The Awakening: Britton

"I would lick that man up one side and down the other."

Half-shifter and lead SPAC agent, Val Calhoun, has listened to women gush over the Don Juan of the precinct for the last four years. Yeah, Detective Britton Townsend is hot and has stunning blue eyes, but that foul mouth he saves only for her? What a waste of good looks. And no way does Val want that mouth anywhere near hers.

When the shifter community is threatened, Val is assigned to the case…and fails. So the High Council turns to the rogue shifter they'd sentenced to twenty years as a human--that same obnoxiously sexy Detective Townsend. And sends the two arch-enemies deep into the North Carolina Mountains-—together, and alone.

Being stuck in a tiny honeymoon cabin with Miss Castration and only one bed is definitely not Britton's idea of a good time. But the High Council doesn’t take no for an answer. After his shifter abilities are restored, Brit is once again susceptible to the dreaded, irreversible bonding instinct, the Drall. Thankfully, all he’s ever felt for Val is intense loathing, no reason to worry. Right? All he has to do is solve this case pronto, and he can go back to his footloose Casanova ways. That is if they don’t kill each other first. Or worse...fall in love.
 

Amazon   B&N   Kobo   iBookstore

Excerpt

Her laughter was the least of his problems. Her winded breathing behind him was driving him mad, taunting him with mental images of her that’d put a triple-X porn to shame. Dea, he needed a distraction now or he risked trying to make her winded for a completely different reason than hiking. 

“What do you do in your spare time?” he blurted out, desperate for a distraction.

“You mean when I’m not juggling being head of SPAC with working as a homicide detective for Carnal Ridge PD? Come on, Britton, you’ve had my job. You know there isn’t a lot of time for fun.”

“I always found time for fun, Val,” he said, without thinking.

“Yeah, and your reputation speaks for itself,” she muttered.

There was a real edge to her voice. He glanced over at her. Yep, her jaw was clenched. Did it bother her that he had a reputation?

And why did he like the possibility that it did?

“We have a very stressful job,” he said. “You do occasionally have to let your hair down some, you know?”

“I do.”

“Really? That’s not what I hear. Word around the PD is you’re all work and no play.”

“Oh, I play. Just not with anyone at the PD.”

It was his turn to clench his jaw as violent jealousy burned through his chest. “With who?” was out before he could stop it.

“I’m not one to kiss and tell.”

Even though she didn’t outright say it, he got her meaning. He was one to kiss and tell.

“What do you do when you’re playing?” he pushed, perversely.

Why in the fucking hell had he asked that?

“A little too interested in my sex life, huh, Britton?”

He fisted his hands. “Just heard the gossip is all. ‘Prude’ and ‘cold’ seem to be synonyms for Val Calhoun.”

“Yeah, I know.” He could hear the shrug in her voice. “I just have zero interest in playing where I work. Besides, there’s no one who interests me at work.”

Wrong.

He spun around so quickly she only had time to gasp before he had her trapped against a tree. The feel of his body pressing into hers almost made him groan aloud. Her instant arousal attacked his nostrils. She liked this. She liked him. His beast shifted inside, sending a spike of lust through him. Seemed his beast liked this, too. And her. “Having some playtime at work can be fun, Val. You should try it.”

Her lips pursed downward. “You would know.”

His attention dropped to her mouth. As her tongue sneaked out to wet her bottom lip, his breathing kicked up. Kiss her. “What do you say? Want to have a little fun with me?”

Reviews

"It a story about two people who find each other and aren't willing to let the other go. Two people who face insurmountable odds and will surmount them. It's about standing up for what's right...and standing beside the one you love. It's a wonderful book! Another great book in Ms Niles' Awakening Series."--Shauni, Tea and Book Reviews

"Abby Niles did such a brilliant job of writing this book. I was 110% invested emotionally with these characters and what was happening to them. The other books in this series have both been good and emotional too, but something about this one just went above and beyond. So freaking good!!!"--Smitton with Reading

"Reading The Awakening: Britton by Abby Niles was a happy accident, normally I would have bypassed it thinking that it was another somewhat pedestrian, formulaic paranormal romance, I would have been wrong. Disguised behind a somewhat innocuous cover is a fascinating unlikely romance between bitter rivals."--Penny Dreadful Book Review

Abby Niles had me completely gone over the sexy angry beast that was Britton Townsend! The tension (both good and bad) between him and the understandably baffled victim of his anger, Val Calhoun, was thick enough to swipe a jaguar claw through; with an intriguing plot and twists that had my heart racing tossed in the mix, I was hooked!-- The Autumn Review

"This was such a deeply emotional book with characters that are both real (and flawed) and with such powerful arcs that it is hard to have to say goodbye. This isn’t just a great read, this is a keeper."--My Book Addiction Reviews