Kinked (Elder Races, #6) by Thea Harrison
PNR
November 5, 2013
Berkley

Reviewed By Tori

Favorite Quote: “There is nothing wrong with the darkness, you know. It’s just as beautiful as anything else.”

Aryal, an immortal harpy and Wyr sentinel to Dragos Cuelebre, has had it in for fellow Wyr and sentinel, Quentin Caeravorn, since they first met. Hatred and distrust is nothing new to Aryal, it is was makes her Drago’s lead investigator. But the emotions Quentin raises in her goes above and beyond anything she has ever felt before. She is convinced he will betray Dragos and the Wyrs in some form or fashion and plans on delivering the deathblow when he does.

Quentin Caeravorn, part Wyr, part Elven, and part Dark Fae, won his place fair and square as one of the top sentinels in the demesne. Though he regrets some previous decisions he made in the past, he is happy with his new employment choice. However, his war with Aryall is causing him to rapidly lose his focus. And temper.  Aryal continues to poke, pry, insult, and challenge him at every turn. When he discovers she has breached his privacy, the chain on his rage breaks and he attacks her in the Tower. Dragos steps between them and issues an ultimatum. They will go to Numenlaur and investigate the rebuilding efforts after their battle with Gaeleval. They have one month to reach peace between them or they will leave the Tower and his employment for good.

Aryal and Quentin find themselves having to acknowledge not only their attraction to one another but the reasons for their animosity. As they work to find a way to co exist without killing one another, a malicious presence makes itself known. Aryal and Quentin will have to drop all their safeguards and trust one another if they want to live to fight another day.

I enjoy Thea Harrison’s series, The Elder Races. Set in modern times, we are submerged into a supernatural world filled with sexy over the top alpha shifters, intelligent powerful humans, elusive vampires, snobby elves, and all manners of in between. Suspense, intrigue, humor, and plenty of sexy romance makes for a delightful series that holds you hostage to the very last page.
A smooth storyline and dynamic characters immediately drag you back into Harrison’s supernatural world as though you never left. Heavily character driven, the world building continues to expand and evolve though not as much in here as in previous installments.

Kinked takes a darker turn both in story and romance. It embodies a trope I adore – enemies to lovers. Add in a little kink and I’m yours forever.  I love when two seemingly indomitable wills meet and clash. Watching the hero and heroine go from antagonists to lovers is a delicious storyline, especially when the characters are as emotionally defined and outspoken as Aryal and Quentin. Aryal can’t accept that Quentin may not be the evil person she thinks he is. She lives to defeat him. Quentin struggles with the knowledge that Aryal hates him and that she is his equal in every aspect. He cannot dominate her unless she allows it and that drives him insane.

He had to do something to shut her up, or he really was going to kill her. The pure, hot flame of his fury shifted. The extreme emotion had torn him wide open, and a maelstrom of sexual aggression screamed in.

 

The dialogue between them is a wonderful battle of sarcasm and snark. Both uber dominant, the sexual tension between them only serves to further inflame the predators that live inside them.

He wanted to flip her over, get her in a head- lock and hold her there, strip down her jeans and take her in the ass.
Hard and rough, baby.
No holds barred, no ritualized courtesy and no safe word, just pure animal rut.
He wanted to dominate the shit out of her and make her scream while she lost everything to her own climax.

 

I love both Aryal and Quentin. Though Aryal has always been portrayed in a less than flattering light, I’ve always appreciated her honesty. She may not be the nicest person, but she doesn’t offer you meaningless platitudes. I always found it humorous that she didn’t immediately fall in love with Pia as everyone else did.  

Ever since Pia had moved into Cuelebre Tower, the gryphons had gone batshite gaga over her; they all thought she pooped sparkly rainbows or something.

Quentin is a delicious mixture of alpha growls and dominant male. His innate powers demand he keep a tight leash on his control but being around Aryal beings his beast to the surface quicker than anyone he has very known.

Aryal and Quentin bring to mind the saying, “The lord made them and the devil matched them.” They are perfectly matched both physically and emotionally. Aryal balances and challenges Quentin in a way that no one else has ever done before. She not only accepts his dark side but understands it as she also carries it within her. Quentin offers Aryal complete loyalty and a fierce protector at her back. He too accepts her just as she is. The chemistry between them is apparent right from the start but the actual relationship is slow to evolve. Plenty of steamy scenes and delicious dialogue will keep you glued to the pages as they explore the physical nature of their attraction to one another.

A volatile subplot interacts with the storyline and offers some world building and character expansion though this storyline is resolved completely. Plenty of humor balances well with the darker nature of the protagonists. Both Aryal and Quentin have a dry wit that entertains the reader throughout.  If you enjoy an action packed, suspenseful, humorous, and sizzling paranormal romance about addictive couples who literally argue their way into love, then look no further than Thea Harrison’s Elder Series and prepare for the ride of your life.

Rating: B+

More Thea Harrison Reviews

Goodreads l Author Website l Series Listing

Amazon l B&N