Kiss of the Assassin

Not fair! This book features my #1 Topic in all literature...... The female assassin (of course) So when this book popped up I requested it without really knowing anything about it.

This one stars Marina Antonovna a Soviet Spy/Assassin for KGB Chairman Vladimir Kurenkov in the 1970s. She is basically his henchwoman who goes around killing anyone he orders her too. Unfortunately, she soon starts to hate her job and starts vomiting and feeling remorseful after her kills. (Crap. A killer with a conscience) Finally after being sent to Cambodia during the Vietnam War she is tasked with killing a US Marine named Mateo Arcusa. But at the last minute she saves him and tries to defect to the United States. And, of course, those two fall in love with each other. Mateo then goes back to the US and becomes a Police Detective.

But of course, Vladimir is pissed that his #1 killer is all, "I hate the Soviet Union" and starts his mission to bring her back. And thus starts this twisty tale of these two being intertwined and Marina quest to quit her life as a assassin.....by killing her way out of it.

So is this a romance book disguised as a Assassin thriller or vise/versa? Either way it is fascinating in the sense that it's written with the Soviet Union and Vietnam War as the backdrop. The author did a great job with that. Marina is a well written character who you really pull for even as she's dropping doing evil assassinity stuff.

Cons: A tad bit too long and wordy. Maybe not the most well written book out there? But did I mention it has a female assassin as the MC? Easy 4 stars.

I really appreciate The Wild Rose Press, Inc for giving me the opportunity to review this book. It's out right now!

I liked this book but with some reservations! I think I'll start with those reservations first. I didn't enjoy all the back and forth when it came to current time and past time. Not a fan of it but usually okay with a little. This book had more than I am usually comfortable with. Also more of the political countries histories than I like although you could tell the author did their homework. For me, though it slowed the story down. But that's my personal feelings on that.
Now moving on to the more positive things that I liked:
What a breathtaking start to this book. And the edge of the seat action continues throughout.
 I absolutely was on board when it came to Marina and Mateo. That's quite a feat considering Marina has been turned into a heartless assassin. Yes, the heartless assassin who is violently ill, throwing up after each kill. Something that she HAS to keep secret. Also the way she has been raised and used for YEARS was shameful, and so well shown. Plus the fear that she has been under makes it a lot easier to hope for her. Hope that she can finally really be freed from under her guardian's thumb. So you can see how Marina has been trained to show no emotions, but the story is emotional and not just with her.
Mateo was great as far as I was concerned. Mateo causes a shift in Marina even in their most dangerous meeting. He was prepared to die honorably but Marina saw something in him and took the risks of making sure he stayed alive. 
Plenty of twists, turns and dangers are in the story with adversaries and two-faced people coming out of the woodwork. Marina and Mateo are also being twisted right and left when it comes to their attraction. Will they ever have a life together or will they continue to just see each other years apart or never again? 
I liked how the story ended with a good Epilogue included. 

 “I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

They say never judge a book by its cover, and in this case that is true. The cover for this book could use some help to get the engagement it deserves. I was drawn in by the title of the book, and then upon reading the description I knew I wanted this book.
This book focuses on an assassin in the USSR, who goes by the name Marina Antonovna who is a gorgeous young women forced to grow up very young when her parents die, and she’s taken in by Vladimir Kurenkov who trains her to become an assassin. While on a mission in Cambodia she meets a young man fighting in the Vietnam war, where she ends up saving him. Turns out, although she is a great assassin, it makes Marina ill with each kill. As the yars go by and the two’s life’s become intertwined leading to Marina deserving the truth about her guardian and chooses to defect to Mateo in the USA, who has issues of his own issues. Together they must conquer their past in order to see a future.

I rated this book a 3.75/5, for certain reasons that are more based on myself.
I am a mood reader and trying to get myself to read historical fiction takes some time, especially when I am adjusting to the writing style.
Once I started the book, and I would beginning reading a chapter I wouldn’t be able to stop. Once I started, there was no stopping. Next thing you know it’s 3am.
One flaw I had with this book was the POV changes, where I would feel confused, rather than anxious to who the POV is. Then the time jumps weren’t always clear and I would become lost and have to really think about where the story is at.
This book does a really good job of describing actions, setting, and dialogue. Even the plans Mateo and Marina formulate are well described and detailed. The amount of research done for this book is impressive with several different countries, time periods, and cultures. It was well described and written wonderfully.

I received this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.