Former vigilante-for-hire Simon Barré has one steadfast rule: stay far away from celebrities. Too bad Simon’s first assignment at Stark Security is to protect A-list actress Francesca Muratti. He can’t even turn down the assignment, as that would be violating his second rule—never fail a woman. Now he finds himself up-close-and-personal with a high-maintenance diva whose flash and sass drives him crazy—but whose touch he undeniably craves.
The world might believe that Francesca Muratti leads a fairy tale life, but the truth is far darker. For years, she’s kept a horrible secret about her best friend’s death. Now someone is threatening to kill Francesca if she doesn’t reveal all. She needs protection, but there’s no way she’s going to tell the sexy Stark Security agent what she did or why she’s being threatened. Which means that in order to survive and protect her secrets, Francesca must pull off the biggest acting job of her career: she’s going to have to let Simon close, but not let him see her true heart.
**For fans of J. Kenner's Stark Security series, Charmed By You is book nine in that series.**
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
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Charmed By You by J. KennerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
For Simon’s first assignment with Stark security, he’s disappointed to learn he needs to protect a Hollywood actress, Francesca. Francesca has learned how to survive and navigate the intense Hollywood world but when someone threatens her, she finds herself needing help. Her first impression of Simon isn’t the best based on his attitude. This novella delivered all the suspense and passion as these two strong-willed individuals had to find a way to work together to keep Francesca safe. And maybe along the way they will find love. I enjoyed the mystery and how well Simon and Francesca connected in this story. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.
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reading for a look inside Charmed By You!
He didn’t want to like her.
He really, really, really didn’t want to like her.
She was a self-involved, conceited,
money-hungry star who lived in a fantasy world and didn’t know a damn thing
about real people or real problems. Just like every other actor in this
fucked-up town.
He knew it. Was certain of it. He was familiar
with the type, after all. Hadn’t they destroyed his childhood? Ripped away his
fiancée?
Oh, yeah. He knew better than to like or trust
this breed, and Francesca Muratti was no exception. She was just one more
spoiled actress who’d caught the eye of a nut job with a grudge against spoiled
actresses.
And
yet…
He bit back a grimace, hating that he had to
acknowledge those two little words. And
yet…
And yet this spoiled, insufferable star was
willing to put her life on the line to keep her fans happy.
This self-involved woman who made a living
play-acting actually understood that the only reason she could enjoy the
privilege of the life she had built was because she’d been lifted onto her
pedestal by those fans. More than that, she not only understood it, but she was
willing to risk literally everything to offer her thanks to those fans the only
way she knew how—by being there for them.
He didn’t have to like her. Hell, he didn’t like her.
But he damn well respected her.
“All right,” he said, hopping down from the
buffet and moving to stand opposite her across the table. “We’ve settled that
you’re going to the con.” He glanced around the room, making sure no one
intended to keep up the argument. When all remained silent, he nodded. “Good.
That means we’re to the final point on today’s agenda.” He met Francesca’s
eyes. “Who sent the note? And what does he want you to reveal?”
He kept his attention locked on her, so there
was no missing either the way her eyes widened just a hair or the slash of fury
that cut across her undeniably beautiful face.
“Do I need to write you a song?” she snapped.
“Do a tap dance? Or maybe you want me to tattoo the answer on my forehead. Some
asshat wants me to say some magic words or else he’s going to kill me, and I.
Do. Not. Know. What. They. Are.”
A tear snaked down her cheek, and she swiped
it away, the gesture both angry and impatient.
“I can’t tell what I don’t know.” She spoke
directly to him, and he took the challenge, moving closer until he was
breathing her air and could smell the lilac in her perfume.
“That’s kind of my point, sweetheart,” he
said, studying her expression. Every tiny tick, every movement of her eyes. “I
think you do.”
“Excuse me?” She glared at him. The kind of
look designed to melt a lesser man.
Too bad for her, he wasn’t a lesser man. “You
heard me,” he repeated.
Sparks flew from her eyes. Not literally, but
he could damn sure imagine them. He said nothing. Just looked back at her
mildly, keeping his own temper in check. He was an expert at not showing his
feelings, and that was a skill that would come in handy with Francesca Muratti.
Probably more than his dead-on aim with a pistol.
With a huff, she turned to face Ryan, then
Damien. “Assign another agent, or I’m firing the lot of you.”
“And here I thought you liked me. What with
convincing them to let you go to the con.”
She whirled on him. “You insufferable prick.
Don’t you dare—”
“Frannie. Calm down.” Damien’s voice was low.
Reasonable. And Simon was absolutely positive that was the wrong approach to
take.
“Are you fucking kidding me, Stark? The man
just called me a liar to my face. I have no idea—zero theories—as to what’s going on, and he’s accusing me of…well,
fuck him. Fuck all of you. Dammit.”
She blinked, her lips pressed tight together
as she spun away, giving all of them her back. And for a moment—a very, very
fleeting moment—Simon had the urge to put his hands on her shoulders and tell
her that it would all work out.
“Frannie,” Damien said softly, “we’re going to
get to the bottom of this.”
Her shoulders shook, and as much as she grated
on him, he also knew that she was truly afraid. And because he was a damned
idiot, his heart softened a little. At least until she spoke again.
“I don’t want him here.” The words were low.
Barely audible. “He’s an arrogant prick, and I don’t want him in my home. For
that matter,” she added, turning to look at Damien and Ryan in turn, “I don’t
want anyone here. I got some stupid note, and I freaked, okay? But I shouldn’t
have, because there’s nothing for me to tell. Nothing. Which means it’s a prank. A joke. I’m safe. So go. All of
you.” She shifted, eyeing everyone in the room. “Go on,” she snapped, her voice
rising. “Get out of my house.”
Nobody moved.
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 six 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) and in 2017 for Wicked Dirty in the same category. Her Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series (as Julie Kenner) is currently in development as a television show.
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.
