Slayer’s Kiss by Cassi Carver
Books Stats:
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Genre: Urban fantasy
Ebook: 344 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release date: February 14, 2012
Series: Shadow Slayers #1
Source: Review copy from author
Reviewed by: Stéphanie
Purchase: Amazon
Kara Reed is a supernatural failure. But where her magic falls short, her fists get the job done. The criminal element doesn’t stand a chance once she hits San Diego’s dark streets.
When two smoking-hot tenants move in next door, she thinks her love life might finally be heating up. Just being near Gavin and Julian is enough to make her want to offer her body on a platter.
Gavin and Julian know it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out. They’re fallen angels sent to watch over the king’s daughter, one of the last females of her kind. Trouble is, she doesn’t seem to think she needs watching—unless they’re watching her shimmy out of her clothes.
No matter how tempting her guardians, Kara’s not about to let anything stop her from tracking down a sadistic killer who carves into his victims and leaves them for dead. Even when she realizes her target may be the very scourge of heaven from which her angels swore to protect her…
Kara Reed has three jobs: building manager of her apartment building, bartender at the Hoolecha Inn and nighttime vigilante, ridding San Diego’s streets of rapists and women abusers. She’s pretty satisfied with her life, especially since she doesn’t have to conform to a daily desk job. The only thing she regrets is not being a better witch. In fact, she considers herself a “pathetic witch who ha[s] to use her fists when her magic [falls]short.” (p. 15)
Fortunately for her, she doesn’t have to use her magic, or any of her female wiles to attract the attention of her new hot neighbors, Gavin and Julian. In fact, both guys more or less throw themselves at her. Truthfully, I wouldn’t mind being neighbors with these guys. The instant attraction and sexual tension is so hot, you can feel the need of the characters in every scene.
Imagine how surprised Kara is when she learns that Gavin and Julian are silver-wings, beings of a fallen angel race called Demiáre. She’s even more surprised when she learns that she is in fact, not a witch, but a coveted Demiáre female. “The Aniliáre are the true fallen angels. The Demiáre consist of the highborn—silver-wings and females—and the demibreeds.” (p. 110) They are long lived beings with supernatural talents and undying devotions to their females. Cassi Carver has created a very original fallen angel mythology but it took me a while to understand the hierarchy and the concept of her fallen angel race. In fact, Cassi is a true story-teller, only revealing a bit of information at a time, and keeping her readers on their toes.
Kara is without a doubt an impulsive, fun and kick-ass female, which makes her a very likeable character. I also liked her sex-obsessed witch friend Abbey. Together, they made dark situations easier to read. They also added humour to every scene that we see them together. However, the story isn’t just about fun and sex. A killer of women is on the loose in San Diego and Kara is being hunted by an unknown being. Luckily, Kara’s silver-wing neighbors are ready to protect her, at whatever cost.
Unfortunately, Kara, Julian and Gavin form one of those love triangles that seems to dominate romance novels. While I understand their appeal and their role in literature, they’re still not my favourite. Also, I still haven’t found the meaning of the title, Slayer’s Kiss. Not once is the word ‘slayer’ mentioned in the book (although kisses aren’t missing at all!). Hopefully everything will be made clear in future books, which, unsurprisingly, I’m highly anticipating. I truly want to know what happens next since Cassi finished her debut novel with a killer cliffhanger!
A fair warning to everyone: These characters have strong sexual needs, which seems to be driven by their natural instincts. Intense sexual desires and acts are described in detail, which almost makes this book erotica. If you want to visit a sensual Demiáre island full of well endowed men with wings, then this is the right book for you!
Thank you for taking the time to read and review Slayer's Kiss!
ReplyDeleteNo problem. I really enjoyed it. Thank you for sending a copy!
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