Review: Jasinda Stripped me raw!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 25, 2013
*I was given a copy of Stripped by Jasinda Wilder for an honest review.Growing up, one of my very best friends was one of my female cousins.  Her father, my uncle, was a pastor in a Christian church in a small New Mexico town.  My cousin was a pastor's daughter.  The reason I bring this up is that I remember watching her rebel against her father all the time.  It didn't start out this way.  She was a good Christian girl.  But when puberty hit, she went buck wild.  Most of my rowdy adventures as a teenager were courtesy of her and convincing me to do things I'd never do otherwise.  So when I read the synopsis for Stripped by Jasinda Wilder, I jumped at the chance to read it.  Stripped took me back to that time in my life when I watched someone come to terms with their faith and discover their own identity.So how did I get myself into this situation, you ask? Simple: desperation. When you're faced with being homeless and hungry or taking off your clothes for money, the choice is easier than you'd imagine. That doesn't make it easy, though. Oh no. I hate it, in fact. There's nothing I'd like more than to quit and never go into another bar again, never hear the techno beat pulsing in my ears again, never feel the lecherous gazes of horny men again.Then, one day, I meet a man. He's in my club, front and center. He watches me do my routine, and his gaze is full of hunger. Not the kind of desire I'm used to though. It's something different. Something hotter, deeper, and more possessive. I know who he is; of course I do. Everyone knows who Dawson Kellor is. He's People Magazine's Sexiest Man alive. He's the hottest actor in Hollywood. He's the man hand-picked for the role of Rhett Butler in the long-awaited remake of Gone With the Wind.He's the kind of man who can have any woman in the entire world with a mere crook of his finger. So what's he doing looking at me like he has to have me? And how do I resist him when he looks at me with those intoxicating, changeable, quicksilver eyes?I'm a virgin, and he's an American icon of male sexuality. I'm a stripper, and he's a man used to getting anything and everything he wants. And he wants me. I know I should say no, I know he's the worst kind of player...but what my mind knows, my body and my heart may not.And then things get complicated.Grey Admundsen is a a regular 16 year old girl.  She loves all the things that a normal teenage girl loves to do.  So what's the problem, you ask?  Grey is the daughter of Erik Admundsen, the ultra-pious pastor of the Macon Contemporary Baptist Church.  Grey is forced to live a Godly life, shunning all things that cause sinful temptations.  Needless to say, Grey and her father clash.  When unforeseen tragedy strikes the Admudsen family, it rocks Grey to her core.  She leaves her home for college against her father's wishes.  Is Grey prepared to live a life completely incongruent to her sheltered life?Once Grey is in LA for film school, she finds herself navigating new places and situations alone.  Despite Grey's hard work and determination, she finds it's not enough.  She's forced to find a job to make ends meet.  After months and months of fruitless job searching, Grey has no choice but to take a job that goes against every moral fiber in her body...stripping at a local gentleman's club.  As much as she hates what she has to do, she turns herself into Gracie, sultry exotic dancer.  Grey is barely skating through her days, juggling school, her highly sought after internship for a film production company, and dancing.  One evening and a private dance later, Grey's world is turned upside down when she meets Dawson Kellor, the biggest and hottest Hollywood star on the planet.  Dawson immediately has eyes for "Gracie".  He recognizes that she is out of place and uncomfortable in this seedy club.  This chance meeting will change Grey and Dawson forever.Jasinda Wilder has a knack for putting the reader smack dab in the middle of a character's mindset.  You love, hate, struggle, and forgive right along with them.  This is how I felt with Grey's character.  She is at the cusp of adulthood, learning who she is now that her faith is shattered.  I like that Jasinda communicates Grey's struggle with her faith when she's faced with situations that are "sinful".  No matter your faith, I think everyone can relate to growing up and finding what you believed as a child doesn't necessarily resonate with you as an adult.  As Grey navigates the waters of her new life, she wars with the ingrained set of beliefs.  She loathes her job as a dancer, but still exudes a raw sensuality that draws men to her.  Grey has no experience with men and when faced with a man who clearly wants her, she runs from him.  She cannot reconcile her beliefs with her bone deep need for Dawson.Dawson Kellor starts out as your typical bad boy movie star.  His past is heavy, full of neglect from absent parents, drugs and alcohol dulling his pain, and sex to fill the gaps in his heart.  After a stint in rehab, Dawson is getting his life and career back on track.  The last place he expects to find love is at a seedy strip club in LA.  When Dawson lays eyes on Grey (Gracie), his attraction to her is instantaneous.  He know this girl doesn't belong here.  Dawson pursues Grey relentlessly, even as she bolts when things heat up.  I particularly loved when Dawson would petulantly give in when turned down by Grey, only to turn around and worm his way into her heart.  When the inevitable wall comes up from Grey, Dawson shows his vulnerability, uttering,Don't-don't you want to be with me?I choked up reading this quote.  The biggest star in the world is a laid bare for Grey!  I wanted to strangle her for making him feel like this.The sex scenes in Stripped are incredible.  Jasinda takes her time building the sexual attraction and tension between them. Grey and Dawson's first sexual encounter had me completely hot an bothered.  Every moan, whimper, kiss, and touch is detailed in such a way making you feel like it's your first time.I can't help the whimpering moan as he touches me just right again, and the heat and pressure deep within me build and build and build into something unsustainable, something violent and on the knife edge of detonation.OMG!  Give Dawson Kellor the Academy Award for Best First Orgasm!  Jasinda knows exactly what to say to get your pulse racing.  By the time Grey and Dawson consummate their relationship, you're begging for it like a wanton hussy!  I loved every minute of it!Grey's relationship between her mother and father is heartbreaking.  Erik Admudsen doesn't understand his daughter and makes no attempt to do so.  His morals are so rigid that he cannot tolerate anything other than what his beliefs dictate.  Grey's mother is skirting the line between her husband's pious wants for his daughter and Grey's wants as a teenage girl.  This part of the storyline resonated with me the most.  As I stated in the first paragraph, I watch my cousin experience a similar situation with her parents.  Her father unrelenting in his devout theologies and his only daughter bucking the reins as often as she could.  My aunt had a hell of a time keeping them from killing each other.  Jasinda is right on target as she describes what Grey feels, trying to appease her parent, yet do the things she loves.  Eventually, the relationship is broken when the bridge between them disappears.  I felt so bad for everyone in the Admudsen family, even her father.  the communication breakdown is frustrating to watch because it follows Grey into her new life.  My only complaint about the story is that I would love to have seen a bigger reconciliation between Grey and her father.  Jasinda made it clear that he loves her, but I would like to see it play out a bit more.  I also would have like to have seen Grey and Dawson on the movies set together with some conflict and angst thrown in.In my opinion, Jasinda Wilder has another hit book on her hands.  Be prepared to inhale Stripped in one sitting.  I could not put it down.  I stay up way past my bedtime to finish and that's saying something coming from me since I adore my sleepytimes.  I give Stripped by Jasinda Wilder 4.5 out of 5 stars!Dee McGee - Booze, Bookz, and Bad Boyz