Book Review: Skin Games by Adam Pepper

by - Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Title: Skin Games
Author: Adam Pepper 
Genre: Crime Drama / Thriller
Form: Kindle edition
Publisher: Innovation Haven




Book Description ~ Skin Games

When a mafia princess falls for a two-bit hoodlum an unhappy don plays some rough games in order to separate the two lovers.

Sean O’Donnell is a man who always keeps his word, especially to a lady. His good-for-nothing old man left his mother flat. When she gets ill, Sean assures her that he will never be like his father; if he makes a promise he will keep it, no matter what the cost. When local mob boss Mario Torretta’s daughter Nicole falls for Sean, the Don is not pleased, and makes it known that Sean is not good enough for his princess. However, Nicole is in love and begs Sean to stick by her. Once Sean gives his word, no amount of pressure from the Don will weaken his resolve. Sean will endure and persevere to keep his promise to Nicole, and to his mother.

Skin Games Book Review


“The author said that this book is emotionally charged. Well, I just have to say is that it is sooo true! And SO MUCH MORE! I cried, got scared big time, troubled, and most importantly, it got me curious. Curiosity that made me finish the book in one sitting. I also loved Sean and Nicole - they are so good together.”Ara of My Book and My Coffee

This book, Skin Games, was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. 

As you probably know, I have a great interest in crime and thriller novels as well. I really don't know why. Before I start my review, I just want to remind all of you that Skin Games is a crime drama. The book includes violence as expected.  

Let’s talk about the story. To tell you honestly, when I started to read the first chapter of the book, I was a bit confused. I had to check the book description again to see if I have the correct book. I did, so I continued reading. After the first chapter, the confusion turned into curiosity. I became really interested to know more. After the second chapter, I found myself smiling and feeling excited to continue reading. The way the author wrote the story flow was a bit out of the ordinary but it’s rather appealing. I like it. It was really detailed. It’s a story. *hint hint* :)

Sean O’Donnell is the main character in this book. I actually don’t know if I will like him or not. He’s one of those bad boys that you’ll love and hate… but you’ll love him because he’s a man of his word. I mean, one way or the other, you’ll really love him because he’s a man with ‘balls’. He’s a donkey  (you’ll get that reference too when you read the book *wink*) and when he says that he loves you and he’ll stand by you, he will – even though it means that he’ll take a beating. And not just a beating, a super painful and deadly beating. 

He is one of those bad boys. But wait, define “Bad Boy”, right? He’s not one of those hoodlums that just wanted to have fun and kill people. He doesn’t have a license to kill, no, he’s not 007. He was once a young, innocent boy once who, under challenging circumstances, needed to grow up and fast because he just needs to. He needed to be strong for his mother. He was a teenager who was led to a certain path. And now, he’s the bad boy who fell in love with the mafia princess. 

Bad boy + Nice girl with super duper bad boy father = I don't even want to answer. 

The mafia princess, Nicole, falls in love with Sean, too. She’s really cool and I felt that she’s a bit clueless. Anyway, it’s like Romeo and Juliet all over again. Although, this time, Juliet’s father is worse than ever, and I mean to the highest level. Bad, bad, bad. 

In all fairness, I really felt Sean and Nicole’s connection. They simply clicked. The author did a good job in writing their love for each other. I was in. I don’t want to divulge any more information as I think it will be giving too much already. :) You have to read the book in order to know what happened next. 
I actually didn’t expect the ending to be that way. I wanted it to end differently but the way it ended was somehow realistic. And I can understand that. 

To all my friends, followers, readers and visitors, if you have an interest in crime drama / crime thriller books, then you should really read Skin Games. It’s a very good read for me. I’m giving it 4.5 stars.





About the Author: 

Adam Pepper: Author of Skin Games
Photo courtesy of AdamPepper.com
At times disturbing and grim, others raunchy and comical, Adam Pepper's work is known for a unique blend of horror, suspense and speculative fiction. MEMORIA, Adam's debut novel, reached #1 on the Dark Delicacies Best Seller list and received rave reviews from Cemetery Dance and Chronicle. "Super Fetus," his outrageous bizarro novella was called "In-your-face, allegorical social commentary" by esteemed reviewer, Paul Goat Allen. His quick-hitting short work has appeared in genre magazines including THE BEST OF HORRORFIND, Vol. 2 and SPACE AND TIME. Adam's non-fiction credits span from NEW WOMAN MAGAZINE to THE JOURNAL NEWS. Learn more about Adam at his website: www.AdamPepper.com.

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