Review: High Stakes by Nikki Groom

High Stakes is the conclusion to The Kingdom Series. It is not a stand alone. Holding Aces is book 1 and should be read first. 

“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?

4 Star Review by Jen Skewes

High Stakes is the conclusion to Denham and Ari’s story.  At the end of Holdng Aces we were left with some cliffhanger that left me wondering just what will happen next.  High Stakes starts off exactly where we left off.  And I was on the edge of my seat not knowing how this was going to all play out.

I am going to back up a bit and just give a quick recap of Denham and Ari’s story.  Ari was looking to escape from the abusive relationship that she was in.  When she left him behind she changed everything to make sure he could not find her.  But when her next relationship also ended badly she went to her oldest friend for help.   Her friend Lottie offers her a room in the hotel that her boyfriend works for, which his brother also happens to own.  Ari heads to the Kingdom in Vegas hoping to get away and escape her past.  When she meets the owner Denham King, sparks begin to fly.  There is an undeniable attraction between them and Denham will do anything to maker her, his, to protect her, and help her get back on her feet.  But Ari’s past comes back to haunt her and that is where we are left with a cliffhanger.  Her past isn’t just haunting her, it is back and will not go away until he gets what he wants.  

As I mentioned this book starts exactly where we left off.  Ari’s ex is back and he has a plan.  I wasn’t sure where this story was going to go at first but will say that Ms. Groom definitely surprised me when it came to the direction of this story.  Ari and King are living their love story.  But things are happening that seem unexplainable but at the same time Ari thinks nothing of it.  As the reader you have an idea but you still wonder what is going on.  You are waiting for the other shoe to drop and all hell to break loose.  You think you know what is going to happen but let me tell you when that moment comes it was not what I expected at all.  It was even better. It didn’t seem predictable to me in any way.  It was in that moment I hurt for King and Ari.  I knew why she did the things she did but it still hurt.  I wasn’t sure if these two would be able to get through it and find their happily ever after.

Denham and Ari were so good together.  I loved seeing them happy even though at some point it all came crashing down.  I felt the hurt and the pain that Ari went through because of that monster and my heart broke for her.  I loved how much King loved her and wanted to protect her.  I loved the conclusion to their story.

This one definitely has some drama and angst.  The last 20% of the book had me reading as fast as I could to see how it all ended.  I loved the suspense of it all.  Another great job by Nikki Groom.