Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. This book put me on my path to Sam Crescent so thank you. This book was so good ! I loved it! I love the action and the entire storyline! A must read!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Evernight Publishing for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is the first in a new series. I truly didn't like the names of the people-that was my biggest gripe. I get that he is an assassin and that is not his real name but really Viper? and Boss? I didn't know what to think of Pepper as she seemed clueless and unable to help herself. Her stepdad was horrible. This was not my usual read so I think I am not sure what to think. I did enjoy it and I did yell in my head at the characters, so I guess I was invested. This is truly pretty unbelievable but what do I know. It was still fun. 4 stars

This was a quick read, and it was good. I don't enjoy insta love in stories, so this one wasn't great for me, but it was steamy and I still enjoyed it.

I tried on multiple occasions to get through this book, but unfortunately I just don’t think it’s for me. For anyone who loves extremely spicy reads, I think you would really love this one. Even though the content wasn’t for me, I have to say the writing style was great.

Quick pace insta live story. This is a great buildup for the series. H was cocky but not overly so. I enjoyed the read.

Loved reading the engaging and captivating story by the fabulous duo authors, Sam Crescent and Stacey Espino. Viper, one of the Killer of Kings, is hired to murder a beautiful, young woman, Piper, but he ends up protecting her. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written full of romance and action, and a must read love story. Can't wait to read the next book in the series!
I just reviewed Taking Her Innocence by Sam Crescent, Stacey Espino. #TakingHerInnocence #NetGalley
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Taking Her Innocence by Sam Crescent, Stacey Espino is the First book in the Killer of Kings Series. This is the story of Pepper and Viper. Viper is a heartless hit-man who doesn't do emotions. But when he is hired to kill a Pepper she clicks something inside of him. This was a quick hot read.

Taking her Innocence took me for a dramatic, emotional rollercoaster ride. Very well written, very detail oriented, and although there was a lot of violence, it was easy to follow the very specific storyline. Loved the unexpected ending.

I look forward to more by this author.

This is a fast paced, high octane read with lots of steam, and some serious bad guys who might actually be good.

Quick hot sexy read. Viper is a killer for hire and his newest job is to kill Pepper. Yet one look at her and he's hooked. Pepper has never met a man like Viper and he's now her only hope of survival from the bounty on her head. There's plenty of action, passion, angst, and wet panties to keep the reader entertained.

Overall, a quick read that will give you an hour or two of a steamy getaway.

This is a fast paced, high octane read with lots of steam, and some serious bad guys who might actually be good.

The heroine is larger than most and this fact is brought up several times throughout the book. The usual pitfalls of such occur and I did find it taking me out of the story a time or two. She’s obviously innocent but she shines with strength before the end of the book.

Viper is an assassin and while the inevitable happens, he doesn’t instantly go soft and gooey towards his mark. There were a time or two that he was a bit rough in how he spoke to her. He does show some great protective instincts and when you add in his dirty talking style, he was pretty hot.

Overall, a quick read that will give you an hour or two of a steamy getaway.

This is a book that has all sorts of tropes I can get behind- curvy virgin heroine, danger and suspense, soapy drama, plot twists, and hello steam! And there’s a lot of cleverness to the plot, a great concept bolstered by interesting character archetypes. A anti-hero that finds heroism in the face of his love for the heroine, those yummy super protective dominant traits. A heroine resilient in the face of (ludicrous) circumstances, traumatized but finds her self-assuredness and courage in the arms of her protector who was once her primary threat. Sounds delicious.

And certainly there is a lot to be entertained by here- unfortunately the promise of familiar and salacious tropes didn’t quite hit home in a satisfying way for me personally. In part because I just felt like I needed more- more time, more substance, more relational scaffolding. Viper transforms a bit too quickly- we don’t get to wallow in his own tension, the conflict he feels between the life he’s lead and the one he could live with Pepper. And after everything she’s been through, she’s quick to put her life, heart, and body in the hands of her once assassin. The action circumvents that progression, and without that emotional underpinning, it makes the plot look even more redonkulous, particularly thanks to a few clear plot contrivances that don’t feel quite in character. Given the whole set up, I knew it would be fast-paced and soapey, just wanted a bit more meat. But it's certainly fun, uber sexy, and quick read- so great entertainment overall.

I was excited to read this one - loved the cover and the idea behind it, but the execution was rough. Viper was hired to kill Pepper by her stepfather who stood to inherit millions upon her death. Although I had read the blurb for this, I assumed Viper had some morals somewhere. The fact that he didn't blink twice at being hired to kill an innocent girl and only changed his mind when she hired them for a lot more money to keep her alive, made him completely irredeemable for me. I had assumed there would be something more to him, and this was something I was never really able to get over. I've read a lot of dark stories with anti-Heroes but usually there is something that occurs to make the Hero redeemable for the story or as the hero and that just didn't occur here. Sam Crescent creates interesting characters, and writes the emotions and actions on the page, but there is also a disconnect there in the writing where it sometimes comes across as stilted and I was never fully able to connect with either character.

Entertaining for the most part. Good characters and dialogue helped make the story better. Lots of heat in the book.

For me, this book was just not convincing. It's a fairly short read, I really disliked both the male and female MC. I enjoyed the insta-love, the steam was alright, but sadly I wouldn't recommend this one.

I enjoyed the plot and spice quite a bit, but felt the MMC and FMC could have had more chemistry and more lead up.

Viper, a contract killer falls for his mark and protects here from those coming to kill her. I liked this as it was a big grittier than some of her works. It wasn't quite insta love but close. Lots of spicy, sexy times and some violence as Piper tries to stay alive after her stepfather puts a contract out on her life. Pepper was sweet but had a spine which I liked and Viper was a hardened criminal who didn't realize that he wanted love in his life. A very enjoyable read.

This one was not for me. The steam factor was great, but it was far too insta-love to make sense. The characters immediately want to jump one another, then wanted to fall in love immediately - it was way too unbelievable. I struggled to really connect with the female lead because she was so naive and innocent it seemed too far fetched.

ARRGGG is it me??
i didnt like this.
I loved the plot and story builing, I loved the badass mercs, I loved the concepts.. but that insta love romance aspect.. hard pass.
also I get that this was supposed to be a nonbody shaming love your skin book but it didnt actually come off that way. She is told she is skinny, then she says she is fat, then she is told she has fleshy globes .. is it body dysmorphia? did the authors lose consistency? Is size even relevant here?

It was a quick easy read. I think I still will read book 2 to see if it gets back on track.

Who doesn’t love an assassin romance. Falling for your own killer? One with big tattooed arms and the ability to protect you from harm, harm that is not him of course. Um yes please.

Viper is a rough assassin with a traumatic childhood. The violence of his past blended into his adulthood and all he’s ever know is killing. Viper now works for the Killer of Kings, a group of assassins. When his next mission leads him to the hotel room of the run away heiress to Henshaw Corporation. The last thing he expected was a curvy, blond hair blue eyed sweetheart named Pepper. Pepper is on the run from her greedy stepfather after the death of her mom left her fortune to fall to Pepper. Her stepfather is dying to get his hands on the corporation and money that he’s put out a worldwide hit on Pepper.

When the mission takes a turn, Viper isn’t expecting his feelings, that originally should be nonexistent, to start to come into play. Piper is everything he refused to dream of and when she’s finally in his grasp, can he keep her safe? And can Pepper be at fault for her feelings if her assassin is as hot as Viper?

Things I liked:
• How confident Viper was as an assassin. He was just like yea I can hold my own, punch punch. LOL.
• The fight scenes in general. Oh and did I say Viper. I did. Okay just making sure.
• Bain. I hope we get his story next or sometime in the future because I am intrigued.
• The ending was satisfying. I don’t want to delve to much and give it away.

Things I personally didn’t like:
• I couldn’t tell if this book was mainly about the smut or the plot just didn’t live up to my expectations. I wanted Piper to put up more of a fight and have a slower burn, but instead Piper came off naive and easy (god I did not want to use that word but I did).
• With Viper having a traumatic past I was expecting him to be more distant to the idea of love and having Piper for himself.
• Words used in smut that I don’t like one bit and have the potential to kill the mood. 1. Spunk. 2. Globes (in reference to her butt).
• The entire timeline of the book was about a week. Everything felt so rushed and I was really dying for an enemies to lovers slow burn. Which is why I was wondering if the smut was the plot because then everything I’m saying doesn’t apply and it all makes sense besides the use of words in bullet point 3.

I would say give this book a go if you’re looking for a fast paced assassin romance.

The book didn’t convince me of the relationship and didn’t show me the characters having nor developing the right fundation for a relationship.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.