Under My Skin: A Stark Novel

J. Kenner

Sep 2015 · Stark International Book 3 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Abby Craden

About this audiobook

Jackson Steele and Sylvia Brooks are back in the powerful finale of a provocative, sizzling-hot trilogy set in the world of J. Kenner’s beloved Stark novels: Release Me, Claim Me, and Complete Me.

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.

Praise for Under My Skin

“Intense . . . blistering in its sensuality . . . Fans of [J.] Kenner’s sizzling and emotional Stark International trilogy will find plenty to savor in this finale, as her troubled and passionate protagonists battle to save each other from the darkness that threatens to tear them apart.”—RT Book Reviews

“Red-hot and angsty . . . Kenner keeps readers guessing about who was responsible for Reed’s death until the very end, punctuating the story with hot and explicit sex scenes, questions about who’s trying to destroy the resort project that could make Sylvia’s career, and a red herring or two.”—Publishers Weekly

“Kenner does a wonderful job of displaying both Jackson’s and Sylvia’s secrets, pains, insecurities and the mechanisms they use when the stress is overwhelming. . . . A great series about determination, strong personalities, perseverance and standing strong under adversity. . . . A wonderful read!”—Fresh Fiction

“This trilogy has everything readers look for in a series. . . . It’s loaded with intrigue, mystery, conflict, and a powerful cast of supporting characters. At the same time it is a tender, beautiful romance between two people that have struggled with their pasts. . . . This book was intense, heartbreaking, emotional, and a page-turner.”—Smut Book Junkie

“Filled with all of the drama and seduction I have come to expect and love from J. Kenner, Under My Skin was a crazy-hot story that left me completely satisfied with our characters’ HEA.”—Harlequin Junkie

“Amazingly well written with detailed and complicated characters who are full of raw emotion, passion, and intensity . . . When Jackson and Sylvia are intimate, their passion is explosive and filled with wild desire. . . . The Stark International Trilogy is a must-read!”—About That Story

“This story has all the passion, love, heat, and nitty gritty, provocative sex you have come to love from the first two books.”—Itsy Bitsy Book Bits

“Kenner mixes a hot alpha man with a murder accusation, sabotage and sex so hot you’ll fall to your knees. . . . And throughout it all a thread of heat sizzles just underneath every single scene.”—Obsessed with Myshelf

Ratings and reviews

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.

About the author

J. Kenner is the New York Times bestselling author of Release Me, Claim Me, Complete Me, Wanted, Heated, Ignited, Say My Name, On My Knees, Under My Skin, Dirtiest Secret, Hottest Mess, Sweetest Taboo, and the novellas Take Me, Have Me, Play My Game, Seduce Me, Unwrap Me, and Deepest Kiss. She spent more than ten years as a litigator in Southern California and Central Texas, using her rare free time to indulge in her passion of writing. She lives in Texas with her husband and daughters.

Abby Craden is an award-winning stage and film actress and can be seen in the Emmy Award-winning documentary Bloody Thursday. She holds an Earphones Award from AudioFile Magazine and was named "One of 2012’s Best Voices." Her voice can be heard in commercials, animation, video games, and audiobooks.