Pure & Sinful

by Killian McRae

[violetpeanut]

What a fantastic read!

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this one. Honestly, the idea of a romance with a hot priest sounded a little bit cheesy to me. Boy, was I wrong! This book is clever and funny, has a great plot that moves along nicely, has an interesting cast of characters and I did not want to put it down.

Right from the beginning this book was immensely entertaining. The first line in the book?

A priest, a witch and a demigod walk into a bar.

No joke.

What an opening line. And it only gets better from there. The descriptions in this book are hilarious and I can only imagine that the author keeps a notebook full of obscure and witty metaphors at the ready while writing. This one made me laugh out loud:

God also gave hurricanes, earthquakes, plagues, and humans the ability to create disco. Clearly, the theory that all His gifts were good was one cup size short of a Kardashian.

The premise of this book is something completely original to me. I've read about angels and demons before, but nothing like this. Pure Souls are basically Gods warriors that protect the earth from Lucifer and his demons. Heaven and Hell and all their players (demons, angels, Lucifer, God, etc) are a big part of the world-building here but so, too, are Mount Olympus and characters from Greek mythology. One would think that these two belief systems are mutually exclusive but not so! The ideas of free-will and personal morality are dealt with in a way that ties everything together pretty seamlessly.

The characters here are amazing. Each and every one, from the three main characters to Jerry the demon, has their own unique personality in this book. There are no stereotypes. They are each strong in their own ways and yet flawed. They each have unique characteristics and really read like real people, albeit people in much more extreme situations than you or I.

The plot moves along at a great pace. There's action and then some "down time" where things are explained and the plot is advanced. I was never bored and, in fact, found it very hard to put this one down. The plotline seemed original and I was never quite sure what was going to happen next. All to often I find that I can predict what's going to happen next. Not here. I was pleasantly entertained throughout and had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next.

Much is made of the romance between Riona and Marc (the priest) and there are even notes on this book's description that it is for mature adults only. I don't want that to scare you away! While their attraction to each other is a major plot point here, this is not erotica. Yes, there are some steamy scenes. Yes, they are of an adult nature. BUT, they are not every other page and they are not sleezy scenes. This is not a book of sex linked with a few scenes of plot. I was happy to find that it is quite the other way around.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone looking for an original voice, and especially fans of Paranormal and Paranormal Romance. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series!