Title: Wicked Grind
Author: J Kenner
Publisher/Year: EverAfter Romance 7/11/17
Length:   320 Pages
Series:  Stark World #1

Overview

Sometimes it feels so damn good to be bad

Photographer Wyatt Royce’s career is on the verge of exploding. All he needs is one perfect model to be the centerpiece of his sexy, controversial show. Find her, and Wyatt is sure to have a winner.

Then Kelsey Draper walks in. Stunning. Vibrant. And far too fragile for a project like this. Wyatt should know—after all, he remembers only too well how their relationship ended all those years ago.

Desperate for cash and frustrated with her good girl persona, Kelsey sets her sights on Wyatt’s show. But only the show. Because she knows too well that Wyatt Royce is a danger to her heart.

But when Wyatt agrees to give her the job only if he has complete control—on camera and in his bed—Kelsey can’t help but wonder if she’s in too deep. Because how can a good girl like her ever be enough for a man like Wyatt?

My Thoughts

So it says that it’s a stand alone novel, but while this story is, it’s also tied to the greater series which is nice.  I mean, we’ve spent so much time over the course of the full series with Wyatt to know that he’s close to Nikki, and Damien, so it’s great to get his story as well.

Then there’s Kelsey, the girl who got away, but who also ran and she’s fighting her own demons.  She’s grown up now sure, but she’s still at the mercy of her family – the ideas that her father embedded in her head while she was growing up, and the reprocussions of something that happened 12 years prior that she’s trying to make right.

The way that our amazing author writes this story is a series of present day scenes with a bit of history from 12 years ago peppered in.  There’s something nice here about getting the back story in the way that we do, without getting all the details of the ‘right after’ since that’s something that i think we need to see the present day characters puzzle out.

This is such a sweet story – Wyatt deserves to have all the successes in the world, especially since he’s trying to create his own reputation, not live off that of his famous grandmother.  He’s about to step over that threshold, yet he needs his muse – and lucky for him, she pops into his studio, subbing in for her friend.

There’s nostalgia here, amazing romance and chemistry that overcomes everything, heat that’s leaping off the pages, and self doubt that makes you wonder if they are strong enough now to even be who they want.

I’m so glad that we get glimpses now into the lives of some of the supporting cast of the main series – they are so amazing and really help important roles when they were introduced before that it’s only fair that we get it in a full story now.  I can’t wait to see Lyle’s story since i believe that’s next.  Enjoy!