Top-Off Tuesday and #Review: Wanted by J. Kenner

Top-off Tuesday: What better way than to top off a good book than with a GREAT Cover!

Every week, Amanda from On a Book Bender, Christi from Smitten with Reading,and Felicia from the Geeky Blogger’s Book Blog want to see those Top Off covers that grab your attention!  To play along, share your favorite covers (old, new, or coming soon).  Every once in a while there are covers that just make you say Oh My!  Sometimes it is good, sometimes it is bad, and sometimes it is head scratching.

Summary from Goodreads:

For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey, Bared to You, and Release Me comes an all-new erotic series of three enigmatic and powerful men, and the striking women who can bring them to their knees.
 
He is everything I crave, all I desperately want—and he is everything I can’t have.
 
Evan Black embodies my every fantasy. He is brilliant, fierce, and devastatingly handsome. But he is also headstrong, dangerous, and burdened with secrets.

My family warned me to stay away, that I could never handle Evan’s dark dealings or scarred past. Maybe I should have listened. Maybe I should have run. But our desire is undeniable, and some temptations you just can’t fight.

And from the moment we touch—the passion between us consuming us both—I know that I will never be the same.

Wanted is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

Book Savvy Babe’s Review:

Lately, I have been in a contemporary romantica rut.  It seemed as though a lot contemporary romance books (of late) had been following a similar story line, it was getting predictable.  So, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Wanted is very much it’s own story with fresh characters, plenty of heated scenes, and a storyline that drew me further into the book.

Angelina is a woman with secrets and a past that kept her from being true to herself.  When her beloved Uncle Jahn dies, Angelina is left without her rock to lean on.  She struggles between her natural inclination to be a rebel, to live freely and her fear that letting loose will hurt those she loves.  I found it easy to identify with Angie, and she is a character that intrigued me from the first page.  Then there’s Evan.  Evan has his own secrets and he pushes Angie away at first, for fear of drawing her into his dark world and a promise he had made to the late Uncle Jahn.  But, Angie and Evan have a sizzling chemistry between them that neither can resist.

When I say that Evan has secrets and pushes Angelina away, it is because of secrets.  Evan does not have the deep-seeded emotional damage that some contemporary romance men have.  Evan is a man who developed his business to take care of his family by any means necessary.  Some of those means could mean big trouble for Evan, his business partners, and the people closest to him.  I really like that Evan is a different type of dangerous man.  He likes to be dominant and in charge, in life and in the bedroom, but not obsessively so.  He wants Angelina to make her own life choices, he does not make them for her or force her to his will.  Their relationship developed from a long period of friendship and closeness, so I believed their romance as a couple.

Along with steamy romance and fresh characters, J. Kenner delivered a story of intrigue as well.  Evan and his business partners had drawn the attention of the FBI and there was a matter of stolen art that brought suspense and a bit of adventure to the book.  Overall, Wanted proved to be a very entertaining read.  I will definitely be reading  more of this series in the future, as I am curious to learn what Evan’s business partners, his best friends, will be up to next.  I have read J. Kenner’s other books before, her Stark trilogy, but, so far, I am enjoying this Most Wanted series more.  Contemporary romantica readers, I would recommend giving Wanted a try.

P.S.- I love the cover of this book.  The shadows and the pop of color on top of the man candy look great.  Thank you to the publisher for giving a romance book the kind of cover it deserves. 🙂

Happy Reading,