DIRTIEST SECRET (S.I.N. #1) by J. Kenner-review and book tour

DIRTIEST SECRET
S.I.N. #1
by J. Kenner
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romantic suspense
Release Date: April 19, 2016

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 19, 2016

It was wrong for us to be together, but it was even harder to be apart.

The memory of Dallas Sykes burns inside of me.

Everyone knows him as a notorious playboy, a man for whom women and money are no object. But to me, he’s still the one man I desperately crave—yet the one I can never have.

Dallas knows me better than anyone else. We bear the same scars, the same darkness in our past. I thought I could move on by staying away, but now that we’re drawn together once more, I can’t fight the force of our attraction or the temptation to make him mine.

We’ve tried to maintain control, not letting ourselves give in to desire. And for so long we’ve told ourselves no—but now it’s finally time to say yes.

Dirtiest Secret is intended for mature audiences.

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REVIEW: DIRTIEST SECRET is the first installment in J. Kenner’s adult, contemporary S.I.N. erotic, romantic suspense series focusing on heir to a billion dollar enterprise Dallas Sykes, and author/ child advocate Jane Martin. DIRTIEST SECRET and the S.I.N. series is a spin off from J.Kenner’s STARK series. Dallas Sykes is reintroduced to the reader in DEEPEST KISS (March 2016).

Told from first person point of view (Jane) and third person perspective (Dallas) using memories from the past and present day, DIRTIEST SECRET follows the ‘forbidden’ relationship between Dallas Sykes and Jane Martin. Dallas and Jane have known one another since early childhood, and have endured some dark and damaging times, but Dallas is keeping his distance from the woman that he loves to protect her from the man that he has become.

Jane is a woman, strong in her convictions, but a woman who has loved Dallas Sykes most of her life. As she struggles with her relationship with and love for Dallas, Dallas continues to keep secrets from Jane and the rest of the world. What ensues are Jane’s attempts to keep Dallas in her life, as Dallas battles the demons from the past.

To be honest, I am purposely being vague about much of the premise as the secrets from the past, the present and the possible future are dark, dangerous and heartbreaking, and are the catalyst that sent Jane and Dallas’s lives out of control. The ‘elephant in the room’-the person ultimately responsible for the past-is easily deduced from my perspective but there is always a possibility that something could change in future installments.

The world building focuses on relationships, recovery and revenge-grieving about what was and what will never be yet struggling to ensure it will never happen again. We look at fractured family dynamics, secrets from the past, and a ‘forbidden’ love that is only forbidden in the mind-life long friends who have lived through hell and survived to live another day.

The relationship between Jane and Dallas has been damaged and destroyed by the past- a past mired in betrayal, heartbreak, and abuse, that have formed the people we read about –today. The chemistry between Jane and Dallas is palpable; unmistakable and profound. Dallas needs and wants Jane with every breath that he takes, but he believes is unable to give Jane the love that she needs.

J. Kenner once again traverses into the BDSM territory with secret clubs, and hidden desires. In all honesty, I am tiring of the BDSM trope-the billionaire who needs to control and use power to usurp the women in his life-sometimes I want a hero who doesn’t require Domination/submission to succeed or fall in love.

DIRTIEST SECRET ends on a cliffhanger-it is book one of three and therefore be prepared to learn the truth-one book at a time. The premise is a slow build that focuses on what happened in the early years of Dallas and Jane’s life-the catastrophic actions of greed; the destructive nature of abuse and betrayal. The characters are heartbreaking, impassioned and intense. The romance is an emotional struggle against the odds-a love that has never faltered between two people who have fallen into a pit of darkened memories and a tainted past. DIRTIEST SECRET is an emotional and heartbreaking tale that grabs hold and refuses to let go.

Copy supplied by Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

Though known primarily for her award-winning and internationally bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list and #1 internationally, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, “chicklit” suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal mommy lit.

JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swopn for him.” A four time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy).

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J.Kenner’s publisher and The Reading Cafe are graciously offering a paper copy of DIRTIEST SECRET to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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