Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 Stars
“But there is the man and there is the architect. I – I can’t be with the man. But I desperately need the architect.”
For fans of J Kenner and especially her Stark Trilogy then you are all going to love this new series. Although this does have the “Stark” brand it is not essential that you have read the Stark Trilogy, this series can be read as a standalone although I would highly recommend reading them anyways because Damien is seriously HOT and you will also have a better understanding of the secondary characters in this book. Damien and Nikki do make an appearance, so it is a totally WIN WIN situation, you have super yummy Damien and now tall, dark, brooding and enigmatic Jackson Steele.
Roll back five years and Jackson Steele shares two days with Sylvia Brooks, the connection they have is irrefutable, it is one of the most intense two days of both their lives, we are talking soul mate connection, a forever connection, but it seems the thoughts of forever are one sided...Sylvia begs Jackson to walk away and asks him to never look back, even though it kills him to do so.
“Oh, baby. They can’t hurt me. Don’t you know that you’re the only one who’s ever managed to tear me to shreds.”
In the present Sylvia Brooks now works for Damien Stark on the property investment side and Sylvia is trying to prove that she can handle more than the mundane day to day stuff that she is currently doing. She gets her big break with a project for which she is project manager but it all goes south as the architect pulls out at the last minute. With the investment backers getting the jitters and on the verge of calling time on the whole project it is up to Sylvia to get another architect on board and it has to be someone high profile and renowned to allay the worries of the board. There is only one contender and luckily his latest project has hit the wall and he is available...
Jackson Steele is the current “it” architect, people are clamouring for his services and he is always in the spotlight, his work breaks boundaries and his style is in a world of its own. He has made no secret of his disinterest to ever work with Damien Stark, citing “work ethics” as his irreconcilable differences so Sylvia knows that she is going to have to beg to get him on board and hope that their past may be able to persuade him to have the Stark contract in their future. But with a past such as theirs can it be overcome? Jackson seems the type to hold a grudge and for the woman that he has not stopped thinking about for the past five years, this grudge is huge.
“I’m the man who’ll fight your demons...”
I have to say I loved Jackson Steele, he is dominant, he is alpha, he is kinky, he talks dirty, he is the epitome of perfect, he knows what he wants and he knows how to get it and will even resort to emotional black mail. What I loved about his story is that he wasn’t afraid to open up and say just how hurt he was when Sylvia begged him to walk away, it had a huge impact on him, he couldn’t understand it, he never knew why all he knew was that it was the hardest thing he had ever done and now he wanted answers.
“I want you ready for me. Wild for me. Not because I demand it, but because you want it. Not because I’m taking, but because you’re giving.”
Sylvia always came across as the silent proficient type as Damien’s PA but we soon learn that she has another side...as they say the quiet ones are always the worst. I have to admit if it wasn’t for their past I would have felt uncomfortable with the way that Sylvia goes about getting Jackson on board, but deep down I knew that there was an ulterior motive. She missed Jackson as much as he missed her, their chemistry was electric and it hadn’t diminished in their time apart. Sometimes miscommunication or lack of any communication is one of my pet peeves and while I could understand Sylvia for some I was begging her to open up at times.
“...and what is history but a memory...”
They say all is fair in love and war, now the battle has begun and I cannot wait to see where this going. Some of the revelations in this book took me by surprise and with an intriguing plot anyways I can honestly say I am all in. I cannot wait for book 2 On My Knees which is set for publication in June.
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