Skin Heat by Ava Gray
January 4, 2010
Paranormal Romance
Paperback, 320 Pages
Berkley
Reviewed by Mandi
After six months imprisoned at a secret facility where he is experimented on, Zeke Noble finally escapes. Having no idea why he was kidnapped, he is left bewildered and confused. Worse, he notices he has super hearing, speed and can read other people and animals. Coming home to his desolate farm, with only a nearby aunt, Zeke is at loss for what to do. His mother went insane and killed herself, and he fears he may be on the same path. He is angry at what happened to him and so scared at what he has become. He knows he can’t do anything without money, so he immediately goes to look for a job.
Geneva Harper, or Neva is a veterinarian. Going against her wealthy family’s wishes, she has gone off in her life to do her own thing, rather than marry who her parents picked out for her. When Zeke comes in looking for a job, she hires him to help do tasks around the office. She notices his quiet strength and his way with animals. When her apartment floods, and there is a break-in at the Vet, Neva decides to take a chance and stay with Zeke. At first they start out as roommates, but the more time they spend together, the more their romantic feelings grow. Zeke keeps his supernatural abilities a secret for as long as he can, but soon Neva starts to notice. There is also a serial killer on the loose, targeting women who closely resemble Neva. Scared she could be a target, her and Zeke lean towards one another to face a difficult future.
Skin Heat is book three in Ava Gray’s (aka Ann Aguirre) very unique Skin series. This is a hard review to write because there are things I loved about this book but something that really bothers me too. Ava Gray takes a risk writing her heroes and this is what makes this series stand out. First there was Reyes, who personified sex and danger to the nth degree in Skin Game. And then she turned the morally ambiguous Foster into a very intense romantic interest in Skin Tight. In Skin Heat she gives us Zeke, a man who is altered due to medical tests performed on him against his will (which we learn about in the first two books). When he speaks, he comes across as very simple. Rarely forming complete sentences, and is very quiet. But on the inside he is a mess, but very complex. Always concerned he will reveal who he really is, he must keep so much a secret from everyone else. His attraction to Neva comes across very sweet and gentlemanly. He is the quiet soldier.
While I like Zeke and the romance with Neva, this book kind of feels like it comes out of left field. Yes, Zeke’s issues are a result of the medical experimenting done in the previous two books, but that is where the relation to what has been going on in this series ends. I feel like this book doesn’t fit in the arc of the series. The reveal of the serial killer shocked me, then made me disappointed. Maybe my expectation of Zeke’s story is not where it should have been. When the serial killer has nothing to do with past events in this series, it just threw me for a loop. If I had picked this book up without reading the previous two books, I probably would have enjoyed it more because my expectation of dealing with past events would not have mattered. But I have read the first two books and I do want this world explored. Plus, I wanted both Zeke and Neva to analyze Zeke’s new abilities more. I feel like the paranormal aspect is not explored enough.
So while the feel of the book is consistent with the previous two, I just can’t see how the conflict plays into this world. Maybe it isn’t suppose to. But I for one am disappointed.
Rating: C
Recent Reviews:
Fiction Vixen – 3/5
Goodreads
This Series Includes
Skin Game
Skin Tight
Skin Heat
Skin Dive – July 5, 2011
I find that this series is a bunch of well written single titles with a fine thread linking them. Just look at book one and two. The only thing that they really had in common was the characters overlapped. Other then that, the stories were very different. This reads best as a lone book…you're right about that. I still loved the style of it though. I also wish we learned more about Zeke's abilities and what was done to him exactly, but what can you do? I still liked the characters and the feel of the book.
Nice review Mandi!
Great review Mandi. I haven't started this series yet but want to. I see your reviews for each book go down a number (or letter) each time so I may put it off a little longer until I get my TBR pile down more.
Stephanie G
Paranormal Haven
Julie – I felt like Foster's story was a continuation of Skin Game…I like these books, but I just was surprised at the turn this book took. I just guess my assumption was wrong..I kind of want it to be more about the medical testing done..not some random psycho killer.
PH – I def recommend!
Great review Mandi. I haven't read this one yet but now Im a little anxious. lol
This series has been a hit and miss for me. I loved you were honest in your review. Great review. :D
I..oh now I do not know, not at all if the book is for me. I kind of want those other two more
Mandi, you and I must share the same brain.
I'm having a brain fart….I can't even remember Zeke in the first two books…
Yep, SKIN GAME has been the best of the two. Will be reading SKIN HEAT shortly. But I feel they are just barely connected by characters and not necessarily continuing story.
Loved your review.
This is a series that I've seen so many of my new blogging friends post about and it is on my TBR list. I'm sad to see this one grade at a C but I hope that the next book goes back up…not everyone is going to like everybook from a series right?! Great review.
I know we've discussed this on Twitter but I completely agree. This series does not really flow like her UF Jax series or her Corine Solomon series as Ann Aguirre. The first two bks in this series definitely related more to the seeming overall storyline she's trying to create versus this one. I agree with the C, I gave this 3 stars, even though I loved loved loved Zeke – but I told you that already :P Thanks for the review! It seems like all of us who've read this one are on the same page.
Julie: yes. These are romances, and they're about couples. It's not a series. They're standalones that occur in the same world. Not all books relate back to anything except the test subjects, although Skin & Bone and Skin Dive both relate to the Foundation, at least peripherally (which is where that arc ends). If I write more — and that is not certain — the novels coming after Skin Dive would, again, be about gifted people finding love… which is what Skin Game was, too. Obviously some books will work better for people than others.
Note: Anyone who read Skin Tight can deduce how Kira got her powers. It's the same way Soren did, the same way they all did, except for Taye. Rowan explains it fully for the careful reader. ;)
Well I'll be definitely looking at the Skin books as more standalones now. Thank you for clearing that up!
And I definitely think it was noticeable in Skin Tight how Kira got her powers. ;) Looking forward to Taye and Gillie's story!!! :)