I bit slow getting to the point but overall a decent read. ( )

Sins of the Heart
4 Stars

When Roxy Tam first met Dagan Krayl, a soul reaper and son of Sutekh, the Egyptian god of Chaos, he changed her life forever. Now, eleven years later, the two find themselves on opposing sides while investigating the murder of Dagan’s youngest brother. Can they put old hurts and rivalries aside in their common goal to discover the truth and prevent an all-encompassing war that may result in the destruction of humanity?

Note: This review has been updated following Eve Silver's re-release of the book with a new cover, edited content and added material. An advance copy of the new release was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

The new release resolves the slow start of the initial edition by streamlining the chapters, which results in a faster pace and a clearer conceptualization of the complex connections between characters and events. It should be noted that the story still ends on a minor cliffhanger, but this only leaves the reader gasping for more.

Even though this is my second read through, the mystery is still compelling and the process of following the clues is as enjoyable as ever. The unanswered questions from the first version remain. However, they are ultimately resolved by the end of the series, and the journey is well worth the effort.

Roxy and Dagan have an intense and sensual relationship, and both are extremely likeable. Roxy is strong willed, defiant and honorable, and Dagan is intelligent, charming and sensitive despite his occupation as a soul reaper. The push and pull between them is captivating, and seeing them reconcile their conflicting loyalties makes for entertaining reading.

In terms of the secondary characters, there are numerous gods and their minions to keep track of (although not as many, thankfully, as in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunters series). In the previous edition, the more prominent figures, such as Dagan’s brothers, were not as fleshed out as they could have been, and Silver has added some much needed detail in this area.

Silver's writing flows smoothly and the banter between characters, especially between the hero and heroine, is witty and engaging. There are still some disjointed transitions between scenes and chapters, but the world of the Otherkin is very intriguing.

Overall, a bold beginning to an excellent series although some readers may find it too dark and gritty for their tastes. Looking forward to reading the rest of the re-releases. ( )

Want a story that's full of plot twists? With a male lead that's hot and yet aloof, and a female lead that's feisty and has a backbone that would put badass warriors to shame?

Search no more, for this book has it all!

Roxy Tam was once saved by Dagan Krayl, a sugar-loving soul reaper. Ever since then, her life has never been the same. Becoming one of the Daughters of Aset, Roxy is now trying to find the remains of Dagan's dead brother and make sure they're not used to resurrect said brother. But Dagan isn't going to let anyone stand in his way of taking care of his family business, nor is he willing to let her go a second time. Turns out they might have to work together after all, even if they stand on opposing sides of this supernatural war.

I'm telling you, I loved this book, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one! Not only was it fast in pace, full of suspense, and I was left constantly wondering who the heck was the traitor who had caused all this mess, the main couple was HOT! Dagan was dominant and yet adorable in his possessive, lollipop-sucking ways, and Roxy was a match made in heaven for him, with her tendency to stand toe-to-toe with him and prove that's she's not the little girl he had saved so long ago.

Alastor and Calliope were also very interesting secondary characters. I can honestly say, I'm very much looking forward to reading more about them in the books to come! Not to mention, I really want to find out about the kid, and Lokan!

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.*** ( )

Well, this was different. In a good way, of course. Most books that use mythology tend to stick with the Greek and Roman pantheon, instead this focuses on the Egyptian one. Let me just say that I love Ancient Egypt and it's mythology. I've been to Egypt, visited exhibits and so on so this was something I was eager to read.

Sins of the Heart follows Dagan Krayle, the eldest son of Seth, the Egyptian god of chaos. All of his 4 sons are Darksoul reapers -they reap the souls of evildoers and feed them to their father who consumes their energy, preventing them from having any sort of afterlife and any chance at reincarnation, effectively destroying them completely.

Dagan meets a 19 year old Roxy on a reap of a kidnapper and murderer. She's been kidnapped and is trying to escape. Dagan admires her courage and is tempted to release her though it goes against the rules when she sees him take the heart and soul he came for. He spots her necklace which is of the Daughters of Aset -the enemies of his father. He knows she isn't one of them yet but advises her to stay away from the unless she wants to become his enemy, and though she doesn't want that she feels she has no choice and joins them anyway.

Eleven years later, one of Dagan's brother's has been killed. Seth is furious, he wants vengeance and his son's body so that he can resurrect him and find out who murdered him. Everything points to the Daughters of Aset and in Dagan's investigation he finds a necklace of a dead woman which matches Roxy's and prays she's not dead. He goes searching for her hoping she's leading the normal life he wished for her on the day he broke the rules and let her go free.

There was a lot of world building in the first 200 pages or so which I appreciate but the romance did suffer a bit because of this. There was a brief scene between the Dae and Roxy where they met and then were reunited after those 200 pages so the romance had less time to blossom even though both Dae and Roxy were yearning for each other in the 11 years they were parted.

The plot was solid and interesting though at times a little complicated with 6 or more POVs but I understand why all of these were necessary. The mystery behind which god is backing the destruction of Seth and his kin is a difficult one to guess at with so many different factors involved.

This is a complex book which though confusing at times, I enjoyed. I will definitely be continuing the series very soon so I don't have time to forget anything. 3.5 stars. ( )

In general, I love urban fantasy and I love romance but I tend to be wary of paranormal romance - too often, the paranormal romances don't have enough emotional intensity to satisfy the romance reader in me, or enough dark, gritty thrills to satisfy the UF reader in me. So I approached SINS OF THE HEART with low expectations. I knew it was a 2011 RITA finalist, however, and I find that the RITA nominees are usually worth a read.

I knew I'd like SINS OF THE HEART after I finished the kindle sample. The hero and heroine hardly see one another, but I was still completely riveted to the world and the characters. Silver creates tension and interest without having to resort to high drama or sex; her underworld, with it's Egyptian mythology, is expertly realized and riveting.

For the first...30%, maybe 40% of the novel, Dagan and Roxy are just circling around one another. It's rare to find a romance that works as a romance despite this separation, but SINS OF THE HEART does. They have one meeting that leaves Dagan longing to see more of Roxy but determined to avoid her, while, for her part, their encounter so scars Roxy that she joins up with Dagan's enemies.

There's an overarching conflict to do with Dagan's brother - he's been murdered, and Dagan needs to find his brother's body and reassemble the pieces to bring him back to life (since they're the sons of a god, death is not necessarily a permanent state). Roxy, having joined the enemy organization, is not inclined to help. But both get caught up in the plot and its aftermath, and they end up having to work together to stay alive - even if their goals aren't aligned. Eventually, shared expeirence, attraction, and mutual admiration breaks down the walls that time has built between them and the romance itself is intense and really satisfying.

As a final note: I went on to read the second in the series Sins of the Soul (Hqn). I was wrapped up i the over-arching plot about who killed the brother and found Alastor appealing where he appeared in Sins of the Heart (Hqn). It's a very similar plot, featuring Dagan's brother and another heroine from the same enemy organization, but it didn't pull me in nearly so much. Still debating about whether to go on and read the third in the series, Sins of the Flesh (Hqn). ( )