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.
