J. Kenner

"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"--

Dirtiest Secret

Ashley Wendt

** spoiler alert **
           Sigh. I've been trying to read this for months. I loved J. Kenner's other Stark Series' but I just couldn't get through this one. I think what really bothered me was how faux pas the main characters were making their relationship, like it was incest....but it wasn't...they weren't even related.at.all. So all the self loathing about their relationship just bugged me. I also couldn't get past Dallas' casual sex. The opening scene with the orgy set the tone for how I felt about him and it was disgusting!

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It's been awhile since I had a book leave me with so many conflicting feelings. I can't say I "liked" this book, necessarily. Usually for me to "like" a book and give it four stars, it means I connected with the characters in some way. I liked them. That's... really not the case with Dirtiest Secret. Yet, it still feels like a four star read for me. While it certainly hit some of my triggers, it was a damn entertaining read. 

I'm a sucker for a good taboo read. I like when books keep me guessing. I like my romance dirty at times. Dirtiest Secret definitely fell into all of these categories. I had no idea what would possibly happen next. There was A LOT happening in the story, darn near too much at times, but I was totally hooked on it. I literally couldn't put it down once I started. I'm not exaggerating. (Seriously. Just ask my sunburned arms. They'll tell you.) It was far from a perfect book – or I should probably say far from what I typically consider a perfect for me book. The heroine wasn't as strong as I typically like. The hero was a total manwhore. He has sex with other women. The sexy times were so explicit that I found it borderline uncomfortable at times. Yet, I still couldn't stop turning the pages... even when it frustrated me. Even when I wanted to scream at Dallas for being a douche. Even when I wanted to shake Jane for continuing to put up with his shit. I never once thought about setting it aside. That is how well it was written. That's how addictive I found the storyline. 

I'm not really even sure what else to say about this book. I didn't fall for the hero. I don't think I swooned once. I found no common ground with Dallas or Jane. Yet, I still enjoyed this book. The story was dark and twisted. It totally sucked me in and wouldn't let go. It does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I'm looking forward to continuing on with the series and finding what on earth will happen next for these two. I'll be interested to see if they can overcome the many and varied obstacles in front of them and find a way to be happy together. Of course, I also want answers on the side story. That mystery – and its connections to EVERYTHING – is just about as interesting to me as the romance is.

FAVORITE QUOTES

  “Being together came close to destroying both of us once already," he says. "But I don't fucking care. You are the memory that gets me through my days, and the fantasy that saves me in the night.”

Dirtiest Secret

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