Dirty Kiss by Rhys Ford

[reviews_and_ramblings]

It’s strange since I didn’t usually like too much thriller, especially not when there are a lot of killings and blood, but I have to say that I quite enjoyed Dirty Kiss. Maybe since the love story was oddly sweet, oddly since you don’t expect sweetness among all that blood, but Cole and Jae managed to maintain their love story, in a way, innocent. Now the innocent is not about the lack of sex, on the contrary the sex is there, and it’s good, but it was more about their feelings, and their expectations, they were mostly behaving like teenager with their first love, tentative and sometime even stupid, but nevertheless in love.

Cole is still mourning is lost lover; I think it was a good choice for the author to not give a right, neat closure to Cole about Rick’s death, in this way it was understandable that 3 years later the scar is still fresh (figuratively speaking but not only). Cole is not searching for a new lover, he is not yet to the point when the need is pressing, but when he meets Jae there is nothing he can do, he knows he has fallen in love again. And even if Jae is more cool about it, his actions speak loudly, and it’s clear the interest is mutual. As I said, their love story is not emotional than physical, and even if they are not so good in speaking the L word, it’s clear that is what they are feeling.

There is a very good ensemble of supporting characters, including the ones without words, like “Mad Dog” Madeline, that is not a dog, but Cole’s sister-in-love, without words since she is never on the scene, but always referred to, and nevertheless her character is strong, and Neko the Cat, who is indeed a cat, but with a personality bigger than most supporting character usually have. And then Bobby, Cole’s friend, Scarlet, Jae’s ladyboy best friend, Mike, Cole’s brother, and Claudia, the goddess, or elsewhere knows as Cole’s personal assistant.

This is a thriller, and I know it’s abused to say that I didn’t catch who was the killer, but well, I didn’t; I had my suspicious on the right direction but I didn’t quite centred the target. So kudos to the author, and I think with the above cast of supporting characters, she has still a lot to write about these two and their friends.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2408

Amazon: Dirty Kiss
Amazon Kindle: Dirty Kiss
Paperback: 230 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (July 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1615819584
ISBN-13: 978-1615819584

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by Anne Cain

Comments

[kika-k.livejournal.com]

Very interesting!
Thriller and cats! Two of my favorite things!
Later I'm going to buy it!

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

the cat here is really cute (and dangerous)