CLAIM ME – J. Kenner
The Stark Trilogy , Book 2
Bantam Books
ISBN: 978-0-345-54583-1
May 2013
Erotic Contemporary Romance

Los Angeles, California – Present Day

Having met and gotten involved with billionaire businessman Damien Stark, Nikki Fairchild still hopes she can maintain a sense of independence, despite the fact that he prefers her to remain under his control. It is that control which scares Nikki, since Damien demands she obey him at all times. Even so, he has secrets and refuses to share hardly any with her, yet wants to know hers. Damien may be richer than anyone, but it doesn't give him the right to own her body and soul. Well, he might own her to the extent he paid her a million dollars to pose for a nude painting for him, but once it's done, does it mean that her time with Damien is over?

In the meantime, Nikki starts her new job, one she firmly believes she won on her own merits, despite the “Damien connections” involved. She arrived from Texas hoping to find her mark in the business world in Los Angeles, but almost immediately crossed paths with Damien. (See how their affair began in book one of the Stark Trilogy , RELEASE ME) Yet, wherever she turns, there's Damien's control over her, from wanting his limo driver to escort her around, to being at his beck and call. He even has opinions about which friends she should associate with. Nikki, who has had enough of being controlled after her interfering mother, fights Damien. Their battle is at the center of CLAIM ME. For Damien, it's all a game, while Nikki just wants her independence—though the intense attraction she feels for Damien tests her will.

It's round two for Nikki and Damien in CLAIM ME, the latest from J. Kenner and the Stark Trilogy . Nikki had actually met Damien years ago while she was still in the beauty contest circuit, but their fleeting meeting didn't prepare her for the present day instant sizzling attraction shortly after she arrived in L.A.. Damien is as powerful as he is rich, and very few say no to the man. Yet Nikki thinks their relationship needs a boundary, which is that she has a say in how she lives her life. Damien instead treats her like a puppet, one that he controls. Nikki knows of Damien's past childhood problems from when he was a world-class tennis star, yet he refuses to share his current problems with her, despite all the shout outs from the press and whispered rumors. Her old friend, Ollie, who works for the law firm that is employed by Damien, still insists to Nikki that Damien is a dangerous man. But the sex is powerful and emotional, and that provides her with some blinders when it comes to Damien. Yet he supports her as she works through her own demons, which haven't entirely been erased despite her time with Damien.

Sensuality is an integral part of CLAIM ME, as the sex between Damien and Nikki is frequent and knows few boundaries, but the emotional attachment between them grows despite his refusal to “burden” her with his problems. By the end of CLAIM ME, Damien begins to see the light, because Nikki is his one bright spot and she will stand by him, no matter what. Nikki has to learn to deal with the outside opposition to her relationship with Damien; for example, the press corps are the vultures and Nikki is their prey.  Then there are the people around them—friend or foe? That is something Nikki will need to decide.

Told in first person and totally from her point of view, CLAIM ME is a dark erotic romance that will pull you in to see what happens next with Nikki and Damien. Edgy and powerful, with a touch of drama, CLAIM ME is book that will stay with you long after you've reached the end. Next up is the final tale in the series, COMPLETE ME. Will Nikki and Damien find a way to seal their future? We'll have to wait to find out the answer.

Holly Tibbs