I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A young woman who lost too much and closed her heart off to love’s possibility finds herself taking refuge in a relationship of convenience to avoid a troubling situation and to get her little sister the security they need in author Athina Paris’s “Knight Kisses”. 

The Synopsis

After losing her mother to cancer, Gabrielle swears off love. Because loving hurts too much when things go wrong. Then, she travels to Africa to meet her father – a man whose existence she was oblivious to. Before long, there is also a baby sister to look after, and intuitively she knows that she needs to protect her. Promptly, there is another tragedy, and more than ever, Gabrielle realises how wise she is to lock away her heart. But that was before she met Jonathan Knight, a man who amuses and confuses her, and Paul, his best friend, who is just as smart and funny. Through an unfortunate sequence of events, she finds herself in a troublesome situation, but being who she is, she tries to handle it alone, unwittingly sinking into a morass of danger. A solution comes in the form of Paul, who makes a harebrained suggestion, which Jonathan – for reasons of his own – grabs and presents her with the providential arrangement. Instinctively, she declines the proposal, but Jonathan is persuasive and paints a wonderful picture of security. She accepts out of need, but soon, Jonathan’s ulterior motives unravel, and nothing is as it should be. But she can’t disclose the truth, for her secret could undo the safe future she is trying to create for her little sister.

The Review

This was an emotional and twisty romance thriller. The author does an incredible job in this book of crafting a narrative that felt cinematic and yet relatable all at once, bringing high-octane action and drama with the inclusion of international intrigue, shady mob deals, and family drama with the more intimate moments of emotion regarding loss and love. The heavy atmosphere the author crafts in this book and the thoughtful approach to the story will keep readers invested as Gabrielle’s story unfolds.

To me, this narrative was all riding on Gabrielle’s evolution as a character. The struggle for her to build any sort of relationship, let alone a romantic one, as she fights to take care of her sister and fend off the shady mobsters whom her father brought into her life was so endearing and heartbreaking to read, and the emotional connection she makes with Jonathan as time goes on and the buildup of both the romance and suspense surrounding her all bring readers into the narrative over and over again.

The Verdict

Memorable, heartfelt, and entertaining, author Athina Paris’s “Knight Kisses” is a must-read romantic thriller novel that readers won’t want to put down. The twists and turns in the narrative, the imagery that brings the narrative to life on the page, and the emotional connection readers form to Gabrielle’s story, made this a truly compelling novel to get lost in. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

Athina Paris spent her formative years in Mozambique, where she was born. Years in convents and boarding schools prompted a deep curiosity, which quickly developed into an avid interest in reading and storytelling that led to a lifelong obsession with the written word and books. By fifteen she had discovered ancient civilizations and became fascinated with various mythologies.

She became a spectator of human nature, but quiet and shy, she preferred recording conduct, and so built a treasure-trove of relationship observations from which she eventually drew backgrounds for the characters in her romantic novels.

She studied Interior Design then turned to Creative Writing, and followed that with Script-writing.

Set in faraway and exotic places, Athina’s epic romances take her characters on voyages of self-discovery while dealing with catastrophic love lives in an imperfect world.

A stint as a high school English teacher polished her skills but she now concentrates on her professional goals of writing, editing, and proofreading.

http://www.authorathinaparis.com/index.html