Life or Death? Not many people would choose death.
But what if death chooses you? What if death doesn’t mean the end of your life,
but the beginning?
For a Death Escort, death is life. Death is your paycheck. Death is your job.
And Charming is the best Escort the Grim Reaper has
ever had.
But when you piss off the Reaper, being the best
doesn’t matter. So Charming is assigned a Target who is practically impossible
to kill. He knows the Reaper hopes he fails—that he’s counting on it. So
Charming vows to prove him wrong. He vows to make the kill.
But someone else vows to get in his way. Someone
with a big mouth, a sugar habit, and blond hair. Someone who makes his heart
start beating again.
And so Charming is left holding more than one
person’s fate in the palm of his hand. He thought the choice would be easy,
that there really wasn’t a question at all.
He was wrong.
Life or Death?
Sugar.
I needed more of it if I was going to make it through this day. The chocolate
croissant and caramel latte I had this morning wasn’t near enough to combat the
massive lines, the noise, and disgruntled people that filled the DMV. Whatever
in hell made me think that working at the Department of Motor Vehicles, here in
Alaska, was a good idea?
Maybe
it was the good pay. Maybe it was because I got weekends off.
Or
maybe it was because I had a moment of temporary insanity that unfortunately
coincided with me saying, “I accept,” when I got offered this job.
Besides
the fact that the lines were permanently out the door, the computer systems
were temperamental at best, and my boss was a complete broom rider, my stash of
chocolate and Sour Patch Kids was empty.
That
meant someone was going to die today.
I
glanced back up at the ninety-year-old woman whose head barely cleared the
insanely high counters we stood behind and tried to hold on to my patience.
“Mrs. Eldridge,” I said extremely loudly. “Like I told you last week, you have
to go and get new glasses before I can renew your driver’s license.”
“I
have new glasses,” she insisted.
Lord,
save me now.
“You
got those ten years ago. You need some from this year.” Or decade I finished silently.
She
shuffled out of the line like a turtle and I took her slowness as a chance to
really search beneath my station and chair for a long-lost piece of sugar.
Anything. Even a stray jellybean would likely find its way into my blood stream
at this point. Of course there was nothing. I briefly considered hiding beneath
my desk until five o’clock. My car. I
had an emergency stash in my car. I glanced at my watch. I had another hour
until I was able to take a fifteen-minute break.
A
pair of black pumps appeared before me and I inwardly groaned. Just what I
needed—a run-in with the witch. But instead of being greeted by her
condescending, screechy tone, an icy-cold red can appeared before me.
Hallelujah,
praise the Lord, it was caffeine and
sugar!
I
snatched the Coke out of her hand and popped the top, taking a large,
satisfying chug. The bubbles crowded down my throat, slightly burning, and I
took another swallow.
“I
love you,” I murmured to Lela, the girl who worked right beside me.
She
laughed. “I know that look when I see it.” Then she straightened and whispered.
“Witch alert.”
I
shot up, my head bumping into the counter on the way. I wanted to shout out in
pain, but I clamped my mouth shut, not wanting to draw the attention of my
boss, Satan’s assistant.
I
turned back to my line, my eyes colliding with a broad chest. I looked up, and
the can slid out of my hand, hitting the floor with a thud while fizzy liquid
poured over my favorite boots.
I
didn’t even notice.
“What
the hell are you doing here?” I growled as I looked around for something sharp
I could stab him with.
A
thick brow arched. “So is this where you spend your days? As if the DMV isn’t a
horrible enough place to visit without the poor people of Alaska having to
tolerate you.”
There
wasn’t enough sugar on this planet that would save him. I reached out and
picked up the black phone. If I couldn’t bludgeon him to death here at my place
of employment, then I could at least call the cops. I began dialing, but he
reached over and cut the connection.
I
slammed the phone down on his hand, which was still pressed on the hang-up
button. Breath hissed between his teeth and his green eyes shot to mine.
“Careful, George, you’re pissing off the wrong man.”
“My
name isn’t George.”
He
shrugged, pulling his hand away from the phone. “When you have a man’s name,
does it really matter?”
My Review:
Ok...first off....I love this series! I fell in love with the simple yet heartbreaking/warming story of Dex in Recalled. And now I have Charming......
All throughout Charmed, I expected to cry a little; I did with Recalled so why not with Charmed? I didn't shed one tear.....until the very end.....literally!
Cambria has brought the series to life with the story of Charming. From his beginnings as a boxer to becoming an Escort, she has thrown so many elements this time around. His backstory is so heart-breaking and then the moments with Frankie...*sigh* lovely; just beautiful.
Full of so many emotions, Charmed will take you on an incredible adventure leaving you pumped up and ready to ride again. I can not wait to see what Cambria has in store for the next install of the Death Escorts Series!
All throughout Charmed, I expected to cry a little; I did with Recalled so why not with Charmed? I didn't shed one tear.....until the very end.....literally!
Cambria has brought the series to life with the story of Charming. From his beginnings as a boxer to becoming an Escort, she has thrown so many elements this time around. His backstory is so heart-breaking and then the moments with Frankie...*sigh* lovely; just beautiful.
Full of so many emotions, Charmed will take you on an incredible adventure leaving you pumped up and ready to ride again. I can not wait to see what Cambria has in store for the next install of the Death Escorts Series!
About Cambria:
Cambria Hebert is the author of the young adult
paranormal Heven and Hell series, the
new adult Death Escorts series, and
the new adult Take it Off series. She
loves a caramel latte, hates math and is afraid of chickens (yes, chickens).
She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended
up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always
have good hair. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and
children (both human and furry) where she is plotting her next book. You can
find out more about Cambria and her work by visiting http://www.cambriahebert.com
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