secret exit and us. Only, it wasn’t a horse. 
“What is that?” Cale had whispered. 
“Cale, get behind me.” 
“No way.” He’d stamped his foot. “I want to see.” 
Steam had blown from the creature’s distended nostrils, and then it had charged. I remember the rotting smell and the chunks of flesh hanging off its wired frame. It was also the first Reptile I’d ever killed. 
Cale became obsessed with Reptiles after that. He would lure and catch smaller ones, keeping them in cages. He studied the creatures, torturing them—ripping them apart and piecing them back together. I’d always thought his morbid fascination was odd, but, in hindsight, it was understandable. After all, he was a clone with a failing body, searching for a way to reconstruct himself. 
But Cale is dead. He’d died months ago in the Outers.



Praise for THE FALLEN PRINCE:


"[P]acked with action . . . Imagery is the highlight of this book."—VOYA

“A parallel-dimension–jumping cyborg soldier must make questionable alliances to save her country from an existential threat in this sequel to The Almost Girl. [O]ffers a solid conclusion.” —Kirkus Reviews


“This sequel to The Almost Girl was everything I wanted: non-stop action, smart science, new and intriguing characters, and a satisfying romance. I couldn’t put it down!” —Page Morgan, author of The Beautiful and the Cursed

“[T]he next step in a dark, clever and thrilling scorched-earth, world-hopping adventure.” —Jet Black Ink


And don’t miss the first book in The Riven Chronicles Series!


THE ALMOST GIRL















About Amalie Howard:

AMALIE HOWARD grew up on a small Caribbean island where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or being a tomboy running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. 25 countries, surfing with sharks and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn't entirely convinced which takes more guts.

She is the award-winning author of several young adult novels critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Spring 2014 Kid's INDIE NEXT title. Her debut novel, Bloodspell, was a #1 Amazon bestseller, and the sequel, Bloodcraft, was a national silver IPPY medalist. She is also the co-author of the adult historical romance series, THE LORDS OF ESSEX. As an author of color and a proud supporter of diversity in fiction, her articles on multicultural fiction have appeared in The Portland Book Review and on the popular Diversity in YA blog. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children.




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Amalie Howard Goodreads ** THE FALLEN PRINCE Goodreads







Amalie Howard’s THE FALLEN PRINCE – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
May 30th
My YA NA Book Obsession – Review & Excerpt
The LitBuzz – Review
WTF Are You Reading? – Review & Excerpt
Rambling Reads – Excerpt
AC Book Blog – Excerpt
Cynthia Bloggs – Excerpt
May 31st
Dazzled by Books – Excerpt
Comic Book Love – Review
Pandora's Books – Excerpt
Have Words Will Scribble – Review & Excerpt
Vagabonda Reads – Excerpt
Hannah's Words – Review & Excerpt
The Romance Reviews – Excerpt
June 1st
Escape Inside the Pages – Review & Excerpt
June 2nd
Book it – Review & Excerpt
Books Need TLC – Review & Excerpt
BookCrushin – Excerpt
Roxy's Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Romance Book Nerd – Excerpt
Mes Livres – Review & Excerpt
The Rest Is Still Unwritten – Review & Excerpt
June 3rd
The book slayer – Review & Excerpt
Fishing for Books – Excerpt
The Recipe Fairy – Review & Excerpt
YA Book Divas – Excerpt
Book Lovers Life – Excerpt
Only One More Page – Excerpt
Teen Readers' Diary – Excerpt
June 4th
Mama Reads Hazel Sleeps – Review & Excerpt
The Cover Contessa – Review & Excerpt
Evermore Books – Excerpt
The A P Book Club – Review & Excerpt
City of Books – Review & Excerpt
RhiReading – Excerpt
Danielle’s Domain – Excerpt

Saturday, May 28, 2016

ARC REVIEW Heart of a Bad Boy by Sugar Jamison

Sugar Jamison wraps up the Destiny series with Levi and Shelly's story. Until you get to the epilogue of this story it doesn't matter in which order you read it. Bad Boy CEO and Betting on the Bad Boy are pretty much reversible and I would say it about Heart of a Bad Boy but the epilogue is kind of the piece de resistance, it was the closure for the series. However can I see another Destiny book outside the King family, yes; and I hope we get one.

Levi and Shelly have been best friends since Levi moved in next door. Two unlikely friends one of those bad King boys and the Church Deacon daughter. But never the less, through thick and thin and although apart for the last 13 years they have been close. Shelly know Levi is a playboy all she has to do is look in the media and see he's with a different girl, girls who are the completely different from her, but it doesn't stop her from loving him. When Levi gets called back home the first place he goes is to see Shelly. Shelly's father is out of state on a much needed vacation while he is gone Shelly decides that she is going to do all the stuff she could never do with her father here, and lucky enough Levi is here to help corrupt her, I mean help her.
Thirteen years with out seeing his best friend and Levi is stunned by how beautiful a woman Shelly has grown into. Helping her find her true self without the watchful eye of her father and Shelly blossoms into a confident young woman. Levi just needs a little push to realize that his friendship with Shelly has always been love.      

Overall, I love these brothers. Levi however managed to be the sweetest most romantic of the three, I mean what he did to prove his love to Shelly... happy cry, ugly cry but a happy one.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

RELEASE BLITZ Finding Snow by Alexa Riley



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 Koda's found his sister, Winnie, and now he's made a life for himself in Gray Ridge, Colorado. As a bear shifter, he's naturally a loner, and with so few females around, he's resigned to never finding his mate. But when he stumbles upon a woman in the woods, his whole world changes.

Snow's been on the run and has made a makeshift family with a band of seven wanderers. While resting in the woods and waiting for them to come back, something big finds her.

When Koda and Snow collide, they realize their stories are woven together more tightly than they could have imagined. Will the truth break their mates bond? Or will it bind them closer together?

Warning: This fairy-tale shifter story is full of alpha sweetness with a side of growly bear. What's not to love?! If you love a classic story with a dirty twist, then get your click on!


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Finding Snow is a play on the fairy tale Snow White. (If the title didn't give it away)
It is a steamy hot but sweet romance. It's fine as a standalone I have missed the last three but this one is completely apart from the others even if the other characters do make a quick appearance.

Koda is a bear shifter, he recently found his sister after they were separated and Koda was held captive by a crazy scientist. When Koda finally got out he tracked down his sister to Gray Ridge. Seeing her happy and mated he decided what better place to stay. Even then Koda isolates himself from everyone and has resigned himself to a mate less life.
Snow Denali has seven older brother, well not blood related but brothers of the heart. The majority of them have left when they found their mates and leaving Snow with three. Snow was adopted by the boys when they found her after she ran away from her unhealthy home. The Denali Brother's decided to settle in one place and that the pack in Gray Ridge was laid back enough for them. 

Snow and Koda are meant to be together, the fates saw to it but can they forgive each other for the others pasts?    

Overall, this was another great quick read from Alexa Riley. As much as I love the quick reads I really wish I could get a full length novel out of them. 


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(A taste)

It’s still dark when I wake up with a jolt, the cold sweat covering my naked body. It takes me a moment, like it always does, to remember where I am and that I’m safe. The seconds tick by, and my breathing evens out. Rubbing my hands against my eyes, I remind myself that I’m not in a cage. 
I give up on sleep and get up from the bed. I make my way to the bathroom, turn on the shower, and get in before the water has a chance to warm up. I’m used to cold showers after being denied the luxury of hot water for so long and then having to bathe in rivers when I escaped. 
I soap up and try not to think about my past, but it always comes flooding back after a nightmare. I can’t seem to stop it, so I just have to ride it out until all the feelings pass. This dream was like so many before, most of it exactly the same, but sometimes my mind likes to add in details that weren’t there, just to fuck with me. 
This time when I was dreaming, I was in the cage again. The one they kept me locked in unless they were running tests. They had a theory that if shifters were kept in small places, they would be less likely, or unable, to shift. 
In this dream, I was in the cage, and I could hear Winnie crying. I know this didn’t happen because Winnie was never captured with me. She got away. I always have to remind myself of that. We were young when we were caught, but she fought and was able to get free. I was too drugged up to know what happened, and all I could remember was waking up in a cell without her. 
I'd learned over the years that we were taken by a company that was doing research on shifters. They kept us as if we were animals in a lab. It was a horrible time in my life, and ever since I broke free, my only goal was finding my sister. When I found her, it was only to see that she had amnesia and was being cared for here in Gray Ridge. Winnie had gotten lucky, and Alpha Stone had taken her into the pack and kept her safe. When I found her, and when her memories came back, I felt like my journey had finally come to an end. 
Only it didn’t. 
I’m a bear shifter, and there aren’t as many of us as there are of other species. Even fewer bear shifter females exist. When Winnie mated with Alpha Stone, I could have left, but I didn’t want to. Bears aren’t normally pack animals, but they are close to their families. I couldn’t move away from Winnie after finally finding her, even though she was mated. 
Thankfully, Alpha Stone welcomed me into the pack and gave me some land. Xavier, one of the wolf shifters, and I built my cabin out here to give me some space away from the pack and also to have a way to stay close to Winnie. 
I’d been in captivity for so long that I was worried I wouldn’t be able to adjust to pack life. But Xavier had gone through some trauma before he met his mate, and he was able to give me some advice to help me cope. 
When we built the house, he helped me put in extra security measures so that I could feel safe again. My nightmares used to be a lot worse, and I think he knew it. So to help, we installed bolted locks both inside and outside the entry points of the house. The locks are in place in a way that no one is going in or out of my home without my permission. The extra security helps me sleep. As long as the nightmares don’t creep in. 
When I’ve finished showering, I make myself breakfast and have coffee. My life is very quiet, and I don’t have many friends—just the Gray Ridge pack people who Winnie makes me hang out with. I look over at the counter and see an invitation to a kid’s birthday party at Xavier and Gwen’s home. I know I should want to go and be around everyone, but I feel myself getting tired and wanting to hibernate. 
I let out a long sigh and try to shake off the dark mood. Internally, I know that I’m safe and everything is okay. I’m just getting used to the world again. Also being around a lot of happy mated couples can start to wear on any single shifter after a while. There’s a longing that comes with wanting to find your mate, and knowing I probably never will sends another wave of sadness over me. 
Closing my eyes, I see dark hair and blue eyes. I try to grab on to the image, but it’s gone like smoke through my fingers. I think of the image every time I think about finding my mate. I don’t even know where the image is from or how I remember it, but something about it is familiar. 
I push away from the table and clean up the kitchen. When I finish, I look outside. The sun has come up and it’s starting to snow a bit. I love this time of year. The cool air and the clean smells of the forest calm my bear. I feel him stir inside me, and I decide he could use a walk in the woods. 
Bears aren’t much for running or spending energy when they don’t have to. Our shifters are usually really big and solidly built. I lost a lot of weight when I was being held captive, but in the time since, I’ve put on a lot of weight. It feels good to have the extra layers of thick muscle and even a little extra around my mid-section. We’re pretty hairy, too, and I definitely meet that type. My long beard and chest hair help keep me warm when it's cold out. So even though it’s snowing, I don’t need much coverage. 
I’ve got on a long-sleeved, cream-colored thermal shirt and jeans. I go over to the door, pull on my boots, and then go about unlocking the door. I walk outside and turn, locking the cabin back up. 
The woods are quiet, and my bear is enjoying the peace. He likes being outside, but a lot of times my fear overrides his need and we stay indoors. This is good for both of us, at least for a little while. 
I walk for a few miles and come through the clearing next to the lake. I don’t usually venture to this side of the protected lands, but I just need a change today. New scenery. Something inside me is telling me this will be best for me and my bear. That we need a new direction and something different to see today. 
Looking off in the distance, I see a dark figure on the ground. My bear is instantly alert, and I widen my stance, preparing for danger. I raise my nose, trying to catch a scent, but the wind is at my back. Slowly and silently, I walk around the edge of the lake, looking for danger from every direction. 
My bear is pacing, trying to get out, but I want to be able to hold my skin. I’m always terrified that someone will try to take me again after getting captured the last time, so I’m being extra cautious. 
I don’t know what possesses me to even want to investigate the dark figure. Normally, I would just turn and run. But something’s pulling me in that direction, and I need to see what it is. 
As I step closer, I see the dark figure take shape. The scent still hasn’t come my way, but I can make out that it’s a person lying in the snow. My steps are tentative and slow, and I move closer and closer. 
When I realize it’s a woman, my heart starts to beat faster and my steps quicken. What if she’s a shifter in trouble? I don’t know everyone in the pack yet, so this could be a member in distress. 
Moving close, I see that her eyes are closed and she’s lying on her back with her arms outstretched. She must not have been here long because not much snow has fallen on her. It’s starting to come down heavier now, and she’s getting a small dusting on her face and body. 
She’s got thick black hair and skin the color of cream. Her lips are blood red, and something inside of me is pulling me towards her. I can’t explain the force that makes me go to her, but something inside me knows that I must help her.
Something inside me needs to kiss her. Taste her… Brand her. 
I kneel down beside her, and the sound wakes her. Her big eyes pop open, and the blue there strikes me right in the chest. Her eyes are the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. I want to get lost in them and let them carry me away. There’s something about them that’s familiar and safe, but also terrifying and confusing. 
A heartbeat passes between us, and for a second I’m pulled back in time to a place I thought I’d left. Fear grips me, but then the woman smiles up at me, and all of that melts away. 
“Hi,” she whispers, and I light up at the word. I start to say something back, but at that moment her scent hits me, and I my throat nearly closes up.
She’s human. 
Rage pulses through me, and I start to stand. I want to get away from this human as fast as I can, but suddenly I’m dizzy with need. I inhale again, and I feel my bear trying to take over. He’s clawing inside me to get out to roar, but I hold him tight, trying to catch my brain up to my body. 
Mate, my bear growls over and over, and I realize that this human is my mate. A human. The one thing in this world that I not only fear but never want to be near again is my mate. 
I growl long and low, but the human doesn’t look surprised. She sits up and pushes back from me, but I reach out, snatching her ankle before she can get away. 
“Mine,” I say through gritted teeth. I didn’t want this, not like this. But my body has no choice. 
“Let me go.” I look into her eyes to see panic there. “Don’t, please. My brothers will worry. I know what you are, please don’t do this.” 
The plea for her family pulls at my heart. How many times had I begged to be let free to find my family? How many times had I begged for news of my sister? I feel sadness for her, but then it’s followed by anger. Her kind are the ones that kept me from Winnie. This human is my mate. I have every right to take her from her human people. 
“You’re mine now,” I say, pulling her off the ground and throwing her over my shoulder. 
“Please let me go. I swear I won’t come back. I’ll never tell anyone.” 
As the snow comes down heavier and heavier, I carry her back to my cabin. Our tracks are covered and no one will be able to find us. I’m taking my mate home, and she will get used to it. 
“You can’t do this. You can’t take me.” There is so much panic in her voice that I nearly stop and go back, not wanting to upset her. 
“I will treat you kindly and no harm will ever come to you as long as I live.” I take a breath and keep walking. “It’s more than your kind ever gave me.”


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Alexa Riley is two sassy friends who got together and wrote some dirty books. They are both married moms of two who love football, donuts, and obsessed book heroes.
They specialize in insta-love, over-the-top, sweet, and cheesy love stories that don’t take all year to read. If you want something SAFE, short, and always with a happily ever after, then Alexa Riley is for you!
Author Links

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Tuesday, May 24, 2016

EARLY ARC REVIEW Tailored for Trouble by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

This is a very early review, Tailored for Trouble is due to come out in August. I am such a Mimi Jean Fangirl. I tried to wait to read this one but yeah that wasn't happening. The prequel book of this series is called Happy Pants Cafe, I love that book. It is a delightful funny piece of fluff it makes me smile the book makes me happy when I read it. And so when Mimi announced she was writing more I squealed.

Tailored for Trouble is not quite the light happy go-lucky fluff piece that Happy Pants is, it has a little bit more emotional heartache, but still a beautiful, funny, and a quintessentially Mimi story.
Mr.Wade...swoon!
This was an emotional and very amusing journey between to people falling in love in the span of a week. Taylor Reed considers herself the underachiever of the family. The daughter of famous race car driver and an actress the youngest of four and the only girl and the only one who isn't settled and successful in her chosen career in fact she has no career. She knows what she wants to do she wants to change the world one stuck up CEO at a time. she created a program that helps bring the CEOs down to earth and have the easily relate to their employees and have less of a turn over rate. Unfortunately no one wants to hire her, except the man who got her fired from her last job. Is the lure of fifty thousand enough to get her to work for the pompous man who always seems to find the right nerve to step on.
Bennett Wade is set in his was and knows what he wants and will not rest until he gets it and if that means manipulating people than by all means he will. Taylor is a surprise he needs her more than he wants to admit and more than he realizes. But can Taylor forgive Bennett for everything? Does he want her too? Does he even deserve her forgiveness? How can Mrs. Luci magic cookie help, even them?    

Overall, this is yet another winner from Mimi Jean Pamfiloff. With every book I have a new favorite and really look forward to reading the next two in the series.

RELEASE DAY BLITZ Tommaso by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Tommaso,

Immortal Matchmakers, Inc. book #2

by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Released May 24, 2016

From New York Times Bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff… 
 TOMMASO, Book #2, Immortal Matchmakers, Inc. Series (Standalone) 

  SOMETIMES, HOT MEN CAN BE REAL MONSTERS… 
Tommaso Fierro is used to the finer things in life—nice suits, nice car, nice house. Okay, his past isn’t so nice, but that’s in the past. Or at least it was until he blacked out after meeting the woman of his dreams. Annnd possibly capturing her. Annnd possibly terrorizing her before she got away. Annnd discovering that he’s turning into a horrible creature he loathes with all his heart.   Luckily, there’s a cure. Unluckily, it will require him to track this woman down and convince her to give him a second chance. But if he finds her, will she ever believe that he’s really not a monster? 

WARNING: This book contains F-bombs, unicorns, golf clubs, random references to TV shows, disco balls, imprisoned clowns, leather pants, evil Mayan priests, large scary bugs, insane deities, hot immortal men, and, of course, many references to extremely large penises.


BUY NOW
 

PROLOGUE

Lying in bed, I sifted through the darkness with my tired eyes, in search of the strange noise coming from… 
Holy crap! It’s above me! 
The dark figure came into focus, and I let out a yelp that should’ve been a terror-filled scream. What in the name of fuck is that? I thought, feeling my entire body turn ice cold with fear. 
In the yellow light of my alarm clock, I saw the monster’s face hovering over mine, its eyes pits of glowing crimson swirling with black. 
Oh shit. Oh shit. What is that? I opened my mouth to finally deliver that scream, but the beast quickly slapped its sickly hand over my lips to muffle the noise. 
Oh, God. Help me. He smelled like death and evil. He smelled like desolation and despair—everything bad in this world mixed together. 
Knowing I was about to die, I felt my eyes begin to tear. 
“Please,” I mumbled through the gaps in its sticky fingers, the unmistakable smell of dried blood filling my nostrils. “Please don’t kill me.” 
Slowly, it dipped its head, allowing me to see its face up close. 
Christ. He’s human. Or something humanlike, resembling a man covered in black soot and the stench of death. 
“Please, I’m begging you—just let me go,” I whimpered. The man slid his hand from my mouth, studying me. Then there was a flash of something I didn’t expect in their depths: fear. 
“Save. Me,” he mumbled in a deep gargle. “Please…save…me…” 
What the…? I was the one who needed saving! 
“I think it’s the oth-other way around,” I stuttered and then reached for the reading lamp to my side and swung. He stopped it inches from his face, and an icy rage replaced any semblance of kinder, gentler emotions. 
He roared and then grabbed me by the hair, dragging me from my bed. 
“Let go!” I yelled, and he did. He tossed me to the floor as if I were completely weightless. 
Oh, God. He was so strong. 
I yelled for help, but no one was coming. I lived alone out in the middle of the desert. 
Looking pleased by my fear, he reached into the waistband of whatever he wore as clothing and drew a buck knife or machete or something one might use to murder an innocent twenty-six-year-old golf instructor who lived ten miles outside of Palm Springs, liked to binge on crunchy food, and owned two Jeeps, a cat that hated her, and four rescue chickens. Yeah. It was that kind of knife. A really, really big fucking knife. 
“Oh, God. Please no. Please…I’m sorry,” I cried. “Whatever I did, I’m sorry!” Of course, I wasn’t sorry. I was simply terrified and wanted to live. Unfortunately, the odds were not in my favor. 
I watched in terror as the blade barreled down toward my face.

CHAPTER ONE 
(Tommaso) 9:42 a.m., Los Angeles 
Covered in bright red blood, Tommaso Fierro stumbled from his sleek black Mercedes and staggered across the litter-filled 7-Eleven parking lot, clutching the front of his sticky gray dress shirt. 
“Sonofabitch,” he groaned. This can’t be happening. He’d gone through far too much, survived far too much, only to end up like this. 
No. No. No. You are not turning evil again. 
But then why had his turquoise eyes—the telltale sign of his godsgiven immortality—turned black? Why did his heart feel like it was being prodded with a red-hot poker? 
And where the fuck did all this blood come from? It sure as hell wasn’t his. 
He looked at his sticky red hands, suddenly seeing images of the dark-haired woman in his head. She was bound and gagged in his closet, screaming at him through a rope knotted between her lips. 
Shit. Please don’t tell me I killed her. Because she was the one. Yes, the one. And no, he couldn’t explain why he had no clear memory of what happened, but he did remember the wave of intense desire he’d felt the moment he spotted her leaving the singles mixer last night—Wait. Was it last night? Everything was a blur after that, like watching a violent movie on a dark screen that sporadically flickered. 
Godsdammit! Wouldn’t this just be his godsdamned luck? He finally meets the woman of his dreams—his true mate—only to turn evil for no other reason than the Universe had decided to be a huge bitch and mess with everyone. 
More blurry images swarmed his mind: the woman screaming and then…images of him letting her go, only to start chasing her, like a cat playing with a mouse it wanted to torment before the kill. 
That is very fucked up. 
Tommaso suddenly felt like his skull was splitting open. Aaagh… He shoved his fingers into his sticky short hair, pressing the sides of his head. Then his lungs began closing up. I can’t…breathe. He fell to his knees on the hard asphalt. And godsdammit, he had just gotten his awesome pin-striped slacks back from the tailor. Three hundred bucks just for the hem. 
A candy apple red Mustang tore into the parking lot, nearly colliding with a parked car before coming to a tire-screeching halt a few feet in front of him. The driver door popped open and out stepped a familiar face: Zac, God of Temptation. 
The sound of Zac’s heavy biker boots thumped toward Tommaso as he tried to keep his vision from blacking out. 
“Wow,” said Zac in his usual cocky tone while brushing back his mane of shaggy black hair with his usual affected gesture. “You weren’t joking. You really are turning into a Maaskab—not such a great look for you, by the way.” 
Maaskab were an ancient sect of powerful, bloodthirsty Mayan priests who excelled in the dark arts. With their blood-caked dreads, soulless pits for eyes, and grime-covered bodies (they believed bathing robbed them of their powers), they looked like death warmed over, reheated in a microwave, and then deep fried in evil waffle batter. And though they were talented at many malevolent things, manipulating dark energy and enslaving others to do their bidding were their claims to fame, something Tommaso knew firsthand. For two loooong fucking years, he’d been pumped full of Maaskab poisons and used to spy on the gods’ army. It was a miracle he’d escaped, but an even bigger miracle the gods had chosen to help him versus ending his life after he’d been discovered. 
Only now, he wasn’t so sure that he’d been cured (or what had happened over the last twenty-four hours or why he was in a 7-Eleven parking lot covered in blood with only a vague recollection of taking his newly found mate captive). In any case, Zac had been the first name that came to mind when he’d called for help. 
Perhaps not such a wise choice. Zac wasn’t known for being the most compassionate of the gods. Okay. None of the gods were compassionate. Bat-shit crazy, the whole lot of them. 
Tommaso looked up at Zac, seven feet of pure conceited asshole in leather pants. And topless? 
“Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?” Tommaso grumbled. Proper attire was essential, even when one was in the process of transforming into a monster, as in his case. Didn’t see him ripping off his clothes and acting uncivilized. 
“Casual Friday.” Zac shrugged and then bent to help Tommaso to his feet. 
Tommaso’s gaze gravitated toward the hazy figure of a petite blonde standing beside the god, wearing only a pair of enormous flowery granny panties and matching brassiere. He recognized her to be Tula, the new assistant at Immortal Matchmakers, Inc., which was run by Zac and Zac’s insane redheaded mess of a sister, Cimil—the Goddess of the Underworld. 
“What’s with Tula’s outfit?” Tommaso mumbled, wondering if he wasn’t dreaming. 
“Casual Friday,” Zac answered for Tula. “Did I not just explain that?” 
“Okay, you two,” said Tula, in a sugary tone, “let’s get out of here before the police show and suck up another day with all their questions. I’m still trying to get them not to press charges for the singles mixer.” 
Tommaso hadn’t stayed for more than a minute at that party, but he could only imagine the long list of reasons the police had been called. Things tended to end up decimated or lit on fire when a group of immortals got in a room and started drinking. Belch, aka the God of Wine and Intoxication, for example, held the all-time record for destroying the most hotels. Five hundred and twenty. All burnt to the ground. All by accident. 
Tommaso winced, the pain of whatever searing through his veins becoming almost unbearable. “Take me home.” 
“Who said anything about home, compadre?” Zac said. “You’re not safe to roam freely with the masses.” 
Zac looked at Miss Flower-Power Panties and instructed her to retrieve Tommaso’s keys from his pocket. 
“But Zac,” Tula protested, “a man’s pocket is his private space. Next to his privates.” 
She was standing in the middle of a public parking lot in broad daylight, wearing only her undergarments—albeit, very unsexy undergarments, but undergarments nonetheless—and she was concerned about improper behavior? 
“My keys are in the ignition,” Tommaso groaned, the splitting pain in his head and heart only worsening. “And I’m sorry about all the blood in the car.” Sorrier than anyone could ever know. Please don’t let it be my mate’s. Please. 
Zac bent his head and gave Tommaso a whiff. “Hate to break it to you, evil buddy, but if what’s in your car is the same stuff that’s on your shirt, that’s not blood. Cherry Slurpee is my guess.” 
Really? Tommaso looked down at his sticky gray shirt. “I killed a woman and went to get a Slurpee? I am a monster.” 
“Do you specifically remember killing someone?” Zac asked. 
“No, but—” 
Sirens began wailing off in the distance. 
“Time to go, big man. Let’s get you to a secure location. We’ll sort it all out later.” Zac turned toward Tula, who was already getting into Tommaso’s Mercedes. “I’ll meet you back at the office.” 
“Yes, sir,” she replied. 
“And, woman?” Zac said, his deep voice filled with agitation. 
“Yes?” she answered. “The next time I see you, you’d better be wearing proper office apparel. We hold to certain standards at Immortal Matchmakers, Inc. Even on casual Friday.” 
“For the last time, I am not going to work naked, Zac!” She slammed the driver-side door shut and zoomed out of the parking lot. 
“Humans,” Zac grumbled. “So damned uppity! You know what I mean?” Zac looked at Tommaso, fishing for validation. 
Tommaso frowned up at the deity, whose face was becoming a mishmash of swirls. I’m losing my mind. “Sure. Yeah. Wearing clothes is so last year.” 
“I know, right?” Zac grabbed Tommaso’s arm to steady him as he began falling sideways. “All right, let’s get you off to jail.” 
“You’re taking me to jail?” Tommaso stumbled along toward the Mustang, without a hope or a prayer of getting free. Not in my condition. 
“Well, I’m really taking you to Cimil’s basement until we can get you moved to our real prison. But where else would I take an evil, bloodthirsty Maaskab to rot for eternity?” 
Rot? Eternity? Oh hell. Maybe Zac was right; that was where he needed to go. Because if Tommaso had harmed a hair on his mate’s head, he deserved to putrefy in a dark dungeon for all time. 
But what if she’s not dead? He had seen an image of him untying her and of her running away. Gods be damned. I have to find out what I did… He needed to know she was all right. Okay, and his heart demanded to see her again and beg her forgiveness. 
But who was she? He’d only seen her for a moment in passing as she left the mixer—that part was clear. As for how would he go looking for her when he could barely see straight? Not to mention you’re going off to immortal jail. 
There was only one person he could turn to. 
Gods help me… 


This book really is everything you expect it to be and more. I should know better but Mimi Jean Pamfiloff is constantly surprising me with some of crazy ass shit she writes. I love it. I love being taken off guard, I had busted out laughing at several parts in this book because she takes me by surprise. That's one reason I love reading her books. This is a standalone you don't have to read the previous series, Accidentally...Yours, or the first book in the series Immortal Matchmakers Inc. Everything you need to know is in the book. Cimil is so crazy you don't know if their is actual method to her madness or if she's just doing it to fuck with you or if she really is just that bat-shit crazy.   
Charlotte is afraid of the things that go bump in the night, she has a hard time letting people get close because she's afraid they might think she is crazy. Tommaso's salvation is resting on the shoulders of his one true mate, Charlotte. He has to convince her that she can trust him. But as it always goes anything that can go wrong will go wrong. This is a crazy topsie turby wild ride full of golf, wacky clothes, leather pants, sexy sexy teaser sex. I love Tommaso he is willing to risk everything for those he loves his loyalty is so strong especially now after her has been bad and has lost everything. Everything Charlotte thinks about her monsters is wrong, and it takes one crazy redheaded goddess to set things straight.  

I love that Emma and Voltan... I mean Guy, have a part in this book as they are both such a big part in Tommaso's past.

Zac you are a naughty, naughty boy!

Cimil, do Funyons have a shelf life?    

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About the Author

 
MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF is a USA Today and New York Times bestselling romance author. Although she obtained her MBA and worked for more than fifteen years in the corporate world, she believes that it’s never too late to come out of the romance closet and follow your dream. Mimi lives with her Latin Lover hubby, two pirates-in-training (their boys), and the rat terrier duo, Snowflake and Mini Me, in Arizona. She hopes to make you laugh when you need it most and continues to pray daily that leather pants will make a big comeback for men Sign up for Mimi’s mailing list for giveaways and new release news!

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