Outwardly, Noah Carter is riding high as the tech world’s hottest new genius. Inside, he’s still reeling from the abduction of his wife and baby daughter eight years ago, and then the devastating discovery of his child’s body. For years, he kept up hope that his wife was alive, but now that she’s been declared legally dead, he’s thrown himself even more deeply into his work, cutting himself off from emotional ties because they just hurt too damn much. Then he meets Kiki Porter, an eternal optimist with a killer work ethic and dreams of fronting a band. And everything changes. Even though he tries his damnedest to fight it… Sexually, they are combustible together. But their true fire is emotional, though it is a slow to burn. But once it lights, it is all consuming. The relationship grows emotionally, the sex is hot, things are good. But just when it’s looking like they might have a real future together, the past comes back to haunt them. And Noah’s going to have to decide what he’s willing to give up for love … All Wicked Novels Stand Alone
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I've really gotten hooked on J. Kenner's writing this year. She has a knack for just drawing me in to her stories and characters. Wicked Torture, the third book in her Stark World, was no different. This emotional second chance romance pulled me in right from the start.
Noah...oh, tortured Noah. He's a pretty great book boyfriend. He's loyal, hot, sexy...and definitely haunted. He definitely has some issues to work through and overcome and he has to do it on his own time, at his own pace. The author doesn't rush him. There were moments I wanted to shake him, yes, but I really wanted to hug him.
Kiki had her own heartbreak to deal with, and she did so in much the same way as Noah. I had a bit of a disconnect with her initially but quickly started rooting for her once I got her. She was protective of her heart, rightfully so. I completely saw where she was coming from.
You can feel the connection between these two. The spark is there and it was believable for me. The sexy times were sexy and hot, which I've come to expect from this author. There was a bit more of an emotional pull to this book for me with these characters. They'd both been through so much so it was very gratifying to watch them pursue their happy ever after.
As always, the writing here was crisp and clean. I feel the pacing worked well and I was rooting for these characters from the start. While this is the third book set in the Stark World for the Author it can be enjoyed as a standalone. I recommend this book and look forward to what this Author will do next!
A second chance romance needs to have a good reason for me to believe that the couple will not only be able to get over their past but will be able to do so enough to move forward.
This book had one of the best reasons I have ever encountered, and I read a lot of the second chance romance trope as it is a favorite of mine.
J. Kenner writes the story of Noah and Kiki as 2 people who were separated by circumstance, and then by their own inner demons and makes you want them to be together. The chemistry and the sexual attraction is instant, and it is brought to the "now" through their current relationship. The romance, and the relationship builds on the foundation given by their past, but also builds new as they learn to trust one another and their relationship.
The writing and the pacing are excellent and you feel the connection with the characters and the build up of the relationship makes it feel real.
I recommend this title
Time to heal. Somehow, though, he never found the enthusiasm. Or maybe that was just an excuse. Another way of punishing himself for walking away from the woman he loved in favor of the woman he’d owed. And since he’d never have either of them again, he needed to kick his own ass, pick up the pieces of his life, and start building something real. After all, there wasn’t a tech gadget he couldn’t design, build, or repair. So why was he so clueless when it came to his own damn life? It was time, and it would be easy. Painless even, because God knew Evie embodied everything he admired in a woman. Strength. Intelligence. Ambition. Humor. Beauty. She was as desirable as Lyle had promised and obviously enthusiastic. In other words, he was all out of excuses. He stood up, intending to tell her to lead the way. But the words that came out of his mouth shocked them both. “I’m sorry, Evie,” he said. “You’ve been wonderful, but I have an early meeting, and I should probably get home.” “Oh.” He’d surprised her as she was rising, and now she teetered awkwardly on her heels, as if his unexpected words would physically topple her. He reached out a hand to steady her, and for the briefest moment, he considered pulling her close and fighting his way past his hesitation. She was everything he should want in a woman—with the unfortunately insurmountable problem that she wasn’t what he wanted at all. Or, rather, she wasn’t who he wanted. Goddamn him. Goddamn his stupid, unrealistic fantasies. And while he was at it, goddamn Kiki, too. He was being an idiot and unfair, and he knew it. An idiot, because he’d made his choice to walk away from Kiki long ago, and he knew damn well that he’d shattered her in the process. Even if he could have seen his way clear to look her up after all these years, he’d forfeited his right to come crawling back. Unfair, because not ten minutes ago he’d been ready to take the plunge with Evie, and yet here he was, dodging and shifting like a damn coward, trying to swim up out of the deep black ocean of loss and pain. A familiar pain that wrapped him like a blanket, so cloying it was almost comfortable. And he knew damn well that there was only one way to fight it—he needed to take the girl to her room and try to fuck the darkness out of him. The way he’d done with countless other women. The way that never worked like it should. That only dulled the sharp edges of his pain, but added no light to the darkness. That wasn’t what he wanted. Not anymore. One of the reasons he’d moved to Austin was to heal, after all. To heal, and to break bad habits. Still, it was tempting, and it took more strength than he expected to shake his head again and say very gently, “I really am sorry. I’m not … ready.” She’d been polite enough not to mention the tragedy in his past, but he was certain that Lyle must have at least told her that he’d lost his wife and daughter. Hopefully, that softened the blow of rejection. She’d regained her footing, and now she stepped back, her forehead creased as her eyes flicked over him, expertly assessing him as she would a witness. “It’s been almost nine years, I’m told.” The sharp edge of her voice sliced his heart. So much for softening the blow. “If you don’t get ready soon, I can’t help but think you’re going to end up sad and alone.” With a thin, sympathetic smile, she turned and walked away, leaving him to watch her go and wonder at her perceptiveness. Because she was right. He was going to end up sad and alone. Hell, he already was.
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. 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 praised 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 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy). 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.
