Title: Claim Me  
Author: J. Kenner
Publisher/Year: Random House Publishing Group 4/23/13
Length: 384 pages
Series: The Start Trilogy #2

The Plot: 

We’ve found ourselves once again in the middle of the torrent love affair between billionaire  Damian Stark and Texas pageant transplant Nikki Fairchild.  When these 2 re-met each other in the first installment of the series, we learned that they had this chemistry even from day 1 (which was 6 years prior at a pageant that Nikki was competing in and Damian was judging).  Fast forward, she’s found herself in his circle by a number of circumstances.  The first being that she received a scholarship funded by him, and 2nd she’s a software developer that found employment at a company that was hoping Stark would fund it.

She is obsessed with him, he is obsessed with her, but the question that lies here is whether it’s the same obsession, for the same/right reason, and is it equal?

but a bunch of horrible circumstances, all things crumble, however Nikki found that Damian wanted to pick her up and claim her which is exactly what he continues to do in this 2nd book.

Where we pick up: 

The opening is a reminder of how the relationship grew – Nikki is still posing for the nude portrait that Damian has commissioned and paid her $1MM for, and Blaine – the artist is putting the finishing touches on it.  This means that the deal that they struck was about to come to an end.  Nikki had agreed to be Damian’s ‘sexual slave’  for the length of time that it took to complete the portrait.  Now that the time has ended, the dynamic of their relationship was going to take a turn…or so we assumed.

while this is going on, there’s the darkness that lies under the surface with Damian that we tried to hone in on during book 1 and are still trying to decipher in book 2.  We don’t truly get to the bottom things because Damian is so closed off, yet we find that there are a bit more answers that we get this time around.

If that weren’t enough, the paparazzi are hounding them – following the pair EVERYWHERE they go, trying to throw in whatever lies and untruths that they can for a comment or reaction.  It starts to grate on Nikki and her own demons come to haunt her, in the form of cutting.  we know that she likes the pain to ground her and she continues to fight that throughout this story in the hopes that it will make Damian stay with her.

So, the story lets off with a catastrophic turn of evens for the couple and for Damian specifically.  Their troubles cross the pond to London and Germany, and there are no certainties or promises that can be made to carry us through without holding our breath until book 3 comes out.

so, in my usual fashion – a few questions:

What’s Next: 

1) what’s going to happen with Nikki and Damian?

2) Are they going to find out who the leak is for all the papps and everything else that’s gone awry?

3) who is Lisa really, and what role will she play in book 3.  (for some reason she just rubs me the wrong way….)

well, enjoy and we’ll pick up the finale of this story in the summer!