Sunday, September 20, 2015

Tour-Review, Excerpt and Giveaway: Divine Passion by Valerie Twombly (Guardians #3.5)


Divine Passion

Title: Divine Passion
Series: Guardians, book 3.5
Author: Valerie Twombly
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Resplendence
Release Date: July 22, 2015


Blurb
Baal is a demon that likes to make his own rules and the thought of being tied down to only one woman makes his skin itch. When he rescues the human Ranata from becoming a sacrificial lamb, he gets more than he bargained for. With Hades insisting his fate is to bond with the beautiful female, he can either resist or risk losing his heart.

One minute Ranata is tending bar in a small hole in the wall, and the next she fears for her life. When a sexy demon comes along and saves the day, his golden eyes and hard body make him difficult to resist. With her sister in the clutches of the enemy, she must plan a daring rescue. Fate however, has other plans. Will she choose the path destiny has laid out for her?

Divine Passion purchase links

Link to Follow the Tour: For reviews, guest posts and interviews, check out the other tour stops over the next two weeks: http://booksnpearls.com/event/blog-tour-divine-passion-by-valerie-twombly/
Excerpt:
Baal had never been turned down by a woman. Not once. Ever. He stared at the female behind the bar, who’d refused to give him even her name. He’d closed down the place a couple of nights ago with Seth, the guardian he’d been charged with babysitting—or had it been longer ago than that? After taking a couple of those damn pills that helped immortals get drunk, he couldn’t remember. Either way, he remembered craving a piece of the vision who currently gave him the evil eye. He still did. He hadn’t come across a female like her in a long time.

Black hair curled around her shoulders; thick lashes fringed blue, almond-shaped eyes. Add to that high cheekbones and pouty lips, and you had exotic perfection. Not to mention curves he wanted to sink his fingers into while he f*cked the hell out of her. “Seriously, why are you working in this sh*t hole? You should be strutting your stuff in designer clothes and high heels.”

She laughed. “I suppose you’re going to promise me a starring role in your next movie?”

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his card. “Nope, but I need a hostess for my casino.” He tossed it on the bar. She rolled her eyes then threw her towel aside and picked up the card.

“Dragon’s Cove?” She eyed him suspiciously. “I’ve heard of it.” She snorted and tossed it back on the bar. “Right, and I suppose you’re gonna tell me you own the place?”

He shrugged. “Okay, I won’t tell you that, but I do.”

“Please, I’m not that stupid. Why would someone who owns a highly successful Vegas club be here in, as you called it, this sh*t hole?”

“I came to help a friend who’s down and out.”

She reached for an empty beer bottle, rinsed it then tossed it in the recycling. “The dark-haired guy? He seemed like he’d seen better days.”

“He has, but I think things will improve for him soon. Now, back to my offer. I was serious when I said I need someone. You think about it, and if you’d like, I’ll fly you in for an interview and discussion of terms.”

She wiped her hands and picked up the card again. She stared at it while pulling her bottom lip through her teeth. He could almost see the gears turning. “I don’t get it. Vegas has to be full of people qualified for the job. What do you want from me?”

No way in hell could he tell her that what he really wanted was to strip her, toss her on top of the bar and taste every inch of her. He’d have to work his way up to that one. “You desire more than this; I can tell.” No lie there. The ability to read a human’s desire was bred into every demon. It was how the evil spread. Some chose to use it for bad and others for good. In this case, his intentions were for a little of both. “Your beauty shouldn’t be wasted here.”

“I’ve always wanted to leave but never had the means to do so.”

“Well, this is your chance.” He tipped back the last swig of his beer and set the glass on the bar. “I have to leave and head back. You can Google me all night long and see that I’m who I say. Call that number, and I’ll send a limo and my private jet to pick you up. You can have a room in the hotel. I promise; no strings attached.” His charm and demon good looks would bewitch the pants right off her. He just needed the chance.

“I’ll think about it.” She tucked the card into her back pocket, and suddenly, he was jealous of the tiny piece of glossy paper.

He tipped his head. “Fair enough.” Then he headed for the door.

“Wait!”

He stopped dead in his tracks and held his breath. Had she made up her mind already? “Yes,” he said and turned slowly.

“My name, it’s Ranata.”

My Review:

From the first mention of Baal in the Guardians series, I've been hoping and waiting to hear his story, so I was excited that Divine Passion would be telling his story.  He's written to be so passionately alpha, a playboy who surrounds his heart with impenetrable walls.  He's the toughest there is, and makes the perfect powerful lead male.  

Renata is pretty tough herself, a strong and brave young woman, selfless and determined.  The two of them make an interesting match, especially when Baal insists on keeping his heart out of the equation.

The storyline takes an interesting turn when we find out more about who Renata is, weaving an even more intricate plot for the Guardian world.  

While the heat between Renata and Baal is intense, the fact that he tries to keep his heart and emotions out of it is a bit frustrating...but that's when the cool part of fated mates comes into play and we get to see those walls of his crumble down bit by bit.  One other thing that bugged me a bit was how quickly everything went in this story.  I know it's book 3.5 of the series and so would be shorter, but at times it felt like things went a bit to fast--I would have liked to have more to the story (I'm spoiled with the Guardian world from the first three books!).  With Baal being one of my favorite characters in the series, I just wanted more of him.

There's still plenty of action, suspense and heart-pounding passion, just as you'd expect from Valerie Twombly and this series.  4 stars for Divine Passion, and I'd definitely recommend it if you're a fan of the series (if you haven't started reading yet...go catch up!).  For 18+ due to adult language and sexual scenes.


About the Author 
Award winning and best selling author Valerie Twombly grew up watching Dark Shadows over her mother’s shoulder, and from there her love of the fanged creatures blossomed. Today, Valerie has decided to take her darker, sensual side and put it to paper. When she is not busy creating a world full of steamy, hot men and strong, seductive women, she juggles her time between a full-time job, hubby and her two German shepherd dogs, in Northern IL. Valerie is a member of Romance Writers of America and Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal Romance Writers.

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