Review: Skin Game by Ava Gray

In the words of a good friend of mine, Skin Game was a fun popcorn read. The story plays out much like an action movie. The two main characters are Kyra a con artist with the ability to steal a person’s talent through touch, and Reyes, a sexy hit man who was hired to track down Kira, retrieve the money that she stole and kill her. To get close to Kyra and attempt to earn her trust, he poses as a drifter and insists that she give him a lift when one of her cons starts to go sour. She is reluctant to trust a man so eager to hitch a ride in her car, but Reyes proves to be quite charismatic and she can’t deny her desire to get to know him a little more intimately. Reyes is drawn to Kyra as well, and keeping his mind on the mission and his hands to himself proves to be much more difficult than he ever imagined!

I suppose Skin Games could be considered a paranormal romance, but other than Kyra’s unusual ability, there are no other supernatural elements in this book. In terms of plot, not much happens other than the occasional explosion, bar fight, kidnapping and narrow escape. This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy the book. The highlight of Skin Game is definitely the relationship between Reyes and Kyra. Reyes realizes that if he hopes to learn any of Kyra’s secrets, he must do more than simply seduce her. He needs to be open about himself and honest about his past. At first it is just an act, but soon Reyes discovers that his feelings for her are genuine and the idea of causing her pain or being permanently separated from her is unbearable. Kyra has never had a deep, lasting relationship with a man before because of her ability, but with Reyes she can let her guard down and just enjoy being affectionate with someone for once.

While Skin Game didn’t have the most original premise and the ending was rather predictable, it was still a fun read with enjoyable characters and a romance that would make your toes curl! There are plenty of steamy moments throughout this book, many of which took place in a moving vehicle, and admittedly those were the more memorable ones! The next book in the series it titled Skin Tight, which features two secondary characters from Skin Game and I’m interested to see where their story leads.

Rating: 3/5 Stars