ARC Review: Wicked Kiss by Michelle Rowen

Title: Wicked Kiss
Series: Nightwatchers Book #2
Author: Michelle Rowen
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Expected Date of Publication: Feb. 26, 2013
Format: ebook, paperback 440 pages
Source: e-ARC from Net Galley & Harlequin Teen
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Book Synopsis:MY KISS CAN KILL.

I used to be ordinary Samantha Day, but that's changed. Now, after one dark kiss from a dangerous boy, I can steal someone's soul...or their life. If I give in to the constant hunger inside me, I hurt anyone I kiss. If I don't...I hurt myself.

Bishop is the one whose kiss I crave most, but if I kiss him, I'll kill him. Then there's another boy, one I can't hurt. One whose kiss seems to miraculously quell my hunger. They're both part of a team of angels and demons that's joined forces in my city to fight a mysterious rising darkness, an evil that threatens everyone I know and love. I just wonder if I'll be able to help Bishop-or if I'm just another part of the darkness he's sworn to destroy....

NIGHTWATCHERS

When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising...

My Thoughts:
I really like a lot of books that are coming out of Harlequin Teen right now so I took a leap of faith grabbing this one, never actually reading book 1, hoping I would find a great story with a little supernatural edge to it.  

I did.  
Now, I have to admit I can't stand to jump into a series in the middle, for obvious reasons, but Wicked Kiss gave enough background detail I wasn't really lost at all.  I am sure I will go back and read book 1 just to have this complete feeling (yeah, I am a little anal about that), although I felt pretty comfortable with the story line and characters.  
Speaking of characters: wow!  The angels/demons team is pretty cool but if I had to pick my faves I would go with Kraven all the way.  YES I understand he is a demon and pretty heartless but I don't know, there is just something about his attitude; whew gets my temperature rising.  
But our main character, is Samantha, a girl that is lacking a little something, that makes her have this very super and very deadly kiss.  I liked her.  She didn't irritate me too much, although, I think she should be careful what she wishes for.  
Bishop, our resident guardian angel, is your typical YA male: brooding, dark, bossy as hell, oh and gorgeous.  We definitely cannot forget gorgeous (but looks aren't everything-it's just the icing on the cake, so to speak.)
The plot is interesting and will keep your attention most of the time.  I was appreciative of the thorough background info we got but I could understand where those have read the first book, might see it as more of information over load.  
There could be a slight love triangle interpreted here but it isn't as huge as the synopsis makes you think it is.  Also calling them "boys" just seems wrong but I guess that is a potato -po-ta-to thing.  
The one hang-up that I had with Wicked Kiss had me torn from being super happy with the story and groaning to myself, "not again."  I noticed it was a really long story-I mean really long, for a story I didn't think would or should have been that long. It just seemed like when everything was took care of; boom!  Another problem arose out of nowhere and was tied up neatly again.  The reason I was so torn was because I enjoyed the minor threads and they did play a bigger part into the main thread but there was a lot.  

But all in all, Wicked Kiss was really good and pretty creative.  It brings some originality to a genre that seems to be bombarded with vampires and werewolves.  The heroine has some very unique abilities that are feared and revered at the same time.  It is an interesting story that will have you surprised, horrified, and most importantly, breathless.  

I gave it four hearts!

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