[Book Review] Release Me

Title: Release Me
Author: J. Kenner
Date Published: January 1, 2013
Genre: Erotica, Romance, Adult Fiction
Source: ARC from Publisher
Rating: 4/5

Links:
Goodreads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

About the Book:

For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey and Bared to You comes an erotic, emotionally charged romance between a powerful man who’s never heard “no” and a fiery woman who says “yes” on her own terms.

He was the one man I couldn’t avoid. And the one man I couldn’t resist.

Damien Stark could have his way with any woman. He was sexy, confident, and commanding: Anything he wanted, he got. And what he wanted was me. 

Our attraction was unmistakable, almost beyond control, but as much as I ached to be his, I feared the pressures of his demands. Submitting to Damien meant I had to bare the darkest truth about my past—and risk breaking us apart. 

But Damien was haunted, too. And as our passion came to obsess us both, his secrets threatened to destroy him—and us—forever. 

Release Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences. (From Goodreads) 

Review:
I honestly don’t know where to start in reviewing this book because I was mind-blown.

I’m still grappling for words but let me start with this: Move over Christian Grey, Damien Stark has come to play!

Story-wise, this book utilizes the exact same formula as E. L. James’ Fifty Shades, but only it’s well-written, well-paced and the characters are more relatable. This book is exactly what fans of Fifty Shades should seek out if ever they need a fix for their erotica addiction.

Character-wise, Damien Stark is no Christian Grey, but of course, there are similarities: they’re both filthy rich, both dominant, both possessive and both go after what they want with wild abandon.

As for Nikki Fairchild, well, she is a far cry from Anastasia Steele. I personally like Nikki better than Anastasia because she’s a perfect mix of courage and vulnerability, whereas Anastasia is just, I don’t know… confused?

What I liked about this book is that the romance between Damien and Nikki is believable. We see the undeniable attraction between them but they don’t do the deed immediately like rabbits gone sexually rabid. There is a rising action leading to the actual thing, and that makes everything believable.

Also, I really appreciate Nikki’s well-fleshed-out inner conflict and reservations about her dealings with Damien. Like I said, she’s a perfect mix of courage and vulnerability.

I will not comment on the sex scenes in this book. Yes, they are hot, as most erotic sex scenes are, but like I said, I will not comment on them because I always find myself desensitized to sex scenes after reading an erotica. I usually just skim over them and move on to the next scene.

All in all, I really liked reading this book. I think it’s better than Fifty Shades. Also, at the end part of the book, it gives little tip-offs about what could be potential problems in having a possessive billionaire as a boyfriend, which I think, is a source of conflict for the next installment of the book.

I highly recommend this book to fans of erotic romances and even for readers looking for their Fifty Shades fix!