Gritty, fast paced crime drama with a great MC. If you're looking for spice, it kicks in toward the end--this is a slow burn.

I still love lesbian crime fiction, especially when they're as fast paced and intriguing as this one. It's quite violent, so many head injuries, plenty of shocks and edge of seat moments too. Great characters although, I confess I did muddle some of the bikers, great story. Gripping read.

With thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Carolyn Elizabeth writes some of the best adrenaline-racing action packed lesfic novels and this was another to add to her list. Lucky is a detective who embarks on a crazy undercover gig to infiltrate an outlaw motorcycle group. She ends up going undercover completely without any assistance and there a multitude of moments in this where I was on the edge of my seat worried for Lucky. She is a badass but also kind of crazy!

It's difficult to say more without giving spoilers but I highly recommend a read if you like an action packed novel blended with romance.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bella Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy Sorin is a reckless and kind detective. She has an informant Skye to get information on the Rat Lords, a gang of who cause death and destruction in Lucy's town. Lucy is a different main character as she is reckless and stubborn, and she eventually loses her badge. Lucy is a good pool player and playing comforts her. There is danger and emotion in this book plus also romance with Mila, an ATF agent. I like the book and would recommend it to crime and romance readers.

Lucky Sorin might be the unluckiest person ever named "Lucky". Her impulsive and sometimes reckless behavior from the first moment led her into some sticky situations. Lucky's irreverent comments, disregard for her own safety, and ability to infuse levity into tough situations make her such a compelling main character. Lucky's journey is action-packed with a ton of aggressively scruffy bad guys who keep Lucky on the move. The plot is so cleverly crafted that readers will continuously be kept on their toes, never knowing what's going to happen next.
Mira Allen is absolutely perfect and such a total badass that I think I might be just a little bit in love with her.

Kiss Shot is a not to be missed action-packed crime thriller that you won't want to put down. I absolutely loved every single second of this incredible read!

I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this was AMAZING. The characters were great, the story ran smoothly, and the plot was spot on. This was action packed and full of angst. I read it in one sitting because I just could not put it down until the end. What a journey. Well done Carolyn Elizabeth, I can't wait for your next book. I recommend, I promise you won't be disappointed. 4.5 stars

I received an ARC copy from the publisher Bella Books via NetGalley.

This is a tough book to read. Not because it’s badly written, or poorly plotted, or has no credible characters. None of those things are true. The writing is impeccable, the plotting is spot on, the pacing is perfect and the characters are infuriating, honourable, and at times downright annoying. I loved it.

Lucy, aka Lucky, is a good cop but always goes a little close to the edge to get the job done. When she breaks the rules one too many times, she has to give up her badge. But actually this is just a ploy to get her undercover with a local crooked biker gang and try to flush out some bent police officers. Lucky is good undercover especially using her excellent pool skills. She also develops a soft spot for Mira who is the biker boss’s girlfriend.

There are no spoilers here but my goodness the book is full of angst. One minute you think you know what’s happening, then Ms Elizabeth twists things and you’re confused again. Who are the good guys and what’s going to happen next? Who can we trust?

Recommended if you like crime stories that are full of action and tough women with strong morals. I will continue to read books by this author as I haven’t been disappointed once yet. Ms Elizabeth knows how to tell a story.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley

𝗚𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿.

This book is about an undercover cop trying to infiltrate into a criminal group and while I don't typically enjoy reading a lot of such action-based cop novels, I enjoyed this one. I like Carolyn Elizabeth's stories a lot. I've read a couple of books she's published previously and while they are all vastly different, they are all pretty exciting and full of action. For this book, I thought the main character, Lucky, was a fascinating character. She's had a rough childhood, which allows her to empathise with kids going through the same and her heart is in the right place. But she's also impulsive and hence not terribly good at her job and makes several bad decisions during operations.

While going undercover, Lucky takes a special interest in the triad boss' girlfriend, Mira, who appears to be more street smart, which makes her a fascinating character too, though I wish we had more of her and her POV.

I recommend reading this book for the excitement and action but not for the romance. I thought the romance between Lucky and Mira was nice but a little bit underwhelming.

4.5 stars!! An action packed page turning that had me stressed out for the characters until the very end! I am a huge fan of Elizabeth's books and always have so much fun being thrown into her worlds she creates. This book definitely held up to the hype I had when I first read the synopsis.

Kiss Shot follows Lucky Sorin, a detective on a case investigating a motorcycle gang, The Rat Lords. Things go astray and she winds up being kicked off the case and out of her job. She decides to take things into her own hands and uses her pool skills to try to infiltrate the well know Rat Lords. What she did not expect was to meet the alluring Mira Allen, who is the lover of the gang's leader.

This book is action packed, filled with twists and turns and truly had me stressed out for the characters for the majority of the read. The romance in the book is definitely not the main focus, however there is a lot of bickering and angst between the main characters which I loved.

I do wish we got more of the romance between the characters, but I am hoping that there might be a sequel to this story (fingers crossed!). Overall, I highly recommend this book because you will not be bored for a second!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars. Those that follow my reviews know that I will read anything Elizabeth writes. The genres wildly differ (which I applaud), there is always a lot of action involved and one of the characters often tends to be impulsive, landing her in less favorable situations. That’s the case in this book too. Lucky is a detective with a good work ethic and the heart at the right place, but her big mouth and impulsive choices seem to always get her into trouble.

When Lucky messes up an investigation after the Rat Lords and is kicked off the team, she dumps the badge and goes rogue. Her incredible talent at the pool table soon brings her in the world of the rat lords, but life is about to be complicated, the stakes are high and nobody can be trusted. And then there is this huge distraction in the form of Mira, the lover of the president of the Rat Lords.

This story is written in first person from the POV of Lucky and while she is not really a funny person, I often had to laugh about her thought processes. You also get to see another side of Lucky, the one where she had a rough time growing up which still impacts the way she lives and some of the decisions she makes.
The romance in this book is pretty light and because this is a first person book you do not get a lot of insight in Mira. For me it worked for this story as she remains mysterious for a long time, but still I would have liked to know more about her. I think we need a sequel with these two and get to know Mira better, it could even make a cool series. Can we have that please?

This is one of those books that is almost impossible to put down. A stumbling hero takes you through a high paced and highly entertaining underground crime story while encountering some excellent plot twists along the way.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kiss Shot by Carolyn Elizabeth is a fast-paced adventure novel with an intricate plot, striking characters, and a slow-burn romance between two unlikely characters. This is one book I had trouble putting down for such mundane tasks as eating, sleeping, and interacting with the people around me.

The author creates the dark mood and danger in this story through the descriptions of the setting. The fast-paced action will keep you glued to the pages, but it is the characters that make this book something special.
The main character, Lucy (Lucky) Sorin does not have an easy life, both in her past and present. She is a detective in the Street Crimes unit until she gets in trouble and is demoted. She quits instead of accepting the demotion. Then she takes her cue stick and heads to the Rat Lords clubhouse to become a pool hustler. The Rat Lords are the outlaw motorcycle gang she had been working to bring down as a cop. There she meets Mira Allen, the club president’s lover. Lucky’s attitude and smart mouth soon get her in trouble again, but this time, there is no one to help…or is there?

The unforgettable people in the tale as well as the complex plot with its many unexpected twists and turns will grab your interest and keep you reading long into the night.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books for an honest review.

Whoa! My favorite genre was kicked in the ass and turned on its head. It was rough, messy, crass and a little out of my comfort zone… but I liked it. The MC wasn’t particularly smart or thoughtful and just sort of blundered through the book making awful choices and barely scrapping by. Her name is Lucky and the only thing lucky about her is she has managed not to get herself killed. I’m not even going to try to get into the plot, because I don’t want to give anything away. Just know, whatever you expect out of this book won’t likely manifest, but what unfolds is so much better.

I wouldn’t be upset if it were slightly longer with some more build up and detail, but the length didn’t distract from the story.

Lucky grew up in foster care and until a police officer Curran took her under her wing who later becomes Lucky Captain. She became a detective assigned to Street Crimes in Albany, NY. she is a good cop despite the fact she cocky doesn’t thinks before she acts but she does gets the job done. When she refuse take a demotion she quits and goes back to what she loves doing playing pool and hustling in the Rat Lords territory. But everything isn’t what’s it’s seems as the story progresses we deals with gangs, corrupt cops and a life of crime in the mix of it all a romance happens between Lucky and Mira who I really like and how she sees right through Lucky in my opinion wish we had more of her back story though. Overall I enjoy the read wouldn’t mind another story with Lucky and company.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Lucky (Lucy) Sorin is a detective assigned to Street Crimes in Albany, NY. She grew up in foster care and on the streets until a police officer took an interest and mentored her. That officer is now her captain. The Rat Lords are running the town and always seem to be one step ahead of the police. When Lucky refuses to take a demotion for insubordination she quits and turns to hustling pool gangs in the Rat Lords territory.

I don’t want to give any more details away but there is fly by the seat of your pants action. Lucy is cocky whether meeting bikers, thugs or sex workers. She lives life on the edge as if she has nothing to lose. And of course nothing is quite what it seems. Mira was my favorite other character and I wish I knew more of her back story.

Carolyn Elizabeth delivers a thrilling, action packed, police story with a smidge of romance. I sat and read the book in one sitting because I didn’t want to put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and Bella Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 star
A wild ride from beginning to end. Once you start you won't be able to put it down.
There are many, many surprises, scares and some over the top characters. The 2 main characters are interesting together. One is very experienced and the other.......not so much.
Carolyn Elizabeth is an interesting author.. All of her books cover different genres. They span from medical examiner, pirates, ghosts and now pool shark undercover agents.
All are mysteries full of interesting characters, clever dialog and a hot romance. You can always count on this author to entertain.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about Lucy “Lucky” Sorin an Albany NY police detective. She grew up in foster care and learned her street smarts young. She becomes a disgraced officer when an under cover operation goes bad and she’s kicked off the police force.

She resorts to her passion of being a 8 Ball pool hustler with her own custom made pool cue to make money. She meets up with the motorcycle gang that’s been terrorizing the city. With her smart mouth and her bad ass street fighting skills she holds her own against the gang.

Once she meets up with the gang in their pool hall the action in the story really speeds up. There are lots of bad guys and girls to make the story exciting and there are some dirty cops helping the gang too. Lucky ends up with a surprise friend to help her.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for an action packed story and a bit of romance.

You know when you finish a book very late at night and you start a new one thinking “I’ll only read a couple of chapters and then go to sleep”.  A big nope,  nada, not going to happen with Kiss Shot.

You are immediately pulled into the story of Lucky (Lucy) Sorin, a woman who rose up from a life of hard knocks to become a respected detective in her local police force. Only then, by defying a direct order from her captain is she ousted unceremoniously from the department. Lucky turns to what she knows best, hustling pool. She ups the ante by playing at a local biker clubhouse and falls hard for the girlfriend of the club president. At this point, what you thought was exciting will be blown out of water by the rest of the novel.

Carolyn Elizabeth has given us a thrill ride of a seventh novel made up with intriguing characters and a storyline which keeps you guessing until the end. Although I am sleep deprived from my overnight nonstop read, I have absolutely no regrets. And neither will you after reading Kiss Shot.

I received a free advance review copy from Bella Books through NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Carolyn Elizabeth is one of those authors who can just jump genres without a problem, it’s amazing really.
Elizabeth has a seemingly effortless writing style that spins stories wonderfully.

For me, this book took about 1/3 before I got really into this story. Sucked into the world of gangs, corrupt cops and a life of crime. Elizabeth has me questioning if I should like or loathe our main, Lucky. She’s such a mixed bag of a character, I actually love it. We don’t see many of those.
I can’t say too much about the story because no one likes a spoiler, definitely not with this type of book.
I usually figure lots of stuff out pretty quickly but Carolyn Elizabeth did manage to surprise me a good couple of times.

This is yet another good book written by an author who has become one of my favourites in just a short time.
The type of dialogue she writes, I live for it. The Curtis & Reynolds series is a master class in excellent, banter filled dialogue, but this one will hold its own as well.

How this book gives me a little Bound vibe! I can't stop but feel like Lucky must look like Corky and Mira as Violet.
The book really has a good start. The story is full of action and mystery. I only have a minor issue with Lucky's move. She's too impulsive and acts without thinking. I was looking forward to the undercover part, but Lucky blew it away almost at the beginning. It fits her character tho, but it also made me want to shake her shoulder and ask "WHY?!". Mira, on the other hand, is probably the most intriguing character I've read recently. I wish we have more background story about her.

I've read Carolyn Elizabeth's The Raven and the Banshee and the series Curtis and Reynolds so far. I love them both. Corey and Thayer from the C&R series are still one of my favorite sapphic couples. I was so excited when I was able to get the ARC! And it didn't disappoint me!

<i>I received an ARC from Bella Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Another book from this author that I have enjoyed very much. If you’re into just romance this is not for you but if you like action and mystery (who is the mole?) with a bit of romance then go for it! This is told from Lucky’s point of view. It takes a wee while for Mira to appear in the story but worth waiting for.