From Amira Press! "Love & Brimstone," a paranormal romance by Lesli Richardson. Think "Boston Legal" meets "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." :)

Anastazia "Taz" Proctor finds out that destiny really sucks.

Literally.

She's a highly-paid and well-known "fixer," a cool, aloof, carefully controlled lawyer - and has earned her "Ice Queen" nickname. When she takes a dream job working for handsome millionaire Matthias Hawthorne, life as she knows it changes forever. He's cute, he's rich, and he has a 1968 Mustang. What could be better than that? But for once in her life she feels an attraction unlike any she's ever known and she struggles to maintain her self-control around him.

After an attempt on her life, Hawthorne is forced to reveal the truth about his identity...and hers. With her life in danger, Taz must learn to put aside her anger at Matthias for years of deception and accept the truth about her past – and her future. She also must face the feelings she has for the handsome Matthias. And what about his mysterious cousin, Rafael? As they are forced to retreat to the safe haven of Yellowstone National Park, can she escape the haunting echoes of her distant past before more tragedy strikes?

"Love & Brimstone" is the first book in a planned series.

Book trailer available for viewing at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRW9_B-41Es

Visit the Brimstone Series blog at: http://brimstoneseries.blogspot.com

"What kind of asshole sells automatic weapons to a demon anyway?" Rafael dropped the tote bag on his cousin's desk and plopped down in one of the chairs facing him.
 
"Is that it?"
 
Rafael nodded. "We need to speed this up. I've got a date at seven." He leaned back and propped his feet on the desk, crossing them at the ankles.
 
"You always have a date." Matthias unzipped the tote and removed a sealed plastic bag containing a large severed head. Semi-lupine in shape, vicious teeth jutted from the lower jaw. "Any problems?"
 
"Naw, customs was easy. Homeland Security, my ass. And one less 'Chupacabra' to terrify the locals." Rafael used finger quotes around the word to show his disdain. "Friggin’ jerk. He had a whole warehouse full of guns. Oh, Matts, you should have seen the stewardess on the plane."
 
"I thought you were going to take the corporate jet from Mexico City?" Matthias had left Rafael behind to finish the clean-up operation.
 
He shook his head. "Met this cute little co-ed from a cruise ship in Veracruz. You should've seen her."
 
"I'm sure." Matthias rolled his eyes and put the severed head back in the bag. "And your date tonight?"
 
Rafe shrugged. "I can't help it if the customs agent was a cutie."
 
"What did she see in your bag?"
 
"Bowling ball." Rafael’s playful smile and brilliant blue eyes had yet to fail him.
 
Matthias shook his head and laughed as he sat. "I'll have Albert send it to the lab for testing and an ID work-up. It bothers me that one of them was hooking up with a demon."
 
"Bothers you?" Rafe flexed his left arm. "Screw that, you aren't the one who got shot, big guy."
 
"How is it?"
 
"I've been better, but it's nearly healed. Still stiff." He unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt to show the pink scar where the slug had entered his shoulder two days prior. "What the hell did you eat anyway? You tasted—no offense, cuz—weird."
 
"No weirder than the time I got sliced open in Dublin and you'd been out drinking that afternoon. I had a hangover for three damn days, thanks to you."
 
Rafe grinned. "Ah, but you were alive to suffer."
 
Matthias smiled. "And so are you. I told you we shouldn't have eaten at that place for lunch. You insisted."
"Oh, yeah." He looked at Matthias' desk and sat up. "What's that?" He pointed to a picture.
 
Matthias slid it across the desk. Rafe picked it up, a low whistle escaping him. "Wow," he said, his voice dropping. "That's her?"
 
Matthias sat back and templed his fingers. "That's her."
 
Rafe studied the picture for a long moment. "I know you said…but she's…wow."
 
Matthias took the picture back. "Now you understand."
 
Rafael looked stunned. "Yeah. Congratulations."
 
"That's a little premature. We haven't even brought her in yet."
 
"When?"
 
He shrugged. "When Tim tells me the time is right. I've waited this many years for her, I can wait a little longer. Maybe next month. And even then, who knows? There's no guarantee."
 
Rafe studied his hands, his face a mask. "On second thought, maybe I'll fly home tonight. Take the corporate jet back to Atlanta."
 
"Why?"
 
"I don't know. I am pretty tired."
 
Matthias studied him for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft and kind. "Rafe, she's been dead—"
 
Rafe held up a hand and smiled. "Don't want to go there tonight, Matts. Sorry. I don't feel like revisiting the past. You dealt with Sarah in your way, I'll deal with my shit in mine, okay?"
 
Matthias nodded. "All right." He stepped around the desk and hugged his cousin. "See you this weekend at the Florida house?"
 
Rafe nodded, patting him on the back before stepping away. "Yeah, I'll be down. You're going to drive me to the dealership, right?"
 
"It's in?"
 
Rafael's face erupted into a huge grin. "You should see it! The salesman emailed me a picture. It's a sweet ride. I test drove one like it last month, but they didn't have the color I wanted."
 
"I'll take your word for it. I prefer the original Mustangs myself."
 
"It's a Shelby Mustang GT500, the most powerful production model Mustang ever; it's not 'just' a Mustang, Matts." He stepped to the door, his face clouding again. "I'll see you later then."
 
Matthias nodded and watched Rafe leave.
 
When he was alone again he returned to his desk and stared at her picture. He'd never shown it to Rafael before and wasn't sure why he had tonight. He sighed and returned it to his desk.
 
Ten long years. It wouldn't kill him to wait a few weeks longer.

Rating:

Reviewer: Valerie

Anastazia Proctor is a controlled and very expensive lawyer. Known in her firm as a “fixer” she is proud of her hard earned title of "Ice Queen" –and she wears it well. She has just agreed to a trial period at a new job working for drop dead gorgeous, multi-millionaire Matthias Hawthorne. Little does she know that her life is about to change permanently. Sure he's handsome, wealthy, and he has a classic Mustang. But none of that has ever mattered to her. Now she’s struggling to maintain her self-control against a type of attraction that she’s never felt before.

Because her life is in danger, Matthias is forced to tell Taz about himself and her family, long before she’s ready to hear it. Taz has to learn to accept and use her powers in order to escape the enemies that suddenly surround her. She also has to face the unexpected feelings she has for the handsome Matthias and his cousin, Rafael, and choose between the two men. Will Taz be able to separate the past from the present in order to save her future?

WOW!!!!! Lesli Richardson's Love & Brimstone kept me on the edge of my seat. I've gotten used to "A-B-C" books that are easy to tell exactly what will happen ten pages in. This book has more twists and turns than a Celtic knot. I loved the main characters and this completely new take on vampires and paranormals. "Love & Brimstone is the first book in a planned series." according to Amira Press. My response: Yay!!!

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