Part of New Species, book 13
First published 2014
Vanni attends a conference where her fiancé's father leads church protests against the New Species Organization. She despises their bigoted views and escapes to the hotel bar to calm down. There she sits beside Smiley, an attractive New Species male. Someone slips them both a breeding drug that creates intense physical effects and pain. Smiley refuses to believe Vanni drugged them deliberately. He decides to trust her completely and focuses on keeping her alive through the ordeal. He holds her close, shields her from harm, and uses physical contact to help them both endure the drug's painful symptoms. As they survive this crisis together, Smiley becomes convinced that Vanni belongs with him as his mate, though she hasn't yet understood their connection.
Genres: science-fiction, romance, thriller, paranormal
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
303 pages · Kindle Edition · Ellora's Cave Publishing
Content warnings: explicit-sexual-content