McKay-Taggart operative Riley Blade has no intention of returning to Los Angeles after his brief stint as a consultant on mega-star Lyle Tarpin’s latest action flick. Not even for Natasha Black, Tarpin’s sexy personal assistant who’d gotten under his skin. Why would he, when Tasha made it absolutely clear that–attraction or not–she wasn’t interested in a fling, much less a relationship. But … when Riley learns that someone is stalking her, he races to her side. Determined to not only protect her, but to convince her that–no matter what has hurt her in the past–he’s not only going to fight for her, he’s going to win her heart. Forever.
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In a short and sweet story, Natasha and Riley find themselves thrown together when Natasha needs a bodyguard. When Riley decides to flush out her stalker, the two find themselves in the middle of a BDSM club where their true feelings for each other come to a head. Although I would have loved to have a deeper storyline, the characters were well written and the spark between the two enjoyable. Overall a fabulous read.
Justify Me is part of Lexi Blake’s Crossover series and in this book, J. Kenner brings together her Stark International series with Lexi Blake’s Maters and Mercenaries series. If you have not read either of these series from these two authors, you MUST!! You don’t need to read them to understand this novella, but they are both soooo good, you just have to read them.
Anyway – the book.
Justify Me is very fast paced and hot read!! Riley is is McKay-Taggart operative and Natasha is a personal assistant to Lyle. They both have a past together, but one Natasha would prefer to forget.
Natasha finds herself having a stalker and her boss feels it’s bad enough that she needs a body guard. And he hires none other than Riley. Riley never wanted to return to LA but can’t turn down a friend and won’t trust anyone else to protect Natasha.
As things escalate between these two, Natasha’s stalker ups their game too. Julie does a fabulous job of giving us everything in this book from the suspense to the hot and sexy with the BDSM scenes.
Julie explains backstory on things very well so readers don’t fell lost or like they jumped into the middle of a story and she keeps the story moving at this perfect pace. I am usually not a fan of quick reads that I can see easily being a full novel, but Julie wrote this one perfectly and I loved every bit of it.
Justify Me was a short, intense and hot read that had two characters I have been interested about since they first appeared in J.Kenners the books. I loved the way that this book gripped me from the first moment and had me sitting on the edge of my seat to the very end of the story. This is a must read and another great read by this author.
Justify Me by J. Kenner is part of the Masters & Mercenaries Crossover Collection. Riley Blade hates Los Angeles. It has memories and connections that he would rather forget. High on that list is Natasha Black, movie star Lyle Tarpin’s assistant. When he is enticed into doing a quick job in LA for McKay-Taggart during a flight layover he is ready to be out and done and off on vacation, but when he is asked for a recommendation for personal security to protect Natasha, he knows no one will do as good a job as Riley himself. As they dig deeper into who is stalking Tasha the connection between Tasha and Riley heats up quickly. Their shared history, once keeping them apart, brings them closer together.
Justify Me by J. Kenner is a fast and fun story. The fire between them is only tempered by the danger of Tasha’s stalker. As Riley brings out more of Tasha’s hidden wants and desires their passion grows exponentially.
Overall I recommend Justify Me. It was a quick read, but one that had it all. Riley and Tasha just clicked and I enjoyed every minute of them.
(I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book I received for free from the publisher in exchange for my open and honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.)
Amazing! Hot!
Riley Blade is part of the McKay-Tarrgart operative team. After his time in Los Angeles to help a famous movie star Lyle Tarpin get ready for his film. He decided that he never wanted to go back to Los Angeles. Especially knowing that Natasha Black has turn him down many times.
Natasha Black is the sexy assistant of the famous movie star Lyle Tarpin. As his assistant she has been getting stalked. So her boss wants to make sure she has a bodyguard while he’s away.
Once Riley finds out that Natasha is being stalked he decides that he should be the one protecting her. The problem is how will Natasha react to Riley wanting to be her protector?
I voluntarily received an ARC for a honest review.
Oh man do I have a love/hate relationship with novellas!! This one for example, I absolutely loved the storyline, the characters, the mystery and hated that I finished so soon! Seriously though, the love story that Riley and Natasha have is years in the making and it is easy to feel the love, lust, nervousness and longing pouring off the pages. Then add in the fact that someone is stalking Natasha and Riley will do anything to protect her and you are left with a story that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat to see what happens next.
You will be hooked from page one and do not want to miss this book!
Justify Me is a quick, hot, sexy read! Riley takes on the role of bodyguard of personal assistant, Natasha, when he finds out she has a stalker. These two have a shared past, sizzling chemistry, and an undeniable attraction. Great characters, action, and suspense makes this a great read!
With all the hype about Lexi’s crossover series, I have had my nose in deep with these books. This is my 4th book I have read in the series and WOW!!!! I love them all. Some are short and sweet like this one, and some are long full length books. I have not been on top on Lexi’s M&M series, but this will be a great starter for readers. Then you can go back and start the series or finish where you have left off in my case.
Now let’s talk about Justify Me. As a HUGE J. Kenner fan, I love all characters that come out of the Stark International Trilogy World. Riley is my man in all the books I have read so far! He is ready to cut ties until his Tasha is in danger. His protective instincts make him stay. Tasha has already let Riley in her heart and she can not seem to get him out. When he is with her the sparks fly and OMG! Behind closed doors will have your temperature rising and pulse speeding into high gear.
The drama unfold pretty quickly in this 12 chapter Novella. I kept giving guesses who was the stalker and very satisfied J. Kenner had me guessing until the end. I loved Riley and Tasha. What another great story to love <3
I love this short sexy story! Now I need to catch up on the other books in the Masters and Mercenaries Crossover Collection. This is a standalone. I loved Riley and Natasha’s story! Riley works for M&M and if you read Wicked Dirty from Stark World, Natasha is Lyle Tarpin’s assistant. You can totally read this as a standalone and enjoy every word. They have a history and a attraction that she will not act on. But once Riley hears Natasha is in danger, he will be the one to protect her. Between trying to catch the stalker, and fight the attraction this book keep me wanting more and more.
If you like your books with plenty of passion & suspense, this is the book for you! I’ve been intrigued by Natasha & Riley’s mysterious past since they were briefly introduced in “Wicked Dirty”. We know they have a past, but not how or why it didn’t work out. They’ve learned to avoid each other over the years, but all their differences are pushed aside when Riley finds out she’s in danger. He turns up on Nat’s doorstep, offering to be her bodyguard whether she likes it or not. Their underlying attraction & hands off attitude is soon tested & set ablaze when they go undercover at a sex club to draw out Nat’s stalker.
“Justify Me” is well written and packs a lot of tension & heat into its novella length story. I’m looking forward to reading the other crossovers in the Masters & Mercenaries series as well as the original books.
“I want Riley, I just don’t want Riley.”
If this is how the crossover collection is going to go… then HOT DAMN, I can’t wait for more! J. Kenner really excelled at bringing a McKay-Taggert agent into the Stark World and I am thrilled that she paired up with one of my favorite authors, in her epic series, Masters & Mercenaries series.
As a stalker becomes too much for Natasha Black, Lyle Tarpin’s much needed assistant, he calls in for the best body guard to hire… Riley Blade.
Riley & Natasha have a past and after multiple advances from Riley, both have avoided each other. Riley working heavily with McKay-Taggert and Natasha with Lyle and his career in LA. But now, they are thrown back together for security and safety reasons. Emotions come back in full force for the two and Riley shows ‘Tasha’ what it could be like for them… but they need to draw out the stalker before it’s too late.
The element of danger is heightened as ever just like it would be in the M&M world, the characters are passionate, emotional towards one another- a second chance at a relationship, kind of sense and of course the writing is superb as always by Kenner. 4.5 Stars for the brilliance at pairing two key authors together in one of my favorite series. Reason for the .5 is I miss smarty-pants Ian Taggert. The characters we have seen throughout both authors’ work and now they are combined in one.
I have been waiting for the story of Riley and Tasha story. They both intrigued me with they’re hate for each other. But I was fooled, it isn’t hate, its complete LOVE they both feel for each other. I love when books crossover.
This is a short, HOT and Steamy read! Straight to the point with a great story!
I love J Kenner stories and her total HOTNESS in characters. weather its a full blown novel or a short and sweat story, She always blows me away!
There is a history between Riley and Natasha. A history of attraction, possibilities, and tragedy. Then Riley goes his way, to McKay-Taggart, and Natasha finds her way in Hollywood. Riley does his best to avoid Los Angeles, because Natasha finds it too painful to have him near. But when trouble finds Natasha, Riley is the first one to volunteer to keep her safe.
This novella is all about second chances, putting aside hurt to find your HEA. Riley and Natasha are amazing together. They just fit so well. There is lots of action in this story, and a mystery to be solved. I’ll just say, I never saw this one coming! Totally took me by surprise!
The author did a fabulous job on this novella. The descriptions are so vivid, I could easily picture the action in my head, like a rolling movie screen. I could feel what the characters were feeling. I could feel the anticipation, the fear, and even the hope and love. Amazing!
Riley and Tasha meet because her father is in same FBI Swat team as her father. There is an instant attraction.When her father is killed during a mission, Riley asks Tasha on a date but she can’t. They both go on with life but neither forget the other. When Tasha starts receiving threats against her Riley is brought in to keep an eye on her and find out who is doing this. Will they be able to ignore attraction when they go to a club where they have to pretend to be a couple? Will Riley be able to keep Tasha safe? Will Tasha let herself be with Riley? I loved this book from start to finish.
This was the first M & M book for me but not the first with these characters. Riley and Natasha were brief characters in Lyle and Sugar’s “Dirty” book and now they have their own all because Natasha has a stalker. She doesn’t think she needs a bodyguard but with Lyle going out of the country and she is staying in Los Angeles to work he calls Riley looking for advice and he immediately changes he vacation plans and shows up taking the job himself. There have always been sparks between them and now in close quarters they cannot hide from them. Given the chance will they now explore them? Will they turn real? Oh, this was so good! I know this was set as a novella but it would have been great as a full length book because there was so much chemistry to be explored. What felt rushed was just a matter of this being a novella. Definitely recommend this one!
The combination of J. Kenner’s sensual Stark world and one of Lexi Blake’s McKay-Taggart ’s operatives allows readers to enter an intriguing and suspenseful setting and immerse themselves in a story line that illustrates what happens when a hero and heroine are offered a new perspective on bad memories and finally let themselves give into sexual attraction that’s been building beneath the surface for almost eight years.
Although Justify Me is a short novella, the fact that the main characters have history together helps to set the stage for the actions that occur and the feelings that develop between Natasha Black, Lyle Tarpin’s personal assistant and Riley Blade, a dominant alpha male who has worked as a consultant for one of Tarpin’s films.
Riley has wanted to claim Natasha since their first interaction, but he’s never had a reason to breech the walls that Natasha has put up in order to live a safe and practical life until now and with that justification in place, Riley helps Natasha to let go…to give herself over to the sexual pleasure he provides, challenging her reasons for keeping him at a distance and giving her an outlet for her hidden desires and sexual needs.
Some readers may not like that Riley and Natasha’s story doesn’t ‘completely’ crossover into Lexi Blake’s Masters and Mercenaries series, but from my perspective, bringing the two worlds together, even with only one character, makes for an entertaining and intriguing read, which is exactly what I want when I read romantic suspense.
4 Poison Apples
Title: Justify Me
Author: J. Kenner
Genre: Adult, Romance
Format: Ebook – ARC
Pages: 125
Rating: 5
Heat: 5
Thoughts: Wow, I have not read Ms. Blake’s series and I am so thankful that there was no point in time that I felt lost. Even for being a novella, I was immediately drawn to the characters and felt a real connection by the end. So don’t let the fact that it’s a crossover series deter you from reading about two broken people that finally realize the only way they can be whole is in each other. Letting go of the past so as not to lose their future. And Riley can be my dom any day! He is definitely at the top of my book boyfriend list at the moment.
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work and chose to write a review.
There are times that you want a complicated read and then there are other tines that you want something that’s hot but you can read quickly. Justify Me is one of those quick reads. We met Riley and Natasha in Wicked Dirty and knew that they had to have their own story. Even though this isn’t a long book, it doesn’t feel rushed like some shorter ones do. The chemistry between Riley and Tasha is hot. If you don’t have a lot of time to read but still want something that has some meat to it, you’ll enjoy Justify Me.
Riley and Tasha’s story draws you in from the very start. Riley knew Tasha from working with her father in the FBI. Tasha has loved Riley since he worked with her father. Can Tasha overcome her fear of losing Riley they way she lost her father? Such well developed characters you cannot help but fall in love during the story. A wonderful must read!!!
Final Score – 4.5 Stars!
So … I’ve never read the Masters & Mercenaries crossover series or the original. But I have to say, from what I’ve read thus far, I didn’t need to. Although this was also incredibly short, it was fast paced yet enjoyable.
A full-length book would have been preferable, as to explain the M&M world more, but that’s just my want, not is necessarily needed to enjoy this novella for what it is at face value. The writing was great and the characters were likable, and while I did find the plot to be engaging – overall the concept was underwhelming.
The sex, of course, was HAWT (lots of BDSM elements) and there was so a low level of drama & angst.
*** I received an exclusive ARC of this book ***