Sharp Bite of Pleasure
Author: KT Grant
Reviewer: Twimom
Rating: C, 2.5 Stars
What I’m Talking About:
Eight years ago, Alexa (a 130 year old vampire princess) and Penny (werewolf shifter) shared a forbidden romance, which ended abruptly when Alexa left to marry the West Coast vampire king. After he was killed in an uprising, she found and killed those responsible and then ruled with a fair hand. Alexa has now returned home to attend her father’s funeral. She knows someone close to him has murdered him, and she wants vengeance.
Now that Alexa has returned, she is determined to claim Penny as her own. But Penny wants nothing to do with Alexa, who was her first and true love until she broke her heart. Penny has moved on, dating Lissa for the past 4 years, but Alexa’s return has brought back so many memories and feelings, leaving Penny confused and a bit panicked.
Sharp Bite of Pleasure features the romance of star-crossed lovers, which is always a enjoyable trope. The relationship is part of a larger tale that addresses bigotry, species rivalry and family feuding. The world building and the “non-romance” parts of the story were exciting. Ms. Grant weaves an engrossing mystery over who killed the Vampire king, coupled with Alexa’s struggles to weed out traitors within the king’s own council. In addition, Alexa longs to create a lasting peace treaty between the vampires and wolves, which puts her in the crosshairs of many on both sides.
Alexa’s mother, Madalyn, and half-brother, Bradley, add depth to the storylines. Madalyn is a lonely widow who seems to favor her stepson over her own daughter. The tension between Madalyn and Alexa keeps an edge to the tale. Bradley is Alexa’s primary suspect in her father’s murder, and we are privy to most of his activities, some of which supports Alexa’s claims, while at times refutes her notion.
As for the love story… here I am not so impressed. I really didn’t care for Alexa; having little sympathy or empathy for her as she lamented her loss of Penny and desire to reclaim their bond. Alexa is demanding and not necessarily nice to Penny. Penny had moved on, yet Alexa was overly pushy to the point of near rape. In the beginning, she never listened to anything Penny wanted or didn’t want. She craved the conflict and enjoyed the knowledge that she would be able to force Penny to submit. Then, there are the times when Alexa, the soon-to-be-Queen, made a complete fool of herself, behaving so poorly over Penny in situations that were so inappropriate. It bothered me a lot.
However, I was so thankful that Penny finally did stand up for herself, vocalizing everything I was thinking, even if Alexa’s behavior grew worse. And I will say that eventually, their relationship stabilized and the childish actions and overly obsessive behavior were reduced. In the end I did like them together, but it was a struggle for quite a while.
The climax of the story was entertaining. I liked how Alexa had to defeat her enemies, and I enjoyed the end results. The final scenes moved at a good pace and flowed well. I also felt the author did a good job wrapping up the issues between mother and daughter. In addition, I liked the look at both of Penny’s brothers, with possible insight into their future mates.
Overall Sharp Bite of Pleasure is a decent tale. The storytelling wasn’t consistent, with parts not flowing as smoothly or written as well as others. The key climatic scenes towards the end were, however, well done and exciting. I had trouble liking Alexa and the couple together. Alexa started as a horrible, possessive monster who appeared ready to rape Penny. Then she slid into almost a chaotic needy girl–definitely not a Queen. I liked how Penny stood up for herself and voiced all the concerns I had. In the end, I enjoyed how the issues were wrapped up, and how the book left with a hint and promise of more to come.
2.5 stars: I liked parts, but I had issues (C)
About the Book:
Sometimes the sharpest bite brings the sweetest pleasure.
Alexa Dangelis has returned home after eight long years to attend her father’s funeral and take the throne as vampire queen of the East Coast. The public believes their king committed suicide, but Alexa knows better–he was murdered, and she’s determined to prove her half-brother did it.
Werewolf Penny Seiler was once Alexa’s secret lover, until Alexa betrayed her to marry the vampire king of the West Coast. When they meet again, sparks fly.
While Alexa focuses her attention on regaining Penny’s trust and love, her half-brother plots to wrest the throne from Alexa’s control. To stop him from destroying the capital city and her future with Penny, Alexa must broker a peace treaty with the werewolves and convince the vampire community werewolves are more than mere animals.
Release Date: July 25, 2013
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Series: Pleasure Bites #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance, GLBT, Lesbian Romance
Format(s): e-book
Book Source:Author
Purchase Info:
Sharp Bite of Pleasure (Pleasure Bite #1)
