"Release Me" by J. Kenner feels to me like a combination of certain elements from the "Fifty Shades of Grey" trilogy by E.L. James and the "Crossfire" series by Sylvia Day, most notably the lead characters, an outwardly strong female lead in the form of Nikki Fairchild (ala Eva Tramell) and a controlling and wealthy male lead in the form of Damien Stark (ala Christian Grey). Both the lead characters have dark pasts and carry their own fair share of secrets that they slowly divulge while making a go of what begins as a purely sexual relationship with rules that evolves into something more.

While the storyline is familiar for fans of the two aforementioned book series, I must admit that the writing in "Release Me" was quite impressive and actually has me acknowledging that it is better than that found in the "Fifty Shades of Grey" books. There are also enough differences among the stories that made me feel that this wasn't an out and out copycat of the more well-known erotica creations.

I'm giving "Release Me" 4 stars out of five. ^.^ On to "Claim Me", the second book in the "Stark" trilogy.