Category Archives: J Kenner

July 23, 2013 · 3:57 am

Review: Complete Me by J. Kenner

Title: Complete Me by J. Kenner
Stark Trilogy Book Three
Publisher: Random Publishing House Group
Imprint: Bantam
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, Romance, BDSM
Length: 322 pages
Book Rating: C+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey and Bared to You comes the third novel in the erotic, fast-paced trilogy including Release Me and Claim Me. This sexy, emotionally charged romance continues the story of Damien Stark, the powerful multimillionaire who’s never had to take “no” for an answer, and Nikki Fairchild, the Southern belle who only says “yes” on her own terms.

Our desire runs deep. But our secrets cut close.

Beautiful, strong, and commanding, Damien Stark fills a void in me that no other man can touch. His fierce cravings push me beyond the brink of bliss—and unleash a wild passion that utterly consumes us both.

Yet beneath his need for dominance, he carries the wounds of a painful past. Haunted by a legacy of dark secrets and broken trust, he seeks release in our shared ecstasy, the heat between us burning stronger each day.

Our attraction is undeniable, our obsession inevitable. Yet not even Damien can run from his ghosts, or shield us from the dangers yet to come.

Complete Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

The Review:

J. Kenner’s Complete Me, the final installment of the Stark Trilogy, ties up all of the loose ends of the various storylines. Overly dramatic and angsty, this final novel has some unexpected twists and turns but the overall story is a rehash of the themes from the previous novels.

Nikki Fairchild started out as a pretty together, independent young woman. But somewhere along the way, (ok, it was in book two) Nikki becomes so overly dependent on Damian Stark that she cannot seem to function without him. Couple that with his inability to open to her and Nikki’s emotional health continues on its downward spiral in Complete Me. With Nikki continually fighting the urge to slip back into her old destructive pattern of easing her pain, I could not help but wonder why she would stay in such an unhealthy relationship.

Lack of communication continues to be the major problem between Nikki and Damian. Damian steadfastly refuses to confide in Nikki and she continues to be devastated by his failure to open up. This becomes a vicious cycle between them and it not only undermines their relationship, but it feeds Nikki’s insecurities. I found this part of the storyline very frustrating as it happens over and over again with both characters reacting exactly the same way each time.

As with the first two novels in the trilogy, there are BDSM elements to Nikki and Damian’s relationship. They use sex to avoid their problems. They use sex to work out their individual issues. They use sex to work through their issues as a couple. This translates into whole lotta sex that literally goes on for pages and pages. Their sex scenes are hot, but in the end, they overwhelm the rest of the storyline.

J. Kenner has an enjoyable writing style and overall Complete Me is a fast paced novel. Although some of the storyline is frustrating, I do like that all of the various story arcs are resolved. While Nikki and Damian get plenty of screen time, there is more interaction between Nikki and her friends Ollie and Jamie. Nikki and Ollie work on patching up their friendship and Jamie begins to make some positive changes to her life. Damian’s secrets contain a few surprises I did not see coming. There are a few “aww, how sweet” moments that are incredibly romantic. All in all, a satisfying conclusion to the Stark trilogy.

Read my reviews of the other novels in the trilogy HERE.

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Filed under Bantam, BDSM, Complete Me, Erotic, J Kenner, Rated C+, Review, Romance

April 23, 2013 · 3:57 am

Review: Claim Me by J. Kenner

Title: Claim Me by J. Kenner
Stark Trilogy Book Two
Publisher: Random Publishing House Group
Imprint: Bantam
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, Romance, BDSM
Length: 386 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey and Bared to You comes the second novel in the erotic, fast-paced trilogy that started with Release Me. This sexy, emotionally charged romance continues the story of Damien Stark, the powerful multimillionaire who’s never had to take “no” for an answer, and Nikki Fairchild, the Southern belle who only says “yes” on her own terms.

For Damien, our obsession is a game. For me, it is fiercely, blindingly, real.

Damien Stark’s need is palpable—his need for pleasure, his need for control, his need for me. Beautiful and brilliant yet tortured at his core, he is in every way my match.

I have agreed to be his alone, and now I want him to be fully mine. I want us to possess each other beyond the sweetest edge of our ecstasy, into the deepest desires of our souls. To let the fire that burns between us consume us both.

But there are dark places within Damien that not even our wildest passion can touch. I yearn to know his secrets, yearn for him to surrender to me as I have surrendered to him. But our troubled pasts will either bind us close . . . or shatter us completely.

Claim Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

The Review:

Claim Me is the passion-filled and intense second installment in J. Kenner’s Stark Trilogy. A little more angsty than Release Me, Damien and Nikki face many challenges once their agreement comes to an end. Intense media scrutiny, betrayals from unexpected sources and the ghosts from Damien’s past threaten their tenuous relationship.

Nikki is a lot more fragile in Claim Me. She falls back into her past destructive coping mechanisms in order to deal with her mounting anxiety. The uncertainty Nikki feels in her relationship with Damien adds to her turmoil and she is becoming increasingly insecure about their future. A close friendship also becomes a source of tension as she tries to figure out if he is trying to undermine her relationship with Damien. But the biggest problem facing Nikki and Damien is his unwavering refusal to discuss his troubled past.

Damien steadfastly maintains tight control over his life and to some extent, Nikki’s. He is very protective of her and I think this sometimes does her more harm than good as she becomes more and more dependent on him. Damien’s secretiveness keeps Nikki off balance for much of the novel and she is continually questioning her decisions. I liked that she examined her motives, but it occasionally becomes repetitive.

The BDSM element intensifies with Damien becoming more dominant. Nikki’s need for pain increases as her life spins out of control. The sex scenes between Damien and Nikki are plentiful and quite steamy.

Claim Me is full of emotion and some very unexpected twists and turns. J. Kenner’s writing style is quite dramatic and every sentence is laden with heavy meaning. The characters are multi-dimensional and exquisitely developed. The story is a little slow moving at times, but the shocking ending is well worth the wait and will leave readers eagerly anticipating Complete Me, the final installment of the Stark Trilogy.

Read my review of Release Me HERE.

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Filed under Bantam, BDSM, Claim Me, Contemporary, Erotic, J Kenner, Random House Publishing Group, Rated B, Review, Romance, Stark Trilogy

January 1, 2013 · 3:58 am

Review: Release Me by J. Kenner

Title: Release Me by J. Kenner
Stark Trilogy Book One
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Imprint: Bantam
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, Romance, BDSM
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B

Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey and Bared to You comes an erotic, emotionally charged romance between a powerful man who’s never heard “no” and a fiery woman who says “yes” on her own terms.

He was the one man I couldn’t avoid. And the one man I couldn’t resist.

Damien Stark could have his way with any woman. He was sexy, confident, and commanding: Anything he wanted, he got. And what he wanted was me.

Our attraction was unmistakable, almost beyond control, but as much as I ached to be his, I feared the pressures of his demands. Submitting to Damien meant I had to bare the darkest truth about my past—and risk breaking us apart.

But Damien was haunted, too. And as our passion came to obsess us both, his secrets threatened to destroy him—and us—forever.

Release Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

The Review:

If you are a fan of erotic novels with BDSM elements, then you are going to LOVE Release Me by J. Kenner. It is a well-executed, deliciously sensual romance between two emotionally wounded yet surprisingly well-adjusted protagonists. While there are some similarities to the Fifty Shades and Crossfire series, Release Me is much less angsty and the characters and their relationship are MUCH more realistic.

Nikki Fairchild and Damien Stark are wonderfully developed protagonists with dysfunctional pasts. Damien is a former tennis star turned bazillionaire entrepreneur. He is intense and domineering but he is also quite charming. Damien is a very private person who goes to great lengths to keep his personal life out of the limelight but he does reveal certain aspects of his past in order to maintain his relationship with Nikki.

Nikki is a delightful breath of fresh air. She is a strong character that is self-sufficient and independent. While she does have submissive tendencies, Nikki is no shrinking violet. She stands up for herself and she does not allow her relationship with Damien to interfere with her career goals.

Although the story takes place over just a few days, Nikki and Damien’s relationship never feels forced or rushed. They take the time to get to know one another outside of the bedroom and there is not a creepy obsessive quality to their burgeoning relationship.

The sexual relationship between Nikki and Damien is slow growing and full of exquisite anticipation. While Damien takes the dominant role he is willing to relinquish control to Nikki. The BDSM aspect is fairly light and consists of bondage, role playing, phone sex and spanking.

Release Me by J. Kenner is an entertaining romance that is quite captivating. Nikki and Damien have their share of flaws and insecurities, but their characters are three dimensional and fully fleshed out. Not all of Damien’s secrets are revealed and an intriguing and vaguely threatening exchange at the end of the novel sets the stage for Claim Me, the next installment in the series.

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Filed under Bantam, BDSM, Contemporary, Erotic, J Kenner, Random House Publishing Group, Rated B, Release Me, Review, Romance, Stark Trilogy