Release Me (The Stark Trilogy)

The Stark Series #1

By: J. Kenner

Narrated by: Sofia Willingham

Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Erotica, 2014

For fans of Fifty Shades of Gray 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.

©2013 J. Kenner (P)2013 Random House Audio

Above my expectations!

I resisted this book thinking that it would be so similar to "Fifty Shades of Grey" that it wouldn't hold my interest. I does flow in a similar fashion but it is a unique and interesting storyline. I was surprised to find, I liked it! It is a simple story, no real depth but what is referred to as a beach read. Difficult emotional subjects such as "cutting" and suggestions of abuse are mentioned but neither are done distastefully but instead in understandable ways. I recommend this book to those that like the fanfiction style books from the "Twilight" series. I'm not sure if that is what it is but if it is Twilight inspired it is one of the better runoff books available. Enjoy!

SHE WAS JUST AN INNOCENT MOTH TO HIS RED HOT FLAME

I thought I'd just download the first book and see how the story went but halfway into this I downloaded all the rest in the series and what a joy it was to be able to listen to the entire series in one go.

Damien is rich, uber handsome, successful, sexy, charismatic and is used to getting his own way but he's haunted by his dark past and has more secrets than cars!! But as soon as his and Nikki's eyes meet the world fades away and so starts an incredibly needy, obsessive, erotic and romantic love story. A full cast of secondary characters who find themselves involved, one way or another, in the lover's lives. Damien makes Nikki an offer that she can't refuse but she is hiding deep emotional and physical scars of her own and is desperate to keep her independence but her world is about to be changed forever when someone betrays them.

Worth a credit? It was enjoyable, entertaining, emotional, romantic and very very hot with a dialogue to match and I know there's going to be a lot more drama before these two tortured souls get to see a HEA.... so YEAH, IMHO, very creditworthy.

So....Fifty Shades

I can't tell you how many times I said "that was right from Fifty Shades of Grey" when I listened to this....to the point where it was really making me angry. In all honesty, I don't know who came first - I didn't check. But one of these authors and their editors - wow - can't believe someone didn't get in trouble because the stories are just way, way, way too similar. So not that the story is bad so much as it is not original and the amount of similarity is seriously not cool.

An excellent book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Very interesting, romantic and complex. I loved the way the author describes the emotions of the mail characters. It's a very tender story with lots of psychological nuances. Different problems mix together creating an unexpected plot.

What did you like best about this story?

unpredictability

Which scene was your favorite?

have none

worth it

Beautifully written Very enjoyable I would read this book again and I probably will after I read the rest.

I Couldn't stop listening!!!

What made the experience of listening to Release Me the most enjoyable?

The Characters captured my heart.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Release Me?

There were to many to just choose one.

Have you listened to any of Sofia Willingham’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first book I have listened to of Sofia Willingham. I loved her voice. Her performance was right on. I plan to see what else she has done and listen to it as well.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were two moments that really moved me. One was when Damien learned of her scares and when she cut her self and her hair at the end of the book.

intrigued

I was intrigued by the storyline. I liked the sexy parts but am a sucker for suspense & mystery.

Great Story

Loved it. The narrator was great. Love her voice. Love the story. This is my second time listening to book One. Now onto book two.

Slow Burn

While the plot seemed to be somewhat interesting, it was a very slow burn to the end. Lots of mysteries to the main character and underdeveloped secondaries. Looking forward to book 2 with hopes the pa e picks up.

Damien & Nikki

*****Spoiler Alert*****

Audible review. Single POV (Nikki's). Book 1 in the continuing Stark series. While Sofia Willingham reads well, there are a few odd pronunciations and it is incredibly slow at speed 1.0. I listened at speed 1.80. Trigger warnings: three suicides; child abuse; sefl-harm (cutting & a retaliatory haircut); retaliation firing against an ex; murder accusation; @n@l; BDSM (bondage, blindfold, n¡pple clamps, cat-o-nine tails, unusual dom/sub relationship; safeword: SUNSET).

Nicole Fairchild (24; aka Nikki/Nicholas/Nick/Texas) is a green eyed, blonde haired, former pageant princess from Texas who used to self-harm by cutting her thighs and hips; she is the creator of several apps; enjoys photography; recently moved to California; and lives with her bestfriend Jamie (aka James). Damien Stark (30) is a former tennis star, who started playing tennis when he was 8; is currently a billionaire entrepreneur; has an amber right eye and an enlarged left pupil caused by a tennis injury; he was raised by his father after his mom died of cancer when he was 9; and Nikki suspects his tennis coach abused him before his coach's suicide when Damien was 14. Nikki first encountered Damien when she was 18, she was in a pageant and Damien was one of the judges, they met over the snack table when Nikki was staring at cheesecake bites. There interaction was very brief but it made a lasting impression. Nikki was awarded Stark scholarship and Damien followed her education and career paths. Six years later the two meet at a party his former agent was holding for her artist boyfriend. Nikki's new boss used her to help secure time with Damien. After Nikki's boss pitches his idea to Damien, Damien holds Nikki back to discuss her opinion on a piece of art he'd like to acquire for his apartment. He eventually offers Nikki $1 million to pose for a nude portrait. Nikki accepts the proposition as long as he has her painted as she is, scars and all. Nikki's boss fires her when Damien doesn't hire him. Damien and Nikki begin a no-strings physical relationship at the same time. One of Damien's former conquests committed suicide by accidental asphyxiation over a year ago and her brother is convinced Damien killed her. Nikki's older sister's husband left her and she committed suicide after her mother's cruel words when Nikki was 18. Nikki breaks off her arrangement with Damien when she finds out Damien paid his ex's brother $12.6 million and got Nikki's ex fired in retaliation for something he said to her when they were dating while in college. Nikki's mom sees a picture of Damien & Nikki and flies to see her to help Nikki secure Damien as a husband. After her mom insults her and leaves Nikki cut her own hair off, Jamie finds her, puts her to bed, and contacts Damien. Damien sends her mom back to Texas and goes to Nikki to take care of her.

On to book 2. JP

This is my 3rd "read" of this book.
1st listen 09-17-21.
2nd listen 01-22-22.