Narrated by Lucy Rivers
I’m a fan of J. Kenner’s erotic romantic suspense titles, but the Dirtiest Trilogy just hasn’t hit the mark with me. Still bearing Kenner’s signature taboo or damaged hero who needs to experience passion in a more than plain vanilla way as a result of past demons, but just missing a certain intensity or intrigue factor, I felt like Hottest Mess was a rehash of the themes we already learned in Dirtiest Secret. It failed to move the needle forward on either the romance or the underlying suspense arc, except for in a few rushed passages at the end, and I was left with doubts as to whether I should continue with the next and final book in the Dirtiest Trilogy, Sweetest Taboo. Instead it felt like the focus of this book was on too much gratuitous, heat-filled scenes rather than on unrolling a complex plot which is what I yearn for in a romantic suspense title.
Hottest Mess picks up where Dirtiest Secret leaves off. If you haven’t yet listened to Dirtiest Secret, then you should start with that book. Please note that this review contains spoilers for Book 1.
Dallas Sykes and Jane Martin have been hiding secrets about their past and their attraction to one another their whole lives. Having bonded in an atypical way for step-siblings (by adoption/marriage, not blood) during a traumatic kidnapping when they were teenagers, they have tried to pick up the pieces of their lives separately without much success. Although their relationship is taboo, not to mention illegal, they are the only ones who truly understand what the other suffered through. Seeking solace and healing in each other’s arms, they are done fighting their mutual attraction, at least privately.
To the outside world, however, they must continue to keep up a facade: Dallas the hot playboy who has a different girl on his arm every night and Jane the more private, less social of the two. The secrets they are hiding, however, affect more than just their attraction to one another. Jane now knows that Dallas is the man behind Deliverance, an organization whose mission it is to save kidnapping victims through any necessary means (including illegal ones), and an organization and tactics that Jane has made a living trying to eradicate. Dallas, however, has convinced Jane to keep his secret. However, Dallas is also using Deliverance to try and discover who was behind their kidnapping all those years ago. As facts begin to arise which seem to implicate another person near and dear to Jane’s heart, Dallas must again decide whether to keep secrets from Jane. Can this couple who has to hide their relationship from the world, not to mention secrets from each other, possibly find their HEA?
Lucy Rivers delivers a talented narration in Hottest Mess. Having listened to Ms. Rivers before, I knew I could count on her to deliver distinguishable and authentic sounding male and female characters, and as expected her renditions make it easy to tell who is speaking from her intonation. From Dallas’ slightly deeper and confident tone, to Jane’s slightly higher and somewhat exasperated demeanor at having to pretend to not be bothered by Dallas’ many “affairs”, Ms. Rivers appropriately brings to life the story that Ms. Kenner has penned. Therefore, while the story was underwhelming for me, the narration is solid and makes this a title worth listening to, to the extent you are so inclined.
While I enjoyed book 1, Dirtiest Secret, book 2 was missing the intrigue and suspense that I enjoyed in the first book. Having failed to continue my attention, I will likely bow out of this series without seeing its conclusion in book 3. However, I am hopeful that the next series will be more up my alley as J Kenner’s prior series have been.
BJ
Narration: B+
Book Content: C-
Steam Factor: For your burning ears only
Violence Rating: Domestic Violence
Genre: Contemporary Romance - Erotic
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Hottest Mess was provided to AudioGals by Brilliance Audio for a review.
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