The Reaper's Kiss by Abigail Baker

The Basics:
The Reaper's Kiss by Abigail Baker
Entangled Select Otherworld
Urban Fantasy
Book One in the Deathmark series
Published August 25, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Why I picked up this book:

I need more urban fantasy in my life.

Blurb:

Drop-dead gorgeous…and fatal.

Ollie Dormier's tattoos are deadly. She is a Scrivener—an employee for Death—and her skull tattoos mark her clients for their demise. She does her job, and she stays out of trouble. But when her hands start to burn hot and fierce, and her control goes leaping out the window, all hell breaks loose. Ollie is showing the early signs of being a Master...demonstrating power that is forbidden.

That power is exactly what Reaper Brent Hume is counting on. A hot, scruffy rebel, who does marvelous and terrifying things to Ollie's insides. Now he needs Ollie's help—and her skills—to overthrow the evil and corrupt Head Reaper. That is, if he can figure out a way to keep this hot-handed girl cool...and keep his hands off.

My Thoughts:

The Reaper's Kiss appealed to me because the blurb reads like solid urban fantasy or perhaps paranormal romance. I need more of these things in my life. I've been reading a ton of contemporary romance and historical romance lately and I craved the balance this book would bring to my reading load.

So, good. The Reaper's Kiss has some really great urban fantasy elements. Right off the bat, Ollie is a tattoo artist who actually marks people for death, making it easier for their assigned reaper to, ah, reap them.  It wasn't obvious to me why the reapers needed that assist, but okay, I was willing to go with it. 

I liked that Ollie's already embedded in the magical side of the world. And I liked that I felt a clear sense of her isolation--making friends with humans is a no-no for reapers, scriveners, and the like. I'm guessing because then you might not want to axe them when the time comes or because they may notice something a little weird about you...

I love that the book is set mainly in Quebec City. It's such an uncommon location that I reveled in it. There are some great details that reflect the history of the city, and it was such a treat to spend the majority of the book there.

The Reaper's Kiss moved pretty quickly for me. There was a lot of ground to cover, as Ollie has to cope with the unwelcome attentions of higher-ups alongside being pulled into the rebel efforts. I didn't buy into the relationship between Ollie and Brent--there wasn't enough build for me, and I didn't think they had great chemistry, though I liked both characters. There are some touching moments near the end of the book that I appreciated objectively, but that had me wishing that I *did* buy into the romance more so that I could get the full effect of those scenes.

Ultimately, the bigger plot had me engaged with the book, even while the romance was a letdown. I do want to know what happens next, and I'll be curious to see where Baker takes the story after ending this one on quite the question mark.

Also, I really hate the way that Ollie's hair looks on the cover. She's rocking dreads, but there's something about the way they appear in that image that bugs me. Just saying.

Bottom line:

If you like urban fantasy, I think The Reaper's Kiss is a good choice. It feels a little lighter than other urban fantasy I read (possibly it leans to the paranormal romance end of the spectrum), but it was a still a satisfying read. 

4 stars
For fans of grim reapers, rebellion, Quebec

But don't just take my word for it! I grabbed a few links to other blog reviews of The Reaper's Kiss:

A Crazy Vermonter's Book Reviews 

Deal Sharing Aunt

Kris and Vik Book Therapy Cafe