Cruel Kiss

By: K.A. Linde

Narrated by: Erin Mallon, Joe Arden

Length: 1 hr and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

A sexy one-night stand romance set in the glitz and glamorous Cruel World by USA Today best-selling author K.A. Linde....

Gavin King is not boyfriend material.

And neither am I.

That’s how our friendship works. We flirt and tease and joke, but at the end of the day, playing wingman is preferable to risking my heart.

Until I break up with my boyfriend the day that I leave for a two-week Caribbean vacation. And Gavin and I are the only single people on the island.

But remember that boyfriend I dumped?

Yeah, it’s his best friend.

The last thing I want to do is come between friends. And I swore the green eyes, wicked dimple, and chiseled body weren’t enough to convince me. But then I caught him in the shower…and he said he was thinking about me.

Now, I can’t stop picturing what I saw.

Maybe my ex doesn’t ever have to know.

©2023 K.A. Linde (P)2023 K.A. Linde

Whitley <3 Gavin

Thats how you do a prequel novella!! I can’t wait for CRUEL KING!! These two….GAH. The audio was amazing.

Explosive

I have been waiting for Gavin and Whitley for what seems like forever!!

I snagged the paperback at KA Linde’s table during Book Bonanza 2022 and I held off on reading it until recently, just knowing I would NEED more of these two.

The chemistry between Gavin and Whit is unreal. Seriously, it burns up the pages. Let me just say, Joe Arden as Gavin King is simply 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥.

This is the best prologue and has been sooo ready for the release of Cruel King.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

And now I am running to audible to preorder Cruel King. Casting couldn’t have been any better. Joe Arden and Erin Mallon.

Gavin and Whitley are red hot!!

Cruel Kiss is a preview into the fun, flirty, explosive dynamics of Whitley Bowen and Gavin King. Things get super steamy in this friends to lovers, one vacation stand, Cruel King prequel. K.A. Linde packs a ton of red hot chemistry into this short story.

Erin Mallon and Joe Arden do an incredible job bringing these characters to life. I'm not the biggest Erin Mallon fan, but her Whitley shines.

If it was K.A. Linde’s mission to get me even more excited for Gavin and Whitley than I already was, then mission accomplished. I'm positively obsessed with these two.

Great spicy teaser for Cruel King!

What a spicy teaser for Gavin and Whitley’s upcoming story.

Gavin and Whitley have been flirty friends for several years. They have a fun friendship but have never crossed that line. Until one vacation when both are single, drinks are flowing and inhibitions are low.

Wow, these two are super hot together. I loved their friendship and how open they were with each other. Their chemistry was off the charts hot and I can’t wait for their full story when it comes out.

Joe Arden and Erin Mallon were so great as Gavin and Whitley. They brought all of their passion to life. I can’t wait to listen to them in “Cruel King”.

Love this short story

Joe Arden ✔️ great story ✔️ sexy man ✔️


I can’t wait to read Cruel King! I didn’t know I needed this in my life.

Great Prequel

This was a short novella introducing Gavin and Whitley. It was very fast-paced and steamy.

Whitley and Gavin are both players and afraid of commitment. Whitley breaks up with her boyfriend just before going on vacation with her friends — one of them being Gavin. They decide to have a vacation fling, but what will happen when the vacation ends?

Whitley and Gavin had such a great chemistry and I look forward to reading their story in Cruel King.

The narrators did a great job with both male and female voices, but I did have trouble understanding what they were saying sometimes.

Loved Gavin and Whitley!!

Short, sweet sexy beginning to their love story. I read their full story first so this a great treat to see how their love came to be.

Fun and Steamy prequel

I listened to the audio of Cruel Kiss and it was flirty, steamy deliciousness. This short novella focuses on the fun, flirty relationship of friends Gavin and Whitley. The only singles on a vacation with their friends, their attraction for one another finally crosses the line one steamy night. Will what happens on vacation stay on vacation or have they found something that can last?

These two are hot together. I loved their fun and playful friendship and how they alike they are. Both are hesitant to voice their feelings so I’m anticipating that misunderstandings will abound in their full story that will be released in Cruel King.

Joe Arden and Erin Mallon narrated the audio and they were perfection. Both of these narrators always bring the story to life and help you lose yourself in the story. I can’t wait for Gavin and Whitney’s full story and to find out what happens next.

Cruel Kiss (Cruel Series Book 6.5)

Well now … that’s how you do a prequel and hook a new reader! Also, I love Joe Arden & Erin Mallon’s narration power as individuals and also when they collaborate so this was a #win all around for me!!

For me, Cruel Kiss was not just an introduction to KA Linde but also this world she has created. I not only loved the spark between Whitley and Gavin but I am also super intrigued by all the secondary characters, so of course, I’m jumping back to the beginning today to hopefully get caught up with this world by the time Cruel King comes around!

I love the premise of Gavin having feelings from the beginning and added to that is the friend’s ex-girlfriend aspect and I am certain this ride is going to get bumpy, and I am here for all of it!

short and spicy

Two friends become lovers in this short and decidedly spicy romance. Whitney, recently broken up -- her call -- and afraid of commitments, acquiesces to a trip with long-time friend in a fake relationship. But make believe becomes real for these two players and Whitney's relationship insecurities re-emerge.

What I liked about this story:
- mature adults, confident in their sexuality
- the natural rapport between the two main characters, no games
- their attraction, so tangible that when the spice arrived -- and it arrived early and often, they were explosive
This story was hot!

What I wasn't so keen on:
- the constant reminder that Whitney was bisexual as if to say look how worldly and open she is.
It also wasn't dealt with naturally, as equivalent to her liking of men. Instead, the reminders of her bisexuality seemed reduced to just sex and her sex with other women.
- Whitney's fear or reluctance toward relationships.
I understand the character element, but I didn't feel the book delved into any of her rationale for her fear. It felt like a manufactured conflict. It was hard to empathize with Whitney, especially liking Gavin.
- long separation that wasn't necessary
A plot element that is so common it's frustrating. Also, given how well Whitney's maturity was depicted, a separation wasn't very credible. I guess I was supposed to attribute their hook up to just a fling, remembering that Whitney was relationship-skittish?

Voice performance were great, both actors narrating women and men and distinctions in side characters well. The sound and tenor of male voice actor do not personally appeal to me, but his rendition skills can't be denied.

Overall, a fun story that while, short, was well-round. Great pace and dual, first-person points of view. Entertaining side characters.

Story: 3.5 stars
Performance: 4 stars