Skin Game is a dark and edgy paranormal romance. It’s the first book in what promises to be an exciting new series. Author Ava Gray also writes SciFi and Urban Fantasy as Ann Aguirre. This was the first of her books that I’ve read and I’ve already ordered a couple of her Ann Aguirre novels to try.
Kyra Beckwith is a con woman with an unusual ability. She can “borrow” people’s greatest skills for a limited time by virtue of a single touch. This means she can be an athlete, an expert pool player, a boxer, or acquire any other talent at which her target excels. To avenge her father’s murder, Kyra uses her special ability to insinuate herself into wealthy casino owner, Gerard Serrano’s, inner circle. She publicly humiliates him before fleeing with money she “won” at his tables.
Ripping off Serrano is a decision Kyra may live to regret. That is, if she lives at all. Serrano has hired notorious hit man Reyes to find Kyra, kill her and return the money she took from him. Reyes is absolutely ruthless. He’s the best at what he does and he knows no mercy – until he meets Kyra. Reyes thinks nothing of sleeping with Kyra, especially as she is so willing to be seduced. He persuades her to take him on as her partner in crime. Reyes soon realizes Kyra is not the woman portrayed in the file he was given by Serrano’s assistant, Addison Foster, and is reluctant to follow through on the hit. There’s also the unwelcome possibility that he might be falling for his target…
Skin Game is a fast-paced story with unusual characters. The body count is high and the sex is hot, so if neither of these aspects work for you in a romance, be warned! The paranormal element is confined to Kyra’s ability. There are neither fangs nor fur in this book. My one and only quibble is that we never find out about how Kyra acquired her paranormal ability. I’m assuming this will be addressed in future books in the series but I would have liked to know more about it by the end of this story as Kyra and Reyes’s romance seems pretty self-contained within the parameters of this book.
I loved Kyra and Reyes. They are bad people and show no remorse – there’s very little moral ambiguity here. By the end of the book, they’ve found their HEA but there’s no talk of them giving up their respective professions and becoming reformed characters. I found this a refreshing change from the majority of romances featuring criminal heroes and heroines who inevitably go on the straight and narrow at the end of the book. Despite not wishing to meet either one of them in a dark alley, Kyra and Reyes are fun characters. They have a good sense of humour and they care deeply about each other. I found their romance totally credible.
There are also a couple of interesting secondary characters. Mia Sauter is Kyra’s best friend. We don’t learn much about her in this book, but what we do discover is intriguing. Serrano’s assistant, Addison Foster is excellent future hero material. We get a few glimpses at his back story in Skin Game and my interest is piqued. I’m really looking forward to his and Mia’s book, Skin Tight, which will be released June 2010.
Fans of romantic suspense and paranormal romance would do well to check out this book. I can highly recommend Skin Game. Grade: B+
{ 9 comments }
I’ve heard good things about this book. Your review makes me want it more. Thanks for the great review
I still have to read this one, but everyone seems to like it very much! Great review!
You nailed it Sarah. Just a fascinating story. I also enjoyed the fact Ava (Ann) had no plans to reform this bad to the bone duo. That’s what made them so interesting, and I’ll definitely be coming back for more.
This was an excellent shoot em up sexy story. Love how they went off into the sunset.
You can’t imagine how often I’ve read “try her, you’ll love her” reviews of Ann A but I never nibbled. This review, however, is putting Ava on my must-try list. I liked the Howard with the hit man and the Enoch couple where she’s a former thief. Is this in that vein but heightened?
@Book Chick City Yeah, a lot of readers seem to like this one.
@Marissa Thanks! Hope you enjoy the book.
@Stacy ~ I think Ava/Ann would have ruined the story if she’d tried to turn them into law-abiding citizens at the end. I realize this might put off some readers but I thought the ending fit the characters and their story. Did you get the feeling Reyes’s pal, Apex, might be a potential future hero?
@katiebabs Yes, the scene at the end was extremely well done.
@Janet W I’ve read so many glowing reviews of the Ann Aguirre books over the past year but the SciFi aspect put me off. However, I’m the sort of reader who’ll enjoy a book in a genre which I don’t usually seek out if the storytelling is good enough. I liked the author’s voice in Skin Game, so I’m willing to try an Ann Aguirre book to see if it works for me, too.
Skin Game is probably the best hit man romance I’ve read in a long time and it has as much to do with the heroine’s character as with the assassin. I’ve read both the Linda Howard book you mentioned (Death Angel?) and the first of the Enoch books. If I remember the Enoch book correctly, it’s quite humorous. The Howard book is dark. Skin Game has very dark humour and is – as Katiebabs put it – a shoot em up sexy story.
It sounds like Ava/Ann was influenced by one of the characters in Heroes.
Thanks for the lovely review!
Book two is Mia and Foster. Books three and four do not feature Apex, but I’d like to tell his story down the line.
@Karen Scott Actually, Kyra’s power does remind me a little of ‘Heroes’ but the paranormal element is quite understated in comparison to the TV series.
@Ava Gray Thanks for stopping by! I’ve read the blurbs for the next three books and they sound yummy. Skin Tight is one of my most anticipated reads for 2010.