Customer Reviews

Kept (The Gemini Men)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had only recently discovered Jami Alden's first Gemini Man, Ethan Taggart in Caught a couple of weeks ago and I loved it. I was very excited to learn Derek's story would be out on February 24.
I loved Derek's story! When Derek first meets Alyssa Miles he doesn't know who she is and they share a night of torrid passion. Alyssa's father is murdered and her uncle enlists the help of Gemini Security to keep his family safe. Alyssa is a socialite embroiled in scandal--a previous boyfriend posted naked pictures of her on the internet and she had a stint in rehab. When it appears she is falling into drugs again Derek doesn't believe her when she proclaims innocence.
At times Derek can be a unfeeling and you want to smack some sense into him, but he also is incredibly protective of Alyssa and that trait in him is very endearing.
Alyssa's family is a mess, her uncle is unfeeling and cruel to her, her sister seems to be on her side but doesn't seem to believe her when she proclaims innocence in the drug issue. Even Alyssa's assistant seems against her instead of the trusty sidekick most assistant's are.
The passion between Derek and Alyssa is explosive and very well written. The back story of blood diamonds and diamond cartel is very intriguing and well researched.
The trust issues both Derek and Alyssa have are what at times keep them apart, but ultimately bring them together. Derek is afraid of loving and losing as his mother deserted him, his brothers and father several years ago. Alyssa wants to be treated like a "normal" woman and viewed with respect and not the spoiled socialite everyone thinks her to be. Together they work through this issues and learn to trust in each other.
Jami Alden does an incredible job weaving the tale of an alpha hero and his damsel in distress. She has become a keeper author for me.
I can't wait for older brother, Danny's story out in September!

I read the entire Gemini series in two days. I really like the books. Each one better than the last. The brothers all Alpha males with emotional scars from a tragic family mystery. What I loved about this book was Alyssa. Ms. Alden created a character based on the Paris Hilton's of today's society. Party girls who seem to have too much money, too much time and no real purpose in life. I liked Alyssa and that really surprised me. She was true to form a party girl with requisite stint in drug rehab and internet sex scandal. I liked her because underneath it all she was a really nice girl who just wanted to be loved for herself. Somehow Ms. Alden managed to create a character who was sophiscated without being jaded, wounded and fragile but determined and strong. Derek was the perfect foil for Alyssa. Mr. I have no emotions, I always follow the rules and I am always in control. Not with Alyssa. Watching Derek come undone is a major part of this books appeal for me. Alyssa's love gave him the strength to let go and let her in and he gave her the love she'd waited on a lifetime. A true love story.The suspense is good but emotional pull of the characters is the true treasure. Definitely would recommend this book.

Alyssa Miles is a socialite, a celebrity whose every move is detailed in the tabloids, along with her unfortunate taste in men (who kiss and tell) and a spell in rehab three years previously. When she meets a security man at a party and he doesn't know who she is, she seizes the opportunity to spend time with a man who sees her for herself. A one night stand is all it is, she thinks, until she returns home to find a murder scene and is put under guard - by the same man.

Derek Taggart, one of three brothers who run the Gemini security organisation, thinks Alyssa Miles is just a privileged trust-fund kid. But something about her gets under his skin and when she's in trouble, even if it seems that the trouble is self-caused, he can't help coming to her rescue. Can cold, emotionless Derek find emotion? Is there more to flighty Alyssa than parties and celebrity? And is there more to Alyssa's family's diamond business than meets the eye - could there be darker forces at work behind the business and behind the murder of her father?

I enjoyed this story once it had hit its stride, finding the initial few scenes a little lightweight. The undergirding story, that of conflict diamonds from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was an interesting angle and the unfolding of Alyssa and Derek's characters to each other worked well. There's plenty of sex in this story and Derek's business ethics are quite suspect (sleeping with a woman he's supposed to be guarding wouldn't look very good on his CV) but this story of the society belle and the former Army Ranger was a good read.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2009

Jami Alden is a genius! I could read all of her books over and over again. Kept is one of three in her triology of THE GEMENI MEN books. The other two books, Caught and Unleased, I loved just as much. I've gotten all of my reading friends to read them as well, and they all drooled over these three hot, sexy, heroic studs!! THIS IS A MUST READ!

Alyssa Miles has been dubbed by the media as the consummate party girl. When she gets in trouble again, Derek Taggart of Gemini Securities is sent to watch over her. Derek and Alyssa shared a hot, steamy one-night stand that neither can forget, but that was before Derek knew who Alyssa was. Keeping things strictly business is hard with attraction still simmering between them. Alyssa keeps proving that she is exactly the irresponsible girl everyone thinks she is, but she insists she's changed and that someone is setting her up. No one believes her though. When things change from bad publicity to danger, Derek starts taking notice. Protecting her from the media is one thing, protecting her life is another, and Derek will stop at nothing to keep her safe.



Time after time, Alyssa is let down and hurt in Kept. She never gets the benefit of the doubt and she can't clear her name to save her life - literally. It crushed her when Derek proved he didn't believe her either. Once was bad enough, but twice was heartbreaking. Derek has his own emotional baggage. It's understandably hard for both of them to trust, so it's incredibly satisfying and heart-warming when they find what they've been looking for. Derek and Alyssa's angst-filled romance stirs many emotions. I was riveted to every page of Kept, wondering if Alyssa would ever be safe from those she trusts.


Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

A steamy love story. Full of passion. I laughed. I cried. I absolutely LOVED this story. Second in the series about the Gemini Men which includes the truly lovable, attractive, hunky Taggart brothers. The second book that I have read by Jami Alden. I had read the first book "Caught" which enticed me to get "Kept" the day it was available to the public. I was totally NOT disappointed and loved it so much that I had to re-read it when I was finished!! Can't wait for the upcoming story about the eldest Taggart brother, Danny.

Book 2 in the Gemini series is the story of Alyssa, famous for being famous and Derek, with abandonment issues.

Again, like book one, opposites attract and everyone is surpised (including me). I really didn't expect to like Alyssa, but I quickly warmed to her. She's as strong as she can be, given the circumstances and someone who has basically been mistreated or betrayed by everyone who was supposed to love her. She has a kind heart and actually wants to do the right thing, be a contributing member of society and all in all...be a good person.

Derek initially doesn't want to be attracted to her, is disgusted with what he thinks is reckless, selfish behavior, but when the truth comes out, boy oh boy, does he let his guard down. He has his own issues (as do all the boys) and has to work through them, but he does, quick enough that we aren't annoyed as readers.

Sweeter and more romantic than the first book, with a more than decent grovel seen at the end and it meets my grovel quotient of "X amount of assholitude requires Y amount of grovelations". IF lots of sex or cussing bother you, don't read this book! A good read, recommended with 5 stars and yes, on my Iphone to re-read at will.

I really enjoyed book two of the Gemini series featuring the uptight Taggart brother falling head-over-Sig for the spoiled heiress he claims makes him "drop IQ points just from being around her."

Plot summary:
Private security guard Derek has a one-night-stand with beautiful model Alyssa after meeting her at a diamond show where they were both working. At the time he didn't know she was THE Alyssa, celebutante and rehab alum, famous for her spoiled-brat antics. When murders occur in her family, Alyssa's uncle hires Derek to be her bodyguard. Horrified after he realizes he bedded a drugged-up, airhead, Derek struggles to maintain his professionalism. His security company Gemini is relying on his success in this high-profile job. Alyssa realizes a conflict diamond connection to the murders in her family and finds that someone is gunning for her too.

Pros:
I like the way Alden tells a story. This one is well-paced and well-balanced between Derek and Alyssa. I like the inner conflicts they have; Derek dealing with his feelings, and Alyssa with her reputation and perception. The sex scenes were really well done--and I appreciated that there were consequences in the compromise to Derek's professionalism. I also like that Alden's heroines aren't virgins or near-virgins, like so many romance-novel heroines are. Alyssa was introspective and recognized a pattern of going for the wrong kind of guy. This book also has one of the best apology scenes by a hero for being a jerk to a heroine that I've ever read. I really enjoyed it overall.

`***spoiler section******

Cons:
I generally don't like bad-guys kidnapping the heroine scenarios, because it makes the conflict between the hero and heroine external. In this story there was plenty of internal conflict as well, so I was ok with adding a kidnapping--or two. However, I'm not ok with kidnapping scenarios with Too Stupid To Live (TSTL) moments. Derek has a TSTL moment (or is that TATL--Too Alpha to Live -- if it's a guy?) when after getting a confession that Alyssa has been drugged, kidnapped and transported from California to Nevada, he doesn't think to call the Tahoe police and/or the FBI, since it crosses state lines and is a Federal felony. He hops in a plane to Reno piloted by his brother Ethan to save her personally. No one at Gemini thought this was bad idea? It's pretty ridiculous. Yeah, it's fiction, yeah, it makes for a dramatic rescue, but for me it was one of those close-the-book moments, unrealistic and distracting from an otherwise good story.

***end spoiler section*****

Nit-picky cons:
There were six points of view and they were well-balanced, with the exception of Richard who only got one POV scene (p.213). He should have been brought in earlier.

Some of the character names bugged me. Most authors avoid using names with the same letters for clarity and ease of reading, but in the space of a few pages we read about: Alyssa, Andy, Alexis and Abbassi. In the Congo scenes: Martin, Mekembe and Marie Laure. Not to mention Danny and Derek. There should have been more thought put into naming, imho.

There were some grammar issues in this book that bugged me and were not caught in copyediting: modifiers such as "bad," "tight" and "heavy-locked" should have been "badly, "tightly" and "heavily locked." The word "logic' was used as a verb. "Hole" was supposed to be "whole." I'm being nit-picky, but I find these things distracting. I don't mind if grammar is deliberately misused in a character's speech or thoughts to illustrate the character, but it bothers me in a writer's prose. Writers should know better, and if they don't, they should hire better copy editors so they don't appear sloppy. That said, Alden can tell a story well, and that is what's most important and keeps me reading.

I actually read the last book in the series before I read this and have yet to read the first one yet, but I loved the way it developed compared to the last one. Read the whole book in one day because I couldn't put it down.

Having recently discovered author Jami Alden, she has quickly become a favorite. "Kept" is the 2nd book in the Gemini Men trilogy, the story of Derek Taggart, the "Ice Man" - an ex-military sniper - when he's on a job, nothing distracts him from the mission. Except once, in his past, he wavered and people died. Now it's happening again. But this time, running security for high-society functions and rich business-types, it doesn't seem like anyone is in particular danger.

Now, the distraction is a frivolous celebutante and trust-fund brat Alyssa Miles. He's hired to be her personal security detail, not because she's in danger, but just to keep her out of trouble. And her Paris Hilton-style life lends itself to a lot of trouble, with paparazzi and the media and creepy villains. Add in an explosive attraction between the two and the plot sizzles. Throw in a sinister plot and an actual body count, and the story is exciting and dangerous.

In this trilogy, there is a greater mystery that weaves thru all three books, so keeps the interest rolling for the overall story of the three Taggart brothers.

I find Jami Alden's books in general to be fun and sexy - the sex is VERY appealing. In "Kept," the very first sex scene gave me a blue-ribbon moment just reading it. WOW! I've read some other books in this genre and the men are not always as believable. In Jami Alden's books, when you're reading what's in the man's mind, it's what I would expect - a lot of profanity and arguments between the big head and the little head. An unwillingness to get emotionally tangled. Wishing women just wanted sex without all the chit-chat and the "price-tag" of boring activities. But then finding the one woman to change his mind. Well, ok, that's not probably real, but that's the romance part, right? We women are perverse - it's hotter when the guy is fighting it, like trying to reel in a big fish, it's no fun if they don't fight their feelings a little.

However, the fact that these men are so completely hot and sexy yet still adorable (though often infuriating) and the women are the epitome of what men look for but rarely find (physically), will firmly ground these books in the realm of fantasy, not reality. That's fine by me, but if you're looking for more "realistic" people, then this book won't appeal to you. Initially I started reading this series thru the library, but now I will buy all her books for my own shelf!