Review: Wicked Kiss

Wicked Kiss by Rebecca Zanetti
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hoping to find out exactly who set up Simone in this series, book four drags it out a bit and leaves a reader hanging. This book is set in the same time as Simone trying to defend herself against the remaining three council members on the Coven Nine. Victoria is the dumb schlup who is caught up in it because she's in the wrong place at the wrong time. Specifically she sees Simone getting taken and watches witches fighting. Since it is a no-no on the reveal to humans, Victoria (Tori) is taken by the witches to be dealt with and it isn't a simple slap on the wrist.

I'm honestly confused by this book. Usually, Ms. Zanetti writes complicated story lines with well thought out subplots, conflicts and awesome characters. We already have sexy Adam Dunne who is the cousin of Simone. He's a powerful and sexy Enforcer who kicks butt for centuries and is loyal to his family. But in this book, he comes across as totally led by his dick. And unfortunately, Tori has the leash to his cock and it isn't a good thing. Why? Because I loathed Tori. It is very rare I dislike a character created by Ms. Zanetti. Tori is the first that I just can not stand. She is too stupid to live. Her choices are bad and she just keeps screwing things up. She is a total fuck up and creates chaos all around her. She should be a chaos demon. What exactly does she bring to the table? A screwed up psychic ability she can not control nor tries to gain control. She intentionally places herself in danger due to her willful ignorance. Instead of trusting the right people, she keeps going off on her own when she is ill prepared to do anything. She has zero training in fighting. She has ZERO common sense. She is easily manipulated and constantly needs a knight to rescue her dumb ass. ARGH! She drives me crazy.

I felt bad for Adam. This is the woman he's stuck with for life? This woman who has low self esteem and probably runs around going, "Oops, did I do that?" Talk about mating down. Adam has his work cut out for him to protect this woman who needs to wear protective gear and kept in a bubble. I'm not sure why he even likes her. Their sex scenes are awkward because Tori keeps protesting and playing kinky brat. Adam is a dominant she does not deserve. Whilst the sex does get a bit kinky with some delicious fireplay, most of it feels off for me because it is dubious con more oft than not. Tori keeps protesting and Adam just walks right over it. No means yes, anyone? But she's the cock tease who keeps asking for it and playing the brat which seems to come naturally for her. Not of fan of brats, this is another mark against Tori for me.

Overall, I had to ignore Tori and focus on the plot. This fourth book feels more like a filler to get us to the end game. Who is behind the fall of the Coven Nine and when do we find out who has it in for Simone? That is what I want to know. This paranormal romance is recommended to those who have vested in this series and wants enjoys a kinky alpha male.

*provided by NetGalley