Shattered With You, the first in the all-new Stark Security series of standalones, from New York Times bestselling author J. Kenner, is available now!
With his lethal skills and criminal connections, former British agent Quincy Radcliffe has fast become a key asset at the newly formed Stark Security. But Quincy isn’t the man he appears to be.
When the woman whose body he once worshipped and whose heart he broke pleads for his help, Quincy knows he must either turn his back on her or risk revealing his dark secrets to the one woman who can—and will—tear open his old wounds.
For years, struggling actress Eliza Tucker has tried to forget the decadent weeks she shared with Quincy Radcliffe. His smoldering good looks had drawn her in, while his British charm had enchanted her. But it was the wildness of his seduction and the ferocity of his passion that captured her. She’d given herself to him—and he’d shattered her like glass when he’d walked away.
Now, he’s the only person who can help find her missing sister. She’ll use him because she has too. She’ll pay any sensual price he demands. But she won’t fall for him again.
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Excerpt
“I think it’s time
we get you home.”
“Yes, please.” My
pulse pounded in my throat. Hell, it pounded between my thighs. With each
moment that passed, I was more and more turned on. I blamed the wine—it’s
definitely my aphrodisiac of choice—but those lovely grapes weren’t entirely
responsible for this sweet longing. On the contrary, that was all the man.
A man who took my
hand and very gingerly helped me down the narrow stairs to the street, where he
hailed a cab. “I’ll have to remember you’re a cheap drunk,” he said, his hand
sliding down to cup my bottom. I bit my lower lip and leaned into it, then
moaned with satisfaction as he nuzzled my neck. “That’s valuable information to
store away.”
“If that’s the kind
of information you want, I’ll tell you anything. Just don’t stop doing that.”
“Ah, but I have to.
Your chariot awaits.”
He stepped around
me, leaving me bereft from the sudden lack of contact. He opened the door like
a perfect gentleman, then stepped back, as if to close it, rather than sliding
in beside me.
“Are you getting in
on the other side? I can slide over.”
“You’re going home
alone,”he said, and my entire body went cold from the giant bucket of rejection
he’d just dumped all over me.
“I—what? Why?” I
frowned. “I thought you were buying me breakfast. I thought we were going to—”
I closed my mouth because under the circumstances I really wasn’t going there.
“You thought I was
going home with you. That I was going to kiss you. That I was going to pull you
so close your breasts were crushed against me, and your ass was tight in my hands.”
“I—Quincy…” I shot
a mortified look at the driver, who was sitting like stone, his hands glued to
the steering wheel as he looked straight ahead.
“Hmm,”Quincy said,
then leaned over and handed the driver a ten-pound note. “Sorry to keep you
waiting. This should cover the inconvenience.”And then, as if the delay was the
only thing odd about this situation, he turned back to me and said, “That would
be my very great pleasure, Eliza.”
“But. Wait. What?”
I wasn’t sure if it was the wine or the shock, but he was making no sense.
He put a hand on
the roof and leaned in.
“You’re dangerous,
Eliza. You and me, we’re a lot alike.”
“That’s bad?”
“I told you. It’s
dangerous.”
“Oh. I see.” I
swallowed. And told myself not to cry. I didn’t know him well enough to cry.
Which begged the question of why tears were pooling in my eyes. “Well, it was—I
mean, I had a nice day. Thank you. It, ah, it was really nice to meet you.” Bastard.
His mouth twitched,
and for a moment I feared I’d said that out loud.
“Is that a brush
off?”
“What, no. Wait—I
thought you were brushing me off.”
“Do you want me
to?” Again with that tiny smile.
“No, and you’re
teasing me. What the hell, Quince?”At that, he laughed outright. “Now I know.”
“What?”
“If you and I spend
much time together—and I certainly hope that we will—when you call me Quince
it’s because I’m in trouble.”
I tilted my head
and crossed my arms in a display of irritation. And I was irritated. But I was
also hopelessly, giddily relieved. “Fine. You’re in trouble. Don’t scare me
like that. You acted like you just wanted to send me on my way.”
“I’ll tell you what
I want,” he said, bending lower and speaking softer. But not so soft the driver
couldn’t hear.
“I don’t just want
to go home with you. I don’t simply want to fuck you. I want to claim you,
Eliza. I want you to surrender completely. To give me your trust entirely.”
“I don’t
understand. I don’t know what that means.”
“I think you do. I
want control.” He brushed my lips with the pad of his free hand. “To take you
how I want you. In the back of a cab like this. In your bed. Tied down. On your
knees. I’ll give you pleasure, Eliza. More than you can imagine or have
experienced.”
“You can’t know
that.”
“I can, and I do.”
He hesitated a moment, his eyes burning into me. “I can’t promise to save you
from whatever darkness is inside you—only you can do that. But there are
shadows in your eyes, and I want to be the one to bring back some light.”
Kim's 5 Star Review
Quince Radcliffe relocated for
his job at the newly formed Stark Security.
His skills are just as lethal as his bad boy demeanor. Eliza Tucker maybe
a struggling actress but learned a long time ago not to trust Quince Radcliffe.
Now that her sister is missing, the only person that can help her out is the
only one she doesn’t want to ask, but with her sister’s life on the line she
will do anything to get her back. This partnership is a good idea but Eliza
will make sure Quince won’t get the chance to her hurt again.
I was gifted this book in
exchange for an honest review.
As a fan of Julie’s and the Stark
world, we had a chance to get a glimpse of Quince Radcliffe in other books.
When I found out he had his own book and that we get to know the real Quince, I
had to get my hands on it. Like most girls, I’m a sucker for a bruiting British
bad boy and Quince is the epitome of this. He does his best to keep people at arm’s
length but when Eliza is around he forgets that he has to keep up this façade.
She is the only one who truly gets to see the real Quince. He has a special
place for her in his heart but with his past he does his best to keep her from
falling into his darkness. His need for control is a part of him as much as his
need to dominate his partner. He is an alpha Dom to the core but knows how to
let lose.
Eliza Trucker is like most women.
She has seen and experienced more bad in her life than most women her age. She
has a dark past of her own which kept her from living her life. Her time with Quincy gave her what she needed
to be able to move on and let him in.
Trust is a big issue with Eliza but for some unknown reason she trusted
him from the start. There was just something about him that drew her in. Quince
brought out a side of Eliza that she never knew existed and made her feel
whole. Eliza always only had her sister Emma to depend on but she actually
thought for a moment in time she would be able to have Quincy too.
These two had an unexplained
connection from the start. It was like two puzzle pieces finding each other. With
such a connection between these two and a dark past for each of them, something
had to give and these two ended splitting up. Now that fate has thrown these
two back together as they try to solve what happened to Eliza sister’s
Emma. From the moment these two saw each
other in the ball room, they were both upset.
Quince wanting to know why Eliza was in such a place and Eliza wanted
him to leave before he blows her cover.
Julie knows how to start a book!
She had me hooked before I finished the first chapter. I was on edge of my seat
wanting to know who was who and how it tied together. I loved how it went from
present day to the past when Quince and Eliza were together. Seeing how they
met and what they shared brought me closer to each of the characters. I saw
what Eliza saw in Quince and felt that pull she felt towards him. There is so
much more to Quince than you think. His past very much affects him even now. He
was great putting Eliza back together and showing her the submissive side is so
much more than she could imagine. He brought her back to life as much as she
brought him back. Julie did a magnificent job at adding to the Stark World with
this book and I look for to seeing what else comes out of the Stark Security!
About the Author
J. Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and #1 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, and paranormal mommy lit.
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 them.” A five 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 Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series (as Julie Kenner) is currently in development with AwesomenessTV/Awestruck.
Her books have sold over three million copies and are published in over twenty languages.
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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