Book Review: Kill Game (Seven of Spades #1) by Cordelia Kingsbridge
Description
Homicide detective Levi Abrams is barely holding his life together. He’s reeling from the fallout of a fatal shooting, and his relationship with his boyfriend is crumbling. The last thing he’s prepared for is a serial killer stalking the streets of Las Vegas. Or how he keeps getting thrown into the path of annoyingly charming bounty hunter Dominic Russo.
Dominic likes his life free of complications. That means no tangling with cops—especially prickly, uptight detectives. But when he stumbles across one of the Seven of Spades’s horrifying crime scenes, he can’t let go, despite Levi’s warnings to stay away.
The Seven of Spades is ruthless and always two moves ahead. Worst of all, they’ve taken a dangerously personal interest in Levi and Dominic. Forced to trust each other, the two men race to discover the killer’s identity, revealing hidden truths along the way and sparking a bond neither man expected. But that may not be enough to protect them.
This killer likes to play games, and the deck is not stacked in Levi and Dominic’s favor.
5 Stars!
So, this book has been on my TBR pile for a bit and I finally decided to read it this week since book 2 will be releasing next Monday and for one part, I'm happy I didn't read it earlier, I can assure you it would've been hellish having to wait too long for a continuation of this story.
Levi Abrams is a homicide detective who's having a difficult time dealing with the fallout after a fatal shooting and the fact that his three-year relationship with his boyfriend isn't working. The last thing he needed was to realize they might have stumbled into a series of deaths that might be attributed to a serial killer on top of it all or have Dominic Russo, a seriously hot (but totally not his type) bounty hunter involved in it with him.
Dominic would've been happy not to find himself thrown into the mix, but after finding one of the crime scenes and then having the Seven of Spades single him out, he can't simply walk away.
Wow, just wow, the Seven of Spades' storyline was engrossing and intriguing and well-thought out. Cordelia Kingsbridge is a new-to-me author, but it's obvious she's been honing her craft for a while. This was the perfect introduction for the series, even if I'm getting a tad antsy thinking that it might take reading the 5 planned books until we learn the Seven of Spades real identity and I wasn't overly fond of the semi-cliffhanger there at the end, the writing was nothing short of brilliant and the delivery, masterful. It's not easy to keep the reader on the edge of their seats wondering who the killer is and drag it out in a way that doesn't ultimately annoy them, but instead, leave them wanting more.
Additional to that, even if I'm not fond of the main characters having sex with others in the books I read, in this case, it worked great, since it showcased what had been missing from both Levi and Dominic's lives before they were thrown together in this case. I felt kind of bad for Stanton, Levi's boyfriend, but they didn't seem to be in the same place in their lives or want the same thing, for that matter. While the attraction between Levi and Dominic kind of exploded and they decided to take things slowly, well, they also were in a situation that would amplify their reactions, so it felt believable. I'm looking forward to them exploring more of their feelings in the next installments, though, since they already have the chemistry down pat.
I adored Levi's partner, Martine, and Dominic's friends, Carlos and Jasmine, and of course, the lovely Rebel, Dominic's protection dog, and hope to see more of them and their respective parents in the future.
Overall, this is one hell of a start for this series and I'm already looking forward to savoring the next book, Trick Roller, in the next few days, although, if you prefer to binge read the books after the series is done, I so don't blame you. Highly recommendable!
*** Copy provided to the reviewer via NetGalley by Riptide Publishing, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
Kill Game is the ultimate whodunnit, keeping me guessing the entire time.
Be warned, although I wouldn’t consider this a traditional cliffhanger, the story is not complete by the end of book 1. This is one of those series that gives us just enough closure to feel comfortable with the ending but still crave book two to see if the mysterious killer will finally be revealed. Generally, I’m not a fan of reading this type of series until all books have been published and I can binge read them. However, I can’t even pretend I didn’t love Kill Game. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a great mystery story.
Las Vegas Detective Levi Abrams is one of those characters that really makes you think. He’s a great Detective, completely dedicated to his job and to justice. He’s a good guy but many find him a tad abrasive and unapproachable. I personally found his prickly personality more endearing than anything and I really enjoyed the fact that his character just seemed so real. Between his past that offered us insight into his vulnerability and the whys behind his guarded nature and his current relationship with his billionaire boyfriend, we really got to see all the different sides of him.
Bounty Hunter/Bail Enforcement Officer Dominic was easy to fall in love with. He was a winning combination of strong, dangerous and sexy yet also funny, sweet and easygoing. He wasn’t the typical almost exaggerated Alpha powerhouse bordering on superhuman so many authors like to create. He was very realistic with faults and fears that made him so much more interesting.
The two men had wonderful chemistry and I adored them together. They just fit one another from the beginning. I loved how the author was sensitive to the fact that Levi was with Stanton and so the relationship between Levi and Dominic moved at a slow pace and really only became something when Levi and Stanton broke up. I liked Stanton, even if he wasn’t a good fit for Levi and I didn’t want to see Levi and Dominic become sloppy by carrying on an illicit relationship.
As for the actual plot, “Well Done!” I love the fact that this was truly a mystery. The book didn’t put the story on the back burner while we read about Dominic and Levi. The hunt for the serial killer was always at the forefront and was carefully done as to not give anything away before it was necessary for us to know.
5 Stars!
Kill Game is the ultimate whodunnit, keeping me guessing the entire time.
Be warned, although I wouldn’t consider this a traditional cliffhanger, the story is not complete by the end of book 1. This is one of those series that gives us just enough closure to feel comfortable with the ending but still crave book two to see if the mysterious killer will finally be revealed. Generally, I’m not a fan of reading this type of series until all books have been published and I can binge read them. However, I can’t even pretend I didn’t love Kill Game. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a great mystery story.
Las Vegas Detective Levi Abrams is one of those characters that really makes you think. He’s a great Detective, completely dedicated to his job and to justice. He’s a good guy but many find him a tad abrasive and unapproachable. I personally found his prickly personality more endearing than anything and I really enjoyed the fact that his character just seemed so real. Between his past that offered us insight into his vulnerability and the whys behind his guarded nature and his current relationship with his billionaire boyfriend, we really got to see all the different sides of him.
Bounty Hunter/Bail Enforcement Officer Dominic was easy to fall in love with. He was a winning combination of strong, dangerous and sexy yet also funny, sweet and easygoing. He wasn’t the typical almost exaggerated Alpha powerhouse bordering on superhuman so many authors like to create. He was very realistic with faults and fears that made him so much more interesting.
The two men had wonderful chemistry and I adored them together. They just fit one another from the beginning. I loved how the author was sensitive to the fact that Levi was with Stanton and so the relationship between Levi and Dominic moved at a slow pace and really only became something when Levi and Stanton broke up. I liked Stanton, even if he wasn’t a good fit for Levi and I didn’t want to see Levi and Dominic become sloppy by carrying on an illicit relationship.
As for the actual plot, “Well Done!” I love the fact that this was truly a mystery. The book didn’t put the story on the back burner while we read about Dominic and Levi. The hunt for the serial killer was always at the forefront and was carefully done as to not give anything away before it was necessary for us to know.
The writing was great and the pacing of the story was well done. This is definitely a series I have become instantly in awe of.
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