Vicious Vixen, by Shiloh Walker

This is an erotic romance published by Samhain Publishing. Ms Walker’s talent lies in her characterization, and this one is no exception. Vicious Vixen is a very intense, if relatively short, read. The narrative shifts between the two main characters, and in two timelines; however, I hesitate to describe these shifts as flashbacks. It is more that the characters are overwhelmed by the intensity of their memories.

Before going any further, though, let’s have the usual warning, taken directly from the publisher: the following contains violence, hot sex and one vicious vixen.

Here’s the surprisingly accurate blurb:

He’s given one chance at redemption—hers and his.
Hired killer, Vixen Markham doesn’t have any illusions about life or love. Unable to trust even the one man she lets into her heart, she makes a decision that she’ll regret for the rest of her life—which won’t be much longer by the looks of things. Loaded with vengeance and a small arsenal of weapons, she’s ready to face up to her past and say goodbye to her future, until she’s confronted by a pair of eyes she could never forget.
Graeme Mackenzie Lawson lived a hard life. Hard on himself and harder on those who got in his way. Betrayed and murdered, he’s given one chance at redemption—but not for himself—for the woman he loved, the woman who killed him.
Can he keep Vixen safe, when she seems determined to lose her life—and her soul?

Graeme is dead. He has been dead for three long years, but his love for Vixen earned him a chance—a chance to save her soul. Vixen hasn’t been truly alive since she felt betrayed by the only man she had ever risked trusting, even before she stabbed him to death. Now he’s once again here, guarding her back, trying to save her in the only way he knows how.

Reality or dreams?

How far does love go? How long does love live? What exactly does loving someone mean? If love can exist after death, then love can redeem and forgive and save. And love can earn the trust of this woman who has never allowed herself to trust before.

This story explores the meaning and worth and weight of love—love that can survive death and outlast betrayal, a love that is strong enough to forgive everything.

Without giving away too much of the plot, I would say that the villains of the piece are very much black and white—but then, the story is not about them even in the most peripheral of ways. It is all about what one person is willing to do, can do, and will do, out of love for another person. And it is about the consequences of each action and impulse, and it explores how one person’s kindness can change someone else’s heart, completely. While another person’s cruelty or indifference can scar another’s life forever.

I love this story—despite its brevity.

This one is 8 out of 10.

Vicious Vixen is only available as an ebook from Samhain Publishing.