Valentino’s Kiss by Tia Didmon

Valentino’s Kiss by Tia Didmon

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Blurb

Can one woman save an immortal race on the brink of extinction?

Laura Whitney is the newest member of the Paranormal Intelligence Agency. Too bad she feels like a complete fraud. Failing sections of her training didn’t stop the P.I.A. from passing her, because no one has a talent like hers. Unfortunately, it’s killing her.

Valentino Moretti had forsaken his race long ago. Now, on the brink of extinction, with his demon long gone from the world he welcomes his death. He feels nothing.

When his brother is assassinated and the P.I.A. is called in to investigate, Valentino vows to avenge his murder before seeking his death but the new agent sent in to interview him changes everything. With his demon awakening for a woman that shouldn’t exist and an unseen foe seeking his destruction. Can this predator tame the beast within long enough to ensnare the heart of the only human alive that can save him?

Enjoy the first book in the bestselling New Immortals Series – This Steamy Paranormal Romance is Intended For Mature Audiences *** 18+ Only

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Review

This book was a pleasant, welcome surprise. I thought it might be kind of entertaining, and I wanted to see what kind of fresh take on demon Valentino would turn out to be. I don’t generally enjoy erotic stories with m/f pairings, but I was curious enough about other aspects of the book to give it a whirl.

I also have a lot of reservations about the whole “fated mate” trope. I probably wouldn’t have picked the book up if I’d realized that trope was a factor in Valentino’s Kiss, but I’d have missed out on a damn good story. This is the first fated-mate story I’ve read that didn’t trip every consent issue I’ve ever had. In fact, I loved how it was handled.

Laura’s love for Valentino, while admittedly sudden, feels natural and genuine. Valentino’s love for her is a little harder to wrap my head around, but a) that is down to my biases against the trope, and b) something I quickly forget. Valentino’s love may be “fated,” but it is no less real. He’s drawn to her for a variety of reasons, many of which are beyond his conscious control. He’s still willing to give her up when he believes she’s attached to someone else.

That means a lot to me, and it goes a long way toward making this pairing real for me.

Didmon has created a new world similar to our own, with the addition of an entirely new culture. Valentino and his people, who are on the verge of extinction, are not human and never have been human. This is a source of tension and conflict for pretty much everyone in the story, and seeing how their different biology has evolved to create a different culture was absolutely fascinating to me. Didmon made the evolution of remarkable, immortal beings who mate for eternity seem natural and perfectly normal.

The sex scenes were actually steamy and erotic, and plentiful. They were not excessive. I’ve found myself getting annoyed by the virginal heroine archetype simply because I keep seeing it, but in Laura’s case it is the only thing that makes sense for her and I felt it was handled well.

The plot is legitimately fun, and the action keeps the story from getting bogged down in angst. I mean you’ve got one character who is terminally ill and another whose species is on the verge of extinction – there’s a lot of room for angst here, but the nature of the story demands action and we get it. There are twists and turns aplenty, enough to keep our brains entertained as well as our hearts.

All in all, this is a fantastic book and I can’t wait to read more.