Devouring Flame: Enchanted Occasions Book 2, E.J. Russell

One night of immense passion brought Smith and Hashim together and neither knew the other's heart broke when it ended.  Misunderstandings, location, hurt feelings and a small issue of indentured servitude stand between them.  Enchanted Occasions' newest client coincidentally bridges one of the gaps but they'll have to do the rest of the work if they hope to bridge the rest of the chasm that separates them.  Along the way they'll make and deepen other friendships, witness a brawl of epic proportions, facilitate an unconventional vampire feast, and maybe find the love that was always meant to be theirs.

The connection between Smith and Hashim was intimated in Nudging Fate and learning exactly what separated them was both enlightening and very sad.  Instead of dwelling on the hurt, betrayal, and anger they decided that communication and making up for lost time was the better way to move forward.  I truly loved that kind of maturity and was so glad that we didn't get a case of never-ending back and forth angsting.  Giving us two men who learned what kept them apart and then fought to eradicate the barriers was refreshing and, in this story, never a dull moment.  Going from super sexy to sweet and tender gave me what I was hoping for between these males.

In terms of fighting for a future together, Smith was the one who made it all come together.  He was strong, determined, intelligent, and led with his heart.  The way he was eager to learn and to fix was stunning because he went about it in a way that wasn't overkill and he didn't lose sight of who and what was most important.  Hashim was slightly different.  His genesis and entire existence has beaten him down so he played a bit heavy on the fatalistic side of the equation.  When push came to shove, though, he stood up for himself as much as possible and used his talents to unknowingly carve a place for himself in the Enchanted Occasions family and Smith's heart.

I'm a huge fan of this series continuation.  The craziness at the end was a bit too chaotic to follow at times, but the conclusion was fitting for the characters and the story.  There are a few more characters that I'm incredibly interested in and am eager to see if the next book is as good as or better than this one.  If it doesn't continue, I'll be content, but I will definitely wish for more from this zany, entertaining world.

*$4.99 on Amazon!