POSSESS ME / WICKED FORTUNE by J Kenner -reviews
POSSESS ME
Stark Ever After 8
by J. Kenner
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance , paranormal
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 29, 2025
Love brought them here. Darkness may destroy them.
Our historical Catalina Island retreat was supposed to be a dream come true. A charming cottage with a glamorous Hollywood history. A sanctuary where my billionaire husband, Damien Stark, and I can relax, reveling in our ever-growing love.
But the cottage hides a dark secret, and our tranquil paradise soon turns into a haunting nightmare. As shadows of jealousy and betrayal invade our lives and possess our souls, our already intense passion explodes. But now there is a tinge of violence. Of fear. And the walls seem to whisper of murder.
The darkness within these walls threatens to destroy everything we hold dear. And now Damien and I must find a way to break free of these nightmares before they tear us apart.
•••••••
REVIEW: POSSESS ME is the eight instalment and novella in J Kenner’s contemporary, adult STARK EVER AFTER erotic, romance series focusing on billionaire businessman Damien Stark, and his wife Nikki Fairchild-Stark. STARK EVER AFTER is set in the author’s multi-layered STARK WORLD.
Told from first person (Nikki) and third person (Damien) POSSESS ME is a paranormal story line focusing on a haunted house and a possession. At a recent fundraiser, Damien purchases an ancient bracelet that once belonged to a murdered Hollywood star but Damien had a surprise for Nikki, and presents his wife with the keys to the dead woman’s home. From the outset , Nikki begins to suspect the house is haunted, and the couple finds themself reliving a life that isn’t their own.
POSSESS ME veers off the series path, and dives head first into the paranormal. J. Kenner also writes a series focusing on a demon hunting soccer mom, and in my opinion, POSSESS ME slides a little too close into the other series.
POSSESS ME is a story of obsession and possession, danger and madness, spirits and revenge. The premise is intriguing but predictable; the romance is provocative; the characters are familiar and desperate but sadly, I am disappointed in the direction of the story line and the ‘paranormal’ aspect. I am a big fan of the Stark World series of books but to start adding paranormal elements is disheartening and discouraging.
Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Anchor Me
Play My Game
Seduce Me
Unwrap Me
Hold Me
Please Me
Lost With Me
Damien
Indulge Me
Delight Me
Cherish Me
Embrace Me
______
WICKED FORTUNE
(Wicked Nights 5)
by J. Kenner
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance ,
Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play /
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 5, 2025
Matthew Holt built an empire on secrets, a polished billionaire hiding from the shadows of his past. Powerful and focused, he won’t let anyone stand in his way. Least of all a woman. But when Aria Parker steps into his office, he is determined to have her—whatever the cost.
Aria isn’t just any personal assistant. Blaming Matthew for the tragic death of a dear friend, Aria has infiltrated his world, intent on uncovering the truth. But as the heat between them intensifies, their growing attraction becomes just as dangerous as the truth she’s chasing.
The deeper she digs, the more elusive the answers become, until all she knows for certain is how much she craves his touch—no matter the consequences.
With everything on the line, Aria must decide if she can trust the man she came to destroy. Because the more she learns, the more she realizes that Matthew might not be the monster she thought—but the one person who can help her uncover the threat still lurking in the shadows.
•••••
REVIEW: WICKED FORTUNE is the fifth instalment in J. Kenner’s contemporary, adult WICKED NIGHTS erotic, romance series, set in the author’s Stark Worlds. This is forty-seven year old, billionaire business and CEO of Hardline Entertainment Matthew Holt, and twenty-eight year PA Ariadne ‘Aria’ Parker’s story line. WICKED FORTUNE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading POSSESS ME for back story and cohesion. There is a slight cross-over with POSSESS ME.
Told from first person (Aria) and third person (Matthew) WICKED FORTUNE follows in the wake of the death of Aria Parker’s friend Jenny Garland, a death she blames on entertainment mogul Matthew Holt. Applying and getting the job as Matthew’s new PA, Aria Parker begins a search for the truth, only to discover the darker side of the entertainment industry that destroys so many lives but as their relationship goes from professional to personal, someone else is playing a dangerous game with the lives of the naïve and innocent.
The world building follows Aria as she follows a potential trail of betrayal; of abuse and mistrust, of ignorance and destruction that may or may not be connected to our story line hero. Matthew Holt knows that once his own story is revealed, there may be no going forward for our story line couple.
The relationship between Matthew and Aria is predicated up several lies: Aria is determined to destroy our story line hero, and Matthew must prove he is worthy of love and forgiveness from the woman who now controls his heart. The $ex scenes are intimate and seductive without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
The secondary and supporting characters include Nikki and Damien Stark’s former nanny Bree Bernstein-Stone, now married to Damien’s son Aston Stone; Matthew Holt’s secretary Lila Blackstone, Joel Carradine, and Elias Trent.
WICKED FORTUNE is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, greed and desperation, forgiveness and love. The character driven premise is intriguing, dark and dramatic; the romance is provocative; the characters are broken determined and dynamic.
Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Wicked Grind
Wicked Dirty
Wicked Torture
Wicked Heat
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
J. Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and #1 International bestselling author of over seventy novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.
Though known primarily for her award-winning and international bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, 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 swoon for them.” A five 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). Her Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series (as Julie Kenner) is currently in development with AwesomenessTV/Awestruck.
Her books have sold over three million copies and are published in over twenty languages.
In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.
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