Striking Edge: The Kingstons 4

Kelsey Browning

Mar 2019 · Steele Ridge Book 11 · Steele Ridge Publishing

About this ebook

While on a wilderness reality show, an adventure guide with a painful past and a fallen music superstar discover fierce passion…and killer competition.

Shep Kingston can survive a week in the woods with nothing but a pocket knife and the clothes on his back. But navigating everyday social interactions? That’s a struggle. If only people were like his dog. Loyal. Well-trained. Quiet. With Puck, Shep knows where he stands. People—especially women—are complicated. Guiding a bunch of spoiled celebrities into the North Carolina mountains is his idea of hell. Until a beautiful, off-limits rock star makes it feel more like heaven. Joss says what she means…and shows Shep exactly what she wants.

Joss Wynter plays sold-out stadiums, not insane survival games. Except she’s no longer the adored lead singer of Scarlet Glitterati. Tragedy turned fans against her and Joss into tabloid fodder. Her manager claims TV’s hottest reality competition will relaunch her image. Joss has doubts but won’t let anything distract her from winning. Not even the rugged local guide with song-inspiring sex appeal. Shep is unlike any man she’s ever met. Direct. Honest to a fault. Unexpectedly tender. As the show’s challenges intensify, so does the attraction between them.

But the cameras aren’t the only ones watching. A deadly opponent lurks in the shadows, playing a dangerous game. And all too willing to kill for a win. 

If you would like to read the entire Steele Ridge series in chronological order, following is the correct order.

The Beginning - The Steeles

Going Hard - The Steeles

Living Fast - The Steeles

Loving Deep - The Steeles

Breaking Free - The Steeles

Roaming Wild - The Steeles

Stripping Bare - The Steeles

Enduring Love - The Steeles

Craving Heat - The Kingstons

Tasting Fire - The Kingstons

Searing Need - The Kingstons

Vowing Love - The Steeles

Striking Edge - The Kingstons

Burning Ache - The Kingstons

Ratings and reviews

I’m at a loss as to where to begin to review this story...there are so many tremendous components to the overall arc of the book that a review which would do justice to the characters (two and four legged alike) would very well be pages long. I will say that the three ladies who drive this series are geniuses at bringing out deep emotional attachment to the characters from their readers. Between Shep, Joss, and yes definitely Puck there are no shortage for pulling at the heartstrings moments which also give you pause to stop, think and feel about the lives of individuals with special needs and the bottomless well of compassion and devotion those who love them give. The story itself is intriguing, fast paced and suspenseful...the secondary characters have well defined personalities (read quirks) and provided the perfect amount of filler to give the story the type of multilayers that provide the perfect balance to the overall storyline. The Kingston and Steele families are priceless, one could only wish to belong to such loving and devoted ones! This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the author. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Wow! This book has so much going for it. Kelsey Browning's characterization is always superb, but Shep and Joss really reign supreme in complexity and empathy without patronizing. Browning has taken Shep, a man on the Autism spectrum and given him a woman who sees down deep into him in a way that nobody ever has before. Joss is a famous musician fighting her own demons. Their relationship is truly amazing in the perceptiveness that Joss shows in relating to him. She somehow intuitively knows (at least some of the time) what he means and needs. Of course, there are times of misunderstanding and hurt feelings, but that just makes it all the sweeter when they get it right. The honesty he can't help but give her offers moments of pain and hilarity almost at the same time. Their relationship is a big part of the book, but Striking Edge is also a Suspense. There are numerous scary and mysterious sections of the story that keep you on the edge of your seat as you flip the pages as quickly as you can read. Browning surprises me with every book. There is always something I didn't expect from her...and it keeps me coming back for more. An awesome book!

I wanted Shep Kingston's book from the moment I first met him. As Shep is on the Autism spectrum, I knew it would take a special woman to accept him as he was and not want to change him. Imagine my surprise when Joss Wynter, shows up and seems to get Shep pretty much from the moment they first meet. When Shep and his beloved service dog Puck must go out into the wilderness to help a group of celebrities in the wilderness for a reality television show, he has no idea this job will be a life changer. Let me just say Shep's in your face statements cracked me up many times. He says pretty much exactly what he is thinking when he thinks it, and doesn't always get slang and jokes, but he has perfect radar when it came to sizing people up. I loved the nicknames he gave the various celebrities and people working on the show. Joss really wasn't want I expected from a rock star. Yes she had major guilt issues because of how her bandmates died, but she was so very down to earth and accepted everything as it happened out in the woods. She also connected with Shep's dog Puck very quickly which let me know immediately she was a wonderful person. She worried just as much about Puck throughout the story as she did about Shep. I loved while sometimes she was a bit shocked by Shep's directness, she had no issue explaining her ideas and needs to Shep. When Shep, Joss and Puck end up alone in the wilderness for a while, I loved how easily they worked together and were able to express their wants and needs for each other. Shep had unfortunately had a horrible first marriage where is ex-wife didn't get his needs and Shep hadn't ever been with a woman who understood him as Joss did. Their chemistry was off the charts hot and yet there was still a sweetness to them too. I totally and completely fell in love with them as a couple to more time they spent together and worked together to get out of what turned into a dangerous situation. Kelsey Browning kept me on the edge of my seat figuring out who was behind the attacks in the forest. I figured out the person behind everything, but not the reason why and the anger and hatred from this person was horrible. The fact that this individual attacked Puck along the way about killed me. Seriously had me gasping out loud while reading and made me shed a few tears. Striking Edge was a wonderful addition to the Kingstons series of books in Steele Ridge. I totally believe you can read this story as a stand alone, as I have all the books on my kindle, but have a few still to read. I do have every intention of going back to read all books I've missed as I've fallen in love not only with Shep, but the entire Kingston family. Striking Edge is a wonderful romantic suspense story and I highly recommend it to fans of the genre. Rating: 5 Stars (A) Review copy provided by publisher

About the author

USA Today bestselling author Kelsey Browning writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and cozy mystery. Originally from a Texas town smaller than the ones she writes about, Kelsey has also lived in the Middle East and Los Angeles, proving she’s either adventurous or downright nuts. These days, she makes her home in northeast Georgia with her tech-savvy husband, her smart-talking son, and a (fingers crossed) future therapy pup. Find Kelsey online at KelseyBrowning.com.