HEART OF THE INCUBUS
by: Rosalie Lario
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Tour Run Dates: 12/30-1/17
Synopsis: Biochemist Cresso Taylor lives the sort of lifestyle most men would envy—he has wealth, natural incubus charm, and more women than he can handle. But it’s not enough anymore. Not after meeting Genevieve Russell, the sexy scientist who works with him at Elcorp Laboratory. And she wants absolutely nothing to do with him.
After her fiancé broke her heart, Genevieve has had enough of womanizers. She’s determined to steer clear of sexy-as-sin Dr. Taylor, despite the fact that his incubus allure makes her want to rip his clothes off. But when a secret admirer’s affection turns to the macabre with threatening notes and grisly gifts, Cresso appoints himself her protector. As she and Cresso hunt her stalker, she discovers there’s a lot more to the sensual incubus than she ever imagined.
Tagline: To win her heart, he’ll have to save her life.
Review:
This was such a fun read! Also, it was number 3.5 in the series–the first three of which I haven’t read. I wasn’t at all lost, though–there was just the right amount of exposition and explanation–and absolutely plan on picking up the other books soon. The hero and heroine of book two play a rather significant part in this one, so I may have to start with theirs first, just to be a rebel….
Oh, time–I need so much more of you! But I digress.
I really liked the character of Cresso. How many biochemist incubuses (incubi?) heroes are out there? If they’re all like him, definitely not enough! He is a really strong–in every sense of the word–hero. He’s developed a vaccine that allows sex demons to have relations with humans without killing them (and for a fabulous reason that we find out near the end. Just when I thought he couldn’t get any more awesome, he does!) He’s also fallen in love with a totally unavailable human, his coworker Dr. Genevieve Russell.
Gen moved to London to escape her disastrous almost-marriage and wants nothing at all to do with Cresso or anyone of his ilk. When she looks at the handsome scientist, she sees her ex-fiance and then some. But Gen has a stalker, and somehow Cresso not only becomes her go-to guy for solving the problem, he also becomes the only person who can make her feel safe.
I had a harder time warming up to Gen–she says some things to Cresso that are way out of line, especially at a time where experience should have showed her he was better than that. She does thaw eventually, though, and Cresso gets the happy ending he deserves–after a nicely done mix of heady chemistry, mystery, suspense, and sexy times.
It’s a good thing this one was short, because I didn’t want to put it down once I’d started reading it. I really enjoyed the blend of supernatural creatures in this book and look forward to exploring further with the other books in the series.
B+ rating.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Excerpt:
She cut off when she saw him. He’d donned a pair of black slacks and was in the process of pulling a burgundy sweater over his head. His damp hair curled around his strong, masculine neck, and the sight of his bare chest—of the hard planes and well-defined muscles of his pecs and abs—sent a bolt of pure lust racing through her body and into her loins. God, he was so gorgeous. Heart-stopping.
How the hell had she resisted him for so long?
Cresso tugged on his sweater and met her gaze. “No, thanks.”
Genevieve resisted the urge to drool while she eyed his outfit. “Are you going somewhere?”
“Yes, I have a few things to take care of. Don’t worry—you’ll be safe here. I’ll ask Taeg and Maya to look in on you.”
Something about the way he said that put her senses on alert. “Everything okay?”
“Fine,” he said in a clipped tone.
“You don’t sound fine.”
When she started toward him, he held out his hand. “Stay there.”
She paused, suddenly uncertain. Had she done something to upset him? “What’s wrong?”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’ve waited longer than I should. I need to go
“Go…feed,” she repeated numbly. He meant go have sex. With someone else. A sliver of pain wrenched her stomach. She closed her arms around her waist. “Oh.”
Cresso reopened his eyes in time to see the pained expression she couldn’t quite manage to hide. Something bittersweet flashed across his face. “I can’t wait any longer. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I understand.” Truly she did.
“Good.” His lips twisted into a half smile. “Left my shoes in the living room.”
When he headed for the doorway, she backed up so he could pass by her. But then it hit her. She couldn’t let him go.
“Cresso, wait.”
She reached out and grasped his arm, and he stopped midstride. The muscles in his arm went taut as he turned toward her. His jaw tight, he said, “Gen, please.”
Her stomach fluttered with nerves she had no chance of quelling. This was it, the moment of decision. Should she guard her heart and continue living her lonely life…or take a chance, even knowing what might go wrong?
Oh hell, there was no choice. Not really.
“Don’t go,” she whispered.
His eyes darkened and a muscle ticked in his jaw. “I have to feed.”
“Then”—she gave a nervous lick of her lips—“feed from me.”
His whole body went stiff. “Don’t tease me.”
Genevieve took a shaky breath. “I’m not.”
Cresso’s eyes widened and he slowly closed his hands over her arms. “Gen.” Her name sounded like a prayer on his lips.
She leaned into him. “Yes.”
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Author Bio:
Rosalie Lario is the award-winning, paranormal romance author of the Demons of Infernum and the Fallen Warriors series. Rosalie double majored in Anthropology and Classics as an undergraduate student, and briefly considered becoming an archaeologist before realizing they don’t actually live the life of Indiana Jones. So what was a classical geek armed with a lot of useless knowledge to do? Become a lawyer, of course!
After attending law school in Florida, she practiced real estate law for several years before finally admitting to herself that negotiating contracts wasn’t nearly as fun as dreaming up stories. She never imagined all the mythology she’d learned throughout her undergraduate education might actually come in handy, but it makes perfect fodder for the paranormal romance stories she now dreams up.
When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children in their home state of Florida.
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