Deadly Is The Kiss by Rhyannon Byrd
HQN Books
Paranormal
ISBN: 978-0373776801
Reviewed by Jo

The vampire council had sentenced Juliana Sabin and her entire family to exile years ago for reasons that seem to be hidden from all but those who know the truth. Juliana has taken the brunt of making sure her family is safe while they are in purgatory for their kind. When she learns that someone has put out a hit for her family and is given a chance to escape, Juliana jumps at the chance even through it means having to contact the one vampire who seems to hate her.

Ashe Granger has been working with his friends on tracking and destroying all the corrupt people in power in their paranormal world. It’s not only the vampire world but all the paranormal communities that have been affected. Ashe is also part of a guard that protects the vampire community, so when he discovers that Juliana has escaped from exile and is also looking for him he is shocked to say the least. Even more shocking is what Juliana wants from Ashe.

Ashe agrees to help Juliana to a point, but he wants answers that he has been unable to find so far – why the Sabins were exiled in the first place. The passion that has been simmering between Ashe and Juliana ever since they met has become hotter and hotter until they are unable to deny it anymore. Ashe and Juliana are on a hunt for why the Sabins would have been targeted for killing since they had been exiled. Danger seems to be finding them like someone knows their every move even before they decide to make it. However, Ashe hasn’t lived this long doing dangerous missions without having great moves and he gets both himself and Juliana away from the assassination attempts and calls in some reinforcements. As the answers come, both Ashe and Juliana discover that the rot is worse than either had imagined. When Juliana finally tells Ashe of her greatest shame and the reason why she and her family were sentenced in the first place, is it too late to save the love that has bloomed between them?

A race for hidden answers allows a seemingly forbidden passion to become a fierce love that will conquer all in Deadly Is The Kiss. I wondered if Ashe and Juliana would ever be able to come together after seeing the sparks that seemed to fly around them. I was very happy to find their story here and what a story it was. Seeing Ashe and Juliana search for their answers while danger was just a step behind them kept me flipping the pages faster and faster. I loved how Ashe and Juliana thought they could sidestep what fate had in store for them only to have love show them just how things would be. The suspense had me guessing until the truth was revealed. I freely admit I fell into the false villain trap that was expertly set. Deadly Is The Kiss is an offshoot of the Primal Instinct series, so that could be why Ashe and Juliana might seem familiar to you. We met them several times there. Deadly Is The Kiss combines passion and suspense with a touch of deadly danger guaranteed to keep you reading until the very last page.