(Adult) Book Review: Claim Me

Claim Me by J. Kenner
April 23, 2013
352 pages
Bantam Publishing
Source: NetGalley for review
Genre: Erotic Romance for Mature Audiences

Goodreads Summary:

For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey and Bared to You comes the second novel in the erotic, fast-paced trilogy that started with Release Me. This sexy, emotionally charged romance continues the story of Damien Stark, the powerful multimillionaire who’s never had to take “no” for an answer, and Nikki Fairchild, the Southern belle who only says “yes” on her own terms.

For Damien, our obsession is a game. For me, it is fiercely, blindingly, real.

Damien Stark’s need is palpable—his need for pleasure, his need for control, his need for me. Beautiful and brilliant yet tortured at his core, he is in every way my match.

I have agreed to be his alone, and now I want him to be fully mine. I want us to possess each other beyond the sweetest edge of our ecstasy, into the deepest desires of our souls. To let the fire that burns between us consume us both.

But there are dark places within Damien that not even our wildest passion can touch. I yearn to know his secrets, yearn for him to surrender to me as I have surrendered to him. But our troubled pasts will either bind us close . . . or shatter us completely.

My Review:

Claim Me picks up days after Release Me ended. We are right back into Damien and Nikki's passionate and steamy affair. But the painting Damien commissioned is almost complete, and their relationship, with it's secrets and past traumas, will be put to the test. Will their relationship be able to survive and where will it go from here?

Without giving away spoilers, Damien and Nikki face many obstacles in their relationship, both internally and externally. The author did a good job showing how they dealt with things and how they were forced to grow as a couple or lose each other. Not only did they conquer obstacles together, but they were fortified individually as well. I loved that they accepted each others' "flaws" and pasts and saw the beauty in each other beyond the superficial (though they certainly enjoyed the superficial as well). I loved their heartfelt dedication to each other.

I found it interesting that within the confines of these two books (and not including the time they met 6 years prior) that they were together for only weeks, less than a month. To call this a whirlwind romance would be an understatement, but it still felt realistic to me. Does that make me optimistic or out-of-touch? I don't know. But regardless, the author was able to make me feel a part of this story, and invested in this couple.

Damien and Nikki continue to heat up the sheets. Some of their trysts were more unique than others, and that made for entertaining reading. Their copious amounts of sex were, well, plentiful and page-filling. If you're looking for heat, you won't be disappointed. Damien continues to be the generous lover, and sometimes I felt like Nikki could give a bit more back. But then again, Damien was in control most of the time and seemed content, so what do I know.

I did notice some repetition, particularly involving Nikki's internal struggle over Damien's secrets, whether or not she should pressure him to open up, etc. While I appreciated the fact that she was looking at both sides of the argument and made valid points on both sides, after a while I felt like, "Okay, I get it, you don't know what to do." But it wasn't to the point where I didn't like Nikki, it was just to the point to where I felt in tune with her feelings and didn't need her extra internal narrative.

Bottomline: If you liked Release Me, you'll like Claim Me. We get to see more layers of Damien and Nikki exposed, more of their relationship develop, more drama to be faced, and finally more of Damien's past exposed (though I still feel like there's more). Claim Me ends on a dramatic note, and I felt like the last portion of the book was very climactic. But I also felt like the book ended on a satisfactory note for me, where I felt like it was leading me into highly anticipating the last book, but I don't feel like I've been tortured with a dreaded cliffhanger. I'm definitely looking forward to Complete Me.

4 STARS

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