Title: High Stakes (The Kingdom, #2)
Author: Nikki Groom
Release Date: October 24, 2014
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
How did you ever think you could be free?”
The last words I heard before the darkness took me and my dreams were shattered.
I was on my way to having it all.
Friends, family and a future.
Everything I had wished for but never thought possible.
Denham King showed me just how good life could be. A life where love and happiness were within reach.
Almost.
I should have known it would never last.
My past is a dark, damp cloud, that has seeped into my skin and left a cold promise.
A promise of hurt and pain.
A promise of a long, hard fight, where the stakes are high and the risks threaten lives.
When your world gets thrown in all directions, and your dreams for the future are torn from your grasp; how do you go on?
Can I fight the demons that haunt me?
Can love save me from fate’s cruel path?
I stand tall, trying not to be intimidated by her, trying to stand my ground in my apartment, but instantly feeling threatened by the way her body reacts to me, and the way her gaze makes me feel cold and uncomfortable.
She lifts her hand toward me, and tucks a long, red, predatory nail under the collar of the white shirt I am wearing, lifting it between her fingertips and gently brushing against my collarbone through the fabric as she does. It sends chills through me. She’s cold. Her aura, her demeanor, and her intentions are all icy and it radiates from her in steady pulses.
“I bet he likes you in this. I bet he asked you to wear it, am I wrong?”
Of course, she’s not wrong. She’s pretty much as correct as can fucking be. I swallow hard. Shards of her persona stick into me like little icy pins. Her words, like little needles of reality, stab into my veins. She knows him better than I do. She knows what he likes, and what he doesn’t. Has he asked her to wear his shirt for him?
Has he told her to dress in nothing but heels and diamonds for him?
The thoughts make me feel sick. But, I know that she’s playing me. I've seen Denham’s reaction to her. I’ve seen the contempt in his eyes when her name is mentioned, and I’ve felt the tension radiate from him when he encounters her. She’s a bitch. Pure and simple.
Amazon US http://amzn.com/B00OSDWCPG
Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/
Holding Aces (The Kingdom, #1)
In her spare time, you will find Nikki laughing with her very treasured family, walking with her beloved dog in the hundred acre wood or curled up in a cosy corner with words and wine.
She lives in East Sussex with her husband and two children. Having turned her hand to many things over the years, Nikki is now proud to add ‘author’ to that list.
Having always been a dreamer, Nikki’s imagination stretches far and wide, which enables her to get lost in faraway places and imaginary people.
Nikki loves to chat, especially about books! You can find her here…
T Birds 5 Bare Naked Stars ***** Review
After reading Holding Aces by Nikki Groom,
I became very interested in her books because of her strong character
development and writing style. The way
Holding Aces ended it left me wanting to read High Stakes to see how the life
of Arianna and Denham was going to continue.
When I began High Stakes I had expectations of where she was going to
take me regarding how the cliff hanger in book one left us, but I was wrong,
she proved she is far from predictable.
The synopsis will give you the overall idea
of this part of the story but it doesn’t give you the promise of what you will
learn about these characters. Just when
you think you knew all there was to know and that your love for them couldn’t expand
any farther, the author tears away the curtains and exposes them for who they
really are. The motives behind their
behavior will not only make you want to invest more of your heart to them, some
truths will be an eye opening experience as to how far people will go in the
name of greed. It was a total
re-evaluation for me when it comes to my emotions regarding each character in
the book.
This time I am going to start with Denham
and his family. I didn’t think I could
adore that man any more than I did after Holding Aces but OMG he is a saint in
my book now. Meeting his mother and
getting to know the struggles he and his siblings have had created a jealousy
in me that I couldn’t explain. I don’t
envy the life changing events that brought them to their knees at one time but
I sure do envy not being part of that family and having Denham as the overall
protector. It made me feel even better
for Arianna to have a chance to be part of this family by the time I was done
learning about them.
Arianna once again proved what a strong
lady she is. I loved how the author
showed us those fleeting moments when she struggled with the idea of giving up
and going back to her old ways, only to resurface with the purpose of
controlling her own destiny. Another
part in the story that impressed me was when it was clear to her that she was
more trouble for Denham and his family than she was a benefit to them. She struggled with running and weighed the
options of staying. I admired that the
author kept Arianna real with us readers and didn’t have her just wear blinders
and not entertain the nasty demons that were still present in her mind.
Of course the two men who had torn
Arianna’s world apart resurfaced but not in the way you were expecting. We learned more about Spike and Lottie’s
relationship and where it was heading and I pray she is planning on giving them
a book of their own because I am certainly not finished with them. I have to say I don’t have the chance to read
many books that surprise me at the end but this one did. Between the moments of
melting and the sobs from my broken heart, I was emotionally drained but
thankful for this experience. I loved
the style in which she gave me the missing pieces at the end and wrapped this
story up for me as a reader. I felt
satisfied and complete when I finished the last page and that impresses me with
any author.
I highly recommend this series and
author. For being a new writer she has
proven to me she is one we should watch out for. Her scene and character development surpasses
many established authors today. She has
a brilliant ability to balance her plots and scenes out so there is no area in
the book that would tempt you to put it down.
If Holding Aces and High Stakes is any indication of what she has in
mind for the future, I for one want to make sure I don’t miss this ride of a
life time.
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