Hello, and welcome back! I'm using up the last of my personal time from work this week since ours is one of the many stores closing after the holiday season. I actually took today to do nothing at all. Okay, mostly nothing. No cooking, no laundry. I did read, and we figured out our Thanksgiving menu for next week. Tomorrow, I get to go for those groceries, and to work on my current manuscript.

Today, though, I have Skin Game (Berkley), the latest paranormal from Ava Gray, aka Ann Aguirre, for you. Kyra Beckwith is on the top of hitman Reyes's list, but when he actually crosses paths with her after his hunt, he wants something very different from her than just to carry out the orders of his employer. Kyra has an unusual ability: she can touch a person and take on their best skill, an ability that served her well when it came time to wreak her own vengeance on casino owner Gerard Serrano. But now Serrano wants his money back and Kyra dead, and he'll stop at nothing to see that accomplished. Except Reyes begins to wonder about what really happened between Serrano and Kyra, and he won't stop until he discovers the truth. Only that means not finishing the job he's been hired to do, because he won't kill Kyra. He wants a future with her, even after she's used her gift on him. But Kyra has relationship issues that become much worse after she discovers exactly why he crossed paths with her in the first place. When I picked this one up, I thought the premise sounded intriguing, and for a reader who loves paranormal, it's not more of the same-old, same-old. But I didn't love this one. The story is fine, but something about the storytelling put me off. I didn't feel for either character as you want to do with a truly great story and terrific characters. Somehow, neither of these characters really grabbed me and made me want to root for them. Kind of a shame, I thought. This one was just okay for me, but not a keeper. It's earned only three of Cupid's five arrows.

Until next time, happy reading!