Samhain Publishing, $3.50, ISBN 978-1-60504-612-9
Fantasy Romance, 2009
Before you ask, no, there is no family love here, at least not that kind that you may be thinking about, contrary to what the title may suggest. The hero and the heroine don’t share the same genetic make-up. Instead of a controversial romance, this one boasts instead a very familiar premise.
For eight years, Lark Manning has been pining after werewolf Taran Lloyd. Even the fact that her married name would be Lark Lloyd doesn’t deter her one bit. On his part, Taran wants Lark as his mate but for some reason, he believes that she thinks of him only as a brother. It is only while accompanying a friend to a club when poor Lark get attacked by randy wolves that she finds herself in danger. Apparently those Eastern Europeans have decided to cause trouble in town and Lark has found herself smack in the middle of trouble without realizing it. Naturally, it is up to Taran to show how big his alpha thing is to Lark even as he saves the day.
I have to tell you guys, Lark here isn’t a kick-ass type. This is fine with me, though, since she’s not written as a kung-fu slayer lady with ninja tricks up to the wazoo. Despite the overwhelming “I’ve read this before many times” feel of the story, I find Kiss and Kin pretty entertaining. For a short story, the characters are adequately drawn and there is enough chemistry between them to convince me that their love is more than a tired mate-mate-mate thing in motion. The plot is a bit of a mess, but the short story doesn’t let up on its momentum. There is no part of the story that feels too slow or rushed to me – the pacing is fine, in other words. All these come together to create a fun quick read.
