Liviania’s review of Sins of the Flesh (Otherkin, Book 3) by Eve Silver
Paranormal Romance released by HQN 1 Oct 10

Like many, I thought the advent of ebooks would protect me from the embarrassment of a cheesy cover.  But even the ebook can’t prevent someone looking over your shoulder and making a comment about the title, as one of my friends did.  (“Sins of the Flesh?  Sounds racy, Liv.”)  Now, perhaps I could’ve prevented this by paying attention to my guest instead of trying to finish my book.  Nah, that’s crazy talk.

Malthus Krayl, the youngest remaining son of Sutekh, is the joker and the ladies’ man.  His confidence is a little low since his latest conquest walked out in the middle of sex.  It’s all cool though, as he’s about to reap Pyotr Kusnetsov and figure out which deity was responsible for the death of his brother.  Then Calliope Kane, a Daughter of Aset and former mentor to his brother’s lover, shows up.  As do representatives of several other Underworld players.

I’m glad Calliope showed up again, since we saw a little of her in Sins of the Heart.  She’s more uptight than the other two heroines, used to being behind the scenes instead of actively fighting.  She also doesn’t sleep with supernaturals, which is why she ran out on Mal when she almost slept with him in disguise.  I liked how Calliope, the oldest of the heroines, used her experience to improve her ability to fight and to discover important clues in the case.

Mal’s hedonistic-but-focused personality is a good contrast to his brothers’.  While Eve Silver is good at giving them different voices, she does have a tendency to repeat some things almost word-for-word in all three of the books.  (For instance, Sutekh wanted four sons loyal to him.  Instead, he got four sons loyal to each other who both loved and hated him.  All three narrators think the exact same thing about their family, despite their wildly different personalities.)

Things move quickly in Sins of the Flesh.  In addition to Mal and Calliope’s relationship, Silver has to tie off all the plot threads begun in Sins of the Heart or Sins of the Soul.  This causes the progression of Mal and Calliope’s romance from lust to love to sometimes seem rushed.  Opposites do attract sometimes, but Silver relies a bit too much on love at first sight.  Of course, Mal and Calliope get the hottest relationship of the three, which makes up some of the difference.

Overall, I thought the Otherkin series was fun, fast-paced, and absorbing.  There were a few problems, but Silver kept me reading all day long.  I do wish Lokan had a book too, as things end a bit abruptly.  At least all the questions I had were answered.

Grade: B

Summary:

Alastor Krayl’s world shattered when he learned that his father was the Underworld god of chaos and evil. All that saved him from self-destruction were his newfound brothers and the bond they shared as soul reapers. So when one of his brothers is murdered, vengeance becomes Alastor’s obsession. And the enigmatic Naphré Kurata, a witness—or is she the killer?—has the answers he seeks.A reluctant Underworld enforcer, Naphré trusts no one, especially not a seductive soul reaper who makes her burn with lust. Torn between duty and desire, she fights to keep her secrets safe from Alastor, even as she longs to surrender.

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series: