More wild thing than man…
Zeke Noble has escaped from a secret facility; he has no idea why he was abducted, but the experiments were cruel, soul-killing, and they changed him forever. Now free, his natural affinity with animals has evolved into a dark and dangerous instinct, a curse that costs him too much of his humanity. But he has to rebuild his life, or his tormentors win. To that end, he goes looking for work and finds so much more.

Born to be wild…
Veterinarian Geneva Harper finds herself reluctantly drawn to the lean, mysterious young man to whom the wild is second nature, but she has troubles of her own. She’s the black sheep in an old moneyed Southern family, and she never had any interest in learning the family business, or being the good debutante daughter.

Though Zeke’s wanted Neva for as long as he can remember, their attraction can never go anywhere. They both know that for different reasons. But when a killer starts leaving behind a trail of victims, Zeke’s need to protect her is as fierce as his desire to claim her as his mate. And love may be the only thing that can save them both…

Title: SKIN HEAT
Author: Ava Gray
Series: Skin Series, book 3
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year of release: 2011, January 4
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Received a digital ARC from author for review

First line:
All the animals were gone.

Memorable Scenes:
- Neva listening/spying on Zeke’s self-pleasuring > this was an important scene to the romance and for the balance between Zeke and Neva…not to mention it was HOT

Zeke Noble is one of the escapees from the underground facility from SKIN TIGHT. Zeke is something else. He had my admiration from the very start of this book with the way he tried to cope with what had been done to him and getting back his life. He has an affinity with animals because of what was done to him. His quirkiness made him extremely likeable and a memorable character in this series. I really loved how Zeke talked in short sentences and few words. It wasn’t an abundance of words and yet they conveyed so very much. Can’t praise Ava Gray enough for her creation of Zeke.

Geneva 'Neva' Harper comes from money but decided to become a vet and work for a living. She has a problematic and complicated relationship with her parents especially since her twin brother Luke disappears without a trace. She’s self-sufficient, emotion-driven and a fixer. She’s also a caretaker, always making sure other people’s (and animal’s) needs are taken care of and thereby losing sight of her own needs.

In the beginning of the book I did feel it was a bit less intense or fast-paced than the previous two books in the series. It felt less powerful or intense than books 1 and 2 but this doesn’t mean I enjoyed it less. I loved reading Zeke and Neva’s story and was intrigued by the serial killer angle in the suspense. It took me a while to finish SKIN HEAT but this had nothing to do with the book. A limited amount of time to read made it a slow read, not the book itself. I was forced to read it in small increments of a few pages at a time, which gave me time to slowly savor every bit of it.

The suspense part and the romance part did feel like two completely separate parts of the book until the very end, when it was all brought together with Neva and her family as the connecting factors. Every time I was reading the suspense stuff, the killer’s POV or Emile Herbert’s POV I would have the feeling I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting to find out the why of it all and see how everything was connected. And I must say it wasn’t until right before the ‘big reveal’ scene that I knew the why and who of the suspense plot.

SKIN HEAT is the book in the series up till now with the least paranormal feel to it. To me it felt more romantic suspense-like than the first two books. At least it did right until the end, at that moment Ava Gray reminded me that this series does have paranormal elements and they cannot be denied. Ever since the first book in this series there has been the discussion of whether the books are paranormal or romantic suspense. To me they are romantic suspense with a paranormal element but quite frankly I couldn’t care less in what subgenre to put these books because there’s absolutely no doubt that SKIN HEAT and its predecessors qualify as romance with a capital R.

I’ve said it before and will say it again: Ava Gray's writing mesmerizes me. From the very first page I'm drawn into the characters, their story and the writing. These books should be turned into a movie or TV series. They're written creating such a vivid and imaginative imagery that I can effortlessly picture them on a screen.

The suspense plot with the serial killer, Zeke’s back-story and his paranormal abilities all take a backseat to the beautifully written romance between Neva and Zeke. That was what made this book memorable to me and made me enjoy it just as much as I did the previous installments despite the slightly less powerful impact it had on me. Ava Gray is on my keeper shelves, on my auto-buy list and she’s there to stay. Bring on the next book, please Ms Gray!

Favorite Quotes:
Back then, he’d thought she looked like a fawn, all legs and eyes. Now she had curves, the kind that made a man want to see how deep the softness ran.

He didn’t think there was a word for what he felt for her, some awful mix of adoration and helpless longing. And it knotted up inside him, leaving him mute and sick with the impossibility of it.

“You like this?” She knew the answer. She just wanted to hear his voice again, raw with passion.
“Love,” he growled. “Love.”
He imbued that one word with impossible layers of meaning—somehow, spoken so, it became endearment, demand, and declaration.

Back Cover:
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?

This review may contain some spoilers for those who have not read SKIN GAME (book 1) yet, so proceed at your own risk…and if you haven’t read SKIN GAME what ARE you waiting for?

Before I talk about SKIN TIGHT let’s go back to SKIN GAME. When I read it I immediately fell for Foster. Even before his true role was revealed, I knew he was not who he was made out to be in the beginning. That famous prostitute scene put Foster on my radar and he almost took over SKIN GAME for me. I say almost, because Kyra and Reyes took back the reigns and set me straight fairy quickly. After reading SKIN GAME I found out that Foster was dubbed BatPunisherMan. I did not get why but now having read SKIN TIGHT I do.

One more thing before I treat you all to my thoughts about SKIN TIGHT: Though Foster’s wonderful real name is revealed in a memorable scene that’s one of my favorites of the book, I will keep referring to him as Foster in my review because I want readers to experience that revelation first hand and not through my review. Also though I know his true name now, to me he’ll always be Foster.

A year after their first encounter Mia Sauter and Addison Foster meet again when Mia is hired to ferret out who is misappropriating company funds at Micor Technologies and Foster has taken on the persona of Micor’s HR director, Thomas Strong. Of course he is not there because he’s such a good HR director, he has a very strong motive to take on that position within the company. Because of Foster’s gift people see in him what they expect to see and that way he can take on any identity he wants without being recognized. Until Mia, the moment she spots him at Micor Technologies, she immediately sees the man who betrayed her one year ago.

Foster is not your typical romance hero. Yes he is dark and brooding and tortured but he’s also manipulative and will go to any length to get what he’s after. He has a goal and he lives for achieving it. Everything he’s done has been leading up to this one objective of destroying the ones responsible for destroying his happiness and therefore him.

The humor in Foster is subtle but it’s definitely there. He is something else. I thought I had him figured out after reading SKIN GAME but it was all blown out of the water very soon. Every page I turned provided me with more insight and more questions at the same time. Foster is definitely going on my favorite heroes list (and if you’re curious to know his real name, you’ll find it there). I knew from the moment he entered SKIN GAME that Foster was going to be an awesome hero. And he definitely was. Foster is the detached, distant iceman, but not with Mia, she breaks through his defenses. Ava Gray managed to make him vulnerable without losing the deadly focus, loosened him up a bit without losing the intensity he oozes, made him open up without losing the mystery and she made him sensitive and gentle without losing his edge.

Mia isn’t your typical romance heroine either. She’s a forensic accountant who normally has the best interest of her clients at heart but sometimes she goes vigilante on them. She needs to be in control and she’s scarily intelligent. She’s a strong woman who hates to be vulnerable or helpless and deep down, she’s a romantic at heart. Because of the way she grew up Mia doesn’t form friendships or bond with people easily, yet she yearns for that connection. Her friendship with Kyra and some of her actions in SKIN TIGHT, showcase that beautifully.

In the beginning of the book I wasn’t able to grasp the extent of Foster’s ability and it was as elusive an element as Kyra’s was in SKIN GAME. However, contrary to that first book in the series, Ava Gray offered much more background to where these abilities come from and the how and why of them. It was something I missed in the previous book and I was very happy to see in this one.

Both Mia and Foster want the same: acceptance of what and who they are, love and a family. I loved the chemistry between them. It was intense and subtle at the same time. Always there, simmering and sizzling. They’re both so cunningly smart they keep each other on their toes constantly, which created a great type of tension between them. With every chapter Foster and Mia got further under my skin and I must admit Foster stole the show, all the way (Surprise huh?) but I already suspected that he would and it still didn’t take away from Mia being an amazing heroine, but still…Foster…wow! His gentleness with Mia truly undid me. Little by little he is partially forced to drop his protective shell and the man behind it shows himself, taking pleasure in the littlest things.

As with SKIN GAME I had the honor of reading and reviewing SKIN TIGHT early as I received a digital review copy from Ann Aguirre (aka Ava Gray) and the day my request was granted I literally jumped up and down and danced around the room. People, who know me, know I am not that type of person so that said a lot about my expectations of this book.

Ava Gray immediately sucked me in with this book. Her writing is compelling and addictive. The way she sets up the stories is brilliant. Little by little and slowly you get the pieces to the puzzle. However, don’t confuse this excellent gradual build-up with slow pace. SKIN TIGHT is definitely a fast-paced book that kept me on the edge, waiting for every next development in the plot with abated breath. And let’s talk sex scenes for a bit. From SKIN GAME I knew Ava Gray could write some steamy scenes and the ones in this book were so unbelievably hot! Ava Gray proves that erotic and hot doesn’t need explicitness and two people with an intense connection can set the pages on fire.

This book, Mia, Foster, their story…it all broke my heart. There’s so much behind the characters and Ava Gray knows how to get to the bottom of them, letting the reader peel of layer after layer until they lay open and vulnerable on the pages. I honestly couldn’t stop reading this book and finished it in 24 hours. Awesome doesn’t even begin to describe it for me. Everything was right: the suspense plot, Foster, Mia, their romance, the secondary characters, everything!

Speaking of secondary characters, Ava Gray did it again! She has me pining for a future hero as much as I was for Foster! She introduced Taye to me. I cannot say too much about him but suffice to say that his attitude and defiance alone made me crave his story and I was over the moon when I heard his book (SKIN DIVE) is in the making. I look forward to it with the same anticipation as I did SKIN TIGHT!

You may have noticed that I haven’t spoken about the suspense plot of this book and I am not going to either except to say that it was excellently set up. As with the revelation Foster’s real name it is something I think readers should experience for themselves without knowing stuff in advance. I do want to say that Ava Gray writes the most sick, creepy and yet fascinating villains I’ve ever read. This man was truly delusional and yet his intelligence and ruthlessness fascinated me. I repeatedly wished the one in SKIN TIGHT a painful, slow and horrible end and suffice to say that even there Ava Gray did not disappoint me.

Every bit of information, no matter how small, is significant and ties up somewhere in the story. I love that doesn’t waste pages and time in extensive info-dumps and still gets everything across you need to grasp the world and plot. She just excels in giving you everything you need to sort out the plot and get to know the characters thoroughly without overwhelming back-story or storytelling. This makes her a top-notch favorite on my shelves.

Quote:
A smile built; he loved when seemingly disparate parts came together to form a diabolically clever whole.

This quote by Foster sums up exactly how I felt about SKIN TIGHT (and it made me think of the A-Team's Hannibal's expression: "I love it when a plan comes together!")

The end of SKIN TIGHT brought it all together. I couldn’t have wished for a more wonderful ending to this amazing book. There was one thing keeping me from giving this book the highest rating and that was that no matter how much I was impressed by the characters, the romance and the plot, it hadn’t touched me in the heartbreaking emotional way that my perfect reads all have done. And then came the end…and I bawled, I cried quietly and I smiled through the tears because of what Foster had to do and because of what Mia did for Foster. With this ending Ava Gray earned herself that extra point to make it a perfect 10 read because she outdid herself. SKIN GAME was great but SKIN TIGHT was mind-blowing. So far it’s number 1 on my 2010 favorite books list and I wonder if she can top it with any of the next books in the series and I honestly think she will because this series just keeps getting better and better.

SKIN TIGHT is all about deception, appearances, loneliness, alliances and secret agendas. Reading SKIN TIGHT is like opening a present wrapped in multiple layers of wrapping paper. Every time you peel away one layer another, prettier one, appears and when you’re done what remains is a heartfelt, endearing, intricate story laid bare for you to enjoy.

So if you like romantic suspense with paranormal elements, with amazing characters and an author that knows how to write it all, SKIN TIGHT is a book that can’t be missing in you TBR-pile or on your shelves!

Quotes:
She liked his hands. Bony wrists flared to broad palms topped with long, tapered fingers. Hands like that would feel good on a woman’s body, full of strength and assurance. A shiver rolled through her, and with effort, she forced herself to look away and open her menu.

“No wonder my curse cannot keep you. I should take you home with me, for who could match a man without a heart better than the woman who cannot dream?”

He was the most broken man she’d ever met, like a diamond improperly cut, so only when you held it to the light a certain way could you see the brilliance within.

He lifted up, rubbing against her heated flesh in long strokes. “Now. Take me, nothing between us this time.” It was both a plea and a demand. “You’re mine, and I’m yours. I won’t lose you again. Oh, God, Mia, you’re my breath and bone. You’re the song I sing.”

10 out of 10!

Because I loved this book so much I am giving it away next week on release day, so make sure you come back on Tuesday, June 1st for an author-interview with Ava Gray (aka Ann Aguirre) and for a chance to add this book to your shelves. 

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.

I won this ARC on Ann Aguirre’s (Ava Gray’s alter ego) blog and I think it’s safe to say that it’s the best win of this year, even if we still have 2 months left to go. I can’t imagine another book having the impact on me this one had. Despite having the books by Ava Gray’s alter ego on my shelf this was the first taste of her writing for me and it definitely tastes like more. If I were asked to describe SKIN GAME in one word, it would be: compelling. It’s the first word that came to mind and it describes this book perfectly. SKIN GAME sucked me in, slowly and surely it got under my skin and didn’t want to let me go. Even now a few weeks after finished it and even though I don’t do re-reads, ever, I am certain this book will be re-read and maybe multiple times even.

Ava Gray’s writing really resonates with me, she penned down a mixture of romance and suspense with a sarcastic and raw undertone that worked wonderfully. She’s an admirable storyteller and a most talented writer. The way she builds up the setting and the plot, using a perfect combination of descriptions, dialogues and emotions is astounding. She doesn’t dumb down the language and regularly uses movies references, which I loved and they were never disturbing or annoying but rather fitting the rest of the book. There is never any question to what her meaning or purpose is with the language and references. The writing, the characters, the plot and the pace all conspired to lure me into a story that worked for me on so many levels I am still amazed at it. The reader has information the characters don’t have and knows the basics of the plot but still I was very curious as to where it was going and how certain things were going to pan out.

One of the things I undoubtedly liked about SKIN GAME were the characters, from the main couple, Kyra and Reyes, to secondary characters as Mia and Foster, to the villain Gerard Serrano, they were all exceptionally portrayed and developed. Next to the dialogues, the characters are a major strong point in Gray’s writing. Let’s face it, an author who names her hero Porfirio Ten-Bears Reyes and manages to make me forget that outrageous name and focus on the amazing character he is, deserves to be praised for that.

SKIN GAME swept me away to a world of suspense, intrigue and on top of that I got a story of raw passion between two people so alike that they are perfect for each other. I loved the chemistry between Kyra and Reyes. I loved how Reyes would chase and Kyra would find ways to outwit him. I joined them on a road trip and the further their trip progressed, the more their relationship developed from assassin and target to partners in crime to lovers and soul mates. Kyra doesn’t fit in any mold. She’s a free spirit, both literally and figuratively and this is what attracts Reyes to her. Reyes tries hard to stay in control of his emotions, her and his assignment. It’s hard but he manages to fight the attraction and his feelings. This made him an even stronger character to me.

One thing puzzled me at first about Kyra and Reyes: How come Reyes got immune to Kyra’s talent? I was hoping for an explanation for it by the end of the book and when I didn’t get it, the only thing I could think of was that being in each other’s vicinity so much must have made Reyes resistant to it. I reminded myself that Kyra had always shied away from repeated contact with other people so for me this explanation is the one I’m sticking with until the author tells me otherwise. Though this had me thinking for a while, it didn’t bother me or impede me from enjoying the characters. I definitely appreciated that Kyra stayed cautious and vigilant despite her attraction and growing feelings for Reyes. It was refreshing to see that Gray doesn’t make the mistake some romance authors make of letting the heroine (or hero) spill their guts the moment their hearts (or other body parts) come into play. Gray handled this part of the story excellently and it earned her some extra points.

The villain of the book, Gerard Serrano, is a paranoid and ruthless control freak. He reminded me a bit of Shannon McKenna’s villains but with a lessened “icky” factor, which made him more realistic and more believable.
Speaking of villains, let’s talk about Foster. He intrigued me from the very moment he stepped into Serrano’s office and the book. I knew from the start there was so much more to him than met the eye and he was definitely not whom he was making me believe he was. My suspicions were confirmed in a few scenes that were as tantalizing and mesmerizing, as they were confusing. Scenes that raised many questions in me, questions I hope will be answered in his own story, SKIN TIGHT, which is coming out Summer 2010. I have formed my own ideas about him, but will have to wait and see if my speculations are correct. He managed to distract me from Kyra and Reyes and that was quite an achievement as they aren’t characters that can be easily surpassed. I fell for Foster from the start and have no doubt my fan club membership is a lifelong one.

Even though SKIN GAME is labeled and being marketed as paranormal romance (for obvious and understandable reasons), in my opinion, it belongs in the romantic suspense section of the romance genre and takes a special and unique place within it. As some may know I am a big fan of romantic suspense and this was romantic suspense as it’s meant to be: compelling, mind-blowing, excellently set up without the fluffy embellishments of unnecessary action or missions impossible. It’s raw and candid writing that allowed complicated emotions to come through loud and clear. It’s wonderfully written with a perfect pace, excellent character development and an intriguing plot. This is one of those books you don’t want to end and yet you can’t stop reading so you try to drag it out to make it last as long as you can. I really didn’t want to reach the end because I knew I would have to leave this amazing story and the intricate characters Kyra, Reyes and Foster turned out to be, behind. I am more than ready for the next installment in this series and that’s not just because Foster will be the hero of it.

SKIN GAME is a very good read for readers who appreciate romantic suspense with paranormal elements and a perfect must-read for those of us craving unembellished writing, raw action and strong characters that you need to peel through their layers to get to their cores.

Rating: 9.3 out of 10