UNDER MY SKIN (Stark International Trilogy #3) by J. Kenner-Review and Book Tour

Under My Skin
Stark International Trilogy 3
by J. Kenner
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romantic suspense
Release Date: September 1, 2015

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 1, 2015

He’s the only man I’ve ever loved, and the one man I can’t bear to lose.

Jackson Steele is my light in this world. Charismatic, bold, and always in control, he knows what he wants and how to get it—and absolutely nothing stands in his way. His hold on me is magnetic, his claim on me complete, his kiss my ultimate escape.

We both harbor dark secrets that could tear our lives apart. Though we’ve tried to bury our pasts, there are certain people who won’t let us forget. But the closer danger comes, the brighter the fire between us burns—our ecstasy consuming and soothing us both.

There’s no telling what lies ahead, but I know that Jackson never gives in without a fight. I’d do anything he wants to keep him safe, give him anything he needs. And now that we’re in deep, nothing can make me run.

•••••••••••••

REVIEW: UNDER MY SKIN is the third installment in J. Kenner’s contemporary, adult Stark International erotic romance series focusing on billionaire architect Jackson Steele, and personal assistant Sylvia Brooks. The Stark International Trilogy is a spin off from J. Kenner’s Stark Trilogy (Damien and Nikki Stark). UNDER MY SKIN should not be read as a stand alone as the storyline is the culmination of the events from the previous two installments.

NOTE: If you have not read the first two installments in The Stark International Trilogy, my review may contain some spoilers.

Told from first person point of view Sylvia, as well as some third person perspectives UNDER MY SKIN picks up immediately upon the events of book two ON MY KNEES where Jackson Steele has been implicated in the death of Robert Cabot Reed-the man threatening blackmail against our storyline couple. While Jackson and his defense team struggle with the realization that Jackson could go to jail for a murder he did not commit, Sylvia battles the demons from her past when her father requests a few minutes with the daughter whose life he destroyed years before.

UNDER MY SKIN is the fulfillment of three storylines that follow the building relationship between Jackson and Sylvia, and the lengths to which someone will go to protect the people that he or she loves. The back and forth, push and pull of Sylvia and Jackson’s co-dependency upon one another is a virtual minefield of personal walls and private fears. Jackson’s need for Sylvia borders on obsession as his sexual urges, and quick temper finds our hero in a constant state of arousal whenever the world begins to implode around him. Sylvia is a woman in love with a man who would do anything to protect the people that he loves, and in this Sylvia is unsure as to Jackson’s innocence or guilt in the death of the man trying to destroy Sylvia’s life-a second time around.

There are a couple of secondary storylines that take some of the focus off of Jackson’s murder suspicion. The construction of Damien Stark’s Cortez Island Resort has hit a couple of walls including malicious damage meant to frighten any prospective investors. It is the Cortez Island project that brought Jackson and Sylvia back together following a five year separation. Jackson’s desperation to bring Ronnie into his home and his life finds our storyline couple at odds as how to proceed with the future.

The murder conflict resolution and reveal was a foregone conclusion as the information and premise pointed to the guilty party in book two-ON MY KNEES-but the author chose to prolong the declaration while building up the mystery and suspense using Jackson Steele’s temper as a means to point suspicion in the storyline hero’s direction. The murderer was painfully obvious and yet the main characters, never once, questioned the possibility or looked in another direction.

The $ex scenes are numerous, repetitive and graphic; provocative and intense. Jackson and Sylvia use $ex as a distraction; a means to hide from their problems, and bury their emotions with hot, aggressive $ex. J. Kenner’s use of strong language leaves nothing to the imagination. I did have an issue with the author’s need to use a certain four-letter word (in most of her books) that I find unnecessary. In my opinion, there is nothing remotely romantic or sexually stimulating with its usage.

UNDER MY SKIN revisits many of the previous events; recapping history and backstory so that the reader’s memory is ‘tweaked’ about what was happening and why. I applaud the authors who revisit and recap, if only for my own satisfaction and flashbacks. Many readers like to reconstruct what happened in order to stay on top of the current story timeline.

J. Kenner’s STARK INTERNATIONAL TRILOGY concludes with a look to the future; the happily ever after; and the potential for a novella or two to update the reader on Jackson and Sylvia’s life. UNDER MY SKIN focuses on dysfunctional family issues; heartbreak and betrayal; letting go and moving on. Sometimes there is no forgiveness for the events of the past, but there is always a chance for a better future.

Copy supplied by the author through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 7, 2015

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I never let anyone get too close—but he’s the only man who’s ever made me feel alive.

Meeting Jackson Steele was a shock to my senses. Confident and commanding, he could take charge of any room . . . or any woman. And Jackson wanted me. The mere sight of him took my breath away, and his touch made me break all my rules.

Our bond was immediate, our passion untamed. I wanted to surrender completely to his kiss, but I couldn’t risk his knowing the truth about my past. Yet Jackson carried secrets too, and in our desire we found our escape, pushing our boundaries as far as they could go.

Learning to trust is never easy. In my mind, I knew I should run. But in my heart, I never felt a fire this strong—and it could either save me or scorch me forever.

Say My Name is intended for mature audiences.

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On My Knees
Stark International Trilogy 2
by J. Kenner
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance
Release Date: June 23, 2015

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 23, 2015

Jackson Steele and Sylvia Brooks continue to thrill in the second novel of a scintillating, emotionally charged new trilogy that returns to the world of J. Kenner’s beloved Stark novels: Release Me, Claim Me, and Complete Me.

I never thought I’d lose control, but his desire took me right to the edge.

Powerful, ambitious, and devastatingly sexy, Jackson Steele was unlike any other man I’d ever known. He went after what he wanted with his whole mind, body, and soul—and I was the woman in his sights. One touch and I surrendered, one night together and I was undone.

Jackson and I had secrets, dark pieces of our pasts that threatened to swallow us both. We couldn’t outrun our demons, or the people trying to tear us apart. But in our passion we found salvation, and in each other’s arms we found release.

I was scared to trust Jackson fully, to finally let go. Yet no matter the dangers that lay ahead, I knew I was his—and now that we’ve laid claim, there’s no more holding back.

On My Knees is intended for mature audiences.

J. Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and International bestselling author of over seventy novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres. Though known primarily for her award-winning and international bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, “chicklit” suspense, urban fantasy, Victorian-era thrillers (coming soon), and paranormal mommy lit.

Her foray into the latter, Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner, has been consistently in development in Hollywood since prior to publication. Most recently, it has been optioned by Warner Brothers Television for development as series on the CW Network with Alloy Entertainment producing. JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swoon for him.” A three time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy). Her books have sold well over a million copies and are published in over over twenty countries. In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.

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