Title: Ignited
Author: J Kenner
Publisher/Year: Random House Publishing 9/9/14
Length: 320
Series: Most Wanted #3
Overview
He promised to take me as far as I could go—and I wanted to go to the edge.
My whole life has been a cover, a con, a lie. I was born into the grift, raised on the thrill of playing someone I’m not. As a rule, I never let anyone get too close—until Cole August makes it impossible for me to stay away.
Cole is tough, sexy, and intensely loyal, yet his secrets are dark and his scars run deep. Not many women can handle his past, or the truth behind his fierce demands. But something about him beckons me—and our desire is a game I must play.
I know he’s dangerous, that even his touch is trouble, but what is passion without a little risk?
My Thoughts
Well, i love this series, and i love that we got to see more about Cole and his background, while still focusing quite a bit on Kat – who continues to intrigue me. We’ve spent quite some time with Evan/Angie, Tyler/Sloane and now it’s time to meet the third knight.
In this story, we focus quite a bit on Kat – who we know from other installments as the remaining one in the trio of women. She’s got an eclectic background, one that really suits the knights given that they haven’t always been on the up and up, and what we know of Jahn, (Angie’s uncle), there’s a lot of sordid stuff that went on that makes Kat a great addition. It’s interesting because while she’s tried so hard to keep her backgroudn a secret, just about everyone knew that she wasn’t exactly what she seemed.
Then there’s Cole – the guy that we’ve admired throughout the series, and waited patiently to get his saga completed. He’s clearly had a rough life so far, since we know that he met the guys at a Scared Straight camp, and Kat somehow manages to get the story from him over time.
The expected bits of course are that there’s been a clear attraction between Cole and Kat, for years now, but neither has acted on it. Kat’s been uncertain of Cole’s feelings, and it takes her some time to even come to terms with what it is that she wants from him. Honestly, she thinks that it’s just an itch that she needs to scratch and we see her try to up her game in the hopes of accomplishing that. It’s only when she’s at the Gallery that Cole has that she begins to take it to the next level, after getting hints and sparks that there’s more between them. It’s also the allure of a painting that she’s not sure what draws her in, but there’s something. (Only to learn that not only is she the muse for it and many many more, but that Cole’s the artist).
So we go on a bit of a journey with these 2, as they try to figure out what they can be to each other, and if they can be something to each other – but if that wasn’t enough, there’s even more coming into the mix. We know that Kat’s back story included her father who taught her how to run cons, and while that’s not her life anymore, it’s somewhat his. He’s crossed the wrong person, goes to Kat for help, who in turn goes to Cole, ad things get dicey.
So, what we have here is hot, passionate with a fair share of kink – and some tension as we don’t know who’s going to come out unscathed, alive and well, without fear of repercussions.
The other nice thing about this story is that we have a reappearance of Damian and Nikki from ‘The Stark Trilogy’. I love when there’s cross-over and in this case it wasn’t just nice, it was useful. We get to see a bit of their story continue, while seeing Damian able to come in and lend a hand to Cole – someone who he met years and years ago.
So, what we’re left with in this installment is the question of what will push Cole and Kat apart, who or what will be able to bring them back together, what will happen to Kat’s father, and what will that mean for Kat in the long run. It’s sweet and suspenseful for a hot second, and perfectly done in the style that we’ve come to love and expect from our lovely author. I can’t wait to see what comes next and I kind of hope that we get a novella at least on Flynn. he needs his own story i think!