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Wicked Kiss is book two in the Nightwatchers series, and seems to be the conclusion of the tale, or at least of the storyline that began in Dark Kiss (read my review here). It's a substantially longer book than the first, but the author has definitely improved in her craft, making it an all around more satisfying read.

Publication Information

• Full Title:Wicked Kiss
• Author: Michelle Rowen
• Series: Nightwatchers

• Publisher: Harlequin Teen
• Publication Date: 2013
• ISBN: 9780373210640

More Kissing

Where Dark Kiss had a lot of wanting to kiss, but not that much actual kissing, Wicked Kiss gives in and offers up some pressing of lips. There's still a lot more longing than doing, but Rowen seems to be able to avoid some of the repetitive description that got to be a little much in the first book.

The stakes are ramped up, too. When we left Sam and her allies at the end of Dark Kiss, they had solved the immediate threat of the demon that was the Source of the grays and their soul-sucking abilities. But Sam was still without her soul, and the angel Bishop was still stuck with a soul that was driving him slowly mad. And now there's something new out there -- maybe a demon, maybe a ghost -- that's causing young people all over the city to commit suicide.

Oh yeah, and the grays left behind by the destruction of the Source may be turning into something much worse than they were before.

More Plotting

I found the plot of the first Nightwatchers book to be pretty basic, not pushing the boundaries of its genre or introducing anything new.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, especially if it's the author's first book. And besides, the story, the writing, and the characters can more than make up for a weak plot.

In Wicked Kiss, Rowen has pushed her storytelling abilities, and while it's still not a revolutionary plot, it's more interesting, with more twists and turns, than the first book. Wicked Kiss did seem to start off a little slow, just as Dark Kiss did, but once it got going, it really got going.

Just More

One small issue I had with the story -- with the plot -- was that it really felt like it was going to end about two-thirds of the way through, at about the same length as the first book. That's where several of the major plot threads were tied up. Instead, it went on for considerably longer, until every single dangling thread was neatly tied up and concluded.

While I'm certainly glad Rowen didn't leave her fans wondering what happened, I almost wished she had ended Wicked Kiss where I thought it felt like it was ending, and left the rest of the story for a third volume in the series. She was definitely picking up steam in this book, and I for one would gladly have waited to find out how events turned out if I could have another full novel of Nightwatchers.

Longing for More

As with the first book, there isn't really much sex in Wicked Kiss. There is, of course, the usual teenage longing. The same cheating ex-boyfriend is mentioned in this volume, and there are a few naughty comments, but otherwise, it's just a sweet romance. There are a few mentions of underage drinking and one of pot, so parents worried about those things should be aware. Overall, though, this is a book suitable for teens of all ages.

I'm really pleased that Michelle Rowen, who wrote a pretty good book with Dark Kiss, upped her game and wrote an even better book with Wicked Kiss. If she keeps working on her craft as she obviously has been, she might make it to my must-read authors list relatively soon. I'll certainly take a look if she publishes another Nightwatchers title.



Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.