Review: Queen of Hearts by Kristen Painter

Book Description
Welcome to Las Vegas, home of the Sin City Collectors. The job description is easy: Bring the offending supernatural in to the Boss and don’t ask any questions. Feline shifter Claudette Marchon traded life as a showgirl to become a Sin City Collector, giving up the glamour to earn some serious cash in order to buy her own business. Mission accomplished, she now runs a pawn shop specializing in gems and jewelry. Life is good until a Collection job requiring her specific skill set lures her back in. The Queen of Hearts, a museum-worthy ruby and diamond necklace has been stolen from the Boss’s private collection and she’s his last hope to do what two other Collectors have already failed to do. Bring in the necklace. And the thief. But gargoyle Jason Tennant isn’t quite the dangerous criminal Claudette expects. In fact, he’s not a thief at all. He’s former Special Ops and being set up by the real mastermind, forcing her to decide between the man she’s falling for and the man she works for. Proving Jason innocent may risk the Boss’s wrath, but Claudette’s heart says it’s a gamble worth taking. What’s Collected in Vegas, stays in Vegas... *All Sin City Collectors Novellas are stand alone novellas, all set within the world of the SCC. Our goal is for you to sit back and enjoy the ride as each author presents their unique story. The world of the Sin City Collectors is big. Places and characters will overlap, so be sure to look for your favorites and stay tuned for more novellas!

My Review
*Warning: This review may contain spoilers*

I was looking through some of the free ebooks on Amazon and found this one. I hadn't read this author before so I decided to try out one of her books. I live in Las Vegas so I'm usually excited to find stories set here but this one just didn't hit home with me. This book is a novella and even knowing that, I felt that the author tried to put too much into too few pages. 

While there were smoldering looks, flirting and even a couple of kisses...there was no sex. Not one sex scene. It was kind of a let down for me. This didn't feel like a romance book to me at all and I think a chance was missed to make it better. 

The other thing that bothered me was the fact that Claude retired from Sin City Collectors but according to her and her bosses you never really get to retire completely and if they suspect you turned traitor on them or break the rules, you can and will be punished. So then why did she ask for her new boyfriend to be a collector? Why would she want someone else to be in a job they can never really get out of, is dangerous and that you could be severely punished from if you mess up bad enough. 

Some things just don't make sense and if it doesn't seem believable then it detracts from the story which is what happened in this one for me. 

I did really like Claude and Jason's characters and thought the chemistry between them was awesome. The sparks flew right away. I even felt bad for Jason with all he'd had to endure over the past 2 years at the hands of Sloan. 

Maybe it's because this is a novella that I didn't feel like there was much world building and didn't feel connected to what was happening around them. They are in Las Vegas but we don't really feel that from the story being told. But if you're looking for a quick flirty read, this might be the book for you. 

If you'd like to buy this book for yourself, you can do so here.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.