Carlos Castillo used to be a gamer until a woman he met and fell in love while playing Magic Battledome turned out to be an enemy and he had to kill her. For real. Carlos works for Maltese Security, and he's now replaced gaming with the gym, and he has shunned all meaningful relationships; they're too dangerous. Mika Ito is the Silver Queen of Magic Battledome, a live action game. She also creates the costumes for her team. But after the police dismiss her when some of her players are attacked -- for their costumes, no less! -- Mika asks Maltese Security to look into it. Carlos, being the best man for the job, wants no part of it, especially when he sees the woman who needs their help. She's yesterday nights glorious, gorgeous, sexy one-night-stand!
DESIGNED FOR MURDER is the latest in Avery Flynn's fantastic Killer Style series, and she has outdone herself big time! I love this series and I think this is the best book so far! Ms. Flynn's books always feature superb female characters, and just when I think the author has created the best ever, she comes up with better. Mika Ito is simply amazing: she totally assumes her sexuality, she is strong, doesn't shy away from anything or anyone. I believe she just might be my favourite female character ever. Ms. Flynn's descriptions are so vivid I could picture Mika walking, winking, etc. DESIGNED FOR MURDER is totally cinematic, in addition to Ms. Flynn's trademark humour at its snarkiest, and the banter between Carlos and Mika is priceless. There is a solid mystery to hold everything together, with plenty of action, besides the sizzling times Carlos and Mika share between the sheets and just about anywhere.
DESIGNED FOR MURDER is Avery Flynn at her very best: a perfect blend of sexy, action, and fun all delivered in a smooth and very hip tone. And I also learned quite a bit about textiles. Fans of Ms. Flynn will be in heaven, and anyone who doesn't know this terrific author should start now. Not to be missed at any cost!
Some fashion statements can kill...
Mika Ito combines her two favorite things in life--textile
design and live-action role-playing (LARP)--by creating
costumes for her fellow Magic Battledome gamers. Lately,
someone's been assaulting LARPers and stealing their
costumes. Concerned for the safety of her friends, Mika
hires Maltese Security...only to discover that the lead
investigator is the super-hot stranger she just hooked up
with.
Carlos Castillo is all too familiar with Magic Battledome.
A
former legend in role-playing circles, he was all about
gaming, until things went very, very wrong for him. Now
he's
forced to return to the game undercover--as Mika's
boyfriend--to find some answers. Only playing "boyfriend"
with his gorgeous one-night stand is more temptation than a
guy can withstand...
Someone wants the costumes enough to kill for them. And
when
it comes to murder, nothing is what it seems...
EXCERPT
โTo be irreplaceable, one must always be different.โ โCoco Chanel
Carlos Castillo surveyed the Thursday-night crowd at Feenyโs hole-in-the-wall bar. It was
a step above a dive bar and several stories below what most people in Harbor City would
call a respectable establishment, which made it perfect for Carlos and the other guys from
Maltese Security when they needed to blow off a little steam after closing a case. It also
happened to be the site of his impending public humiliation at the hands of his fellow
investigators whoโd come to Feenyโs with him.
โDonโt even think about pussying out, โLos.โ Cam Hardy tapped his shot glass against
Carlosโs. โYou lost the bet, you pay the price.โ
Fuck. What human being could eat fifteen pickled eggs that had been sitting in a jar on
the bar for God knew how long? Apparently Cam, whoโd chalked up his success to the fact
that neither he nor his live-in girlfriend, Drea, could cook for shit and his taste buds
had gone into hiding.
โWhat about one of them?โ Will Roscoe asked, nodding toward the trio of women in a corner
booth.
โThe redheadโs hot,โ said Alex Lee before taking a long draw from his beer.
Carlos tossed back the last of his shot before he said anything heโd regret about
redheads. The last redhead heโd dated had nearly killed himโliterallyโand heโd had to
return the favor.
โNot his type,โ Cam said.
Unlike Roscoe and Alex, who were relative newbies to the team, Cam knew the real reason
behind Carlosโs aversion to redheads. While Cam would shame Carlos into embarrassing
himself in a bar full of people, he wouldnโt say anything about the shooting that had
changed Carlosโs life forever.
Cam nodded toward the women in the booth. โThe girl on the end is more his speed.โ
Right at that moment, the woman in question slid out of the booth and stood up. She
couldnโt be more than five-five even in the thigh-high leather boots with their wicked
high heels. She wore skin-tight jeans that clung to her legs like they were made for her
tight body and a top made out of some sort of shimmery material that caught the dim lights
when she walked, drawing his attention to the way her tits moved as she strutted across
the bar like she owned the joint.
The full-body profile view was enough to make him reach for another shot, but then she
pivoted at the bar, turning so she faced their table, and he couldnโt do a damn thing but
stare. Almond-shaped brown eyes, full pink lips, and more than a hint of trouble in the
way she tossed her long light brown hair and laughed at some undoubtedly lame joke from
the bartender.
โRoll your tongue back in your mouth, โLos.โ Cam shook his head and finished his shot. โIf
I didnโt know any better, Iโd think you still spent all of your free time pretending to be
a warlock or some shit on the computer.โ
The verbal nudge was more than enough to bring him back to reality. After the shooting,
heโd replaced Magic Battledome role-play online gaming with the gym and had spent the past
year working to make the team at Maltese realize there was more to him than just amazing
computer geek skills. And as tonightโs celebration of a job well done proved, heโd done
it. He worked cases in real life now, not just at the keyboard.
Carlos settled back in his seat, keeping his gaze locked on the woman as she carried three
beers back to her booth. The change in direction gave him an ideal view of her curvy ass.
โLike most of the guys in this bar wouldnโt pretend to be a wizard if thatโs the game she
wanted to play in the bedroom.โ
โI would find a cape right fast.โ Roscoe raised his shot glass in salute before downing
the whiskey.
โWell then, Iโd say you found your target.โ Cam smirked. โGo get her, โLos.โ
As far as challenges went, it was friendly. But it was still a challenge. And Carlos never
backed down from a challenge.
For the past year, there hadnโt been a single one the Maltese team had issued that he
hadnโt met head-onโand he always would. This was who he was now; the former geek supreme
didnโt exist anymore. Heโd pushed that guy and his guilt for pulling the trigger so far
into a closet that he would never see the light of day again.
โOne dance?โ Carlos pushed back his chair and stood, already primed for actionโjust like
any time Scarlettโs ghost came haunting.
โYep. The longest slow song you can find on the jukebox,โ Alex said, barely keeping his
laughter in check. โAnd then she has to buy you a beer.โ
Carlos took one last swig of his beer. โYouโre all a bunch of assholes.โ
Not bothering to stick around to hear their responses, which no doubt would just be an
agreement, he strode across the bar, his sights set on the hot brunette with a body made
for the best kinds of trouble.
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