Skin Game (Skin #1) in Book Buying Addicts Anonymous

Jun 13, 2010 Catherine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, series, assassin-killer-bounty-hunter, read-2010, fantasy-paranormal-sci-fi, romance, hot, con-artist, on-the-run

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. These protagonists were pretty unique. The hero is an assassin and the heroine is a con artist. Both are totally fine with their choices and don't wish to change. That right there is a rare quality. Usually if a character like that is written they secretly hate themselves for what they do or are forced into it and at the first opportunity they'll change their ways. That is not the case with Kyra and Reyes, thank God.

Kyra is on the run. She pissed off a very dangerous man and now he wants her dea These protagonists were pretty unique. The hero is an assassin and the heroine is a con artist. Both are totally fine with their choices and don't wish to change. That right there is a rare quality. Usually if a character like that is written they secretly hate themselves for what they do or are forced into it and at the first opportunity they'll change their ways. That is not the case with Kyra and Reyes, thank God.

Kyra is on the run. She pissed off a very dangerous man and now he wants her dead. She's making her way through the US biding her time until she can get a hold of a friend. Along the way she can't resist conning the suckers in the towns she stops in. Not only does she want to earn money to pay her way, she finds what she does fun. What makes her so good at her con is that in the beginning she's honestly a bad player. It's only when she decides the time is right that she uses her "gift" to increase her skill.

Along the way she meets up with a guy, Rey, who helps her out of a tight spot. One thing leads to another and she winds up enjoying a very hot night of sex. She parts ways and doesn't give their meeting another thought. Unfortunately for her, things are not what they seem. Reyes is on her tail and plans to stay there until he gets what he wants.

I liked the details we learn about Kyra's talent. Until I read this book I never would have thought of that sort of talent as a bad thing. I didn't think about the fact that she couldn't pick and choose who she took from. Anyone who touched her gave up something. What a lonely life that would turn into. Also, when you think of "best" skills you usually think of that as a good thing, or at least I do. I never thought that someone's best talent could be something so horrifying.

Reyes was an interesting character. He had a lot of issues, not the least of which were due to his past.

***SPOILERS***
At one point he thinks about how close he's gotten to Kyra and realizes that he'll have to change how he plans to kill her. He'll now have to kiss her one last time and then snap her neck so it's quick and painless.
***END SPOILERS***

Now, that's totally in keeping with his character, but I found it a bit disturbing. The thing that made the romance work for me is that they both were messed up. If Reyes would have been paired with someone else who was sweeter or nicer I wouldn't have been able to see how it would work out. Fortunately for Reyes, Kyra has as many issues as he does.

The sex was hot, and I liked the insight into both their characters. The glimpses of their pasts and the little quirks that made them tick were nice. I appreciated that they weren't static characters. I require a bit more depth than that to really get into the story.

There were a few things that bothered me, although it was easy for me to ignore them and concentrate on what I liked about the story.

***SPOILERS***
Kyra trusted Reyes a little bit too easily. I can see it happening, but I wish she would have suspected a little before he ended up telling her. Also, when we find out that Kyra had Mia's cell phone number the whole time I was a little pissed. Why didn't you try her from a payphone earlier? It just seemed illogical. Also, why exactly did Kyra's talent stop working on Reyes? Yes, it makes it easier for the romance to work, but no explanation was given for it. It just ended up looking way too convenient.
***End SPOILERS***

The author did a good job creating interesting secondary characters. I'm intrigued by Foster's actions in this book and want to understand what's driving him. I can't wait to get my hands on Skin Tight. ...more

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