Tag: Skin Series

Guest Review: Skin Dive by Ava Gray

Posted October 18, 2011 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Tracy’s review of Skin Dive (Skin series #4) by Ava Gray.

Gillie is a fugitive, determined never to be bound again. Because of her special gift, her former captors intend to retrieve her-by any means necessary. Taye can’t remember much about his past, but with a bounty hunter hounding them, he’ll do anything to assure Gillie’s safety and preserve her innocence…for himself.

Gillie Flynn has been “kept” by the Foundation and her healing abilities exploited for 12 years. She was stolen from her parents and set up in one of the Foundation’s facilities. She has her own apartment that looks nothing like the rest of it but she’s not allowed to see anyone but the creepy doctor who takes care of her until one other captive bribes the doc to visit Gillie.

Gillie is surprised and more than a bit wary when Taye aka T-89 starts visiting her but they soon become friends and start to plan an escape. When the escape and destruction of the facility comes about they are successful but now they run for their lives. The other captives split up but not Gillie and Taye. They decide to work together as during their visits in the facility they each became closer to the other. Gillie is not shy about sharing her feelings with Taye but Taye shuts her down because he feels that he’s not good enough for her – and he’s hiding something even more important that he just can’t share with Gillie.

Eventually they decide to join the resistance against the Foundation and go their separate ways but it doesn’t stop either one of them from yearning for the presence of the other.

This fourth novel in the Skin series continues the stories of the children turned adults who were experimented on. They have grown and developed abilities and then were hunted and taken by the Foundation for their own nefarious uses – or just to be experimented on. The resistance is run by Mockingbird and they fight the Foundation with all the abilities they have. When Gillie and Taye find that they can’t survive without help they turn to the resistance. But though they are happy in their respective jobs for the resistance they both quite heartbroken over their separation.

This is truly the part of the book – the separation – that I started to feel the love and longing between the pair. Yes, I felt it before that to a degree but it wasn’t as poignant as it was later in the book. My heart ached for Taye. He couldn’t remember anything about his life before he was at the facility and he felt for sure that he wasn’t good enough for Gillie as he thought of her as more innocent and pure. Gillie was not innocent and pure. Ok, she was technically a virgin because she’d been at the facility for so long but she was really a perfect fit for Taye. I loved them together as they got each other. They even think this about each other in the book – they knew where the other had been and what they had gone through and didn’t have to hide who they really were. They could be made at each other and throw things and still know that the other loved them.

The writing in the book is compelling. It caught my interest at the beginning of the book and kept me thinking about it even when I wasn’t reading. The whole series has been like that and it’s why I keep reading it.

Skin Dive was a really good book. It combined a wonderful story of the horrors of captivity and experimentation along with the love that can be found in such an awful place. It had a fantastic element of the paranormal without overwhelming the story with it – even though it played an integral part. If you haven’t started this series yet you should think about reading it. Great writing and great romance make for great books.

Rating: 4 out of 5

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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Tagged: 4.0 Reviews, Ava Gray, Berkley, Contemporary Paranormal, Guest Reviews, Reviews, Skin Series, Tracy's Reviews

Review: Skin Tight by Ava Gray

Posted June 29, 2010 by Casee in Reviews | 4 Comments

Genres: Paranormal Romance

Casee‘s revivew of Skin Tight (Skin Series, Book 2) by Ava Gray.

Uncovering the truth is her specialty

As a forensic accountant, Mia Sauter could usually tell when people had something to hide. She made her living exposing secrets while concealing her own. Then, in Vegas, she met a clever, ruthless man who called himself Addison Foster. One year later, she’s still haunted by his betrayal.

He’s a natural born liar

The truth of him had long ago been buried. Foster was only one name of many; he’d been so many men, he’d lost count. Reinvented as Thomas Strong and hell-bent on revenge, his mission is about to be compromised by the one woman capable of exposing him…

Reunited, they confront the explosive chemistry still crackling between them. But their chance meeting will have consequences, for a ruthless madman has his own deadly agenda. The question is—if they survive the fallout, will he choose love over vengeance?

I’ve been pretty surprised when I see reviews for this book. Compared to the first one, I enjoyed this one a whole lot more. It seems like I’m in the minority.

Addison Foster aka Thomas Strong—real name Soren is a pretty special guy. He wouldn’t consider himself special though. More like cursed. He has a supernatural ability to make himself look like anyone he wants. If you look at him and want to see Ryan Reynolds…voila! So when he sees Mia Sauter at the company he’s working for, he doesn’t worry that she’ll recognize him. He’s wrong of course. Mia seems to be the only person in the world that can see the real Soren.

I didn’t fully grasp the significance of this until there was more detail into Soren’s past. He was married to a woman that thought he was someone else. A woman that called him by another man’s name. It makes sense that he’s so drawn to Mia. Mia is the only person that see’s him as he really is. That doesn’t mean that he wants to get involved in any lasting relationship. Sex is enough for Soren. He has a plan, one that he’s had in place for ten years. Destroy the people responsible for the accident that left his daughter in a coma.

When Mia takes the job on to find missing funds, she immediately senses something is off. She just doesn’t know how off. The company she contracted with actually has an underground lair complete with glass prisons, labs, and lab rats. Gillie is one such lab rat. She was taken from her family when she was very young. She has the unique gift to heal people though it does take its toll. All Gillie wants to do is see the sun. That part was heartbreaking.

Dr. Rowan was completely bleeping crazy.

So a couple of things that bothered me; Soren was very careful about making sure that his DNA wasn’t given. He switched samples, etc. But he donates blood. That didn’t wash for me, especially considering how careful Soren was. The donating of blood was what brought him back to the attention of Rowan. When Mia is kidnapped by Rowan’s henchmen, he goes crazy. Of course, he only realizes then that he loves her.

The end of the book was really heartbreaking but uplifting at the same time. I love this author so much that I might try her Ann Aguirre books. Which is big because I hate 1st person (as you all know).

4 out of 5.

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

The series:

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Tagged: 4.0 Reviews, Ava Gray, Berkley, Casee's Reviews, Paranormal, Reviews, Skin Series

Review: Skin Game by Ava Gray

Posted November 19, 2009 by Casee in Reviews | 4 Comments

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Romantic Suspense

Casee‘s review of Skin Game (Skin Series, book 1) by Ava Gray.

A beautiful fugitive—wanted dead or alive.

Kyra is a con woman and a particular kind of thief. She steals with a touch, but she only takes one thing: her target’s strongest skill. Which means she can be a fighter, an athlete, a musician, an artist—anything she wants… for a limited time. Heartbroken, she turns her gift toward avenging her father’s murder; with deadly patience, Kyra works her way into casino owner Gerard Serrano’s inner circle. After pulling off the ultimate con, she flees with his money and his pride.

A hit man who never misses the mark.

Reyes has nothing but his work. Pity for Kyra, he’s the best and mercy never sways him once he takes a job. He’s been hired to find out where Kyra hid the cash—and bring her back to face Serrano’s “justice.” Dead will do, if he can’t locate the loot. He’s never failed to complete a contract, but Kyra tempts him with her fierce heat and her outlaw heart. So Reyes has a hell of a choice: forsake his word or kill the woman he might love.

Considering my lack of reviews lately, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when I say that I haven’t been at the top of my reading game. It’s not that I’ve been in a slump, I just can’t be bothered to read. I picked this book up four times (started it twice) before I got through it. I have to admit that part of it was all the ZOMG!!!! reviews that made me hesitate at the end. Eventually, the blurb was too good and I had to read it.

Kyra and Reyes are not your typical h/h romance fare. These two characters are raw and gritty. They are liars, cheaters, and thieves. They don’t apologize for any of it. I think that may have been what held me up in the beginning. I had a hard time with Kyra’s lack of remorse when she used her gift against people. See, when Kyra touches someone, she retains that person’s most prominent talent (i.e. fighting, gambling, etc.) for a short time.

Kyra is on the run from the man that was responsible for killing her father. After pulling a con on him that will ruin his public image, Kyra takes off with millions of his dollars. Meeting Reyes is something that is unexpected and unwanted. After a hot fling one night, Kyra takes off thinking she’s never going to see him again. When he shows up in the same town she is a few weeks later, he has good reason for being there so Kyra doesn’t really question it.

In fact, Reyes is tailing Kyra. He’s been contracted to kill her, something that he still plans on doing even after the hottest night of sex he’s ever had. As he starts traveling with her, he starts doubting that Kyra is guilty of doing anything wrong.

One of the reasons that this book is so good is b/c Reyes is such an anti-hero. He’s not a good guy by any stretch of the imagination, but even an assassin has morals. Kyra doesn’t trust easily, so trusting Reyes is taking a huge step for her. When she finds out who Reyes really is and why he tracked her down, it doesn’t go over well at all.

This is a very unconventional book, but that’s what makes it so good.

4.25 out of 5.

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.