Cover Image: Kiss of the Fallen

Kiss of the Fallen

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This book caught my attention and held it. What more can you want? A wonderful, well fun book that plays on politics and the par-normal. Characters care about others which is different from a lot of killer, fantasy style books. Highly recommend picking this one up.

Was this review helpful?

This was a fun rollercoaster of conflict, hate, distrust and dishonor ... oh and powerful lust.

Tristan is an enigmatic character and Zoe is a force to be reckoned with. The two of them together, no matter how unlikely, would be a tour de force!

Read it and find out.

Was this review helpful?

Kiss of the Fallen
by Kharma Kelley

“Kiss of the Fallen”; a stunningly fantastical adventure that will leave you utterly breathless and completely enthralled, a feel-good book; even better than my high expectations, perfect from the beginning to the end. With beautifully executed twists and turns of the plot, keeping the reads in suspense. Exactly the feeling one would except when the story suddenly takes a turn that seems completely unexpected and unrelated to the story. Filled with violence and some sizzling hot intimacy; is just wow, sizzling hot.

I saw the beautiful cover for “Kiss of the Fallen”; and then the words ‘sensual urban fantasy’; I was sold and had to start reading it immediately. Had to re-read it a second time (more slowly), as I was had fallen helplessly under the hypnotically pull of this fabulous author’s wealth of incredible creativity abilities. This was a brilliant story that had me riveted on every word that, engaged all my senses. I could not have anticipated what a superb read this would be, and immediate favorite this book would become! I look forward to reading more of Kharma Kelley’s work.
I
have never read or heard about Kharma Kelley before; which, will change as I am planning to read all her books. Her writing style is amazing; an extraordinary cast of characters that are amazingly well developed down to the smallest detail, the world she created for her characters is equally detailed in its creation, the plot is executed with precision. The way Kharma Kelley slowly lures her readers in with what sounds like usual; but, very captivating shifter régime, is simply deceptive and the poetic justice of the ending, just brilliant.

Nothing says perfection better than a well-written paranormal suspense with the well-played out with those sweet spots of fiery passion that heightened story-line. I absolutely loved this book and I hope from the bottom of my heart that the author is planning to expand this into series. Thank you Kharma Kelley for this amazing book and the opportunity to read an ARC for my our, unbiassed option in return. I would give it 6-stars if I could; but it is not allowed. So, we will have to settle for 5-stars across the board.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not for me. I commend the author for jumping into the urban fantasy genre, which I typically am all over. I commend the author for having the MC (Zoe) be a POC. I really did not enjoy Tristan's over the top arrogant attitude. Since I didn't have a connection with the characters, I just couldn't get into the plot.

Was this review helpful?

Tristan Castilion, a celebrated Commander of the Vampire Royal Guard, just wanted to be left alone. He wanted nothing to do with the war brewing among all the supernaturals and had grown tired of fighting all these centuries. All of them were screwed up anyway; but who was he to judge who drinks blood and who eats souls? Sucked into one last mission from his vampire government, Tristan soon finds himself in the middle of a dark conspiracy within the vampire ranks and a half-naked demon chained to his bed.
This was a pretty good story. I liked both characters. I really liked the story flow. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Was this review helpful?

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my second read from this author and I enjoyed it. Zoe is a badass and Tristan recognizes it. The characters are developed and the world has a lot of potential. I am not sure if this is going to be a series or not, but there is definitely room to expand. The book can be read by itself though, since there isn't a cliff hanger ending.

Was this review helpful?

Tristan is an old vampire, ready to retire. He gets wrapped up into doing just one more job for the vampire royals. However, it goes horribly wrong. next day he finds demon slayer, half-naked in his bed and she has no idea how she got there.


World describe is very rich and full of supernaturals with a well-developed structure, it was my favorite thing about the book.

Plotwise, whilst it was interesting, I had trouble staying engaged with the story, it didn't hold my attention. It wasn't the right book for me.

Was this review helpful?

There are parts of this story I enjoyed the actual story line is pretty cool and I liked that but the politics, that started to get old very quick.. I just wanted to punch or stake the three.. How DARE THEY!

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the free e-book in return for an honest review

I enjoyed this it was a good read, liked the characters, especially Zoe but I always love a feisty woman in a book who isn't their to be a damsel or fall on her knees in love when the man (vampire in this case) arrives. My issues with it were there were quite a few errors with grammar and I found the narrator kept over explaining things you already knew. I would give it four stars if these two things were corrected.

Was this review helpful?

Tristan is a Commander of the Royal Vampires. He wants free of them but The Three ask him to do one more mission. But when the mission goes horribly wrong, he realizes that it wasn’t just witches and werewolves that ambushed him but his own kind. Zoe is a Blood Slayer, she is a fallen angel sent to protect humans and destroy the soulless. She finds herself chained to Tristan’s bed with special cuffs he can’t remove. They team up to find out who has kidnapped the Supreme witch and who set Tristan up. Can they before they are killed?
Bloody, action and suspense. I love vampire stories. This was a little steamy. The thing that drives me crazy is the characters changing every couple of lines. It totally confuses me. Tristan thinks and talks and the next little paragraph it’s Zoe, then someone else.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley *

Was this review helpful?

Kiss of the Fallen is a stunningly fantastical adventure that will leave you utterly breathless and completely enthralled. Nothing says perfection like a well-written and well-played out paranormal suspense that is accentuated with fiery passion. This story hit all of those sweet spots for me and so much more. I reveled in the different paranormal creatures featured with a compelling plotline filled with an extraordinary cast of characters. I was left helpless as I fell under the hypnotically pull of this fabulous author and her wealth and breath of incredible creativity. This was a brilliant story that had me riveted to every word and engaged all of my senses. I could not anticipate what a superb read and immediate favorite this book would become!

Tristen is following through on one of his last missions for his superiors. He can’t wait to be free of his draining and unfulfilling job. There are no words as to his anticipation of release and the blessed freedom that is screaming out his name. What started out as his very last assignment quickly escalated to his greatest failure of his career. How could something as routine as a protection details go so horribly wrong in the most basic of ways? The more he tries to figure out what happened and why, the faster he finds himself on the receiving end of deep humiliation and utter ruin. To top off that load of sunshine, he walks into the absolute worst possible scenario for a as he seeks refuge and peace in his own home. Then, things go from bad to worse as his world crashed down around him in a spectacular fashion that can only be premeditated by someone who clearly hates him to say the last. Can he keep himself alive long enough to clear his name and more importantly save the supernatural community from falling into dark chaos and sheer terror?

This story is like a breath of fresh air for me. I love paranormal stories, and I especially love paranormal stories where enemies turn into lovers by no determination of their own. I love intrigue, mystery, danger, and suspense with every drop of beautiful longing and fierce passion that drips from the pages. I loves stories that hold my heart in its dark depths and threatens to undue every part of me from start to finish. This book came through on all of its haunted and threatened promises. I couldn’t take my eyes from its wonderful pages as I flew through this exciting adventure. I can’t wait to read more from this incredibly talented author!

Kharma Kelley is a new to me author that I am officially obsessed with as a reader. She is a new go to for fabulous paranormal stories, and I can’t wait to get my hands on her other books! She has captured my attention with this amazing story, and I am ready to dive deep into her world of unique paranormal twists and turns. Join me in her world where anything is possible and the impossible is as easy as taking your next breath.

Was this review helpful?

I was browsing through books on NetGalley and two books caught my attention. Both, ended up being by the same author, Kharma Kelley. I normally do not read fantasy or paranormal type romance books. However, maybe in the spirit of the Halloween season, I decided to read the blurbs. I was intrigued enough to give both a try. I have only finished Kiss of the Fallen but I have to say what a great book!

If you are like me and looking to expand your reading genres, you should absolutely check this book out. If you are a fan of romance books that include were-shifters, witches and vampires than you ABSOLUTELY want to check this book out. The book is well-written and the story is super engaging.

Vampires, were-shifters, witches, demons and humans all live together (even if some are unaware) and the battle for power has the supernatural forces pitted against one another. The H in the book is Tristan, he’s a vampire. The h is Zoe, she’s a demon that kills vampires. What happens when the two are bound together for reasons initially unknown to the both? Why are they attracted to each other and better yet, can they fight the pull?

Kiss of the Fallen has mystery, drama, action and romance. As the story unfolded, I truly found myself immersed in the book and what was going to happen next. I couldn’t figure out how Kelley was going to end the book! I am so happy that I read this book and can’t wait to start Selenium Night!

Was this review helpful?

Hauntingly thrilling, smoking hot sexy, action packed romantic journey filled with danger, mystery, magic and passion..... could not put down this crazy exciting adventure, it had me hooked from beginning to end and left me craving more.

Was this review helpful?

Tristan accepts one more mission and expects it to go well but things don't always go as we planned. Even though he planned well and no one but the vampires should have known the route he'd take, they were waiting to ambush him and the woman he was charged with keeping safe. It's a bloodbath and his own government doesn't believe him when he tells them what happened. He knows he'll have to get to the bottom of what happened.

Zoe finds herself at the mercy of a vampire, that vampire being Tristan. He doesn't know whether to believe her and help her or kill her and be done with it. Zoe is a Black Blood Slayer and could easily enthrall him, make him weak and kill him and there would be nothing he could do to stop her. But he goes against his better judgement and trusts her, only a little at first then more as time goes on and she proves she's trustworthy. But that trust goes both ways and she has to trust him as well if they both want to get to the bottom of missing and murdered people.

This book is filled with a great mystery, some romance towards the last half of the book and a look into vampire politics. There are a few instances of action, fighting and spilled blood but you have to expect that when you have both vampires and shifters in the same book. I liked the twists this story took that left us readers wondering what was going on and why. I also enjoyed how the story never slowed down and I never found myself bored. I read this book in 2 hours, I needed to know what was going to happen next, who the good guys and bad guys were and what was going to happen to them and how Tristan and Zoe would leave things. I really liked how this book ended and hope that this ends up being a series that I can sink my teeth into (pun intended).

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

Was this review helpful?

I could not fully finish this book. Unfortunately the characters and story were hard to track and a bit unbelievable. The writing was subpar with cliche phrases and uninteresting arcs. Some of the erotic tones were placed awkwardly. Zoe was introduced way too late in the story and too many characters flooded in by then to really get a feel for Tristian and the eventual love story. There's too much supernatural in this book with not a lot of background but I did not finish to know if it pulled together nicely.

Was this review helpful?

There are three secret races, vampires, werewolves, and witches, all vying for dominance in this world. At the top of all of these races is a sort of demon cop-type, called a Black Blood Slayer. Tristan is the vampire commander who is one job away from retirement. He’s tasked with keeping the companion of one of his rulers. She’s been making some headway in peace talks between the races, but with that comes death threats from those that like the status quo. Tristan selects some of the strongest fighters and is determined to survive this one last gig. It is unfortunate that he is one of the only survivors. This incident starts filling Tristan’s mind with suspicions and doubt surrounding his leaders and their ulterior motives.

Zoe is not your typical Black Blood Slayer. Instead of being a mindless killer, she actually cares about each of the races and the balance between them. Through a mysterious series of events, she ends up chained to Tristan’s bed after his horrible night of betrayal. They obviously meet one another with a great deal of skepticism, but it seems like they are on the same team. Strange things are afoot in the vampire leadership. Of course, there is attraction, smutty goodness, and twists and turns, but we ultimately end up with a satisfying ending for everyone (except the poor sacrificial lamb at the beginning).

Was this review helpful?

What Did I Like About It?
I find Kharma Kelley’s writing style easy to read with a good balance of action, mystery and healthy dose of sarcasm. I enjoy stories that highlight the fact that we all have choices and that the choices we make not only affect us but those around us too.

Ms Kelley spent the first few chapters world building – we were quickly brought up to speed about how her supernatural world fit within our own and the politics involved in the warring factions however, there was still plenty of action, intrigued, mystery and surprising twists.

I enjoy a story more when the characters are created with depth of personality and I feel that Ms Kelley’s story was populated with complex, multifaceted and completely believable ones. I think it was partly due to their very real human virtues and foibles, even though most of them were mythical, paranormal beings.

Although I didn’t shed a tear reading this book, I did enjoy the banter between Zoe and Tristan – it was very entertaining. The pace throughout this book had me holding my breath, the intrigue, action and thriller aspects had me on the edge of my seat - I loved the twists and turns Ms Kelley weaved into the tale – and I liked the way she tied up all the loose ends without the need for any pesky cliff-hangers. Woohoo!

So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?
So, now I have to be honest and say why I rated Kiss of the Fallen: A Sensual Urban Fantasy 4 stars instead of 5.
I really did enjoy this book but I have to be honest and say that some of the dialogue, “bad” characters and scenes within this story had me rolling my eyes; I’m not a great fan of clichés, luckily the bulk of the story had me gripped meaning those niggles didn’t play on my mind for long.

I am probably also being rather mean to Ms Kelley and doing her book a dis-service but I need to explain, the ARC version I was given was in desperate need of a proof-reader and editor, so much so that it hindered the flow of the story and took the edge of my enjoyment a wee bit. I have sent my findings to BooksGoSocial and hope the published work is much cleaner.

So, basically what I’m saying is...
I really enjoyed this book. It has everything that I look for in a good book; adventure, mystery, intrigue, action, humour and a sprinkling of romance and passion.

Due to the graphic nature of the violence and sex scenes, I would only recommend this book to adults who are not offended by this sort of content, so if you enjoy strong alpha heroes and independent capable heroines, tense and often brutal confrontations and hot lust/romance scenes then Kiss Of The Fallen is the book for you.

Was this review helpful?

Kiss of the Fallen is an urban fantasy novel by author Kharma Kelley which features vampire hero Tristan Castillion and Zoë, a demon whose very nature is inimical to his continued existence. Urban fantasy and paranormal romance fans alike will enjoy the politics of conflict between rival groups of vampires, Were-shifters, and witches (called Green Girls). This novel also contains elements of the romantic suspense genre, so those who prefer a cozier romance with no violence may want to take a pass.

Having a man as the primary point-of-view character in a novel like this was a new experience. As a hero, he’s well-developed and sympathetic. His cynicism stems from centuries of experience and feels genuine, rather than artificial. I found myself hoping that things would turn out alright for him. Zoë, in spite of her portrayal as a vampire-eating succubus, provides an ideological foil in that she truly believes that a better world is possible. Her optimism paired with Tristan’s cynicism keeps the novel from becoming too nihilistic. These two are a bright spot of hope in an otherwise grim and broken world.

The suspense plot might have been more effective if the reader’s perspective hadn’t jumped to the points of view of other key players (namely, the villains) in the story. By letting the reader in on the conspiracy before the protagonists put two and two together, the suspense is lost. The big reveal was well-broadcast throughout the rising action, and any perceived danger surrounding Tristan and Zoe stems more from their own volatile relationship than from the events driving the plot. This is more forgivable in a romance novel than it would be in a thriller, but it does make the plot fade into the background. The resolving of the sexual tension between Tristan and Zoë was far more climactic than the actual climax of the novel (pun intended).

All things considered, Kiss of the Fallen is an entertaining romp with an interesting approach to the traditional vampire romance. I would recommend it to readers who are looking for urban fantasy or paranormal romance which offers a fresh interpretation of some of the most common tropes within the genre.

Was this review helpful?

INCREDIBLE exhilarating well written read by a genuinely gifted author. The combination of authenticity and fantasy make the story convincing, and awe-inspiring.

L

Was this review helpful?

Vampires, fallen angels, political intrigue, murder mystery, betrayal. Kiss of The Fallen has all the boxes checked. I had this book on an international flight and it captivated me from start to finish. I'm hoping there is a book 2.

Was this review helpful?