Review: Another series where "cutting" is central to the theme..
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 12 30, 2013
The review in the first of the trilogy touted the series as being better than the Fifty Shades series......these books come no where near being as well developed.  Damien's bag of sexual tricks are pretty nonexistent and Nickki's reactions are crude to say the least.  There seems to be a trend with a few authors to feature characters that are so psychologically disturbed that others around them do nothing but deal with their issues instead of telling a well rounded story.  Thus it is with Nickki Fairchild  and Damien Stark.  Nickki is a former beauty queen who was physically and mentally abused by her own mother. As a result she starts to mutilate her inner thighs by cutting.  Damien also suffered sexual abuse at a young age by his former tennis coach. He becomes a famous tennis player who retires and is now the head of Stark Industries.  A  self-made billionaire, Stark officiates at a beauty pageant where he becomes enamored with a very young Nickki as she competes.  He mentors her without her knowledge and when she comes to California to work she conveniently falls under his spell.  There's an  instant attraction between the billionaire and the penniless Ms. Fairchild and after they meet there seems to be a sex act on every page to the point it is trivial and not very interesting.  Other characters:  Nickki's roomate is a wanna be actress that is out of control sexually, even sleeping with the sleazy landlord/neighbor. Nikki's other male friend is in love with her, he is also engaged and has sex with Nikki's roommate.  (Not many in the book who don't)  We can't leave out the couple of times Nickki's mother enters the scene and Damien sends her packing. With his power and background why didn't he just have the old gal done away with.There isn't much substance to the trilogy and then there is a very short lackluster novella seeming to end with Nickki's and Damien's wedding, but is really meant to introduce readers to a new character in a new series that will go on and on for $7.99 per pop.......for shame.  Cereal books seem to be what some writers are going to in order to make more money in e-books.  A trend that readers will be wise to stay away from - it smacks of the advertising campaign to offer $.99 ring tones.  Romance genre writers should be better than this.