Grace Ridge has sworn off men. Her last boyfriend, Hank, proved to her that they weren’t to be trusted. Not only did he run up huge debt under her name with an anonymous woman, but he then skipped town leaving her with the bills, bills that she’d been paying off ever since. So far, the shady characters he’d also borrowed from hadn’t bothered her. That was mainly due to her making faithful payments to them, no small thanks to great tips she’d made at her job as a late night cocktail waitress at Del Fantasma, a bar for human and paranormal alike.

Even though she’s perpetually broke, she loves the characters that frequent the bar. One night, after drinking a delicious cocktail served to her by the bar’s enigmatic owner, Cody Warren, Grace falls into the lap of a sensual, mysterious vampire. Drawn to Eduardo from the first moment they met, Grace tries to steel her will against his charms, but her will is no match for the sexy creature of the night. When her past rears its ugly, dangerous head again, Eduardo fully enters her life, and like the Alpha vampire he is, protects and cares for Grace in a way she never imagined. When the dust settles, will Eduardo still be there for her and will Grace allow herself to love again?

Having previously read a story within the Del Fantasma series, I was ready to experience another of Cody’s skillful matchmaking drinks. This short story by Tina Bendoni not only met my expectations, it exceeded them. Delving into the emotional and sensual, the characters are richly multi-faceted. Grace’s headstrong assertiveness is the perfect complement to Eduardo’s smooth, Alpha demands.

While wanting more when the story was finished, I didn’t feel that the story was lacking in any way because of its brevity…no small feat in the short story crowd. Heartily recommending Del Fantasma: Latin Lover, I shall also keep my eyes peeled for more vampire stories by Ms. Bendoni.

Reviewed by: Bella