The cyborg assassin and the single mom…
Owned by a corporation and forced to work as an assassin, cyborg Mike Fury dreams of freedom and having a woman to call his own, someone to love, who will love him. He plots his escape and seeks asylum on planet Refuge, applying for a wife through the Cosmic Mates interplanetary matchmaking program.
When his dream woman arrives, she brings an unpleasant surprise—she is not unencumbered; she has a child. It quickly becomes obvious that she’s more committed to her son than she will ever be to him. It’s within his rights to send her packing, but when he hears of her plight he agrees to continue with the marriage until the end of the probationary period when they can both apply for new spouses.
Single mom Verity Vale would do anything to protect her young son, even marry a stranger. When a rich, powerful family threatens to lay claim to her son, she knows the only way to keep him is to get him off Earth as quickly as possible. Figuring a woman with a child seeking a match through Cosmic Mates would send up red flags, she omits mention of her son in her application. She hopes that whoever the man is, he’ll have a heart big enough to accept a package deal.
The marriage starts out strained and awkward, but Verity soon recognizes her husband’s innate kindness and goodness. Even more, he’s patient with her son who adores him. Nor does it hurt that he’s smokin’ hot. Their marriage of convenience turns loving and passionate, and both revel in their good fortune.
But Fury knows his happiness is doomed. He can’t keep lying to Verity about his past. And when the protective mom learns she married a coldhearted cyborg assassin, it will be the end of his dream.
Mature Novella
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The Cosmic Mates sci-fi romances are being released in “duets,” a two-book series within a series. Books one and two are a set, books three and four are a different set, etc. All the Cosmic Mates sci-fi romances can be read as standalones.
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Start a discussionNot all soulmates are born on Earth. In Cosmic Mates, love is written in the stars—sometimes in alien script, sometimes in instinct—and always with consequences that ripple across galaxies. This series blends sizzling sci-fi romance with pulse-pounding adventure, bringing together interstellar warriors, unlikely heroines, and bonds that transcend planets, species, and logic.
Each story orbits around a central spark: two beings from vastly different worlds navigating cultural clashes, language barriers, and the weight of destiny. But these aren’t just tales of otherworldly attraction—they’re layered, character-driven journeys where survival, sovereignty, and identity hang in the balance. The world-building is immersive without being overwhelming, striking a careful balance between futuristic tech and raw, emotional stakes.
The tone shifts between action-packed tension and deeply personal intimacy, exploring what it means to truly connect—whether through a forced proximity crash landing, a marriage of political necessity, or an instinctual alien claiming that rewrites both hearts and rules. If you’re drawn to slow-burn passion ignited in the vacuum of space, or fierce heroines who hold their ground even on foreign soil, this series delivers the perfect blend of heat, humor, and heart.
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What Risingshadow readers think about this book
This is the 4th book of the Cosmic Mates series but works as a standalone and was the first in this series that I have read. I really enjoyed this story and getting to know Mike Fury and Varity Vale as well as Verity's son Brody. I look forward to reading more books from this series in the future, both future books as well as backtracking to read the ones I missed.
I received a free advanced reader copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
