Damien: A Stark Novel

4.5 stars--DAMIEN is the sixth instalment in J.Kenner’s contemporary, adult STARK SAGA erotic, romance series-a spin off from the author’s STARK Trilogy focusing on billionaire businessman Damien Stark, and his wife Nikki Fairchild-Stark. DAMIEN can be read as a stand alone but for cohesion and back story I recommend reading the series in order as there is a continuing story line throughout. NOTE: If you have not read the previous instalments there may be some spoilers in my review Told from first person perspective (Damien Stark) DAMIEN picks up shortly after the events of book five –LOST WITH ME- wherein Damien’s family life spirals out of his control attacking his hard fought sense of peace and happily ever after. Continuing threats against his children and his wife find our hero pulling in his security team, friends, and the people he can trust to ensure his family’s safety, once and for all. But all does not go according to plan when Nikki’s life, once again, hangs in the balance because of sins from the past. DAMIEN is an emotional, heart breaking and erotic story of life, love, friendship and family: a story of betrayal, vengeance, obsession and passion: of past sins, and the fall-out of rejection and lust. The premise is engaging and revealing; the characters are familiar, energetic and charismatic; the $ex scenes are provocative and intense but I continue to struggle with the author’s use of a certain four-letter word I believe has no place in any romance story line. DAMIEN is another fantastic and intriguing addition to Damien and Nikki’s continuing journey.

This story basically picks up from where "Lost With Me" left off, but now everything is coming from Damien's POV. Even though Anne is now home safe and sound, Damien feels as if he has failed his family because with all he has, he wasn't able to protect them. I realize Damien is broken, but it would have been nice to have been in his mindset hanging out with friends and seeing a lighter side of him. Damien came off as very whiny, to me, in this book, and while I don't expect him to be perfect, it was a tad too much,. Damien is a well written story, and it will have you guessing who the monster is because you think you know, but then you don't, but then maybe you do. It plays with your head a little and keeps you enthralled. Questions (big and small) left over from the previous story are answered. However, the series has evolved and become more about the Stark family dynamic and all the tragedy that has come their way, than about the kink when the series first started. The series has taken on more of a thriller like component to it. There has always been a theme of picking up each other's broken pieces and being each others rock, but Nikki and Damien have become borderline vanilla since we first met them. I kind of miss that aspect of their story. We got a little more kink in this story than the previous book, but still doesn't compare to earlier stories. Nikki has been the POV for so long that we know the stories of all the cracks in her shell, what makes her tick, and act the way she does, but Damien is still kind of new territory. It was nice to see Nikki play more of the strong role in this story. I do hope we get Damien's POV more, and that we get it during happier times.

"But you do like your secrets, Mr. Stark." "I've lived with them my whole life. They're like old friends." "I get that. But introduce your wife to those friends every once in a while, okay?" Can we ever get enough of Damien and Nikki? NEVER!!! The ultimate couple - with unwavering love and trust, an unending need for each other in mind, body, and soul. There is nothing Nickki wouldn't do for Damien, and nothing in this world, he wouldn't do for her. Damien Stark - master of his corporate empire, devoted husband and father, and always in control. But, how does a man who has a need to control handle it when he finds himself in control of nothing? All his money, power, and connections couldn't stop what had happened to his family, and now he may never find the puppet master behind the whole thing. He's failing at his one job - to protect his family. As his team continues to investigate both Anne's kidnapping, and the vandalism at Nikki's new office, his world is spinning out of control. Can he live never finding the culprit and putting an end to the threat? Will he ever be able to forgive himself? But, when the threat, once again, comes to their door, and Nikki is in danger, will he be able to put all the pieces in place in time to save her? Or will he lose his whole world? He was Damien Stark. He failed once. He wouldn't fail again. I loved having this story told from Damien's point of view. I could feel his anguish and helplessness pouring off the pages. I swooned over his love for Nikki, and how the two of them are so connected they know what the other needs, even without those needs being spoken. And of course, their intimate times are off the charts HOT! My heart broke for him as he struggled with knowing they may never find the person responsible, and that his family may never be fully feel safe again. Feeling as though we have failed is something we can all related to, but knowing Damien as we do, having followed him through Ms. Kenner's books, failure is not something Damien can easily accept. Seeing his vulnerable side was amazing. But of course, Nikki will never see him as failing at anything, and neither will we!