Kelly has been waiting for her knight in shining armor to take her away from her ordinary life. But he’s taking his sweet time. Taking matters into her own hands, she dives into a world she’s unprepared for.Kendrick has never seen a woman more impulsive than Kelly. She wants everything, and she wants it now. And damn if he doesn’t want to be the one to give it to her.But there’s more at play here … there’s more at play here than boy meets girl. Bad men linger in the shadows where fears are hidden and doubts hover. Can they pull together to secure a future or will the darkness tear them apart?
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The second standalone in the Windy City group, this story focuses on Kelly and Kendrick. Kelly is known for being impulsive & looking for her future husband, but she’s not desperate. While waiting for Mr. Right, Kelly wants to explore her own needs, and Kendrick is the guy that helps her after a decision goes wrong. Kelly’s current wants and her future hopes don’t seem to mesh, but Kendrick is exactly the guy she needs. I love it when the H can be strong and also emotionally vulnerable, and make a few mistakes in judgement; this makes Kendrick seem more real. I enjoyed this couple, seeing Jessica & Royce (from the first book), and their expanding group of friends. A BDSM romance, this book also has some danger & action to ramp up the tension. Loving this set!
I received a copy of this book. My honest review is voluntarily provided.
Kelly loves life, but like all of us she is afraid her goals are fading away as she ages. She craves for a love of an alpha man. She wants the husband, the children, and the 1950’s household. Kendrick could be the alpha man she needs; he rescues her from a private play party that could have been ended very badly for her. After she confesses her desires to Kendrick the morning after, will he be the man of her dreams? He must show her what a true man is, and one size doesn’t fit all.
This is Kendrick & Kelly’s story in the The Windy City series.
As always, Ms Stone delivers sizzling heat, tension, danger & delicious conflict in this book. She is masterful in her ability to expose the personalities, insecurities, fallibilities of her characters, as well as their loyalty, courage & ability to love. All of which, along with her writing skill provides the reader with a deep sense of who these characters are, what motivates them, scares them & most definitely what excites them.
Kendrick is an ex-police officer & now owns his own Security firm. He’s huge, muscular, toned. He wears his dominance effortlessly as it IS his nature to be so. He’s serious but can be humorous, cautious & protective, but overridingly, he is calm, measured, deliberate.
And Kelly. Ah Kelly, IMO Kelly is an annoying hot mess. I *personally* did not care for her. At all. She is exactly the type of person that I steer away from if possible. Almost everything she thought, said or did set my teeth on edge &/or irritated me beyond measure. She put me in mind of a squirrel dashing madly from place to place searching for its hidden treasure & due to its crazed, impulsive, impatient pinball methods, finding nothing. Add on top of that her blatant disregard for any type of potential danger relative to her actions &/or decisions . . . .
BUT, that is a personal quibble of MINE. I know there are plenty of readers for whom this type of snarky, sassy, snippy, impulsive, etc heroine will resonate. And that is why I gave a 5 vs 4 star rating: the character WAS so well written I actively disliked her.
But I loved Kendrick.
But other than my personal issue, everything about this book is stellar: the plot with just enough tension to intrigue the reader, characters that the reader becomes invested in, excellent writing that places the reader in the room, in the action, in the emotions of the story. The reader does have a sense of ‘knowing’ this group of friends, of their surroundings, haunts, their headspace. And Ms. Stone is able to create sizzling scenes that seem to crackle with heat, steam & intensity with raw, no holds barred carnal interludes.
So, grab a fan, a cold drink, hide from family & co-workers & enjoy this plunge into unbridled lust, tension & romance.
This was a breath taking read! Intense, sexy and thrilling!
I loved Kelly and Kendricks roller coaster ride!
Highly recommended!
Wow. What a great story. Kelly is a chemistry teacher and has this idea of a perfect family and is trying to find the perfect husband. Her friends call her an idiot for all the trouble she seems to get herself into and then along comes Kendrick who was a cop and now owns a security business and is also a Dom. Kelly wants to learn more about the BDSM scene, but she keeps making the wrong decision and getting into trouble and not talking to Kendrick. Enjoy this wonderful book.
Much as I liked Royce and Jessica, I think Kendrick has stolen my heart. I felt sorry for Alex, but Kendrick was the epitome of a Dom. He was sexy, firm caring and loving and even though Kelly drove him to distraction at times he never gave up on her. This is one hot, fun read and although I had tears in my eyes at one point it has a lovely ending. I am so looking forward to the next book in the series.