Title: High Stakes (The Kingdom, #2)
Author: Nikki Groom
Release Date: October 24, 2014
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Blurb
“Stupid. Beautiful. Girl.
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?
Buy Links:
Amazon US http://amzn.com/B00OSDWCPG
Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00OSDWCPG
Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/high-stakes-30
iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id931641316
Review
As soon as I read the cliffhanger ending of Holding Aces, I was eager to get my hands on Book 2, High Stakes, to see how Arianna and Denham’s story concluded. High Stakes picks right up where Book 1 left off, and readers find Arianna in the clutches of the one man she never wanted to see again, her ex, Jonny. But Jonny’s not going to make life easy on her; he toys with her, making Arianna question her sanity and keep secrets from Denham, the man who is quickly claiming her heart.
With the threats of their past surfacing, Denham is desperate to do everything that he can to protect his stunner; he may seem overprotective to Ari, but he’s not willing to risk her safety, especially when, at first, they don’t know exactly where the threat is coming from. She wants to be able to stand on her own two feet and take care of herself, but Denham will do whatever it takes to shield her from any pain or heartache because his troublemaking beauty is worth it.
Because Denham won’t let Ari leave his side for much of the book, readers get to know a bit more about his past and what’s made him the man he is today through his revealing conversations with Ari and the times his mother and sister come to visit. He had to step in and fill his father’s shoes as the man of the house at a young age, piling a huge amount of pressure and expectations onto him, which left him a bit out of sorts while still grieving for the man he admired and loved. His father’s death and his new responsibilities changed him and forced him to put everyone else over himself. He willingly took his father’s place, but it took away from other aspects of his life, and now because of Ari, Denham feels like he might be able to shed some of the pain and darkness of his past and move forward with a woman who makes him happier and lighter than he’s ever been. But this threat to Ari’s safety has him on edge and until it’s resolved, he only trusts himself to take care of her.
Ari definitely grows in High Stakes; she shows her backbone on more than one instance, but she also makes some pretty poor choices in the book, which put her in a precarious position on more than one occasion. But with the stakes this high, Arianna is willing to do whatever it takes to shield the man she loves from the danger of her past, and even though it probably would have been better if she would have spoken up when all the pieces of the puzzle started falling into place, her decisions come from a good place regardless of how frustrating they may be.
The conclusion to Ari and Denham’s story is one filled with twists, deceptions, and revelations that will rock some of the characters to their core. But amidst the chaos, Ari and Denham also are falling in love, developing intense feelings for each other as they open up about their pasts and see one another in their futures. Getting to their happily right now is not going to be easy, especially with everything that they have going against them, but they are both up for the challenge because nothing has mattered more to them than finding a way to be together.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4 poison apples
Excerpt
“Arianna, dear. It’s nice to see you again.” Amy pushes past my shoulder, inviting herself in and taking ownership of the air around us. “Although, I wasn’t expecting to see so much,” she sneers, letting her eyes drift down the length of my legs.
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.
Holding Aces (The Kingdom, #1)
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Author Bio
Nikki Groom is a hopeless romantic, lover of all things happily ever after and firm believer that love makes the world go around.
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…
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