Title: Release Me 
Author: J. Kenner
Publisher/Year: Random House Publishing Group, 1/1/13
Length: 352 pages
Series: The Stark Trilogy Book 1

For all you fans of 50 Shades or Bared to You or Gabriel’s Inferno, here’s another series that’s definitely going to be right up your alley.

This story is centered in LA where we are introduced to Nichole (Nikki) who has just moved to LA from Dallas in the hopes of reinventing herself.  She’s trying to get away from a past that haunts her – a mother that’s over bearing and controlling, the suicide of her sister which then turned into self mutilation (cutting) and led to a boyfriend who drunkenly said that because of her scars she was disgusting.

So we meet Nikki at a gallery party honoring an artist, attended by A-listers.   At this party, Nikki is there in a professional capacity, she works for a tech developer who’s looking for investors for his next new ideas.  One investor in particular is on the list – Damian Stark – a young 30 yr old billionaire who is known from being a tennis pro, turned businessman with an eye for the science and tech industry.

At first sight (at least for the night), Nikki and Damian’s eyes lock and there’s is such heat that it’s palpable.  J. Kenner likes to remind us that the air moves and sizzles around them so that they always know when one another is in the room.

From that night on, Nikki’s life will change completely.  She is swept up in the heat and control that is Mr Stark and the demons and secrets that lie beneath.  She learns to trust him with her secrets but finds that there are more secrets that Damian has that maybe she shouldn’t know about and should therefore run.

the heat and passion in this story are obvious and quite enticing without being to graphic.  We get into the basics of bondage but i feel like there’s so much more that could be done given that Damian has his own gear.  we don’t see that come out much yet, but maybe in book 2.  Nikki is growing and coming into her own and it’ll be great to see where this all goes.

so for my questions:

1) what is damian hiding really?

2) what is carl up to?

3) what’s the next move for Nikki’s career?

4) will evelyn play a role in their future?

5) ollie and Jamie ….what’s next for them?

6) what crazy twists and turns will Stark and Nikki take as their relationship develops?