Kept

by Camille Lindstrom

From the surface, Jack’s got it all. A six-figure a year corporate dignitary, he lives comfortably with his family. But beneath the surface, this workaholic financier is trapped in a mediocre marriage, pining for release and zest. He diverts these misgivings to an underbelly world of vice in which he escapes his daily demons, paying for the affections of beautiful women. Enter Lara, articulate and cultured, but struggling to find her path. The two begin a sordid affair that takes them across state lines and through countless airports, under the cloak of a tight-knit clandestine world fueled by wealth and control.

298 pages, Paperback

Published August 26, 2016

About the author

Camille Lindstrom was born and raised in northeast Ohio. Tired of the ubiquitous drab Ohio weather, she relocated to Florida where she attended the University of North Florida, earning a BA English/Creative Writing.

She enjoys eccentric, unconventional plot themes that question convictions of what we deem normative. When she's not writing, Camille enjoys being active, donning cat eye glasses and traveling.

Areas of interest: Women's contemporary fiction, Erotica

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Ughhh...I was pretty much struggling with this book from the very first page. I knew right away that I was going to have a problem with this book because of the writing. It just wasn't flowing for me.
The whole Jack/Lara relationship. Hmmm... I just wasn't feeling it. It was kind of weird. Especially in the beginning of it. By 20%... I was wondering where this book was going. By 70% nothing really changed. I was still wondering what they were doing.

The whole money exchange was so weird and awkward. I kept wondering why he was doing it.
And I still don't feel any emotional connection what so ever between Jack and Lara. I reread the synopsis. I really thought there would be more to Jack then there was in this book. This book was all about Lara. And it felt way to cold. No warmth or really anything.

I'm sitting here just thinking about this book at this point 81%.
I understand the name of this book is called kept. But I just don't understand where the author wants to go with this book. Am I supposed to feel bad for Lara because she made herself reliant on Jack?
Am I supposed to feel bad for her because Jack is paying all her bills, giving her spending money and taking her on trips to different places?

She put herself in that situation. By breaking her own rules. I also thought she was incredibly immature. She knew how she was getting money. And how she was living to survive. And yet... she felt the need to take a trip without Jack to Seattle!
Then we have the whole Dave thing. Seemed out of place to me.

The ending of this book was a big let down. I mean what was the point. Jack never screwed her over. So why take it that far.

This book just wasn't for me. There was absolutely no emotional connection in my opinion between the main characters. I never felt bad for Lara's situation she was in. She could have made a grown up decision and stop taking the money years ago. But she didn't. She knew exactly what she was getting into and what she was singing up for by continuing taking the money to live her daily life.

This book was not what I was expecting.

*ARC provided for an honest review*

[Rebecca Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lara, 26, is a dancer at the club Posh and doesn't get involved in any of the shadier side that sometimes accompanies dancers. One night she is approached by a man named Jack to spend the evening dancing at the club just for him and makes $1000.

Jack, 39, is a married man but something has brought him into the club and he wants Lara. As he begins to provide for Lara will he commit more to her or will the money provide her with what she needs to become his mistress.

As Jack and Lara's lives become intertwined she will have to discover what she wants from life and if Jack can provide her with everything that she wants. Will the time he gives her be enough for her?

This was definitely an interesting read. It can be a moral struggle to go through what Lara did but at the same time I can understand how she was swept into the lifestyle, especially when she honestly wasn't out looking for it. If someone is providing for you which gives you the opportunity to go to school and finish your degree it's hard not to go with it.

Yet I also liked the battle that Lara faced within herself of right and wrong. She gradually had to face her emotions head on and make the right decision for herself.

Jack was one of those characters that you don't like for what he was doing but you like him a little as he was providing for Lara. I don't get the reasoning of Jack that it's "cheaper to keep her" when you make six figures as I'd rather be happy than miserable. I can't imagine how much he gave Lara over the years they were together.

It was definitely a good read but won't be for everyone with the cheating!

[Ashley Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. This story was different from any book i had read before and completely amazing how Lara journey through what she really wanted from life.

[Lora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I didn't like either of the main characters in the book, it kept me interested so I gave it four stars.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Christine Todaro-Schaeffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was great from start to finish. Definitely Recommend.

[Aisha Al-Abadi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to put it down after the first two pages. The writing was substandard and the tone struck me as odd from the get go. I kept reading however, since it is a short read. I wanted to give it a chance. From start to finish both main characters (Lara and Jack) are both extremely shallow in their own ways and I felt zero connection to either one of them. The main character, Lara, comes off as cold, judgmental, and very immature. Not exactly the usual characteristics of the protagonist that gains my sympathies or my interest. I was hoping for a fly on the wall glimpse into the thrilling and sexy "strip club world" along with an exciting and complex romance between a young woman and her newly obtained sugar-daddy beau, but this is through the viewpoint of the worlds most boring exotic entertainer (Lara). The character, Lara, possesses an elitist attitude about the very industry in which she makes her living and an equally bleak perception on the men who frequent the clubs and pay her bills. This adds to the overall feel that the whole relationship is simply hollow on both sides.

I thought strong character development was lacking, as was build up in the book. Overall, I felt the story was pretty pointless and the only emotion that I was left feeling after I finished the book was annoyance. I would not recommend.