Customer Reviews

Kissing Sin

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I liked Full Moon Rising (the first book in the series) quite a bit and snatched this one up as soon as it came out. I cruised happily along until about the last 1/4, I guess, when I just skidded to an abrupt halt. Quinn annoys me. His whining and angsting annoys me. (Is he really Richard Zeeman in disguise? I have to wonder.....) Riley annoys me for putting up with it. And as with some of the other reviewers, Riley's rampant sexuality is a bit of a turn-off for me. I'm all for a hot book, and I understand that because she's a wolf, she's sexual. I get it. And I also get that because her character is a wolf (and therefore NOT human), she's not constrained by a human code of sexual morals. But there's a bit of a squick factor for me when I read about her casual sex in the clubs, and her sex with her mates, and her sex with Quinn, and her sex with the new horse-shifter in town, and her sex with the enemy so that she can get information.... Enough already. The cloning plotline is intriguing and I'm definitely curious about the identity of the mole, but I'm bored with Riley's nymphomania. Thank goodness the sex scenes are short enough to allow a larger story to develop. I just wish I weren't so put off by Riley's sexcapades, because I find myself really struggling to stay interested in the series.

2.5 stars from me, but I'll round it up based on my affection for Full Moon Rising, the first book in this series.

Although many reviews have already been written on this novel, I'm not sure we are giving the book as much credit as it deserves. Yes, it's another sexy paranormal, but the adventure component really leaves me breathless. The fights are well-staged and assaults led on enemy compounds with small groups of--er--good werewolves, vampires, shape shifters, etc are NOT predictable. There is an element of surprise/danger to the leads that is not always present in the more typical books. Also going beyond the sensuality part of this genre is always a welcome change. Yeah, everybody is as busy as little bunnies--including the bunnies--but the relationship between bunny-business, adventure and character is more balanced. My only "complaint" is the name of the Australian towns take a little getting used to--I keep thinking the characters are on another planet!.

It's always hard for a werewolf to back away from a fight. Riley Jenson isn't just your garden variety werewolf either; the vampire part of her is asserting itself more as she ages. It is already too late for her twin brother Rhoan to reproduce. Rhoan's vampire characteristics have always been more evident than her own, and he is now as infertile as those in the ranks of the undead. Hoping it is not too late for herself, Riley has been making some discreet inquiries into fulfilling her own private fantasy, that of having a child.

Working for the Directorate of Other Races, Riley fears for her twin Rhoan every time he is called out to run interference between the "beasts" and humans. Rhoan is a Guardian, able to walk the streets in the daylight hours, doing his part to keep the uneasy peace of beings that are only loosely governed by the same rules as the rest of the citizens of Melbourne. When one night Riley wakes up to a scene of horror in a dark alley, she isn't sure whether she was running away for her life or trying to get back into the compound behind her. With scant memory of the last few weeks Riley is afraid, and for more reasons other than the fact that she is naked and covered in someone else's blood. Her strength and unusual qualities have not gone unnoticed by those who have previously wanted to mess with her genetically. Escaping the compound with the assistance of a gorgeous male shape-shifter named Kade, Riley runs back into the arms of those know her best: her brother, her boss and her ex-lover, the gorgeous and enigmatic vampire Quinn. They all agree; whoever is trying to create a super-race of paranormal beings is not doing it for any higher purpose. The clones that have attacked them in the past were not perfect, and they all had deadly intent.

Australian author Keri Arthur has written an atmospheric book of the night world, populated with wraiths, shape-shifters and bloodsuckers, all at war with each other and with their own unnatural agendas. As with the first book in the series (FULL MOON RISING (2006), the "rules" of this fantasy world are largely her own, whilst observing inviolate agreements about vampires frying in the sun and such like. It's refreshing that Arthur has created a character that isn't constantly beating herself up over what she is and moralizing about the depravities of her kind; Riley Jenson gets on with her life and does not apologize for whatever means and methods have been required. Tagging these novels as "paranormal romances" puts too rosy a light on them as there isn't a scrap of romance to be seen to detract from the seething sense of hidden menace. Good attention to detail with the hand to paw (or claw, or fangs) fight scenes rackets up the action component in the read.

As with all novels in this booming genre of urban fantasy, KISSING SIN is another of those guilty little pleasures. A bit of sauce is good, sauce is all part of the fictional vampire and werewolf scene, but the amount of gratuitous sex indulged in by Riley Jenson here is very off-putting. Not for its content, graphic or otherwise but more for its frequency and irrelevance. Another trap; too many hot and willing male characters popping up all over the place with whom Riley supposedly has a true connection. Less is going to more here, as with the reader's attention being dragged about all over the place (too many future plot threads perhaps); the emphasis is taken away from the developing storyline. All the ingredients for success are here and were laid out well with the first novel of the series, but the freer hand given with KISSING SIN detracts greatly from the read.

Riley Jensen is a half-werewolf, half-vampire dhampir with a love of her wolf heritage and overall contempt for most vampires. She's a liaison for Melbourne's Directorate of Other Races - an aussie equivalent of the FBI for supernaturals. Or she was. Now she's being pulled closer and closer to the one job she's never wanted - being a guardian. Kissing Sin begins with Riley waking up next to a dead body, and her life takes another horrified spin when she realizes she's been caught and experimented on in the continuing conspiracy to get her pregnant.

The plot of Kissing Sin is a continuation of the one begun in Full Moon Rising, so I'd recommend you start there if you're so inclined. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I'm not feeling remarkably charitable about recommending this series so far. It's not bad, really, it's just...while I've never thought of myself as particularly prudish, Riley's sexual promiscuity in Kissing Sin has crossed the line - from a species-centric celebration into pathetically gratuitous. I understood the reason behind having SO much sex in Full Moon Rising - we were told over and over and over that the full moon almost completely commands a werewolf's sexual needs for the seven days preceding the full moon. I didn't like it, as it always seemed like sort of a flimsy excuse and I personally believe the survival need supersedes sexual ones, but at least there was a reason for it. That reason was no longer relevant in Kissing Sin and yet I couldn't see any difference AT ALL between Riley's sexual behavior in this book versus the previous one (other than the names of the partners) - and that IS a failing. I'm sorry, but when the sexuality of a heroine of a book doesn't just become the plot, but completely obliterates the plot (like LKH's Anita Blake series) there's something wrong.

Not to mention the vampire mogul Quinn is back and in a COMPLETE about-face, is now clamoring for an exclusive relationship with the werewolf who just last book he had made no bones about leaving behind. There's a very flimsy and unbelievable reason given for that abrupt about-face that never quite works. That's a shame, actually, because I like Quinn. More so than Riley. Unfortunately, Kissing Sin suffers from some of the same issues that Full Moon Rising does. Both are at times muddy and plodding, and other times frenetic and confused. Both are flawed.

Still, not all is bad. Riley is a competent, intelligent protagonist who stands on her own two feet (or four paws) and doesn't walk around waiting for a male to save her. She's a bit saucy and a bit wicked and she tends to get into trouble...I sure wouldn't let her drive my car...but when she isn't "celebrating" her sexuality with every interested male, she's a solid heroine. Quinn, the ubersexy and ultrarich vamp, is less layered and complex in this one, but still a favorite character, and I sincerely hope to see more of him in future books. Riley is still supported by a solid group of secondary characters - Riley's vampire boss (Jack) and one of Rhoan's mates (Liander) in particular - who are interesting and sympathetic with a lot of development potential, and the bad guys are still really repugnant.

I think I'll be giving Riley one more try, but unless the sex in the next book is either toned down or given a more believable connection to the plot, I doubt I'll stick around for more than that.

Warning: The Riley Jensen series is NOT a romance series - it's an erotic urban fantasy. If you expect that going in, maybe you won't have the negative reactions that I did.

I will have to say I was disappointed in the book, maybe if I had read the previous book it would have helped. I felt the story line was thin and too much sex which was every other page, how much does an author need to stress one trait?

My opinion is that the author could have developed some of the characters in this book more, for instance Kade and Kellen. I did like the character Misha who wasn't your typical character in love and his end was quite creative; the letter towards the end was a nice conclusion between Misha & Riley.

I'm not sure I will continue on with this series.

I am writing this from the Kindle, so it will be brief. I found the series to be interesting, since it was designed as a multi-book arc. I would surmise that the reason why the author has the main character engage in so much sex is to be true to the nature of werewolves. Riley often states that she must have sex to avoid going into a killing and sex rampage. I don't mind it so much, since it provides a motivating force for her character. I like the confusion over her relationship with Quinn, since it provides some depth to the character. a good book to read for pleasure. (something Riley works on having!)

I'll start off by saying if you are not a fan of your characters having sex with random people, then this is not the series for you. I enjoy the plot of this series with the cross breeding labs, clones, and government agencies. My only problem is that it is a bit confusing. The one chance we get to shed some light on things is from a person that isn't allowed to speak about anything. So all we get is cryptic nonsense. There is a bit of resolution, but overall the plot hasn't progressed much from the first book. I think it will be drawn out over plenty more books as more labs are found and more bad guys emerge. I enjoy the characters and the werewolf way of life, so I will continue to read the series. It certainly is exciting and interesting.

*** Back cover synopsis ***
From Melbourne's gleaming skyscrapers to its throbbing nightclubs, Riley Jenson's world is raging with danger and desire. A drop-dead-gorgeous werewolf with a touch of vamp coursing in her blood Riley works for an organization created to police the supernatural races. But when she wakes up naked and bruised in a barren alley, she knows only that she must run for her life.
Within moments Riley collides with the sexiest man she's ever seen: steely, seductive Kade, who is fighting a life-and-death battle of his own. With old lovers and enemies gathering around her, Riley knows she is being pursued by a new kind of criminal. Because in Riley's blood is a secret that could create the ultimate warrior--if only she can survive her own dangerous desires...

*** Personal opinion ***
The beginning was abrupt but the plot follows what was going on in the first book, "Full Moon Rising". In this book Riley and Quinn's relationship takes a turn that made me feel sympathetic towards Riley and angered towards Quinn. I can totally understand his reluctance to trust Riley with his heart but his possessiveness towards her was just too selfish. In ways I just think Quinn is hurting Riley that he doesn't even know the effect it has on her. This book actually has more focus on their on-and-off relationship that to me was the star of this book.
My disappointment comes in yet again about Riley's promiscuity. In the first book, it didn't bother me that much but in this book, I didn't like the fact that she was sleeping with someone to get information for the Directorate. I had to constantly remind myself that she was after all, a wolf, and they consider the act to be perfectly normal.
The ending to this book actually did brought tears to my eyes as it did to Riley. Nonetheless, still an enjoyable book and even better than the first.

Riley Jenson, werewolf-vampire hybrid, continues on her quest to find out why certain powers are so interested in her. I liked the first book because even though her werewolf heritage is presented as an explanation (or an excuse?) Riley is portrayed as a strong, intelligent, sexually uncompromising non-monogamous female. However, even though I like the character and even though the story isn't bad I was a little bored and didn't have a problem with putting the book down when real life needed my attention. If you like vampire/werewolf romances it's not a bad read but do start with book 1: Full Moon Rising. I'm giving Kissing Sin 3 stars because I liked the first book so much.

I have read every Keri Arthur book, and was a little disappointed in this one. It could have been so much better. I like sex, but there is too much casual sex w/ too many partners for my taste. The chemistry w/ Quinn should have been further explored. Just b/c Riley is a wolf doesn't mean she has to sleep w/ every person she comes across. I am not too excited about the next book. I wouldn't waste my hard earn money on this book - get it from the library b/c it is not that good.