Kiss of the Fallen (Fallen, #1)

by Kharma Kelley

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

It is exciting when you have enemies working together to achieve a common goal. It becomes that more exciting when they fall for each other. Black Blood Slayers and Vampires do not a couple make, as the Slayers sole purpose is to destroy these bloodsuckers. Rules however are made to be broken as Tristan and Zoe will discover. However, can Tristan survive the passion, which burns so brightly between them?

My familiarity with the author’s work fueled my decision to accept a copy of her latest novel. I went into her latest offering with high expectations and I was not disappointed. Kiss of the Fallen exceeded all my expectations.

The story was so good. If you have never read her books before this a good place for you to start. There is action, suspense and romance. The romance however was not a prominent feature of the story.

It had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. There was never a dull moment, and the twists, OMG! I never saw those coming. Although I knew from early who the villains were and their end game, the twists helped to make things rather interesting.

Tristan, a 400-year-old vampire, is tired of the discord that exists in the supernatural world. Just when he thought he was, finished with his life as a hunter they called on him to complete one final mission. Unfortunately, the mission failed and now Tristan faces the biggest dilemma of his 400 years. Whom can he trust?

All he wanted was to retire and live his life on his own terms. Now he is caught in the middle of a political war. Tristan is not your typical vampire, as Zoe would discover.

I enjoyed the interaction between Zoe and Tristan. Despite, the forbidden nature of their relationship their chemistry was undeniable. Trusting Zoe could mean a death sentence for Tristan, but he did it anyway, slowly at first and as he got to know her his trust in her grew. Thankfully, this issue of trust was not one-sided. Zoe learnt to trust Tristan as time went by.

I admired Zoe for her strength and self-control. It is rare to find a heroine who is stronger than the hero so I found Zoe refreshing. She is no wallflower and does not back away from a fight. Despite being a demon, she was compassionate and protective.

A sign of a good story is one where the characters have depth. Ms. Kelley’s characters had it in spades. They were complex, versatile and believable.

The world building was addictive. Filled with vampires, witches and were shifters the world is ruled by a trio of vampires called the Three. I thought Ms. Kelley did a good job with the creation of this world as she made it appear realistic. I loved that there were no loose ends, all my questions were answered, and the story ended on a good note.

Conclusion/Recommendation
If you love urban fantasy and the supernatural then Kiss of the Fallen should be on your reading list.