Rising

A great sequel to Fallen, with a bit more spice and mystery.

When a picked up the first book, I was hooked. The MCs share a powerful history and had a strong connection from the beginning. I really liked both of them. The only thing I didn't like were the secrets in their relationship. It took away from their connection.

What is there not to love about a new Lexxi James novel. Rising was like visiting friends you haven’t seen in a while, Kathryn and Jake. Kathryn is frustrated when Jake hasn’t made a move to take their relationship to the next level, and I feel for her. Questions swirl through our minds. Why not? Is the relationship fizzling? Has he found a new sub? While patience is not our strong suit, with their story you can’t get the answers too soon. As I read the pages, I know Lexxi will reveal everything at its time.
With a little more mystery than in the first book, I felt that this was more of the books from Ms. James I love.

I really enjoyed reading this book! It's been a while since a read anything bdsm related and this made me want to get back into those books. I also want to explore more of lexxi james's books because I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Kathryn's friendship with Julian was probably what made me laugh the most but Kathryn and Jake were amazing and I love so much already.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💜🤎💚💛
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📙📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌍🌏
Character development: 😍😕🙃☺️😘

The heroine: Kathryn Chase - formerly an army nurse, she now works as an insurance investigator. She is newly engaged to Jake Russo and has worked with him on some of her investigations.

The Hero(es): Jake Russo - he is a cyber crime expert and master hacker. He is also extremely wealthy and was in the Army during the gulf war. Kathryn saved him at the time and he has been watching over her since he got back.

The story:When Kathryn wanted to learn more about BDSM, her good friend Paco Robles introduced her to Jake. He has been her Dom ever since, though they have been moving slowly and have yet to go to a BDSM club together. When Kathryn finds out that Jake has been visiting some local clubs without her, she is determined to figure out why.

I liked this story and the fact that it delved deeper into the BDSM lifestyle and world. It was much steamier than the first book, though that was pretty steamy as well. I like the relationship between Kat and Jake and especially how they end up working together in so many things.

The supporting characters were awesome, especially Paco and Julian. They are both gay men that are hot and sexy as well. Paco is mysterious as ever and Julian is always good for a laugh. There is suspense as well and danger. I won’t go into the plot but to say that I really liked it.

I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Jake was a soldier whose life was saved by Kathryn. He watched over her for years, until she started looking for a Dom, and found him again. There is suspense along with the romance and has twists I didn't expect. This was steamy but sweet. The periperal characters were fun and added so much to the story
of Kathryn and Jake. The characters were realistic and the book well written.
Thank you NetGalley for providing this copy for my unpaid, honest review.