Review – ‘Tainted Kiss’ by Sharon Kay

Blurb 

Tactical, lethal, resolute.

Haunted by a centuries-old tragedy, there’s no room in Arawn’s life for softness. Every action he takes is for the betterment of his race and the good of the realm. He leads his elite band of warriors the same way he lives his life: full on, without compromise, determined. Except for one sexy female who happens to be his subordinate.

Tenacious, passionate, tough-as-steel.

Ria relishes the duties Arawn assigns her as much as she respects the deadly combatants on her team. And she has a secret: her formidable boss is also her deepest fantasy. Years of working under his authority haven’t dulled the spark she feels, yet her passion is tempered by the hints of loss she gathers about him. His dark and sexy moodiness draws her, but he’s a hard man to approach as he keeps the world at emotional arm’s length.

Secrets laced in blood burn his battle-hardened soul.

When Ria is gravely injured in the line of duty, Arawn can no longer fight his own long-simmering feelings. But a secret, more heinous and ugly than anyone could imagine, prevents him from surrendering his heart. Despite his intentions, he and Ria forge a connection both fiery and unexpectedly tender. Yet every day brings them closer to shocking facts. Evil stirs in his blood, and hiding the truth from her will be the ultimate betrayal. 

Review 

This is the first book in the Watcher’s Kiss series which is a spinoff from the Solsti Prophecy series. It picks up where the fourth and last Solsti book ends but can be read as a standalone from the other series. (Everything is quickly rehashed for new readers.)

Ria is a Lash demon and one incredibly strong woman. She’s a Watcher, an elite warrior determined to protect the realms, but she was seriously hurt in the previous book and has been in a coma for the past month. Arawn, a Lash and the Watcher leader, constantly checks in on her while she’s in the infirmary even though he has a million other things to do. They’ve both longed for each other for years but neither ever made a move. After all, he’s the boss and she’s the subordinate. After he almost loses her, he knows he can’t hide his feelings anymore. When Ria wakes up, she feels the same and their work relationship/friendship blossoms into much more than either expected.

This is probably one of my favorite books that I’ve read from Sharon Kay. Ria is so courageous, smart and kind. Arawn is the perfect alpha male. Strong, dangerous and possessive. The best part about Arawn is that he respects Ria as a warrior and treats her like one. Yes, he’s protective but he doesn’t try to shelter her like a little woman or try to put her under his thumb.

I think my favorite scene was when Matthias, Ria’s older brother, and Arawn had words. Though her brother loves and treats Ria as an adult, I loved seeing his protective side come out and see him stand up to Arawn, a man who could probably whoop his butt without breaking a sweat.

The pacing could’ve been a little tighter and there were a few punctuation issues, but no biggie for me. I definitely recommend reading this book and I hope new readers will love these characters as much as I do.

5 Stars

Disclaimer – I won a print copy of this book in a contest and volunteered to review it. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion.