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A review by maggiemaggio
Release Me by J. Kenner
4.0
I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I'm going to review this book by comparing it to [b:Fifty Shades of Grey|10818853|Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1)|E.L. James|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1300842729s/10818853.jpg|15732562] and [b:Bared to You|13572249|Bared to You (Crossfire, #1)|Sylvia Day|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350506156s/13572249.jpg|18973111] since that's how it's being marketed, if you don't like that feel free to stop reading now.
I read all three 50 Shades of Grey books and while I wouldn't say I disliked them, I didn't think they were good. The situations are ridiculous, the characters aren't believable (if I ever encounter a real life Ana Steele I would probably kill her out of frustration), and they're terribly written.
After reading Bared to You I thought it was much, much better than 50 Shades of Grey. Sylvia Day is a much better writer than E.L. James and I really like Eva, although I didn't (and still don't) find Gideon even remotely appealing as a character and I wish Ms. Day would have developed him more than just being a rich, "sexy" billionaire with a big secret. However, after reading [b:Reflected in You|13596809|Reflected in You (Crossfire, #2)|Sylvia Day|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350504890s/13596809.jpg|19186128] this series went into 50 Shades territory for me. Eva became so annoying (hello Ana!) and the storyline was just preposterous (I get that stories in these books will always be wacky, but come on, there's a limit).
That brings me to Release Me, I've never read anything else by J. Kenner, or by any of her other pen names, but I have to say I was very impressed with her writing style. Is she going to win any awards for her writing style? No, but based on 50 Shades of Grey she's practically Ian McEwan or someone. I also thought the plot line was also the most believable, which goes a long way with me.
Basic plot: Nikki moves to LA from Texas where she grew up in a toxic environment. She lives with her slutty BFF Jamie and, at a party, she meets the billionaire Damien Stark who her boss (she works for a startup tech company) wants her to persuade to invest in the company. There is an instant, intense, fiery sexual attraction that just escalates from there. And they obviously both have screwed up pasts and secrets. It's not groundbreaking, but I did enjoy it.
Other thoughts:
- Of all three leading men in these particular trilogies I'd say Damien Stark is the most appealingly normal, although certainly none of the three billionaires are normal. But at least Damien seems to have friends, watches TV, makes jokes, and has a life outside of work. I also felt like he was the most developed outside of the bedroom of the three.
- I really, really liked Nikki. A lot of the book revolves around whether Nikki is a strong or weak person and I thought she was incredibly strong right from the beginning. She's had sexual experience, unlike Ana, and she's not obsessed or insanely jealous, like Eva. Nikki is also smart and has her own goals and ideas that she's not going to let Damien interfere with. Plus she continues to have her own life even after she meets Damien.
- I'm not a huge fan of how all three of these series cover every single moment of their characters' lives. The entire book takes place in the span of a few days, and the first 20% took place at the party where Nikki and Damien meet. I guess that's what you can do when you're writing a trilogy, but it's still not my favorite style.
- Why do all these leading men have such stupid names? Christian Grey? Gideon Cross? Damien Stark? Maybe I only thing they're stupid because of the context, but they just sound so cheesy.
- I won't go into detail, but I thought the sex scenes in this one were by far the best. This is sex I actually would want to have.
In the end I really liked this book and I'm very glad I got to read the ARC. If I had to choose between all three of these trilogies I would pick Release Me, hands down. I can't wait for the next one!
I'm going to review this book by comparing it to [b:Fifty Shades of Grey|10818853|Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1)|E.L. James|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1300842729s/10818853.jpg|15732562] and [b:Bared to You|13572249|Bared to You (Crossfire, #1)|Sylvia Day|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350506156s/13572249.jpg|18973111] since that's how it's being marketed, if you don't like that feel free to stop reading now.
I read all three 50 Shades of Grey books and while I wouldn't say I disliked them, I didn't think they were good. The situations are ridiculous, the characters aren't believable (if I ever encounter a real life Ana Steele I would probably kill her out of frustration), and they're terribly written.
After reading Bared to You I thought it was much, much better than 50 Shades of Grey. Sylvia Day is a much better writer than E.L. James and I really like Eva, although I didn't (and still don't) find Gideon even remotely appealing as a character and I wish Ms. Day would have developed him more than just being a rich, "sexy" billionaire with a big secret. However, after reading [b:Reflected in You|13596809|Reflected in You (Crossfire, #2)|Sylvia Day|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350504890s/13596809.jpg|19186128] this series went into 50 Shades territory for me. Eva became so annoying (hello Ana!) and the storyline was just preposterous (I get that stories in these books will always be wacky, but come on, there's a limit).
That brings me to Release Me, I've never read anything else by J. Kenner, or by any of her other pen names, but I have to say I was very impressed with her writing style. Is she going to win any awards for her writing style? No, but based on 50 Shades of Grey she's practically Ian McEwan or someone. I also thought the plot line was also the most believable, which goes a long way with me.
Basic plot: Nikki moves to LA from Texas where she grew up in a toxic environment. She lives with her slutty BFF Jamie and, at a party, she meets the billionaire Damien Stark who her boss (she works for a startup tech company) wants her to persuade to invest in the company. There is an instant, intense, fiery sexual attraction that just escalates from there. And they obviously both have screwed up pasts and secrets. It's not groundbreaking, but I did enjoy it.
Other thoughts:
- Of all three leading men in these particular trilogies I'd say Damien Stark is the most appealingly normal, although certainly none of the three billionaires are normal. But at least Damien seems to have friends, watches TV, makes jokes, and has a life outside of work. I also felt like he was the most developed outside of the bedroom of the three.
- I really, really liked Nikki. A lot of the book revolves around whether Nikki is a strong or weak person and I thought she was incredibly strong right from the beginning. She's had sexual experience, unlike Ana, and she's not obsessed or insanely jealous, like Eva. Nikki is also smart and has her own goals and ideas that she's not going to let Damien interfere with. Plus she continues to have her own life even after she meets Damien.
- I'm not a huge fan of how all three of these series cover every single moment of their characters' lives. The entire book takes place in the span of a few days, and the first 20% took place at the party where Nikki and Damien meet. I guess that's what you can do when you're writing a trilogy, but it's still not my favorite style.
- Why do all these leading men have such stupid names? Christian Grey? Gideon Cross? Damien Stark? Maybe I only thing they're stupid because of the context, but they just sound so cheesy.
- I won't go into detail, but I thought the sex scenes in this one were by far the best. This is sex I actually would want to have.
In the end I really liked this book and I'm very glad I got to read the ARC. If I had to choose between all three of these trilogies I would pick Release Me, hands down. I can't wait for the next one!