KISS AND KIN - Kinsey W. Holley

A Sexy Shifter story

Samhain Publishing - www.samhainpublishing.com 

ISBN-13: 978-1-60504-612-9

June 2009

Erotic Paranormal Romance - Short story

Rating: Red Hot!

Houston, Texas and the surrounding area - Present day

Lark Manning is a lucky girl and she knows it. She’s got a decent job, good friends and a great family. Unfortunately, it’s one of that last group, family, who causes her some major problems. His name is Taran Lloyd, and though he thinks of her as his cousin, she can never forget that he’s not related to her by blood and her dreams of him have been driving her nuts for years. Then a wrong-place wrong-time situation ends up with Lark and Taran spending a lot of time together, and suddenly she’s not sure she can resist telling him the truth, that she loves him.

I think Lark would be a much happier girl if she knew that Taran feels the same way about her. In fact, the sexy werewolf is positive she’s his mate. However, we all know how dense men can be sometimes when they think they’re doing what’s right, so, it’s a good thing her resistance is wearing thin.

Oh about that wrong place and time thing? It seems Lark got a bit too close to a human trafficking operation and the Czech wolves responsible want her dead. It’s a good thing Taran is one of the best detectives in the Houston Police Department’s Shifters Investigations Unit (SHIU) because it’ll take all of his skills, both police and werewolf, to save the woman he loves.

KISS AND KIN are not words you’d usually pair together, but then again, we’ve already established that the funny and loyal Lark and honorable alpha Taran aren’t really kin. Lark’s the kind of woman you’d like to have as a friend, her honesty and genuine caring make her a character you can’t help but fall in love with. And Taran, well, except for that occasional alpha arrogance (that to be fair, can’t be helped) he’s a truly generous man who loves Lark more than he cares about his own well-being. And really, how can you not enjoy a man who manages to combine the odd bit of insecurity (please don’t tell him I said that) with a take charge attitude? The sex is undeniably hot, and Kinsey W. Holley infuses a bit of humor into it as well.

The secondary characters are interesting and there’s definitely a couple I hope to learn more about in future books, namely this pair - Taran’s best friend and the Houston Alpha, Nick Wargman, and his assistant, Tyler Jean “TJ” Turner, Lark’s best friend and fellow human. It seems pretty obvious that Nick and TJ belong together, but whether or not this stubborn pair will ever admit it remains to be seen. Daniel Denardo, the HPD Shifter Investigations Unit’s rookie, seems like an honorable guy, and the beta would like to be a member of SHIU. Lark’s friend Eloise is a bit ditzy, but then she does have fae blood, which gives her a good excuse.

I always love it when a talented new author appears on the paranormal scene, and though this is Ms. Holley’s first book, she seems likely to become a favorite. With some good characters, a few tweaks to the typical werewolf genre, and the ability to blend action, danger and some good lovin’ into a tasty brew, the author has created a short story paranormal romance fans are sure to enjoy. Be sure to stop by Samhain and get a copy of KISS AND KIN today.

Lori Ann