Sad as I was that this was the final book in the series, that feeling of nostalgia didn't help me like the book more. As compared to the other books in the series, this one was lacking for me. I liked the parts about the ever so mysterious Booke, and of course I liked almost everyone from the other books being around, but other than that I felt as if everything wrapped up too quickly. Another case of too much story for one book, I think. ( )

Full review posted at The Book Pushers:
http://thebookpushers.com/2013/03/26/review-agave-kiss-by-ann-aguirre/

Wow. I have just ended an epic journey with this series and I can’t believe it has ended. But what a wonderful and bittersweet ending it was. When we last saw Corine Soloman, she found herself and her best friend, Shannon, in London after escaping Sheol. But there was a a huge and tragic price to pay and that was with the death of Chance who sacrificed himself to allow them to escape. Grieving and battered with the lost of her witch powers, Corine is determined to find a way to be reunited with Chance because there is hope that she could bring him back due to his divine mixed heritage. Corine also has to deal with a pissed off demon over a debt owed, an even more pissed off and dangerous archangel who wants to use her for his own agenda to start armageddon, and saving an old friend from a dire fate.



If I had to sum up and describe what this book in two words it would be ‘epic romance’. I hope I tried not to give anything away in this review because I think it really would spoil the joy in reading the surprising twists and turns in the final installment. But Agave Kiss is a fantastic resolution in Corine’s gauntlet of adventures from discovering her past heritage and the fall-out it has brought on to her life and it ends beautifully, albeit bittersweetly. I loved every moment from following her story from the highs and lows and fast pace heart-in-throat antics. I will miss these characters but this was a beyond perfect ending. I turned the last page with a huge smile on my face. Ms Ann Aguirre, I salute you for writing a fan-fucking-tastic series!

( )

This is the last installment of the Corine Solomon series and honestly, it was my favorite. Ms. Aguirre has written a most wonderful ending - I would even go so far as to say...perfect. She answered all of my questions, like Booke's story, she had me laughing with Jesse and Shannon, smiling with Eva & Chuch, and openly weeping (at times)with Corine & Chance. Usually, when a series ends, the author tries to wrap everything up quickly and it seems almost abrupt. The reader is left with a vague sense of dissatisfaction. That is NOT the case here. Ms. Aguirre takes her time and ties up every loose end with very sweet little bows. I finished reading this book with the lovely sense of a good-bye that you would give to close friends.
I do hope that the author continues weaving such wonderful stories - I'm especially hoping for more stories about Jesse & Shannon as prefaced in her novella "Forbidden Fruit" but I would also love to hear more about Booke and of course the extended family of Chuch, Eva, & little Cami!

FTC Advisory: I won a copy of this book through the GoodReads First Reads program. No compensation for my review was given. ( )

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Associate Reviewer - Kathy M:
*Copy received from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Agave Kiss, Ann Aguirre’s 5th book in her Corine Solomon Novel series, is an action packed, emotional ride that keeps the readers on the edge of their seats.

Corine has a lot to do and only a short amount of time in which to do it. Somehow she must find a way to release a friend from a curse, rescue her guardian angel, and bring her lover back from the dead. Oh, and she has to do it without her magic. Needless to say,Corine has her hands full. And if she can keep herself from getting killed in the process, just maybe she will be able to accomplish it all and find her HEA.

Agave Kiss has a lot of stuff packed into 309 pages. As Corine finds herself overwhelmed, I found myself sometimes also overwhelmed. But despite that fact, I did enjoy this book.

LITERAL ADDICTION's Associate Reviewer gives Agave Kiss 4 skulls. ( )

I don't use star ratings, so please read my review!

(Description nicked from B&N.com.)

“Chance was gone; he’d sacrificed himself so Shannon and I could escape Sheol. We’d raised him on Shan’s spirit radio, which meant his soul wasn’t wholly destroyed by the demon gate….

Once Corine Solomon only had the touch—the ability to read an object’s past by handling it. Then she inherited her mother’s magick, and that ended up being a hell of a burden. But if Corine can wrestle a demon queen and win, she can bring back her lover Chance after he’s made the ultimate sacrifice. Can’t she? All Corine knows is that she can’t leave Chance behind if there’s anything she can do about it.

But the clock is ticking—and she still has to deal with debt-collecting demons and a maniacal archangel who’s running a recruitment drive. The stakes have never been so high…and this time it’s truly Corine’s last chance to save the love of her life.”

This book wrapped up the series fairly well. In the last novel, Chance died, but there was some hope of resurrecting him and finally letting him and Corine be together for good. That’s what takes up the lion’s share of this book: the search for a way to bring back Chance. Given that the series began with the two of them and their tumultuous relationship, putting the focus on them at the end works well to close out the story.

There are, however, some side trips on the way to this conclusion. The biggest one is a side plot involving Booke, Corine’s enigmatic English friend. He is much more than we’ve been led to believe until now, and he plays a key part in the final outcome of the novel. I would have liked it more if he’d shown up before the final book, because the story feels a bit rushed with trying to cover his story and Chance’s at the same time. Another side plot involves Kel and circumstances surrounding his servitude to the higher powers. Again, this is a lot to cram into one novel.

It is, however, nice to see Corine and all of her friends working together, rather than Corine going off on her own and only finding allies incidentally. Everybody pulls together in this book to create the feeling that Corine has a family that will stand by her no matter what. This is most evident at the climax, when one final effort is made to bring Chance back to the world of the living.

I also liked the little moments of humor and normalcy (for varying values of “normal”) that Aguirre includes. My favorite ones involve Butch the Chihuahua. Quite a bit smarter than a normal dog, he communicates using Scrabble tiles and he definitely has a big-dog attitude. The party at Chuch and Eva’s house was also a nice touch, allowing the characters to interact without being in the middle of a crisis.

Even though I wish some of the sub-plots had been dealt with before the last novel, I still enjoyed reading them. Agave Kiss is a great wrap-up to an interesting and action-packed series.

This review originally appeared on Owlcat Mountain on April 1, 2013,