Wendy Sparrow has put an interesting twist on demi-gods and opposites attract in Lesser Gods Looking for Love.
Before presenting the book to the world in it’s newly edited form, Wendy gives us a treat with a scene that’s not in the book! Here we have the first interaction between Chandra, demi-god of death, and Aster, demi-god of fertility.
Chandra leaned against the wall that the tenants’ mailboxes were on and blew out an exhausted breath. Last week, for a brief moment, she’d felt better, and Chandra had mistakenly thought she’d turned a corner.
“Hey, you okay?” asked Jodi, one of the building’s management team, while coming up behind her.
Chandra smiled wanly. “Just…tired.”
“Well, I’ve got something that might perk you up. The place next to you that’s been vacant forever…”
“Oh, yeah,” Chandra said, straightening. “I heard the last couple backed out, saying that it had a weird vibe.”
Jodi shrugged. “Their loss is your gain. The guy moving in next to you, right this moment,” she stabbed a finger at the floor, “right now…whoa.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Oh. Yeah. I swear, if I wasn’t committed to Charlie, I’d have asked if I could have his children. He’d make some cute babies…which is funny considering…” Stopping abruptly, Jodi blinked rapidly. “You know…there must be something going around because I suddenly don’t feel well. I think I’m going to go sit down.”
Chandra nodded as the other woman hurried back toward the building’s office. Shrugging, she gathered her mail and took the elevator to her apartment while sorting through it. Junk. Bills. Bills. Boring. Boring. Boring. Sighing, she slid it all into the carrier bag criss-crossing her body as the elevator stopped. The patterns of her days felt so endless, like nothing ever changed. Always the same. Maybe that was why she was tired. The tedious monotony was exhausting her.
The doors opened, and Chandra stopped, momentarily stunned.
Okay, yeah, she could see where Jodi was coming from. The man standing in front of her was a god. His eyes were so green—like grass green, and fringed in long eyelashes that she envied. Her new neighbor had a square jaw with the beginnings of a dark shadow, and it looked right with his worn t-shirt and scruffy jeans. This man would make some cute babies, and she’d never thought that about anyone—not to mention the fun he’d provide in getting those babies.
Annnd, she was staring. Chandra forcefully looked down. For a second.
“Hey,” her neighbor said, getting on the elevator. He held the door open when she didn’t move. “Staying on or getting off?”
It was like in a Disney cartoon and magical tweeting birds surrounded them. Her new neighbor radiated heat and vitality, and she just wanted to enjoy it for a bit longer. “I just realized I left something downstairs,” she said, stepping back. Her pride. Chandra had left her pride down there, and she didn’t care.
“Oh.” Her new neighbor nodded and settled against the side of the elevator after pressing the button for the ground floor. “So, how are you liking this weather?”
“The rain?”It’d basically been the typical Seattle weather lately—the type of weather that had all the tourists reaching for umbrellas, much to the amusement of the locals.
Her neighbor shrugged. “I figured it’s a safe topic—unlikely to make you think I have evil plans for you in this elevator.”
“I wouldn’t have minded if…” wait, where was she going with this? Chandra shook her head, clearing it. “I wouldn’t have minded talking about something as dangerous as the Seahawks or the Mariners.”
“Sports, huh? Bold. I like dangerous women.” His smile was dangerous. It made her heart pick up.
Chandra felt her cheeks flush with heat. “It’s not politics.”
“No, because that would be the kiss of death,” his grin widened, “to our burgeoning…what is a relationship between neighbors called? Neighborship?”
“I like neighborship.”
“I’d like a neighborship too,” he said. Okay, that wasn’t quite what she’d meant, and was he flirting with her? It kind of seemed like he was.
The elevator stopped, and her neighbor got off, but held the door for her.
Without thinking, Chandra shook her head and said, “I’m going up.” It wasn’t until after he’d pulled back his hand and stepped away, almost laughing, that she realized what she’d done.
The door closed on his amused expression, and Chandra slapped a hand to her forehead. “I’m going up,” she repeated in a low mimicry of herself. “Hell, way to give the guy a giant ego, Chan.” Still, as she reached her floor again, Chandra was forced to admit that things were about to get interesting. Having a guy who looked like a Greek god next door was bound to improve the scenery at the very least. She wasn’t feeling tired anymore. In fact, her reaction to him felt nearly magical when compared to her general malaise with life lately.
When she reached her door, there was a folded piece of paper taped to it.
Opening it, Chandra read aloud, “Hopefully, I’m not too loud. Knock on the wall if I need to be quieter while moving in. I promise I don’t bite. Your new neighbor.” She tapped the note against her hand and admitted aloud, “I might not mind if you did bite.”
Yep. Things were about to get downright fascinating.
Aster recognized his beautiful Lady Death even though she didn’t know of her divine birthright. But Chandra doesn’t welcome the demigod of fertility’s announcement of her heritage with open arms. Having being used in the past, it’s not too much to want to be loved for herself, is it? If Aster can’t convince Chandra that she’s all he desires, it might just kill them both.
Pain has been Corbin’s companion and he knows he’s living on borrowed time. As a bounty hunter, he’s familiar with the chase, and he’s had a good run. The countdown clock is down to the final hour when Tam finds him. She seems too good to be true…especially when she kisses him senseless. Stealing her away to his cabin could save both their lives, but it will cost him his heart if she doesn’t forgive him for abducting her.
Despite being a demigoddess of love, Allie is not soft and tender. Donovan recognizes that around the time she’s got him pinned to her sparring mat. He keeps telling her she could do better than a one-eyed, burnt-out fighter, but she wants him and she isn’t shy about it. The demigoddess of love fell for him the moment she saw the growly need in Donovan’s expression, but she can’t war for his heart if he isn’t willing to fight for hers.
These demigod novellas are sexy-sweet and filled with sassy banter and feisty heroines. They have a heat rating of “not your mama’s romance, but she’d appreciate a copy so buy her one.”
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