Owned by a corporation and forced to work as an assassin, cyborg Mike Fury dreams of freedom and having a woman to call his own, someone to love, who will love him. He plots his escape and seeks asylum on planet Refuge, applying for a wife through the Cosmic Mates interplanetary matchmaking program.
When his dream woman arrives, she comes with an unpleasant surprise—she is not unencumbered; she has a child. It quickly becomes obvious that she’s more committed to her son than she will ever be to him. It’s within his rights to send her packing, but when he hears of her plight he agrees to continue with the marriage until the end of the probationary period when they can both apply for new spouses.
Single mom Verity Vale would do anything to protect her young son, even marry a stranger. When a rich, powerful family threatens to lay claim to her son, she knows the only way to keep him is to get him off Earth as quickly as possible. Figuring a woman with a child seeking a match through Cosmic Mates would send up red flags, she omits mention of her son in her application. She hopes that whoever the man is, he’ll have a heart big enough to accept a package deal.
The marriage starts out strained and awkward, but Verity soon recognizes her husband’s innate kindness and goodness. Even more, he’s patient with her son who adores him. Nor does it hurt that he’s smokin’ hot. Their marriage of convenience turns loving and passionate, and both revel in their good fortune.
But Fury knows his happiness is doomed. He can’t keep lying to Verity about his past. And when the protective mom learns she married a coldhearted cyborg assassin, he fears it will mean the end of his dream.
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The Cosmic Mates sci-fi romances are being released in “duets,” a two-book series within a series. Books one and two are a set, books three and four are a different set, etc. Kiss of Steel (Cosmic Mates 3) is the start of a brand-new mini-series. All the Cosmic Mates sci-fi romances can be read as standalones. Escape Clause (Cosmic Mate 1) and Help Wanted: Wife (Cosmic Mates 2) will be released on Google Play in mid-October and mid-November, respectively.
USA Today bestselling author Cara Bristol writes science fiction romance about tough alien and cyborg heroes who fall hard for sassy heroines.
Cara is a homebody who married a wanderer. When she’s not writing or being distracted by squirrels cavorting outside her office window, she enjoys reading and traveling the world with her husband. Topping her bucket list is visiting all seven continents and petting a squirrel.