Like a Thief in the Night by Bettie Sharpe
Delightfully cross genre, Like a Thief in the Night is a dark fairy tale love story set in a distant future. Arden is one of the top assassin in Darkriver’s stable, stolen as a child and reprogrammed through manipulation, memory wipes and neural reconfiguring. When she walks into a flat in Shanghai and strangles the handsome man sleeping on the silk sheets her life changes forever.
Because Aniketos is a creature myth, and he cannot die. The contract on Aniketos was a trap for Arden. Now she’s a captive in a mysterious flat that has combined the magical remains of a fallen heaven and the technology of the modern world. No matter how lust-filled she tries to make their interactions she can’t hide the fact that she’s as much tempted by his offers of freedom from Darkriver as she’s tempted by the man himself. Which only leaves the reason she was trapped in the first place to deal with.
Like a Thief in the Night is a fast read filled with hot sex and spy action. The futuristic and fairy tale feels are blended beautifully and the fierce, indomitable spirit of the characters bleed off the page leaving the reader dazzled and wanting more. This is a highly recommended read from a talented author.