Hottest Mess

July 11, 2016
Kenner keeps readers guessing in this pulse-pounding erotic suspense tale, the second (after Dirtiest Secret) in the Stark International Novel (SIN) trilogy. Underneath Dallas Sykes's playboy exterior beats the heart of a deeply damaged man. He's felt a pervasive darkness since being kidnapped as a teenager and sexually tortured by someone he knows only as the Woman. She also kidnapped Jane, his adoptive sibling and the only woman he truly loves. Because of the family bond, Jane and Dallas can't outwardly act on their attraction. In addition, Dallas is keeping powerful secrets from Jane, including the possible identity of their kidnapper. When Jane finds out he's been less than forthcoming, their love may not survive his deception. Kenner's deft plotting and enticing characterization bring the story to a frustrating cliffhanger. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

May 15, 2016
Dallas and Jane are foster brother and sister, raised together since age 5. When they were teenagers, they were kidnapped and tortured together. If they started out being attracted to one another, the trauma bonded them further...much further. Dallas is known as the King of Fuck, a wealthy bad boy who publicly leaves women sexually satisfied yet brokenhearted, but belongs entirely to Jane when they're alone. Jane is a writer, so her life is much more private, but since Dallas is the man behind Deliverance--a vigilante group dedicated to the recovery of kidnapped children and the punishment of their abductors--his playboy persona is intended to be smoke and mirrors for his real work. When there's a threat to the anonymity of Deliverance, and new clues emerge about the people behind their own kidnapping, Dallas and Jane are thrust into a web of intrigue and danger. Though Dallas is quite a talented lover, his torture left him unable to seal the deal with the women he beds, so he satisfies them digitally and fakes it. Of course, Jane is the exception to this rule, and she thrives on the forbidden thrill of their secret taboo love. It's not that the sex scenes aren't hot, exactly. They just seem a little unlikely--as though the author didn't care to pay much attention to how bodies work or the way that sexual violence might actually affect human men. Kenner isn't afraid to "go there," but she seems not quite sure of what to do when she arrives. And it seems like she might have gotten bad directions on the way. The taboo here, a brother-sister romance, isn't the most offensive part. It's the overly complicated plot and nearly nonsensical depiction of trauma and sexual violence.

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