Cursed
Cate Masters
Blurb: Bruno diCesare lives alone by necessity, not choice. An experiment performed by Leonardo da Vinci, who believed having a dual DNA would grant a person immortality, used magic to render Bruno a chimera - the head of a lion, body of a dragon. The only time he can mingle with people is during Carnevale, ten glorious days of masked anonymity, frivolity and intimacy.
Melina Weaver learned fire dancing to enliven her dull existence. A scientist, her long hours at the lab leave no time for a social life. For ten days at Carnevale, she can pretend to be someone else. Someone sexy and daring, who lives on the edge.
Once she meets Bruno, her wish comes true, but everything goes terribly wrong. Beneath Bruno's costume lurks an alpha male, but is he dangerous? Worse, can she return to an employer who sells her research to the military to make an army of efficient killers? Her only hope may lie with the man she's just met and never seen.
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BOOK TRAILER:
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Excerpt:
Light danced in his dark eyes. “I must admit, your fire dancing fascinated me. What made you choose such a dangerous skill to master?”
“The thrill of the challenge, I suppose.” It balanced the rest of her mundane life, to a degree. Mastering each new level gave her a sense of achievement, where work couldn't.
Something flashed through his dark eyes. “Mistakes must be very painful.”
“I practiced a long time before I worked up the nerve to actually light the wands. I found the fire great incentive to focus, however.” God, her grin must be goofy, the way he stared. Such gorgeous eyes, such a deep brown they almost appeared black. He probably had rugged features, if his large hands provided any indication. Too bad he wore gloves, another barrier between them.
“Yes,” he said, “I imagine so.”
“What about you? What other magic do you know?” Oh please, can you get any more ridiculous? It sounded like a line from a bad chick flick.
The crinkle around his eyes was the only evidence of his smile, but enough to charm her.
“Lifetimes of studying the dark arts have provided me with many tricks.”
“Lifetimes?” she blurted.
He stiffened in her arms. “Pardon?”
She watched him carefully. “You said 'lifetimes'. Plural.” And what the hell did he mean by 'dark arts'?
Rigidity masked the grace of his movements. “I'm sure you're mistaken.” He stared over her head as they whirled to the song's rhythm.
Mistaken my ass. How very strange. More strange that the question upset him. He'd clammed up, and his muscles were so tense, she expected him to bolt. Better to drop it. For now. “Must have been a slip of the tongue.”
“Yes.” Relief sounded in his tone, though guarded.
This man had something to hide. How intriguing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Cate Masters has made beautiful central Pennsylvania her home, but she'll always be a Jersey girl at heart. When not spending time with her dear hubby, she can be found in her lair, concocting a magical brew of contemporary, historical, and fantasy/paranormal stories with her cat Chairman Maiow and dog Lily as company. Look for her at http://catemasters.blogspot.
Cate loves to hear from readers. Email her at: cate.masters@gmail.com
Cate Masters - Magic, mayhem and a little romance
~MY REVIEW~
Cursed by Cate MastersMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fun little escape. Really great story with terrific pacing. Short read that packs a wallop.
Engaging characters and an intriguing plotline. I can not wait to see what is to coming in this series.Kind of reminded me of that show in the eighties with Linda Hamilton and the lion faced guy Vincent.
There were a few points where there could have been more story. Resolutions to conflict were rather simple.
Interesting start to the series.
View all my reviews
Sounds like the perfect escape! Can't wait to read it Cate! Have fun on your tour!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the review! K, thanks!
Thanks so much for the great review! So glad you enjoyed Cursed. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Yolanda! It's off to a great start now!
Similar to Beauty and the Beast then? (That was the name of the show.)
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting today. Nice review, Cate.
ReplyDelete