Title: Kinked
Series: Elder Races, Book 6
Author: Thea Harrison
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: November 5, 2013 by Berkley
As a harpy, Sentinel Aryal is accustomed to dealing with hate, but Sentinel Quentin Caeravorn manages to inspire in her a burning ire unlike anything she’s ever known. Aryal believes the new Sentinel to be a criminal, and vows to take him out as soon as the opportunity arises. But the harpy’s incessant wrath has pushed Quentin to the limit, and forces him to make a deadly vow of his own.
To put an end to the conflict, Dragos, Lord of the Wyr, sends them on a reconnaissance mission to the Elven land of Numenlaur. Forced to work together, Aryal and Quentin’s mutual antagonism escalates. Each fight draws forth more passion—culminating in an explosively sexual confrontation. But when their quest reveals real danger, Aryal and Quentin must resolve their differences in ways beyond the physical, before the entire Wyr is threatened.
Reviewed By: J9
In a Nutshell: Awesome addition to the series with a heroine who remained true to her character while falling in love with her archenemy. The eroticism of this novel was very different than other books in the series but totally fit the couple.
The Set Up: Aryal is a harpy and one of the Wyr sentinels. She’s been investigating Quentin, a mixed-breed panther Wyr and new sentinel. These two invoke such hate in each other that their leader, Dragos, sends them on a mission to the Elven lands in a twisted attempt at teambuilding. Either Aryal and Quentin will kill each other or have hate sex beyond their wildest dreams!
Why I Read this Book: I’m an unabashed fan of the Elder Races series.
What I Liked: This is one of the few paranormal romances where the author successfully keeps a strong, snarky female character the same when she falls in love. In this series Aryal has been wild, barely civilized and who always has something smart to say. As Quentin says, she handles emotional vulnerability like other people would dynamite. I was so worried Harrison would tone Aryal down in her romance but that wasn’t the case at all! Aryal was still the same sassy, take-no-prisoners character in her own romance book as she was in the rest of the series. Sure, she grows as a character, as seen by her new feelings about Pia, Dragos’ wife, but she remains true to herself, shown by how she finally accepts Pia. I could gush all day about the many humorous Aryal moments but suffice it so say she’s a unique and compelling heroine and I’m so pleased the author kept Aryal true to her character in the series.
What I Also Liked: Aryal and Quentin are a riot. They hate each other with a passion so what happens when they show the other side of that passion—steamy eroticism! This romance is like no other in the series; it has an edgy wildness to it with a non-conventional BDSM flavor and hints about kinky sex like Aryal strapping on a dildo. I adored this erotic romance because Aryal and Quentin still retain their slight antagonism with each other but turn it into a playful game between the two of them. They develop a heartfelt emotional connection while giving each other what they need in a partner. I don’t want to spoil the romance developments but they were a perfect balance of emotional and erotic and fit these unique characters beautifully.
What I Didn’t Like: The plot was fine but in honesty it nearly got in the way of the romance. The Elven land is still suffering after a hellacious attack in the previous full-length book so lots of magic and evil is afoot. It was fine and provided the mission for Aryal and Quentin but I found myself skimming some of the descriptions to get back to Aryal and Quentin.
IMO: Don’t bother reading this if you haven’t read the previous five books but if you have, you will enjoy Aryal’s romance so very much with its eroticism and integrity to her character. Bring on book seven!
J9’s Rating:
TBV’s reviews for other books in this series:
Dragon Bound, Book 1
Oracles’ Moon, Book 4
Natural Evil, Book 4.5
Hunter’s Season, Book 4.7
The Wicked, Book 5.5
Thanks to Berkley and Thea Harrison, one lucky winner will receive a print copy of Kinked. Good luck to all who enter!
- No purchase necessary.
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- Giveaway ends 9:01 pm (Pacific Time) on 11/12/2013.
I love how the characters balance each other out, and even though some are strong and powerful, their certain someone's who might be considered "weaker," really aren't. They don't take crap from each other. They're equals in a way.
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to read this book!
I've only read the first 4 books in the series so far, but I love Pia and how she manages to deal with her life after being caught by Dragos. From that point on the series flies from one adventure to another almost too fast for the human eye to follow.
ReplyDeletei i love the story
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the Elder Races because the stories are well written. The characters react like they should in all situations. Some times it's really sad and hard for the reader but well worth a good read.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your review. Made me curious to read it.
ReplyDeleteI love the world building - it always seems fresh and interesting!
ReplyDeleteI love the world building - it always seems fresh and interesting. And of course, the combo of humor and heat is fabulous!
ReplyDelete-Jordan R
I've enjoyed every one of these books! I especially love Dragos and Pia... and am so excited about reading more about their little Peanut. :-)))
ReplyDeleteYou'll LOVE the novella, Dragos Takes a Holiday as it's the story of the 3 of them. My review will be forthcoming but you'll love it!!
DeleteI love this series for the Elders, have dragons, and that the world is expanding just when I thought this is it.
ReplyDeleteI love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win!