Dark Kisses by Kelly Myers

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Protector, Warrior, Angel of Death.

When a stalker turns his attention to me, 
I turn to Jax Wilder for protection.
Owner of Platinum Security, he lives in the shadows and I live in the spotlight.
Haunted by guilt and failure, he’s a bad boy to the bone who drinks, smokes and swears.
I’m Hollywood glamour, a lady with an image to uphold.
We couldn’t be more opposite, but I’m drawn to him.
His tattoos, his motorcycle, his gun. And the feral way he looks at me.
When my life is threatened, Jax vows to stay by my side.
He tells me he doesn’t do relationships, but my savior plays dirty and I can’t resist his dark kisses.
At this point, I’m not sure what’s worse-
The death threats… 

Or, knowing that once this is over, this Fallen Angel will walk out of my life forever, breaking my heart into a million pieces!

Not the Romantic Suspense I Was Hoping For

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚💜
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕
World building: 🌏🌍
Character development: 😋🙂
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration

Audiobook Review: Dark Kisses (Platinum Security, Book 1)

Author: Kelly Myers
Genre: Military Romance / Romantic Suspense
Narrators: Jamie Kersey and Kenneth Elliott

Characters & Plot

Easton Ross is a Hollywood A-lister juggling a relentless schedule and an increasingly unsettling problem: a stalker who calls her repeatedly, disguising his voice in a way that feels more ominous than overtly threatening. Because the messages never cross a legal line, Easton is stuck in limbo—unable to take real action yet terrified of the tabloids catching wind of the situation and turning her life into a circus.

Easton has long been compared to Hedy Lamarr, and she’s fascinated by the tragic brilliance of the actress-inventor who died penniless despite pioneering technology that eventually became the backbone of WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth. Easton sees echoes of her own loneliness in Hedy’s story. Meanwhile, her relationship with her slick producer-surfer boyfriend, Daniel, is unraveling; he’s self-absorbed, image-obsessed, and increasingly sleazy.

Enter Jackson “Jax” Wilder, a former LAPD officer who recently launched Platinum Security with a few trusted friends. He’s skilled, resourceful, and haunted by a devastating loss that derailed his life a year earlier. With rent looming and no clients in sight, Jax jumps at the chance to take Easton’s case—even though he has no idea who she is. A tip from a former colleague sends him straight into Easton’s world, where danger, glamour, and emotional baggage collide.

Highlights

• Romantic suspense is one of my favorite genres, and this story leans into several tropes I usually love: the protective hero, the private-security angle, and the classic “My Bodyguard” dynamic.

Limitations

• Easton’s characterization feels shallow. Her fixation on luxury—specific champagne brands, celebrity neighbors, and delegating basic tasks to her assistant—reads less like world-building and more like a running inventory of her expensive lifestyle.
• Jax’s initial inner monologue is off-putting. His snark veers into mean-spirited, and his habit of comparing beautiful women to cars doesn’t do him any favors.
• Some plot mechanics don’t hold up. Jax immediately quotes Easton a price and drafts an invoice, despite promising to catch the stalker—an open-ended job with no predictable timeline or cost. If the invoice was only for equipment, the book never clarifies that.
• Easton’s behavior contradicts the narrative’s insistence that she’s intelligent and grounded. She admits she has a stalker, ignores her outdated security system, and swims naked in her pool. These choices undermine the idea that she’s savvy rather than the “clueless starlet” Jax initially assumes.

Narration

The audiobook uses a dual narration style, performed by Jamie Kersey and Kenneth Elliott.

• Jamie Kersey brings a soft, youthful tone that suits Easton, though her delivery sometimes feels more like reading than embodying the character.
• Kenneth Elliott doesn’t quite match the rugged, emotionally scarred presence I expected for Jax. His voice leans more “standard detective” than “brooding protector,” and his pacing also reveals the seams of narration.

Final Assessment

It’s rare for me to want to abandon a book before the end, but this one came close. The writing felt immature, the character work uneven, and the overall tone leaned too cheesy for my taste. I was genuinely surprised to see it rated 4.16 on Goodreads and 4.5 on Amazon.

Romantic suspense—especially with former military or private-security heroes—is usually my sweet spot, but this installment didn’t deliver the depth or polish I look for. I bought the full four-book audio bundle thinking I’d scored a deal, but after this experience, I doubt I’ll continue the series.

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