Was it poetic justice…or an education in obsession?
Bookstore owner Veronica Archer is eager to oblige when sexy detective Jack Parker shows up at her shop, seeking help on the stalking case he's working. Verses from Victorian erotica are being left for the victims, and Jack needs to interpret the clues—before someone gets hurt. Thankfully, Ronnie's an expert on naughty turn-of-the-century prose, but if she's going to play teacher, Jack will have to be a dedicated student….
With her own love life stuck in Neutral, Ronnie's sensual studies have piqued her curiosity, and she wonders if reality can be as stimulating as fiction. She agrees to help Jack with his case, if he'll satisfy her wildest, most scandalous desires—a request Jack has no problem accommodating. But the closer they get to each other, the closer the stalker circles in, leaving Jack to question if Ronnie is merely a very skilled scholar—or the key to something far more sinister….
J. Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and International bestselling author of over seventy novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.
Though known primarily for her award-winning and international bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, “chicklit” suspense, urban fantasy, Victorian-era thrillers (coming soon), and paranormal mommy lit.
Her foray into the latter, Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner, has been consistently in development in Hollywood since prior to publication. Most recently, it has been optioned by Warner Brothers Television for development as series on the CW Network with Alloy Entertainment producing.
JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swopn for him.” A three time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy).
Her books have sold well over a million copies and are published in over over twenty countries.
In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.
Reviewed for THC Reviews Silent Confessions was my second read by Julie Kenner. It's one of her older books that's on the shorter side, more the length of a Harlequin romance. It was actually published by Harlequin, but not in one of their specialized lines. I really like Ms. Kenner's writing style. It's straightforward and easy to read. Her love scenes are loaded with steam, probably on the order of a Harlequin Blaze. A couple are borderline erotic, but there are also several that are closed-door and kind of glossed over, so I wouldn't really call this an erotic romance, just a very spicy one. However, with the heroine being a student of erotica and the owner of a bookstore specializing in the genre, there's a lot of talk of historical erotic literature and art that very much piqued by curiosity. That, in my estimation, is the hallmark of a good book, one that can teach me something new or stir my interest in a previously undiscovered topic, so overall, I had a really good time reading Silent Confessions.
Jack and Veronica are likable characters. He's a detective with the NYPD, working in the sex crimes division. He got into that specialty because of a family member who was raped. Ronnie, as I've mentioned, is a graduate student and the owner of a bookstore specializing in erotica. She also gives lectures and leads discussion of these books at her store. The store was recently broken into, but nothing of value was stolen, so the cops haven't made her case a priority. Jack, on the other hand, is working a case involving a stalker who leaves messages gleaned from erotic literature. The two meet when Ronnie goes to the police station to demand an update on her case, and Jack accidentally mistakes her for the erotica expert his partner lined up to help them on the case. As it turns out Ronnie is far more well-versed in erotica then the purported expert, so after Jack figures out his faux pas and apologizes, she ends up helping him with his investigation by giving him private lessons in erotica that don't always involve reading.;-)
Normally I'm not a big fan of quick hook-ups in romance, but here it worked beautifully for me. The only reason I can discern for that is that the author made me feel the chemistry and emotional connection between these two characters on a visceral level, so that I fully believed they were two halves of a whole that had always been meant for one another. They just can't seem to get enough of each other, and they give their trust freely and implicitly from the start. Until they met, Ronnie had thought she was destined to only live vicariously through the sexual exploits of the authors whose works she read, and after a marriage gone bad, Jack thought he was having trouble trusting women, but with Ronnie all that changes. For this reason, I had no trouble believing they made a great couple.
The main reason I decided to mark the book down a star is that I felt like the characterizations could have gone deeper. The author gives enough background information on Jack and Ronnie to make me feel like I knew them fairly well, but at the same time I would have liked to know more. For instance, I don't recall any specific reasons being mentioned for Ronnie getting into the study of erotica, which is kind of an unusual field. It would have been nice if this had been explored a little more. Also, while reasons were given for Jack's chosen law enforcement specialty, I couldn't help feeling like I'd like to know more about how this incident affected him personally, and why at the end of the book, he's open to changing. How did Ronnie and/or her case make him feel like he'd done justice enough to his job and his cousin to be OK with a switch? In addition, I think the villain's motives could have been a little clearer and more believable. Up until the point where his identity is fully revealed, he'd seemed fairly innocuous, so it was a little hard to buy into such a sudden change. However, the author did make me second-guess myself on the stalker/killer's identity a few times. I can't help wondering if she was perhaps constrained by word count, in which case, she still did a decent job of creating a good story in a rather short space.
In spite of a few weaknesses, Silent Confessions was an enjoyable read for me for all of the reasons I've mentioned above. While Julie Kenner's website doesn't officially have this book linked with any others as a series, there is another book, Silent Desires, published by the Harlequin Blaze line, which features Ronnie's friend and employee, Joan, as the heroine. Also, Ronnie is a secondary character in Night Moves, set at a future date, when she's become a professor of erotic literature. These first couple of books I've read by Ms. Kenner have left me very interested in trying more. If these early works of hers are this tantalizing, I can't help wondering how much better her newer releases written as J. Kenner must be.
This was a good mystery with a romantic twist. Veronica ("Ronnie") is the owner of an erotic bookstore and working on her PhD in erotic literature. Detective Jack Parker is investigating a sex crimes involving erotic literature left at the scene and through a misunderstanding gets thrown together with Ronnie. They do end up helping each other out - in more ways than one. There's several steamy scenes and they add to the tension of the story. There are a few red herrings and it's a decent mystery.
Silent Confessions is a steamy suspenseful romance revolving around a stalker/murder mystery. Bookstore owner Veronica Archer is brought in as a consultant on a case by Detective Jack Parker and things quickly become dangerous when the case gets to close to home for Veronica.
The story was good, but seemed sluggish as times especially for a 250 page book. I did enjoy the reveal of the bad guy.
This isn’t a genre I often read and I have to remind myself to suspend my disbelief that two people would form such a strong connection so very quickly. I mean, that’s the point of this whole super-romance thing, right? Beyond that one point, I really enjoyed this book. I’ve only read Kenner’s designer series before (The Prada Paradox, etc) and loved her characters and pacing there. This isn’t quite to that level, but that’s more because I think I like the deadly-Amazing-Race feel of those more than the crime thing. It still had engaging characters and a runaway train feel to the narrative that paused at just the right moments.
The first book I have read by this author. I am glad I read it. Suspenseful, romantic, a pleasure to read. I got the book on my birthday (two days ago) and I just could not put the book down. In my opinion and personal experience, I wouldn't put thriller or suspense with a romance story, but that's if I were to write a book myself. The way she wrote this book, stunning. I would definitely recommend not only this book, but the other as well.
The best thing about the book is that I was really surprised a few times. I wasn't sure how the book will end (the thriller part as the romance part was quite clear). However, I didn't really like how Jack and Ronnie saw each other and suddenly "I want him/her so badly." Not my cup of tea. Also, I didn't like Jack's "I don't like him, so he has to be guilty." That would be fine if "he" wasn't guilty! However, the book was good and hard to put away.
4 stars! I’m actually pretty surprised with this book. I didn’t go into thinking it was going to be a great book, but it shocked me. It was way better than what I initially thought. The entire time i was honking it’s this guy, he’s the threat, but there was so many twists that I ended up really surprised.
It was just ok, nothing great stuck out.. I enjoy her more recent works better. This one didn't keep my attention, even though there was a murder to solve didn't keep me turning pages,
(no spoilers) I thought I knew what the ending would be from reading the back of the book, but I was surprised. Reading it the second time around and seeing all the clues was very enjoyable.
Wow! So you know those authors that you just can't help but read and absorb everything they right! Just because they know exactly how to, not only capture, but to keep your attention and keep you emotionally involved...Well - Julie Kenner is that writer for me! I've read nearly everything she's written and this story...OMG! Valerie, or Ronnie as she liked to be called, is an erotic bookstore owner. She and her 1/2 brother Nat live above the store. Nat has been pestering her to sell, but Ronnie won't think of as it's a piece of her father that she doesn't want to let go. Jack Parker, a cop immersed solely into his work on this serial stalker case. That is until the green-eyed vixen waltzed into the police station and crashed into his life! Neither has been with anyone in a while, and what the heck, he needed her help on a case, and she needed his help, well, in her bed...so why not help one another (wink, wink;). Things turned hot and heavy quickly. As did the case, it went from serial stalker to murder in the blink of an eye. Now, Jack had to not only worry about the case, but about keeping Ronnie safe as well. There are twists and turns, romance, emotional roller coaster rides, and Murder...what else can you ask for :) I highly recommend it. It will be added to my re-read collection. Thanks again Julie for yet another enthralling and exceptionally wonderful read!
A stalker has been leaving erotic notes to a married woman, and her husband is not amused by it. But now he has upped his stakes, by breaking into their highly secured apartment, and leaving his next message on her pillow. The woman claims to have no idea who it is, or how he entered their home, but she is clearly shaken. And of course she won’t admit to anything with her husband hovering over her! Detective Jack Parker needs a break in this case, or he won’t be able to solve it. Perhaps an expert in historic erotica can think of a link between the postcards and the lines of poetry left behind. So when his expert turns out to be a very sexy woman, his interest turns to more than her knowledge. But Ronnie was at the police station to get an update on her own intruder, and not to give advice. So when the detective doesn’t answer any of her questions, but instead seems to look down on her chosen profession, she stalks off. Ronnie owns an erotic bookstore. But Jack doesn’t give up easily, especially when the real professor/expert shows up and is no help whatsoever. So he finds out why she was at the station, and goes after her, determined to have her help him. And if she wants, to get a lot more personal!
When the stalker turns into a murderer, and all the clues lead back to Ronnie’s bookstore and classes in erotic literature, Jack wants to protect her. He thinks he knows who the stalker is, but will Ronnie believe him? Of will she kick him out of her life for good?
A very nice mix of hot romance and suspense. I enjoyed it very much; especially the ending was nicely creepy when the bad guy came after Ronnie. The scenes between Jack and Ronnie were hot, but not too hot for my tastes, so that probably means too vanilla for the true erotica lover. She does use his handcuffs on him once, and that was a delightful scene.
If I can find the next book in this duology, I will certainly give it a try, it is about Ronnie’s bookstore assistant.
Sex crimes and erotic Victorian poetry? What do they have in common? More than you would think. Detective Jack Parker needs help in solving a rash of sex crimes from the clues that are left behind by our killer. The clues are taken from old Victorian poetry and with the assistance of erotic bookstore owner Veronica Archer, they begin a mind bending, roller coaster adventure. Heat and sexual tension arise from the start,and a lot of misconceptions about each other... he thinks she's a professor, and she thinks he's annoying and irratating. It soon becomes apparent that this killer now has Veronica in his sights, and you think you know who the killer is... or do you? Plot twists and OH MY God were just a few of my reactions when reading this page turner. I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN AND NEITHER WILL YOU! Without giving away the killer's identity, I will just say you don't see it coming . I know I didn't! A Definite MUST READ!
This book was written long before Fifty Shades and its too bad it doesn't get a do over now that erotica is acceptable in dinner party conversations. It's mystery involves someone who leaves erotic verses and postcards as his calling card. Detective Jack Parker needs help in deciphering erotic messages so he seeks help in a bookstore owner and expert. Veronica helps him understand more than he ever thought possible. When things turn steamy between the two of them it becomes clear that Veronica is entwined as people she knows starts dying. This book is a page tuner not just for the super steamy parts but because the story is so good.
silent Confessions is great erotic murder mystery. Julie Kenner did a fabulous job weaving all three groups into a great read. This is a great read for anyone who loves murder mysteries with a erotic twist. Jack Parker a hard nose cop, in need of a lot of help with erotic clues left behind at stalking cases. Veronica Archer, looking for answers from a robbery at her bookstore. Little does Jack or Ronnie realize they will need and help each other in more ways then they realize. It is true some confessions should never be confessed. Read this erotic murder mystery, and enjoy the final twist in erotic romance.
Set in contempory New York, a series of break ins linked by erotic quotes has Detective Jack Parker all hot and bothered. Veronica Archer is a bookstore owner with a collection of Victorian erotica. When Jack enlist Ronnie's expertise, the couple engage in some very hot and steamy research.
A thrilling murder/mystery with hot romance thrown in.
A contempory mystery/thriller that is also a very steamy romance. Set in New York, Detective Jack Parker is investigating a series of break-ins where the criminal leaves behind quotes from erotic literature. Jack enlist the expertise of Veronica Archer, owner of a bookstore and a grad student writing a paper on Victorian erotica. Very steamy and filled with action.
it was dirty, sexy, and completely erotic. I loved reading it over and over. both ronnie and jack are two amazingly described characters. it has a great mystery in the plot which is surprising at the end. Absolutely amazing!
Much like a bad date, this book could not deliver on its promise. EXTREMELY predictable - you can see the end coming a mile away. This book is a straight to Lifetime movie of the week. One that you see once and then promptly forget anything it was about.
Silent confessions was an excellent read. It was sexy and exciting. I was on the edge of my seat anticipating what was about to come and I was not disappointed. I have and will continue to recommend this to anyone who enjoys a steamy mystery.
Although this story got steamy at times, it was far from erotic. And in reality, it would be highly improbable that Jack & Ronnie's relationship would survive the outcome of the murder mystery. Other than that, it was fast paced and well written.
This book moved slowly, until the last hundred pages or so, and it lacked any type of real depth. It wasn't a bad read for what it was, just not the best work I've seen from this author. For what it was it was decent.