King's Rule

Xander always had a soft spot for Poppy, his stepsister, but she wanted no part of him or his family. Xander had promised his father (when he went to jail) that he would look after Poppy and her mother. Xander offered Poppy a temporary job and had to resort to bribery for her to take it.

Although this book had a good story and there was lots of steam, I just couldn’t get into it. There were no surprises and everything was very predictable.

I received an ARC courtesy of Harlequin through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

3.5 stars--KING’S RULE is the second instalment in Jackie Ashenden’s contemporary, adult KINGS OF SYDNEY erotic, romance series focusing on the King siblings of Sydney, Australia. This is thirty-year old investment whiz Xander King, and twenty-five year old architect graduate Poppy Valentine’s story line. KING’S RULE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalment is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: KING’S RULE contains scenes of discipline and spanking, Domination and submission, that may not be suitable for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Xander and Poppy) KING’S RULE follows the acrimonious relationship between step-siblings, thirty year old investment whiz Xander King, and twenty-five year old architect graduate Poppy Valentine. Months earlier, the King brothers took over their father’s real-estate business, a business with ties to the local mob. With their father now in jail for money laundering and fraud, Xander, Leon and Ajax King struggle to clean up a reputation inherited based upon sins of the past but what Xander never expected was to come face to face with his father’s step-daughter, a woman who, for years, has pushed all of Xander’s buttons-both good and bad. Enter Poppy Valentine, architect graduate, and a woman desperate in more ways than one. What ensues is the enemies to lovers relationship between Poppy and Xander, and the potential fall-out as Xander wants nothing more than a friends with benefits affair, leaving Poppy struggling to make sense of it all.

Xander has a secret that if revealed would likely destroy the tentative hold he has on our story line heroine. Broken and hurt, blaming herself for her father’s death, Poppy battles between head and heart feeling as though she has surrendered her soul to the Devil, himself.

The relationship between Xander and Poppy is tempestuous, at best, ever since a ten-year old Poppy found herself the step-sister to Leon, Xander and Ajax King. From the outset Poppy struggled to fit into the family, a family she refused to accept or love. Hurt, humiliated and grieving, Poppy would make Xander’s life miserable right from the start, misery disguised to hide a growing attraction to her new elder step-brother. A distinct lack of maturity, and the ever-present sibling squabbles was exhausting; the back and forth aggression, and onslaught of emotional tirades left something to be desired. The $ex scenes are erotic and intense.

The secondary and supporting characters are colorful and energetic. We are reintroduced to Xander’s brothers Leon and Ajax, as well as the introduction of Poppy’s mother Lily Valentine.

KING’S RULE is a story of family, heart break, blackmail and love. The premise is dramatic and energetic; the romance is erotic; the characters are immature, broken and struggling to fit.