Customer Reviews

Sins of the Heart (Hqn)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Roxy Tam is a child of the system. Abandoned suddenly by her mother when she was five, Roxy was passed from foster family to foster family, never truly being alone but always incredibly lonely. Freshly turned out into the world of adults, Roxy is quick to trust resulting in her being abducted, bound and held in a cell until her captor can languish in the blood bath that will soon be her death. Fortunately she's saved but by the most unlikely of strangers, someone who is most definitely not a savior.

Daegan Krayle is a soul reaper. Half mortal, half god, Daegan scavenges the Topworld to harvest the most soiled of human souls to feed his father, Sutekh. A man of many names, Sutekh is a God of the Underworld, a realm divided neatly into thousands of territories each with its own master jockeying for power. Pushing, pulling and jousting for allegiances, all this havoc of past and future betrayals is orchestrated without crossing a tenuously thread-thin line that if broken, could ultimately lead to the complete annihilation of mortals and immortals alike. Now, after his three hundred year long dark existence, Daegan's life is forever changed when his coming fate aligns with that of a young girl. Never has a mortal glimpsed his face and lived to tell about it until Roxy Tam.

Skip eleven years to the present and the afore mentioned thread-thin line maintaining the world's continued existence has gotten fearsomely near its snapping point. One of Daegan's four brothers has been murdered which is virtually impossible. As a soul reaper like Daegan, Lokan can only die one way and only in the Underworld. But dead he is which can only suggest the hand of a powerful supernatural was involved. Knowing that Sutekh has countless enemies, the list of suspects is vast but incriminating evidence suggests that the Daughters of Aset are to blame leading Daegan's quest for revenge right to Roxy's front door.

Having lived with the need and loss of her savior for over a decade, Roxy has given up hope of ever dispelling Daegan Krayle from her mind completely. He haunts her dreams, igniting her body aflame with lust making any relationship in reality a complete waste. He's also changed her into a parasite, an animal in need of taking blood and to forgo means facing unbearable pain. He did this to her and then left her with a wad of cash and the warning to stay away from the Daughters of Aset. It only took a year from that day for Roxy to find them and join their ranks, and however low her position may be, she finally has a family to call her own. But when the unprecedented death of a soul reaper finds Roxy being charged with the task of gathering information that will keep the reaper dead, Roxy begins to uncover some startling revelations that includes the possibility of the Daughter of Aset being behind the murder. Knowing that the Daughters of Aset are Sutekh's number one enemy, that would be a really bad, bad thing for humanity. However, nothing can be worse than Daegan Krayle re-entering her life.

Daegan has dreamed of Roxy for a eleven endless years and it rankles him greatly to learn that after all the this time while he'd forced himself to maintain distance, hoping that Roxy had attained the life he'd wanted for her - a normal life - she'd instead gone and joined the ranks of his eternal enemy but nothing irritates him more then his uncontrollable desire to possess her body, mind and soul. It's a desire that has never waned but rather only increased and now faced with fact that Roxy has knowledge regarding his brother's death, Daegan delights in the need to keep her close until she's compelled to spill all but he never thought he'd join forces with her. As enemies circle ever closer with Roxy as their main target, Daegan realizes that it will be the end of him to lose her. And while knowing that his change in allegiance from Sutekh to Roxy will surely spell his doom, Daegan will do anything to keep her heart shielded within the protective strength of his arms forever.

My Thoughts:

Having loved Eve Silver's gothic novels before, I was desperate to experience her new dark paranormal series from Harlequin but the wait, unfortunately, was more unbearable than usual. After being disgruntled with the lack of available information regarding this series - it's a bit of a pet peeve of mine when author sites aren't consistently updated - it was therefore a relief to find that the grueling wait for Otherkin Trilogy book one, SINS OF THE HEART, was genuinely worth all the pain and suffering it indirectly caused.

Roxy is a caustic, hard as nails, hard to manage female who's currently torn in her allegiance making her wonderfully vulnerable. She's suffered early from her naivete which has inevitably lead her to clam up around any who make any probing movements leaving her once again never alone but incredibly lonely. There's only one whom she can truly share her heart and soul with and that's Daegan but his abandonment has both hurt and angered her making their getting-to-know-each-other scenes tension filled. It also doesn't help that her heart is threatened from two conflicting fronts: One, from Daegan's loving possession, and two, from Daegan's soul reaper claw. Hmm...decisions, decisions. I for one enjoyed the conundrum Roxy faced.

And then there's Daegan. He's a man who isn't afraid to get right down to the point and the way he does it will leave you absolutely squirming in your seat. While like Roxy, Daegan has grown up lonely but with the sad exception of being surrounded by people. Instead his isolated childhood took place in the Underworld resulting in Daegan's stilted and direct conversation skills. It also makes his fascination with Roxy utterly consuming as though he's looking at her with blinders to the surrounding world. It's as though no one else is worthy of his regard but her thereby making Roxy the sole fixture of his complete and intense attention. *shudders* He's a thrilling hero.

Roxy and Daegan were an amazing and fluid pairing, however, I finished SINS OF THE HEART feeling that their romance was jilted merely for page count. Twenty-five pages more and this would have been a stellar read for me. Instead it ends abruptly with me flipping back through the final pages thinking "No way! That's it?". In light of that, I do acknowledge that this particular plot had to be a challenge for Ms. Silver given the fact that much needed to be accomplished and set up before diving into the good stuff between the hero and heroine therefore making the abruptness of the ending a disappointment but in no way deal breaking.

SINS OF THE HEART is a smashing start to a dark and thrilling trilogy, one that shouldn't be missed by any who deem themselves paranormal romance lovers.

As I started reading Sins of the Heart and throughout it, I kept getting the euphoric feeling that I have found a new favorite author. The same feelings I had when I started reading Gena Showalter, Kresley Cole, Karen Marie Moning and the like authors. Sins of the Heart had everything I look for in a paranormal romance: a smart and feisty heroine, gorgeous drool-worthy hero from the Other world, a tight plot, believable and heart-pounding passion along with pages full of action and mystery.

The main thing that kept my interest is the whole new world of dimension that Eve Silver has spun around the traditional myths on the Greek and Egyptian gods like Hades, Set, Isis, and Osiris. She's added her own layers of creative storytelling with her soul reapers, making the adventures seem limitless and I can't wait to gobble up more these guys.

I plan on getting the rest of the Otherkin trilogy as it publish, and I'm so thankful that they are only a month apart in their publishing dates. And I'm happy to share that I found out the Otherkin books will not end with this trilogy, that Eve has two more books planned for the Otherkin world. *fist pump* I can only hope Eve continues to write these books beyond the two planned.

Roxy is a heroine who can take care of herself. As a Daughter of Aset, it is her job to protect humans and she is very good at what she does. But Roxy is not an in your face female who constantly feels she has something to prove. While she is strong and can hold her own with the best of them, there is a side of her that fears being completely alone. She was abandoned by her mother when she was five and everyone she has cared about since has left her, including Dagan Krayl. She knows what he is and even though she should despise everything about him, she dreams about him and what it would be like in his arms and in his bed. But she is angry with him. 11 years ago Dagan saved her life then left her. It is this and not that fact that he is a reaper and son of the Lord of Chaos, Sutekh, that really has stuck with her.

Dagan was not left unaffected by their meeting 11 years ago. He left her because he wanted her to have a normal life even though the thought of her with another man made him have violent thoughts. He didn't want her in his world but once he reunites with her, he sees that despite his efforts to warn her away Roxy is now a Daughter of Aset who are sworn enemies of Sutekh and his sons. Dagan is not a villain. He is a reaper yes but only goes after those with dark souls (i.e. murders, rapists etc). He too has been having vivid dreams of making love and they all include Roxy. When he thinks something has happen to her, he goes in search of her not caring of the consequences. When they finally come face to face again he knows that she is his and he will do everything to protect her and I felt Roxy truly deserved to have that kind of love and devotion. Their reunion may not have went over smooth at first (a knife to the thigh may have been involved) but you feel their love and connection come off the pages.

Something else I really loved reading was the connection between Dagan and his other brothers. Their bond and love for each other is unbreakable and I enjoyed reading every scene they were in together. All made even better by the fact that their was heavy sarcasm involved.

The story line of Sins Of The Heart was great but at times confusing. Their is a lot of religion and mythology involved and a lot of names thrown around that had me scratching my head. Some of it I didn't feel was necessary and added to the confusion. A guide at the back of the book explaining who was who and what realm they ruled over would have been very helpful. Sutekh is the Lord of Chaos and is feared by all. When his youngest son is murdered he sends out this remaining sons to find his body so it an be reanimated and to find out who would dare do such a thing not caring about the deadly consequences. There is a lot of side deals and scheming in the underworld to the point I am not sure who did it. I liked not knowing what would happen next and there were a few surprises I did not expect. Sins Of The Heart is the 1st book in the Otherkin trilogy so if you like things neatly wrapped in a bow at the end of each book, you are not going to get that here.

It did take me a while to get into. It feels slow at first and there are several different things going on in different places but once everything starts to come together, the book really takes off and is hard to put down. Eve Silver does a fantastic job crafting a world that is suspenseful, dark and wonderfully sensual. Sins Of The Heart is a great start to what looks like will be an addicting trilogy.

(from Murphy's Library - [...])

Dagan Krayl is a soul reaper. But what is this?

It means he goes after dark souls that, eventually, will feed his hungry father, Sutekh, Lord of Chaos in the Underworld. That's what you need to know to begin with, and that's exactly what the first pages of "Sins of the Heart" show you: Dagan hunting one dark soul, an evil excuse of man that is plotting to rape and murder a young woman, Roxy Tam. And even if she got a little crazy, day dreaming about Dagan all the time, she was left unharmed by him at the end.

If you think that is the book's plot, be pleased to know that this is just the introduction. Sins of the Heart gets a much more complicated plot when some years after Krayl rescueing Roxy, their paths cross when Dagan's little brother is murdered. And that's when we start asking: who the Hell would have the power to murder a son of Sutekh?

All the tips point out to the fact that the Daughters of Aset, enemies of Sutekh, are deep involved in this mess. What could be more unfortunate than the fact that Roxy has joined them, going against the only request Dagan made when he saved her live?

Sins of the Heart present us a great heroine, strong in her beliefs and actions, but a little confused by the fact that her body (and heart) are too involved with her supposed to be enemy. Dagan is a sarcastic and dominant man, but very loyal. Together, they made one of the best paranormal couples I've ever read.

It's amazing how they need to trust in each other to understand what's really going on and where are the body parts of Dagan's dead brother. The narrative is amazing and the way all characters have a chance to present themselves and give us a piece of this puzzle with they perspective is genial.

Sins of the Heart is a fast read, and I believe it will be difficult to find a person who didn't curse it when read the last page, asking out loud: Where's the next?

The book is the first of the Otherkin series. The second one, Sins of the Soul, is already available, and the third will be on October 1st. Enjoy this ride, I will!

When Roxy Tam was just nineteen she found herself trusting the wrong people and it almost cost her, her life. It wasn't Roxy's day to die. She vowed never to do that again and make sure what happened to her does not happen to someone else. Roxy fights for humans. She is not afraid of anyone.

Dagan Krayl is half human, half god. Dagan also has a reputation of being the best Underworld soul reaper. Or course, you won't expect anything less from the Underworld God's son. One of Dagan's brother's is murdered. It is nearly impossible to kill a soul reaper. Dagan goes on a rampage to find the person responsible. Dagan teams up with Roxy. This is when the passion ignites.

Sins of the Heart is book one in the Otherkin trilogy. Both Roxy and Dagan are equally matched. They work well together. Roxy is tough and can kick some butt. You want to hate Dagan for who he is but you can't because he is too good looking. The intensity between Roxy and Dagan is almost too hot for words. This book is darker and more gruesome then some of the usual urban fantasy novels. I really liked this. Though, if you are weak in the belly there are a few scenes that may make you have an upset tummy. If you are tried of boring, old vampires then you should check out Sins of the Heart.

I tried this book based on Donna Lockin's review which talked about that "euphoric feeling" you get when you start reading a new author and think, "this is gonna be a good series." I totally identified with that feeling having felt it for many of the series she listed and figured we had similar reading tastes, so I gave it a shot. I was not dissapointed.

I've never read a book by Eve Silver before, and I enjoyed her writing. At first I wasn't sure I wanted to start another "smart mouthed touch chick" paranormal book series (really, how many bounty hunter/huntress/detective/foot soldier/warrior chippies are runnin' around out there now?). The book focuses a lot on Dagan as well and Roxy (yeah, OK, a stereo typical tough chick name, but it could be worse) isn't really the annoying cookie I dreaded she would be. Oh, just a warning though, the plot is an ongoing story line that is going to span across the series - in other words, it isn't fully resolved in one book. Some people find that aggravating (understandibly), but I find that if I know that ahed of time, I'm not so annoyed. Plus, it ends with some ground being made so it's not a dire "cliff hanger", just ongoing.

I understand that the books are to be released a month apart - HUGE plus. I hate waiting year(s)! Book number 2, Sins of the Soul (TBR Sept. 1, 2010)and is available for pre-order on amazon now (for kindle readers too). Book #3, Sins of the Flesh (TBR Oct. 1, 2010), and a pre-quel novella Sin's Daughter (already released in July 2010) round out the Otherkin Triology. Apparantly the Otherkin books themselves are not to end with this trilogy, and there are two more Otherkin books planned for beyond book 3. We can only hope they continue to be just as good! I think I may try Eve's The Compact of Sorcerer's series (Demon's Kiss and Demon's Hunger) or some of her historical romances too - kindle free samples anyone? Gotta love e-books!

~* 4.5 Stars *~
Roxy Tam was nineteen...and a half...when she saw him for the first time. She was bruised, cut, and tied up, tossed onto a moldy mattress in a rank room that had seen the worst of humanity and was going to see more. She had been taken by a monster. But there are those who hunt the hunters, not for the righteousness of it, but to harvest the blackest souls to feed their voracious master. Or in Dagan Krayl's case, his voracious father.

He is a soul reaper. Eldest son of Sutekh. A hunter. A killer. But tonight is not Roxy Tam's night to die.

For the eleven years since he freed her and left her, she's loathed him, burned for him, dreamed of him. She is now a Daughter of Aset, enemy of his kind, and she's on a mission cloaked in secrecy following the rumored death of one of Sutekh's sons. Roxy only hoped - silently - that it wasn't Dagan. She knew it was possible her sisters had something to do with it, and that could mean war. She needed answers to tough questions and she needed them fast. If the path to those questions leads her to death's door, so be it. She had a bone or two to pick with him, anyway.

He'd let her go and given her money all those years ago so she would have a better life, a more normal life than what he'd sensed she was destined for before she was almost a victim of a rapist and murderer. In the interim, she haunted his dreams - dreams his kind weren't supposed to have. He thought of her when he allowed himself to do so, and yearned for her when he couldn't help himself. When the trail to his brother's killer points to a serial killer wearing the necklace he remembered around Roxy's neck, Dagan realizes his wishes for her may have been in vain. Finding out if Roxy is even alive becomes just as important to him as finding his brother's murderer.

And he knows how wrong that is.

They aren't friends, they've never been lovers, and their respective kinds are mortal enemies, yet if Dagan and Roxy can't find common ground and stop a killer, the Underworld will descend into war and the human race will be nothing but fodder.

Have you ever picked up a book that everyone in the world seems to love, or a book you've been anxiously waiting to be released, and when you're done reading it you're disappointed - not so much because the story wasn't good, but because you expected to be wowed and wasn't? I hate that. Unmet expectation sucks.

But there's a flip side.

Sometimes you pick up a book and start reading with no strong expectations at all. There aren't any preconceptions, no anticipation of greatness - heck, you may not even know how well it's rated by other readers. You just sit back to read, unburdened by the weight of obligation to feel favorably about it, and find yourself swept away by pure reading enjoyment.

Maybe part of the impact of the story is the very lack of expectation. That's fair, I suppose. Doesn't alter the pleasure in the read. And Eve Silver's Sins of the Heart gave me tons of reading pleasure.

On a critical level, it wasn't a perfect read for me. The introduction of the series arc was odd, especially as the groundwork was being laid at the beginning, with some abrupt and disjointed leaps that made the timeline choppy. There was also a lot of repetition in the narrative, most notably in the first half of the book, and points that were mentioned again and again as if Silver doubted readers could keep details in their heads for more than a few pages at a time. And by the end of the book there were still a lot of questions that remained unanswered - to the point that this book almost failed to be completely self-contained or feel finished.

Fans more fond of romance arcs than the external conflicts found in urban fantasy or epic fantasy may be disappointed in the romance in this book, though readers disenfranchised by the formulaic nature of the genre might love it. I did. In my opinion, Silver had two characters defined by a less-is-more lifestyle and philosophy and that's exactly how their romance developed.

There were, in fact, so many aspects of the story that satisfied me that even with the critical issues, I liked this book very much. Roxy and Dagan were great lead characters. They had amazing chemistry together and were likable, though the series setup and world defining hampered character development and limited their depth as individuals. The world building and created mythos were unique, original, and fresh. I loved the concept of the soul reapers, the Egyptian mythology (I'm so tired of the Greek pantheon I could scream), and the way the Underworld was defined. All those building blocks fit really well together to form the foundation for a plot that really impressed me.

The mystery elements were handled with aplomb, clues and shadowy connections uncovered at a deliciously slow and steady pace. I loved the plot twists. Silver seems to have an inherent ability to divulge information in such a way as it answers some questions and asks more, teasing readers, keeping them guessing and on the edge of their seat to find out what happens next. I was so wrapped up in the pieces of the puzzle, so invested in the characters' struggle with their own issues and the complications of a relationship that what criticisms I had hardly made a dent.

All in all, the lack of a more traditional romantic plotline, one that left a lot of questions unanswered, worked for me - but only because it fit with these two characters. The series plot arc has me hooked. I enjoyed the world and the mythos. Sure, it's possible I enjoyed this book so much because I hadn't been expecting a lot from it, but regardless, I had a great time with this one and look forward to seeing where the series goes next.

~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

This book didn't exactly light my fire from the beginning. The premise was interesting, but I had a hard time connecting to the characters and their love story.

Roxy and Dagan first met 11 years ago. As a soul reaper, he was on a mission to collect a dark soul to bring to his father, Sutekh, the God of Chaos. Roxy was the hostage of his target. There was an instant connection, despite the fact that as a demi-god, Dagan should have felt nothing for a human. And by the same token, attraction should have been the last thing Roxy was feeling, as she got her first glimpse into the dark world of the supernatural. Dagan managed to suppress his desire, leaving Roxy behind... gone, but not forgotten.

Since then, Roxy has joined the Daughters of Aset, which serve one of Sutekh's greatest enemies. With the group, she has found the first family she's ever known. But when Dagan's brother is mysteriously killed, his investigation leads him to cross paths with Roxy again. What does Lokan's murder have to do with the Daughters of Asat? How is it related to the little girl Roxy saved on her last mission? And how does anyone kill a demi-God in the first place?

There are forces that don't want these questions answered and that puts Dagan and Roxy in grave danger. Of course, danger + sexual tension is bound to equal explosive sex... which, of course, leads to deeper feelings.

It all sounds really cool, but there were a few things that were off-putting. Initially, my problem was Roxy with her lame urban slang... calling Dagan "white boy" and "vanilla bean." Really? Then, I got a little annoyed with the repetition.. from the 10 times I heard about the toffee or coffee-with-double-cream color of her skin --from her bronze eyes to her dark ringlets-- once is enough. But I think the bigger problem was that I just couldn't see why these two fell for each other... or perhaps more accurately, I couldn't feel anything but lust between them. Don't get me wrong, I like lust. The sex was hot, but I never burned for these two to make their way together.

The intrigue surrounding Lokan's death did get more interesting to me over time. And by the time the book ended, I was pretty engrossed in that story. Unfortunately, I didn't get much in the way of answers, since it ended on a cliffhanger. I've heard that the books in this series get progressively better, so I'm going to give the next installment a try and see where it all goes from here. 3 1/2 stars.

In general, I love urban fantasy and I love romance but I tend to be wary of paranormal romance - too often, the paranormal romances don't have enough emotional intensity to satisfy the romance reader in me, or enough dark, gritty thrills to satisfy the UF reader in me. So I approached SINS OF THE HEART with low expectations. I knew it was a 2011 RITA finalist, however, and I find that the RITA nominees are usually worth a read.

I knew I'd like SINS OF THE HEART after I finished the kindle sample. The hero and heroine hardly see one another, but I was still completely riveted to the world and the characters. Silver creates tension and interest without having to resort to high drama or sex; her underworld, with it's Egyptian mythology, is expertly realized and riveting.

For the first...30%, maybe 40% of the novel, Dagan and Roxy are just circling around one another. It's rare to find a romance that works as a romance despite this separation, but SINS OF THE HEART does. They have one meeting that leaves Dagan longing to see more of Roxy but determined to avoid her, while, for her part, their encounter so scars Roxy that she joins up with Dagan's enemies.

There's an overarching conflict to do with Dagan's brother - he's been murdered, and Dagan needs to find his brother's body and reassemble the pieces to bring him back to life (since they're the sons of a god, death is not necessarily a permanent state). Roxy, having joined the enemy organization, is not inclined to help. But both get caught up in the plot and its aftermath, and they end up having to work together to stay alive - even if their goals aren't aligned. Eventually, shared expeirence, attraction, and mutual admiration breaks down the walls that time has built between them and the romance itself is intense and really satisfying.

As a final note: I went on to read the second in the series Sins of the Soul (Hqn). I was wrapped up i the over-arching plot about who killed the brother and found Alastor appealing where he appeared in Sins of the Heart (Hqn). It's a very similar plot, featuring Dagan's brother and another heroine from the same enemy organization, but it didn't pull me in nearly so much. Still debating about whether to go on and read the third in the series, Sins of the Flesh (Hqn).

First thing's first ... Dagan Krayl saves the life of an unknown woman named Roxy Tam more than 10 years ago. Since then, they've only dreamt of each other despite only knowing one another for a few minutes. Years later, Dagan is 'called' back to Roxy and their meeting wasn't what I thought it would be. Roxy got on my damn nerves. Sure, it's never bothered me before when a heroine (especially a black one) is outspoken, tough and independent, but Roxy was almost childish and very annoying. Dagan wasn't annoying at all and it made me wonder why in the world he would deal with a woman who I would want to choke on a regular basis. Anyway ... Once they finally do meet, the book picks up. The period of separation gives us insight as to who Dagan is, what he does and what's going on with the story at hand. Read the rest of the review at The Urban Paranormal Book Blog.