Kinked by Thea Harrison, UK cover.

Title: Kinked (The Elder Races, 6)
Author: Thea Harrison
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Piatkus (5th November 2013)
Blurb:

Two opponents must confront the cause of their obsessive fury in the latest novel of the Elder Races . . .

As a harpy, Sentinel Aryal is accustomed to dealing with hate, but Sentinel Quentin Caeravorn manages to inspire in her a burning unlike anything she’s ever known. Aryal believes the new sentinel to be a criminal, and vows to take him out as soon as the opportunity arises. But the harpy’s incessant wrath has pushed Quentin to the limit, and forces him to make a deadly vow of his own.

To put an end to the conflict, Dragos, Lord of the Wyr, sends them on a reconnaissance mission to the Elven land of Numenlaur. Forced to work together, Aryal and Quentin’s antagonism escalates. Each fight draws forth more passion – culminating in an explosively sexual confrontation. But when their mission reveals real danger, Aryal and Quentin must resolve their differences in ways beyond the physical, before the entire Wyr is threatened . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

KINKED is the sixth book in Thea Harrison’s spectacular THE ELDER RACES series. Set not long after the previous book in the series LORD’S FALL (review), KINKED tells the story of Aryal (no last name) and Quentin Caeravorn two of Dragos’s Sentinels. Their dislike of one another and the ensuing fights force Dragos to send them on a mission to the Elven land of Numenlaur to sort out their differences once and for all. Like the previous books in the series KINKED is very definitely a book which is aimed at an adult audience.

One of the things that I like the most about Thea Harrison’s THE ELDER RACES series is that she writes both strong heroes AND strong heroines – and KINKED is no exception to this. Aryal is a harpy, and on top of that she is a woman who knows her own mind and heart. She is no passive maiden waiting to be rescued, instead she is at the heart of the action and actively seems to enjoy the mayhem. Quentin is very male, and refuses to backdown and be less dominant than Aryal as it is against his nature. Sparks fly every time the two clash.

At first glance you would be forgiven for thinking that KINKED lacks little in the way of plot, as it focuses mainly on the relationship between Aryal and Quentin. However, Harrison cleverly winds a plot through the book that plays an important, if secondary role, to the narrative. When Aryal and Quentin arrive in Numenlaur they discover that Dragos was right to be concerned about people trespassing, as someone or something appears to be searching the ruins for an object. I really enjoyed watching this plot thread unfold as it was interwoven between the antagonism between the main characters. I also enjoyed the way that Harrison handled the relationship between Aryal and Quentin, and made it clear that they were both equally at fault. I also enjoyed the fact that the relationship between the main characters is the most equal of all the relationships in THE ELDER RACES series.

If you are a fan of paranormal romances and haven’t checked this series out yet, then you should do so! If you are a fan of romances and aren’t sure that the paranormal aspect will do anything for you, you should give this series a try as Harrison does a great job in ensuring that the paranormal aspect is part of the plot and not just a literary device to “add to the romance”.