Kiss Of Death - Alice Wilde.

Kiss Of Death.

Author: Alice Wilde.

Pages: 270 pages, Paperback. 

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Dark, Paranormal, Retellings, Monsters, NA.

Published: February 27, 2023. Independently Published. 

Goodreads Rating: ★★★☆☆ 3.89

Hii, my fellow readers. This week's book is 'Kiss Of Death' by Alice Wilde. The first book in the 'Temping the Fates' series. KOD is a dark fantasy retelling series that is a slow burn and slow - builds in multiple love interests, forbidden love, multiple POVs, cliffhangers, betrayal, and it has some TW. 

This book triggered me, thanks to a reel of the author on her Instagram. Death (MC) seemed an interesting person, and I still stand by that thought. He seems scary and dark, but his kindness and thoughtfulness to Hazel, melt my heart. Hazel (our other MC), on the other hand, is quite a naive person. I like how kind and helpful she was, yet it got her nothing but trouble. On the other hand, some saw her kindness and helped her. However, I found that some characters' behavior was kind of confusing (for example Cyrpian). This book is written in multiple POV (Hazel and Death). Hazel lives with her stepmother Merelda, her two stepbrothers, and her father (who is always on the way). I haven't made up my mind on what I think about Hazel's father... The other characters (stepfamily), are cruel. Even Crypian, who is clearly a coward. 

The world-building is not big but clearly written. You'll get a good idea how everything looks like. The world-building is well-written. 

This book had a really slow start and hadn't had great character development, I find some characters even cruel (Lord Payne, I hate him). I hope that the prequels have more character development. The whole story was actually very slow and I really thought that this book would have some smut in it. Yet, there was no smut in it. There are some trigger warnings in this book that I follow. I had to hold my heart regularly. I hoped for a good ending for Hazel. However, this book ended on a thrilling cliffhanger. This wasn't the best book that I ever read. Anyhow, I did thoroughly enjoy this book and I will be reading the next book 'Touch Of Death", because I'm too curious about this story and I want to discover more about the character 'Death'.

Synopsis:

What would you give to save the one person who truly loves you? 

Your soul? Your Life? Your love? 

Life was far from perfect after my mother's sudden death, but it was one I'd grown to love.

And now, it's a life I'll never know again. Not after she and her two cruel sons entered our lives. My father swore he'd never love again, but just as suddenly as Merelda arrived, she became the very center of his world... And just as quickly, I was all but forgotten.

Still, I did not complain... If only for my father's sake.

Not even when cruel words turned into even crueler punishments at my new step family's hands.

It isn't until I suddenly find my father on his deathbed and myself sold off to a sadistic lord, that I finally decide to take matters into my own hands. 

I have to safe my father.

And, in order to do that, I'll have to make a deal with The Bargainer.

If I fail, I'll be found, beaten, and married off to undoubtedly die at my husband's hand.

If I succeed, my father will live, though at what cost to my own life I do not know.

Either way, my life as I know it is forfeit... But at least this way, I'll be able to choose my own fate.

Or... So I thought. 

Love, ❤

DarkBlue