Down-on-her-luck Delilah is struggling to make ends meet so she can provide for her infant daughter. Not for the first time, she wonders if she should try once more to contact her estranged baby daddy.
Mountain lion shifter Ben knows he’s been the villain in other peoples’ stories. He doesn’t deserve forgiveness and he sure as hell doesn’t deserve love. Delilah’s bright personality shines into his heart, though, and he finds himself wanting nothing more than to claim her as his mate and call her baby his own. With a dangerous rogue wolf stalking his new family, Ben is ready to risk everything to become not the villain, but a hero.
I LOVED this villain!
Okay, okay, a misnomer. While Ben was a bad guy in a previous book (not necessary to read that book in order to enjoy this one), he certainly changed since then!
I liked how Liza wrote him; outwardly, he was the strong, silent type and didn't have much dialogue. But it was reading what went on inside of his head that made him so endearing. He was trying really really hard to be a good guy, and I just loved reading him.
Delilah was also fun to read. I liked her upbeat personality, even as she was faced with truly dire circumstances. And I really liked how she was eventually okay with Ben trying to protect her. So many romances out there try to portray strength in women by them adamantly and sometimes aggressively refusing help from men, and I hate that. It's probably a famous quote somewhere, but the greatest showing of strength is knowing when to ask for help. In my opinion. But I digress.
Liza also included an intense fight scene that had me on the edge of my seat! Be warned that it's a bit graphic, but it was SO well-written.
Bottom line: If you like shifter books, Liza is DEFINITELY an author to have in your library!!!
(I was given a copy of this book in consideration of my honest thoughts)
Okay, okay, a misnomer. While Ben was a bad guy in a previous book (not necessary to read that book in order to enjoy this one), he certainly changed since then!
I liked how Liza wrote him; outwardly, he was the strong, silent type and didn't have much dialogue. But it was reading what went on inside of his head that made him so endearing. He was trying really really hard to be a good guy, and I just loved reading him.
Delilah was also fun to read. I liked her upbeat personality, even as she was faced with truly dire circumstances. And I really liked how she was eventually okay with Ben trying to protect her. So many romances out there try to portray strength in women by them adamantly and sometimes aggressively refusing help from men, and I hate that. It's probably a famous quote somewhere, but the greatest showing of strength is knowing when to ask for help. In my opinion. But I digress.
Liza also included an intense fight scene that had me on the edge of my seat! Be warned that it's a bit graphic, but it was SO well-written.
Bottom line: If you like shifter books, Liza is DEFINITELY an author to have in your library!!!
(I was given a copy of this book in consideration of my honest thoughts)
Copyright 2018 Liza Street. All rights reserved.
from Chapter Four
Ben tried to turn his brain off as he drove back to his place. Too many thoughts. Too many voices. He turned up the stereo, blared Lagwagon. Nineties punk helped, sometimes.
When he pulled into his driveway, he was surprised to see a car already sitting there.
Ben hated surprises.
A familiar woman leaned against the door of the little sedan. Sleeves of tattoos going up each arm. A nose piercing with a tiny diamond. She eyed him as he drove up and parked.
As he got out of his truck and walked over to her, he realized where he'd seen her before. It was the blond woman who’d come out of Pawndemonium yesterday. Still attractive, still looking tired as hell, like she hadn't been taking care of herself. She carried a sweet scent that he vaguely recognized but couldn't quite place.
“Oh, I know you,” she said, her face registering surprise. “You were in Maxon yesterday, right? At that little strip mall with the taqueria?”
He nodded. His first impulse was to ask her what the fuck she was doing here, but then he remembered he was trying to be nicer. "Can I help you with something?" he asked.
"Yeah." She stood up straight and unfolded her inked-up arms. "I need to talk to Chase."
There was that sneaky fucker grief, again. This time it didn't whap him on the head, it kicked him straight in the gut.
"You can't," he said. "Sorry."
She had gorgeous, deep brown eyes. She tilted her head and narrowed them at him. "That's not an acceptable answer."
He knew he should just come out with the bad news, but once he did, this entire dynamic would change. Messed-up as it was, he liked the challenge of interacting with her.
"It is how it is," he said.
She smiled, and the tiny diamond in her nose twinkled. "Look, mister," she said. "I don't have a lot of time. Especially not for your bullshit. I can see from the color of your hair that you're related to Chase. So tell me where I can find him, and I'll get out of your way."
He was too tired and sad to lead her on anymore. "Can you come inside? Sit down?"
"No, I can't do that. Would you please just tell me where to find Chase?"
He didn't want to tell her like this. He didn't want to tell her at all. Obviously, finding Chase was important to her. Unfortunately, finding Chase was impossible.
She'd given him no choice. In a heavy voice, he said, "Chase is dead."
She took a step back and bumped into her car. "What? Chase is—dead? No. No."
"Yeah, he is. Sorry." Sorry didn't seem like enough. Sorry wasn't enough. That was a lesson Ben had been learning over and over for the past year.
"When? How?" Her eyes filled with tears. They were now beautiful brown pools of shock and sorrow.
"Last summer. In an accident." Ben didn't elaborate. This woman was clearly human, and vampires weren't publicly out. Neither were shifters, or anything else supernatural. She would never get to know the truth.
She shook her head in disbelief. "This isn't at all how I imagined this going."
Ben nodded. He could relate. He hated surprises too.
"Okay. Okay," she said, mostly to herself. "Okay, well, mister, whatever Chase was to you, I'm sorry for your loss."
Tears were flowing freely down her face now. Clearly, Chase had meant something to her. But if he had been that important, why had she waited all this time to reach out? Ben wasn't sure how to ask that question, so he kept quiet. Keeping quiet was usually the best tactic to take.
The woman opened her car door and started to get inside. Suddenly, a baby's wail cut through the silence.
"Shit," the woman said. "I mean, shoot." She looked over at Ben. "Do you mind if I nurse her here? I'll just be in your driveway for ten minutes, tops."
She didn't wait for his permission before opening the back door and pulling out a baby.
He remembered seeing her with the baby yesterday, but he had forgotten all about that little detail. He didn't like loud noises. He didn't like small, screamy things.
So this was the first time he really looked at the baby. And what he saw nearly made him fall over.
The baby had short auburn curls. The baby had Chase’s bluish-green eyes.
If Ben were to get closer, he knew the baby would carry the unmistakable scent of a mountain lion shifter. This must have been the wild scent he’d caught outside Pawndemonium and the taqueria yesterday, the shifter scent he’d disregarded because there wasn’t a problem.
Well, this was a problem—a big-ass problem in a tiny package.
from Chapter Four
Ben tried to turn his brain off as he drove back to his place. Too many thoughts. Too many voices. He turned up the stereo, blared Lagwagon. Nineties punk helped, sometimes.
When he pulled into his driveway, he was surprised to see a car already sitting there.
Ben hated surprises.
A familiar woman leaned against the door of the little sedan. Sleeves of tattoos going up each arm. A nose piercing with a tiny diamond. She eyed him as he drove up and parked.
As he got out of his truck and walked over to her, he realized where he'd seen her before. It was the blond woman who’d come out of Pawndemonium yesterday. Still attractive, still looking tired as hell, like she hadn't been taking care of herself. She carried a sweet scent that he vaguely recognized but couldn't quite place.
“Oh, I know you,” she said, her face registering surprise. “You were in Maxon yesterday, right? At that little strip mall with the taqueria?”
He nodded. His first impulse was to ask her what the fuck she was doing here, but then he remembered he was trying to be nicer. "Can I help you with something?" he asked.
"Yeah." She stood up straight and unfolded her inked-up arms. "I need to talk to Chase."
There was that sneaky fucker grief, again. This time it didn't whap him on the head, it kicked him straight in the gut.
"You can't," he said. "Sorry."
She had gorgeous, deep brown eyes. She tilted her head and narrowed them at him. "That's not an acceptable answer."
He knew he should just come out with the bad news, but once he did, this entire dynamic would change. Messed-up as it was, he liked the challenge of interacting with her.
"It is how it is," he said.
She smiled, and the tiny diamond in her nose twinkled. "Look, mister," she said. "I don't have a lot of time. Especially not for your bullshit. I can see from the color of your hair that you're related to Chase. So tell me where I can find him, and I'll get out of your way."
He was too tired and sad to lead her on anymore. "Can you come inside? Sit down?"
"No, I can't do that. Would you please just tell me where to find Chase?"
He didn't want to tell her like this. He didn't want to tell her at all. Obviously, finding Chase was important to her. Unfortunately, finding Chase was impossible.
She'd given him no choice. In a heavy voice, he said, "Chase is dead."
She took a step back and bumped into her car. "What? Chase is—dead? No. No."
"Yeah, he is. Sorry." Sorry didn't seem like enough. Sorry wasn't enough. That was a lesson Ben had been learning over and over for the past year.
"When? How?" Her eyes filled with tears. They were now beautiful brown pools of shock and sorrow.
"Last summer. In an accident." Ben didn't elaborate. This woman was clearly human, and vampires weren't publicly out. Neither were shifters, or anything else supernatural. She would never get to know the truth.
She shook her head in disbelief. "This isn't at all how I imagined this going."
Ben nodded. He could relate. He hated surprises too.
"Okay. Okay," she said, mostly to herself. "Okay, well, mister, whatever Chase was to you, I'm sorry for your loss."
Tears were flowing freely down her face now. Clearly, Chase had meant something to her. But if he had been that important, why had she waited all this time to reach out? Ben wasn't sure how to ask that question, so he kept quiet. Keeping quiet was usually the best tactic to take.
The woman opened her car door and started to get inside. Suddenly, a baby's wail cut through the silence.
"Shit," the woman said. "I mean, shoot." She looked over at Ben. "Do you mind if I nurse her here? I'll just be in your driveway for ten minutes, tops."
She didn't wait for his permission before opening the back door and pulling out a baby.
He remembered seeing her with the baby yesterday, but he had forgotten all about that little detail. He didn't like loud noises. He didn't like small, screamy things.
So this was the first time he really looked at the baby. And what he saw nearly made him fall over.
The baby had short auburn curls. The baby had Chase’s bluish-green eyes.
If Ben were to get closer, he knew the baby would carry the unmistakable scent of a mountain lion shifter. This must have been the wild scent he’d caught outside Pawndemonium and the taqueria yesterday, the shifter scent he’d disregarded because there wasn’t a problem.
Well, this was a problem—a big-ass problem in a tiny package.
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He will have to fight for the woman he loved and lost.
Rex has known since he was a teenager that his neighbor, Gemma, is the one for him. But as a wolf shifter, he’s been told that his life is too violent to bind himself to a fragile human. For the past eight years, he’s been fighting in cage matches and trying to forget the woman who holds his heart.
Now that Gemma has found her long-lost best friend, she can’t believe he’s the Rose King, a violent fighter. When cruel men want to control Rex, Gemma must confront the reason he left her, all those years ago. If she knows the truth about him, can their love endure?
Content Warning: This shapeshifter novella stands alone and has a happily-ever-after. It contains liberal usage of naughty language and sexytimes and is intended for adults.
It is 18,500 words, approximately 80 pages.
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But Jude isn’t going to give up so easily. Despite the hostility from her family and a new imbalance in his pride, he slowly works to win Ava back. His mountain lion chose Ava as his mate years ago, and he’ll do whatever it takes to prove to Ava that he loves her and wants her back in his life—and this time, he’ll never let her go.
Content warning: This sexy shapeshifter novelette includes a happily-ever-after as well as explicit love scenes and naughty language. It is intended for adults.
19,000 words, 75 pages.
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thanks for the givveway
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