Review: Last Kiss Goodnight by Gena Showalter (Re-Post)

Last Kiss Goodnight: Solomon Judah and Vika Lukas

Otherworld Assassin Series Book 1:

 
 
 
Purchase on Amazon: Gena Showalter - Last Kiss Goodnight (Otherworld Assassin)
 
Summary:
From Goodreads.com
THE SWEETEST TEMPTATION…
 
Black ops agent Solomon Judah awakens caged and bound in a twisted zoo where otherworlders are the main attraction. Vika Lukas, the owner’s daughter, is tasked with Solo’s care and feeding. The monster inside him yearns to kill her on sight, even though she holds the key to his escape. But the human side of him realizes the beautiful deaf girl is more than she seems—she’s his.
 
THE ULTIMATE PRICE…
 
Vika endures the captives’ taunts and loathing, hoping to keep them alive even if she can’t free them. Only, Solo is different—he protects her. But as hostility turns to forbidden romance, his feelings for her will be used against him…and he’ll be put to a killer test.

 
Review:
First of all I would like to address the cover of this book, which is gorgeous! I love the bright red dress and everything else in black and white. I’d have to say one of my favorite Gena Showalter covers and she does not slack in the cover department.
 
I love Gena Showalter I really do! Her books tend to be smart, funny and action packed. This book is a spinoff of her Alien Huntress series, which is among my favorite series. This book however left me a bit disappointed.
 
Don’t get me wrong, I loved both Vika and Solo. They were great characters and ease to enjoy. Vika is such a sweetheart, she cares for others more than she cares for herself. She is selfless even if none of her “charges” realize it. She has a kind heart and soul. Her life has been anything but good. Her father is extremely abusive to the point that she was beaten so badly, she can no longer hear. Despite her rough life she still looks for the good in life and in people. She has a goal, she will find the key to the OtherWorlders “chains” so she can free them and she will also disappear so that her father can never find her. Her goal is shot to hell when Solo is brought in. She has always tried to maintain a distance from the capatives but with Solo she cannot do so. She is drawn to him like a moth to a flame. He protected Vika like no other person has ever done before which called to her lonely abused heart. She also found that she is more attracted to Solo than she has ever been attracted to any other living being. His raw masculinity and strength called to her. Even in his beast state he did not frighten her, he was always protective and tender with her which was more than she ever expected from a man let alone a captive. By all rights he should have hated her, but instead treated her like a he cherished her.
 
By all rights Solo should hate Vika for putting him through this humiliation. Solo is not a man that is used to being able to be caged. His beast form pretty much guarantees that he can get out of pretty much any situation most unscathed. But somehow this cage holds him and his beast inside. This is the first time he is relaying on anyone to help him get out of any situation. Despite his situation he recognizes Vika as “His”, never before has he felt such an intense feeling for someone. It drives him mad that he can’t protect her like his instincts are demanding of him. All his life he has been treated as a freak show, but Vika never looks at him like that. Her kindness and tenderness gets to him like nothing else has ever been able to. He has been alone most of his life and now suddenly he has hope for a better future but he can’t get himself or his woman out of this damn situation. Solo is a fierce warrior but also a kind soul, but don’t tell anyone that, it could ruin his hard earned reputation! He is incredibly loyal to those he cares about and that list is incredibly short, but Vika has made her way to that list.
 
Although I LOVED the characters, there were a few things holding me back from loving this book. The first being the majority of the book, I think it was something like 80% of the book Solo is stuck in that damn cage. This really slowed the book down at some points it was made the book drag. Solo’s being in a cage limited the action of the book, he’s a fierce warrior forced into inaction for pretty much the entire book. The few times he was out, he was basically beat to ish. This also means pretty much everything happens in the last 20 or so percent of the book. Solo being in a cage also limits interaction between Solo and Vika. The interaction they did have was meaningful but when your male lead is confined and your heroine has to sneak around to see him interaction becomes limited and when there is extended together time a chunk of that time Vika is unconscious and there is again limited interaction.
 
The good and bad “Helpers” of Solo’s were kind of weird and a bit distracting. So they were like Solo’s version of the Good and Bad Angels that sit on someone shoulder; one whispering to do good, the other to do bad, corrupting. No one other than Solo can see his helpers so when he is talking to them he’s basically talking to himself. They were there to I guess enhance the story line but for me I found them an annoyance and hindered the story line. I found the Good Helper to be a bit preachy and the constant changing of the Helpers looks based on Solo decisions to not be a value add but a distraction.
 
Then there was the switching of the senses which I also found random and odd. I didn’t really see the point of it. I wanted a different outcome for this. I can’t really say more on this topic because it’s a spoiler but I really want to. =)
 
This book had plenty of potential to go so many cool places so I was a bit disappointed that it didn’t really go there. It was also missing Gena Showalters trademark humor. I want to laugh, but I didn’t find myself chuckling all that much. The characters were this books saving grace and I do encourage you to read this book one because Vika and Solo are such great characters and two because it sets up the rest of this spin off series and we do get visits from a few of the Alien Huntress characters. I know I will be looking to the next book in this series.